BY SEAN SEURATTAN

Is there really a difference between the many kinds of rolling papers for cannabis? You bet your sweet sheets there are! While there are a myriad of brands and styles to choose from, we’ll try to rank the most common ones you’ll see without visiting a speciality store. Working our way towards the best papers (in this humble journalist’s opinion), we will contrast their pros and cons to help you make the surprisingly important decision of what to use for best results when lighting up.

Using rolling papers to inhale cannabis is only predated by the use of a pipe or chalice device. Its history is lengthy and its track record as a consistently viable method of consumption is unshakable. Perhaps it is the most ubiquitous because of the ease and accessibility it provides to consumers. Not to trivialize the art of rolling, but it can be done by almost any person at any time. Of course as one becomes more skilled and familiar with rolling, higher standards may begin to apply for the choice of medium for their creations. That being said, there are rolling papers for the most basic user to the most accomplished and everything on the spectrum between.

To begin, we will visit the brand I began my own journey with many moons ago.

ZigZag
Like the Ghost of Spliffs Past, that old familiar bearded pirate on its cover could tell hundreds of tales about cannabis adventures and misadventures. This brand is the bare minimum of acceptability for any self-respecting smoker.

ZigZag papers are excellent for novice users because the paper stock is durable and the glue strip is strong making it hard to tear or come undone while consuming. At the same time the strengths of this brand to novices are also its weaknesses for connoisseurs. The papers are durable because they’re thicker than most, adding unwanted flavour and smoke to your cannabis. The glue is stronger because it uses animal by-products instead of vegetable ones, which is intolerable to some. ZigZag has come out with several different styles to address the shortcomings of its original style as well as the desires of its customers.

Rizla
Perhaps the oldest amongst its peers, dating all the way back to France 1796. Its name comes from the rice paper used to make it and the family name licensed by Napoleon himself to manufacture them for his troops.

Riz, is the French word for rice and la which is an abbreviation for Lacroix.

This brand holds claim to be the ones who revolutionized the field when they began putting a glue strip on the edge of their papers. Rizla papers are delicate and burn quickly but provide much less paper taste and much more cannabis taste when in use. You can find these papers in most stores but not all, so sometimes availability can be an issue. This brand also comes in a variety of styles and cuts to suit your needs. Most recently, Rizla introduced its first sustainable, biodegradable and completely chemical free papers made from bamboo in 2019.

Finally, we come to the pinnacle of commonplace rolling papers.

Raw
Relatively new to the field, Raw has made a huge impact by becoming a lifestyle brand you want to use rather than the rolling paper brand you have to use.

Recently the brand has come under fire for questions about its practices, but has risen above false claims and continues to be the gold standard for rolling papers. Pull out a pack of these and no one will refuse them. Most uniquely these brown coloured papers are unbleached and use vegan glue, immediately eliminating a huge amount of chemicals from their processing treatment. They also are created with a special crosshatch pattern stamped into the paper itself, which helps them burn more slowly than other papers.

While these papers can be slightly harder to use due to less processing, they are further distinguishing themselves by being built for cannabis consumers as opposed to tobacco users. Their popularity has allowed them to grow beyond just rolling papers to carrying many other cannabis accessories like pre roll cones, grinders and rolling trays.

Undoubtedly, if Raw papers are an option, they should be your top choice.

BY SEAN SEURATTAN

It’s said that a hummingbird can flap its wings in one place and a hurricane will occur in another. Well, this hummingbird flapped all the way in Trinidad and a hurricane named Montrose Cannabis is here.

Owner and founder Nick Baksh opened his flagship location September of 2021 in Pickering, Ontario, impressively building intensity ever since. His interest in business began from an early age, and he has had a wide range of experience to draw from before ever venturing into the cannabis market.

This experience afforded him the foresight to be mindful and conscious of a great many things beyond just selling cannabis. This fact alone puts him and Montrose Cannabis far ahead of most other licensed retailers. Paired with Nick’s enthusiasm to put his fingerprint on every aspect of his business has led to a truly unique retail experience.

Starting from before cannabis was legal in Pickering, he knew his political awareness would be critical to the viability of Montrose. The weather of politics can shift and change dramatically affecting even well-established industries much less an entirely new one such as cannabis. He knew it would require collaboration and assurances from the local municipal government to ensure a proper environment in order to thrive. Once given the green light from Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe, Montrose Cannabis was born almost immediately.

From interior layout design to general contracting, to staff training, to product purchasing, it has all been purposefully thought out with a clear end goal, the best possible customer experience. When speaking with Nick it was easy to see that he was breaking the stereotypes associated with creating a boutique atmosphere for cannabis.

Montrose has business core values of providing fresh products, having eco conscious suppliers, giving tailored customer service and providing CBD as therapy. The retail experience is easily recognized as being elevated. Nick’s high involvement and close connections to licensed producers allows him to have a very curated inventory of products to service his clientele. Customers are rewarded with products and services unavailable elsewhere. When I was given a peek at the elaborate calculations used to determine how much of each product ends up on the shelves, I realized fresh product is never in question.

The second part of the Montrose sales strategy goes further than just selling cannabis in store by creating a community beyond its doors. Consciously forecasting current and future trends identified that e-commerce was an undeniable revenue stream. The majority of existing licensed retailers merely use their online presence for another point of sale and space to advertise. Montrose has an e-commerce award winning website adept at allowing customers to quickly locate their desires but does more by having a highly integrated online presence.

Montrose TV is a branch of the company that creates lifestyle online content promoting members of the community along with associated producers. All parties come out as winners; Montrose gets customers driven to visit the store after viewing the website, producers get their products promoted to a very receptive demographic, and the community wins by feeling more connected to the industry along with each other.  Even further than this Nick has taken the initiative to bring more of the community together by hosting many different types of events like business summits, new product launches or Paint & Vape nights within his retail space.

The more I spoke with Nick, the more similarities between us became evident. Similar upbringings, interests and past experiences made it extremely easy to relate both professionally and personally. Both of us being of Caribbean descent made certain influences within Montrose and its business philosophy obvious, but when I asked about the legacy he wanted to create, his answer was uniquely novel. “Bringing a legalized framework across the Caribbean islands is a passion project I’m focused on. Let’s bring out the best of our people in a new industry.” Giving back to the community that has given us all so much is a testament to the type of person Nick is and what we should all emulate from Montrose Cannabis.

BY SEAN SEURATTAN

The season of love approaches and the city’s winter slumber is awakened by the hum of the birds and the bees. For some, perhaps this season could even be enhanced with the help of cannabis. Prior to legalization, scientific research on cannabis was notoriously hard to get approved so imperial data is scarce. However, anecdotal evidence and recent studies have proven that cannabis does undoubtedly have an effect on sex; both positive and negative.

A recent study from 2019 reported that among all of its participants more than half had used cannabis prior to sex. The focus was on how the endocannabinoid system, which actually functions in both cannabis consumption and sex is affected when doing both together. The same system that allows us to feel high is the same one that regulates our body’s pre and post sex. High concentrations of cannabinoid receptors are found in the areas of the brain that control sexual function including the hypothalamus, the prefrontal cortex, the amygdala and hippocampus.

While only less than 5% of those studied found the sexual experience to be worse after cannabis consumption, it is still important to identify what could be possible causes for this. Basically, cannabis is affecting each person on two levels: mentally and physically. Of course it’s important to note that cannabis affects each person slightly differently in general. The most obvious reason for a negative experience would be over usage. Too great an impairment could easily ruin such an objectively delicate process. Also, depending on a person’s method of consumption, it could further complicate a sexual encounter.

The three main options of consumption are: inhalation, ingestion and topical application. If choosing inhalation, there is no way around the fact that it negatively affects your lungs and ultimately how much oxygen your body can receive. In turn, this then affects your: strength, stamina and endurance. Ingestion avoids these issues but may also interfere through improper usage. It’s easy to use too much or underestimate how long the onset of effects may take without careful planning. Neither method can avoid some common side effects of cannabis like the drying of mucous membranes. Females that experience extremely dry eyes after consumption may also notice dryness elsewhere. Topical use avoids all the above issues but effectiveness is questionable from person to person.

Now with those out of the way, how can cannabis help during sex? By affecting you both mentally and physically, it can help in a multitude of ways. Physically, cannabis commonly assists with pain, which during sex is a game ender for most. For some, providing relief from this can open doors long thought closed by pain. A more natural and regular sex life improves a person’s overall quality of life. For those lucky enough, cannabis has also been reported to provide an enhanced sense of touch, most likely because of the abundance of cannabinoid receptors in the skin. This leads to increased sensitivity and arousal, which can even improve orgasm occurrence and duration!

Mentally, cannabis helps in several ways important to sex. First and foremost, it affects your perceptions. For example, your perception of time is delayed, which means pleasurable experiences seem longer. It can affect your perception of your partner creating more intense bonding during sex. Emotions can be heightened simply because you now feel more comfortable with yourself and the other person. With less inhibition, a person may be inclined to take risks by going outside of their comfort zone leading to a better, more fulfilling sex life. These factors can then be attributed to increased libido when using cannabis because a consumer knows that these effects will take place, which makes them want to have sex more. Most importantly, cannabis relieves anxiety and there is barely anything more detrimental to sex than anxiety. Being vulnerable and open is much easier in a fear free environment and critical to achieve orgasm.

Once again, cannabis and sex may not be for everyone, but it’s definitely worth trying! Just remember to start low and slow with dosage, maintain constant communication with your partner and have fun finding out which strains (and positions) work best for you!