As the marketplace for cannabis products continues to evolve, we are seeing more and more strain-specific edible products hitting the shelves. Still, the majority of products remain strain-ambiguous, simply mentioning that the products contain cannabis and perhaps whether they are indica or sativa blends. While there are compelling reasons to go strain-specific, there are also serious challenges to doing it well.
The most compelling argument for strain-specific edibles is that your patients are more likely to get what they want (and thus more likely to come back for more). Many strain sensitive patients avoid almost all edibles because of a few bad experiences. Without knowing what strain you are consuming, you are left to gamble with your experience. Rather than take the risk, many patients choose to make edibles at home.
When talking to patients, I hear countless stories of bad experiences, along with the desire for more strain-specific edibles. Of course, creating strain-specific products is harder than it sounds. For one thing, it is difficult to source a consistent supply of large amounts of a single strain. This requires either an incredibly well run cultivation operation in-house, or strong, stable relationships with growers that are willing to grow a particular strain consistently.
In addition, labeling becomes more complex when you are strain-specific. Instead of one product, with one package and one label, you need to have individual labels for each strain. If you are using multiple strains, you need multiple labels. For small edibles manufacturers, things can get complicated. They usually need to source cannabis strains from the local market and may not be able to get a lot of consistency. This means plenty of small batches of single strains, rather than a consistent supply of a few set strains, and requires smaller batches of packaging, raising the cost of your inputs. So for many, the solution is to make one label and shift the strains depending on what’s in stock without notifying the consumer. Another method is to blend whatever strains you can find into one type of mixed strain product. While this offers an easy method for producers, it can have negative effects on the patient.
Those continually shifting blends of hybrid, indica or sativa edible products typically contain cannabis trim from many different strains. As we know, strains produce a large variety of effects, from sedative to energizing, relaxing to panic inducing. Mixing many carefully designed strains together can create all kinds of strange effects. It can be akin to mixing medications; it is hard to say what the result of the mix of chemicals will be. This can leave strain-sensitive patients feeling like each edible experience is a roll of the dice, wondering, “Will this help me or hurt me?” A number of patients have told me they gave up on edibles all together.
For those looking to use strain-specific labeling, but feeling held back by issues with sourcing and packaging consistency, try making one product package (that is strain ambiguous) with space for a strain specific sticker. Printing stickers on demand will cost less, then you can label the strains you currently have access to. Giving your patients access to strain information allows them to make an informed choice about what they are taking. Consumer education can draw in a customer base that is already primed to like your product and increases the chances that they will ultimately become satisfied, repeat customers.
