From what I’ve heard, Firelands Scientific was the first company in Ohio to sell legal pre-rolls. I wasn’t able to make it to any of their Landing dispensaries when pre-rolls went live, but I was able to swing through the Akron Botanist a few weeks later. They were selling Firelands Northern Lights one gram pre-rolls for $12.
Firelands Scientific Northern Lights Indica 1 Gram Raw Pre-Roll TubeFirelands Scientific Northern Lights Indica 1 Gram Raw Pre-Roll Joint
The joint came packaged in an opaque white tube, so I couldn’t see the product through the package. According to the label the paper was made from wood pulp, cellulose fibers and adhesive. The paper was probably bleached. The crutch was colorful and featured the Firelands Scientific brand name along with a <THC!> indicator.
Northern Lights joint tipNorthern Lights joint tip
When I popped open the tube, the marijuana scent wasn’t too overpowering, but it smelled appetizing. I didn’t get a chance to weigh the bat but it did look like a full gram of quality, stemless cannabis. The joint was nice and dense but had good airflow when I tested it out with a dry hit. You could say the joint appeared to be rolled to near perfection.
I headed back to the cornfield and sparked the pre-roll. It was windier than I had hoped for, and I had to use my body to shield the joint as I lit it with a handheld torch lighter. The wind was so strong that it was visibly moving the torch flame as I sparked the bat!
Back to the cornfield to test another Ohio pre-roll!
I was impressed with the way the joint sparked along with the initial ash color. Despite the wind, the joint lit up nice and evenly, producing a very light-colored ash.
Initial spark of the Northern Lights pre-roll
As I began smoking the joint, I noticed how cleanly the bud was burning. It tasted myrcene-heavy, which was earthy, herbal and sweet. I detected some floral woodiness from the linalool and sweetness from the ocimene. Caryophyllene lingered in the background with its signature spiciness. The flavor was intriguing and complex. This was the first time I had sampled Fireland’s Northern Lights flower.
It may have been from the wind, but the joint did start to run a little bit. I had to do some repair work to bring it back to an even burn.
The joint began to run and canoe.Thankfully I was able to repair the run with my lighter.
After I repaired the canoe the rest of the joint burned beautifully. The Northern Lights preroll had excellent airflow all the way down to the last puff. It took about ten minutes to smoke.
For me, the medical effects were heady, cerebral and uplifting. After the joint was finished I definitely felt different than I had ten minutes earlier. The effects lasted about an hour and a half to two hours, which was longer than I was expecting given the fact the joint was only 15.7% THC.
As I walked away from the cornfield, a bunch of tiny yellow butterflies followed and fluttered around me. I took it as a thank you for a shared appreciation of the cornfield’s beauty, serenity and hospitality.
I would not only buy this pre-roll again but I’d like to try some more Firelands joints to see what else they have in store for our lungs.
I gave the Northern Lights indica 15.7% THC pre-roll an 8/10 for strength (on par with the Buckeye Sour Larry Cross pre-roll I sampled), 8/10 for taste, 6/10 for smell strength, 3/10 for harshness and 90 to 120 minutes for length of medical effects.
Ingredients: Cannabis plant material, rolling paper (wood pulp, cellulose fibers, adhesive).
Total THC 15.7%, Delta-9 THC 0.33%, Delta-9 THCA 17.50%, Total CBD 0.04%, CBDA 0.04%.
Manufactured by OPC Processing on 08/20/2025, tested 08/23/2025 by North Coast Testing Labs, packaged 08/25/2025, consumed 09/03/2025, expires 08/19/2026.
In regards to pre-rolls, I keep hearing the question “When will Ohio be like Michigan?” The amount of pre-rolls available in any Michigan dispensary is seemingly infinite. There are so many options it can be overwhelming.
If I had to guess, I would say it will be a while before Ohio gets a pre-roll selection similar to Michigan’s. We have a long way to go. By design, there aren’t nearly as many growers, processors, or dispensaries in Ohio. It is much easier and less expensive in Michigan to grow and sell marijuana legally than it is here.
In 2008, medical marijuana became legal in Michigan. Dispensaries were not allowed. Home cultivation was the only legal option. Despite this, by 2013, around 100 dispensaries had opened in the state, operating in a grey area. It wasn’t until 2016 that Gov. Rick Snyder signed a bill allowing the operation of medical marijuana dispensaries. In 2018 the state legalized recreational marijuana, and December 2019 saw the first legal dispensaries open in Michigan.
By comparison, Ohio medical dispensaries opened in January 2019 and we’ve had recreational sales since August/September 2024. We have also dealt with stricter regulations and greater limitations. So it’s safe to say Michigan had a good head start on Ohio’s legal cannabis market. I am confident we will catch up in a few years.
With that in mind, we are making great progress in this state with pre-rolls. It’s been a long time coming but they are finally hitting dispensary shelves. Right now a 5-pack of infused pre-rolls in Ohio costs around $50 before tax. In Michigan you can find something like that for as low as $20, maybe less if you find a good sale.
Our selection of pre-rolls isn’t anywhere like Michigan yet, but I am going to try as many Ohio pre-rolls as I can and compare them to the ones I’ve smoked from Michigan. Slowly but surely we will get a larger variety of pre-rolls to choose from.
The Ohio Division of Cannabis Control calls joints “Raw Single Serve Units” or “Raw Single Serving Units”.
Not called a joint, so don’t ever confuse it. This product’s called a Raw Single Serve Unit. Yes, it’s convenient, just don’t abuse it. …Smoke a single serve unit.
The other day I bought a 1-gram Aura Lemon Royal hybrid raw (non-infused) pre-roll from Bloom in Akron. The recreational price was $15 before tax. The joint came packaged in a clear glass tube with a white plastic screw-on lid.
Aura Lemon Royal Pre Roll
As soon as I sparked it up I realized I didn’t weight it, but it seemed like a full gram. It wasn’t rolled loose or anything like that. The hemp paper was white in color, so I wonder if it had been bleached. There was no logo on the crutch.
When I opened the tube, the bud had a light, lemony scent. It wasn’t very skunky or strong-smelling, but as I looked through the paper I didn’t see any stems or sticks. Some of those free and low-priced pre-rolls from Michigan can contain some real harsh bud, but that wasn’t the case here.
I had actually never tried any Aura flower before this session. I’ve loved their mind-enhancing vape carts fortified with the nootropics CBC and THCV.
I traveled to my local cornfield to make for a serene environment to burn the joint. The only things surrounding me were corn, grass, birds and a light breeze.
Consume cannabis in a cornfield.
I used a portable torch lighter to engulf the joint with dragon’s breath. The first few puffs were pleasant. The taste wasn’t strong or skunky or anything too distinct but I enjoyed it. Along with the lemony flavor I picked up on some peppery notes and a little floral earthiness.
Despite the slight outdoor breeze, the joint burned wonderfully. I didn’t have to relight at all, not even once. As you can see from the pictures below, the ash color was light, indicating clean bud with a proper flush.
The joint burned evenly and cleanly.It also burned pretty slow.
The Aura Lemon Royal pre-roll had excellent airflow. Only towards the end was there an issue with clogging. The bud became so resinous that I had to give the joint a squeeze/roll to loosen up the plant material. This gave me the ability to burn the unit down to the crutch.
Upon completing the joint, as I stood amongst the corn, I felt different than I did before smoking. I felt a little fuzzier and friendlier with the nature surrounding me. I started to better absorb and perceive the life teeming everywhere, like the bugs that would fly and the birds in the sky.
I cackled with the corn as I realized the things that caused me stress were not as important as I made them out to be. The true measure of a person is how they react to a situation, and I realized my reactions hadn’t been what they needed to be. It was time for a change in thought, behavior, attitude and intention.
While it did get me medicated, the Aura Lemon Royal joint was not as strong as the Buckeye Sour Larry Cross pre-roll I smoked the other day. I enjoyed the taste and effects but I can’t see myself paying $15 plus tax for another one of these. At that price I’ll just go the traditional route and roll my own.
I gave the Aura Lemon Royal Hybrid 15.1% THC One Gram Pre-Roll a 6/10 for taste, 6/10 for strength, 3/10 for harshness, 6/10 for taste, 5/10 for smell strength and 30 minutes for length of medical effects.
Ingredients: Raw cannabis flower (Lemon Royal), 100% hemp paper and crutch.
Total THC 15.1%, Delta-9 THC 2.57%, THCA 14.3%, Total CBD .0404%, CBDA .0461%, CBG .0390%, CBGA .291%.
Manufactured by Hundred Percent Labs on 08/20/2025, tested 08/25/2025 by North Coast Testing Labs, packaged 08/25/2025, consumed 08/27/2025, expires 08/20/2026.
The Landing was one of the first Northeast Ohio dispensaries to sell pre-rolls.
I was informed that The Landing’s one-gram pre-rolls were $7.50 for non-infused and $16 for infused. I told the employee I’d call in a week or so to see if they were back in stock.
I contacted Amplify in Bedford to check their pre-roll situation. They had two types of pre-rolls in stock: Sour Larry Cross and Fastbreak Frost. They were $13.00 a piece for recreational customers and $9.75 for medical patients. I was told they only had raw, non-infused pre-rolls in stock. Infused joints were supposed to be hitting the shelves two days from then on Wednesday, 08/27/2025.
I I got to the dispensary, checked in and bought two raw, non-infused pre-rolls, one Sour Larry Cross and one Fastbreak Frost.
Buckeye’s dispensary product sticker called them pre-rolls. The Division of Cannabis Control insists on calling them Raw Single Serving Units and Infused Single Serving Units.
The Landing’s (Firelands Scientific’s) website referred to the joints as pre-rolls and so did Amplify’s (Buckeye’s). Amplify’s in-store menu and internal product stickers also called the products pre-rolls.
Buckeye’s actual packaging didn’t say the word joint or pre-roll anywhere. The word pre-roll only appeared on the sticker that the dispensary used to scan the product. The Division of Cannabis Control product ID stickers on the tubes themselves said the products were Raw Single Serving Units. I thought this was what the budtenders at the dispensary were supposed to call the joints, but thankfully they were using the word pre-roll.
In Ohio’s legal cannabis market, the DCC says “Raw” means a non-infused joint without any bubble hash, rosin, resin, THCA crystals or distillate. It is a joint with only cannabis flower inside of the rolling paper. “Infused” refers to a joint that contains not only flower but also bubble hash, rosin, resin, THCA crystals or distillate. Essentially, infused joints contain additional hash to make them burn slower and hit harder.
Ohio medical patients can buy raw, non-infused joints with their medical day supply. One pre-roll counts as one day supply, even though it is only one gram. If a medical patient walks into a dispensary with 45 days on their supply and buys 5 raw pre-rolls, they will leave the store with 40 days left until their next refill.
For now, Ohio medical patients cannot buy infused joints with their medical supply. If an Ohio medical patient wants to buy an infused pre-roll along with their medical order, they will have to complete their medical purchase, collect their change and start a second transactionfor the infused joint as arecreational customer. The first medical purchase would count towards their medical day supply and the second recreational purchase would count towards their adult use daily purchase limit.
Will infused pre-rolls count towards both a recreational customer’s flower and extract daily limits? For example, if an infused pre-roll had 1 gram of flower and a half gram of extract, would the state remove a gram from their flower daily limit and a half gram from their extract/edible/liquid/tincture/topical daily limit? I would imagine so, but when I get a definitive answer I will update this post. Edit: I got the answer. Even though they have hash in them, infused pre-rolls count only towards an adult-use daily flower limit, not the daily edibles and extracts limit. However, loose, non-rolled pre-ground infused flower, such as Riviera Creek Riv Sticks or Hundred Percent Labs Crumble Infused pre-ground bud, count towards the daily edibles and extracts limit, not the daily flower limit. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, because an infused pre-roll is essentially the same thing as a rolled-up Riv Stick, but that’s the way it is set up in this state.
Joints!
When I opened the Sour Larry Cross tube it smelled like cannabis, not hemp. There have been times I’ve opened those THCA hemp pre-roll tubes and was immediately hit with a whiff of boof. That didn’t happen when I opened this Buckeye pre-roll tube. The weed smelled fresh. It didn’t smell or taste artificial like a lot of those flavor-infused pre-rolls you see from Michigan.
The Sour Larry Cross raw pre-roll weighed 1.39 grams with the paper tip included. When looking at the weed through the paper I didn’t see any stems, sticks, weird-looking chunks or harsh-looking material. It looked like it was supposed to, like some ground up weed rolled within a paper.
I’m not sure what brand of rolling paper they used. The tube’s label says the paper is made from unbleached wood paper and wood pulp kraft paper, not hemp. It didn’t have the RAW checkered watermarks. The watermarks were straight lines. The paper tip had the Buckeye logo on one side and a THC! warning on the other.
Buckeye Sour Larry Cross 1 gram raw pre-rollBuckeye Sour Larry Cross 1 gram raw pre-roll
I sparked my first Ohio dispensary-bought pre-roll and took a few tokes. It was easy to light with a regular BIC lighter, but I did use hemp wick to avoid any butane hitting the flower.
Spark one for Ohio!
I had smoked a few of those artificially flavored joints from Michigan recently, in particular one called Banana Pancakes. It didn’t really taste like weed. It tasted very botanical, like it was infused with foreign flavorings. This Ohio-bought Sour Larry Cross pre-roll tasted completely different. There was no artificial taste whatsoever. It wasn’t harsh and didn’t make me cough.
I was very happy to see that the Sour Larry Cross pre-roll burned evenly, ashed white and tasted good until the end. Despite it being a somewhat windy day outside, the pre-roll did not run and only required one relight when I saw a slight canoe start to form. The airflow was exceptional until the very end when the joint got a bit resinated. The joint didn’t become impossible to hit, but at the very end, the airflow diminished a bit.
With that in mind, the day prior I sparked up a $26 rosin infused pre-roll from Michigan and the airflow was so tight and unhittable that I had to put it out, unroll it and pack it in a bowl. So compared to that, I was very happy with the airflow on this Buckeye Sour Larry Cross pre-roll.
Going…Going…Gone!This is what the bud inside of the joint looked like after it was finished. The weed was resinated but contained no sticks or unwanted bits.
I felt medicated from the Sour Larry Cross pre-roll for well over an hour. I was actually surprised with how long the high lasted from this joint. You could tell that they used only nugs to roll this jib, refraining from bulking it up with sticks and junk matter like a lot of the free and low-priced pre-rolls you see from Michigan.
Overall, I walked away from the experience impressed with my first Ohio store-bought pre-roll. It tasted great, burned slow and even and ashed very light. It got me medicated and creative for well over an hour, probably closer to two. It cost under $10 with the medical discount, which is more or less on par with Michigan prices to a certain extent.
I gave the Sour Larry Cross Hybrid Raw Single Serving Unit an 8/10 for taste, 3/10 for harshness, 8/10 for strength, 7/10 for smell strength and 120 minutes for length of medical effects.
Ingredients: cannabis plant material, cone (unbleached wood paper, wood pulp kraft paper, starch). Net weight 1.00 grams (it weighed 1.37 grams with the tip). Total THC 23.18% by 1 gram weight, Delta-9 THCA 25.34%, Delta-9 THC 0.96%, CBD 0%.
Terpenes: b-Caryophyllene 0.40%, Linalool 0.37%, Limonene 0.21%, a-Humulene 0.12%. Manufactured by Buckeye Relief on 08/14/2025, tested by CP Labs on 08/21/2025, packaged 08/21/2025, blazed on 08/25/2025, expires 08/14/2026.
I got creative after smoking this joint. I painted cat-shaped rocks and fed a stone bird some stone heads.
Cat rocksCat rocksStone bird feeding time
While outside smoking the Sour Larry Cross joint, I took these photos!
A baked butterfly! Or was I the baked one?Progress?
It’s no secret that Klutch products are high-quality yet expensive. Before recreational sales became legal in Ohio, you could walk out of a Klutch Citizen dispensary with a 510 cart or luster pod for around $20. These days that will cost you between $35 to $50 before tax. Edit: A Klutch rep told me that in the next few weeks, price reductions are coming to all Klutch products at all Ohio dispensaries.
Most Klutch flower is sold in tenths, which at 2.83 grams is not a whole lot of weed. I’ve never seen a Klutch 5.66, and if you can actually find their stuff in a half ounce, prepare to pay.
This is why myself and others were glad to see Klutch release a budget-friendly line of flower called Habitat. The standard price for a Habitat tenth is $35, so if you can snag their stuff on sale, a tenth can cost under $30. At Klutch’s Northfield dispensary they recently had a deal for two Habitat Key Lime tenths, harvested four months ago, at $36. That is $180 for an ounce before tax.
Klutch’s new Northfield dispensary, located across from the MGM casino.
A Klutch cultivation technician told me the Habitat bud is grown in the exact same manner as Klutch’s typical flower. I was interested to see if Habitat cannabis lived up to the Klutch standard, so I sampled a few tenths. First up was the Gasanova indica strain.
The Gasanova’s muted greed and orange packaging was opaque, so you couldn’t see the buds through the bag.
Gasanova indica from HabitatGasanova indica from Habitat
When I opened the baggie’s seal, I was hit with a strong, fresh smell of gas and green! The scent was clean, crisp and sweet. It definitely smelled like some Klutch flower, and not like budget bud. The tenth weighed 2.81 grams, just shy of the 2.83 grams that it should have been.
As you can see from the two pictures above, the flower had lots of green hues and darker shades of purple. There were oranges, yellows and shiny trichomes. There was a tight trim with minimal stemmage and zero sugar leaves. Not only that, the buds were dense, sticky and healthy. They didn’t turn to dust through a grinder.
Gasanova packed bowlGasanova beat bowl
Not only did the Habitat Gasanova burn slow but it ashed very light. It tasted exactly like it smelled! Along with the overwhelming gassiness and sweetness I tasted fruity undertones. There was a lot of great stuff going on with the taste of this pot.
I got strong indica effects from the Gasanova. The strain’s top terpene, Limonene, was accompanied by a healthy dose of Linalool, Myrcene, and Caryophyllene for pain relief and anti-inflammatory properties. This would be a great strain for someone looking for a powerful yet budget-friendly indica.
One of the Klutch cultivation techs told me the company determines sativa and indica based on plant structure, not terpenes.
I gave Habitat’s Gasanova an 8/10 for taste, 4/10 for harshness, 8/10 for strength, 9/10 for smell strength and 60 or more minutes for length of medical effects.
Total THC 27.80%, THCA 31.20%, Delta-9 THC 0.47%, Total CBD 0.11%, CBDA 0.12%.
Harvested 12/30/2024, tested 01/23/2025 by North Coast, packaged 04/04/2025, first consumed 05/01/2025, expires 12/30/2025.
Next up was the Pine Berry Sorbet hybrid flower, gifted to me for my birthday by a good friend! Thank you! A friend with weed is a friend I need.
Pine Berry Sorbet from HabitatPine Berry Sorbet from Habitat
The Pine Berry Sorbet was packaged in the same type of bag as the Gasanova. The tenth clocked in a little overweight at 2.86 grams. It gave off an overwhelming scent of smooth pine and berry. It smelled fresh and floral.
Just like the Gasanova, the Pine Berry Sorbet had a professional-grade trim. The buds were nice and dense with an ideal moisture level. They broke down nicely by hand and behaved as expected when run through my Flower Mill.
Pine Berry Sorbet packedPine Berry Sorbet cashed
The flower burned nice and clean, cooperating with the flame to fulfill its ultimate destiny. The flavor was distinct compared to the Gasanova. Pine Berry Sorbet had much more of a creamier taste to the smooth smoke.
For me, the piney flavor was front and center, which given the name isn’t surprising. However, when you look at the terpene profile, b-Pinene is somewhat low on the list. A-Pinene is not even contained in the listed terpenes.
The Pine Berry Sorbet didn’t give me as much of a body buzz as the Gasanova. It provided more balanced effects. After consumption I was able to get some meal prep done for the upcoming work week and do some other boring chores. The Pine Berry Sorbet turned the mundane into an intriguing game, and tasted great in the process.
After sampling the full tenth I gave this cannabis strain a 7/10 for taste, 4/10 for harshness, 7/10 for strength, 7/10 for smell strength and 60 minutes for length of medical effects.
Total THC 26.60%, delta-9 THCA 29.80%, Delta-9 THC 0.46%, total CBD 0.07%, CBDa 0.09%.
Harvested 03/19/2025, tested 05/07/2025 by North Coast, packaged 05/14/2025, first consumed 07/25/2025, expires 03/19/2026.
After trying both of these Habitat offerings, I would recommend this brand of flower to those who love Klutch bud but don’t love Klutch prices. I will be keeping an eye out for new releases from Habitat. I will also be visiting the Northfield Citizen dispensary to grab two Key Lime tenths for $36!
August 22nd, 2025 was a historic day for the city of Massillon, Ohio. It was the first day of the high school football season, and anybody who knows anything about Massillon knows the city holds a special place in football history. The people of Massillon love football!
More importantly, this was the city’s first day with a legal cannabis store. There is a Story Cannabis location coming to Massillon sometime soon, but Bloom beat them out to be the first dispensary in the city.
The sign looks nice!
Despite having a late night the previous evening, I woke up early and parked in Bloom’s spacious strip mall parking lot right at 7:00 am. The store was set to open at 8:00 am. I was the first one in line. At the front door there was a guy putting up signage on the windows. I asked him, “Do you work for Bloom?”
He responded, “No, I’m just the sign guy.” I said “Well, hello sign guy!” He finished affixing the signage, said goodbye and walked off. After that, a few customers got in line, probably around 7:10 am.
There was a sense of excitement and joy in the air as I spoke with the Massillon locals. One of the customers had some interesting stories about their several years of experience in the Ohio cannabis industry! Another passionate consumer, wearing a Massillon Tigers hoodie, explained to me about how much this day meant to them and the city.
They told me about how sick they were of smoke shops selling harsh, ineffective Delta-8 vapes and low-THC hemp flower. Those stores are everywhere in Massillon, even right next to the new Bloom! The responsible consumer had waited a lifetime for their home town to get a legal cannabis dispensary.
Despite being able to get zips of fire for $175 from their buddy, the Tigers fan loved how Bloom offered so many different choices and options. They told me they were going to try some 92 Cookies from Buckeye and look around at some terpene profiles to find some other flower options.
There were a few overjoyed Massillon residents showing me images on their phone of what they planned to order and asking my opinion. One customer was interested in Airo pods. I explained to them the difference between the live resin and distillate pods. I recommended live resin. We also discussed details about 510 carts and terpenes.
A few of the Massillon Bloom employees stepped outside to greet the crowd. I knew a few of them from the Akron Bloom store! One of the Massillon Bloom employees, Aaron, was someone I worked with a few years ago at Ohio Cannabis Company! It was a nice surprise seeing him. I knew I would see him again at some point, but I didn’t know it would be then!
Finally the doors opened, and I clapped and cheered as I walked into the spacious, well-lit showroom. The employees welcomed me. There was no specific check-in room. You just checked in with your ID right on the showroom floor.
After checking in, my budtender was none other than Aaron, who was also the budtender for my first-ever legal cannabis purchase which took place at Ohio Cannabis Company in 2023.
While I was the first customer through the door and to check in, the customer behind me had an online preorder. Since their order was all ready to go, they were the first one to make a purchase from Bloom Massillon. I was the second purchaser, but the first to place a walk-in order. I selected a Sweetscape Live Resin 510 cart from Buckeye, since I had yet to try Buckeye’s live resin.
After the purchase I thanked everyone, said my goodbyes, and headed home. I had an excellent time this morning at Bloom’s grand opening in Massillon! However, this was not the first dispensary grand opening I recently attended.
A few weeks ago I was in the Solon area and got word that a new Botanist location would be opening the next morning. It was short notice, but I thought to myself, “What if I could be the first one to make a purchase from their store?” It would take determination, dedication and a will to wake with the roosters, but I decided it was worth it.
On the morning of July 28th, 2025, I cracked open a can of coffee, hopped in the car, and got to Botanist a little over an hour before opening time. When I got there, the check-in employee told me it was cool to hang out in my car. They would make sure I was the first customer to walk through the door.
As I sat in my car, a police officer kept driving past the parking lot and looking at me. I thought to myself about how state, national and worldwide weed laws have changed over the last few decades. While Ohio’s legal cannabis laws and marketplaces are far from perfect, we’re lucky to live in these unique times. These are the times Ohioans have been patiently waiting for!
A Botanist regional manager walked past the car and I struck up a conversation with them. After noticing my industry badge, they asked a little bit about me and my experience in the industry. We chatted for a bit, I gave them a Bill’s Bud Blog sticker and they headed inside.
I was the first customer in line with coffee in hand on July 28th, 2025 at Solon Botanist’s grand opening.
A few minutes before 10:00 am, the check-in employee told me it was cool to step outside of the car and form a line. The guy next to me in line recognized that my car air freshener was fashioned in the likeness of the pro wrestler Earthquake. My brother had got me the air freshener for my birthday. I talked about old-school wrestling with the customer until the doors opened!
While checking in at the front desk I once again saw the regional manager from earlier. They told me that they had already read all of the poems on Bill’s Bud Blog! They had even pinned my sticker on the breakroom bulletin board and wrote one of my poems on their company whiteboard! I wish I could remember which poem they said it was.
All of the showroom floor budtenders were friendly and accommodating. There was a sense of exhilaration to the showroom. Everyone was ecstatic. I ended up getting a gram of Farkas Farms Super B hybrid bubble hash and I was indeed the first customer to make a purchase.
The budtender at the checkout counter looked familiar. They told me they used to work at Story in Cleveland. That must have been where I saw them.
A few weeks later when I went back to Solon Botanist, the first thing they said to me when I hit the showroom floor was “You look familiar!” I feel like I’ll always have a connection to that dispensary since I had such a great experience being the first one to exchange money across the counter.
During that second visit I learned about another new dispensary in Solon called Verilife. I had been to Verilife’s Hillsboro location and got an impressive $80 half ounce of Cantucci Cookies from their brand called Matter (spelled matter. with a lowercase m and a period at the end). It’s nice to see more Ohio dispensaries popping up! There are more to come in 2025 and beyond!
If you’d like to feel the feeling of being the first customer through a dispensary door, keep your eyes peeled for announcements about shops opening in your area. Since Ohio dispensaries can’t legally advertise, you’ll have to rely on word-of-mouth or internet sources.
I’ve heard a lot of people say that their favorite Ohio cultivator is Galenas. I have also heard some people say that they feel the quality of Galenas bud has went down in recent times. The most-cited reason for this is because of lower terps and THC, which could be a result of Ohio’s newer testing methods. I’ve also heard some people say they’ve got super dry nugs in their Artifacts jars.
From what I’ve seen, smelled and smoked, I still consider Galenas one of the top DCC-licensed cultivators in Ohio. For me, their stuff has always smoked and tasted exceptional. However, I wouldn’t consider myself a regular Galenas smoker, as their prices are often too much for me to absorb.
The Astral Destiny is currently listed at $36 per tenth, which is a low price for Galenas. Their stuff is usually $42 to $46 per tenth, and I’ve seen it as high as $52 per tenth. $36 for a tenth is $360 per ounce before tax! Thankfully, their bud quality is damn near unrivaled among other DCC flower.
Last week a friend of mine gave me a small plastic egg. Inside of this egg was a fat nug of Galenas Astral Destiny flower. This has been a talked-about strain for several years, and a favorite amongst many Galenas connoisseurs. It’s an indica-dominant cross between Unicorn Poop and Blunicorn.
Astral Destiny by Galenas
I didn’t have the packaging to check the terps for this particular batch, but I looked at the Galenas website and local marijuana menus for more info. I found that the strain is high in myrcene, limonene and pinene.
The THC percentage on this batch was 17.2%. Earlier batches of Astral Destiny with different testing methods yielded potency levels around 25%.
When I cracked open the egg, the nug smelled real heavy and dank. The rankness was almost shitty in smell and taste, which makes sense given that the lineage contains a strain called Unicorn Poop. The bud was skunky, dirty, poopy and earthy.
This is definitely not one of their fruiter strains such as Moroccan Peaches or Blueberry Cookies. If anything, Astral Destiny smells of rotten fruit.
Astral Destiny by Galenas
The nug had a great look to it. There were no big stems or sugar leaves. Trichomes shimmered like stars. There were medium and dark green hues along with some purple flecks and jagged orange pistils. It broke down into nice chunks by hand and shredded evenly in my grinder. The Astral Destiny bud wasn’t dry, but it was pleasing to the eye.
Astral Destiny packed – it shredded nice in the grinder
The burn speed was slow and the ash color was light. The smoke was heavy but not harsh. The flower’s fumes didn’t burn the throat.
Astral Destiny’s pungent taste mirrored the smell: cheesy, stanky, skunky. The taste and smell may be off-putting to some people. It almost seems rotten, but in a good way, if that makes sense. This is a unique strain of cannabis and I can’t say I’ve really tasted anything truly like it. I suppose that’s what Galenas is known for!
The Astral Destiny had met its destiny
The effects were no doubt indica-leaning. I wasn’t sleepy or anything like that, but I was definitely feeling more relaxed than wired. I could feel the potent myrcene content from the Astral Destiny terpene profile. This was a great strain for pain relief.
Galenas Astral Destiny
I gave the Astral Destiny an 8/10 for taste, 4/10 for harshness, 7/10 for strength, 8/10 for smell strength and over 60 minutes for length of medical effects.
17.2% THC. According to local marijuna menus, this batch of Astral Destiny has the following terpene levels: b-Myrcene 7.55 mg/g, a-Pinene 3.18 mg/g, d-Limonene 2.88 mg/g.
For me, the Astral Destiny’s high terpene content made up for the relatively low THC percentage. I always take THC percentages with a grain of salt anyway. It’s definitely not the only factor to consider when buying bud.
Got an egg from my bestie. Open sesame, my astral destiny. Brings out the best in me. Come smoke the rest with me.
Click the squid to check out the Galenas genetic library!
I am not a fan of the winter months. The cold air dries my skin. The slushy ground dampens my shoes. If it wasn’t for weed I would bellow the blues.
One literal bright spot about winter time is the holiday display lights people affix to their homes. Despite their questionable energy demands upon the power grid, it’s comforting to see illuminated decorations during the holidays. Some groups of people go all out and decorate large industrial buildings while others band together and create multi-house displays.
This past season my brother Kenny and I decided to take a Christmas lights tour in order to see the best displays Cleveland had to offer. December 15th, 2024 was the date we embarked upon this quest.
Someone had a giant Ralphie from A Christmas Story blowup figurine in their front yard. It was two stories tall!
Kenny found a Christmas lights map on a Facebook page called Northeast Ohio Family Fun. He also researched information on ClevelandTraveler.com. He loaded up a pro wrestling theme song playlist on his car radio and off we went to our first stop, NELA Park, which is owned by General Electric Lighting. It’s the world’s first industrial park and was the location of many important discoveries in the field of lighting.
If you can’t park in one of the few front visitor spots there is really nowhere to park. Everything else was gated off. Across the street there is a GAS USA location which offers hot corned beef sandwiches. GAS USA should be the name of a weed strain.
We made it to East Cleveland and parked at NELA around 5:45 pm. It had already gotten dark outside. The weather was 42 degrees with some slight rain.
NELA Park featured a lot of pre-made displays with wooden cutouts. There were also some huge arrangements such as the 100 year anniversary candle atop the building. I appreciated the large variety of colors incorporated within the displays.
100 years is a long time.
The setup was somewhat underwhelming but still worth visiting. There were no flashing lights, animation or music incorporated anywhere. Most of the displays were behind fences, so you couldn’t walk through the lighting configurations. You could only stroll in front of them. The Ho Ho Ho Santa-Hat Bungalow was the only interactive element to the display.
KennyBill holding up the Christmas tree
There was a small amount of other people at NELA Park looking at the lights. It wasn’t much of an active scene. I’m sure the rain didn’t help with that. NELA park was a good stop to make in regards to completing the holiday lights tour but I wouldn’t say it was a must-see attraction. Its overall rating was a 6 out of 10, above average but not a required pilgrimage.
Trolley time!This was the most impressive element to the display.
On the way to the next stop I missed a few real good shots of huge downtown Cleveland buildings with cool lighting. I did manage to snap a few shots of Progressive Field. There are several dispensaries near the ballpark: The Landing, RISE, Shangri-La, Therapy, The Botanist, Nectar, Insa and Citizen by Klutch.
There are several dispensaries near the ballpark.Dispensaries near Progressive Field: The Landing, RISE, Shangri-La, Therapy, The Botanist, Nectar, Citizen and Insa.
The second stop on the tour was Strongsville Town Square. Apparently this place called Pleasant Hills Church was on the holiday lights list. They had a small outdoor display, but inside they were supposed to have a full-on light show with interactive Christmas-themed rooms.
As we entered the church this is what we saw.I snapped a shot with the cutout.
My brother and I entered the main worship hall and found an empty pew. The light show began just as we sat down. It turned out to be underwhelming with bad music and low-budget wizardry. I took some video but it is so boring that I didn’t bother to upload it and include it in the article.
I was expecting Christmas-themed rooms to walk through, not quite this. It wasn’t a big deal though. The people at the church were friendly. The second stop on the lights tour got a 2 out of 10 rating. It was a waste of time. You can’t win ’em all.
As I sat in the pew the song High in Church came to mind. Rest in Peace to Trevor Moore.
On the way to Strongsville Town Center I saw a house with Santa aliens in the front yard but sadly didn’t snap the shot in time. As we passed by I got a few shots of these holiday houses.
Next we went to Strongsville Town Center. There were several large displays, a big purple tree and a Grinch up in a high tower. It was an immersive walk through experience. I gave it a 7 out of 10. It lacked of audio and animation but I appreciated the large-scale effort and attention to detail.
The final stop on the 2024 holiday lights tour was Crown Point Parkway in Strongsville. This annual multi-home lighting arrangement has been featured on The Great Christmas Light Fight TV show. On the way there we drove past the highly-regarded restaurant known as Honeygrow. Sadly it was closed at the time.
Crown Point Parkway was holiday overkill. There were dozens of animated displays with synchronized music and flashing lights. During certain hours, live musicians perform and a man dressed as Santa hands out hot cocoa to people walking around the cul-de-sac. I gave Crown Point Parkway a 9 out of 10 for their daunting display of holiday detail.
There were more stops on the list but it was getting late and we were getting hungry. On the way home we had no choice but to stop for food. The only place open was Wal-Mart. In the snack section we saw an old classic, blue raspberry gummy sharks. When we got home we had a close encounter of the 26% kind with the UFOG strain from Old Pal!
It could just be me reminiscing with rose-colored glasses but it seems like a greater number of residents would light up their homes for Christmas in years past. Nonetheless, it’s entertaining to see the efforts people put forth with their holiday decorations. The only time I will truly be impressed is when I see green lights on a home for 420 or golden lights on a house for 710.
Advertising disclosure: I do not have a material connection to this grower. This is not a paid endorsement.
A few months ago at the Northeast Ohio Rosin Fest I met a guy named Max, better known as Professor Bluntstache (Instagram: @Professor_Bluntstache). At one time he was the the Lead Horticulture Instructor at The Cleveland School of Cannabis. These days he keeps busy with many activities in the cannabis realm.
My 2017 Cleveland Cannabis College coaster. It was produced before they changed the name to Cleveland School of Cannabis in 2018.
Professor Bluntstache is a private consultant, applying his decade of experience in regenerative cultivation to assist grows of all scales. He is well-educated in the fields of chemical engineering and organic farm management.
He gives public presentations on topics such as organic cannabis gardening, cloning and transplanting. At Rosin Fest I smoked several bowls as he gave a fascinating presentation on his methods of making bubble hash and rosin.
Click the image to hear Professor Bluntstache talk about organic cultivation versus other grow methods. He also discusses alternate cannabinoids such as Delta-8, Delta-10, THC-0 and HHC.
Most importantly, Professor Bluntstache is the current Professor of Cannabis Science at Farmingdale State College in Farmingdale, New York. His main focus is producing standard operating procedures that generate top-shelf cannabis in the most efficient ways possible.
I’ve met him at Puff n’ Stuff instore appearances in Kent and Mayfield Heights, but last time I spoke to the man was at an Ohio Cannabis Farmers Market at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds. I had a few questions that he was happy to answer.
What are his temple balls of hash made from?Washed bubble hash that is squished and rolled by hand.
One gram of temple ball hash from Professor Bluntstashe
Where can I buy Professor Bluntstache flower? He gave me the names of several headshops that sell his stuff. I recommend calling first to make sure they have it in stock. However, since it isn’t always clearly labeled as Bluntstache flower, the employee might not know the name Bluntstache. While shopping, look for this style of label.
Narly Creations – Columbus Festival Vendor, Event Page
Take a look at some of the top-shelf flower I’ve acquired from Professor Bluntstache! This is the reason home grow, Tier-3, craft cannabis cultivation and legal hemp is important for our community. The flower is organic, pesticide-free, sticky, fresh and tasty, and you’re supporting local farmers.
If Bluntstache’s bud is indeed technically hemp with less than 0.3% Delta-9 THC, then he is doing hemp the right way, unlike the low-shelf hemp flower you find in most smoke shops and gas stations. To me, Bluntstache’s bud looks, smells, tastes and smacks like cannabis, not hemp.
Upon opening a jar of Professor Bluntstache bud, the aroma not only smacks you but invigorates your mind. After taking a few deep whiffs you can literally feel a slight head buzz, and your body tells you that this is the funk you were looking for. The flower is sticky and fresh. It never turns to dust in a grinder. It always burns slow and tastes superb.
Professor’s Push Pop, sativa
The Professor’s Push Pop was the first eighth I bought from the Professor. The terpinolene smell and taste was off the charts. It definitely had a creamier side to the flavor which was like a Firecracker Push Pop.
I didn’t snap a photo of the Push Pop until I had one bowl left. I feel like the picture doesn’t truly give the strain justice. It had excellent bag appeal.
Grown with love in living soil. Pesticide-free. The lineage was Purple Punch (Ohio Cut) x Professor’s Star (2023 Stock). The aroma was like overripe fruit mixed with ice cream. It was sweet, floral and fuely. The effect made me feel clear-headed and amused. I was also very relaxed.
Twisted Wreck, sativa
The Twisted Wreck was GAS! It had great bag appeal. It was loud, gassy and fuely in smell and taste. It gave an excellent sativa high. The Twisted Wreck won the award for the best-tasting strain at the 2025 Ganja Cup in Canton, Ohio!
Grown with love in living soil. Pesticide-free. The lineage was East Coast Sour Diesel x Trainwreck x Silver Mountain. 2019 stock. The smell was citrusy and limey with terpinolene. The background smell was sweet, funky and fuely. The effect left me mellowed and clear-headed with a strong body buzz.
Sunshine #4 x ’88 G13 Hash Plant, sativa
The Sunshine #4 x ’88 G13 Hash Plant flower produced some seeds, so I had to watch out while breaking it down. The bud itself was sticky, dank and citrusy. I could definitely smell and taste creamy terpinolene as well.
It smoked great, producing a strong, uplifting and energizing high. It tasted refreshing and wasn’t dry. The lineage was Sunshine #4 crossed with ’88 G13 Hash Plant. Wow! The stuff smelled fresh, spicy, sweet, citrusy and terpinolene-heavy. Grown with love in living soil. Pesticide-free.
The 80’s Durban Poison looked and smelled so good that I didn’t even want to smoke it. Smelling this fresh, sticky, trichome-laced flower really took me back to a time when top shelf meant top shelf.
Grown with love in living soil. Pesticide-free. According to the label this was an 1980’s stock African Landrace Hybridized Durban Poison strain. The aroma was fuely, rubbery and terpinolene-heavy. Background smell was sweet piney. The effect made me wired, inspired, then calm and sedative.
Peanut Marmalade #5, indica
The Peanut Marmalade #5 was some of the most purple pot I’ve seen in a long, long time. Staring into these buds was like peeking through a portal into a ganja galaxy filled with shiny star trichomes. It definitely gave more of an indica effect upon consumption.
Grown with love in living soil. Pesticide-free. The lineage was Trop F2 x Peanut Butter Breath (2021 Stock). The smell was spicy, sweet, nutty and woody. The background scent was floral and berry. The effect was giggly, blissful and calm.
Peanut Marmalade #5, indicaBlack Magic, hybrid
The Black Magic had a creamy terpinolene taste. I bought this one from SuperLit in Olmsted Township and they had branded it under the name Dickie’s. There was no lineage listed on the container.
Grown with love in living soil. Pesticide-free. The aroma and flavor were sweet berry, terpinolene and citrusy. The effect was euphoric, romantic and sedative.
Chemstar, sativa
The Chemstar smelled strong and dank. It’s the closest thing I’ve smelled or tasted to the sought-after Death Star strain from 2011 and 2012. The lineage was (Deathstar x [Mos Eisley = Chem ’91 x Deathstar BX2]) ~ 2020 stock.
Grown with love in living soil. Pesticide-free. The aroma was fuely like kerosene and gas. It was also earthy, piney, funky and had a slight hint of ammonia. The effect was an intense lift off with a sedative yet bubbly second phase.
Indigo Magic Freak, indica
The Indigo Magic Freak had a unique lineage: (Black Magic x Indigo Pupil) x (Berryfreak F2 x Indigo Pupil) ~ 2022 stock. It delivered a heavier indica effect.
Grown with love in living soil. Pesticide-free. The aroma was sweet, berry, candy, spicy, earthy and a bit leathery. The effect was clear-headed, soaring, relaxed and giddy.
Chemstar Bx3 Rosin, 2nd pull quality
I was very pleased with Professor Bluntstache’s rosin 510 carts and disposables. They tasted great, gave superb effect and functioned as expected. When he had some Chemstar BX3 rosin available, I scooped up a gram. It tasted fresher and cleaner than any hash I’d smoked in a while! I’d love to try some of his 1st press rosin.
When I found out Ohio Bloom dispensaries would be releasing an exclusive Galenas strain on July 1st, I prepared my lungs and pocketbook for the date. The stuff was called Hawaiian Snowcone and was said to be high in limonene and caryophyllene. I looked forward to an invigorating smoke just in time for the humid Ohio Fourth of July. Edit: This strain can be found at any dispensary now, not just Bloom. The exclusive deal must have been for a limited time.
I bought my bag on release date and immediately handed a bowl-sized nug to a friend. Afterwards, the tenth weighed 2.79 grams. Not bad!
The Hawaiian Snowcone strain is a high-terp cross between Zkittlez, Lemon Cherry Gelato and Plushers. It came packaged in a pink Mylar baggie with a viewing window on the bottom. The bag smashed the buds and they were a bit flattened when poured onto the table.
I didn’t see the squid, but I felt as chill as these wizards after puffing the Hawaiian Snowcone.
As soon as I opened the Mylar, my room was filled with a heavy, dank aroma. When given a few whiffs I detected the fruity sweetness from the limonene along with clove from the caryophyllene. If I used my imagination it smelled like a weedy push pop or an infused ice cream treat. It was unique and alluring. I looked forward to smoking it!
The Hawaiian Snowcone buds contained medium and light green hues. They had clumps of small orange pistils that stuck close to the nugs. The flowers reformed their shape when squeezed. Each nug contained a single stem running through its middle. The trim was terrific. The only drawback about the look was the fact that the buds were a bit smashed from the bag.
I pulled a glass piece out of my Grunge Off bath, rinsed it, dried it, and packed it full of Hawaiian Snowcone. The buds broke down beautifully in my grinder. There was no dust or mist, just malleable shreddings that were easily moldable within the bowl head.
Packed Hawaiian Snowcone
The weed burned at about a medium speed and ashed light. It tasted like sweet vanilla mixed with citrus fruit and dank skunk. I could detect the spiciness from the caryophyllene. It made me think of Firecracker Ice Pops or Firework Faygo. The Hawaiian Snowcone cannabis was refreshing!
Melted Hawaiian Snowcone
It didn’t make me cough despite the high level of caryophyllene. Some people call this terpene “carycoughyllene” due to its potential harshness on the throat and lungs. In nature, caryophyllene is found in black pepper, clove and cinnamon. In my experience with marijuana, caryophyllene is a good terpene for those who smoke regularly, as it seems to pack a potent punch.
The Hawaiian Snowcone’s medical effects were strong. I got a balanced hybrid feeling, as I was focused and alert in my head yet my body seemed relaxed and pain-free. In most cases this is exactly the type of effect I am looking for out of my cannabis consumption experience.
I graded the Hawaiian Snowcone from Galenas with an 8 out of 10 for strength, 8 out of 10 for taste, 4 out of 10 for harshness, 8 out of 10 for smell strength and over 60 minutes for length of medical effects.
Total THC 24.70%, total CBD 0.06%. Delta-9 THC 0.59%, THCA 27.50%, CBDA 0.06%.
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