The most sure way to tell that cannabis has arrived in the mainstream is the amount and complexity of cannabis accessories currently on the market. Google search results of the term "cannabis gadgets" run the gamut from simple one-hitter pipes in wooden boxes up to the ultra high tech items such as laser ignited bongs. In between these two extremes you find things such as an array of electric powered grinders, luxury rolling trays, stash boxes, smell proof bags, concentrate devices that require a phone app to fully function and on and on and on. There is even a product currently on the market that allows the user to vape 3 screw on cartridges at one time. Really? Really?! At some point in time we should probably take a step back and consider if this is what cannabis should actually be about. That time is arriving quickly.
At some point it's just gotten to be too much. Cannabis culture has historically been one of simplicity. A community based in human connections. Some of that is being lost as the community makes inroads at being accepted by the mainstream. It seems that acceptance into mainstream results in becoming more like the mainstream.
25 years ago cannabis was highly illegal in all but the most friendly of jurisdictions. Still, the culture survived and thrived. Smoking accessories and utensils were rarely more complicated than a handmade ornate glass bong. Purchases were made at local headshops and the effect of these transactions was multiplied in and beyond the local cannabis communities.
Fast forward to today and many end users are making purchases from websites with owners and employees who are, almost always, based anywhere but the purchaser's local community. The benefits of shopping locally are gone. The sense of community that comes with a group supporting the same small business disappears.
Through a function of economics, logistics and scale high tech gadgets of any kind are typically mass produced for the lowest possible cost to ensure the greatest possible profits. This leads to all but the most expensive being of dubious quality at best. I have personally experienced more failures at the least convenient times possible with cannabis technology than I care to reminisce about.
Even the highest quality gadgets and accessories naturally bring the need to keep them charged, protected from damage and safe from theft. In some cases a smartphone app is required to maintain full functionality. Of course everyone is different. There are as many reasons to consume cannabis as there are individuals that consume. The number of those individuals that would cite "making my life more complicated and difficult" as a reason is likely very low.
The cannabis experience can absolutely be enhanced through the integration of newer technologies and ideas. I am by no means advocating for an anti-technology cannabis culture. The potential does exist for the community to get lost in the tech. Cannabis and the people then become a side-note. I encourage cannabis consumers to consider the actual need for any new cutting edge product. Consider the effect it will have on the cannabis experience. If it will enhance your experience, do your best to make the purchase locally. If the positive effect provided is fully offset by the hassle involved and you still feel the need to buy it ... then the point has been reached where it has definitely all gotten to be too much.