Cannabis gifts made for Christmas hit in Saskatoon

Cannabis could be found under a lot of Christmas trees in Saskatoon this year, according to two local retailers.

Although both stores only opened their doors a few weeks before the holidays, the owners of Living Skies Cannabis and The Pot Shack both reported an increase in sales just before Christmas. The most popular gift items were pre-rolled joints, cannabis accessories and cannabis “starter kits” which included items such as rolling papers and grinders but no actual marijuana.

Cierra Sieben-Chuback, owner of Living Skies Cannabis, said she noticed a big boost in her store’s sales during the week before Christmas.

“We did have quite a few people come in saying ‘this isn’t for me; it’s a gift and I don’t really know what to get,’ and we helped them find something for the cannabis user in their life,” she said.

Sieben-Chuback said the store’s pre-rolled joints made for the most popular stocking stuffers, and her staff worked with the buyers to help pick out the best strains of cannabis for the recipients. Little pipes and grinders were also popular gifts, along with some larger items such as bongs, glassware and vaporizers.

Being extremely busy after her business opened earlier in December, Sieben-Chuback said owning a cannabis store helped her find gifts for everyone on her own list.

“Let’s just say a lot of them got cannabis-related gifts for Christmas this year,” she said.

Geoff Conn, owner of The Pot Shack, reported a similar boost in sales right before the holidays.

To make shopping for cannabis-related gifts easier and more fun, Conn said his store created a number of different gift packages of accessories and cannabis “starter packs,” which were hot sellers in the weeks and days before Christmas.

“The cannabis sales were up, and people obviously had a good time over the holidays,” he said.