I love it when a new product comes along that’s been designed with the core function to make life better, easier and cleaner. A product that makes me say, “Wow, I need that.” The truly revolutionary Ciro bong cleaner is one such item. The first-of-its-kind countertop appliance is the healthiest, most sustainable way to clean your pipes, bongs, grinder and trimming scissors by removing all the sticky resin using sonic waves—and in under 15 minutes without harmful and expensive chemicals.
Derivative of the Latin word for circle, the Ciro glass cleaner is the brainchild of two Emerald Triangle-based women, Laura Costa and Cara Cordoni.
“The Ciro comes from the heart of Humboldt County,” Costa says. “In addition to being great farmers, we’re also engineers, architects and artists.”
The Ciro cleans glassware and accessories in minutes.
How the Ciro Works
By harnessing industrial ultrasonic cleaning technology, the Ciro cleans the dirtiest bongs, pipes and other cannabis accessories and apparatus such as scissors and metal grinders. And it does so without using any nasty chemicals in a few minutes.
According to Costa, the sonic energy creates “cavitation,” tiny bubbles that explode against the resin, blasting it off the surface material and eliminating the need for solvents or other chemicals.
The device is unique because the product’s design doesn’t require the bong to be submerged. Instead, it only needs to be filled with water. The Ciro’s six-inch base fits most bongs and if you want to clean dirty pipes, grinders or other accessories, simply pop them in a glass of water and place it in the Ciro. Adding a few drops of biodegradable dishwashing liquid emulsifies the resin, making for easy cleanup.
“The cannabis industry is loaded with waste,” Costa says. “One Ciro is about the same cost as about a dozen bottles of cleaner that you’ll never have to buy again. We’re very proud that we created something that eliminates a lot of single-use plastic and toxic chemicals from the environment.”
The Ciro uses ultrasonic waves to create tiny bubbles that blast even the toughest resin off the glass.
The Benefits
The Full Flavor: Getting the full taste of the terpene profiles is one of the highlights of smoking cannabis. If you’re using a dirty bong containing stagnant bong water, you’re doing yourself and the flower a disservice. “You wouldn’t drink wine from a dirty glass,” Cordoni says. “So why would you smoke weed from a dirty bong?”
Reduced Respiratory Risks: Smoking out of dirty bongs and pipes isn’t just bad for the taste of your flower; it potentially poses health risks, too. Gross stagnant bong water is a haven for bacteria and other microbes that latch onto the gas and resin found inside your bong. Resin-encrusted bongs are a breeding ground for harmful bacteria and pathogens. Smoking with them can lead to illnesses like strep throat and pneumonia.
Easy Cleanup: Cleaning bongs can be complicated and time-consuming, not to mention damn near impossible if you have dexterity issues. The sleek hands-free design of the Ciro makes it super easy to use, especially for patients and disabled users who often struggle to maintain the level of cleanliness that they deserve with traditional methods.
Environmentally Conscious Engineering: As well as eliminating toxic chemicals and reducing the need for single-use plastic, the Ciro is also engineered for performance and durability and includes a lifetime warranty. Costa and Cordoni developed a circular business model that will repair or reclaim products at end-of-life.
Ciro founders Cara Cordoni (L) and Laura Costa (R).
Necessity and Innovation
The Ciro was born out of a two-fold need: a way to clean cannabis smoking apparatus and support her family as they worked through farming bureaucracy, Costa says.
“Many small farmers in the Emerald Triangle didn’t make it through the oppressive red tape and permitting costs of legalization after Prop 64,” Costa says. “Many farmers and their families had to pivot and find other ways to provide for their families.”
Costa is a skilled electrical engineer who spent part of her 20s rewiring airports in the South Pacific. She’s married to a legacy farmer and has spent years overseeing trim crews, tinkering with inventive ways to clean resinous apparatus. Costa built the first Ciro prototype using a thrift store cake pan as Exhibit A to her resourcefulness.
Cordoni is a San Francisco native and accomplished business builder, managing and coaching teams at various Fortune 500 companies and cannabis startups. Her passion for nurturing cradle-to-cradle product development extends into developing profitable businesses that prioritize protecting people and the environment.
“We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished with Ciro,” Costa says. “We have the potential to provide a less wasteful and healthier cleaning and consumption experience for the cannabis community.”
Ciro has launched for pre-sale on Indiegogo. A pledge of $185 reserves one Ciro + accessories at 26% off the retail price of $250. Multiple packs are available for dispensaries at a more generous discount. To see Ciro in action, or to pre-purchase a unit, visit @ciro_humboldt.
If you walk into any dispensary, you’ll see a wide variety of cannabis products. But one thing you won’t find is smoking accessories. That’s a missed opportunity for dispensaries, because selling smoking accessories is a great way to increase revenue.
If you’re a cannabis dispensary owner, you might be leaving money on the table. These items have a much higher profit margin than cannabis itself, so it makes sense to carry them in your store. Bongs, vaporizers and other accessories can be big sellers, especially among first-time cannabis users who need help getting started. By offering these items, you can make your dispensary more inviting and increase your profits at the same time. So if you’re not already carrying smoking accessories, it’s worth considering adding them to your inventory.
Give Customers New Ways To Consume
Budtenders are a powerful sales tool, but they rarely offer customers new ways to use cannabis products. Offering alternative methods of enjoying cannabis will entice customers to buy more product and accessories. Your store can compete with illegal street sellers by offering products that they cannot. Dab rigs are one of the best ways to enjoy cannabis concentrates, but they’re often overlooked. Part of the problem is that dab rigs can be expensive, and customers might not be willing to invest in one if they’re not sure how to use it. Budtenders can help by offering dabbing demonstrations and explaining the benefits of dabbing over other methods of consumption. Dabbing provides a more intense experience than smoking flower, and it’s also more efficient, so customers can get more bang for their buck. By educating customers about dab rigs, budtenders can help them make informed purchasing decisions and ensure they have a positive dabbing experience.
This is an untapped market for dispensaries. By offering products that smokers need, such as pipes, bongs, papers and lighters, dispensaries can increase their revenue without having to raise prices. Furthermore, selling smoking accessories gives you the perfect opportunity to upsell customers on higher-priced items, such as premium papers or branded lighters.
Variety: Good For Business
As the legal weed industry continues to grow, so does the need for innovative smoking products. Offering customers alternative methods of consuming cannabis is a great way to increase profit and keep them coming back for more. For example, selling pipes and bongs made from different materials like glass or metal can attract smokers who are looking for a more unique experience. Offering vaporizers and edibles is also a great way to appeal to customers who don’t enjoy smoking or who want to consume cannabis in a more discreet way. By offering a variety of products, you’re sure to find something that every customer will love—and that’s good for business.
You’d also have an edge over illegal street sellers when it comes to offering products that customers want. For example, vaporizers are a popular product among cannabis users, and dispensaries can provide a wide variety of vaporizers to choose from. Street sellers, on the other hand, are limited to selling whatever they can get their hands on. This means that they’re often unable to meet the demands of their customers. By offering products that street sellers cannot, dispensaries can attract more customers and compete effectively against the illegal cannabis market.
What’s Out There Already
Since dispensaries aren’t doing a great job of filling this need for accessories in-store, the internet has taken over. Places like The High Culture has a wide variety of accessories that aid in a consumer’s enjoyment, with all the basics as well as unique products. Getting well-known brands in your store will help, but new and exciting lines are always a good option. For example, Pucker is a vaporizer and bong brand that is currently only available online. There are options for everyone at Pucker, and if you own a dispensary, you might have some luck making it your in-house brand for vapes and bongs. There’s a wholesale application on their website for just that purpose. Offering this brand of vapes to your customers will keep your store unified when it comes to adding outside brands, and it will give you exactly what you need to start upselling, all in one place.
Dispensaries that don’t sell smoking accessories are missing out on a major opportunity to increase their revenue. By offering customers a complete smoking experience, you can make more money and better compete with illegal sellers. So, if your dispensary doesn’t sell smoking accessories, now is the time to start!
No matter what your smoking preference is, Pucker has you covered. From flower to oil and all the way to wax, there are even devices that can handle multiple forms of everyone’s favorite plant. Pucker devices have bright designs and unique features to give you the best smoking experience possible.
So far, Pucker offers 11 different vaporizers and a heated knife for dabbing. If all that wasn’t enough, Pucker has recently expanded to include glass bongs with classic designs you’re familiar with and more unique statement pieces. They’ve also designed a bong that disguises itself as a water bottle for people who like to be more discrete with their sessions when traveling.
Meet The Mother Pucker
Pucker has a lot to choose from, but one of their most interesting devices is a dab rig that does it all. The Mother Pucker can be used for concentrates and flower. The long-lasting battery makes it perfect on a single charge for several sessions, and the padded travel case makes it easy to carry everything you need, no matter where you’re going to smoke.
So how can it do both? The Mother Pucker includes a titanium quartz pot for its wax mode and a ceramic pot for flower mode. The battery is strong, removable, and 2200 mAh with circuity to prevent overcharging. You know, because usually we leave things on the charger for way too long. Plug in this e-rig and forget about it—the battery won’t suffer from the effects of being left on the charger.
One of the best features of this ultimate rig is the quick heat up time and temperature control. The Mother Pucker automatically identifies the heat mode for your session’s ideal temperature, or you can choose your own. With four different heat modes, it’s easier to get what you want out of your concentrate.
The Mother Pucker has heat settings for any session you could want. Don’t know your options? There’s low temperature dabbing and high temperature dabbing. Anything between 300 and 450 degrees is considered low temperature. This type of session will give you the maximum flavor out of your concentrate. The hit will be very smooth and somewhat mild. The Mother Pucker has two low temperature dabbing settings, which are the first two options on the rig. The low setting can be used for a smaller load, and the medium setting can be used for a larger, low-temp dab session. Next, above 450 degrees on the Mother Pucker is considered a high temperature session. Depending on your load size, you can use the high setting or the “Mother” setting, which is the highest temperature. You’ll still get the flavor you’re looking for in your session, but the effects will be much more intense! It can be a little harder on your lungs, as at these temperatures, you get vapor and smoke. If you tend to cough easily, start slow.
Slash Heated Knife Makes Dabbing Easier
Pair The Mother with The Slash Heated Knife for an even easier dabbing experience. They go perfectly together with their sleek, white appearance. The Slash makes easy work out of loading concentrates. The heated tip slashes through sticky residue by simply holding down the button, and no residue will be left on the blade. It only takes 30 minutes to charge, and you can get more than fifty uses on a single charge. If that isn’t enough, the ceramic knife tip can be removed so the battery can be used as a 510-thread battery. So, if you smoke oil, this knife becomes your next pen.
Bongs With A Twist
Maybe you prefer the more traditional route and would rather use a bong. Since Pucker recently added bongs to their collection, you can get what you need. But Pucker doesn’t stop at basic bongs. Even the classic designs have a special twist to them, which is what people come to expect from this brand.
For example, if you’re looking for a beaker bong, Pucker has one called the Cipher. The Cipher isn’t just clear glass, though. This beaker bong has small, detailed, white graphics on it that will glow in the dark. If you want something more interesting, there’s a glass bong that’s shaped like a wine bottle, and even a glass bong shaped like a water bottle. But the most interesting bong is BPA free plastic and actually is a water bottle. It has a handle, is dishwasher safe, is impact-resistant and holds 1000ml of water. There’s a hidden storage space for the included high-quality, heat-resistant bowl. You smoke it by using the mouthpiece, just like you would drink out of a regular sport water bottle. Snag it for less than $40 on the Pucker online store.
With all these great options and more, Pucker is bound to be your next favorite place to get your vaporizers and bongs. Check out Pucker and find dynamic devices for all your cannabis needs.
Tom Freston, the co-founder of MTV, once said, “Innovation is taking two things that exist and putting them together in a new way.” Nowhere is this truer than the act of smoking weed in 2022, thanks to the launch of the luxurious Trident bong by Hitoki. It’s a patent-pending laser system designed for the ultimate smoking experience. Basically, every nuance you thought you knew about the style, function and health of enjoying cannabis has been turned on its head with the introduction of the Trident’s laser combustion technology.
That’s right, we said laser combustion technology.
For years, cannabis lovers have conceptualized and realized ingenious ways to get high. Think about the times you were caught short and had to think on your feet for ways to enjoy your glorious ganja: From apple pipes to can pipes to bucket bongs, the list is endless. And as the legal cannabis industry matures, so too have the products that have been created in the name of getting high. The Hitoki Trident is a testament to this.
The Initial Ignition
Brothers and cannabis lovers Joe and Jack Tran told Cannabis Now that they founded Hitoki after contemplating what they wanted most in life. Their realization was threefold: to heal their dad, to help their loved ones, and to make a difference in the world. After landing on this this eureka moment, they just needed a vehicle to reach their end goal.
The Tran brothers say they have a long history with cannabis. They credit the plant as “helping to uplift their moods and bring them out of their shells.” So, getting into the cannabis industry was a natural fit.
“We love the plant [and] we want to use this company to make our own impact,” Joe said.
But figuring out what that would look like would take a little more exploration. Growing up in a family of entrepreneurs gave them the motivation to make it happen. The brothers explain that, for them, business is the path to getting what you want out of life.
“After much contemplation and life happenstance, I thought about lasers, and how our mom used to have a Chinese restaurant in a shopping center with a dollar store,” Joe said. “The dollar store sold laser pointers, which began our fascination with lasers early in elementary school. Combine an elementary school fascination with lasers and a high school habit of smoking weed creates laser bongs!”
The Tran brothers went on to develop a patent-pending water bong that burns your bud in the most futuristic way possible: using lasers.
Form Meets Function With the Hitoki Trident
The Hitoki Trident is a stunning paradox of simplicity and technology. By combining a classic ritual with modern tech, the Trident delivers an elevated experience for both cannabis aficionados and the cannacurious.
According to the Tran brothers, what makes the Trident special is that it gives the cleanest and most flavorful smoking experience by burning product with light energy. Just as sunlight and a magnifying glass are used to burn things with a concentrated beam of light, so too does the Hitoki Trident.
“The laser gives you a clean and tasty hit, and you can clearly see the difference,” Joe said. There is no butane or other contamination in the burning and inhaling process. We designed it how we thought we would like it and based on how we smoke.”
This clean burn makes the Trident an excellent alternative for health-conscious consumers, too. Say goodbye to nasty chemicals from butane lighters that can affect the true flavor of your flower.
With its high-end, display-worthy design and powerful performance, the Hitoki just might send you to another planet. (Cue the lasers.)
Available in black and rose gold, the Hitoki Trident was designed with the user in mind. It’s operated by a single button with LED feedback and offers three power levels indicated by color: Low (red) is for dry blends; medium (green) is for denser buds; and high (blue) is for oil-infused.
Finally, this easy-to-use device includes water filtration, multiple power settings, safety interlocks, a carb button and 1-hour and 45-minute fast charging—capable of over 280 uses on a single charge. With proper care, the Trident’s laser has a lifespan of over 5,000 hours of use. The Trident’s design adds to the aesthetics of any space and will surely become a conversation starter, too. And customers can’t stop talking about it.
For the Tran brothers, what makes the Trident laser bong really special is the customer feedback they receive, telling them how much they love the device. After all, as Joe says, the spark that ignited the Trident was their desire to “make cool stuff that people enjoy using.”
In today’s digital age, online retail giants and social media have made consumers’ every whim conveniently accessible with the click of a button. But rewind the clock to the dawn of the millennium, however, and things were very different indeed. It was the early days of the internet and e-commerce. Amazon was only just starting to add music CDs to their online bookshop, and Facebook was still a gleam in Mark Zuckerberg’s eye.
It was also around this time that Filip Ernest and Hans Oei opened the world’s first combined online head shop and forum: Grasscity.com. Over the next two decades, Grasscity would become one of the most influential cannabis companies in the world. Regarded by many as the planet’s No.1 online head store, the canna-destination serves an average of 5.8 million customers annually, who shop for the finest bongs, rigs, CBD products and paraphernalia that the web has to offer.
To commemorate Grasscity’s prodigious achievements, the childhood friends-turned-successful business partners reflect on the early days—back when they’d receive fax machine orders—and how they got to where they are now: indisputably regarded as nothing less than counterculture and cannabis business legends.
In 1998, Ernest and Oei were no strangers to innovation and success. Ernest was an early e-commerce entrepreneur and Oei owned three busy cannabis coffee shops in Amsterdam. Their joint story began when Oei approached Ernest to create websites for his coffeeshops—but Ernest went one step further. He proposed creating a new online experience, one where locals and tourists alike could easily find Amsterdam’s most popular cafes. This led to the creation of their first online endeavor, a content-based online magazine called Coffeeshop-Amsterdam.com.
But according to Ernest, this initial idea consumed both time and money. So, by the year 2000, the concept pivoted into an online forum and head shop. This new direction demanded a name that would encapsulate the vibe of Amsterdam without being too explicitly cannabis-centric. According to Oei, the pair wanted a “cool” domain name that they could brand and would explicitly encapsulate their vision. They started with the obvious and it evolved from there, Oei explained. “Amsterdam… Weed… We didn’t want to call it Weed City. So, we came up with Grasscity.”
Back then, there was no e-commerce software available, so they built an online system to meet their needs. Orders arrived via fax and the partners fulfilled the requests by driving across Holland to meet with wholesale distributors and pick up pipes, vapes and bongs for their US-based buyers. Amsterdam has a smoking culture of rolling papers and joints, not bongs, so the unusual requests initially caused a few raised eyebrows Ernest recalled.
Due to his successful chain of coffee shops, Oei was aware of the popularity of High Times magazine and the Cannabis Cups. The awards were held in Amsterdam at the time, and swathes of cannabis-loving American tourists would descend on the city to find out which coffee shop had the best weed.
“Oei suggested we run an ad in High Times, and then it really started rolling—literally,” Ernest quips.
It was around the same time the American federal government launched Operation Dream Pipe, a nationwide investigation that targeted cannabis paraphernalia. This saw the closure of all online head shops in the US. Since their home base was abroad, the American government had no authority over Grasscity, Oei said.
Almost overnight, Grasscity exploded, and according to Ernest, the company essentially had a duopoly on the market with everyonedoesit.com for several years, until fresh entrepreneurs started opening rival platforms around 2013.
One of the repercussions of Operation Dream Pipe was the collapse of the American glassblowing industry and, as a result, Grasscity struggled to secure the high-quality glassware they’d come to expect from the States. Initially, they had one contact: Mountain Jam Glass Company, a small family-owned company in Eugene, OR. This primary contact grew into a strong partnership that remained until 2019.
“Thanks to Mountain Jam, we had a tremendous amount of fantastic, handcrafted American glass from Eugene,” Oei said.
For Ernest, their legacy—especially the forum—is something to be proud of.
“We were able to provide so many people information on how to grow and how to smoke—and I’m not one of the guys who blows our horns too much. When we went to CHAMPS, people would ask who we were and where we were from,” he said.
Ernest recalls people’s reactions after learning they were from Grasscity were also memorable: “’Oh, my God, Grasscity! I learned to grow from you;’ ‘Imeet so many friends on Grasscity;’ ‘You’re the reason why we started our glassblowing business;’ and on and on,” he said.
Anchored in community, the Grasscity forum was a space where the canna-curious and cannaseurs alike could exchange grow stories, share tips and bond over a shared love for the plant—all while feeling safe in their underground scene. The forum topics cover everything from accessories to consumption techniques, business, medical marijuana, legalization news, grow tips and more.
“We were one of the first ones who really paid attention to community-building,” Ernest says.
There are now more than 34 million unique users who generate 75 million annual page views. Due to the policy of not deleting posts, more than 20 million posts date back to the very start of the forum in the year 2000.
“It’s more a kind of a Wikipedia of weed because our policy was never to remove content from that forum,” Oei said. “So, you can go back, and you can find your posts from years ago. We try to maintain the history of the forum’s index.”
Ensuring the forum is a safe space has required a team of moderators from the beginning—and some of those initial moderators are still with Grasscity today.
“There’s a group of 12 people who’ve been with us from the start,” Ernest says. “But the most extraordinary thing is we’ve never met them.”
Oei goes a step further. “An online relationship started between two moderators which became a real-life relationship. And they came together and had a baby. So, there’s a Grasscity forum baby!”
Fast forward to more recent years. With more than 90 percent of sales coming from US customers, it made sense for Grasscity to operate out of the States, because “America was our homeland in terms of e-commerce,” Oei said.
Initially, to help with manufacturing and drop shipments, the company leased a warehouse in Eugene that they operated for three years. At this time, they were also looking for partnership opportunities and spoke to Smoke Cartel and Dankstop, but it wasn’t the right fit.
A serendipitous meeting between Grasscity’s warehouse director and retail-focused cannabis company High Tide, Inc. resulted in an opportunity for both companies to expand their global footprint.
High Tide’s CEO Raj Grover was looking for opportunities to grow his portfolio of cannabis brands, to meet the predicted demand of Canada’s upcoming recreational market.
High Tide currently operates across six subsidiaries: The wholesale component includes RGR Canada and Famous Brandz while the retail segment includes Smoker’s Corner, Grasscity, Canna Cabana and KushBar.
“Our power was e-commerce and the global footprint we established over the last 20 years with our brand name and with Grasscity,” Ernest said. “It was a match made in heaven.”
Oei says they were very lucky to meet the right people at the right time.
“To be part of the High Tide group, to be listed on the Canadian stock exchange with plans to go to the US, the NASDAQ… it’s amazing,” Oei said. “We never expected that when got our first fax with an order for a wooden pipe!”
As part of the acquisition, Ernest stayed with the company as Managing Director of High Tide, tasked to oversee the growth and development of Grasscity. Oei returned to his first love—coffee shops. After the Dutch government opted to keep coffee shops open during the pandemic, Oei is optimistic about the industry’s future.
“The government kept us open to keep cannabis sales out of the black market. I think this might be a new era for coffee shops. I’m really wondering what the future will look like in four to five, six years—I think I’ll be still around.”
For many newcomers to smoking, bongs can be quite intimidating and there isn’t always someone to show you how to smoke a bong the right way. The first roadblock is all the bong-related jargon. How can you figure out how to smoke it if you don’t know what it is? Terminology for Bongs Bowl: this […]
The marijuana industry is not what it used to be. It’s changed in so many ways that it hardly looks the same as it did just a couple decades ago. Some of the biggest motivators for change have been legalizations, and the advent of vapes and edibles, which have worked to greatly change the general landscape of the cannabis industry.
Vapes and edibles are awesome ways to catch your buzz in life. So if you don’t want to smoke any more joints or take any more bong hits, you’ve got lots of options. You don’t even need for it to be standard weed. There are so many possibilities from delta-8 THC, to hemp-derived delta-9, to THCV, that you can get a vape and gummies, of your very favorite compound. Take a look at out deals for delta-8 THC and more, and figure out which kind of product works best for you. Make sure to subscribe to The THC Weekly Newsletter. Also save big on Delta 8, Delta 9 THC, Delta-10 THC, THCO, THCV, THCP & HHC products by checking out our “Best-of” lists!
How legalizations changed the cannabis industry
First and foremost, whereas cannabis may have been used throughout much of known history, it was decidedly prohibited nearly worldwide for almost 100 years now. Prior to this recent 100 years, which legislatively started in the US with the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act, hemp was a stable industrial material, and cannabis as a medicine had been used extensively, with written records dating back to China in 1500 BC, when cannabis was drank as a tea.
Cannabis has been smoked all over the world, but it wasn’t much smoked in the US prior to prohibition. Which means, one of the things to come out of the time of prohibition, was actually smoking cannabis, and not just ingesting it by way of medicine. This obviously doesn’t mark the beginning of cannabis being smoked worldwide or historically, but it does mark the beginning of it being smoked (en masse) in the US. Funny how that came out of laws to prohibit its use entirely.
Legalizations have also meant open recreational markets, and this means weed products on store shelves. I’d say ‘dispensary shelves’, but the reality is that with CBD being widely accepted, and with a bunch of cannabis compounds being marketed outside of regulation, it’s quite possible to get cannabis products off of many store shelves, not just official dispensaries. Though this was true of life before prohibition, at least to a degree, it certainly isn’t a practice that was experienced in the lifetime of people today until laws started changing.
Legalizations have also helped to change public opinion, though which comes first is a rather chicken and egg conundrum, as they influence each other. A decade ago, and back through almost a century, getting weed meant meeting a guy that took forever, who’d show up somewhere with rolled up bags of green in his pockets, and then sail off into the night when the transaction was over, always looking over his shoulder. Now, so long as you’re in a legalized location, you can go into a brightly lit store, check through a menu of options, and then pay a cashier for your legal merchandise.
The advent of both vapes and edibles have done much to change the cannabis industry of today. Technically neither is new, though, as the use of vaping can be traced back to Egypt in around 1554 BC. At that time, hot bricks or stones were used to create vapors, with henbane specifically mentioned. But that’s ancient history.
The modern history of vaping started with Joseph Robinson’s 1930 patent, though its unkwown if his creation was ever made. It wasn’t until 2003 that Hon Lik, a Chinese pharmacist, made the first viable vaping product through his company Golden Dragon Holdings, redubbed Ruyan. Three years later, in 2006, electronic cigarettes hit US and European markets, kicking off the vaping boom.
According to a Singlecare article which references different research including Gallup polls, as of 2018, 9% of adults used vapes regularly or occasionally. Approximately 27.5% of kids in high school are vaping, and in 2019, a survey reported that more than five million middle school and high school students had used e-cigarettes in the past month. From 2011 to 2018, the number of e-cigarette users went from seven million to 41 million.
In terms of specifically vaping cannabis, a survey from 2019 showed a 3% increase in use of vaporizers among college student smokers, which was up 6% from the year before that. This accounted for college-age kids 19-22. When looking at their non-school-attending counterparts, it went up from 8% in 2018 to 17% in 2019. Now consider that prior to 2003, vaporizers didn’t even exist, and now close to 20% of college-aged kids use them. That’s a pretty different looking cannabis scene.
How edibles changed the cannabis industry
When it comes to how vapes and edibles changed the landscape of the cannabis industry, it can literally be seen. Instead of a bong, pipe, or joint, you can see people puffing away on vaporizers, and better yet, you can’t smell smoke coming out of them. Vapes and edibles have done well to change the visual appeal of what getting high should look like in this industry.
Edibles, much like vapes, have been around for plenty of time, whether talking about tea in China, or Bhang in India. But the idea of it that we know today, started in Paris in the 1800’s, among elitist writers who came together to eat hash brownies at Club des Hachischins. The practice was made more official with the publication of the Alice B. Toklas Cookbook in 1954, Toklas being the life partner of American writer Gertrude Stein. The brownies received even more press in 1968 with the release of Peter Seller’s movie I Love You Alice B. Toklas, which helped propel the idea of weed edibles into the mainstream.
For several decades, the ideas of pot and brownies, or pot and chocolate chip cookies, have gone together, but edibles always played a minor role in cannabis consumption overall. That is until the advent of nanotechnology allowed for nanoemulsions, which has changed how we consume edibles, and how much marketspace they take up. Nanoemulsions allow for opposing liquids – like oil and water – to be forced together, this making for infused foods beyond those using oil-based ingredients like butter.
With nanoemulsion technology, cannabinoids can be infused into anything from sodas to gum to candy, and the gummies market has really taken off as a result. Whereas edibles used to be a barely there thing, something that made an appearance at the random party, they now account for 11% of the marketspace between the states of California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. In fact, these states together showed a 60% increase in edible use through 2020. This information was put out by cannabis analytics company Headset, as part of its 2020 year end cannabis-use data.
Vapes and edibles change how the cannabis industry looks
The entire world of cannabis has a different visual appeal these days, then it did back during prohibition years. Vapes and edibles have made a massive aesthetic impression on the cannabis industry, which goes beyond just how it looks, obviously. Popping a gummy or sucking on a vape have replaced older methods of joints and pipes, though those products are still quite popular too.
The old image of a guy leaning up against a building and smoking a joint still exists, no doubt, but now he’s got a guy to his left smoking oil out of a vape cart, and a guy to his right popping gummies in his mouth. And they’re all getting really high. I remember going to parties years ago and there would be a ton of different pieces of smoking equipment to come out: bongs, bowls, bubblers, blunt papers, joint rolls, chillems, hookahs etc. And maybe a brownie would make an appearance. The last party I was at I passed around a vape as I sat already stoned on a gummy, which I brought more of for friends.
Apart from companies simply growing weed to sell in a dispensary, there are massive products markets that have sprouted up, with all kinds of compounds that can be vaped, and all kinds of edible foods to be eaten. In fact, these modes of ingestion have become so popular that fakes industries have popped up alongside legal ones. This because they are both forms of using cannabis whereby the weed no longer looks or smells like weed, and can therefore be replaced with a synthetic. Often times products are sold claiming to contain THC beyond regulated limits, and which likely are passing off cheap synthetics as the real thing.
These days, dispensaries are spilling out the door with vape products and different kinds of edibles, as they have become important parts of the cannabis industry. By the time I got to a US dispensary, this was already the case, but I remember going to coffeeshops in Amsterdam, where it really was just about the weed. An American dispensary is like an entire supermarket compared to an Amsterdam coffeeshop, thanks in part to the advent of these new products.
Conclusion
The cannabis world has been doing much moving and shaking in the last few years. Some of the biggest changes have come in the forms of vapes and edibles, which have done much to change how the cannabis industry works, and essentially, what products are sold.
Just one decade ago the options seemed so much more limited. Today we have a world of options, a plethora of ingestion methods, and a constantly widening array of products. The weed industry looks very different now than it did in the past, and will likely look even different in the future.
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Disclaimer: Hi, I’m a researcher and writer. I’m not a doctor, lawyer, or businessperson. All information in my articles is sourced and referenced, and all opinions stated are mine. I am not giving anyone advise, and though I am more than happy to discuss topics, should someone have a further question or concern, they should seek guidance from a relevant professional.
Over the years, glass artists and vendors alike risked their own freedom to bring glass pipes to the market. You might be bombarded with the classic tongue-in-cheek line, “For Tobacco Use Only” if you enter a headshop, but restrictions are being relaxed or ignored for the most part in recent years.
Glass pipes grew in popularity for decades as smokers turned to pipe materials with less thermal conductivity to save fingers from burns—namely glass. Today, glass pipes are approaching the finest art you will ever encounter. Often, glass pipes will be auctioned as fine art, and likewise displayed in a gallery.
Generally speaking—here are the different types of glass pipes: chillums, spoons, Sherlocks, hammers, bubblers, water pipes (bongs) and steamrollers. For concentrates, you’ll find dab rigs, elbows, nails, diffusers, percs and so on. Each category has different arguable advantages and disadvantages. For instance, some prefer ice pinches, while others prefer diffusion. High Times breaks down the glass smoking utensils you need to know about this holiday season.
Photo Courtesy of GEAR Premium®
GEAR Premium® Sidekick 12” Beaker Tube
The most popular GEAR Premium® water pipe just got a lot cooler (or maybe hotter?) because now it comes with a beautifully designed, patent pending built-in lighter holster, so you’ll always know where to find your fire!
This premium package also comes with a bunch of extras including a Sidekick T-Shirt, a GEAR Premium® Lighter, and more. Use promo code HIGHSIDEKICK and receive 10 percent off your next order. See the full list of available GEAR Premium® products at gearpremiumsidekick.com.
This meticulously designed contraption from Red Eye Tek® features a matrix perc for optimal filtration and beautiful curves reminiscent of your cardiovascular system.
Each piece is made of 100 percent borosilicate glass and includes a quartz banger with your choice of several iridescent recycler colors. Use promo code HIGHTIMES and receive 10 percent off your next order. See the full list of available Red Eye Tek® products at redeyetekterminator.com.
Rock Legends Jimi Rainbow Haze Sherlock Pipe Black
Honor the pioneers of rock. Rock Legends’ Jimi Rainbow Haze bong—featuring a stunning psychedelic design—quickly sold out at Famous Brandz, but you can still get your hands on the Sherlock hammer-style pipe with a similar design. The Jimi Rainbow Haze pipe is made from thick, hand-blown borosilicate glass. Measuring 6” /15.24cm in length, this pipe is perfect for sessions at home. Rainbow Haze features a massive bowl that fits a substantial amount of herb. The built-in screen helps prevent ash and debris from falling through the hole while smoking.
Release the Kraken! The Tentacle Pipe was created by SWRV Glass, and available from the online retailer Badass Glass, the “Number One Online Headshop.” High Times confirmed that the 5” pipe truly is badass. The pipe comes in a variety of high quality glass colors with realistic suction cups. This design works great as a spoon pipe with the mouth hole located at the bottom. This curled end makes this one incredibly unique pipe, and the suction cups actually provide some good grip. It provides a bit of wow factor without breaking your bank.
Last Prisoner Project x Higher Standards Heavy Duty Spoon Pipe
Made in the U.S., the heavy duty Spoon Pipe is made from 100 percent ultra-durable premium borosilicate glass. Higher Standards teamed up with Last Prisoner Project. One-hundred percent of net profits will go towards supporting the non-profit. Last Prisoner Project is committed to helping release and rebuild the lives of those who have suffered from cannabis criminalization. The Higher Standards x Last Prisoner Project collaboration is available online and in-store. Sales will go towards legal intervention of inmates, public education and legislative advocacy that works to redress the past and continuing harms of the country’s unfair and prejudiciary approach to drug policy.
This bong is covered top to bottom with the trippy character and lettering designs of Australian artist Trog. The Laid Back Beaker bong is 30cm tall, featuring ice pinches, 5mm thick glass, Chop Chop Monster featured on the Base. It includes a 14mm downstem and 14mm pull out Cone Piece. Trog carved a name for himself by designing psychedelic posters for cannabis events ranging from Seattle Hempfest to Hash Bash, Champs Tradeshow, Kush Cup and more. He also produces cannabis-themed comic books, art collections and merchandise.
Are you ready to blast off into the stratosphere with a bong that you’ll never forget? Fat Buddha Glass says that this Rocket Bong will get you “sky high”—and with the included features, we believe it. With a height of 10″ the bong is rocket-shaped and guaranteed to spark a conversation. It comes with a 14mm female bowl and a diffused downstem, meaning it’s also functional as a bong. It is built with high quality borosilicate glass. Act fast, because this novelty bong is flying off the shelves currently.
10″ Bent Neck Matrix Diffuser by Thick Ass Glass (TAG)
Skip all the hype and stick to what really lasts in the long run—Thick Ass Glass. You ought to check out TAG’s amazing selection of beakers and diffusers that boast amazingly thick glass. They are bound to withstand a few falls without shattering, with quality you can feel in the weight. TAG’s 10” Bent Neck Matrix Diffuser measures 65x5mm (14mm Female). You can also choose between sandblasted or the TAG Slime Logo. Payment options are available.
Check out GRAV®’s new amber-colored designs, which won’t show resin build-up. The distinctive disc-shaped base makes this water pipe sturdy and easy to hold. At 8.5” x 5.5”, it sits relatively low compared to other water pipes. It also has a large capacity chamber for a relatively low-profile piece. The conical fission perc leads to superb filtration and helps keep water from splashing up into the tube. When you take a hit, you’ll notice its comfortable mouthpiece with a rounded edge, made on thick 32mm tubing. This limited edition amber and black color combo is available exclusively at GRAV.com.
Smoke like you’re sitting on top of the Misty Mountains on Middle Earth, surrounded by Hobbits, orcs and elves. Chameleon Glass’ Gandalf pipescome in multiple colors including pink, color change, green, light green, blue and light blue. Also, check out the company’s other models “made by the Elder Elves” including the company’s Aragorn, Aragorn Ash Catcher, Stryder, Gandalf Woodie and Gandalf Ash Catcher.
Bongs have been one of the favorite forms for smoking cannabis and other herbs for millennia. They are also one of the oldest modes, factoring into different parts of history, in different cultures, throughout time. Today we might prize our beautiful glassware that doubles as art, but this was not how the world of bongs actually started. Read on to learn more about the general history of bongs and waterpipes.
The history of bongs is rather impressive and long, just like the history of cannabis itself. Whether a bong smoker or not, there are tons of ways of taking advantage of the cannabis plant, and all its great compounds, from delta-8 THC (a half brother to delta-9 which causes less anxiety and couch locking), to THCA (what THC is before it becomes THC), to THCV, a possible answer to the issue of diabetes. We’ve got a great selection of products, and an array of deals to take advantage of on delta-8 THC and many more. So check out our stock, and pick out your perfect product.Check out our selection of products in The Delta 8 Weekly Newsletter. And save big on Delta 8, Delta 9 THC, Delta-10, THCO, THCV, THCP & HHC products by checking out our “Best-of” lists!
What are waterpipes?
A waterpipe is a smoking device that uses water to filter the smoke being inhaled. The size and design can vary extensively, going from pocket-sized to three-feet high plus. The design can vary as well. A waterpipe requires an air and water tight chamber, and this is achieved when the user puts their mouth on the mouthpiece, closing off air to the chamber where the water is. The chamber requires a stem leading out to a bowl where something can be burned/vaporized for smoke/vapor, and another opening leading to a mouthpiece, or that functions as a mouthpiece.
Some waterpipes have a third opening, which can go by many different names. I know it as the ‘carb’, but it’s also called a ‘choke’, ‘hole’, or ‘turbo’ among other names. This is used to clear the smoke that builds in the chamber. The hole is blocked while lighting the herbs and inhaling the smoke, and then released to inhale the built-up smoke in the chamber. Conversely, waterpipes that don’t have this, generally have a bowl that can be removed from the stem, which functions the same way. Cheaper home-made waterpipes sometimes have neither.
The term ‘waterpipe’ can refer to a standard bong of today, or a dab which uses a bong-like structure to vaporize concentrates, or a bubbler which looks like a regular pipe but with a water chamber, or one of the most popular versions the world over, the hookah. Many bongs and other waterpipes also make use of a percolator, which is a glass piece used to cool down the air to produce a smoother hit.
The water used in bongs and waterpipes helps to filter the smoke being inhaled, and can make smoking bongs less harsh on a smoker than a standard waterless pipe. This happens because the water is able to trap heavier particles, which keeps them from being inhaled by the smoker. One of the most popular forms of a waterpipe is the hookah, which has historically been used for smoking tobacco and opium, although it can be used for cannabis as well. The hookah originates from India, an invention of a doctor by the name of Hakim Aboul Futteh Ghilani, who had been treating Emporor Akbar the Great in the 1500s, which led to his invention.
When the air moves through the water of a waterpipe, it creates the gurgling sound that bongs are known for. The user puts their mouth on the mouthpiece, covers the carb (if there is one), while lighting the herbs in the bowl and inhaling to bring air through the water chamber, and then up through the mouthpiece. Waterpipes like bongs are known for providing very large hits, and making users very high.
History of bongs in the world
The history of bongs – or at least from what we’ve found thus far – goes back to the Iranian-Eurasian Scyth tribes from what is now Russia. Approximately 2,400 years ago, tribal leaders were using bongs to smoke herbs, and these bongs were made of gold. The next oldest artifacts date back to around 1100-1400 CE, and relate to the finding of 11 bongs dated to that time period, in an Ethiopian cave. They were made of animal horns and primitive pottery from the time.
In written history, bongs start appearing in the 16th century in Central Asia, with the word ‘bong’ coming from the Thai word ‘buang’, which was used to designate smoking devices made out of bamboo. One of the most famous bong stories comes from Chinese history, during the Qing Dynasty. According to the story, Empress Dowager Cixi, who was a Chinese reagent, was found buried with three of her favorite bongs. Some of her bong collection can even be seen in the Palace Museum today.
It is unknown when exactly water began being used with pipes, as prior to water being used, herbs were smoked dry, from a regular pipe. It’s believed that the use of water also came from China during the Ming Dynasty, with the design spreading via the Silk Road thereafter. Though waterpipes were often associated with commoners, Empress Cixi demonstrates how they were sometimes the choice of royalty as well.
After the Qing Dynasty, waterpipes could generally be found in one of two fashions in Asia: one used by country folk, made of bamboo. And a more glamorous metal version used by the upper echelons of society. Using glass didn’t become an aspect of waterpipes until much later, and that came out of America.
History of bongs in America
Historical findings indicate that glass production on some level began in the coastal areas of Mesopotamia in 1500-2500 BC, where glass blowing techniques were used to make beads and jewelry. It grew in Ancient Rome during the Hellenistic Period, when glass was used for pottery and beads, employing a specific mosaic technique, called ‘millefiori’. This technique itself went out of style in the 18th century, but came back in the 19th, and can often be found adorning glass bongs today as implosion style marbles.
The glass industry – pushed in part by glass lamp shades made by Louis Comfort Tiffany, of Tiffany & Co. – was gaining in momentum. The bong industry was also doing very well in North America as tobacco had become a huge cash crop after the European settlement of America. These two factors coincided beautifully in the 1960-70s, with the invention of the glass bong.
The US bong industry was spearheaded by a guy named Bob Snodgrass, who spent time following a Grateful Dead tour, and making glass bongs along the way. Following his time as a dead head, Snodgrass took up in Eugene, Oregon, and began working with an apprentice. Snodgrass used borosilicate glass to create stronger bongs that could be used repeatedly without breaking. He also came up with the technique of ‘fuming’ whereby gold and silver are used to put coloring in borosilicate glass.
Of course, though this started an actual industry, the beauty of bongs is that they can be made from virtually anything. I’ve smoked out of an aluminum can, an apple, and a watermelon, just to name a few bong-ready objects. The ability to create a bong out of so many different materials was probably also integral in helping the popularity of the smoking method grow, even if it spurred on the industry in a non-brand name market way.
The bong take-down of 2003, and a recent resurgence
Regardless of whether they can be made at home, bongs became huge in the US, with a place in every head shop. By the 1990’s, other brand name bongs were entering the market, like Tommy Chong, who started ‘Chong’s Bongs’. Then, at the height of the industry (speculated at being worth one billion at the time), the US government did what it does best, got in the way. In 2003, the US government invested around $12 million in snuffing out the bong industry.
During that time, at least 55 retailers were put out of business, including the majority of ‘Chong’s Bongs’. Internet vendors were also stifled as well. This aggressive campaign was meant to stop sales in general, and, of course, ignored the fact that at the time (pre-dry herb vapes), using water actually created the safer method of smoking.
Though bongs aren’t demonized in the same way anymore (and are often left out of the conversation entirely), they are still not a part of an organized or brand name market. Killing the industry at the turn of the century did well to level the burgeoning name brands of the time.
Bongs can be difficult as products, especially when made of glass. This is because they can easily break, which generally renders them useless. Most people are more likely to buy a pretty glass piece, or whatever is at their local smoke shop, rather than caring about brands. This is wildly different than shopping for vapes, rolling papers, or weed itself, where the brand name, and product specificity, are incredibly important.
The recent resurgence in bongs can be seen in the beginnings of an actual products market, spurred on by companies like Thicket, which puts out the Thicket Waterpipe bong. This cleverly designed bong is meant as a travel bong, and transforms from a leak-proof canister which can hold the water in the bong while traveling, to its bong form where it provides incredibly smooth hits. Not only can the bong be stowed with water still inside, but the water doesn’t need to be changed for days at a time, as the bong contains an internal ash-catcher which keeps the water clean. The company does well to understand the breaking of glass parts, offering replacement pieces for all which is breakable.
As a bong smoker myself, I was excited to see Thicket enter the market with a name brand bong. The company did so, leveraging a great design that actually offers something above standard bong smoking, and outside of what a home-made bong can provide. If the history of bongs tells us anything, its that this popular method of smoking is not likely to go away quickly, no matter how many dabs and vapes are invented. It will be interesting to see if the years to come will bring with them a more established name brand bong market.
Hello and welcome to CBDtesters.co, the internet’s one-stop-shop for the most up-to-date and relevant cannabis and psychedelics-related news from around the world. Read-thru the site on a regular basis to stay in-the-know on the quickly-changing landscape of legal drugs and industrial hemp, and check out The Delta 8 Weekly Newsletter, so you’re sure to get all the news first.
Disclaimer: Hi, I’m a researcher and writer. I’m not a doctor, lawyer, or businessperson. All information in my articles is sourced and referenced, and all opinions stated are mine. I am not giving anyone advise, and though I am more than happy to discuss topics, should someone have a further question or concern, they should seek guidance from a relevant professional.
BRNT Design is a Canada-based design company specializing in bongs and accessories that focus on design, features, and cleaning. They started in 2017 with the Hexagon and have moved forward and now ship to the USA.
