Legalization of cannabis, just saying it can still sound strange. One of the things I still catch myself doing is reaching to hide the bong when the doorbell rings unexpectedly. 

I’ve been a cannabis enthusiast for decades now. I had the privilege of being exposed to so many different parts of the black market and learned a few treasured practices along the way. I did not realize at the time how valuable some of the knowledge that was shared with me would be in our current situation. One of the practices I learned was how to get great results when infusing cannabis with food, in all its variations. Fast forward to over a decade later, I was offered an opportunity to teach a monthly cooking class to the future patients of the first cannabis clinic in Alberta, 420 Clinic. I had to pinch myself daily, being offered my dream job, hosting a cannabis cooking class! What I experienced while teaching the class made me realize how much I needed to be part of this new industry. That role with the 420 Clinic later transformed and I left my career, at the time, to become the product specialist of FOUR20 and oversee all products for our retail stores. Another “pinch me” moment - The coolest job I could have ever imagined receiving. The teenage version of me might not have believed it, if I got to step back in time for a moment and tell myself the future. 

I am over the moon to see this newly legal industry entice all types of cannabis enthusiasts. Some are trying cannabis for the first time. Some are revisiting the plant, perhaps after decades of not partaking. Some have embraced cannabis as part of their lifestyle, long before legalization was ever part of the conversation. One of the most exciting parts is the fact that all of us, together, we are shaping this industry by how and what we are shopping for. Licensed Producers are not only coming out with some great new and innovative products, they are also listening to the consumer and adjusting their offerings based on market demand. We are just seconds over the starting line in the grand scheme of things, and the products that are yet to come is one of my favourite things to think about. 

Looking back on the class at the clinic, I taught how to infuse various carrier substances with decarboxylated cannabis. These substances included cooking oils, coconut oil, butter and glycerin. There are so many ways to infuse, but it can be a pain-staking process, timely and costly.

I was happy to see ingestible oils available since the first day of legalization but was very surprised that they were not actually categorized as an edible form of cannabis. I think the industry expected to see a dip in sales in the ingestible oils category amongst the second round of legalization, when actual edibles and concentrates arrived to market. I expected the exact opposite. Many people have always wanted to try an edible form of cannabis only. These dose controlled formats as easy to adapt into food and save you some unnecessary macros.  Whether you are enjoying a micro-dose or desire large amounts of THC and/or CBD, candy is not the most adaptable option or the most cost-effective.

Oils are such a great, inexpensive alternative and can easily be used and applied to your everyday food, from salad dressings to baking! For myself, I will do a happy dance to be remembered if we ever see infused butter arrive to market, which may be tough with the current shelf-stable requirements. Butter is my personal go-to as far as an infused homemade edibles go, just due to its sheer versatility. I can make everything from candy, to grilled cheese to drizzle for my popcorn, when I have infused butter on-hand. The only challenge when doing infused butter at home is achieving consistent potency per batch. I have learned the hard way, more than once, when I unknowingly get a higher potency than expected. It can be a wild ride, having to test every batch you make to discover the potency! Being able to purchase an infused butter or an infused cooking oil product from the legal market, with precise dosing per tablespoon, would be a game changer for my kitchen. I could tell the friends I share with what to expect for a dose per baked good, instead of coaching small bites only due to not knowing the potency. Would you buy infused butter? 

We definitely have the sweet side of things covered for edibles with chocolate, mints and gummies, but what about the savoury side? Where are the chips, people?! Imagine small batch infused potato chips, beef jerky, dry roasted almonds, pretzels and crackers. Charcuterie could rise to a whole new level! What is your savoury crave and how can it be infused? My quest for infusion has come a long way but there is still so much to explore.

Another game changer we’ve seen for infusion is dissolvable powders – making it easy to infuse just about anything they can dissolve into. Now this we can have some fun with. Flavourless, odourless and minimal residue (depending on what they’re mixed into). If you long for a hint of cannabis flavour in your infused foods, you might feel like you’re missing something with this product innovation – but if you’re looking for a cheeky way to sneak cannabis into different meals, this is a great option. No time spent decarbing or countless hours spent crafting infusions. There is no learning curve, just dump and go! 

I hope to see more cooking staples and DIY options become available as the industry develops. I know that we will see infused salt and sugar soon, which is incredibly exciting! We will see infused chocolate drink mixes, more concentrates, more nano-infusions, and beyond ingestibles -  more topicals, live resin vapes, and the list goes on. I know a few Licensed Producers have created a pleasure product for couples to enjoy in the bedroom together, I would love to see some of those finally come to market. One product I wondered if we would see any time soon in the market is DIY distillate that can be dabbed and vaped, as well as used in edibles and topicals. Lo and behold, this product is arriving soon, utterly amazing! The next product on my wish list and that I would love to see, a cannabis Christmas advent calendar. My life may actually be complete when that happens. The many ways cannabis can be adapted is awe-inspiring, from food and beyond.