Pride is not just about one month or a parade, but about promoting and celebrating the vast and varied passions and skills that our talented family and friends in the LGBTQ community offer the world every day. A lot of those creative skills suit the rapidly expanding cannabis industry and the new jobs it has created, and company leaders are always pushing for innovative cannabis technologies and products as well as clever new ways to enjoy them. Many of the exciting brands hitting the market now are arriving thanks to some brilliant LGBTQ trailblazers and creators. We scoured the internet and collected some of the best cannabis brands headed by members of the LGBTQ community, reminding us how intertwined cannabis and the LGBTQ activist community was, and continues to be. Show your support by supporting these brands!
Altered Plates
Altered Plates is an LA-based hospitality consulting group that focuses on pioneering the culinary cannabis industry from every angle. The founding duo are brother/sister culinary experts who are cultivators, ganjiers, chefs, writers, consultants and even hosts for the cannabis dining experience. They began by providing event hosting and fine dining experiences and, in 2018, consulted on one of the leading consumption lounge licenses in West Hollywood. They offer customized food and beverage creations with fine-tuned dosages for your business’ unique needs.
Aplos
Hemp-infused Aplós is a one-of-a-kind, broad-spectrum hemp-infused, nonalcoholic spirit that provides the calming and relaxing effect of alcohol without its undesirable side effects. Aplós has a proprietary formula that contains pure botanical extracts and includes yuzu, rosemary, basil, cucumber and dandelion. Unlike the other beverage brands featured in this list, Aplós has only one product that can be enjoyed like aged whiskey; neat, on-the-rocks, or mixed in a cocktail. Check out their website for some recipe ideas including alcohol-free mojitos, negroni, and their delcious fresh summer cocktail, An Unhurried Afternoon.
Blunt Skincare
Blunt Skincare formulates their skincare products with clean ingredients that have long-lasting benefits for your skin. Founder and CEO Stas Chirkov spent 10 years in the beauty industry, and used his knowledge of cosmetic science to research and develop new skincare formulations. This article on cannabis as a powerful skincare ingredient tells all. Take advantage of their 30% off Pride discount, with savings donated to LGBTQIA organizations supporting trans rights.
Calexo
Calexo is a THC beverage brand created by a community of queer, BIPOC women and allies looking to find a better and healthier way to socialize. Their current product, Watercolor, is a sparkling water made from all-natural fruit juices, botanicals, and nano-emulsified THC. Watercolor comes in three flavors–Spring, Fuchsia, and Sea. Calexo doesn’t work like a typical edible due to its nano-emulsion technology, which reduces active components like THC to a tiny nanoscopic size so the compounds can be mixed with water. This is an important technology for cannabis, which normally requires oil or fat to mix, and can increase rapid onset. With only 5 mg in every 12oz can, Calexo promises a light lift that can be controlled with every sip. It also has no calories or sugar and can be a great product for those looking for an alcohol alternative. Calexo is also ideal for social and first-time smokers, as you can easily control your experience by drinking more or less, depending on the desired effects.
Calibueno
Calibueno is a California-based Latinx-owned dispensary that focuses on supporting Latinx and POC led cannabis brands and carefully selecting clean, sustainably sourced cannabis products. They have a selection of reasonably priced flowers, pre-rolls, and edibles and they deliver to multiple cities in the state. In 2021, five of the products they carry won Emerald Cup awards.
Cann
Cann is a cannabis beverage brand that offers the taste and fun of alcohol, minus the hangover. Their selection is versatile, made from simple ingredients like lemon, grapefruit, and cardamom, and offers different mixes of THC/CBD. They also have an unspiked alternative for some of their products. Their newest product is Lites–no added sugar, less than 10 calories, and 5 different flavors to choose from. This is a perfect replacement for beer or other alcoholic beverages and, since their products don’t contain any additives, a healthier one too.
CommCan Inc
CommCan is a family-owned, women-owned, LGBT-owned, and Massachusetts-based dispensary with three locations across the state. They carry five high-end brands including their own and offer a wide selection of recreational and medical products, including pre-rolls, flowers, edibles, topicals, tinctures, vaporizers, concentrates, and accessories. Their products are very reasonably priced and they currently offer a 7 gram/$50 promotion on Fridays.
Drew Martin Co
Drew Martin is an award-winning mixologist, world traveler, and herbalist who spent a year developing complex aromas and flavors to create a new kind of pre-roll. His selection is small and finely curated, reading more like an afternoon tea menu, and the cannabis is sun-grown and handpicked in California, while the other ingredients are sourced from small organic farms around the world. These products are great for first-time or occasional cannabis users because they are low dose and can be enjoyed with friends or all by yourself.
House of Saka
House of Saka was founded when Cynthia Salarizadeh and Tracey Mason combined their many years of expertise in the cannabis and wine industries. They created a luxury beverage that appeals to women and helps elevate the cannabis experience to that of fine wine. Their line of products currently features three flavors; Saka Spark Mimosa, Saka Pink, and Saka White and each flavor sources ingredients from the iconic wine country of Napa Valley. They contain everything you love about your favorite wine, but without the alcohol and its side effects, and use a formula for a perfect THC/CBD ratio. This is a great option for the sommelier, the cannaisseur, or anyone looking for the perfect drink to go with a dinner with friends or a relaxing evening at home.
MD Numbers Inc
MD Numbers is a group of California-based cultivation, distribution, consulting, and delivery companies founded in 2015 by brother/sister duo, Marie and Allen. Their farm is a world-class 50,000-square feet greenhouse that produces high-grade flower, while Marie’s Deliverables is a five-star Bay Area delivery service that provides access to the best cannabis products and wellness consultation services. Lastly, Legacy Coterie is a consulting, distribution, and sales service that focuses on building equity and representation in the cannabis industry by supporting entrepreneurs with customized business solutions.
Peak Extracts
Peak Extracts was founded in Portland in 2014 by Katie Stem, a legacy medical marijuana user and Chinese herbalist who sought to create a product where both the dosage and the effects of cannabis administration can be customized to individual needs. When Peak transitioned to the legal adult-use cannabis market in 2016 as one of the first licensed edibles processors, they continued to offer the same Single-Strain Chocolates that set them apart in Oregon’s medical cannabis market. Known for their color-coded packaging, they focus on user experience in all their products. Today, they offer tinctures, edibles, and topicals, and a variety of CBD/THC mixes. Peak Extracts also features Rescue Rub (also founded by Katie), a salve that blends Chinese herbs with hypoallergenic coconut, shea, and jojoba oils rich in antioxidants for pain and inflammation relief from Arthritis, Eczema, and other chronic pain illnesses. Peak Extracts focuses on ensuring no artificial scents or preservatives are used, creating a truly customizable experience.
Pride Wellness
Pride Wellness is a California-based creation of two transmen, Buck Angel and Leon Mostovoy, designed to provide natural alternatives for narcotics and enhance general wellbeing. Their products include THC/CBD vapes, topicals, flowers, and pre-rolls. They even have a CBD-infused sexual enhancement drink. Their website is currently under construction but you can find more information on where to get their products here.
ReCreate
ReCreate Cannabis was founded by The Stanley Brothers, seven siblings best known as the creators of the groundbreaking Charlotte’s Web CBD brand that changed the life of 5-year-old Charlotte Figi, who suffered from Dravet Syndrome, and accelerated the discussion around medical cannabis. Their products utilize the entire cannabis plant and combine them with botanicals and other ingredients, providing an everyday wellness supplement that you can keep in your medicine cabinet. Last year, they launched the Pride cannabis products line; gummies that combine 10mg CBD and THC with Yerba Mate, and a sparkling cannabis drink with 2.5mg CBD and THC, infused with uplifting botanicals. All ReCreate’s edibles, beverages and tinctures are designed to have targeted, fast-acting, and consistent effects, whether for a deeper sleep, a better mood, or a faster recovery after an intense workout.
Sava
Sava is a California-based queer, women, and latina-founded company that focuses on featuring clean and healthy cannabis products and supporting brands that represent women and the BIPOC community. Their founders, Andrea and Amanda, pride themselves on handpicking every product they carry, which is then lab-tested for quality, cleanliness, and potency. They feature over 70 different brands (including some that are mentioned on our list) and will help you choose the strain that best suits your needs, time of day, and the level of potency you’re seeking. Their products include everything from flowers to edibles, topicals, and beyond.
Sonder
Sonder was founded in 2018 by Faun Chapin and M. Paradise. Sonder sources their cannabis from second-generation family farmers in California that utilize modern cultivation techniques to grow 100% pesticide-free, sun-grown cannabis. Their products include oils that are carefully curated by the time of day, taste, and feel, and they have an Explorer Kit for the beginner cannasseur. Check out the full selection of Sonder cannabis products, featuring their Sublingual Crystal Technology™ which means a faster onset of desired effects.
Stone Road
Stone Road was created by Lex Corwin, an agriculture and cannabis enthusiast. He believes that the plant is a natural unifier between people from every place, background, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and religion. Stone Road features products with this philosophy and environmental responsibility in mind. Their selection includes hand-rolled joints, flowers, and concentrates and they source their own products from a 57-acre spread, which utilizes an artesian well and beneficial insects like ladybugs for a naturally fed, pesticide-free crop. Their products are made from 100% post-consumer recycled goods and they are currently developing a new sugarcane-based biodegradable bioplastic to replace any plastic they use. We’re torn between which of their cannabis-infused products we want to try more, their cannabis-infused cured sauce or cured sugar.
Sundae School
Sundae School is a Seoul and LA-based cannabis creation that started “as an asinine, high idea on New Year’s day of 2017.” They offer Korean-inspired pre-rolls, flowers, accessories, and even Korean-inspired apparel through their sister brand Smokewear. Their brand is genuinely charming with its endearing stoner attitude (see the Ten Commandments on their website) and creative cannabis accessories. They have a Kira Kira pre-roll bundle and a Mochi Gummy bundle to get you started.
Tempo
Tempo is a small, cannabis cracker brand that doubles as an edible and a munchie snack. They offer four tasty options that parallel everyone’s favorite snacking flavors–sour cream and onion, chili lemon, rosemary sea salt, and black pepper. Each flavor contains a mix of THC/CBD to suit the high you’re looking for.
Unoia
Unoia, which means beautiful thinking, is an Atlanta-based CBD company created by a black queer couple, Brandé Elise and Danielle Gray. Unoia’s cannabis products are focused on helping you restore mental health, mindfulness, and self-care, both for yourself and your loved ones, including pets. Their products include edibles, topicals, oils, and tinctures and each product comes with a full Certificate of Analysis, so you know exactly what and how much you’re consuming. Unoia prides itself on creating safe products that customers can rely on for healthy living in body and soul, and offers some great cannabis education on its blog.
Wings of Wellness
Wings of Wellness is a dispensary that focuses on providing quick, seven-day delivery services in Inland Empire, California. Their menu is extensive, featuring vapes, flowers, edibles, beverages, topicals, accessories, and more. A purchase of $60 or more is delivered free and there is a 10% discount for veterans, seniors, cancer patients, students, teachers, and those with disabilities.
Xula
Xula, which means to feel good in one’s own skin, is a Latina and Black-owned hemp brand from Mexico City that combines ancestral herbal knowledge and modern science to create CBD products for women’s bodies. Their products include oils that help with sleep, pain, stress, and symptoms associated with menstruation and menopause and are specifically catered to be inclusive to trans and non-binary bodies. Their CBD is sustainably sourced from their hemp farm in Oregon, so they are environmentally friendly too.
Don’t see your favorite brand on the list? Ask to be added!
