MMJ: Flavor Flower

Knowing you were a judge at The Emerald Cup, I thought you might find this interesting: A Jan. 16 story in The Press Democrat reported 25 percent of samples were disqualified because they tested positive for pesticides. Can you comment on the use of pesticides in the industry and whether the new pot law offers any new protections? -Michael

Yeah, it’s a drag. The Emerald Cup is supposed to be for organically grown cannabis products and it’s a shame some people try to sneak in samples that aren’t up to snuff. Fortunately, there really weren’t that many. According to the article, only 5 percent of flower entries (40 out of 735) tested positive for non-organic pesticides. We definitely did our best to remove not just the pesticide-laden cannabis, but also the “black ash” samples – when you burn cannabis, the ash should be a nice gray color; super dark or black ash indicates cannabis that hasn’t been properly flushed and probably contains an unacceptable amount of the chemicals and nutrients used to create giant monster plants.

Like the news story says, the offenders were caught and removed, proving once again that stoners may take extra time, but they usually get it right.

No one wants to smoke pesticide-laden weed, which is why most clubs these days go out of their way to ensure that all of the products on the shelves have been tested for pesticides, mold, fungi and all sorts of things. Many clubs will either post the test results online, or have the results available for you to see while you shop. Happy smoking!

I’m pretty much new to pens and cartridges. I enjoy them for many reasons, and I want to ensure I’m getting the very best quality for my money. Can you recommend a dispensary that has a wide variety and the best quality vape cartridges and pens? I like flavored vapes, my favorite so far is pineapple. - M.C.

I try not to recommend specific dispensaries because I don’t want to hurt people’s feelings, so I will just talk about flavored vapes. As someone that really likes the taste of weed, I’m surprised at the popularity of all these flavored vape pens. I like the pens made by Dark Heart Alchemy. They have great flavors and good effects. Try Weedmaps or Leafly. They usually know where the good stuff is.