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Higher Standards is setting the bar high in the cannabis industry. With its flagship cannabis accessories store opening in the Chelsea Market of New York City in 2017, despite resistance from the state’s governor Andrew Cuomo to legalize weed, and its business has been successfully growing ever since.

Not only that, but Higher Standards is breaking down the stigma against recreational cannabis smoking and consumption.

The brand is all about incorporating marijuana into an elevated lifestyle, as a growing number of different kinds of people are taking interest in the green herb. At their flagship store and at their new location at the Ponce City Market shopping mall in Atlanta, Georgia opening April 20, the innovative brand sells their own product line, which includes glassware, cleaning kits, accessories, and a recently-dropped HS Streetwear capsule collection.

In addition, Higher Standards also offers curated pieces from classy consumption brands like Storz & Bickel, LEVO, Grav Labs, Puffco, Tree Trunk, and PAX. While there is no cannabis for sale at its brick-and-mortar locations, Higher Standards offers a small selection of high-quality CBD items meant for self-care.

Aside from its luxury cannabis products, the store offers an elevated shopping experience. The staff is highly educated on all things Higher Standards, cannabis accessories, and the marijuana business and best practices as a whole.

“When you think about luxury cannabis as an experience, rather than a product category, the irony is that cannabis has long been one of the most luxurious products on the planet, even when it was exclusively in the illicit market,” says the Higher Standards General Manager Eric Hammond. “If you were something of a cannabis connoisseur back then, you probably had a very strong relationship with your ganjaman who knew your preferences, set special things aside for you and delivered to you on a whim. Cannabis also has a true culture of connoisseurship around it, and a relatively gentle learning curve to discover the differences between strains. In that regard, cannabis also has similarities to wine or spirits.”

With an increasing interest in cannabis and weed connoisseurs popping up left and right, Higher Standards is truly a trailblazer of a company. It’s getting ahead of legalization and leading the way for other brands to follow suit.

The cannabis industry and all of the accessories that come with it, along with the unfortunate stereotypes and stigma about it, is constantly evolving to slowly become a part of the mainstream. With a brand like Higher Standards and a growing statewide and national acceptance of the products they sell, cannabis is becoming a “normal” part of everyday life for all kinds of people. Overall, Higher Standards hopes to keep expanding its business while also reshaping the general view of what a cannabis lifestyle actually looks like for most people. They’re taking the cannabis industry and making one that represents class and luxury.