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cannabis business, including accessories. “We’re setting
it up this year and hoping to switch over in 2018.”
CAUTIOUSLY OPPORTUNISTIC
There are also those retailers who lie in the middle of the
road, cautiously treading into and around the category.
“We carry some of the traditional products that are
considered tobacco accessories, but also are used for
cannabis, such as papers, blunt wraps and cigarillos,”
explains Randy Silverman, president of Klafter’s d.b.a.
Smoker Friendly/Cigar Express in New Castle, Penn-
sylvania. “We are also carrying glass pipes and some of
the other accessories that are associated with cannabis.
We have been taking a more low-key approach with our
merchandising, but as cannabis continues to be more
acceptable, I foresee these types of products becoming
more mainstream in our merchandising.”
Darren Collett, president of Collett Enterprises in
Seymour, Indiana, sees that cannabis is “much more
socially acceptable.” Therefore, “we have brought a
small selection of accessories into some of our loca-
tions,” he tells
TB
. “We merchandise them in a very
low-key fashion.”
Bob Roberts, president of Smoke em based in Scott-
sdale, Arizona, is keeping a close eye on cannabis and
accessories as business opportunities. “Arizona is a medi-
cal cannabis state, but a referendum for recreational can-
nabis failed by only 15 percent,” he relays. “We believe
customers can and will accept this segment [in] most of
the cities we retail in.”
As cannabis
continues to be
more accept-
able, I foresee
these types of
products be-
coming more
mainstream in
our merchan-
dising.
[ T O B A C C O B U S I N E S S . C O M ]
TOBACCO BUSINESS
[ 79 ]
“If and when they legalize cannabis in New York, we
will do what is best for our company to grow with the
times, no pun intended,” adds Doug Nolan, vice pres-
ident of Rock Hill, New York-based Smokers Choice.
“We will grow our product line to incorporate the latest
and greatest to give every customer what they need, and
most importantly, [to] help educate them to keep them
coming back.”
HANDS OFF—FOR NOW
Of course, not everyone is giving the green light to “go-
ing green.” Randy Drott at Town Crier in Mandeville,
Louisiana is one tobacco outlet retailer who won’t touch
cannabis-related accessories or what he calls “dope par-
aphernalia,” because “you can get into trouble.” He says
he looked into accessories for his chain of stores, “but
once you do that, you’re walking a real tight, fine line on
being a head shop, and that’s not us,” he explains.
“I don’t sell that stuff,” agrees Gary Tapley, owner at
Smoke Shop, a tobacco outlet chain in Dyer, Indiana.
“If they make [marijuana] legal, then I’d have to think
about it. There are no marijuana stores in the state of
Indiana. A lot of people sell a lot of that [accessory] stuff
and make a lot of money, but I can live without it.”
Paul Mahoney, owner of Puff Super Value in Mill
Hall, Pennsylvania, is another tobacco chain retailer that
rejects the idea of cannabis-related items, due to a pre-
vious bad experience. “We don’t deal with it at all,” he
relays. “We did a year or two ago in the synthetic area,
but we had legal problems so we got out.”
TB