There’s a grow shop in Akron called Indoor Gardens that offers a cannabis-growing class. Upon completion of the course, the instructors give each student a few cuttings in order to start their own small garden. A blog reader took the Indoor Gardens class and gave me a sample of his hybrid Cherry Zoap cut. Thank you for the weed!
Cherry Zoap hybrid
My sample of Cherry Zoap weighed 2.0 grams. The bud had a very sweet and fruity smell to it. The scent definitely gave me cherry vibes.
The nugs were trimmed nicely, with no visible stems, sugar leaves or leafy material. They were bright green in color with tiny, curly orange pistils that stuck close to the bud. Shiny trichomes were visible both on the outside and inside of the flower.
The nugs were far from dry. They gave a very nice squeeze and did not make a crunching sound while doing so. Flakes did not fall off while breaking the bud apart with my fingers, which is not something you can always say with dispensary weed.
For example, I recently bought a tenth of Jack Le’Pew from the Pure Ohio Wellness “Locally Grown” brand. The bud was dry as bone.
The ideal properties of the fresh, homegrown Cherry Zoap carried over to my grinder. When shredded through the Santa Cruz Shredder, or mashed though the Flower Mill, the Cherry Zoap held its own and behaved as expected. It didn’t turn to a powdery dust like some of the dryer strains I sample.
Cherry Zoap packedCherry Zoap punched
The Cherry Zoap burned at about a medium speed and ashed very light. I could tell it was flushed properly by both the ash color and taste. I didn’t taste any earth, dirt or nutrients.
There was an almost candy-like sweetness to the flavor. Alongside that, I could slightly detect the Zoap’s gassy, gluey properties. The top terpenes were probably limonene, myrcene, caryophyllene and maybe some ocimene or humulene. The smoke was not harsh and did not make me cough or produce phlegm.
The medical effects were pretty chill but I did seem to get sort of a sativa-like head buzz. This strain did not make me anywhere near sleepy, but I felt unmistakable body relaxation and pain relief. It also took away a nagging headache that was driving me crazy. The Cherry Zoap was excellent for use during morning and mid-day house chores.
I gave the homegrown Cherry Zoap hybrid a 7/10 for taste, 3/10 for harshness, 7/10 for strength, 6/10 for smell strength and 60 to 90 minutes for length of medical effects. Thanks again to the contributor for the excellent sample! May your thumb become greener with each harvest.
Meigs County flower has a pretty good reputation amongst the stoners I meet and talk to. The only criticism I’ve heard are complaints about Meigs 510 carts switching from cured resin to distillate.
When I reviewed the Meigs County Truffaloha flower last year I didn’t like the way it burned or tasted. That’s not to say they haven’t put out some good bud, because I really enjoyed their Black Maple #22, Strawberry Guava, Swampwater Fumez, Cactus Cookies and Rainbow Guava. A friend recently gifted me a tenth of Meigs County Parfait to blaze and review. Thank you!
Agri-Med Ohio, LLC grows Meigs County flower. Agri-Med Ohio is owned by Ethos Cannabis. The lineage of their Parfait strain is Zpumoni x Key Limeade. It came packaged in the “Country Cut” orange Mylar baggie with see-through bottom, not an opaque ceramic jar.
The buds smelled sweet with a bit of spiciness. There was also a nice smooth floral aroma buried within. It had a good marijuana scent to it but I wouldn’t call it the dankest or skunkiest of smells.
I didn’t get a chance to weigh the tenth before initial consumption. The tenth consisted of three buds, one of them smaller than the other two. It almost seemed like not enough weed to be a tenth but I soon realized that the buds were super dense. They gave no squeeze.
One of the bigger buds of Parfait from Meigs County
These nugs looked real nice! There was virtually no stem present and zero sugar leaves or unappealing junk. The bud contained a variety of colors, such as light green, purple, white shiny trichomes and curly orange pistils. There were a lot of trichomes on this stuff. It kind of reminded me of a snow cap.
The Parfait was dry. It became dust through a grinder. As I handled the bud, little bits of plant material and trikes fell off. When I cracked open a nug, small weed chunks flew across the table. In the image below you can see an example of this after I broke up a nug.
The Parfait bud was dry, but not unsmokable
Meigs County’s Parfait burned at about a medium speed. Even though it was devoid of moisture, it didn’t immediately incinerate, which was nice. It also didn’t taste too dry. It had a sweet, limonene-heavy taste, and I could definitely detect linalool’s gracefulness. The linalool did a nice job of balancing out the sweeter limonene and spicier caryophyllene.
Packed ParfaitIt ashed light
While the Parfait was a hybrid according to its labeling and terpenes, my experienced effects were a bit headier and sativa-leaning. This could be due to the 0.56% limonene and 0.11% humulene content. For me, humulene makes me feel like a human being, and when it is featured in a terp profile I often get swooped in a sativa soundwave.
Although the nugs were definitely drier than I’d prefer, I still enjoyed the Parfait from Meigs County. It had a nice taste and the medical effects were pain-relieving yet not sedating. It burned well and ashed light. Thanks again to the contributor for the sample!
After trying the Parfait, I rated it 7/10 for taste, 4/10 for harshness, 7/10 for strength, 6/10 for smell strength and 60 minutes for length of medical effects.
Total THC 22.70%, Delta-9 THC 0.17%, THCA 25.70%. Total CBD 0.06%, CBDA 0.07%.
Terpenes: d-Limonene 0.56%, b-Caryophyllene 0.24%, Linalool 0.24%, a-Humulene 0.11%. It isn’t often you see two terpenes tie for second place!
Manufactured by Agri-Med Ohio, LLC. Harvested 08/07/2025, tested 08/28/2025 by North Coast Testing Lab LLC, packaged 09/11/2025, initially consumed 11/10/2025, expires 08/07/2026.
I’ve always enjoyed Butterfly Effect flower, which is grown in East Fultonham by Grow Ohio. Their quality is consistent and the bud always tastes like it smells. The flower never seems to be super dense, which is kind of nice, because a lot of legal Ohio weed isn’t very fluffy or squishy.
Butterfly Effect produces a wide range of products, including edibles, tinctures, 510 carts, disposables and luster pods. Their vapes are filled with either distillate or live resin. Butterfly’s unscented 4:1 CBD:THC Topical Cream is an excellent way to reduce pain and inflammation in the back, neck or joints. I’ve used it to relieve not only pain but also dry skin.
A few weeks back a friend asked if I had tried Butterfly Effect’s Peach Dosi flower. When I told them I had not, they were surprised, since Peach Dosi is a popular strain from Butterfly. It is such a popular strain that its oil is extracted for wax, 510 carts, disposables and luster pods.
The next day, the friend unexpectedly handed me three nugs of Peach Dosi to sample. Thank you!
Two of the three Peach Dosi nugs that I was given
Peach Dosi is an indica cross between the Dosi Do and Peach strains. It comes packaged in a glass jar for tenths and a plastic jar for halfs. The jars have a black plastic lid. My sample was given to me in a small baggie.
The Peach Dosi bud had a light smell which wasn’t terribly powerful. I figure that some terpenes may have been lost while the sample was in the baggie. The flower did however give off a weedy scent which had ever-so-slight citrusy undertones.
The buds were bright and medium green with curly orange pistils. I noticed a bit of yellow color as well. There was virtually no stem present on the nugs. There wasn’t a whole lot of denseness to the buds as they were rather fluffy and airy. They weren’t awfully sticky but they broke down nicely by hand. After running the nugs through a grinder they did not turn to dust.
Peach Dosi packed
For me, Butterfly Effect’s Peach Dosi flower burned at about a medium speed. The nugs didn’t burn up quickly but it took little effort to cash the bowl. It wasn’t like I had to keep puffing endlessly to kill the pipe, which is the way it seems with some denser or stickier strains.
Punched-out Peach Dosi
I was happy with the light ash color produced by burning this bud. As far as taste was concerned, I experienced a slight peach flavor on the exhale. The aftertaste made my palette even peachier. The muted citrus taste lingered around for a few minutes after smoking the bowl.
In my opinion, the flavor wasn’t as peachy as that possessed by the Moroccan Peaches from Galenas. I’d love to compare these strains to a few peach strains from other cultivators to see how they all stack against each other.
There was very little if any harshness to the smoke produced by the Peach Dosi. The medical effects were calming and steadying. I found balance between body and mind. I was blessed with some much-needed pain relief to the neck, shoulder and lower back, albeit temporary. This strain released tension in a calm fashion.
Thanks again for the sample of Peach Dosi! I gave it a 7 out of 10 for taste, 3 out of 10 for harshness, 7 out of 10 for strength, 5 out of 10 for smell strength and 60 minutes for length of medical effects. I would love to buy a half ounce of this flower at some point.
According to online marijuana menus I can see that Butterfly Effect’s indica Peach Dosi tested around 21.95% for THC. The top terpenes are myrcene, caryophyllene and limonene. Since I didn’t have the original container I don’t know any info about the batch’s cannabinoids, terpene percentage, harvest date or packaging date.
Peach Dosi from Butterfly Effect is a strain I’d buy.
Oftentimes, homegrown marijuana can be much fresher and stickier than the stuff you get in a dispensary. This is why I enjoy acquiring cannabis the traditional way: from a friend.
The other day a friend gave me a sample of something they grew at home. Thank you! It was a half gram pre-rolled Zig-Zag joint of Gorilla Glue. The joint smelled pretty nice and gave off a light skunky aroma. It smelled like something I’d enjoy smoking.
There was a G written on the tip, I suppose to indicate that it was Gorilla Glue
According to Leafly, Gorilla Glue is a classic hybrid strain made from a cross between Sour Dubb and Chocolate Diesel. It is known for its ability to make you feel “glued” to the couch. It’s a strain I have come across several times throughout the years, and when grown properly is always a winner.
The joint was given to me loose, so I put it in a plastic container until I got home. The Zig-Zag paper was bleached and made from flax plant fibers. I appreciated how the pre-rolled tip had the Zig-Zag logo, which led me to believe that this was a cone as opposed to a hand-rolled joint.
The dry hit had a light skunky taste and I didn’t see any junk or stems through the paper. The joint was densely packed.
I sparked the Gorilla Glue joint and noticed it did not make my throat burn. The bud tasted like it smelled and ashed light, which made me happy. There were no airflow or canoeing issues and the smoking experience lasted about 3 or 4 minutes.
The bud did not ash dark
The medical effects were relaxing yet euphoric. This strain gave me a mood boost along with a nice chilled-out feeling that lasted about an hour or so. I would recommend Gorilla Glue for those looking to erase pain and ease a racing mind.
As far as ratings are concerned, I gave the Gorilla Glue joint a 7 out of 10 for strength, 5 out of 10 for smell strength, 7 out of 10 for taste, 3 out of 10 for harshness and 60 minutes for length of medical effects.
If I had to guess, I would say the top terpenes were caryophyllene, myrcene and pinene. This cut of Gorilla Glue might test somewhere around 20% THCA but there is no way for me to know for sure, that’s just what it seemed like.
Yesterday I set off on a whim for two locations I’ve been meaning to visit: Eagle Mound within the Great Circle at the Newark Earthworks and Alligator Mound. I brought along a few strains to review in the process!
The first major milestone I reached was passing the 7-story Longaberger building. It is the former headquarters of the Longaberger Company who were famous for producing wooden baskets. The now-defunct building is shaped like a gigantic basket.
That’s a damn big basket
My original intention was to visit Alligator Mound before I visited Eagle Mound within the Great Circle. However, when I stopped to get gas, I realized I was only 8 minutes away from Eagle Mound. So off to the Great Circle I went!
As soon as I parked I could see the gigantic, circular 1,200-foot structure of earth. It rendered me awestruck.
The Great Circle is one of the largest circular earthworks in both North and South America. There is a giant moat-like pit contained inside of the walls, not in front of them. Near the middle of the circle lies a giant eagle effigy mound.
An effigy is an image or representation of a person, animal or object. Many pottery vessels were made to represent animals and human heads. Effigy mounds are earthworks deliberately shaped to represent animals, humans, and even in a few cases, specific symbolic artifacts. Mounds have been found that were formed into snakes, birds, panthers, water creatures, shaman and ceremonial axes.
I got out of the car to take in the scenery. There were crows flying above the Great Circle. It was a remarkably beautiful day with no rain and lots of sunshine.
I walked around to the right side of the structure. There was a stone bridge that lead to the Great Circle’s interior, where you were able to walk around. I made my way towards the Eagle Mound, which is located right at the center of the circle.
In front of Eagle Mound was a sign that explained what is known about the earthwork. I walked around Eagle Mound and could see the shape, but from the ground it was kind of hard to tell what it was. You could definitely see the wings and head, but to me it wasn’t exactly clear what the shape of the structure was from the ground. I might not have caught onto the fact it was shaped like an eagle had I not known already.
I noticed that there were lots of other really small mounds or hills in the landscape around the eagle. I walked back across the stone bridge to exit the Great Circle. I then ran a lap around the Great Circle! I became winded and had to stop a few times throughout the jaunt.
It was now time for the first of two strain reviews: the Frozen Bananas 16.4% THC one gram hybrid pre-roll from Pure Ohio Wellness. It was packed in an opaque white tube. I didn’t see any stems or junk in the joint, which was nice.
The flower was wrapped in unbleached hemp paper. The cone’s tip had a Pure Ohio logo on it. It had a light, slightly fruity scent to it, which did remind me of banana a bit. The dry hit tasted like it smelled.
I stood outside of the Great Circle and faced directly towards Eagle Mound. I sparked the Frozen Bananas joint with a Bic lighter while fighting a slight breeze.
There was a bit of a run right off the rip, which may have had to do with the wind. I re-lit as necessary and puffed the piff. The ash was very light colored and the smoke was far from harsh. I liked the clean taste, which did remind me a bit of banana. It wasn’t a sharp fruity taste like citrus or strawberry, it was more of a muted fruit flavor.
The airflow quality diminished about 3/4ths of the way through the joint. I had to roll the joint’s tip and remaining flower to loosen it up. This actually fixed the airflow and the rest of the joint burned slow and even.
There were a few relights throughout the burn to fix slight runs, but overall this was not a bad joint at all. It lasted about 10 minutes. The medical effects were relaxing, but not overwhelming, and lasted about 45 minutes. As I waited for the effects to wear off, I sat within the Great Circle and meditated.
I gave the Frozen Bananas 16.4% THC one gram hybrid pre-roll a 7/10 for taste, 4/10 for harshness, 6/10 for strength, 6/10 for smell strength and 45 minutes for length of medical effects.
Ingredients: cannabis plant material, rolling paper (wood fiber), filter (cardboard).
Total THC 16.4%, Delta-9 THC 0.20%, Delta-9 THCA 18.5%. Total CBD 0.04%.
Harvested by Pure Ohio Wellness on 07/01/2025, tested by North Coast on 08/26/2025, packaged 09/03/2025, consumed 09/29/2025, expires 08/19/2026.
As I was leaving the Great Circle to head to Alligator Mound, I noticed a sign that said “only a few miles to visit Flint Ridge Ancient Quarries!” On a whim, I went off on a tangent to visit the ancient flint quarries. When would I ever be back in this area any time soon? I might as well explore as much as I possibly can.
I quickly found out that “Only a few miles” was eight miles of long, winding, hilly country roads with fast speed limits. Sometimes, cars would fly up and over these hills at an incredible rate of speed. All you could do was pray that they didn’t stray left to center.
I asked myself, how could you possibly drive these roads in the winter, with ice and snow? I determined that the answer to that question is you cannot drive these roads in the winter. It would be impassible and impossible.
After parking and getting settled, I headed into the Flint Ridge Quarries museum. I talked to the attendant and got a small tour of the facility. I learned that flint is a quartz rock. I learned about some of the many uses of flint.
There is a piece of flint in every Bic lighter which helps produce sparks that ignite the butane gas.
I left the museum and began walking the .75 mile Quarry Trail, which is surrounded by flint quarries.
The trail entrance
The Quarry Trail was a hilly hike! I have hiked lots of Ohio trails and this one gave me a particular workout with its uneven terrain. It was fun to run up and down these steep, root-laced hills.
I had a joint of Mixtape, grown by a friend right here in Ohio. I will be making a point to review more homegrown Ohio strains now that it is legal to grow cannabis in this state.
MixtapeMixtapeThe mixtape is loaded up in the cassette deck
Here is what the grower had to say about their Mixtape strain: “With its varied lineage, this happy little accident I stumbled upon has quickly become a fan favorite.”
The Mixtape had a very fresh, myrcene-heavy smell. It was pungent and aromatic. It smelled enticing. The strong smell was on the earthier side but I could detect slight fruitiness, maybe from the myrcene. It smelled really good!
The buds had nice greens and oranges in them with minimal stemmage. The Mixtape bag given to me contained small buds, so the nugs weren’t giant, but they were plenty smokeable and still looked great.
The buds were not overly dry and they stuck to my fingers as I broke them down. Through a grinder they did not turn to dust, which was awesome. The Mixtape nugs ground down to a nice fluffy consistency that was easy to pack and roll.
After enjoying a few tasty dry hits, I sparked the Mixtape joint within a flint quarry pit.
The quarry from afarThe quarry up close – it’s hard to see with all the leaves
The joint burned pretty slow, lasting around 10 minutes total. It produced white ash and tasted just like it smelled: earthy, fruity and gassy. It tasted awesome! I looked forward to each smooth draw.
Bye-bye, buddy!Time to hit rewind on the mixtape! Here was the ash color when smoked in a bowl.
For me, the Mixtape’s medical effects were hybrid-leaning. My body felt relaxed yet my mind was motivated. The aches and pains produced by the the day’s driving and hiking melted from my mind. The effects lasted about an hour or so.
I gave the Ohio Mixtape an 8/10 for taste, 3/10 for harshness, 8/10 for strength, 8/10 for smell strength and over 60 minutes for length of medical effects. I am definitely looking forward to reviewing some more Ohio homegrown cannabis! You can’t beat the freshness and taste.
After walking around and waiting a while it was time to head to Alligator Mound, which is a 25 minute drive from the Flint Ridge Quarries. The effigy mound itself is built atop a gigantic hill. In modern times there is an upscale housing development built all the way up this hill. The only way to reach the effigy is to drive five minutes up a long, winding residential road.
Once I plodded up the hill I reached the day’s ultimate destination: Alligator Mound.
There is no good place to park at Alligator Mound. There is only one small, thin road that circles the effigy. I parked as far to the side of the road as I could near the right side of the effigy.
Unlike Serpent Mound and Eagle Mound, you are allowed to walk on Alligator Mound. There is even one of those “PUP” Pick Up Poop doggie bag stations at the foot of the mound. Somebody is clearly cutting the grass atop the effigy, probably one of the nearby residents. How cool would it be to live right next to Alligator Mound and see it every day out of your window?
I sparked the final Mixtape joint and stood in awe at the incredible view. Crows circled above.
View from the highest point of Alligator MoundI turned around 180 degrees from the last shot and took this photoIn this shot you can see just how high the hill standsIt was a perfect dayYou can kind of see the effigy structure in this shotView from street levelThe final picture before I left
If I didn’t know what I was looking for I might not have noticed the effigy animal’s form while standing atop the structure. I might have just thought it was a hilly area. Maybe long ago it was easier to see the shape in the earth. Who knows what kind of animal it might actually represent? Probably not an alligator.
The view atop Alligator Mound was jaw-dropping, serene and beautiful, despite the painful eyesore of all the huge houses everywhere. It was damn near silent up there. I imagined what the view must have looked like before all of the “progress” and residential development.
I felt a calming energy as the crows quietly circled above. I sat atop Alligator Mound and appreciated the fact I existed and was even able to travel here in the first place.
I felt so high up atop the earth that it seemed like I could touch the clouds. This effigy was definitely built in this spot for a reason. I stayed as long as I could before I had to get in the car and leave the breathtaking area.
After visiting Serpent Mound, Eagle Mound and Alligator Mound, I can say for certain that it is very difficult and near impossible to see the shape of these structures from the ground. You have to be elevated up somehow in order to view them in full.
This past weekend I attended the 10th annual Cleveland Pinball & Arcade Show in Independence, Ohio. With over 100 games all set to free play, this is an event I try to attend each year. This time I came equipped with a Certified FL Sunrise sativa pre-roll to get me in the zone.
When I popped open the opaque black plastic tube I was greeted with a light citrusy scent. The joint had no branding or logos on the tip. The unbleached paper was made from wood pulp.
The densely-packed bat weighed 1.28 grams with crutch included. The plant material looked good, with no visible stems or unwanted matter.
Certified FL Sunrise Sativa Pre-Roll 21.5% THC
Upon sparking the single serve unit, I was glad to see that the ash color was very light.
The ash wasn’t dark, which was nice.
The harshness was low and the flavor was large. Although Limonene was listed as the fourth terpene, I still detected a predominantly citrusy taste. There was 2.36 mg/g of Ocimene, which is also known to be a citrusy terpene, and 4.49 mg/g of Myrcene, which is the terpene that helps give mangoes their taste.
I did not have to re-light the joint at all during the ten-minute session. The unit burned evenly and produced a nice oil ring around the cherry.
Oil ring around the FL Sunrise pre-rollI used a torch lighter to spark the jib.All good things must come to an end.
The medical effects from the FL Sunrise pre-roll were undoubtedly strong. The combination of myrcene, caryophyllene, ocimene and limonene along with the respectable THC percentage put me where I needed to be when it came time to play pinball. I was able to focus on the fun while feeling pain-free and at ease.
Grippin’ the flippersFrank was on hand for photo ops
I would definitely buy another Certified pre-roll if given the opportunity. The FL Sunrise joint burned slow and even, had a nice taste and packed an effective medical punch. Hopefully I get to try one of their infused pre-rolls at some point.
I gave the Certified FL Sunrise sativa pre-roll an 8/10 for taste, 3/10 for harshness, 7/10 for strength, 6/10 for smell strength and 60 to 75 minutes for length of medical effects.
Ingredients: Ground cannabis flower, brown cone (unbleached wood pulp and organic arabic gum), paper filter/crutch.
Total THC 21.5%, Delta-9 THC 0.71%, Delta-9 THCa 23.7%. Total CBD 0.05%, CBDa 0.06%.
I was low on flower. I was at Ohio Cannabis Company to buy a Pure Ohio Frozen Bananas pre-roll. While looking at their half ounce menu, a strain name caught my eye: Buckeye Purple.
I love purple weed, and since Paragon is a veteran-owned company, I figured I’d give the strain a shot. The only other Paragon strain I have tried was a tenth of Kush The Alien which was a little dry but overall not bad.
Paragon’s Buckeye Purple half ounce was packaged in a black Mylar bag with a see-through window. The buds looked cheesy with purple flecks throughout. They didn’t seem dry. I should have checked for terp info, because if I would have saw there was no terp info listed on the bag, I would have moved on to something else.
I was thoroughly disappointed upon opening the bag and taking a whiff of the wares. It didn’t smell like purple weed, or really like weed at all. It smelled like hay or lawn grass. If I would have been able to smell this weed before I bought it, I would have quickly moved on to something else.
The half ounce weighed 14.10 grams, just under the 14.15 grams that I paid for. The buds themselves looked pretty dense and chunky, with visible trichomes when broken apart. They were green in color with purple specs and low stemmage.
Paragon Buckeye PurpleParagon Buckeye Purple
The buds were a little dry but broke down nice through a grinder. The weed didn’t turn to dust when ground up. The nugs were not very sticky.
Packed Paragon
The Buckeye Purple burned at about a medium speed and produced a greyish ash. The weed tasted terrible and wasn’t particularly smooth going down. It had no “purple” taste whatsoever. It was nothing like Butterfly Effect’s superb Purple Panty Dropper or Kynd’s terrific Purple Chemdawg. The Buckeye Purple left a bad taste in my mouth, kind of like a fertilizer or lawn grass flavor.
The medical effects were mild and short-lived. I could feel a little something after smoking this stuff, but I was wondering if it was just a buzz from the residual pesticides. Now I have a half ounce of bad weed that I don’t want to smoke, with no other weed to bounce back to. You shouldn’t have to worry about that when buying a bag of legal weed from a licensed cultivator.
After buying a half ounce of this boo-boo, I won’t be purchasing Paragon pot ever again. It’s too bad it has to be this way, but when you spend your hard-earned cash on a bag of weed this bad, it makes you not want to take another risk with the cultivator.
I bought this bud based solely on name and paid the price. I was worked. If I was the cultivator, I’d be ashamed not only to sell this stuff but also to put the word Buckeye in the name of the strain. I feel like we deserve better.
Boo hoo, I bought some boo-boo. What would you do, scream “I got screwed, too!”? Fire I would have blew through, but I avoid Buckeye Purp like a goo stew.
I gave the Buckeye Purple from Paragon a 3/10 for taste, 5/10 for harshness, 4/10 for strength, 3/10 for smell strength, and 15 minutes for length of medical effects.
Total THC 22.2%. Delta-9 THC 0.31%, Delta-9 THCA 25%. Total CBD 0.055%, CBDA 0.063%.
No terpenes listed. No QR code to check on lab testing results.
Harvested 05/14/2025 by Paragon Development Group LLC, tested 08/26/2025 by North Coast, packaged 09/10/2025, first consumed 09/17/2025, expires 05/14/2026.
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?
Bill's Bud Blog: Marijuana, Music and More! 