Between producing their own films, documentaries and series, Netflix has blazed a trail as the leader in streaming media. Last week, the company set yet another bar by partnering with a dispensary in Los Angeles to distribute branded strains of cannabis at a weekend pop-up event to promote their upcoming original series “Disjointed,” which premiered on Netflix on Aug. 25.
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Pop-Up Event Sells Strains Inspired by Cannabis TV Series
At the pop-up, West Hollywood’s Alternative Herbal Health Services sold about a pound or 100 jars of its 12 strains of cannabis inspired by 10 different series on Netflix. The strains were curated based on how they make people feel and paired with corresponding shows including “BoJack Horseman,” “Arrested Development,” “Orange Is the New Black” and “Mystery Science 3000: The Return.”
RELATED: The Top 7 Marijuana Inspired TV Shows
Executive producers Chuck Lorre (“Two and a Half Men”) and David Javerbaum (“The Daily Show”) co-wrote the comedic series “Disjointed” about Ruth Whitefeather Feldman, played by Kathy Bates, who opens her own dispensary called Ruth’s Alternative Caring in Los Angeles, California. In honor of the 20-episode, half-hour series debut, Alternative Herbal Health Services sold three different strains inspired by the show called The Omega Strain (sativa hybrid), Eve’s Bush (indica hybrid) and Rutherford B. Haze (sativa hybrid).
How Cannabis Makes You Feel vs. Just Getting High
The strain names, though clever, weren’t the focus of the pop-up event. It was how the cannabis was supposed to make you feel while you enjoy some of your favorite shows; this follows in the footsteps of the cannabis industry beginning to turn its attention towards the resulting experience achieved with marijuana vs. just getting high. The trend of feelings-focused product lines is becoming more common as companies intentionally move away from strain names as an identifier and place more of an emphasis on the experience a consumer can expect.
HMBLDT and Level Blends are just two brands that have foregone strain-specific products altogether and are instead creating products based on how they make an individual feel. Both of the companies offer vape pens and cartridges that focus on the chemical compound content so that consumers can use a completely different lens that prioritizes their desired state after consumption.
HMBLDT offers six different formulas—arouse, passion, bliss, sleep, calm and relief—in their dose pens, which were voted one of Time Magazine’s Top 25 Inventions of 2016. Within each blend, the cannabinoid and terpene contents are clearly indicated along with the THC-to-CBD ratio, to give people more control and information about what they’re about to consume.
Similarly, Level Blends has its Classic blends—spark, high, float and dissolve—which range from sativa- to indica-dominant as well as their Harmonic blends—remedy, uplift and radiance, combining the healing properties of CBD and THC.
The Cannabis’s Emerging Place in Pop Culture
Netflix’s move played as a major statement. The media giant has been one of only a few big-name mainstream companies to publicly pick the side of the cannabis debate that’s trying to dispel the stigma around marijuana. Meanwhile, companies like Facebook, Instagram and even Google continue to tout business practices that have shut down and turned away ad dollars from reputable and legally operating cannabis companies.
The company’s choice to bridge the intersection between smoking cannabis and relaxing at home while enjoying a movie or a show is yet another step towards normalizing the plant’s use among the mainstream. It brings the conversation to larger audiences and creates the opportunity for more dialogue around how cannabis can be used and integrated into all kinds of lifestyles.
TV Shows that Feature Marijuana
Want to check out some other shows about cannabis? Here are some clips of other series that you can add to your viewing rotation after you’re done binge-watching “Disjointed.”
Bong Appetit Bud and Breakfast
Broad City High, Higher, Highest
Workaholics Whose Weed is That?
If you’re new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our Cannabis 101 post. HelloMD can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it’s 100% online, private and efficient.