7 Hot Tips on Planning a Cannabis Social Evening
It has been a hot summer everywhere this year. However, Indian Summer and early Autumn bring pleasant evenings. If you want to entertain this time of year, think about doing it outdoors.
A Labor Day event, Halloween Party, or relaxing after a Thanksgiving dinner - these present opportunities to enjoy cannabis among family and friends. Here are seven hot tips for planning a cannabis social evening everyone will remember.
Hot tip #1 – Location, location, location
You can plan your get-together at the beach or campground, but that can be more trouble than it is worth. Hosting the evening at home gives you more options and control. You can also host your party indoors, but given issues like smoke and smell, you would do better to host yours on the patio or deck, around a fire pit, or the pool.
Hot tip #2 – Send detailed invitations
Mailing a friendly invitation always sets the tone for the evening. The invite must give the time and place, of course, but it should also identify the theme or dress expected. More importantly, it should acknowledge that yours is a cannabis event. State whether guests should bring their stash or enjoy the supply you present. Providing a “buffet” of selected strains will strike guests as generous. And close the invitation with an RSVP request.
Hot tip #3 – Set the rules
Guests look to you as a host to manage things. Hosting includes setting some behavioral expectations. The invitation should spell out the ground rules. For instance, you may prohibit high-potency concentrates or extracts. You might also limit the time and recommend eating, hydrating, and snacking on nutrients.
Hot tip #4 – Limit the guests
Before you send those invitations, you want to rethink your guest list. You should limit the invitations to people you know well, who enjoy cannabis, and who know how to handle it without getting out of hand. If you do not have overnight accommodations for all users, you should invite some designated drivers or make Uber or Lyft available.
Hot tip #5 – Budget, budget, budget
A memorable evening will cost money and involve food, music, beverages, and decorations. You might schedule a cannabis smoking circle after dinner. In that case, you should plan a protein, carbs, and fresh vegetables menu. Discourage smoking before and during the meal. You might serve wine, but you should avoid cocktails.
A buffet meal might prove easier to plan and budget. You can build the buffet around catered dishes from favorite restaurants. And, if the budget allows, you might hire a temp to assist with cooking and serving.
Cannabis will cost you, but if purchased carefully from a good dispensary, you can shift the budget towards buying a variety of strains for the guests. You might limit the strains to five because you need enough volume to serve several people. The strains should also represent a choice of flavors, tastes, and potencies.
Hot tip #6 – Feed before and after
A good cannabis party host or hostess will offer water and nutritious appetizers (nuts, veggies, and fruit) and provide water and healthy munchies while guests enjoy the cannabis. It would be best if you kept guests hydrated with fresh water, carbonated water, or flavored water.
Hot tip #7 – Choose socially appropriate strains
When shopping for strains, you should avoid high THC potency in favor of strains that encourage fun and sociability.
Strain: Balanced Hybrid (50% Sativa / 50% Indica) with 19% to 22% THC
Genetics: California Orange X Skunk
Reputation: Guests will love the rich tangerine and citrus sweetness. At 22% THC, Tangie’s cerebral high may hit first-time users hard. However, the high is also creative and euphoric. It will raise conversation and reduce anxiety and depression.
Strain: Balanced Hybrid (50% Sativa / 50% Indica) with 15% THC
Genetics: Undefined Afghani and Pakistani lineage
Reputation: Some tests push the THC content higher, but Pez offers a calming mix of brain and body effects. It triggers a mild euphoria with focused creative energy. Sweet fruit and flowers treat anxiety and daily stress-relieving guests to open.
Strain: Sativa-dominant Hybrid (70% Sativa / 30% Indica) with 26% THC
Genetics: Durban Poison X Girl Scout Cookies
Reputation: This THC-potent strain will lift users with a blissful euphoria and energetic rush to ease moods and leave guests giggling. Often testing at a more moderate 17% THC, Durban Cookies produces a vanilla, soil, and spice aroma that relieves chronic stress and depression.
Strain: Indica-dominant Hybrid (60% Indica / 40% Sativa) with 15% THC
Genetics: Blueberry X Sour Diesel
Reputation: The moderate THC content delivers a soothing, energetic high. It eases the day and improves the appetite. Guests will enjoy the heavy blueberry flavor, and the berry-rich aroma will drift above the party. The use will reduce stress and anxiety and should relieve pain and loss of appetite.
Strain: Indica-dominant Hybrid (80% Indica / 20% Sativa) with 23% to 28% THC
Genetics: Blend of unknown Sativa out of Maui and unknown Afghani Indica
Reputation: Afgoo (Afgooey) is a highly potent strain with some risks for new users. However, it treats depression and anxiety. It can lead to a quiet, profound conversation in the evening. It will uplift mood, but it can also induce sleep.
The strains listed include mild to potent THC content. Each produces some euphoria, tastes and smells favorable, and encourages experimentation.
A final tip
Hosts and hostesses bear some responsibility for pleasing their guests and managing the outcomes. Part of that responsibility means keeping guests informed about the strains offered, along with their profiles and expectations.
It would help if you considered enclosing a description of your cannabis offerings with the invitation and posting a detailed analysis of each strain on the table where you present the flowers. You might also invite guests to bring their own if they prefer something different. This should not close without suggesting that you ask all guests to bring their own to reduce your budget, simplify the selection, and offer everyone the chance to share.
