With apologies to KISS: When you want the best, you go to the best.
So it’s simple.
You should always seek out the finest of the experts, be it a mechanic, chef, lawyer, brewer, doctor, dog groomer, bartender and, well, weed merchant.
Top of the latter list is famous infamous Calgarian, one Mr. Tommy Chong.
Advised to leave the city by its mayor in the late ’50s because of the crazy rock ’n’ roll he and his pals were playing, Chong would go on to become one of the preeminent pop-culture pot champions as part of the comedic stoner duo of Cheech and Chong. Together, and for the better part of two decades, the sweet-leaf-scented souls produced some of the most influential tours, albums and films in the weed and comedy world, thereby cementing his and partner Cheech Marin’s standings in the High Times Hall of Fame.
Going to jail in 2004 for nine months for selling drug paraphernalia (i.e. bongs) also probably helps add to the cred.
(By the way, how am I just learning this? From New York Daily News: “His cellmate was stock market swindler Jordan Belfort, who became known as ‘The Wolf of Wall Street,’ thanks to a tell-all Chong reportedly encouraged him to write. Martin Scorsese turned that book into a 2013 movie.”)
So, should you see a cannabis company endorsed by the local legend, you’ll probably want to spark that up and see where it takes you.
Tommy’s Craft Cannabis, “a new recreational cannabis brand curated by cannabis icon … Tommy Chong,” hit Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario dispensaries in October.
The company offers “craft-designated dried flower and full flower pre-roll products,” with the first three strains available being Dosi Punch, Cherry ’47, and GGGrapestomper. Not surprisingly, the trio are high in THC and terpenes, for those rolling numbers who are concerned with numbers.
As well as being on brand for the comedian, Chong’s also keeping it in the family — and the province.
Led by two of his nephews, Josh Wong and David Epp, Tommy’s Craft Cannabis has partnered with Candre Cannabis, “an innovative indoor craft cannabis production and processing facility” in the central Alberta town of Sundre.
“We spent years preparing for this launch, waiting for the right cultivation partners who could offer unique legacy genetics and old school processes that met Tommy’s standards,” co-owner and president Wong said in a release.
“We’re delighted to be the first brand in Canada to offer a craft product from someone as experienced and respected as Tommy.”
As an added bonus you can also feel pretty good about your purchase for its eco-packaging ethos. Or. Keeping it all green.
According to Wong, who’s also a noted filmmaker and musician: “Unlike most cannabis products currently available in Canada, Tommy’s minimalist and eco-friendly packaging is reusable and biodegradable, satisfying consumer calls for limiting single-use plastics in the industry.
Read our Q&A with the legend here.
