As cannabis sales soar, state regulators are investing in a new government-run laboratory that will check the safety and strength of cannabis products.
They’re not so much worried about adulteration as they are about pesticides. Pesticides, heavy metals, and some spore can be really dangerous in cannabis not only cause you inhale it, but because extraction and concentration into oils (for everything from edibles to vape pens) also concentrates any of the bad stuff that was sprayed onto a plant or worked it’s way up from the growing medium.
As far as THC%, the results of your high are going to rely on the other chemicals almost as much as the thc. No one is doing the genetic testing to separate cultivars, so the provenance of a plant is a guess. Good, well grown/cured weed will have a ton of different cannibanoids and terpenes that make up the chemotype. It will have the consistency of kinetic sand, not like dried oregano, immediately after you grind it. If you are used to the taste, you should pick up the different flavors of the terpenes.
If your weed doesn’t taste or look like that, you’re likely buying bulk lows or mids. Plants that were poorly grown, or had spider mites or thrips, still need to get sold. You’ll either get it in shitty distillate or bulk weed that tastes like nothing and doesn’t have any unique or interesting characteristics. They mixed the strains from a dozen grow houses, most is white labeled.
If you aren’t growing it or have access to gray market for bulk, the retail shop highs or exotics (the really good stuff) are priced waaaaaaayyyy too high to justify buying it, imo.
Adulteration was mentioned in the article, which is why I brought it up.
Also, I am paying significantly less at the dispensary where I buy from legally in Illinois than I was paying illegally in Indiana. I have to buy it less often because I’m limited to 14g since I’m from out-of-state, but it’s a lot cheaper.
They also have really good sales on top of that, and when you’re just buying whatever is cheapest, you can get a decent deal.
Yeah I feel you, I stepped in to a dispensary over here the other day and the just offered me a mixed oz of eights and some other shit for stupid cheap! Some of the shit was really good.
The gray market, not necessarily the black market anymore. That’s retail growers who can’t easily sell all their harvest, especially in Cali where bulk prices are very low, sell either direct to consumer or mail/drive pounds of product to resellers. Since it’s being fed by the retail market, the quality can be exceptional.
Can be hard to differentiate gray market product from black market product, but gray market means purchases in ounces/lbs at sub retail prices because supply is plentiful and risk is nil. THCA is also a technically legal market nationality, although a few states closed the loophole, but you can still buy well priced highs and get them delivered via usps.
Farm Bill is the best thing to happen to weed! I’ve been getting an ounce a month on subscription from Hoku Seed Co. since they started it in early 2023. Shows up in my mailbox in Texas. Occasionally i buy something a little hotter from flow gardens, eight horses hemp, and a few others. Couple of years ago I bought 5 pounds - some cbd, some cbd/thc mix (Franklin). Was in 2 boxes on my porch when i got home. Glad the neighborhood kids didn’t get it!
Yeah agreed, most of the thca gets picked so early that it can lack some of the character of really good stock standard thc (if they let the trichomes mature too much the natural coversion of thca into thc starts), but I can’t argue with how easy it is to get really good shit. Plus there’s so much competition it’s really driving down prices and up quality in retail too.
I’ve seen a lot of complaints about 8hh but everything I’ve gotten had been good. Franklin was terrible and we were happy to have it. I think i still have a bag somewhere.
They’re not so much worried about adulteration as they are about pesticides. Pesticides, heavy metals, and some spore can be really dangerous in cannabis not only cause you inhale it, but because extraction and concentration into oils (for everything from edibles to vape pens) also concentrates any of the bad stuff that was sprayed onto a plant or worked it’s way up from the growing medium.
As far as THC%, the results of your high are going to rely on the other chemicals almost as much as the thc. No one is doing the genetic testing to separate cultivars, so the provenance of a plant is a guess. Good, well grown/cured weed will have a ton of different cannibanoids and terpenes that make up the chemotype. It will have the consistency of kinetic sand, not like dried oregano, immediately after you grind it. If you are used to the taste, you should pick up the different flavors of the terpenes.
If your weed doesn’t taste or look like that, you’re likely buying bulk lows or mids. Plants that were poorly grown, or had spider mites or thrips, still need to get sold. You’ll either get it in shitty distillate or bulk weed that tastes like nothing and doesn’t have any unique or interesting characteristics. They mixed the strains from a dozen grow houses, most is white labeled.
If you aren’t growing it or have access to gray market for bulk, the retail shop highs or exotics (the really good stuff) are priced waaaaaaayyyy too high to justify buying it, imo.
Adulteration was mentioned in the article, which is why I brought it up.
Also, I am paying significantly less at the dispensary where I buy from legally in Illinois than I was paying illegally in Indiana. I have to buy it less often because I’m limited to 14g since I’m from out-of-state, but it’s a lot cheaper.
They also have really good sales on top of that, and when you’re just buying whatever is cheapest, you can get a decent deal.
Yeah I feel you, I stepped in to a dispensary over here the other day and the just offered me a mixed oz of eights and some other shit for stupid cheap! Some of the shit was really good.
The gray market, not necessarily the black market anymore. That’s retail growers who can’t easily sell all their harvest, especially in Cali where bulk prices are very low, sell either direct to consumer or mail/drive pounds of product to resellers. Since it’s being fed by the retail market, the quality can be exceptional.
Can be hard to differentiate gray market product from black market product, but gray market means purchases in ounces/lbs at sub retail prices because supply is plentiful and risk is nil. THCA is also a technically legal market nationality, although a few states closed the loophole, but you can still buy well priced highs and get them delivered via usps.
Farm Bill is the best thing to happen to weed! I’ve been getting an ounce a month on subscription from Hoku Seed Co. since they started it in early 2023. Shows up in my mailbox in Texas. Occasionally i buy something a little hotter from flow gardens, eight horses hemp, and a few others. Couple of years ago I bought 5 pounds - some cbd, some cbd/thc mix (Franklin). Was in 2 boxes on my porch when i got home. Glad the neighborhood kids didn’t get it!
Hello fellow Hoku member 💜
Got my 3.10 today but still working on 3.9.
Yeah agreed, most of the thca gets picked so early that it can lack some of the character of really good stock standard thc (if they let the trichomes mature too much the natural coversion of thca into thc starts), but I can’t argue with how easy it is to get really good shit. Plus there’s so much competition it’s really driving down prices and up quality in retail too.
Eight horses hemp oooof. They have some of the worst bud I’ve gotten 😆. Based on what I’ve seen of “Franklin” though it’s probably incredible.
I’ve seen a lot of complaints about 8hh but everything I’ve gotten had been good. Franklin was terrible and we were happy to have it. I think i still have a bag somewhere.
Right but I can find a good ounce of live resin for 160. A good ounce of flower for 120.
I haven’t found anywhere near that pricing in dispos. But then again. I’m probably a fringe case on my pricing cause of my friends connections lol