My First Medical Marijuana Dispensary Visit

I selected The Green Door, my neighborhood dispensary, for my first medical marijuana 'access point' experience. In addition to their convenient location, they had over 40 reviews online and were voted best medical marijuana dispensary by the Seattle Weekly in 2011. They are discreetly tucked into a multi level strip mall at 12th and Jackson in the International District.  The exterior could be mistaken for a spa - I went past it twice before locating it.

The Green Door: discreetly tucked away in a strip mall in Seattle's International District

I rang the bell and was buzzed into the humid, skunky smelling waiting room. The walls were green with dark wood accents and a flat screen television playing a Bob Marley documentary. Mike, the gentleman working there, introduced himself through the glass window. He was an easy going 30ish guy with long dreadlocks tied up in a turban. He reviewed my medical authorization paperwork and my drivers license. I had to complete a single page of paperwork which included a reminder of the limits of how much marijuana I can legally posess in Washington State (24 ounces of dried cannabis) and a statement to the effect of designating the Green Door as one of my medical cannabis care providers through some sort of collective gardening agreement. After reviewing my paperwork, they took my photograph and ushered me back toward the bud room.

The legal marijuana experiences I've had in Europe were heavily slanted toward hashish - coffee shops in Amsterdam and the open air hash market in Christiana, Denmark have relatively little cannabis flower selection. But the Green Door is a legitimate enterprise with a wonderful selection of cannabis. There were over two dozen different varieties of dried cannabis available - not including concentrates.

Really?? Really... Collards with Cannabis! Fun new product from CannaHaute cuisine

The bud room was well organized, clean and inviting. One wall had all the dried cannabis arranged in jars from 100% Indica to 100% Sativa, with hybrids in between. Another Mike, a mid-twenties gentleman with short brown hair, served as my budtender. I followed Dr. Z's advice and described my condition to him and asked for recommendations. I wanted to try a range of different products, so I selected a full indica, a full sativa and a few hybrids. Information about the producers and analytical data on the strains were not available.

For the full Indica, I went with one of Mike's recommendations and selected the Grandaddy Purple.  The medium sized buds were indeed quite purple and had the classic floral sweet 'purple' aroma and a decent frosting of crystals. It gave a soft, pleasant smoke that conveyed a fragrant 'purple' taste with a bit of a kick to it.

Cannabis from the Green Door

I decided to go with the Sour Diesel for a Sativa dominant strain (90% Sativa, 10% Indica). The buds were small and compact with an aroma dominated by a waxy fuel-oil aromatic note which was disappointingly subdued. A slightly musty aromatic note came through during smoking that tasted a bit flat. This Sour Diesel was intensely psychoactive, but not a flavor I'd seek out again.

My favorite strains tend to be Indica dominant hybrids and I've been curious to try some of the 'cheese' strains I have heard about these past few years. The Blue Cheese (80% Indica, 20% Sativa) came as nice chunky nuggets, but they lacked the aroma intensity I would expect from a strain named after something as pungent as blue cheese.

Medibles from the Green Door

The best strain in the bunch was the Ace of Spades (70% Indica, 30% Sativa). I asked Mike the budtender about the provenance of the strain, and he told me was a hybrid of Jack the Ripper and Black Cherry Soda. The aroma intensity of the Ace of Spades was stronger than the other strains I obtained from the Green Door. The smoke was thick and strong, without being harsh or hot in the throat. Psychoactively speaking, this delivered a pleasant buzz that was relaxing without giving the partial lobotomy feeling. I did, however, get the Motorhead song 'Ace of Spades' stuck in my head for a few days which didn't make me feel like much of a genius either.

In general, prices ranged from $10/gram to $12/gram, some strains were on special for $8/gram. Volume discounts are available for all strains. For being a first time patient, I received one pre-rolled joint - I chose the sativa strain Cynex as my free gift.

There was a case of medibles which were all expensive ($10 for a brownie, $8 for a bon-bon, $10 for a soda) but I tried a few products anyway. I was a little disappointed in the chocolate caramel brownie from The Chocolate Cure. Its portion was generous and its potency was good (one brownie was at least two, and probably more safely four doses). Unfortunately, the cannabis butter flavor was a bit dirty - something that could be easily improved by incorporating an additional water washing step in their oil/butter extraction process to suck out some of the chlorophyll contributing to that grassy taste.

All of my medicine was labeled with my name and the name of the strain. While Mike was weighing and packing my order, I thumbed through a copy of 'The Emperor Wears No Clothes' by Jack Herer. Thinking back to reading the book back in college about 20 years ago, I was saddened that hemp is still not legal in the US. But I was heartened when I realized that I was purchasing better quality marijuana, at a better price, from a better selection than ever before. Maybe the legalization of industrial hemp is next!

-------------(c) 2013 Stoner Living Blog

Bhang Beverages of South Asia – A Cannabis Gift from Lord Shiva

Bhang lassi, a south Asian treat, is a drinkable preparation of cannabis. The term ‘Bhang’ can refer to a number of different cannabis goodies ranging from hash-like concoctions, edible candy-like balls to beverages. According to Martin Booth’s ‘Cannabis – a History’, bhang refers to the lowest grade of cannabis sold in India, cannabis leaves with a few flowers mixed in. The other grades of marijuana are ‘ganga’ – female marijuana flowers, and ‘charas’ – hash. ‘Bhang’ grade marijuana has traditionally been used to prepare edible and medical cannabis formulations, though many bhang lassi producers today use ‘ganga’ grade marijuana in their preparations.  We’ll focus on the beverage preparations popular in many parts of India, bhang thandai and bhang lassi.

Government Authorized Bhang Shop - from Wikipedia

In Hindu culture, recorded use of cannabis goes back to 1000 BC.  Despite years of prohibition, cannabis remains important in Indian culture, where it plays a role in the institution of ayruvedic medicine. The Indian government licenses bhang vendors and medical preparations of cannabis can be obtained in ayruvedic apothecaries. Consumption of Bhang is associated with the worship of lord Shiva and the celebration of Holi – the spring festival of color. Holi is particularly popular and celebrated with gusto (and lots of bhang) in northern India. One of the main traditions of holi is the use of colored powders on others; festive bonfires are also involved. Lord Shiva is said to have discovered the transcendental properties of bhang, earning him the epithet ‘Lord of Bhang’. The ancient Indian text the Arthaveda describes bhang as a beneficial herb that reduces anxiety. Bhang is used by some holy men to boost meditation and achieve transcendental states.

The classic north Indian bhang beverage preparation, bhang thandai, is made with milk, nuts (usually almonds, sometimes cashews) and spices including lots of black pepper and cardamom. It is sold in marketplaces and by street vendors. There are government sanctioned and licensed bhang shops. Some The city of Varanasi is famous for its bhang preparations, and street vendors prepare and sell it at the ghats (stair terrace areas leading down to the river).

Bhang preparation - grinding the cannabis. From Khabar Express Website.

Different preparation methods are used to create bhang beverages. Because the active ingredients in marijuana are fat soluble, it is necessary to have fat in some form as a key part of the recipe. Many recipes involve boiling the cannabis in a bit of water, straining out the plant matter and then grinding the plant material into a paste along with some of the fat containing material (whole milk or nuts). A mortar and pestle are used to grind cannabis buds and leaves into a thick paste. Milk, ghee (clarified butter) and ground nuts are added to the cannabis mixture. Spices are incorporated and the beverage is served chilled. 

Bhang lassi is a ‘special’ lassi made with bhang in lassi, a yogurt based beverage. Lassi comes in many flavors, and can either be a savory, lightly salted beverage or can be a sweetened concoction incorporating fruits. Mango lassi is a popular flavor available at Indian restaurants in the US and Europe. 

As with other edible preparations of cannabis, it takes at least an hour for the effects of bhang to manifest. Although not readily available at medical marijuana dispensaries, cannabis aficionados can enjoy a cup of bhang when visiting India. A scene from Anthony Bourdain’s NoReservations shows him visiting a government sanctioned bhang shop in Rajastan where he is offered bhang lassi in three strengths: strong, super sexy strong, and 'full power 24 hour no toilet no shower' strong… whatever that means. Although bhang can be are nutritious and wholesome, consumers should be wary of unscrupulous bhang dealers who are rumored to use other drugs, such as veterinary tranquilizers, to enhance the effects of their wares. Bhang can be prepared at home, and a recipe follows:

From Society for the Confluence of Festivals in India (SCFI).

Flavoured bhang drink

  Ingredients
2 cups water
1 ounce marijuana (fresh leaves and flowers of a female plant preferred)
4 cups warm milk
2 tablespoons blanched and chopped almonds
1/8 teaspoon garam masala (a mixture of cloves, cinnamon, and cardamon)
1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/2 to 1 teaspoon rosewater
1 cup sugar

Method
Bring the water to a rapid boil and pour into a clean teapot. Remove any seeds or twigs from the marijuana, add it to the teapot and cover. Let this brew for about 7 minutes.
Now strain the water and marijuana through a piece of muslin cloth, collect the water and save.
Take the leaves and flowers and squeeze between your hands to extract any liquid that remains. Add this to the water. 

Place the leaves and flowers in a mortar and add 2 teaspoons warm milk. Slowly but firmly grind the milk and leaves together. Gather up the marijuana and squeeze out as much milk as you can. Repeat this process until you have used about 1/2 cup of milk (about 4 to 5 times). Collect all the milk that has been extracted and place in a bowl. By this time the marijuana will have turned into a pulpy mass.
Add the chopped almonds and some more warm milk. Grind this in the mortar until a fine paste is formed. Squeeze this paste and collect the extract as before. Repeat a few more times until all that is left are some fibers and nut meal. Discard the residue.
Combine all the liquids that have been collected, including the water the marijuana was brewed in. Add to this the garam masala, dried ginger and rosewater. Add the sugar and remaining milk.
Chill, serve, and enjoy. 

(recipe from the Society for the Confluence of Festivals in India (SCFI).

Please send us your bhang recipe or stories about drinking cannabis for a chance to win a Stoner Living gift bag!

-------------- (c) 2013 Stoner Living Blog