Edibles have been an incredibly tricky component of I-502 implementation, especially with the restrictions and pricing issues.

So far, I think we’ve only seen one shipment of a small amount to one Vancouver store (New Vansterdam).

The market is slowly evolving though, and a handful of processors are gradually moving to the market.

Zoots, edible drops and lozenges from Db3 in Seattle, is one of those products that we’re likely to see in Vancouver, possibly as soon as next month.

I asked co-founder Patrick Devlin to tell us a bit about his company, and he kindly gave us a guest post.

Check it out below!

Cheers,
-SueVo (sue.vorenberg@columbain.com)

Bringing Zoots Edible Products to Market wasn’t easy

By Patrick Devlin
Co-founder Db3

Hi everyone!

Soon you’ll see the Zoots line of edible cannabis products in Washington state retail stores.

Our company Db3, is proud to be the first licensed edible company approved by the Liquor Control Board and a dream born almost two years ago is about to become reality.

Along the road, we had the same frustrations and delays you’ve read about, but one of the biggest hurdles we also had to overcome was convincing our family and friends we were going into the marijuana business and it was the right thing to do.

Right after the passage of I-502, my brother Michael suggested that me and my other brother Dan band together to develop a line of edible marijuana products.

Having over 30 years of experience in producing snack foods for such companies as Frito Lay, Hoody’s Nuts, Oberto Sausage and Sahale Snacks, he thought people might gravitate to edible products produced following strict food safety guidelines. And that became our primary goal.

It didn’t take much convincing for Dan and I to come on board, but two years ago the idea of being in the marijuana business was much more controversial then it is today – and we were worried about what those closest to us would think.

It’s not that we come from a conservative family, but back then law enforcement was still busting medical grows with over 99 plants, the feds were seizing personal property and landlords were getting cease and desist orders from the Justice Department. We had friends telling us our insurance policy would need to be a 9mm glock!

The first business plan was passed under the Thanksgiving table to keep our intentions to ourselves for several months. Slowly and gradually, everyone got on board and since then the support has been tremendous.

Almost 2 years later, we’re about to launch our first products under a brand we’re proud to call Zoots.

These unique blends will be something new to the market with a focus on precise control of the amount of THC you consume depending on your mood.

We wanted our products to be transparent in their dosage and for consumers to be educated about what’s in the edibles they choose.

ZootDrops is a concentrated blend of natural ingredents designed to be added to any drink you want – or do what I do and drink the 10 mg (one teaspoon) straight. We also have ZootBlast, a single shot power drink similar to 5-hour energy, and our ZootRocks a sweet lozenge with two flavors in lemongrass and chili cinnamon fire. The latter comes in a special edition commemorative can celebrating the legalization of marijuana sales in Washington state.

We’re rolling out our products next week to a few stores in Seattle and hope to be in Vancouver stores next month. Check us out at www.zootology.com and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.