Put tinsel on the tree or deal with a pouty spouse again this year? Buy an ugly sweater or just skip the party? Write “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays” on the cards? React to Aunt Irma’s comment about your partner’s tattoos or bite your tongue?
No matter how much you enjoy the winter holidays, they still require some patience. And if you’re not a fan, then you need a lot of patience.
When Kaspar Heinrici, director of business development at SeaWeed Co., takes half of one of his company’s hand-crafted Blueberry Buckle Pate de Fruit confections (a dosage of about 4.5 mg THC, as the whole edible is lab-tested to contain 8.92 mg of THC), he claims to become the most patient person in the world. He also highly recommends the company’s craft chocolate bars and brightly flavored Sea Glass Hard Candy. Consuming good cannabis-infused edibles is both an act of self-care and a multilevel treat, Heinrici says. “The reason confections and cannabis go so well together is because [the combination] feels good. It’s like treating yourself to your favorite show after a long day or having chocolate after an emotional breakup. [They] make you feel better about your day,” he says.
The best way to give yourself the gift of cannabis any time of year is to tap an experienced budtender for advice. Budtenders are the folks who work behind the counter of cannabis dispensaries; they are well versed in cannabis strains, extracts, and delivery methods, as well as the dosages of the products on offer. Heinrici says the budtenders at SeaWeed Co.’s recreational locations in Portland and South Portland, and its medical location in Auburn, are trained to work with customers to understand their past experience with cannabis, the result they want to achieve from future consumption (reduction in pain, easing of anxiety, a good high), and where, when, and how they want to consume it. These points of conversation give a budtender enough information to recommend options that might suit the customer.
But what if you want to give the gift of cannabis to someone else? Many dispensaries offer gift cards, an option that allows the recipient to curate a cannabis experience that is right for them. It is important to note, though, that a gift card can only be used at the retail store location where you bought it, according to Alexis Soucy, director of media and stakeholder relations and the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy.
If you’re interested in buying actual cannabis products to put under the tree for someone else, you can indeed do so, but there are some parameters, says Soucy. First, it is illegal to leave Maine with any cannabis products—medical or recreational. Do not cross state lines or approach a border crossing with cannabis in your possession. That means you and your gift recipient must be physically in Maine for the exchange and the consumption of the gift. Secondly, you both must be 21 or older. Thirdly, you must buy the cannabis products you’re planning to give away at a recreational retail outlet. Only individuals who have received a patient certification from a medical professional may legally access and possess medical cannabis products in Maine. And lastly, there is a maximum amount of cannabis that you can transfer to another adult: 2.5 ounces of a combination of cannabis, cannabis concentrate, and cannabis products, including no more than five grams of cannabis concentrate. Still, that’s a pretty good gift.
