A Look Back at 2022’s Cannabis Trends

Dabbers and hash heads take their concentrate consumption seriously, but carrying around an expensive glass rig and a dab torch isn't always practical. Tech companies like FocusV and Puffco specialize in making dabbing more accessible, and this year their latest drops did not disappoint.

PuffCo had two major electronic rig drops this year. The portable Proxy gives dabbers a discreet and portable modular vaporizer to consume dabs. Puffco also released the new Puffco Guardian, the limited edition next generation of their Peak Pro line.

Bringing your dab equipment to consume while you’re on the go isn’t always a convenient option, which is part of the reason why portable and discreet cannabis vapes have become so popular.

As extraction technology and production methods continue to improve, so too does the quality of THC vape oils available on the market today. 2022 brought consumers a wider availability of solventless rosin vapes, a.k.a. terpene-rich hash rosin. Solventless rosin vapes are like having a dab in your pocket.

Companies like 710 Labs, Jetty Extracts, LEVEL, PAX, Real Deal Resin and Stiiizy all offer a great selection of solventless cartridges, pods and disposable vapes.

Following the popularity of strain-specific edibles from last year, more cannabis companies are now introducing their own formulations of solventless infused edibles. Using methods like ice water hash extraction or solventless rosin pressing offers a broader spectrum of cannabinoids, which allows companies to pack more punch into a 100MG THC edible.

Lost Farm, 710 Labs and Kaneh Co were among some of the first brands to utilize solventless hash for their edibles. Space Gem and Real Deal Resin’s High Flyers are some of the newer solventless edibles available today on March and Ash’s shelves.

The safety and potential dangers of vaping came into the spotlight over the last year for various reasons. With that in mind, companies like ABX and 710 Labs utilize ceramic medical grade hardware for their vape cartridges and proprietary pod vaping systems.

Ceramic heating elements in cartridges are considered to be superior hardware due to the fact that they don't conduct heat as strongly as metal. Because of this, there is less of a chance of heavy metal leaching in the cartridge. Ceramic cartridges provide better flavor and vapor, more heat resistance and also prevents the oil from overheating and being burnt as you reach the end of the cartridge.

The days of only chasing THC percentages are numbered. As more and more hash heads continue to learn about terpenes, people are now looking for terpene content in their live resin concentrates. The production labs at ABX and Himalaya are some of the industry leaders showcasing the kind of cannabinoid numbers possible with BHO extraction when you have access to fresh frozen and freshly harvested sun grown flower.

The visibility of cannabinoid and terpene content on product packaging continues to educate consumers about what is in the products they are purchasing, and in turn how they potentially correlate to the effects they may experience while consuming. Understanding which cannabinoids and terpenes one seeks is important when achieving desired effects, as everybody’s endocannabinoid system differs.

More and more people are ditching alcoholic beverages and reaching for cannabis drinks as cannabis infused beverages have turned into a fast evolving niche. While some companies like Cann or Keef have been around for a while, the beverage category continues to grow and become more sophisticated.

This year Cann released Cann Lite, a sugar-free, low calorie, micro-dosed beverage with only 5 ingredients and all the uplifting sensations. Lagunitas HiFi Hops rebranded to HiFi Sessions and now offer their delicious hoppy beverages in a sleek new can. At March and Ash, we welcomed nationally recognized Pabst Blue Ribbon, whose High Seltzer is a beverage that can be enjoyed by both new and experienced users.

As we turn toward 2023, more medical and recreational cannabis consumers have been learning about the purported benefits of Full Spectrum Oil and Rick Simpson Oil. FSO offers a full spectrum of cannabinoids and is made from the whole cannabis plant. RSO is technically considered a full spectrum oil, as it still contains the entire gamut of cannabinoids, flavonoids, and terpenes.

Consumers with high edible tolerance levels have even started turning to FSO and RSO due to its high THC content (typically containing over 600 mg of THC). You can ingest it, take it sublingually under your tongue, or apply it topically. Cannabis companies like 710 Labs, Bird Valley, Friendly Farms are some of the companies producing Rick Simpson Oil and Full Spectrum Oil and are available at March and Ash.