PLUGPLAY is a Los Angeles-rooted cannabis company built around a proprietary magnetic vape system: the oil pod is the PLUG and the reusable battery is the PLAY. Since its 2017 start the company has extended that format-first identity into all-in-ones, joints, artist hardware, collaborations and separate state-market programs.
Origins and ownership
PLUGPLAY was started in 2017 by three lifelong friends who had known one another since high school and began working from a garage. Co-founder Peter "The Plug" Tang has explained that the original PLUG & PLAY name referenced both the two-piece device and the convenience associated with plug-and-play technology. The brand's aqua colorway pairs blue for technology with green for cannabis, and its stated motto is "Love for all. Hatred for none."
The PLUG and PLAY system
The core system separates a magnetic oil pod from a rechargeable battery, which made the hardware recognizable and let PLUGPLAY treat batteries as durable accessories rather than disposable packaging. The current PLAY battery is rated at 500mAh and more than 350 puffs per charge. The catalog divides into PLUGS, AIO, PLAY and JOINTS, with batteries sold separately.
Products
PLUG products are organized into named tiers including DNA, LIVEST and Exotics. DNA carries broad flavor and positioning concepts, LIVEST identifies live-resin offerings, and Exotics contains limited or flavor-led releases. Strains and formulas rotate by state and production partner.
The AIO line brings oil and battery into one device, while JOINTS extends the brand beyond extraction hardware. Tang described single joints, infused joints and a six-pack built from indoor flower and kief in a 2024 interview, and said flower products were developed with cultivators in the company's network because cultivation was not its original specialty.
Related pod, battery and vape profiles include Airo Brands, ROVE, PAX Labs and Mfused.
Culture and collaborations
The Artist Series uses original full-color battery artwork, custom collector packaging and limited releases to turn reusable hardware into a collaboration surface. A 2024 partnership with Insomniac's RNBW paired a Guava Groove Exotics pod with a glow-in-the-dark collaborative battery for Hard Summer. Earlier collaborations include Carrots by Anwar Carrots, Desto Dubb and These Foos.
Where it operates
The regional navigation lists Southern California, Northern California, Washington, Colorado and New York. The California site displays distribution license C11-0001471-LIC and manufacturing license CDPH-10004734. PLUGPLAY runs an authentication path for buyers and a JUST RECYCLE program that collects spent PLUG pods and PLAY batteries with GAIACA Cannabis Waste Solutions, including dedicated collection boxes at RNBW events.
The catalog now distinguishes PLUG pods, PLAY batteries, all-in-one devices and joints, with limited-edition hardware and collaborations in separate collections. Hardware compatibility, oil line and capacity must be checked on the exact product page.
Contact
PLUGPLAY's licensed-cannabis pages route consumers through specific regions, including California, Washington, Colorado and New York. A separate PLUGPLAY store markets hemp-derived pods, all-in-ones, pre-rolls and seltzers. These channels use different legal frameworks and supply chains even when the name, flavors or hardware language overlap.
Recent activity
BLENDS BY PLUGPLAY announced Las Vegas activity and seltzer launches in April 2026. Those announcements concern the hemp side of the business, not the availability of marijuana-derived pods in every state. Adults should use the region locator, a licensed retailer and the physical package to confirm cannabinoid origin, producer and batch.