"When I first saw the Double Barrel, I wasn't sure if I was supposed to hit it or hit someone with it," jokes weed entrepreneur Mario "Mr. Sherbinski" Guzman. He's showing off prototypes for a new dual-chamber cannabis/CBD vaporizer -- which resembles a pair of brass knuckles -- that allows users to mix different strains and oils to create their own flavors and THC profiles.
"To me, it's more than a piece of hardware, it's a branding platform," says Guzman. In early 2020, Guzman's Sherbinskis marijuana company will join Post Malone's Shaboink cannabis startup (along with four other companies) to create limited-edition concentrates for the Double Barrel, a vaping device that's leading a hardware boom to make high-end vaporizers the next cultural status symbol -- and getting musicians onboard to help sell them.
Legalization democratized marijuana sales and took away some of the mystique of THC strains like Guzman's Gelato, which has been name-checked by dozens of rappers, from Tyler the Creator to Jhene Aiko. Prior to legalization, acquiring an ounce of Gelato took connections, money and patience; now, anyone can buy it at a dispensary or Barneys New York, which now carries Sherbinskis at its Beverly Hills flagship.