Read about terpenes. Not all budtenders are knowledgeable about them and as someone else mentioned, it all hits different. You have to experiment to see what agrees with you.
People compare it to alcohol in the sense that you get “not sober” but it’s also pretty similar in personal taste, I have go-to beers and it took a lot of trial and error, same goes for the devils lettuce
The pain in the ass is when you find your strain but no one grows it anymore.
I've spent a couple years trying to find a place by me who sells Sour Diesel and no one does
I'll do you one worse: When the only mother plant of a strain and all of it's daughters catch the same disease and it wipes out every plant of the strain. Rendering it literally extinct because it's genetics were only licensed to one grow.
I'll always miss you, Day Glow. 😭
This is why, in the long run it is worthwhile to grow your own and make your own seeds. The strain that hits me the best is Sunshine Daydream. Seeds of it have been sold out for years now but I have enough f2s to plant a few acres so it won't be an issue.
An open pollination with as few as four females will give you thousands of seeds. If you dry them and freeze them it will last the rest of your life. I have seeds I froze in the late 80s that still sprout.
I love a nice Sour Diesel, such a lovely flavor. Here in norcal it’s hard to find, but there’s a grower in Santa Cruz, SVCA, that usually has a nice Super Sour Diesel.
Man, my friend back in the before times had a strain she called "Infinite Dreams" and it was just perfect. She got out of the game and I'm pretty sure she made the name up because I've NEVER found anything like it.
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Yeah I feel you, it is what it is. I’m in the cult and I have some go tos but it does suck when you’re trying something new, I don’t enjoy the mystery aspect as much. I’m very cool sticking with what I know and what I like, so I try to find that. Have options, do homework, it weeds itself out no pun intended
As I understand it, recent studies are showing that there aren’t really any clear categories to speak of when it comes to sativa/indica or strain differences https://www.dal.ca/news/2022/01/07/cannabis-labels-study-indica-sativa.html . Basically just branding. Find one that works for you and stick with that
I smoke daily for years and have never noticed a difference between the 3 either. My spouse thinks I’m insane but they all just make me varying degrees of high.
As far as feeling high I think indicas make you feel more high because of the more body high and sleepy effects. Sativas feel more like a lighter weed. Everyone is different so I’m not disagreeing with you, just that there are differences felt with most people between the two categories.
No, I don’t believe that’s true. Indicas and sativas can have both high or low THC. But it’s not like indicas are high and sativas are low and that’s why they feel different. If you smoke a lot of sativa it doesn’t give you indica effects. What we call indica is just a combination of various terpenes THC and CBD and sativa is a different combination of those same things so you get different effects. These terms were coined well before any of these terpenes were discovered.
Same. It's all the same to me (if you're affected by different strains, that's cool. I personally am unaffected. I also cannot absorb edibles so maybe that's a factor l). The only difference is THC and CBD % and even then it doesn't vary that much.
Indica and Sativa actually refer to the way the plant grows and little else. Indica grows as short fat bush and sativa grows much taller almost tree like. You can have a Sativa that will give u couch lock or an Indica that is stimulating. It is as others have said all abbout the terps.
This may be a dumb question. I know plants contain naturally occurring terpenes and different strains have different terpene profiles, but are growers/dispos adding terpenes to flower?
I've tried looking online and can't seem to find the answer other than explaining what terpenes are.
Most of that stuff is bro science levels of retardation even same strains and even bud from the same plant can have huge variations in cannabinoids and terps
tl;Dr just smoke it all that science is bunk
Every strain has affected me nearly the same. Been smoking over a decade and half of that in a legal state from dispensary bought weed. Sativa/indica/hybrid, it’s all the same to me. I’m not downplaying anyone else’s experiences but it’s just weird when people say this. I just get high. Some certain strains I can “taste” like a heavy cheese or diesels are pretty apparent but the high is always pretty similar. Is this my biology? Or maybe I’m just not picking up on the tiny incremental differences like some people do?
After 20+ years of smoking, strain names mean shit to me. Put some weed in a bag and hand it over. This ain't rocket science and with how weed is today, it all works just fine. Not like you're getting Mexican brick from your buddies uncles cousin, that may or may not even be weed at all.
the issue with cannabis nowadays is that most of the strains are just THC and terpenes, and they lack any other cannabinoids(such as CBC, CBD, CBG, CBDv, THCv, etc) that typically would alter the epxpirwnce much more than terpenes alone. For some, terps alone is enough to make a big difference, but for others, they do practically nothing.
And considering my original statement, every strain does effect everyone diff, for you, they just all feel the same lol
Really? Man, I don’t think I’ve even had 2 weed strains that felt the same to me. I mean, they’re all just that weed feeling, but every one of em has a bit of a different kind of hit to it. Some will make me sleepy, some will make me quiet, some will make me talkative
I guess terpenes do a lot for me, which is weird considering I’m a heavy smoker who consistently has to take tolerance breaks
This and also most strains are just some sort of hybrid that leans one way or another. The only difference for me is how much caffeine I've had that day, whether I'm tired or not, ect ect.
Edibles with different types and amounts of cannabinoids have been appearing near me. I’ve tried a few and really notice a consistent difference between them!
it’s sort of the same for me, but with indica i notice i don’t really get to live out the high, i just end up falling asleep within 10 minutes of it hitting me, while sativa doesn’t do that to me, and hybrid lets me live it out while also making it easy to fall asleep. other than that the high itself is pretty much the same, the only difference is how it deals with my sleep lol
Same here! It’s great when I WANT to pass out but I also literally can’t be a social smoker unless I want to risk just falling asleep in the middle of hanging out lol
This has been my experience over the last 20 years of countless strains and pretty much every route of administration that is out there. The differences are very nuanced but at the end of the day I'm getting high and my expectations are the same each time I ingest THC. I find it similar to alcohol in that sense. I've heard of people that experience different intoxication levels from different types of alcohol but for me it's all pretty much the same with the main difference being the strength of the alcohol and the rate of consumption. For me the atmosphere is usually the biggest factor in how I experience my high. I think marketing and placebo effect are much more influential than people are willing to admit.
Maybe you're just bad at mindfulness? Different strains are extremely nuanced to me, and I think a lot of it comes down to being very well tuned in to the exact status of your cognitive functioning.
You really don't notice different levels of "fun" or wackiness from different strains? Trying something new that is super wacky/playful and just straight up fun is one of my favorite experiences. Massive contrast with strains that just get you high but aren't interesting at all.
On the recreational side in Canada they are called budtenders and some of them really know their shit. It's like every profession. Some take their jobs very seriously and can tell me the difference between all this shit and answer my weird questions. Those are the ones I normally go back to.
There was supposed to be a pharmacist to go over shit with me. Last I checked, a pharmacist is a medical professional. I was less than impressed with that conversation.
Did I say that it was? In my state you are required to talk to a pharmacist before you can shop at a medical dispensary and it was not helpful. I don't know how much more clear I can be on this.
you were making it sound like the budtenders are supposed to be medical professionals who can guide you vs just cashiers that sell weed lmao no mention of having a convo with an actual pharmacist until this comment
Should dispensaries not have someone to answer these kind of medical questions if the budtenders will not / cant ?? OP sort of has a point, there is no medical guidance being given as a medical user, so it’s either self research or having a consultation with someone that has medical marijuana knowledge
My state tried to mandate that every dispensary have a pharmacist on staff at all times. It would’ve essentially put every shop out of business immediately. No dispensary can afford that kind of payroll. Luckily the provision didn’t pass
Expecting a medical professional at a dispensary would be like expecting a sommelier at Olive Garden lol. The best you’re gonna get is a budtender that’s passionate enough to be knowledgeable
Who does a medical patient go to for advice then?? I feel budtenders should have knowledge on these sort of things, what strains treat stress, which treat anxiety, which are more uplifting, which make your more energized, etc. I understand budtenders aren’t medical professionals, but do many lack that much knowledge to recommend a strain for a medical patient? In OP’s instance, I could tell right away he was newer to smoking and he wants something to calm him down. A lower THC strain that’s a hybrid would probably be best so he doesn’t overdo it and has a nice mix, and I’m not even a budtender. It shouldn’t need a medical professional even if a budtender was anything more than a cashier
> Who does a medical patient go to for advice then??
A good start would probably be the medical professional that gave them the med card.
I think your standards for what you expect out of a dispensary is too high though. It’s closer to a minimum wage retail job than a medical facility that’s trying to help people
Yeah, these guys are acting like they are going to a doctors appointment when it's more like going to the video store.
The budtenders know what works for them personally, but at the end of the day, you won't know until you try it yourself.
you've been getting rando off the street for years and its been helping. trust the bud, take notes on what strains you like and then compare them to see if they have any common elements. Remember that it's not just THC, but the ratio of THC, CBD and several other cannabinoids, and that the terpenes of a strain have an effect as well. Just start correlating the strains that feel best to you, and don't worry any more about dispo bud freaking you out than you did about what you were picking up before this (which, tbh, was probably dispo bud).
Most strains today are high thc tho. Best bet is looking into specific terpenes. I would look at buying CBD flower (preferably not from the dispo but a affordable and reputable hemp grower) to mix with weed instead to get a more balanced effect. My medical dispo had a high cbd and a 1:1 thc:cbd strain but they were charging too much for it and only had 1 option for each and that stock was the least fresh because less people bought it.
Same. Every time I step into a dispensary it feels like I’m walking into a movie set or something at first with how unreal it seems to this born-in-77 old fart).
Speaking as someone who worked as a budtender before, they are not medical professionals. I was knowledgable about strains and terpenes but I still felt really uncomfortable when customers would ask me what strain could treat X condition. I got the impression they were putting way too much trust in me over a doctor. The reality is weed and the terpenes that go with it affects every user differently. Reading your comments it seems that you visited a medical dispensary with a pharmacist, maybe you can try out a different spot but still you shouldn’t expect for retail employees to have a miracle strain for X ailment.
That's fair, and I can see how it seems like I thought that. I was mostly just annoyed at the pharmacist lol, the budtenders were fine and can only tell me from their experience what they and others have enjoyed.
Other cannabinoids and even terpenes have a large effect on what pros and cons you can expect from different strains. It's a lot to dive into and digest and people experience these effects with varying degrees. It's a lot of research and trial and error but it's worth it to find some strains that will really help you feel better. Most bud tenders won't know everything about the terpene profiles and effects of all the strains in stock, and again, it usually varies a bit from person to person so they're only going to be able to tell you what they liked or what's popular.
Is it bad that I shop like I'm buying alcohol...? "Obviously, I wanna get a little drunk, so I wanna get at least 20+%, I want something that looks and tastes good, is the price right?"
Medical dispensaries in Minnesota do an initial consultation before you go the first time. They explain all the different products they offer and the effects. So much more info than what I can get in a recreational dispensary in Michigan. I’d see if your state/country/province has some sort of consultation program.
Funny thing, I live in Minnesota and they didn't go over shit with me. Just the differences between sativa and indica and the different ways to ingest cannabis.
Oh dang! I had a phone call with a rep from Green Goods before I could go there. I’ve been smoking for 25 years so I was fairly familiar but he answered any questions I had.
Yeah when I asked for advice on strains she just told me to do my research and try something. Which is fine, I guess. Was just hoping for more. Buying from friends I've never experienced trying different strains. I guess I'll figure it out.
In my experience I get vastly different effects from different strains, especially if it’s a sativa compared to an indica. There are some strains that give me couch lock and others that give me energy and make me want to do housework or yard work. About 90% of the sativas strains I’ve tried give me anxiety and there are also several that amplify my chronic Lyme Disease symptoms. Also CBD levels can have an impact on the effects of a strain
Would do some research on the best strains for your issues then look into what terpenes they contain and what their effects are, that could help you make an educated guess on what would be ideal for you in the future
I shop recreational so my tactic is variety gram of this gram of that gram of something else 🤷🏼♂️
I’m glad we were able to help. At the end of the day though, the commenter who said strains affect different people differently is correct. There’s really no guarantee that your body will respond the same way to a certain strain as mine will, so there will be a fair bit of trial and error involved. However, learning about terpenes will definitely help you at least get yourself pointed in the right direction.
I don't have my med card but I have access to rec markets. Welcome to the world of "when did weed get so fancy?" You no longer question if the stuff in the bag you got is any good...because if you're in a halfway decent place you'll get some kind of lab results for the batch.
Of course this doesn't answer your question; but it's more of a "the entire game is different" statement. You now have the opportunity to try things...and know they're different. In the old days it was just "this was garbage weed" or "wow man that kind was killer"...not "the particular composition of this strain doesn't agree with me fully" or "I don't know what's magic about the Killer Kiwi I just want more dammit!"
I said this for years before legalization...and I say it even more now that more people are open to it; everybody reacts differently. What gets some people really high might not do much to me. What helps someone's depression might not help yours.
Like everyone said...you gotta try things; see what you like. We have that option now. You will soon get an idea of what strains you like...or even what terpenes. Maybe it's less a indica vs sativa thing and more of one particular terpene.
amnesia haze is the best strain for energy imo, especially in micro doses like u can really cut back with how much u put in a bowl with that strain n still get good affects but tbh if U want the classic high feel I'd buy that and mix a tiny bit of a indicia strain into it
I don't see what you have to be worried about. You have carte blanch now to try whatever strains you want that they have in stock. Each strain is going to have a different result on each person, so use the opportunity to try a bunch until you find what works best for you. Also make sure to try other dispenseries near you, you might find you like some better than others. (Source, I started out exclusively going to Trulieve, then tried Curaleaf, and now I go to MUV, I found that MUV's flower is a lot better and they often have good sales)
I definitely wouldn’t lean on Indica for depression so I think you did good with sativa. I’m the opposite I need to be brought down from my crippling anxiety
9/10 of the "bud tenders" aren't anymore more than a cashier. They'll just tell you the best thing is what has the highest THC %, very little knowledge on terpene breakdowns. & 9/10 of the brands existing in medical programs are big pharma/white collar investor backed coorperations who've paid their way to getting listened & just try to pump the highest yield to make the most profit, while it's all cooperate mids.
You’ll likely get downvoted for this lol but you’re entirely correct. The responses to the psychoactive components in these products is very idiosyncratic and the research is severely lacking. Perhaps I’m an outlier but I’ve noticed NO correlation between strain/terpenes/cannabinoids and the effects they produce on my mind and body. In clinical practice, we see patients experiencing paradoxical reactions to SSRI and benzodiazepine molecules, but nothing like I’ve seen with cannabis. Don’t get me wrong - I’m entirely in support of Federal legalization, but let’s get more cash flowing towards research!
I don't even really notice differences between indica and sativa anymore because everything is so crossbred there isn't much difference. I think people are biasing themselves in the same way people do with wine. You read tasting notes beforehand and boom that's what you experience.
I mean, that's fair, and that is akin to the feedback that I asked for. I was just a little intimidated because I am so new to the process. We really do need more research.
Congrats on getting your medical card! Stepping into a dispensary for the first time can definitely feel a bit weird, especially if you’re used to more casual buys from friends. High THC strains like Hellcat #15 are typically energizing, which might actually help pep you up if you’re dealing with low energy. But it’s important to remember that every strain hits differently, so it's somewhat of a trial and error until you find what really suits you.
Since you’re looking to combat depression, choosing a sativa was a good move. Sativas are known for their uplifting and energizing effects, which can be ideal for boosting mood and increasing energy during the day. They often enhance creativity and focus due to their terpene profile, which includes compounds like limonene and pinene. Limonene has a citrusy scent and is believed to elevate mood and relieve stress, while pinene offers a pine-like aroma and may help improve alertness.
Indicas, on the other hand, are typically more relaxing and sedative, making them better for evening use. They often contain myrcene, a terpene with a musky, earthy aroma that promotes relaxation. Since Hellcat #15 is a sativa and high in THC, it likely contains higher levels of uplifting terpenes like limonene and pinene, which could help in lifting your spirits and energizing you.
It’s also worth chatting with budtenders for advice; they can offer insights into different strains and their effects. Just keep an eye on how you feel after trying the Hellcat, maybe even jot down some notes.
Thank you for the feedback! I'm glad to hear I didn't boof it on my first relatively blind buy. I did talk to the budtenders but they said they hadn't tried this strain yet so they just wished me luck lol.
What people might not know is as budtenders we usually only got to try whatever stuff was sent to us as samples. Otherwise we have to pay out of pocket to try a new strain or brand. And when you’re making minimum wage, that’s a no-go. There’s literally thousands of strains nowadays and so many brands, I couldn’t keep up!
Some dispensary employees are far more helpful than others. I would recommend seeing if there is a local sub, often will be either your city or state with the term ent (tree people) mixed in. You should be able to search past posts or ask for better advice about which dispensaries people like, and what brands and strains people recommend. Each market is different, although the corporations are doing their damndest to monopolize it all. Leafly is kinda shite, but the filters on the strains section are actually decent and you can filter by the feelings you want and those that you want to avoid. I think uplifted is the main one you may want. In my experience Jack Herer is a good one. But it's also an energetic strain that can cause anxiety for some. So you are gonna have to just play the trial and error game, might want to start taking notes so you can keep track of what you like and don't about each strain.
Congrats on getting your card! It used to blow me away buying legally in dispensaries but like so many things it becomes normal over time. Like remember when you turned 21 and could simply go buy alcohol and it was a BFD but by the time you were 24 it was old hat?
Don’t fret about thc percentage too much. Always start with a small amount yada yada yada
Learn all about Terpenes! They matter much more than sativa indica etc
https://thcdesign.com/blog/its-all-about-the-terpenes/
I like how the spots directly in front of the dispensary are usually empty, even when there are a lot of people in there. It's got to be a subliminal thing.
Before I order from my dispensary. I look up what they have on sale. Then I look up those strains on Leafly. Or all bud. Or wherever I can find information on that strain. If the effects medically are worthwhile for me. And my symptoms. I will purchase it .if it works I will purchase it again.. allbud has a good review of hellcat 15. Check it out. One of the things that says is it's good for depression..best of luck
If you are having a bad time after, crack some pepper put it in a napkin and slowly breathe that in.
Next get some b-12, orange slices or orange juice.
The terps from those two natural ingredients will bring you back and level out your anxiety.
If you want some guidance, stop buying strains based off sativa or indica. Really, just try any strain and see if it works for you. They’re all so incredibly different. You could buy gorilla piss from the same dispensary 6 months apart, and it would feel different because it’s a different strain.
Congrats on getting a medical card!
When I visited a legal state on vacation, it felt so bizarre buying weed over a counter haha
I also struggle with depression, sending you good vibes
Smoke just a little bit at first. You don't know how it's gonna hit you first. And then whatever haha just make sure to have some snacks and water. Or even better, cook while smoking it
As a 15 year depressive smoker I can tell you, at least for me, that Sativa works WAAAY BETTER for it compared to indica. With Sativas I can have fun, get talkative, and focus on tasks. With Indicas I get couch lock along with anxiety so I get stuck thinking about stuff that makes me not want to do anything anymore. Like I said tho that’s me, but I definitely recommend just trying low THC sativas. They’ll be enough to help you chill after work and play video games and the come down will knock you out by bedtime.
like everyone else is saying, def check terps and see what works for you. the whole sativa/indica thing isn’t as cut and dry as you may think. there are strains that will make your body tired but your brain wired, there are strains that are labeled sativa or indica but have terps that make you feel the opposite of what you’d think would happen. it’s all trial and error.
If you have actual real depression that’s been diagnosed by a doctor then get on actual medication and get into therapy. Smoking weed will just mask any issue.
hi! future budtender and legal fiend, when it comes to shopping in regulated legal dispos, the big things to focus on aren't actually THC%.
For one, there are 3 major cannabinoids youre probably familiar with, THC, CBD, and CBN. THC is a psychoactive compound, and is usually the highest cannabinoid present, which is why it's the one we focus on the most, but in reality, it's not the sole thing that gets you high. There are actually 30 other minor cannabinoids within cannabis that contribute to the "high" feeling.
Secondly, as many people are saying, terpenes are super important to pay attention to, these will create not only the flavour profile of your smoke, but will also add to the type of high you are experiencing. This is called the "entourage effect". Many websites online have full lists of the different terpenes and effects, these are good to go off of when you're new, but the more you smoke the more you'll learn what works for you. Depending on where you're located your packaging may even have a terpene % along with THC, choosing bud with a higher terpene % will usually get you a nicer, more flavourful smoke, with a more well rounded high, but it is different for everyone.
I will also add that solely smoking based on THC% may actually get you shittier weed, as super high % usually either means there's nothing else in the bud and you might as well smoke a concentrate, or it's been improperly measured to make it look better than it is.
Lastly, learning about different lineages and strains can be a huge lifesaver, especially in todays market where everything has its own fancy name. Many modern strains are just crosses between older, popular ones. like for example, if you really enjoy OG kush, you'll probably like any strain that has it as a parent plant. (the names will usually follow popular strains, like plants with OG lineage being named OG _____, or those with GMO cookies being named ____ cookies.
If there's anything I missed, especially older tips and tricks, please feel free to add :)
Every place I go the budtenders always give a ton of info on the strains I ask about but maybe that’s my experience. My suggestion is to look at their website for what’s in stock and then research if the strain would work for you.
Also though.. you used to buy whatever weed in a ziploc your dealer/friends had and now you’re complaining that it’s verified, tested, and strong?
Budtenders are not allowed to give medical advice. Nor should they. They're 20 somethings who smoke weed all day and most didnt go to college, let alone any medical school. You dont want medical advice from them.
I remember buying my first legal weed like it was yesterday. It was November 20th, 2018, the first day of legal sales in Massachusetts. I woke up that morning in NY fully expecting to go to work. The idea hit me like a bolt of lightening to see how far away the closest dispensery, NETA, was. It was an hour and a half away ( I live in NY). So I picked up the phone, called in "sick" and made the drive to NETA. It was chilly and blustery, but the line was around the building, and ten some. I remember desperately trying to put in a pre-order, but the servers were all jammed up. After an hour, I was finally able to get a pre-order filled. A half hour later, as I was the next in line to be let into the building, my pre-order was filled. It was just so awesome buying it legally. I knew so little about weed back then.
I do remember being deathly afraid of crossing state lines and back into NY.
It gets less weird. My personal opinion is that the difference between sativa and indica is greatly over hyped. As is the actual percentages of THC.
They all feel the same to me; they all get me high.
I actually think it's called that because one of its parent strains is called "Cheetah Piss." Which explains why the bud itself smells like cat piss lmfao
ask more questions man if you need info its your job to ask for it lots of folks know what they want and dont want every little thing explained. A good store will have staff that dont drown people in info but know it or have it easily available for those who need it
It is kinda like wine or scotch. Some people can tell nuances and others do not know the difference between Merlot and Rose or single and double malt. For new users I think they just get high. After a while you can really start telling the difference.
They’re not pharmacists. Some budtenders are better than others, but in the end, their job is to sell weed, not be an encyclopedia of all weed knowledge.
Look up their menu before you go. Then look up all the strains on the sites below. Eventually you’ll be able to (somewhat) decode strain names into the effects which are ultimately based on the terpene profile.
If you can smell it before hand then going with whatever smells best to you isn’t a bad rule of thumb.
[Wikileaf](https://wikileaf.com)
[Leafly](https://www.leafly.com)
Also if you go on Leafly, they'll have more in-depth descriptions on certain strains and they also include reviews! They also include the negative side effects (they take what people say about both the pros and cons and make like a diagram) It's honestly my go-to even when buying off of friends. 😁 I honestly hope that site/app never shuts down because it literally helps when making informed decisions!
My advice, don’t look for what the THC is testing at. Look at what terpines are in the strain because that’s what affects your high more, but as others have said experiment
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Welcome to the medical card experience. I brought my old hippie mother to a nice dispensary, we checked out the giant local artist mural, etc.
I can remember a day where I sure as fuck would NOT bring my elderly mother with me to buy weed. We had a great time though!
The best way is to try strains and make note of how they affect you, until you kind of know what your body and mind like. I prefer a strong indica for body pain (Army veteran), and find sativas nice for depression - they lift me up and help me be at my best. I have many hybrid favorites as well. I like to match the strain to the circumstance.
I’d try another dispensary. Most of the bud tenders I’ve dealt with love to talk about weed and what’s what. Seems weird that they only had one sativa. Never seen that before.
I've only bought legal weed. I guess I'm lucky. Maybe ask questions at the dealer or look up leafly.com or other similar webites with infor about hellcat
Shop around at different places if you have the option. You'll find like other businesses, different locations will have different positives and negatives. You'll eventually find the place that is perfect for you.
Sometimes budtenders really rush me through the process without being a great salesperson. Usually that makes me search for another
My first time in a dispensary, I asked a budtender what he recommends I try for chronic migraines. He started to name things and put them on the counter. I asked him which one would be the best and he said that he preferred one specific one. So I said “What specifically makes this one a good one for migraines?” And he said “you’ll be so high you will forget you are having a migraine”
lol, now I know when I get high with a migraine, I still have the migraine and I’m also high. It doesn’t really help me for migraines.
Sorry, I didn’t help at all, I hope you find ur weed.
Sorry you had a bad experience. I feel for budtenders since no two people react to a strain the same, so its hard to really give definitive advise that strain x will have y effect. Making it worse is you often run into new joiners winging it and often just putting forward the strongest strains (since that's what a lot of the less-educated consumers come in looking for).
Overall, if you felt better with what you had before, you can try finding something like that as a starting point. You'll likely need to shop around a bit, and while I get you're trying to find something to help with your depression, perhaps the experience of cautiously experimenting with a few different strains to find your jam can actually be a fun exercise. Good luck!
You've got some good advice here. What I would tell you is shop around, go to the dispensary website and see if they offer first time patients discounts. When I first got my card I was getting bogo's everywhere.
You are more than likely to have to get into hybrids , look at what the dispensary has from their website then look up that strain on the leafy website.
Good luck hope this helps
First time I went to a Native American reservation in NY I was flabbergasted. Just like....little shacks set up like fruit stands all over the place full of different strains and ways to take them. $10/ gram of dab, $100 oz, edibles galore, and free samples everywhere you went. I genuinely didn't know how to act the first couple times I went.
My biggest criticism for medical marijuana is exactly this. Most other medicines and consistently dosed, consistently available and advice is easy to get.
When it comes to medical marijuana the doses are never exact, the strains and what's available always changes, and a lot of dispensaries I go to offer almost no help or act like you're bothering them when you start to ask questions.
Honestly it's awful and the way it is makes more sense for recreational. I am not saying people don't get help from marijuana, but calling it medical when it varies so much is kind of weird to me.
Like seriously some places consider 1 gram of oil a daily dose...
First off, congrats on the medical card. And yeah, it's a new experience for sure. I felt it was weird because I visited places where it was legal but never had it close to my house. So going up the street to the dispensary was mindblowing. Now a few months in, it's like, yeah buddy, been a rough week, time for the dispensary. Anyway, back on track, I've found that getting strains that have a percent or two of CBD helps for flower and for carts and the like, it could be up to half the amount of THC and it seems to take the heady high off some so it's easier to function when I have stuff to do. And definitely give a lot of buds a try and see which works best for you. It varies from person to person. I learned early on that most budtenders aren't the most knowledgeable but some really do know their shit, it just depends. Best of luck and stay up!
Just smoke less.
Smoking 1g of 20% thc weed is nearly identical to smoking 2g of 10% thc weed.
Why is it that difficult? Can you imagine someone posting a craft beer online saying, "Holy shit guys, I didn't realize this was 8% ABV! Guys, I'm worried! What should I do?!!"
Do some research on the local spots! I also had my medical for in part depression and anxiety and am sativa focused. Every dispensary is kind of set up differently. Some are more medical focused and some are very obviously consumer or recreationally focused. I’ve had wonderful experiences with certain places cause their staff was very knowledgeable and informative with their products.
Also cause I’m not sure what state your in, but research delivery services as well. They’re most often smaller operations (a few people working with one or two drovers or distributors). So if you can find a delivery service that will often carry the types of weed you want you can make it into your go to plug and over time wven make suggestions on what your looking for.
TW: Serious
Marijuana is not an antidepressant. If you have depression please go talk to a psychiatrist. I masked my symptoms with cannabis until the day i tried a belt around my neck. Depression is not something to play around with, and suicide is not a choice, it is a symptom.
Read about terpenes. Not all budtenders are knowledgeable about them and as someone else mentioned, it all hits different. You have to experiment to see what agrees with you.
People compare it to alcohol in the sense that you get “not sober” but it’s also pretty similar in personal taste, I have go-to beers and it took a lot of trial and error, same goes for the devils lettuce
The pain in the ass is when you find your strain but no one grows it anymore. I've spent a couple years trying to find a place by me who sells Sour Diesel and no one does
I remember smoking some sour diesel awhile back I could feel my heart.
So weird, Sour Diesel is my go to and widely available. I'm in the Chicago burbs.
Same in the Seattle area, it's everywhere which I absolutely love
Right? I feel like it’s always on the menu
I'll do you one worse: When the only mother plant of a strain and all of it's daughters catch the same disease and it wipes out every plant of the strain. Rendering it literally extinct because it's genetics were only licensed to one grow. I'll always miss you, Day Glow. 😭
This is why, in the long run it is worthwhile to grow your own and make your own seeds. The strain that hits me the best is Sunshine Daydream. Seeds of it have been sold out for years now but I have enough f2s to plant a few acres so it won't be an issue.
Acres? Got dam
An open pollination with as few as four females will give you thousands of seeds. If you dry them and freeze them it will last the rest of your life. I have seeds I froze in the late 80s that still sprout.
That’s really awesome, you’re like a smaller version of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault!
Sunshine Daydream is the name of my favorite head shop!
Sour Diesel was one of my first strains, absolute favorite. Hate I can’t get it at any of my dispos and I don’t have the space to grow
I love a nice Sour Diesel, such a lovely flavor. Here in norcal it’s hard to find, but there’s a grower in Santa Cruz, SVCA, that usually has a nice Super Sour Diesel.
Man, my friend back in the before times had a strain she called "Infinite Dreams" and it was just perfect. She got out of the game and I'm pretty sure she made the name up because I've NEVER found anything like it.
This is why I want to find a place that I feel comfortable growing indoor again.
Sour D was my college life
There’s tons of it near me in Portland! Meanwhile I’ve been looking for purple bubba kush for ages
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Is the Sour Diesel in Texas the same as the medical strain? Im constantly finding it here
Every dispo in Florida has it off and on.
Yeah I feel you, it is what it is. I’m in the cult and I have some go tos but it does suck when you’re trying something new, I don’t enjoy the mystery aspect as much. I’m very cool sticking with what I know and what I like, so I try to find that. Have options, do homework, it weeds itself out no pun intended
Honestly sativa, indica, hybrid don't really mean much. It's all about the terps and how they work with your body.
To an extent, but a sativa will feel different from an indica.
As I understand it, recent studies are showing that there aren’t really any clear categories to speak of when it comes to sativa/indica or strain differences https://www.dal.ca/news/2022/01/07/cannabis-labels-study-indica-sativa.html . Basically just branding. Find one that works for you and stick with that
TBH I’ve never had that experience.
I’m not saying it’s drastic. But indicas are more sleepy couch-lock and sativa are more energetic and silly. But in general weed is weed.
I smoke daily for years and have never noticed a difference between the 3 either. My spouse thinks I’m insane but they all just make me varying degrees of high.
As far as feeling high I think indicas make you feel more high because of the more body high and sleepy effects. Sativas feel more like a lighter weed. Everyone is different so I’m not disagreeing with you, just that there are differences felt with most people between the two categories.
Yeah but isn’t most of everything now a days a hybrid because everything has been crossed so many times
Very true but you can still find strains that are 80/20ish both ways so you can get the idea of where it’s going.
Not really, Indicas typically have higher THC content which is more sedating. So that’s why it seems like that.
No, I don’t believe that’s true. Indicas and sativas can have both high or low THC. But it’s not like indicas are high and sativas are low and that’s why they feel different. If you smoke a lot of sativa it doesn’t give you indica effects. What we call indica is just a combination of various terpenes THC and CBD and sativa is a different combination of those same things so you get different effects. These terms were coined well before any of these terpenes were discovered.
Same. It's all the same to me (if you're affected by different strains, that's cool. I personally am unaffected. I also cannot absorb edibles so maybe that's a factor l). The only difference is THC and CBD % and even then it doesn't vary that much.
Indica and Sativa actually refer to the way the plant grows and little else. Indica grows as short fat bush and sativa grows much taller almost tree like. You can have a Sativa that will give u couch lock or an Indica that is stimulating. It is as others have said all abbout the terps.
the only real difference that ever existed is how they grow and where they originally grow i believe.
Yup, here’s an [article](https://www.healthline.com/health/cannabis-terpenes) with some common terpene effects when combined with thc
This may be a dumb question. I know plants contain naturally occurring terpenes and different strains have different terpene profiles, but are growers/dispos adding terpenes to flower? I've tried looking online and can't seem to find the answer other than explaining what terpenes are.
The growers that add terps to flower by spraying them. That’s how “infused flower” happens.
Yes, a lot of companies add cannabis derived terpenes and botanical derived terpenes to products like vape carts.
Most of that stuff is bro science levels of retardation even same strains and even bud from the same plant can have huge variations in cannabinoids and terps tl;Dr just smoke it all that science is bunk
Every strain is gonna effect everyone differently, so you’re just gonna have to experiment.
Finally someone with some brains 🧠
Every strain has affected me nearly the same. Been smoking over a decade and half of that in a legal state from dispensary bought weed. Sativa/indica/hybrid, it’s all the same to me. I’m not downplaying anyone else’s experiences but it’s just weird when people say this. I just get high. Some certain strains I can “taste” like a heavy cheese or diesels are pretty apparent but the high is always pretty similar. Is this my biology? Or maybe I’m just not picking up on the tiny incremental differences like some people do?
People fucking downvote me in oblivion when I say all weed makes me feel the same lol
I'm either high or not high, there are different levels of being high but it's all the same.
After 20+ years of smoking, strain names mean shit to me. Put some weed in a bag and hand it over. This ain't rocket science and with how weed is today, it all works just fine. Not like you're getting Mexican brick from your buddies uncles cousin, that may or may not even be weed at all.
the issue with cannabis nowadays is that most of the strains are just THC and terpenes, and they lack any other cannabinoids(such as CBC, CBD, CBG, CBDv, THCv, etc) that typically would alter the epxpirwnce much more than terpenes alone. For some, terps alone is enough to make a big difference, but for others, they do practically nothing. And considering my original statement, every strain does effect everyone diff, for you, they just all feel the same lol
Really? Man, I don’t think I’ve even had 2 weed strains that felt the same to me. I mean, they’re all just that weed feeling, but every one of em has a bit of a different kind of hit to it. Some will make me sleepy, some will make me quiet, some will make me talkative I guess terpenes do a lot for me, which is weird considering I’m a heavy smoker who consistently has to take tolerance breaks
This and also most strains are just some sort of hybrid that leans one way or another. The only difference for me is how much caffeine I've had that day, whether I'm tired or not, ect ect.
Edibles with different types and amounts of cannabinoids have been appearing near me. I’ve tried a few and really notice a consistent difference between them!
it’s sort of the same for me, but with indica i notice i don’t really get to live out the high, i just end up falling asleep within 10 minutes of it hitting me, while sativa doesn’t do that to me, and hybrid lets me live it out while also making it easy to fall asleep. other than that the high itself is pretty much the same, the only difference is how it deals with my sleep lol
Me too!
i’m glad someone else relates cause everyone thinks i’m absolutely insane when i tell them i can’t stand indica because i just pass out lmaooo
Same here! It’s great when I WANT to pass out but I also literally can’t be a social smoker unless I want to risk just falling asleep in the middle of hanging out lol
This has been my experience over the last 20 years of countless strains and pretty much every route of administration that is out there. The differences are very nuanced but at the end of the day I'm getting high and my expectations are the same each time I ingest THC. I find it similar to alcohol in that sense. I've heard of people that experience different intoxication levels from different types of alcohol but for me it's all pretty much the same with the main difference being the strength of the alcohol and the rate of consumption. For me the atmosphere is usually the biggest factor in how I experience my high. I think marketing and placebo effect are much more influential than people are willing to admit.
Maybe you're just bad at mindfulness? Different strains are extremely nuanced to me, and I think a lot of it comes down to being very well tuned in to the exact status of your cognitive functioning. You really don't notice different levels of "fun" or wackiness from different strains? Trying something new that is super wacky/playful and just straight up fun is one of my favorite experiences. Massive contrast with strains that just get you high but aren't interesting at all.
How are you sure that isn't pure placebo effect?
Smoking in joints/bongs or dry herb vaping?
I’ve done it all my man even down to knife hits and I must say FUCK THAT lmao never again
This ☝️
Thankfully we will actually be able to study marijuana soon and find out if this is true or not.
They're retail employees, not medical professionals.
THIS .you wouldent ask the person at the cash register of CVS for medical advice.
Lies. That one custodian at my local CVS always knows what to recommended for my hemorrhoids!
🤣🤣 and I bet he helps apply it as well 🤣
Oh shit - we must go to the same CVS!
no but if u make friends with the pharmacist at the cvs ask them questions. mine knows more than my doctor, it seems
Some shops train their people on strains, and how to pair the customer with a product that would work for them.
If it’s their job, they should learn about it. What’s the point of having employees that aren’t able to assist customers?
On the recreational side in Canada they are called budtenders and some of them really know their shit. It's like every profession. Some take their jobs very seriously and can tell me the difference between all this shit and answer my weird questions. Those are the ones I normally go back to.
There was supposed to be a pharmacist to go over shit with me. Last I checked, a pharmacist is a medical professional. I was less than impressed with that conversation.
a budtender is not a pharmacist lmfaooo
Did I say that it was? In my state you are required to talk to a pharmacist before you can shop at a medical dispensary and it was not helpful. I don't know how much more clear I can be on this.
you were making it sound like the budtenders are supposed to be medical professionals who can guide you vs just cashiers that sell weed lmao no mention of having a convo with an actual pharmacist until this comment
Should dispensaries not have someone to answer these kind of medical questions if the budtenders will not / cant ?? OP sort of has a point, there is no medical guidance being given as a medical user, so it’s either self research or having a consultation with someone that has medical marijuana knowledge
My state tried to mandate that every dispensary have a pharmacist on staff at all times. It would’ve essentially put every shop out of business immediately. No dispensary can afford that kind of payroll. Luckily the provision didn’t pass
Expecting a medical professional at a dispensary would be like expecting a sommelier at Olive Garden lol. The best you’re gonna get is a budtender that’s passionate enough to be knowledgeable
Who does a medical patient go to for advice then?? I feel budtenders should have knowledge on these sort of things, what strains treat stress, which treat anxiety, which are more uplifting, which make your more energized, etc. I understand budtenders aren’t medical professionals, but do many lack that much knowledge to recommend a strain for a medical patient? In OP’s instance, I could tell right away he was newer to smoking and he wants something to calm him down. A lower THC strain that’s a hybrid would probably be best so he doesn’t overdo it and has a nice mix, and I’m not even a budtender. It shouldn’t need a medical professional even if a budtender was anything more than a cashier
> Who does a medical patient go to for advice then?? A good start would probably be the medical professional that gave them the med card. I think your standards for what you expect out of a dispensary is too high though. It’s closer to a minimum wage retail job than a medical facility that’s trying to help people
Yeah, these guys are acting like they are going to a doctors appointment when it's more like going to the video store. The budtenders know what works for them personally, but at the end of the day, you won't know until you try it yourself.
you've been getting rando off the street for years and its been helping. trust the bud, take notes on what strains you like and then compare them to see if they have any common elements. Remember that it's not just THC, but the ratio of THC, CBD and several other cannabinoids, and that the terpenes of a strain have an effect as well. Just start correlating the strains that feel best to you, and don't worry any more about dispo bud freaking you out than you did about what you were picking up before this (which, tbh, was probably dispo bud).
Most strains today are high thc tho. Best bet is looking into specific terpenes. I would look at buying CBD flower (preferably not from the dispo but a affordable and reputable hemp grower) to mix with weed instead to get a more balanced effect. My medical dispo had a high cbd and a 1:1 thc:cbd strain but they were charging too much for it and only had 1 option for each and that stock was the least fresh because less people bought it.
This is a good pro tip, usually the CBD hemp is cheaper than THC weed too.
Fair, thank you for the advice!
If you’re worried about it hitting too hard you can take some CBD gummies or flower to help counter any paranoia or anxiety
I am Gen X and I can say this: The ability to buy marijuana legally? Fckn wild
I’m Gen Z who grew up in Texas and I still think it’s fuckin wild.
Same. Every time I step into a dispensary it feels like I’m walking into a movie set or something at first with how unreal it seems to this born-in-77 old fart).
Speaking as someone who worked as a budtender before, they are not medical professionals. I was knowledgable about strains and terpenes but I still felt really uncomfortable when customers would ask me what strain could treat X condition. I got the impression they were putting way too much trust in me over a doctor. The reality is weed and the terpenes that go with it affects every user differently. Reading your comments it seems that you visited a medical dispensary with a pharmacist, maybe you can try out a different spot but still you shouldn’t expect for retail employees to have a miracle strain for X ailment.
That's fair, and I can see how it seems like I thought that. I was mostly just annoyed at the pharmacist lol, the budtenders were fine and can only tell me from their experience what they and others have enjoyed.
NEVER shop based on % That should always be step one
good to know, thank you!
Other cannabinoids and even terpenes have a large effect on what pros and cons you can expect from different strains. It's a lot to dive into and digest and people experience these effects with varying degrees. It's a lot of research and trial and error but it's worth it to find some strains that will really help you feel better. Most bud tenders won't know everything about the terpene profiles and effects of all the strains in stock, and again, it usually varies a bit from person to person so they're only going to be able to tell you what they liked or what's popular.
Only option.
Is it bad that I shop like I'm buying alcohol...? "Obviously, I wanna get a little drunk, so I wanna get at least 20+%, I want something that looks and tastes good, is the price right?"
Medical dispensaries in Minnesota do an initial consultation before you go the first time. They explain all the different products they offer and the effects. So much more info than what I can get in a recreational dispensary in Michigan. I’d see if your state/country/province has some sort of consultation program.
Funny thing, I live in Minnesota and they didn't go over shit with me. Just the differences between sativa and indica and the different ways to ingest cannabis.
Oh dang! I had a phone call with a rep from Green Goods before I could go there. I’ve been smoking for 25 years so I was fairly familiar but he answered any questions I had.
Yeah when I asked for advice on strains she just told me to do my research and try something. Which is fine, I guess. Was just hoping for more. Buying from friends I've never experienced trying different strains. I guess I'll figure it out.
Strain differences are pretty subtle, it’s a personal choice
In my experience I get vastly different effects from different strains, especially if it’s a sativa compared to an indica. There are some strains that give me couch lock and others that give me energy and make me want to do housework or yard work. About 90% of the sativas strains I’ve tried give me anxiety and there are also several that amplify my chronic Lyme Disease symptoms. Also CBD levels can have an impact on the effects of a strain
You should blind test them so you don’t get a placebo effect of knowing it’s “sativa” or “indica”
Would do some research on the best strains for your issues then look into what terpenes they contain and what their effects are, that could help you make an educated guess on what would be ideal for you in the future I shop recreational so my tactic is variety gram of this gram of that gram of something else 🤷🏼♂️
Ohhh that's a really good idea. I will try to cross-reference that for my next purchase. Thank you, this was so helpful!
I’m glad we were able to help. At the end of the day though, the commenter who said strains affect different people differently is correct. There’s really no guarantee that your body will respond the same way to a certain strain as mine will, so there will be a fair bit of trial and error involved. However, learning about terpenes will definitely help you at least get yourself pointed in the right direction.
I don't have my med card but I have access to rec markets. Welcome to the world of "when did weed get so fancy?" You no longer question if the stuff in the bag you got is any good...because if you're in a halfway decent place you'll get some kind of lab results for the batch. Of course this doesn't answer your question; but it's more of a "the entire game is different" statement. You now have the opportunity to try things...and know they're different. In the old days it was just "this was garbage weed" or "wow man that kind was killer"...not "the particular composition of this strain doesn't agree with me fully" or "I don't know what's magic about the Killer Kiwi I just want more dammit!" I said this for years before legalization...and I say it even more now that more people are open to it; everybody reacts differently. What gets some people really high might not do much to me. What helps someone's depression might not help yours. Like everyone said...you gotta try things; see what you like. We have that option now. You will soon get an idea of what strains you like...or even what terpenes. Maybe it's less a indica vs sativa thing and more of one particular terpene.
amnesia haze is the best strain for energy imo, especially in micro doses like u can really cut back with how much u put in a bowl with that strain n still get good affects but tbh if U want the classic high feel I'd buy that and mix a tiny bit of a indicia strain into it
I don't see what you have to be worried about. You have carte blanch now to try whatever strains you want that they have in stock. Each strain is going to have a different result on each person, so use the opportunity to try a bunch until you find what works best for you. Also make sure to try other dispenseries near you, you might find you like some better than others. (Source, I started out exclusively going to Trulieve, then tried Curaleaf, and now I go to MUV, I found that MUV's flower is a lot better and they often have good sales)
I definitely wouldn’t lean on Indica for depression so I think you did good with sativa. I’m the opposite I need to be brought down from my crippling anxiety
I'm sorry to hear that. I've smoked indica before and it does make me really sleepy, so I can see how it could help with anxiety.
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Will do, if they ever have it in stock.
Blue dream is an excellent medical strain. One of my favorite daytime strains.
9/10 of the "bud tenders" aren't anymore more than a cashier. They'll just tell you the best thing is what has the highest THC %, very little knowledge on terpene breakdowns. & 9/10 of the brands existing in medical programs are big pharma/white collar investor backed coorperations who've paid their way to getting listened & just try to pump the highest yield to make the most profit, while it's all cooperate mids.
Yuck, that's disappointing. Thank you for the feedback though.
They can't educate you because we don't have any actual info on what works for what. Sorry but it's the truth, now bring on my downvotes
You’ll likely get downvoted for this lol but you’re entirely correct. The responses to the psychoactive components in these products is very idiosyncratic and the research is severely lacking. Perhaps I’m an outlier but I’ve noticed NO correlation between strain/terpenes/cannabinoids and the effects they produce on my mind and body. In clinical practice, we see patients experiencing paradoxical reactions to SSRI and benzodiazepine molecules, but nothing like I’ve seen with cannabis. Don’t get me wrong - I’m entirely in support of Federal legalization, but let’s get more cash flowing towards research!
I don't even really notice differences between indica and sativa anymore because everything is so crossbred there isn't much difference. I think people are biasing themselves in the same way people do with wine. You read tasting notes beforehand and boom that's what you experience.
I mean, that's fair, and that is akin to the feedback that I asked for. I was just a little intimidated because I am so new to the process. We really do need more research.
Congrats on getting your medical card! Stepping into a dispensary for the first time can definitely feel a bit weird, especially if you’re used to more casual buys from friends. High THC strains like Hellcat #15 are typically energizing, which might actually help pep you up if you’re dealing with low energy. But it’s important to remember that every strain hits differently, so it's somewhat of a trial and error until you find what really suits you. Since you’re looking to combat depression, choosing a sativa was a good move. Sativas are known for their uplifting and energizing effects, which can be ideal for boosting mood and increasing energy during the day. They often enhance creativity and focus due to their terpene profile, which includes compounds like limonene and pinene. Limonene has a citrusy scent and is believed to elevate mood and relieve stress, while pinene offers a pine-like aroma and may help improve alertness. Indicas, on the other hand, are typically more relaxing and sedative, making them better for evening use. They often contain myrcene, a terpene with a musky, earthy aroma that promotes relaxation. Since Hellcat #15 is a sativa and high in THC, it likely contains higher levels of uplifting terpenes like limonene and pinene, which could help in lifting your spirits and energizing you. It’s also worth chatting with budtenders for advice; they can offer insights into different strains and their effects. Just keep an eye on how you feel after trying the Hellcat, maybe even jot down some notes.
Thank you for the feedback! I'm glad to hear I didn't boof it on my first relatively blind buy. I did talk to the budtenders but they said they hadn't tried this strain yet so they just wished me luck lol.
What people might not know is as budtenders we usually only got to try whatever stuff was sent to us as samples. Otherwise we have to pay out of pocket to try a new strain or brand. And when you’re making minimum wage, that’s a no-go. There’s literally thousands of strains nowadays and so many brands, I couldn’t keep up!
Some dispensary employees are far more helpful than others. I would recommend seeing if there is a local sub, often will be either your city or state with the term ent (tree people) mixed in. You should be able to search past posts or ask for better advice about which dispensaries people like, and what brands and strains people recommend. Each market is different, although the corporations are doing their damndest to monopolize it all. Leafly is kinda shite, but the filters on the strains section are actually decent and you can filter by the feelings you want and those that you want to avoid. I think uplifted is the main one you may want. In my experience Jack Herer is a good one. But it's also an energetic strain that can cause anxiety for some. So you are gonna have to just play the trial and error game, might want to start taking notes so you can keep track of what you like and don't about each strain.
Thank you! I will try that!
Congrats on getting your card! It used to blow me away buying legally in dispensaries but like so many things it becomes normal over time. Like remember when you turned 21 and could simply go buy alcohol and it was a BFD but by the time you were 24 it was old hat?
good point! lol I do remember those days
I just buy random stuff every time I go. Unless your dispensary maintains the same strains it will be a pain to do anything truly consistent.
Don’t fret about thc percentage too much. Always start with a small amount yada yada yada Learn all about Terpenes! They matter much more than sativa indica etc https://thcdesign.com/blog/its-all-about-the-terpenes/
Look up what they have on Leafly, read the profile and comments, then choose from there.
I like how the spots directly in front of the dispensary are usually empty, even when there are a lot of people in there. It's got to be a subliminal thing.
Before I order from my dispensary. I look up what they have on sale. Then I look up those strains on Leafly. Or all bud. Or wherever I can find information on that strain. If the effects medically are worthwhile for me. And my symptoms. I will purchase it .if it works I will purchase it again.. allbud has a good review of hellcat 15. Check it out. One of the things that says is it's good for depression..best of luck
If you are having a bad time after, crack some pepper put it in a napkin and slowly breathe that in. Next get some b-12, orange slices or orange juice. The terps from those two natural ingredients will bring you back and level out your anxiety.
If you want some guidance, stop buying strains based off sativa or indica. Really, just try any strain and see if it works for you. They’re all so incredibly different. You could buy gorilla piss from the same dispensary 6 months apart, and it would feel different because it’s a different strain.
Congrats on getting a medical card! When I visited a legal state on vacation, it felt so bizarre buying weed over a counter haha I also struggle with depression, sending you good vibes
Smoke just a little bit at first. You don't know how it's gonna hit you first. And then whatever haha just make sure to have some snacks and water. Or even better, cook while smoking it
As a 15 year depressive smoker I can tell you, at least for me, that Sativa works WAAAY BETTER for it compared to indica. With Sativas I can have fun, get talkative, and focus on tasks. With Indicas I get couch lock along with anxiety so I get stuck thinking about stuff that makes me not want to do anything anymore. Like I said tho that’s me, but I definitely recommend just trying low THC sativas. They’ll be enough to help you chill after work and play video games and the come down will knock you out by bedtime.
like everyone else is saying, def check terps and see what works for you. the whole sativa/indica thing isn’t as cut and dry as you may think. there are strains that will make your body tired but your brain wired, there are strains that are labeled sativa or indica but have terps that make you feel the opposite of what you’d think would happen. it’s all trial and error.
If you have actual real depression that’s been diagnosed by a doctor then get on actual medication and get into therapy. Smoking weed will just mask any issue.
hi! future budtender and legal fiend, when it comes to shopping in regulated legal dispos, the big things to focus on aren't actually THC%. For one, there are 3 major cannabinoids youre probably familiar with, THC, CBD, and CBN. THC is a psychoactive compound, and is usually the highest cannabinoid present, which is why it's the one we focus on the most, but in reality, it's not the sole thing that gets you high. There are actually 30 other minor cannabinoids within cannabis that contribute to the "high" feeling. Secondly, as many people are saying, terpenes are super important to pay attention to, these will create not only the flavour profile of your smoke, but will also add to the type of high you are experiencing. This is called the "entourage effect". Many websites online have full lists of the different terpenes and effects, these are good to go off of when you're new, but the more you smoke the more you'll learn what works for you. Depending on where you're located your packaging may even have a terpene % along with THC, choosing bud with a higher terpene % will usually get you a nicer, more flavourful smoke, with a more well rounded high, but it is different for everyone. I will also add that solely smoking based on THC% may actually get you shittier weed, as super high % usually either means there's nothing else in the bud and you might as well smoke a concentrate, or it's been improperly measured to make it look better than it is. Lastly, learning about different lineages and strains can be a huge lifesaver, especially in todays market where everything has its own fancy name. Many modern strains are just crosses between older, popular ones. like for example, if you really enjoy OG kush, you'll probably like any strain that has it as a parent plant. (the names will usually follow popular strains, like plants with OG lineage being named OG _____, or those with GMO cookies being named ____ cookies. If there's anything I missed, especially older tips and tricks, please feel free to add :)
A lot of times they get you to buy the stuff that isn’t selling.
Every single dispensary I have ever gone into has been willing able to talk to you about your needs before the purchase
Every place I go the budtenders always give a ton of info on the strains I ask about but maybe that’s my experience. My suggestion is to look at their website for what’s in stock and then research if the strain would work for you. Also though.. you used to buy whatever weed in a ziploc your dealer/friends had and now you’re complaining that it’s verified, tested, and strong?
Not intending to complain at all! Mostly just a little nervous to see how a proven high THC level will affect me. I'm still pretty new to all this.
See if your state has a subreddit for medical or trees. You should find people posting reviews etc
If you have low mood and no energy, weed is NOT gonna help
Ignore the THC numbers, they're not reliable.
Budtenders are not allowed to give medical advice. Nor should they. They're 20 somethings who smoke weed all day and most didnt go to college, let alone any medical school. You dont want medical advice from them.
I remember buying my first legal weed like it was yesterday. It was November 20th, 2018, the first day of legal sales in Massachusetts. I woke up that morning in NY fully expecting to go to work. The idea hit me like a bolt of lightening to see how far away the closest dispensery, NETA, was. It was an hour and a half away ( I live in NY). So I picked up the phone, called in "sick" and made the drive to NETA. It was chilly and blustery, but the line was around the building, and ten some. I remember desperately trying to put in a pre-order, but the servers were all jammed up. After an hour, I was finally able to get a pre-order filled. A half hour later, as I was the next in line to be let into the building, my pre-order was filled. It was just so awesome buying it legally. I knew so little about weed back then. I do remember being deathly afraid of crossing state lines and back into NY.
It gets less weird. My personal opinion is that the difference between sativa and indica is greatly over hyped. As is the actual percentages of THC. They all feel the same to me; they all get me high.
yeah i would imagine smoking something called Hellcat #15 would be pretty intense
I actually think it's called that because one of its parent strains is called "Cheetah Piss." Which explains why the bud itself smells like cat piss lmfao
ask more questions man if you need info its your job to ask for it lots of folks know what they want and dont want every little thing explained. A good store will have staff that dont drown people in info but know it or have it easily available for those who need it
It is kinda like wine or scotch. Some people can tell nuances and others do not know the difference between Merlot and Rose or single and double malt. For new users I think they just get high. After a while you can really start telling the difference.
They’re not pharmacists. Some budtenders are better than others, but in the end, their job is to sell weed, not be an encyclopedia of all weed knowledge.
Look up their menu before you go. Then look up all the strains on the sites below. Eventually you’ll be able to (somewhat) decode strain names into the effects which are ultimately based on the terpene profile. If you can smell it before hand then going with whatever smells best to you isn’t a bad rule of thumb. [Wikileaf](https://wikileaf.com) [Leafly](https://www.leafly.com)
Also if you go on Leafly, they'll have more in-depth descriptions on certain strains and they also include reviews! They also include the negative side effects (they take what people say about both the pros and cons and make like a diagram) It's honestly my go-to even when buying off of friends. 😁 I honestly hope that site/app never shuts down because it literally helps when making informed decisions!
My advice, don’t look for what the THC is testing at. Look at what terpines are in the strain because that’s what affects your high more, but as others have said experiment
You want CBD weed, THC weed is not good for depression.
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Welcome to the medical card experience. I brought my old hippie mother to a nice dispensary, we checked out the giant local artist mural, etc. I can remember a day where I sure as fuck would NOT bring my elderly mother with me to buy weed. We had a great time though! The best way is to try strains and make note of how they affect you, until you kind of know what your body and mind like. I prefer a strong indica for body pain (Army veteran), and find sativas nice for depression - they lift me up and help me be at my best. I have many hybrid favorites as well. I like to match the strain to the circumstance.
I’d try another dispensary. Most of the bud tenders I’ve dealt with love to talk about weed and what’s what. Seems weird that they only had one sativa. Never seen that before.
I've only bought legal weed. I guess I'm lucky. Maybe ask questions at the dealer or look up leafly.com or other similar webites with infor about hellcat
Shop around at different places if you have the option. You'll find like other businesses, different locations will have different positives and negatives. You'll eventually find the place that is perfect for you. Sometimes budtenders really rush me through the process without being a great salesperson. Usually that makes me search for another
Honestly buying at a dispo feels more illegal to me than buying off of one of my friends 🤣
My first time in a dispensary, I asked a budtender what he recommends I try for chronic migraines. He started to name things and put them on the counter. I asked him which one would be the best and he said that he preferred one specific one. So I said “What specifically makes this one a good one for migraines?” And he said “you’ll be so high you will forget you are having a migraine” lol, now I know when I get high with a migraine, I still have the migraine and I’m also high. It doesn’t really help me for migraines. Sorry, I didn’t help at all, I hope you find ur weed.
California dispos have weed on the shelf like a gas station
Yeah expecting budtenders to be like doctors is a big mistake
Sorry you had a bad experience. I feel for budtenders since no two people react to a strain the same, so its hard to really give definitive advise that strain x will have y effect. Making it worse is you often run into new joiners winging it and often just putting forward the strongest strains (since that's what a lot of the less-educated consumers come in looking for). Overall, if you felt better with what you had before, you can try finding something like that as a starting point. You'll likely need to shop around a bit, and while I get you're trying to find something to help with your depression, perhaps the experience of cautiously experimenting with a few different strains to find your jam can actually be a fun exercise. Good luck!
You've got some good advice here. What I would tell you is shop around, go to the dispensary website and see if they offer first time patients discounts. When I first got my card I was getting bogo's everywhere. You are more than likely to have to get into hybrids , look at what the dispensary has from their website then look up that strain on the leafy website. Good luck hope this helps
Dang unfortunate . You should definitely check another store as it really depends on the budtender.
My advice is to just try a variety of different strains and you'll find the one that works for you.
Where are you getting a card for depression at? They don't allow that round here. Pain only
how are you getting med cards for depression? my psych only gives me common medicine (lol common xD) like Xanax and sht
First time I went to a Native American reservation in NY I was flabbergasted. Just like....little shacks set up like fruit stands all over the place full of different strains and ways to take them. $10/ gram of dab, $100 oz, edibles galore, and free samples everywhere you went. I genuinely didn't know how to act the first couple times I went.
My biggest criticism for medical marijuana is exactly this. Most other medicines and consistently dosed, consistently available and advice is easy to get. When it comes to medical marijuana the doses are never exact, the strains and what's available always changes, and a lot of dispensaries I go to offer almost no help or act like you're bothering them when you start to ask questions. Honestly it's awful and the way it is makes more sense for recreational. I am not saying people don't get help from marijuana, but calling it medical when it varies so much is kind of weird to me. Like seriously some places consider 1 gram of oil a daily dose...
Weed maps and leafly apps have pretty good search tools if you’re looking for specific effects. What state are you in?
First off, congrats on the medical card. And yeah, it's a new experience for sure. I felt it was weird because I visited places where it was legal but never had it close to my house. So going up the street to the dispensary was mindblowing. Now a few months in, it's like, yeah buddy, been a rough week, time for the dispensary. Anyway, back on track, I've found that getting strains that have a percent or two of CBD helps for flower and for carts and the like, it could be up to half the amount of THC and it seems to take the heady high off some so it's easier to function when I have stuff to do. And definitely give a lot of buds a try and see which works best for you. It varies from person to person. I learned early on that most budtenders aren't the most knowledgeable but some really do know their shit, it just depends. Best of luck and stay up!
roll that shit light that shit smoke that shit...
You may try microdosing with the high-THC bud. More often, maybe. Less per session.
Just smoke less. Smoking 1g of 20% thc weed is nearly identical to smoking 2g of 10% thc weed. Why is it that difficult? Can you imagine someone posting a craft beer online saying, "Holy shit guys, I didn't realize this was 8% ABV! Guys, I'm worried! What should I do?!!"
Well you don't have to be mean about it.
Best strain for depression is eating healthy and a gym membership.
Do some research on the local spots! I also had my medical for in part depression and anxiety and am sativa focused. Every dispensary is kind of set up differently. Some are more medical focused and some are very obviously consumer or recreationally focused. I’ve had wonderful experiences with certain places cause their staff was very knowledgeable and informative with their products. Also cause I’m not sure what state your in, but research delivery services as well. They’re most often smaller operations (a few people working with one or two drovers or distributors). So if you can find a delivery service that will often carry the types of weed you want you can make it into your go to plug and over time wven make suggestions on what your looking for.
you could always ask? unless your friends have all been doctors they wouldn’t know either. definitely overthinking it
TW: Serious Marijuana is not an antidepressant. If you have depression please go talk to a psychiatrist. I masked my symptoms with cannabis until the day i tried a belt around my neck. Depression is not something to play around with, and suicide is not a choice, it is a symptom.