Ever since man learned to climb, he aimed to climb to the highest peaks possible. Even Icarus tried to get close to the sun when he attempted to fly, and ever since we could soar the skies, we've always yearned to get as high as humanly possible. The same can be said for our relationship with cannabis. Once we found out that the kief falling off our seedy bush weed or the sticky resin on our palms from handling fresh cannabis was an even more potent smoke than the plant itself, concentrates quickly became an integral part of cannabis consumption and culture around the world. Where cannabis legalization for recreational use began with giving Canadians access to dried flower, oils, and seeds in October 2018, the second phase of cannabis legalization in Canada was unveiled in October 2019 ("Cannabis 2.0"), giving Canadians legal access to far more products such as vapes, edibles, beverages, concentrates, and topicals. Since then, cannabis concentrates have proven to hold a significant share of the cannabis market, with consumption, sales, and the development of products steadily increasing every year. According to data from Statistics Canada, sales of cannabis concentrates increased by 156.4% between March 2020 and March 2021, while sales of dried flower increased by only 52.1%. Recreational cannabis concentrate sales in Canada rose from 1,000,000 units in April 2020 to over three times as much in March of 2022, not even two years later!* This certainly shows a growing preference for concentrates among Canadian cannabis consumers, and this trend is expected to continue rising in the coming years. Up until around 20 years ago, the only cannabis concentrates people generally knew of were cannabis oil, resin (or hashish), and kief (dry-sieved trichomes). But nowadays, there’s a whole array of options when choosing a cannabis concentrate, all with various potency levels, terpene contents, and distinct consumption methods. As of February 2023, there are several hundred different cannabis concentrate products to be found and purchased legally in Canada, such as THC distillates, waxes, diamonds, shatter, rosin, live resins, hashish and more. The variety in concentrates just shows the demand consumers have for a tailored and unique cannabis experience. It's far more empowering than simply choosing an indica or sativa... consumers are now able to choose a specific cannabis product (and sometimes brand!) that suits their needs and preferences.
"The most fun aspect of concentrates is innovation!" |