Featured Cannabis Articles Archives | Page 3 of 8

Posted on February 2, 2019 - 9:00 am

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Please keep an open mind when I tell you this: it’s very important to stop thinking that you really like a specific strain just because you “tried it this one time” and really liked it. And it’s also important to stop thinking that you don’t like a strain because you didn’t like it that “one time.” Trust me.

I can’t tell you how many times it’s happened to me. A customer will walk in and ask something like, “what’s your best sativa strain right now?” I’ll say something like, “the White Widow is wonderful,” to which this hypothetical customer will respond, “oh, no thank you; I tried some White Widow once and it was horrible.” This is when I take a deep breath and explain that not all White Widows are created equally, but what I really want to do is say this:

Imagine two White Widow seeds siting on a table. A monkey walks up to the table and takes home one of the seeds; he grows it in a ditch and waters it with barbecue sauce. The other seed is taken home by a scientist. He grows it professionally in his lab under specifically engineered lights while controlling the CO2 in the air to increase photosynthesis. Now, if you were to wait until both plants were mature, and then set them side-by-side, they’d look nothing alike. If you smoked a little of each, they’d neither taste nor smell anything alike (the monkey’s pot would remind you of brisket). And the high that came from each plant would differ greatly.

Do you see what I’m getting at? We’re the scientists in this situation. It doesn’t mean that you won’t like our White Widow just because you didn’t like the White Widow you got from a monkey elsewhere. After all, way back when, growers named the strains they bred simply to keep track of them, and because it was cool. But now, those names have morphed into brands, and as such, people think they know what to expect from a certain strain. Nothing could be further from the truth, so as a PSA, I’d like to tell you this: when it comes to cannabis strains, the name isn’t nearly as important as most people think. What matters is who grew the plant, and how they did it.

This is especially important for you strain-chasers out there because, for an example, there are about three Durango dispensaries selling Gorilla Glue #4 right now, but you’ll pay different prices per gram at each place. This is frustrating because shoppers will chase the lowest price thinking that all strains of Gorilla Glue #4 are the same because they share a name, which is simply false. Think about it this way: Pabst Blue Ribbon is a lager, and you can buy a thirty-pack for about $17. Samuel Adams’ Utopias is also a lager, but it costs $150 for a single bottle. Not all lagers are equal in price or quality in the same way that not all Gorilla Glue #4 strains are equal. And a few months ago, I wrote a blog on how to identify high-quality cannabis (you can read it HERE), but this week, I wanted to give you a few pointers on how to tell if the pot you’re about to smoke es no bueno. So, watch out for these three things:

1.) “PM,” or “powdery mildew.” PM looks exactly like it sounds (a white powder), and to the untrained eye, PM can look like trichomes, which are the white crystals you want on your pot. True, the state requires all flower to be tested for microbials before a batch of bud can be sold recreationally, but you’ll still find PM on recreational bud, especially if you’re buying the cheap stuff. The reason for this is that after the flower passes its microbial test, and after it’s sent to a dispensary, it can sit there for months which gives trace amounts of PM time to grow. Disclaimer: THIS NEVER HAPPENS AT THE GREENERY! We take the small-batch approach with our growing and ordering, so our flower always sells out while it’s fresh. You’re welcome.

2.) Aphids. I’m not joking: I’ve seen recreational flower sold in Colorado that’s crawling with bugs. So, look at your pot—if it’s moving, it’s no good. The state also requires that all recreational flower be tested for residual pesticides, so I guess some people might be passing that test by simply letting the bugs have free-range. Gross.

3.) Brown Leaves. When the green on flower is replaced by brown, it means one of three things happened: either the pot was burned by the fertilizers, or the grow lights, or the flower wasn’t cured properly. For the record, brown pot won’t hurt you, but if you see brown edges on the flower, it’s a likely sign that the terpene or THC content is lower than it should be. So, again, if you’re hunting around for some Gorilla Glue #4, try paying attention to the color more so than the price; it’s just good advice. I’ve written blog after blog about The Greenery Grow, but just as a reminder, you should click HERE to learn about why you’ll never have to check our flower for any of these three detractors.

The last reason you shouldn’t get stuck on a single strain because you liked it “that one time” is availability. Thanks to rampant crossbreeding, there are well over 4,000 strains of marijuana available recreationally in Colorado. So, if you were to walk into a dispensary looking for a particular strain, the chances of actually finding it are one in four thousand—statistically speaking, you have the same chances of finding your strain as you would flipping a quarter twelve times and having it land on heads each time. That doesn’t happen very often.

So, instead of walking into a shop and then turning away when they don’t have the strain you’re looking for, ask for something similar. In our Durango dispensary, we train our budtenders on how to look up a strain and its reported effects; they can also figure out your favorite strain’s lineage. We make our budtenders smoke every strain we offer (it’s a rough life) so they can become familiar with what we sell, and I promise that each budtender you’ll meet here can find you a strain that’s similar to (or better than) the strain you’re looking for. So, if you’re stuck in a rut with a favorite strain, or if you want to find the absolute best representation of your favorite strain, come see us at 208 Parker Avenue right here in Bodo Park (please bring your valid I.D. proving that you’re over 21). We’ll help you find what you’re looking for and we’ll explain why quality matters more than price or a name, because We’re Your Best Buds!

Two New Ways to Dab

Posted on January 26, 2019 - 9:00 am

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I like whiskey, but I like sipping it; it’s probably been a decade since my last shot. And maybe that’s why it took me so long to get into dabs—the idea of smoking a quarter-gram of live resin all at once seemed superfluous, just like chugging scotch. But taking dabs is a budtender prerequisite because we need to know what we’re talking about when customers ask, so I started with a wax pen (just like most older smokers). But after a while, I found myself wanting just a little bit more with each hit because wax pens are mild and convenient, but they don’t deliver that robust hit for which hash smokers are looking. I thought about buying a dab rig, but that would be taking things too far the other way; I needed to find that goldilocks middle ground. So, I did a little research, and I found (and tried) two new ways to dab that every smoker should know about because both methods are awesome. And as our staff blog-writer, it’d be amiss to not share my discoveries with you, so that’s exactly what I’m doing this week—if you’re looking for a whole new way to dab, try one of these methods:

1.) Reverse Dabbing, or Cold-Start Dabbing. Frankly, this method is slowly but surely becoming the preferred method for all dab-heads, not just those of us who don’t want huge hits, because a reverse dab preserves the concentrate’s flavor. Let me explain. Usually, when you take a dab, you heat the nail or banger with your torch before applying the dab. But with reverse dabbing (which works only with a banger), you put the dab into the banger while it’s cold (ergo, “reverse”). Then you hold the torch flame about an inch away from the bottom of your banger and slowly heat it until the dab starts to bubble before inhaling. It’s important to make sure your banger is clean before starting this process for the best results, but because of the gradual build to vaporization, you don’t miss out on any of the flavor, nor do you overheat the banger and cough your head off with a hit that’s too big. See what I mean? This is like sipping whiskey instead of shooting it.

2.) New School Hash Bowls. We tell our customers over and over that new-school dabs cannot be smoked in a pipe because the dab will liquify when you try to light it with your lighter and then pool in the bottom of your pipe, but with a little skill, this isn’t true. And for the record, the term “hash bowl” has been around forever (it’s when you mix old-school hash with flower and then smoke it in a pipe), but a new-school hash bowl brings together the best of both worlds, and if you do it right, this is one of my favorite ways to smoke dabs.

Step one: grind some flower and fill your pipe halfway. Step two: put a small dab right in the middle of your pipe. Step three: put more flower on top of the dab until your pipe is full, and then press it down gently. Now here comes the important part: light the bowl and inhale until a cherry forms, and then stop using your lighter. The heat from the cherry will melt the dab, the liquid will infuse the remaining flower in your pipe, and then it’ll stay lit until your bowl is empty (it takes a little practice to do it just right). For real, if you haven’t tried this method, you need to—a new-school hash bowl gives you the complexity of a flower high and the potency of a new-school dab, which is simply awesome.

There. Now you know everything I do about these two new dabbing methods. But the best part about either of these ways to dab is that they let you stick your feet in the pool before jumping in. Most people who haven’t dabbed before shy away from the idea because going from smoking flower to taking dabs is like going from zero to sixty instantly, but both reverse dabbing and new-school hash bowls let you gradually build to that insane high you can get from a dab instead of diving in with a full-blown dab hit. And the best part is that we sell everything you need for either of these methods right here in our Durango dispensary. So, if you’re over twenty-one with a valid I.D. and you’d like to try one of these new ways to dab, come see us at 208 Parker Avenue and we’ll get you set up, because We’re Your Best Buds!

Marijuana Paraphernalia

Posted on January 12, 2019 - 9:00 am

Do you know the difference between a “pipe” and a “bowl,” or the difference between a “bong” and a “water pipe”? Well, there isn’t one, and that’s the sort of thing that confuses many of our customers. But if you think about it, it’s not their fault: marijuana paraphernalia is used all over the planet, and just like with everything else, regional slang terms rarely stay in the region they come from, and the different terms eventually become interchangeable (just like “sub” and “hoagie” and “po’ boy” all mean “big sandwich”). As such, there are all sorts of colloquialisms we use to describe this or that piece of paraphernalia, and this week, I’ve decided to talk about all of them (or most of them, at least) to clear up some of the confusion. If you’re a regular smoker, most of these terms will be familiar, but you should keep reading anyway; give yourself a point for each term you already know. Let’s get started…

The word “bong” refers to a tall pipe that filters the smoke through water; it’s as simple as that. But a long time ago—at least, it was a long time ago here in Colorado—the word “bong” was taboo. If you went into a headshop and asked for a bong, you’d get kicked out because the term “bong” was associated with marijuana which used to be illegal, so you had to ask for a “water pipe” instead. Yeah, it’s stupid, but marijuana paraphernalia used to be just as illegal as marijuana, so the headshops had to follow the rules and be militant about not selling “bongs,” even though they were. In this case, the two terms were spawned by what was legal and what wasn’t, but all you really need to know is that the term “bong” and “water pipe” refer to the same thing (and now, you can say “bong” all day long in headshops and they’re cool with it). But as a disclaimer, if the bong is really small, or if it’s the shape of a pipe, it’s called a “bubbler” because of the noise the smoke makes as it goes through the water.

As to the bong itself, the glass tube through which the smoke travels down into the water is called the “stem,” and some stems have lots of holes in them to diffuse the smoke in the water—in this instance, the stem is called a “diffuser.” But if the bong is super fancy, it’ll have a “percolator,” which is a separate chamber that diffuses the smoke a second time through a “tree,” which is just a bunch of smaller diffusers. And a lot of bongs will have an “ice catch,” which is nothing more than a depression in the bong tube that’s designed to hold ice cubes to cool your hits (I’m a big fan of these). Lastly, if the bowl of the bong is on top, and there are multiple mouthpieces that allow more than one person to smoke at once, you’re smoking a “hookah,” not a bong.

Alright, on to pipes. The term “pipe” is the most common term (obviously), but words like “piece” or “bowl” are thrown around quite a bit as well. Most of the other terms refer to the shape or size of the pipe. For instance, the word “Gandalf” refers to a pipe with a long, arching stem, just like the one Gandalf smoked throughout the movies. Also, for the record, Gandalf was a total stoner, and if you don’t believe me, Saruman has my back—in the Hobbit movie, he told Gandalf that his “love for the halflings’ leaf has slowed your mind,” which is an obvious pot reference (yeah, I’m a nerd). And if the Gandalf pipe is smaller than something a wizard might use, it’s called a “Sherlock” thanks to the famous detective’s favorite pipe. If the pipe has a flattened mouthpiece, it’s called a “spoon” because it looks like one. And some old-school pipes have a metal chamber in between the bowl and mouthpiece into which you can put a small amount of flower (the smoke flows over the bud and coats it with resin which makes it more potent); these pieces are called “chamber pipes.”

If the pipe has a large carb (the hole you cover with your finger) on the end instead of the side, it’s called a “steamroller” because when you take your finger off the hole, the direct path of air hits you like a steamroller. Or, if you load your flower into the front of the pipe instead of the top, the pipe is called a “chillum,” which is a term that dates back to when people would use “chillers” to hold their cigarettes just like Cruella de Vil did when she wasn’t busy trying to catch dalmatian puppies. Or, if the pipe is really small, it’s called a “sneak-a-toke” for obvious reasons. But if the pipe is small and you load a small amount into the front of it, it’s called a “bat.” Some bats are made from glass, but they’re usually metal and painted to look like a cigarette for discretion. And to take things a step further, a bat fits into a “dugout,” which is a wooden block that has been dug out to make room for a bat and a small amount of flower (we sell these in our Durango dispensary, so if you need a visual, come see us).

The most self-expletory piece of paraphernalia is a “grinder,” which is a small box you use to grind flower. If you grind your pot and roll it into a joint and then smoke it until not much is left, this is called a “roach” because the burnt end looks like a roach. And as you’d imagine, it’s difficult to hold the roach because it’s so small, so most people use a hemostat to hold it. But since we’re stoners, we don’t use words like “hemostat”: we prefer “alligator clip” or “roach clip.” I know I just used a couple terms like “joint” that don’t pertain to paraphernalia, but don’t worry, if you’re fuzzy on marijuana-related words, I wrote an entire piece on the subject that you can read HERE.

Moving on.

As I’m sure you know, new-school cannabis concentrates, or “dabs,” are becoming quite popular, and with them comes a whole new litany of slang terms, so I’ll get into that, too. The simplest device is a “vape pen,” but these are also called “dab pens” or “hash pens.” Vape pens are comprised of two components: the “battery” and the “vape cartridge,” or the “cart” for short, but we also sell all-in-one “disposable vape pens” that are super simple to use.

The next step up would be a “dab rig,” which is a specially-designed pipe you use to dab concentrates. Besides the rig, you’ll also need a “torch” and a “dabber.” You use the butane torch to heat the “nail,” and you use the dabber (which is sometimes called a “dab tool”) to apply the concentrate to the nail—nails can be made from titanium, quartz, glass, or porcelain. But if the dab rig has a bowl you heat instead of a nail, the bowl is called the “banger.” Granted, if this is something you’re interested in trying, I’d recommend coming into our shop for a demonstration because it’d be easier to show you how it works than to explain it, but I’m going to soldier on.

Some rigs have a glass “dome” that goes over the nail, but if the rig has a banger instead of a nail, it usually has a “carb cap” as well, which is something you put on top of the bowl after putting in the concentrate so smoke doesn’t escape. The last thing you need to know per rigs is that some of them are pretty high-tech; they have an “e-nail” which is an electronically-heated nail that doesn’t require a torch.

However, some people who prefer dabs don’t like the size and inconvenience of using a dab rig, so they’ll use a “wax pen,” which is a pocket-sized, electronic device into which dabs can be placed. But it’s difficult to get a huge hit from a wax pen, so some people prefer to use a “dab straw,” which is a long tube made from glass or metal. You heat the tip of the straw with your torch, and then put it directly into the concentrate while sucking through the straw (which is why it’s called a “straw”). Lastly, if the straw is large and it has a water chamber in the middle of it, it’s called a “nectar collector.”

We’re done! I hope this cleared things up for you if you’re a novice, and if you’re a regular smoker, I’d love to know how many points you got. But if you’re still fuzzy on any of these terms, you’re more than welcome to come see us at 208 Parker Avenue or give us a shout at (970) 403-3710; we’ll answer all your questions. And of course, we sell quite a few of the aforementioned pieces of paraphernalia at a low price right here in our Durango dispensary, because We’re Your Best Buds!

Cannabis Etiquette

Posted on December 22, 2018 - 9:00 am

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Smoking pot is a social thing. It breaks the ice, it forms bonds and friendships, it reminds us that being together is better than being apart. There’s simply something about cannabis culture that’s harmonious and gregarious, peace-loving and friendly, and that’s why I love this plant so much. Think about it: when alcohol comes to mind, so does belligerence and abandon, but when pot comes to mind, you picture calm smiles and companionship. But now that marijuana is becoming more mainstream, our culture is changing. Altria (the company that makes Marlboro cigarettes) just invested billions into cannabis, the companies that make Corona and Heineken are already producing cannabis-infused beer, and new stories of corporate acquisitions in the cannabis industry are popping up daily. Pot is becoming a business as opposed to a pleasant secret.

So, what’s that going to do? Is weed going to morph into a pedestrian thing just like all the other stuff you can buy in a corner store? Is the communal, loving culture that’s synonymous with cannabis going to change into blatant consumerism once weed is grown and sold by the same companies that pedal cigarettes? I don’t know. But I do know that the only way to preserve something wonderful is to talk about it and educate the masses—the only way to keep something communal is to discuss the way it brings us together and how to keep it that way. So, this week, I decided to write about how to smoke with other people in a way that preserves the culture that got us here in the first place. If you heed the following rules, you’ll avoid making a flower faux pas, and when you’re smoking with other people, you’ll come across as an OG who cares what pot is all about…

1.) Bring some if you’re invited. Remember, sharing is caring, and that’s what it’s all about. If a buddy invites you to a smoke session, bring some pot. Your buddy called you to be together, not just to get you high, so keep things equal by contributing.

2.) Pay back if you cannot contribute. If you don’t have anything to contribute to a smoke session, take a mental note, because I guarantee that whoever gets you high will remember it, and if you always show up emptyhanded, the invites will start to dwindle. It’s commonsense: if someone smokes you out, you should smoke him or her out.

3.) Think about the group, not yourself; doing so reinforces the sense of community that makes getting high together so wonderful. There are easy ways to do this:

4.) If you load the bowl, offer the first hit to someone else. The first hit, or the “green” hit, is always the most flavorful, so offering it to someone else is tantamount to offering a gift, and that’s exactly the type of thing that brings people together. Of course, there’s an exception to every rule: if you’re smoking a joint or blunt, and you rolled it, it’s okay to light it yourself and take the first hit (it’s the little reward that comes from taking the time to roll a joint).

5.) If someone offers you the first hit, don’t burn all the green in the bowl. Instead, apply the flame to the side of the bowl and burn only a little of the green so the next person in the circle gets some flavor, too. This is called taking a “hippy hit,” and hippies are all about love, which is important.

6.) Keep passing the pipe or joint to the left. If you’re a regular smoker, what I’m about to tell you will sound obscenely obvious, so please remember that I’m writing this for everyone. When people get together to smoke, they form a circle, and it’s important to pass the pipe to your left. Snoop Dog raps about this regularly, and other songs like “Pass the Dutchie on the Lefthand Side” keep the tradition alive, but there’s a reason for it you might not know. Most people are righthanded, so if you pass to your left, you’re putting the pipe directly into your neighbor’s dominant hand, so it’s easier for them to take the pot. True, if you pass to your right, it’s easier because you don’t have to cross your arm to your left, but remember, it’s not about you. It’s about the group, and it needs to stay that way.

7.) Don’t sober shame. Remember, smoking pot in a social setting is about being inclusive. If someone is standing in your circle, and he or she doesn’t want to smoke, don’t give that individual any crap for his or her choice. He or she belongs in the group just as much as you do because being friendly is more important than getting high. But if you’re that person who prefers to stay sober, take the pipe when it’s handed to you and then pass it along instead of holding up your hands and saying “no.” If you’re standing in a circle, don’t break it.

8.) Keep the pipe or joint moving. Let’s be honest: people are intrinsically self-centered, and we all like to be the center of attention. And when a pipe is handed to you, the entire circle’s attention will shift to you. Some people will revel in the spotlight, and they’ll stand there holding the pipe and start talking because everyone is watching. Don’t be that guy; nobody likes that guy. We’re watching you because you’re holding the pot, not because what you’re saying is so interesting. So, take a damn hit and then pass the pipe because we want it, too! If you can’t tell, this one is my personal pet peeve, and it’s usually everyone else’s as well. Holding the pipe and talking is called “camping” (because you’re making the pot stay in one place), and people will usually drop hints like, “hey, you plan on pitching a tent?” Or, they’ll tell you not to “bogart the pot,” because Humphry Bogart always had an unlit cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Don’t camp, don’t bogart, and we’ll all get along.

9.) Don’t slobber on the pipe. There are all sorts of derogatory and disgusting terms for this that I’m going to omit from this blog, but for the love of all things holy, don’t get your spit all over the pipe; there’s nothing worse than a wet hit. If you’re a fan of using too much Chapstick, or you notice that you slobbered the pipe inadvertently, wipe the mouthpiece discreetly on your shirt before passing the pipe to your left.

10.) Let the circle know if you’re sick. For real, the group’s health is more important than your high. If you’re sick, don’t smoke. Or, better yet, bring your own pipe or joint and let it be well-known as to why you’re not sharing. People will thank you for it, and it’s the kind thing to do, especially since more and more people are smoking now and quite a few of us have healthy kids at home to worry about.

11.) Don’t pass an empty bowl. There’s nothing more disappointing than trying to take a hit and not getting one, so if you take the last hit, announce to the group that the “bowl is cashed.” And if you’re contributing to the circle, go ahead and load a new bowl. In this scenario, it’s okay to take the green hit yourself so you don’t miss out on the rotation, but remember the hippy hit.

12.) Don’t “chaz the banger,” or “crust the nail.” Yeah, I gripe about pot becoming big business, but there are some benefits that stem from all the progression, such as the availability of new-school dabs. And with dabs, there comes a whole new litany of rules, but I’ll just list two of them and leave it at that. For one, when you offer someone else a dab, if you’re using your rig, it’s polite to heat the nail and apply the dab yourself while your friend hits. Doing so stresses the communal feel of getting high together, kind of like lighting someone else’s cigarette. But if you’re using someone else’s rig and dabs, the urge to get as high as possible off someone else’s stuff will kick in, and you might overheat the nail to get it as hot as possible to get a big hit: don’t do this. This move is selfish, which goes against the culture, but worse than that, it’ll “chaz” or “crust” the nail, which could make it break at worst, or make the next dab taste bad at best. Remember, think about other people.

See? There’s more to smoking pot than simply lighting it on fire and breathing in the smoke, and just about all of it has to do with getting along together as a group. It’s the keystone to our culture, and it’s important because if we don’t hang onto tradition, smoking pot could turn into something tawdry like taking a shot of cheap tequila at a dive bar. And this “culture” that I keep talking about is alive and well here in our Durango dispensary; we’ve built our business on it. We offer discounts to veterans and people with Colorado medical cards, because these people need it the most. We use living bugs in our grow to kill the bad bugs because we want to keep things as natural as possible. And we do everything we can to preserve the original, communal essence of the cannabis industry, because We’re Your Best Buds!

Connoisseur Cannabis

Posted on December 15, 2018 - 9:00 am

Lately, I’ve noticed a shift. About a year ago, most shoppers would come in and ask for my “cheapest” cannabis, but now, people are requesting the “best.” I know this change is occurring, but I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because people bought from illegal dealers less than half a decade ago, and back then, you got what you got, and price was the only variable. But now that there’s a wide variety of legal cannabis, maybe people are slowly starting to lean towards quality over price. Or maybe it’s because legal cannabis has made it so a new, affluent demographic of shopper is buying weed. Or better yet, maybe the consumer base is being educated by a legal cannabis industry, and they’re starting to figure out that you get what you pay for when it comes to pot, just like you do with everything else. I’m not sure. Either way, the cannabis culture is changing into something that values quality over the “let’s get high off something cheap” paradigm that ruled the world back when pot was sold in plastic bags on street corners.

And I can prove it—if you’re an uber pot-nerd and you’d like to read something proving that trends are changing, you can read a bona fide study HERE that was commissioned by the state’s Marijuana Enforcement Division to chart the changes in consumer purchasing trends. It shows exactly how the 302 metric tons (holy crap!) of cannabis that were sold in 2017 were allocated between flower and edibles and concentrates and whatnot. Granted, the study doesn’t delve into why the trends are changing, but it proves that they are.

But if you think about it, the “why” doesn’t really matter, and as an integral part of the legal cannabis community here in Colorado, it’s The Greenery’s job to take note of what consumers want and then provide it; that’s what we do. And this week, I wanted to write a post for all you connoisseurs out there and tell you about three top-end products that we’re selling for people with discerning tastes. Let’s get started…

1.) FSE Cartridges from Green Dot Labs.

Simply put, these are incredible. “FSE” stands for “full-spectrum extract,” which means that anything and everything you’ll find in the plant has made its way into these cartridges. Each of these carts is filled with 500mg of the purest, terpene-rich FSE on the market. Green Dot Labs uses in-house genetics for their carts (meaning they grow custom varietals to make the best concentrates) to provide Sativa, Indica, and Hybrid options. I never recommend this product for newbies because it gets you very high, but if you’re a connoisseur, this cartridge is for you because there honestly isn’t a better one on the planet.

2.) Boutique Flower from The Greenery Grow.

We really do grow the best pot in Durango. I’ve written about it before (for more, click HERE) because we’re so proud of our cultivation facility, but it’s all worth saying twice. We use good bugs to kill the bad bugs instead of using caustic pesticides; we pump CO2 particulates onto the fanleaves to increase photosynthesis; we use light-emitting ceramic bulbs that are better than the sun. We do everything possible to grow the highest-quality cannabis to ever grace this mountain town, so if you’re a connoisseur, it’s pointless to shop elsewhere.

3.) Artisanal Chocolate Truffles from Coda Signature.

Coda’s head chocolatier, Lauren Gockley, is one of the ten best in the nation, and I’m not just talking about chocolatiers who make cannabis edibles. This is one of those rare occasions wherein one of the best names in the culinary world decided to play her hand in the cannabis industry, and we’ve all won as a result. Coda’s chocolate can hold its own right alongside the best confections out there and it gets you high, which is a definite win-win. And the hand-painted truffles from Coda (which come in flavors like tiramisu, earl grey, passion fruit, and burnt caramel) are firmly in the connoisseur lane because they’re made from ethically-sourced chocolate, pure CO2 cannabis oil, and unrivaled artistry.

There you go. If you’re one of the discerning customers out there who values quality over thrift, you really should come into our Durango dispensary—we’re selling the best of the best, because if you’re a connoisseur, We’re Your Best Buds too!

What to do if you get too high.

Posted on December 1, 2018 - 9:00 am

We’ve all been there, me included. I’ve found myself under the covers in a little ball after too many edibles; I’ve been out with friends after a dab too many thinking that the world was out to get me. Everyone I know has a “dude, I got way too high this one time” story because it’s difficult to find that perfect high without crossing the line at least once (one of my coworkers ended up in a tree). And yes, when it comes to cannabis, moderation is the key just like it is with everything else, but that’s the kind of platitude that doesn’t do anything after the fact. So, this week, I figured it’d be a good idea to give you a few tips on what to do if you have one hit or one cookie too many; here we go…

1.) Don’t panic, because that just makes the experience worse. Remember, cannabis is comparably safe—after all, you can overdose on water and die if you drink too much, but even a ludicrous amount of pot won’t kill you. If you get too high, simply remind yourself that everything is going to be okay and breathe deeply.

2.) Eat. You get munchies after smoking for a reason (your body knows what it needs), and if you get too high, I’d recommend giving into the urge to stuff your face. Just like with other intoxicants, I’ve found that a belly-full of food takes off the edge. And please take this with a grain of salt, but Neil Young swears that black pepper takes away some of the high, or at least the anxiety, so try seasoning your food liberally if you’re eating to combat a high.

3.) Drink water. Frankly, this is good advice even if you’re not too high, but water helps to flush everything out of your system, not just THC, so stay hydrated!

4.) Try taking some CBD. I wrote an entire blog about marijuana myths that you can read HERE because a lot of people think that CBD cancels out a THC high, but it doesn’t. If you take CBD in concert with THC, it adds something to the high rather than taking away from it, but the calming effects of CBD can definitely take the edge off; this is the stoner’s version of “hair of the dog.”

5.) Take a bath. There’s something about hot water that seems to fix everything, and it’s no different when it comes to cannabis. If you get too high, try taking a hot bath or a long shower. Worst case scenario, you’ll be too high in the shower, which is way better than being out in public with all the crazies.

6.) Find something to do. Most of the symptoms associated with an extreme high are in your head (just like the rest of life’s harmless nonsense), so if you distract yourself with a movie (“The Princess Bride” is my recommendation), you’ll be able to think about something else until sobriety comes your way.

7.) Exercise. The cannabinoids in your system are metabolized just like anything else you take in to your body, so if you want to get through it more quickly, go for a brisk walk—you’ll burn calories while sobering up, which is a win-win. Of course, there’s another side to this coin: if you want to hold onto your high because it’s just right, sit on the couch and enjoy the ride.

8.) Find a friend. Most of the issues that stem from an insane high are psychological, so if you get paranoid and anxious, call a friend (if they get annoyed, blame it on me). Having someone to talk you down and soothe the insanity can really help. Hell, if you don’t have a friend, give us a call at (970) 403-3710 and one of our budtenders will chat with you.

And that’s that. As I said in the beginning, it’s best to not to overindulge in the first place. Actually, it was Benjamin Franklin who said, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” but that axiom might not relate to our industry because an ounce of anything we sell would definitely be too much of a good thing. But what makes our Durango dispensary different is the fact that we’ll actually tell you to take it easy when you’re shopping here as opposed to selling you as much pot as possible. We’ve trained our budtenders to explain edible serving sizes, and the THC percentage associated with every strain we sell is listed clearly, so you’ll never end up with something more potent than you can handle. The pleasant experience you have with the products we sell is just as important to us as the experience you have while you’re in our store, because after all, We’re Your Best Buds!

Marijuana Myths

Posted on November 24, 2018 - 3:11 pm

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I want to say this outright: CBD does not cancel the high that comes from THC. At least once a day, one of my customers will tell me that they don’t want anything with CBD in it because it “takes away the high,” and at this point, I’m thinking about making a sign that says “no it doesn’t” so I can hold it up for emphasis.

Frankly, the marijuana myth that “CBD cancels THC” is Denver’s fault. It’s part of my job to travel this state and sell products from The Greenery Hash Factory to the other 549 dispensaries in Colorado, and in Denver, just about every shop has a cooler up front that’s filled with CBD water. The budtenders there try to upsell CBD water to customers by saying that “if you have too many edibles and you want to come down, just drink some CBD water,” and doing so has perpetuated this myth to the point wherein the rest of us who know what we’re talking about have to tell people the truth on a daily basis.

Let me give you some proof: we sell a 1:1 single-serving honey packet, meaning that if you eat all the honey, you get 10mg THC and 10mg CBD. If the cancellation myth were true, the 10mg CBD would cancel out the 10mg THC, and this honey would be pointless. But last Father’s Day, I put one of these honey packets in my morning coffee and I got high enough to watch “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” with my daughter, which should tell you something about the honey’s effect…

Next myth: “marijuana is a gateway drug.” Frankly, this is the most asinine myth out there and I start twitching whenever I hear someone say it. Did you know that alcohol is a drug? And did you know that I’ve never met anyone who tried pot before trying alcohol? Do you see what I’m getting at? Alcohol is the gateway drug. Yes, people who smoke cannabis are statistically more likely to try hard drugs later in life, but just about every single one of these people tried alcohol first, ergo, marijuana was tried after they’d already gone through the “gateway.” Get it? And alcohol is dangerous as where pot is not. If you don’t believe me, do some external research: google “number of alcohol-related deaths in America,” and then google “number of marijuana-deaths in America,” and then draw your own conclusions.

Myth number three: “marijuana prohibition protects children.” Seriously, there are people out there who still believe this, even though legal dispensaries are putting street-corner drug dealers out of business, and we check driver’s licenses to make sure our customers are over twenty-one, as where the illegal guys do not. But this myth is by far the easiest to disprove thanks to math: it has been proven statistically that teens who live in legal states like Colorado don’t smoke more than teens who live in states with prohibition (click HERE for proof). And it’s been proven that the number of teens who smoke cannabis in Colorado has actually decreased since we legalized marijuana (click HERE if you don’t believe me). Myths lie, numbers do not.

Lastly, I know it might sound like I wrote this because marijuana myths are personally annoying, but I didn’t—I wrote this because giving accurate information is one of the cornerstones upon which our Durango dispensary is founded. To us, truth and facts matter, and we strive to be honest with all our customers because it’s part of our brand. So, if you have questions about anything cannabis-related of if you’ve heard a few myths you’d like to fact check, give us a call at (970) 403-3710 and we’ll set you straight. Or better yet, if you’re over twenty-one with a valid I.D. proving as much, come see us at 208 Parker Avenue right here in Bodo Park. We’ll take our time to dispel any of the myths you might’ve heard, because We’re Your best Buds, and that’s what we do!

Seniors and Cannabis

Posted on November 3, 2018 - 9:00 am

Let me tell you a story…

We have to check everyone’s I.D. when they walk into our Durango dispensary—it doesn’t matter if we know them of if they’re obviously old enough to be our grandparents, because rules are rules. But I always feel a bit odd when I ask someone from the Greatest Generation for their driver’s license, and they always look at me like I’m a bit odd for asking. And the other day, a gentleman walked in, I asked to see his I.D., he looked at me like I was daft before he fished it out, and then my mind exploded when I saw his birthday: he was born in 1927.

I’m sure you already did the math, but that gentleman was 91 years old. It was easy to see that he was still all there mentally speaking: he had a quick wit, his eyes were bright, he walked around as easily as the rest of us, and he just wanted to get high.

Does that seem strange to you? Is it easier to picture an old man cupping a glass of whiskey than it is to imagine an old man smoking a joint? If we’re being honest, the answer is “yes” because the collective paradigm per marijuana was quite a bit different a few decades ago, and growing up around all the misinformation usually makes it so the elderly think about cannabis in a negative light. Think about it: that ninety-one-years-old man was nine-years-old when “Reefer Madness” made its horrific debut in theaters. If you’re not familiar with the movie, it was a piece of glorified propaganda. It depicted young men and women smoking the reefer and then going into crazed states of sexual abandon and going on crime sprees (you know, kinda like what alcohol does in reality). Believe it or not, the original title of the movie was going to be “Tell Your Children,” and the film was backed by a few people who waned to keep marijuana illegal for monetary reasons (you can read about that HERE).

Anyway, I talked for a while with that old man about his views on cannabis, and he told me that he was too old to care what other people thought. He told me that he used to be against marijuana because “that’s just the way it was” back in his day, and he told me that he wanted to see for himself what all the hubbub was about. So, I sold him a joint, shook his hand, and then checked his I.D. two days later when he came back for more. Isn’t that great?

And that man isn’t alone. One of our regular customers is a sweet lady who always wears floral dresses, and her I.D. shows a birthday from the thirties; she comes in once every week for cannabis salve. I’ve sold pot to wheelchair-bound men in their eighties, I’ve sold it to whole knitting circles of elderly women who want to make their book clubs more fun, and if I’m being honest, I sell to seniors just as often as I sell to millennials—believe it or not, our average customer is in their forties.

Do you know why? Well, it’s because The Greenery is the local shop for grownups. Customer service is just as important to us as the products we sell, so all our budtenders are trained thoroughly. You won’t find the archetypical stoned budtender in our shop, and none of us is the dazed and confused burnout you might’ve encountered in the tourist traps downtown. We care about your experience, not just your high, and if you’re looking for respect as well as the best marijuana in Durango, this is the place for you.

So, if you’re over twenty-one (or ninety-one) with a valid I.D. that proves it, come see us at 208 Parker Avenue right here in Durango, or call us at (970) 403-3710 if you’d like to talk with us before coming in, because no matter how old you are, We’re Your Best Buds!

CBD Oil in Durango

Posted on October 6, 2018 - 9:00 am

Without exaggeration, about thirty people come in every day and ask, “do you have any CBD oil?” Of course, when I get this question, I always say, “yes, we do; are you looking for smokable or edible oil?” This question is usually answered with a blank look because most people don’t know the difference, and if you think about it, it’s my fault. I’ve been writing about cannabis laws and history because it’s such a hot topic right now, but my choice to do so has left those of you looking for CBD oil in the lurch, so this week, I’m going to make up for it and tell you everything you need to know about the CBD oil we sell in our Durango dispensary.

However, before we get started, I need to include two caveats: I’m not a doctor, and neither is anyone who works at The Greenery. We aren’t qualified to give medical advice, and all I can do is share my personal experience with the products I’m about to discuss, or the experience many of our customers have had. It’s always advisable to consult your physician before using CBD (or THC, for that matter) to treat a medical issue, so please keep that in mind. And for the second disclaimer, even though we’re talking about CBD products, everything we sell in this dispensary contains a small amount of THC, so even though many of these products might not get you “high,” they can show up on a drug test. Now, let’s get started:

There are two forms of CBD oil: smokable, and edible. It’s easy to decide which form will work best for you depending on the effects you wish to feel. For example, if you’re looking for a product that can bring with it quick effect, try smoking your CBD Oil. The effects of smokable products kick in almost immediately, as where an edible can take up to two hours to take effect. However, if you’re looking for lasting effects, try an edible. Like I said, edibles take a while to kick in, but once they do, they can last for between four and six hours.

Now that we have that covered, let’s get into the four different ways you can get your CBD here at The Greenery (the last two will be the “oils” I get asked about daily).

1.) Flower. That’s right, you can buy actual marijuana that’s high in CBD. We usually have two strains available (CBD Mango Haze for the Sativa lovers, and Raspberry Glue for those of you who prefer Indica-dominant strains). And we sell Toast as well, which is a brand that produces pre-rolls that look like cigarettes—each “slice” contains a little more than a half-gram of high CBD flower, and quite a few people love these things. Flower is the purest way to get your CBD because the bud is unprocessed, but there will always be a slight high because this type of flower contains THC as well, and smoking bud isn’t as discrete as the other CBD options.

2.) Edibles. We have peach gummies that deliver 20mg CBD and 2mg THC per serving, and this is a perfect option for those of you who want to take regular servings of CBD with a lasting effect. And we have dark cherry chocolate bars that’ll deliver 25mg CBD and 2.5mg THC for you chocolate-lovers out there. We also sell Ripple Relief, which is a tasteless, odorless, instantly-dissolvable powder you can add to any drink which will give you 10mg CBD and 0.5mg THC per serving—this product is simple, consistent, and as discrete as they come. For a low serving of CBD, we offer Stillwater CBD Gummies in a Honey Lavender flavor with 5mg CBD and 0.25mg of THC per serving and a Green Tea Mango flavor with 2.5mg of each CBD and THC per serving.

3.) Tinctures. This is the “edible oil” most people are looking for, but the term is somewhat misleading because this product isn’t an oil—it’s a tincture that’s infused with oil that you put under your tongue. And the longer you hold it under your tongue before swallowing, the sooner a tincture might take effect (that’s because it’s absorbed intravenously while it’s under your tongue). We have a wide assortment of tinctures, but this week, I’m going to tell you only about the Lucky Turtle Restore Tincture. Each bottle has over 600mg CBD and only 9mg THC, so each serving (dropper-full) will deliver roughly 17mg CBD and 0.25mg THC, so you get all the goodness of CBD without the buzz of THC. We sell this tincture in either Lemon or Watermelon, and there isn’t a better cannabis tincture on the market in my opinion.

4.) Vape Oil. And this is the “smokable oil” I promised to tell you about, the kind you’ll want to try if you’re looking for an immediate effect. Granted, we have about twenty different forms of vaporizable oil from five different producers, but I’m going to focus on two since this is a post about CBD: the CBD oil from Sweet, and the CBD Distillate from Evolab. Both products come in low per the THC percentage (between 8% and 16%), so there’s still a slight high, but both products come in very high per the CBD (between 55% and 65%). If you do the math, that’s well over 500mg of CBD per gram, and numbers like that are going to be hard to beat. We sell this stuff in one-gram syringes or pre-loaded vape cartridges, so we have it all covered.

And that’s that! For further reading, you can learn about CBD and the entourage effect HERE, and you can learn about the endocannabinoid system HERE if you’re interested in how all of this works. But if you’re not into reading, please call us and ask questions. Anyone who answers the phone here has been educated in CBD and the products that contain it, and there’s nothing wrong with giving us a shout before you come in at (970) 403-3710. Of course, talking to someone in person is always better than calling or reading because we’ll let you see and hold all the CBD products we sell at our Durango dispensary if you’re the visual-learner type. So, come see us at 208 Parker Avenue right here in Bodo Park if you’re over twenty-one with a valid I.D., and we’ll answer all your questions face-to-face, because We’re Your Best Buds!

How to Smoke Marijuana

Posted on September 29, 2018 - 2:54 pm

There’s nothing wrong with not knowing how to smoke pot. I just read a news story that said one out of seven Americans smoked pot in 2017, so if you think about it, that means six out of every seven people you see on the streets haven’t smoked the stuff recently (granted, this statistic probably isn’t accurate here in Colorado). And at least once a day, one of these six people comes into our Durango dispensary and asks quietly, “so… how do you smoke marijuana?” If you’re one of these people, I hereby swear that we’ll never judge you for your inexperience because we were all there at one point.

Melissa is the best at answering these questions. I’ll admit that the average budtender might react to the “how do you smoke pot?” question with an “are you serious?” expression, but it never phases Melissa. She’ll pull out a pipe and a grinder and a lighter and go through the process for first-timers with a parent’s patience. And this week, I’ve decided to emulate Melissa and write something comprehensive for all you first-timers out there who’ve decided to try smoking cannabis; here we go.

Step 1: Buy pot.

It’s an easy thing to do now that cannabis is legal here in Colorado, but not all marijuana is created equally. To see the good stuff, check out our menu HERE. We have the relaxing Indica strains and the energetic Sativa strains and everything in-between—to learn about the differences so you can make the right selection, click HERE.

Step 2: Grind the pot.

For the record, I’ve smoked pot for more years than I haven’t, and I’ve never used one of those fancy grinders: I simply break the pot apart with my fingers and shove it into my pipe like a caveman. But if you want to grind your pot properly, you’ll need a grinder. This is important because if you simply stuff a bud into your pipe without grinding it, it won’t burn evenly. Grinding the cannabis allows the fire to get into all the nooks and crannies, and it’ll allow the bowl to form a “cherry,” which is a little burning ember that’ll make it so you only have to use the lighter once or twice.

Step 3: Load the pot.

You’ll need to put the ground pot into the bowl of your pipe, but don’t pack it too tightly because that’ll clog your pipe, and that’s never a good thing. Simply fill up the bowl of your pipe and press the flower down lightly with your thumb so it doesn’t fall out, and you’re ready to smoke. If you want to step things up a bit for that true Colorado experience, you can sprinkle a little old-school hash on top of your flower after loading it. This will add potency and flavor to your bowl, and it’ll make it last longer. In fact, we have our very own Hash Factory, and we make and sell the best old-school hash in Colorado.

Step 4: Burn the pot.

A simple lighter works best, and instead of torching the whole top of the bowl while you inhale, try burning just the side of it. This will make it so you can burn a little “green” with each hit so each puff tastes fresh. Some people call this method the “hippy hit” because it’s friendly: if you don’t torch all the green in the first hit, everybody in your smoking circle can taste a bit of the freshness instead of the first person getting all of it. Secondly, on the side of most pipes, there will be a little hole called the “carburetor.” You’ll need to cover this hole with your finger while you’re burning the pot and inhaling; take your finger off the hole at the end of your hit to clear all the smoke out of the pipe. Or, if you’re a pro, you can cover the hole partially while inhaling to let a little fresh air mix with the smoke for a lighter hit.

Boom! That’s how you smoke pot. Granted, you can always roll joints, but I’d recommend buying one pre-rolled (we sell one-gram joints for $12 all day long) because rolling a joint isn’t something I can teach you how to do in a blog. And then there’re bongs and glass blunts and all sorts of fancy ways to light pot on fire, but a pipe is always best for novices. So, if you’re a first-timer, come in and see Your Best Buds here at 208 Parker Avenue: we’ll take our time to answer all your questions with respect, because that’s what we do!

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