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Over the last week I took time out to do a field/"Boots on The Ground" scan in Texas. I really wanted to hit a diverse group of locations which included, gas stations, smoke shops, liquor stores, kava bars, regular bars, and even a couple of restaurants. The scan also consisted of small/moderate size cities and large metropolitan locations.
While the scan did show several evolving trends, it also highlighted some of the items we will be seeing a lot more of over the spring months and into the summer.
"The Hook'
If you have ever attended one of my classes you have heard me say a term that I've coined as “The Hook”. This is what draws you into a store or an establishment but once inside, you start to see all the “stuff” they don't want to show the general pubic from the street.
An example is a sign in the window that says THC (cannabis); inside that store you will commonly find other forms of THC such as Delta 8, Delta 9, THCO, THCP, CBD products, possibly alcohol products, & over the counter drugs
Kava Bar
During this scan I saw a store making an “herbal reference” as it was a Kava bar. Kava is a substance that is rising in popularity because of the "all natural" and combinations that Kava comes in. To learn more you can listen to my podcast on Kava (LISTEN HERE). Once inside the Kava bar, I quickly learned they had several Kratom drinks on the menu, and drinks mixed with Kratom & Kava. While I was looking at the menu I also noticed the seltzer drink you see pictured below. I believe one of the employees in the area was consuming that beverage. As I looked at the can I asked myself would most think that there is anything but a “seltzer” in that can? Answer probably not! A quick google search will show that this product can contain kratom, kava or both which makes sense seeing I was at a Kava bar! Please keep in mind everyone one- of any age who might be interested in consuming that product might not be sitting in a Kava bar!
Vapes
Other items that really stood out were the vape samples. Almost every store I check that sells vapes as part of their product line has free, used and open unused samples where any customer can walk in and take a hit or multiple hits off of these products. Nicotine vape prices have continued to drop while the dosing is continuing to rise. This will lead to more use since younger people are being priced into the market. Near many of these vapes I also noticed the popularity of nicotine pouches which contain nicotine salts, the same as most nicotine vapes.
Feel Free is everywhere!
Another product that also kept popping up was the Feel Free bottle. The price points were between $6-$10 per bottle at the various stores but it was on the counter at almost every store.
Inhalents Gaining Popularity
Nitrous and inhalants were located at several shops. I have been talking more and more about these products in class (clearly, I will even more this year!) as their popularity is rising across the country as a street level drug trend.
7-OH Flooding Texas!
7-OH. This section should be in all caps as we are SWIMMING IN THIS IN TEXAS! It is everywhere and the stores have a crazy amount of it. Most stores had anywhere from 3-8 different brands of 7-OH (a synthetic over the counter opioid). The price points, flavor variety, forms like chewable or pills, different branding etc. should all be regulated and basically they are not! This trend has grown rapidly in Texas and should be looked at from a public health stand point. States like Florida have banned this drug but most states across the county have not.
There were many more trends I identified as I have been adding those to my presentations over the last month. Keep following Tall Cop as I will share the latest trends while scanning your communities!
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