Since the legalisation of cannabis in the U.S. there's been a notable rise in companies adopting an artisanal approach to the drug. We took a look at three initiatives championing the connoisseur style.

In “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35”, Bob Dylan’s line, “Everybody must get stoned,” was met with contempt outside of the world’s bohemian contingent. The idea of being “stoned” turned people off, and instilled negative connotations that have proven difficult to overcome. Marijuana was and still is deemed an unsavoury practice by many, but it would seem the times they are a-changin’. Legalisation for medical and recreational Marijuana usage in the states has been a long and hard fought battle but inroads are being made to shake off the stigma that surrounds the plant.

In certain parts of the U.S., Marijuana is booming. It’s been dubbed ‘the new internet’ and entrepreneurs, investors - not to mention celebrity investors - are having a field day. Legal cannabis is already an $11 billion business and Marijuana Business Daily projections show the industry growing to $30 billion by 2019.

But as the market grows, emphasis quickly becomes about speed and efficiency, and in turn mass production. A number of new brands are vying to become the Apple or Budweiser of pot as Silicon Valley startups dominate the market. But for every Starbucks there’s an independent coffee shop, and the Marijuana industry is no different. Cannabis has it own artisans; slowing down production, improving transparency, promoting provenance, reimagining design and speaking to the connoisseurs.

Artisan cannabis is nothing new. People have been growing on boutique farms for generations, limiting their yield in favour of speciality varieties. However, with advances in and the availability of scientific methods, the care, attention and expertise practised in cultivating crops now draws some parallels with the wine industry. Hashishins, (master hash-makers), like Frenchy Cannoli unite legendary heirloom genetics, terroir, altitude, appellations, soil and microclimates to produce limited offerings, reserved only for the most serious connoisseurs.

No longer are spliffs and bongs requisite for getting you high; vaporisers, tinctures, oils, sprays and topicals have flooded the market, offering a slightly less brash approach to Marijuana usage. Sava is an online market place that speaks to a new demographic of user and one that is poised to take the market by storm. Just some of its offerings include CBD Epsom salts or THC-laced jam on toast. Sava finds the best artisanal brands and helps bring them to the fore.

Meanwhile, edibles are fast becoming the most popular alternative to smoking, they’re discreet and speak to anyone who seeks the benefits but doesn’t smoke. Edibles tend to offer a more relaxing high than the one experienced through smoking, hitting the body rather than the head. Chefs and designers are pushing the limits of what’s possible, from beef jerky to pizza sauce with a scoop of ice cream for pudding, there’s not much you can’t get infused with weed.

Flow Kana

The Emerald Triangle is the biggest and arguably best cannabis producing region in the world, but the chances are you’ve never heard of it. Since the 1960s, Mendocino, Humboldt and Trinity Californian counties have attracted the world’s best cannabis farmers and cultivators, and consequently grown the highest-grade cannabis. But their efforts have been largely anonymous.

“Our mission is to give small craft farmers an identity and a voice,” says Adam Steinberg, co-founder of Flow Kana, a sustainably focused cannabis brand. “A lot of them have been operating in the dark for so long and ultimately the industry was built by these small craft farmers.”

Flow Kana started life as a 30-minute delivery service before moving into bricks and mortar dispensaries. The team sources its cannabis from small batch organic farmers to assure top quality and give the boutique farmers the market share they deserved. Flow Kana didn’t want to be known as another on-demand delivery service, so they've set to build a recognisable brand that people can look to as one of the pillars of the industry.

Our goal is to normalise cannabis and break down the stigmas, we’re all about elevating the cannabis consciousness and putting the plant in the best light

“Our goal is to normalise cannabis and break down the stigmas,” explains Steinberg. “Let’s say legalisation passes in California next year, that’s awesome but in terms of people’s mindsets and the stigmas that surround this plant, they aren’t just going to switch off over night once legalisation happens. We’re all about elevating the cannabis consciousness and putting the plant in the best light.” New research into CBD (cannabidiol) is going a long way to improving this light. Unlike THC, CBD does not cause a high. While this makes CBD a poor choice for recreational users, it gives the chemical a significant advantage as a medicine, since health professionals prefer treatments with minimal side effects. CBD boasts properties that combat, amongst others, neurodegenerative disorders, psychosis, tumours and cancer cells.

Now that people have a lot more options and are becoming more educated about it they can discern between the artisanal and the commercial

Steinberg believes the best way to represent the plant is with a product that has been cultivated with indefatigable care and attention, and by using the whole plant Flow Kana offers both CBD and THC options. One of Steinberg’s favourite strains is an Indica called Cuvee, a cross between Space Queen and Pinot Noir no less, grown by Swami Select. It has a subtle taste of cherries and chocolate. The comparisons are already being made between artisanal cannabis and the coffee and wine industries, and while entrepreneurs frenzy over creating the Budweiser of weed, the artisans will inevitably prosper.

“For so long people were just buying cannabis off their dealer on the street and you just took what you could get,” says Steinberg. “Now that people have a lot more options and are becoming more educated about it they can discern between the artisanal and the commercial. People are interested in different strains and batches and most of all they want to know where it’s coming from.”

Madame Munchies

As the cannabis industry continues to expand its horizons, edibles offer no end of opportunity for consumers, artisans and entrepreneurs alike. In no time at all, certain cannabis infused foods have become just as gourmet as their virgin counterparts.

Madame Munchie’s award winning medicated French Macarons are setting the bar for the cannabis food industry. Their handcrafted macarons use only the best local ingredients and are lab tested to ensure potency, purity and consistent dosage levels. “There are several reasons why cannabis infused food is increasingly popular,” explains Kim Geraghty, one of Madame Munchie’s co-founders. “First of all, with the emergence of lab-tested and accurately dosed products, patients have access to an option that was not readily available before. They can eat edibles knowing exactly how many milligrams of THC or CBD they are eating, and use these numbers as a reference point to understand what their milligram tolerance is.”

It's the transparency in the production process that the consumers really appreciate. Consumers are willing to pay a premium for something that is produced in a professional, ethical, and earth\-friendly way

Madame Munchie’s Artisanal Cannabis Macarons come in five gourmet flavors, Hazelnut Mocha, Citrus à l’amande, Tropical Jungle, Green Gold and Grilled PB&J. Each macaron is perfectly dosed with 20mg of THC, giving the box of five a total of 100mg of THC. It’s perhaps this attention to detail within a particularly foodie snack that has won Madame Munchie such praise, (including the Cannabis Cup 2014 for best edible), in their formative years.

Macarons of course seem an interesting, almost paradoxical snack to go for. “Macarons provide the perfect high end product to help change the stigma around cannabis and offer a clean professional image for the industry” explains Geraghty. “They are not only delicious and extremely hard to make but also luxurious and show that there is such a thing as high-end cannabis. By changing the image people associate with cannabis, we are changing their perception of it.”

Marley Natural

Bob Marley’s legacy has long been a part of cannabis’ identity and the design that comes with it. Marley Natural is a new lifestyle brand created in collaboration with the singer’s estate that promotes positivity, personal transformation, natural well-being and responsible consumption, with a number of well-designed products.

“In the rapidly expanding universe of legalised cannabis, the phrase “elevating the conversation” is thrown around a lot, as if the plant is in need of some fancy re-branding,” says Tahira Rehmatullah, Marley Natural’s general. “But for those who have always lived and loved the culture of cannabis – the connoisseurs - it is clear that elevation has never been necessary.” Either way, improved design can only improve the plant’s social standing and will inevitably invite a new ilk of designer to the party.

The brand’s most traditional offering is the beautiful Black Walnut Collection of smoking accessories. Their interpretations of smoking paraphernalia would make an elegant addition to any connoisseur’s collection. “Unique design is a cornerstone of our brand, and something we apply across all of our product categories,” says Rehmatullah. “We wanted to take smoking, storage and prep products and make them modern, yet timeless, with the core focus being design and functionality. The design team constantly looks to innovate and shift the paradigm, an opportunity we saw in the market.”

We wanted to take smoking, storage and prep products and make them modern, yet timeless

Marley Natural hemp seed oil body care is an all-natural line that blends the moisturizing power of hemp seed oil with Jamaican botanicals such as ginger, lemongrass, and cerasse, selected for their healing properties and sourced from Jamaica. All their formulas contain cold-pressed hemp seed oil from an extraction process that captures its nourishing, nutrient-rich benefits in their purest form. “We are excited about this line of products because it allows us to highlight the many benefits of hemp seed oil,” says Rehmatullah. “Most people have limited knowledge on the subject since prohibition has lead to a lack of education surrounding the cannabis plant and its many forms.” Hemp seed oil is derived from cannabis sativa that contain trace amounts of THC. It is rich in essential fatty acids, Omega-3s, and Omega-6s, terpenes, sterols, and vitamin E, offering an ideal balance for maintaining healthy skin.

As the editorial voice of Marley Natural, the all-new Marley Natural Magazine promotes the lifestyle aspect of the brand, highlighting the musical, artistic, scientific, foodie, stylistic, and cultural commentary that surrounds cannabis and the Marley legacy. The bi-annual magazine serves as a taste-making tool in the cannabis sphere, a coffee-table keepsake that will introduce a curated aesthetic and approachable editorial voice into the world of cannabis publications. If it’s gracing the pages of Vogue, cannabis design has come an awfully long way.