Having dispensaries is really cool. An entire store devoted to selling products that elicited jail time not too long ago. And not only can a buyer get flowers, they can get a range of other products including capsules, lotions, extracts, concentrates, and edibles. So, what if instead of going to the dispensary, the edibles could be a little more mobile? Well, that’s the new deal in this new 4/20 world. Welcome cannabis food trucks, the moving cannabis food dispensaries that will get you high, and feed your munchies. Can we expect this to be the future of weed?
Cannabis food trucks are coming out, thanks in part to Texas and the use of delta-8 THC. What is delta-8? An alternate form of THC which doesn’t cause quite as much psychoactive high, and which comes with less anxiety, and less couch locking effect, making it preferable for many users. Check out our growing selection of Delta 8, Delta 10 THC, THC-O, THCV, THCP & HHC deals, and pick yourself out the perfect product.
What is a cannabis food truck?
It’s what it sounds like. A food truck that specializes in cannabis infused foods, and/or the array of munchies necessary to feed a weed buzz. Just think of an ice cream truck, but one that sells infused ice cream. Or the selection of trucks that can be found in a place like New York, where hungry lunch-goers scramble to get a helping of their favorite Chinese food dish, or a slice of pizza, or a few hot dogs. Same thing, but with food meant to give you a buzz.
Truth be told, this isn’t exactly a thing just yet. Mainly because of regulations surrounding how cannabis can be sold. But it is a thing. And it is happening. And this indicates that there’s a pretty decent future here. It bodes well to remember that alcohol is highly regulated, yet it pops up nearly everywhere. Alcohol also was at one point completely bound by prohibition laws, much like cannabis still is in many places, yet the last century has seen amazing growth in the alcohol industry, and in regulations for where it can be sold.
Dispensaries have very specific requirements for operation. Some states like California are very particular about where the cannabis products are sold from, down to the layout of the building and the bathrooms within. Realistically, regulations like this make legal cannabis food truck sales impossible at the moment in most places, though it does nothing to rule out the future, or to stop black market operators who are ballsy enough to operate an illegal product outright.
One of the major issues that cannabis food trucks face, is how to handle money. Many dispensaries are still cash business since not all banks will work with federally illegal companies. Dispensaries that operate in this way often use armored vehicles, and move cash around quickly to keep from accumulating too much in the store. A mobile truck would be harder to protect, and easier to rob, especially if all business was done in cash. Explains Heather Despres, the Director of Patient-Focused Certification for Americans for Safe Access,
“Most states require the operator of any cannabis business to be at a fixed and secure location that they can inspect… I’m not aware of any states that permit distribution via food truck, so, if a person is purchasing cannabis or hemp products from a truck, it is likely a purchase from the illicit market, and the consumer runs the risk of purchasing a mislabeled, improperly identified, potentially unsafe product.”
Where have cannabis food trucks popped up so far?
Not everything that starts up, gets very far, and the beginning of an industry can often look like a bunch of small things starting and stopping until something actually catches on, meets all requirements, and hits the right point in social culture. Maybe we’re not quite there yet, but we’re getting there, and the following examples show what the beginning of the world of weed trucks looks like.
One awesome business is Weed World out of Manhattan, New York. While Weed World does seem to be in operation in a brick-and-mortar store, whether the food trucks are still in operation remains to be seen. These businesses don’t like to call a lot of attention to themselves for obvious reasons. Even so, Weed World is known for operating psychedelic-looking trucks complete with a layer of colorful graffiti. Though the trucks are known for selling lollipops in all colors and flavors, the lollipops are only CBD infused, meaning suckers can feel good, without blowing their minds out. The lollipops go for about $5 each, and trucks can be spotted in various parts of the city if they’re still around.
There are other reports of cannabis food trucks that are just as low key, with just as little information on the internet. So whether these operations are still in operation is hard for me to say without being in these locations. But as stated before, how well they do is less relevant to the fact that they’re there at all.
A few more examples of talked about cannabis food trucks, are: The Samich (Savory Accessible Marijuana Infused Culinary Happiness) out of Denver Colorado, which started as a food truck run out of a pink school bus, before graduating to a real store location. The menu includes, among other things: pulled pork, grilled cheese sandwiches, and THC-infused sunbutter and jelly. Then there’s Trippie Treats run out of New Orleans, Louisiana.
The associated mobile trucks sell the likes of gummies, lollipops, Rice Krispy treats, brownies, and popcorn out of colorfully painted vans. While there is confusion about what these trucks actually sell, Ski Scott of the company claimed, “It’s CBD, it’s CBD products, yeah, it’s the stuff they take out the THC. It’s real good for you, for your pain, whatever’s going on with you.”
Then there’s Taco Demon, an LA food truck, though not an ordinary one. Unlike food trucks that just sit out all the time, Taco Demon seems to be mainly events related. A year ago they were selling ‘demon salsa’ infused with cannabis, and THC-infused agua de Jamaica. The business debuted last year at a party, and hopefully will make many more appearances.
High Maintenance Edibles and delta-8 THC
A cool company that shows the transition to a weed-truck friendly space is High Maintenance Edibles, out of Houston, Texas. As owner Jonathan Pina tells it: “We partner with private companies, bars restaurants, parking lot owners and we show up at places around Houston and provide our products.” In fact, High Maintenance has licensing to legally operate in Texas, where delta-8 was just specifically NOT illegalized, as it has been in other parts of the country. The company uses delta-8 along with CBD for products.
The trucks sell a variety of edibles like rice crispy treats ($18), gummies ($36 for 10-pack), as well as cartridges, flowers, and other products. The company first went into operation in March of this year, and is the first legal cannabis food truck in Texas. To give an idea of how much of a splash this made, High Maintenance was actually mentioned by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in announcing forthcoming legislation pushing for cannabis decriminalization or legalization.
One of the things that helped High Maintenance, was forming a partnership with Oil Well CBD, which specializes in legal hemp-based products in Texas. This helped boost Pina’s vision into an actual functional business. Funny that the state of Texas, where cannabis is still recreationally illegal, would be one of the first states to have operational – and legal – cannabis food trucks.
While we wait…
The truth of the matter is that cannabis food trucks, as mentioned previously, are not really legal, and that makes anyone operating one in public, liable for arrest. Since food trucks are a very out-in-the-open thing, this majorly dissuades businesses at the moment from entirely jumping in. So what several businesses have done, is set up complimentary food trucks to work as mediators for the munchies that we all know are coming when we smoke that joint.
A great example of this is the Pig & Leaf truck. In Eureka California, outside of Papa & Barkley Social Dispensary, sits the Pig & Leaf truck. The truck capitalizes on its location, being right outside where people buy three weed products, and is ready to help out users with any impending hunger issues, though the food itself is 100% cannabis free. The menu boasts items slightly more sophisticated than standard stoner fair, with the likes of The Eastern Mediterranean lamb pita, pork shank drumettes, and pâté à choux churros with warm chocolate ganache. Maybe cannabis food trucks aren’t legal yet, but I’ll bet the guy running this show will be ready and waiting when the green light flashes.
Another great example of complementary food services, is Colorado’s Veritas Fine Cannabis, which pulled out all the stops this past 4/20 to make it a memorable experience for everyone. The company picked 20 dispensaries in cities like Denver, Boulder, and Colorado Springs, and set up food trucks outside the dispensaries for the day. Any purchase from one of the dispensaries bought a buyer a voucher for a free meal from the truck. All the food sold was cannabis-free, but for a great day, stoners leaving their dispensary could nosh on a free meal courtesy of Veritas.
Conclusion
Given how things tend to go, and the general popularity of edibles, it seems like what High Maintenance started with cannabis food trucks in Texas, will likely become a wider trend. It might be a dicey industry at the moment in most places, but as regulations change and weaken, the ability for more operations of this nature will come out.
For now, let’s hope other people can work through local legal loopholes to bring us more of these wonderful options, and continue to support initiatives for the legalization of cannabis federally.
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Disclaimer: Hi, I’m a researcher and writer. I’m not a doctor, lawyer, or businessperson. All information in my articles is sourced and referenced, and all opinions stated are mine. I am not giving anyone advise, and though I am more than happy to discuss topics, should someone have a further question or concern, they should seek guidance from a relevant professional.