Germany has become the epicenter of Europe’s cannabis revolution. When the government officially declassified cannabis as a narcotic and opened new pathways for medical access earlier this year, skeptics wondered whether legalization would work as intended. Would the black market remain entrenched? Would patients actually find quality flower at accessible prices?
Jürgen Bickel, co-founder of Storz & Bickel and longtime steward of the German cannabis industry, has no doubts. “The black market has really difficulty to compete with this medical flowers also on the price side,” he told me. “So I think the goals of what they had are clearly reached.”
For Bickel, the success of Germany’s legalization is measured in the ordinary: patients using telemedicine apps to receive prescriptions within minutes, medical-grade flower delivered to their doors in under two hours, and consumers openly embracing vaporization as a healthier alternative to smoking. It’s a picture of normalization, one that seemed almost unthinkable when Storz & Bickel first launched its now-legendary Volcano vaporizer in 2000.
The Volcano Legacy
It is not overstating to say the Volcano was a cultural milestone. In an era when joints and pipes dominated, the German-engineered desktop unit offered something a cleaner, better-tasting, and medically validated way to consume cannabis.
“Everybody who uses a bag for the first time, you get this different high, you get this different taste, you have something you really have not experienced before,” Bickel recalled. “This has laid the industry because of its advantages against everything else.”
Those advantages came at a cost. The Volcano, and later the Mighty and Venty portables, were built with uncompromising engineering standards—and priced accordingly. For two decades, Storz & Bickel owned the high end of the vaporizer market, attracting connoisseurs, patients, and professionals. Yet the company’s devices were often “the last one to buy,” as Bickel put it—purchased after consumers had cycled through cheaper, less reliable models.
That equation is about to change.
On September 9, Storz & Bickel released Veazy, a $249 handheld vaporizer designed to bring the company’s signature quality to a wider audience. Portable, colorful, and certified to the rigorous ULSE 8139 safety standard, Veazy is meant to be approachable and reliable.
Bickel describes it as “the little sister of the Venty,” borrowing its miniaturized heater and proven capsule system but reducing the size and battery life to hit a more accessible price point. It comes in four playful finishes—Dynamic Blue, Inspiring Orange, Charming Pink, and Alluring Black—marking a departure from the company’s traditionally austere design language.
Durability was non-negotiable. Bickel himself used a prototype for over a year, dropping it repeatedly without failure. The device passed the company’s infamous “shower test,” which subjects vaporizers to sustained water exposure and impact conditions before they can earn certification. “We are very confident that this device is safe and reliable,” Bickel said.
According to Bickel, Veazy can make Storz & Bickel the first vaporizer a consumer buys, not the last.
Shifting the Culture
The timing is no accident. Vaporization is ubiquitous. Storz & Bickel has begun leaning into this shift, hosting activations at high-profile events like Nylon House and Sports Illustrated’s Super Bowl party. It’s a far cry from the brand’s early days, when vaporizers were confined to clinics, cannabis lounges, and home sessions.
“Dry flower vaporization is also the most accepted form,” Bickel argued. “If you are in a restaurant terrace and you use a few hits of a Veazy, it is really not bothering anybody.”
This emphasis on social discretion and taste is key. Bickel believes vaporization is entering the same cultural space wine once did—an experience of discernment, pairing, and appreciation, rather than a race to maximum potency.
“Many people at the beginning, they want to get high,” he said. “But there’s more than just getting high on the cheapest way possible with the highest THC strain. Really look at what strain you have, what are the terpene profiles? That is where we would like to see the whole industry move.”
Connoisseurship vs. Convenience
Ironically, the biggest competitor is the pre-rolled joint rather than other vaporizers. For younger consumers especially, pre-rolls offer cheap, convenient access. But Bickel dismisses them as a compromise. “Many times it’s inferior material,” he said.
To push back, the company launched “Smokeless September,” a campaign that encourages consumers to explore vaporization as both healthier and more flavorful than smoking. The campaign doubles as a statement against the nicotine industry, but its main target is cannabis pre-rolls—the one category that continues to dominate over vaporizers in global markets.
“We want to convince people, ‘Hey, think a little bit about it, especially if you’re doing it often,’” Bickel explained.
This tension between the mass-market convenience of pre-rolls and the craft-driven precision of vaporization frames the company’s broader strategy. Storz & Bickel is betting that as the legal market matures, consumers will trade up, moving from maximum THC to maximum flavor.
Beyond High THC
The past decade of cannabis innovation has been defined by the pursuit of potency. Infused pre-rolls, live resin concentrates, and distillate pens promise the fastest, hardest-hitting high possible. Bickel isn’t convinced that’s the future.
“I do not believe that everybody is now trying to get a high THC intake in as short period of time as possible,” he said. Instead, he predicts “a comeback of vaporization and a comeback of lower THC consumption and going into the direction of connoisseur.”
It’s a thesis that aligns with trends in other industries: craft beer giving way to low-ABV sours, or wine culture elevating terroir and tasting notes over alcohol percentage. Cannabis, Bickel argues, is poised for the same evolution. If Veazy is the company’s answer to accessibility, its next frontier is concentrates. While Bickel personally prefers flower, he recognizes the market momentum and sees an opportunity to apply Storz & Bickel’s engineering rigor to a category often plagued by inconsistency.
“Of course S&B is looking into the future,” he said.
It’s a logical next step. Concentrates may dominate today’s hype cycle, but quality devices designed for safety and flavor could bring connoisseurship back into the conversation.
