A new dawn: I love the smell of terpenes in the morning
Day one is in the books. We made it to one of the local larger retail shops late last night, about an hour before closing (10am-10pm) They had security on duty outside the shop as well as some LONG queues with velvet ropes to keep the masses in order. Luckily there was only a handful of people waiting before us and after a quick ID check we were led inside a large white room, with a few glass display cases filled with blown glass apparatus, grinders, vaporizers and more. Our eyes were pulled to large monitor displays with the available product and some of its details;re THC- CBD content, pricing and sizes available. Federal law prohibits sale of over 30grams at one time, but I don't think that would be a problem for many people as there are no " deals " for buying in larger quantities. "The Budtender " A silver fox who gave us a celebratory high five as we walked up with ludicrous grins on our faces, asked us "how do we want to feel?" as a qualifier. The job of the budtender being to help interpret some of the effects and act as a sensory intermediary.
"How do you want to feel" seems to be a bit of an unofficial theme in the taglines or marketing strategies in the cannabis industry these days. Allowing a customer to tailor their own experience thru describing their ideal circumstances for imbibing cannabis. My best friend who was with us, was asking about recommendations for his partner who suffers from chronic nerve pain. Our budtender was unsure about how to answer that. I figured I could skip ahead to checking out the wares which were kept in small plastic jars under glass with placards with their names beside them.
There were about 3 different brands represented with around 12 strains to choose from, ranging in price from 10-12$Gram available with 7 products listed as "sold out" in certain sizes ( busy day!)
I was interested in talking terpenes. Terpene is going to be a new word in everyone's lexicon soon enough. Terpenes ( or terpenoids ) are hydrocarbons produced in the resin glands of the budding flower of cannabis, as well as many fruits, vegetables and even insects, that carry a strong sent used to attract or deter other organisms. Commonly used to create therapeutic essential oils and topical medicines terpenes are a huge part of what makes up our determinations about what smells like "Lemon" or "Blueberry" or Cheese". Cannabis breeders select their strains by developing a diverse portfolio of different terpene rich plants, so they can offer a rainbow palate of flavors and aromas to their customers.
Cannabis buds were able to be viewed ( but not touched ) thru the jars which had small holes in the top to allow a customer to smell the product- which to me, is one of the biggest deciding factors in how to choose your product amongst many. I chose one strain after looking at 3 or 4 deciding "This is the one. Right here." We were provided with a small note with the names of what we were looking for and told to proceed to the front counter. More velvet ropes and a series of ipad checkouts with very enthusiastic clerks working behind them. The line moved fast and efficiently and soon I was at face to face with a friendly employee, we briefly chatted about how this was a momentous day, but we both noted that there was a large feeling of guilt, for the many, MANY people still in jail for petty marijuana crimes that were still unpardoned as of this writing. A somber moment and one we should all reflect on. That while we have this freedom now; there are still massive systemic issues regarding the drug war and its ramifications. I said "Tonight- We smoke for them"
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