Cannabis Merchandise

Cannabis Swag Rules & Regulations

Each state has different laws concerning the use of promotional products for medical marijuana and dispensaries. For an overview, read our blog post Cannabis Swag Regulations: What You Need to Know.

Great Merch Ideas from 5 CBD Beauty Brands

See how these five CBD oil and beauty brands are using custom merch like stickers, lapel pins, buttons and apparel to access one of the most powerful (and unregulated) marketing tools around: word of mouth.

Learn how Moon Made Farms’ owner Tina Gordon applies her music industry know-how and band merch success to the cannabis market

As the legal marijuana market continues to grow exponentially, more and more businesses and brands are emerging. Investment bankers, serial entrepreneurs, health and wellness experts — all kinds of people are entering the cannabis market. The music industry, in particular, has seen a lot of crossover.

Many well-known musicians and record executives have started cannabis-related businesses. Maybe it’s their personal history with the product (lookin’ at you, Snoop and Willie) that has them branching out. Maybe they just see a good investment. Or perhaps, like Tina Gordon of Moon Made Farms proves, their music industry skills can easily be applied to the cannabis industry.

From Music to Medicinals

Before Tina Gordon began her cultivation career, she was a musician, producer, filmmaker and event promoter. Tina was an influential member of the San Francisco DIY scene in late 90s and early 00s; during that time she played guitar for Glamour Pussies and was the drummer for Lost Goat, Night After Night and AC/DShe, an all-female AC/DC cover band.

In 2007, Gordon left the San Francisco urban lifestyle behind and relocated to Southern Humboldt County. Soon after, she began developing the 40 acres of land that would become a collective and innovative, sustainable farm.

Mood Made Farms is now one of the few sun-grown, organic cannabis farms in the country. Tina has become a cannabis industry and sustainable farming activist. She is also an active member of the cannabis business community and works to equalize women’s involvement in the industry.

For Gordon, the transition from a musical career to the cannabis market was a natural one. “Cannabis and music have a symbiotic relationship that musicians foster and honor,” Gordon says. “Music and cannabis both inspire and demand discipline, observation, devotion.”

Different Product, Same Merch

Gordon may not be a touring musician anymore, but she uses that same DIY spirit to help her farm succeed. “Having a farm brand is like being in a band again,” Gordon says. “When I started thinking about going out into the world and being public with Moon Made Farms it was intuitive to default to the band days and merch up like a band with stickers, buttons, and t-shirts.”

Moon Made Farms’ merch line includes buttons, mirrors, hats, tote bags, bandanas and t-shirts. Most of the merchandise features the Moon Made logo, but the t-shirt collection expands beyond the farm’s logo to include illustrations created by fellow drummer, Jesse California. “It's a great collaboration because we have similar cultural references and align aesthetically,” Tina says.

Gordon has also enlisted the help of other musicians to create her cannabis merchandise. “The t-shirts are a drummer supply chain,” Gordon jokes. Tina, the t-shirt designer, and the t-shirt printer are all drummers whose bands have played together previously. “Jesse California is in a band called Ganghis Khan that my band Night After Night played with,” she says. “And then there’s the printer Lucky Mule. Courtney was the drummer in the Demonics and our bands played together years ago.”

Gordon uses merch as a major part of her promotions, just like she did during her band days. The product might be different— cannabis instead of music— but the goal is the same. “The whole point is to connect with people and share something that expresses the essence of the farm,” she says.

Going on Tour, In a Totally Different Way

It’s not just the use of branded merch that links the music and cannabis industry. Creating an album and cultivating cannabis both involve the process of pre-production, production, and post-production. Being successful in either industry means mastering distribution, branding, and marketing.

“I draw parallels all the time,” Gordon says. “I think of Moon Made Farms’ flower distributor, Flow Kana, as our label. One day we'll be able to have visitors and tours [at the farm] and that will be like playing shows at our own venue.” She also says promoting the brand and setting up demos at dispensaries is an opportunity for her to “go on tour in a totally different way”.

As for the next generation of musicians turned cannaprenuers? “Find your purpose! Tell your story and tell it from your heart,” Tina advises. Use what you know from your previous experiences to help you navigate the brave new world of cannabis.