ISSUES:
Some people say timing is everything. When an ad for a cannabis job fair was shared into Lorcan’s Instagram feed in 2018, she was looking for a change. Three years and a couple promotions later, she’s managing two Prairie Records locations in Calgary, where, in addition to keeping things running behind the scenes, she gets ample time up front talking with customers, learning about their cannabis experiences and reflecting a bit on her own.
Some people say timing is everything. When an ad for a cannabis job fair was shared into Lorcan’s Instagram feed in 2018, she was looking for a change. Three years and a couple promotions later, she’s managing two Prairie Records locations in Calgary, where, in addition to keeping things running behind the scenes, she gets ample time up front talking with customers, learning about their cannabis experiences and reflecting a bit on her own.
How has the transition to legalized cannabis been for you?
It’s always been a really big part of my life, something I’ve kind of always been around and been passionate about. I was always raised “Don’t advertise it, don’t talk about it,” because you never know and it’s something that does have a stigma. Now I don’t have to necessarily monitor myself that way. I still consume, but in a different way, because I’m learning more about the plant and what works for me.
How is consuming different for you?
Pre-legalization, I just went to my dealer and sometimes I would get some really good stuff that I liked and sometimes I didn’t. Sometimes I’d get stuff that just made me eat a ton of food and pass out and it didn’t really help with anything. Now, I think one of the great things about legalization is there’s so much more education and there’s so much more variety and choice. High THC doesn’t really agree with me as I’m getting older—my life is different and I have different types of stress, and smoking something that’s super THC dominant just gives me anxiety—but now I can smoke CBD products, I can smoke balanced products, I can pay attention to terpenes and different cannabinoids. That’s something we didn’t really have before. I still really like rolling joints and I’m very good at it. I quite like edibles, but I’m much more susceptible to them. And I do really like the cartridges, because I can just throw one in my bag and I’m good to go. I definitely use them, but I still love the big joint.
What kind of people come into your stores?
I think there’s a wide demographic of people. There are smokers who have been smoking for decades, there are people who need it for medicinal purposes—we can’t discuss that in the store, but they know they can get what they need there—and there are a lot of first-time users and young people.
How has the transition to legalized cannabis been for you?
It’s always been a really big part of my life, something I’ve kind of always been around and been passionate about. I was always raised “Don’t advertise it, don’t talk about it,” because you never know and it’s something that does have a stigma. Now I don’t have to necessarily monitor myself that way. I still consume, but in a different way, because I’m learning more about the plant and what works for me.
How is consuming different for you?
Pre-legalization, I just went to my dealer and sometimes I would get some really good stuff that I liked and sometimes I didn’t. Sometimes I’d get stuff that just made me eat a ton of food and pass out and it didn’t really help with anything. Now, I think one of the great things about legalization is there’s so much more education and there’s so much more variety and choice. High THC doesn’t really agree with me as I’m getting older—my life is different and I have different types of stress, and smoking something that’s super THC dominant just gives me anxiety—but now I can smoke CBD products, I can smoke balanced products, I can pay attention to terpenes and different cannabinoids. That’s something we didn’t really have before. I still really like rolling joints and I’m very good at it. I quite like edibles, but I’m much more susceptible to them. And I do really like the cartridges, because I can just throw one in my bag and I’m good to go. I definitely use them, but I still love the big joint.
What kind of people come into your stores?
I think there’s a wide demographic of people. There are smokers who have been smoking for decades, there are people who need it for medicinal purposes—we can’t discuss that in the store, but they know they can get what they need there—and there are a lot of first-time users and young people.
How has the transition to legalized cannabis been for you?
It’s always been a really big part of my life, something I’ve kind of always been around and been passionate about. I was always raised “Don’t advertise it, don’t talk about it,” because you never know and it’s something that does have a stigma. Now I don’t have to necessarily monitor myself that way. I still consume, but in a different way, because I’m learning more about the plant and what works for me.
How is consuming different for you?
Pre-legalization, I just went to my dealer and sometimes I would get some really good stuff that I liked and sometimes I didn’t. Sometimes I’d get stuff that just made me eat a ton of food and pass out and it didn’t really help with anything. Now, I think one of the great things about legalization is there’s so much more education and there’s so much more variety and choice. High THC doesn’t really agree with me as I’m getting older—my life is different and I have different types of stress, and smoking something that’s super THC dominant just gives me anxiety—but now I can smoke CBD products, I can smoke balanced products, I can pay attention to terpenes and different cannabinoids. That’s something we didn’t really have before. I still really like rolling joints and I’m very good at it. I quite like edibles, but I’m much more susceptible to them. And I do really like the cartridges, because I can just throw one in my bag and I’m good to go. I definitely use them, but I still love the big joint.
What kind of people come into your stores?
I think there’s a wide demographic of people. There are smokers who have been smoking for decades, there are people who need it for medicinal purposes—we can’t discuss that in the store, but they know they can get what they need there—and there are a lot of first-time users and young people.
Have those consumers evolved over the last three years?
I'd say there's a lot more people who are aware of different cannabinoids and terpenes, and that the highest THC isn't necessarily the only thing that matters. At the beginning, producers had a ton of CBD and balanced products and there wasn’t really demand for them, so they were discontinued. Now that people are more educated and they’re finding the things they like, oftentimes it’s going to have that CBD-to-THC ratio, or just a CBD product in general. We’re starting to see more of those products listed again because there’s more demand for it.
There are still a lot of people looking for the best deal they can get—the highest THC they can get. But then there are also the people who don’t care as much what the cost is. They buy a lot of craft cultivars where the bud quality matters. They lean a little away from the cheap stuff, just so they can have a better experience. Working now compared to when I first started, I definitely hear more people say, “Well, THC isn’t the only thing that matters.” You never heard that in 2019.
What kind of products will be popular in the future?
Anything convenient—convenience is always going to be key. There are producers making large-format pre-rolls, where you can get a quarter ounce that’s pre-rolled. I think that’s getting popular just because you don’t have to come back and keep buying three-packs. You can buy 12 and be done with it for a while. A lot of people are moving to concentrates, specifically cartridges, because they are easy to use and they are very discreet. Those will keep getting more popular.
This isn’t a prediction, but what I would like to see is better packaging. The packaging is absolutely ridiculous. The government said we’re going to be single-use-plastic-free, I think by this year, and if we’re going to do that—if we’re actually going to walk the walk—we need to take a look at industries like legal cannabis. I think it’s going to take a while, but I’m really hoping as people are more conscious of how they spend their dollar, they also have the idea in the back of their mind that this is a lot of waste. I think people are asking more questions than they were 20 years ago about how they consume products—food, housing, cars. I’m really hoping as more people ask themselves these questions as a consumer, and as a society, it will put pressure to change things.
And what about your future? Are you planning to stay in the industry?
I honestly don't know. I’m learning a lot and I’m a big believer that regardless of what you’re doing, you should try and excel and learn, because you’ll always take that knowledge and those skills and you can apply them to something else. I’ll always be open if something comes along in my life that I feel more passionate about, but I’m quite happy where I am. I think Prairie Records has a lot of really good things going on. I’m excited to see where we go.
Have those consumers evolved over the last three years?
I'd say there's a lot more people who are aware of different cannabinoids and terpenes, and that the highest THC isn't necessarily the only thing that matters. At the beginning, producers had a ton of CBD and balanced products and there wasn’t really demand for them, so they were discontinued. Now that people are more educated and they’re finding the things they like, oftentimes it’s going to have that CBD-to-THC ratio, or just a CBD product in general. We’re starting to see more of those products listed again because there’s more demand for it.
There are still a lot of people looking for the best deal they can get—the highest THC they can get. But then there are also the people who don’t care as much what the cost is. They buy a lot of craft cultivars where the bud quality matters. They lean a little away from the cheap stuff, just so they can have a better experience. Working now compared to when I first started, I definitely hear more people say, “Well, THC isn’t the only thing that matters.” You never heard that in 2019.
What kind of products will be popular in the future?
Anything convenient—convenience is always going to be key. There are producers making large-format pre-rolls, where you can get a quarter ounce that’s pre-rolled. I think that’s getting popular just because you don’t have to come back and keep buying three-packs. You can buy 12 and be done with it for a while. A lot of people are moving to concentrates, specifically cartridges, because they are easy to use and they are very discreet. Those will keep getting more popular.
This isn’t a prediction, but what I would like to see is better packaging. The packaging is absolutely ridiculous. The government said we’re going to be single-use-plastic-free, I think by this year, and if we’re going to do that—if we’re actually going to walk the walk—we need to take a look at industries like legal cannabis. I think it’s going to take a while, but I’m really hoping as people are more conscious of how they spend their dollar, they also have the idea in the back of their mind that this is a lot of waste. I think people are asking more questions than they were 20 years ago about how they consume products—food, housing, cars. I’m really hoping as more people ask themselves these questions as a consumer, and as a society, it will put pressure to change things.
And what about your future? Are you planning to stay in the industry?
I honestly don't know. I’m learning a lot and I’m a big believer that regardless of what you’re doing, you should try and excel and learn, because you’ll always take that knowledge and those skills and you can apply them to something else. I’ll always be open if something comes along in my life that I feel more passionate about, but I’m quite happy where I am. I think Prairie Records has a lot of really good things going on. I’m excited to see where we go.
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