When I step into Assembly Chef’s Hall, I notice some very pretty cards sitting on the bar at Tokyo Smoke. They look like credit cards, but they feature a small crisscross window in the middle, giving them a more interesting, graphic style. They come in different colours: rose gold, silver, gold and iridescent. Basically, all of my favourite colours. I have no idea what they are, but they cost $10 and I really want to buy one.
Naively, I inquire. It’s a grinder card, of course. For grinding tobacco or, more likely, pot, to make it easier to roll into a joint. Tokyo Smoke is more than a trendy coffee shop. It describes itself as an “elevated retail experience” with a “signature collection of smoking accessories.” Right.
Pot, which is set to become legal this October, has never looked so pretty. And that’s the point. Drug paraphernalia is usually relegated to ugly, patchouli-infused shops with brightly coloured bongs in the display window — the destination of slackers and the 4/20 faithful. Not unlike a sex shop, you may well want to buy something they sell, but you sure as hell don’t want anyone to see you go in to buy it. But the rosegold grinder card atop the marble counter of Tokyo Smoke was worlds apart from my preconceived notions of cannabis and its accoutrements. I started to think differently about pot.
And I’m not the only one. Here in Toronto, lawyers have, quite literally, gone to pot. I’ve heard countless stories now of mid-level associates leaving big firms to join cannabis-related start-ups. And, at the same time, most large firms have launched cannabis practice groups. As you’ll read in this issue, this rise in cannabis-related work has led to increased hiring in Big Law. We also asked writer Luc Rinaldi to find out if your next law-firm event will feature weed-infused drinks or a selection of tasty edibles. You can read his story to find out the answer.
I still can’t quite picture exactly how the legalization of cannabis is going to play out, but, as I watch the industry get ready for October, the experience has already been mind-altering.
Melissa Kluger
Publisher & Editor
@melissakluger
Five out of six ain’t bad
I’m proud to announce that, during this summer’s magazine awards season, Precedent came out a winner. The Canadian Society of Magazine Editors recognized us as the trade magazine of the year — an award that we’ve won five out of the past six years.
Thanks to my talented team for making this magazine so beautiful and thought-provoking, year in year out.
More from the Fall issue:
This story is from our Fall 2018 Issue.
Photography by Mark Olson Photography, courtesy of Tokyo Smoke