From hot and cold products to transportation talk, unique genetics, and branding for niche markets
Before I even start this list I need to note that I was only one of several thousand people who inhaled NECANN this past week, and that the observations below do not necessarily reflect those of, say, all or even very many cannabis business owners, consumers, or budtenders. To imply such an omnipotent perspective would be preposterous.
I did, however, speak with hundreds of those stakeholders from all corners of the industry over two days, many of whom I explicitly asked about market and product trends. Here is my amalgamation of what they said, inferred, and, in some cases, shouted while under the influence. Also keep a lookout for our upcoming roundup of cannabis tech highlights and other dispatches plus NECANN photo sets.
More OGs are entering the legal market
There’s a lot of grumbling throughout the industry about all of the new grow operations in particular that are only now entering the saturated market. But many of the newcomers to regulation aren’t rookies—they are experienced legacy players who truly care about their flower and community. It just took them longer than some moneyed others to commence, but major players would be remiss to ignore the groundswell of skilled independent boutique cultivators making the transition to adult use in 2025.
You never know which brands will suddenly take off
A year or so ago, Dime Industries was relatively unknown in the Bay State. Now, it is among the most recognizable vape brands, its bathtub-sized chambers and chunky handles beloved by many. And Dime is not alone in moving in on major market share despite the cutthroat competition, with or without big out-of-state financing and muscle. In a slightly different fashion, you never know which companies that have been hobbling along will catch wind in their sails with an inventive new product or strain, or, inversely, which dominant forces will fade, as seemed to be the case for some leaders between NECANN 2024 and this past week.
The beverage scene has gotten drier
Two years ago, NECANN 2023 was drenched in infused drinks. Bubbly ones, fruity ones, the works. Samples flowed like waterfalls. Two years later, following the threat of hemp drinks sold at liquor and convenience stores, things were much dryer. That’s not to discount companies that are still pouring—Novel is still pumping out delicious cans of Pine + Star and Buzzy sodas, and it’s always great to see and sip bottles of the Best Dirty Lemonade (plus to watch those brands score trophies at this year’s NECANN Cup). Still, it’s clear the trend is toward tinctures, and it is certainly worth noting how dramatically things can flip over the course of months.
Blunt cones, straight joints, and infused improvements
No matter how the Cannabis Control Commission classifies prerolls versus infused prerolls versus packaged prerolls or however else, one thing is clear: consumers are purchasing more and more prerolls. And companies are feeding the demand, some with more sophisticated and cosmetically seamless twists that rarely canoe or, in the case of distillate and dusted joints, which don’t immediately immolate. Consumers are also embracing minor twists on classics, like cigarette-straight joints instead of cones, and cone-shaped blunts instead of straights.
Everybody’s talking about transportation
With companies looking to cut costs without cutting corners, some cultivators and manufacturers have told us they already retooled or are in the process of retooling their operations to deliver their own wholesale orders rather than rely on third-party wheels. Adjacent to that conversation is the expansion of wholesale routes by some retail delivery businesses, and how those efforts are impacted by recently modified regulations.
There was also chatter throughout NECANN about the void left in this part of the market by a reported disruption of service at Eagle Eyes Transportation; according to a March 20 press release, though, Eagle Eyes, which is one of the largest service providers in the sparsely populated Third-party Transporter license class, was acquired by the multi-state transporter Talaria, which announced “it will now serve over 300 retailers and nearly 300 wholesale cannabis businesses” in Mass.
There’s minimal excitement about social consumption
Not to say that some stakeholders aren’t anxiously anticipating the chance to make their cannabis venue or lounge dreams come true, but that viewpoint seems to be in the minority, even as the CCC is slated to return to the topic of social consumption as soon as this coming week.
From owners and investors who already lost their shirts in recreational or are still struggling along, to Social Equity applicants who are worried that the system may again leave them without a safety net as has been the case for many existing equity enterprises, there’s way more trepidation than exhilaration for the next phase of weed recreation in Mass. As one former license holder noted, it is lamentable that regulators can cite a rogue business for virtually everything other than stiffing suppliers, since pressuring big companies to pay their invoices—especially to small businesses that—could do more for these startups than grants and coaching combined.
Unique genetics
It’s typically the case that Mass grass sees biannual-ish cycles of popular strains. On the sweeter side, we’re still seeing creamier fruit snacks and clever riffs on crowd pleasers like Super Boof, while in the perkier sativa realm, we’re experiencing a renaissance in haze and other throwback icons. At the same time, companies of all sizes appear to be increasingly focused on scoring new incredi-cultivars to distinguish their brands, and which actually smell and taste like the strain names suggest. If this is far too obvious to qualify as an actual trend, think back to about two-and-a-half years ago when cuts of Runtz and Gushers cluttered Massachusetts menus. Not that we were complaining.
People are eyeing the functional mushroom and psychedelics market
The failure of last year’s Massachusetts ballot initiative to legalize and regulate psychedelic substances may have impeded some progress on the Bay State plant medicine front, but advocates and businesses alike persist. NECANN hosted its first-ever psychedelics track this year, organized by Talking Joints Memo contributor Jack Gorsline, and the panelists weren’t the only ones buzzing. From establishing separate companies to sell functional mushrooms to eyeing a future when fungi of all sorts are sold at dispensaries, there’s palpable mushroom momentum beyond laboratories and subterranean party culture.
Impressive niche and local influencer branding
As previously noted, we’re impressed with the Holyoke-based Cannalive’s collaborations with the Boston hip-hop group STL GLD, plus its partnerships with artist Brandie Blaze and now Dutch ReBelle, whose strain launches this season. Others are finessing indie, micro, and local niches as well, like the Agrarian Society; working with the Lowell-based Wellman Farm, a vaunted CCC-licensed wholesale operation, the genetics company is dropping collabs with California prog rockers Hail The Sun as well as with the Philadelphia metalcore band Kaonashi, with more to come. Also cool—DMC showed up at Firebrand Cannabis in Boston to promote Jam Master Jays, which are now available in Massachusetts.
Dedicated front line employees are advancing
In their infinite wisdom that has helped run the Mass cannabis industry through the blender, many Massachusetts marijuana business owners have looked to friends and executives from non-weed networks to run companies. It’s hard to blame them; after all, at the beginning, there weren’t many people with real cannabis wholesale or retail experience available in New England. But now, after a decade, there are plenty of well-qualified up and comers, and looking around the NECANN floor, it appeared that several of them are advancing. For the sake of the industry, let’s hope seasoned and passionate people who worked their way through the ranks do better than the know-nothing C-suiters and Cali consultants who have largely been in charge up to this point.
