Toke Signals: Cannabis Farmers Market Coming to Seattle
Categories: Marijuana, Toke Signals
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There are two kinds of medical-marijuana patients: those who want to get as close to the clinical experience as possible when getting their cannabis, and those who prefer a funkier, more communal vibe.
If you're one of the doctor's-office types--or if you don't enjoy being around hippies or pot smoke--then trust me, the Tacoma Cannabis Farmers Market is not for you. But if you're open to a community experience, the market (held on the first Sunday of each month in a warehouse at 1912 Center St.) may just be a glimpse of the future.
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| Photo by Don Skakie |
| The author examines buds of the Blu-K strain (Blueberry x AK-47) through a magnifying loupe at the Tacoma Cannabis Farmers Market on Feb. 6. |
Seattle's neighbor to the south has hosted the market (limited to authorized medical patients and providers) for the past four months, and having been to all but the first, I can tell you that the consumer empowerment of having a dozen vendors competing for your business is a very heady thing. Better yet, a Seattle version is kicking off in less than two weeks.
Don't like the price (or the strains, the spiel, or the 'tude) this guy's giving you? Walk to the next table. It's positively exhilarating.
"The farmers-market model is really an advantage to the patient," says organizer Jeremy Miller. "They're able to compare quality and cost, as well as have a wider variety of products to choose from."
One nice find at this month's market was the A-grade Kungfoo Goo from Full Moon (253-970-2984). This dry but aromatic herb looks like an early harvest, but the results are superlative, with rapid onset and very bright, energetic, and lucid sustain. (Also available is a worthwhile C-grade of the same strain, at a discounted price.)
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| Photo by Steve Elliott |
| AK-47 from Pure Compassion Collective offers a sweet, fruity bouquet--and relief in two hits. |
Also pleasant to discover was the delectably sweet and fruity AK-47 at Pure Compassion Collective's table (purecompassioncollective@gmail.com). Ideally cured, heavily frosted with trichomes, and able to stop nausea in its tracks within two hits, the AK is the real deal. And if you check out Pure Compassion, also give their edibles a try, particularly the canna-crackers and filled chocolates.
Here are a few tips to make your visit to the Cannabis Farmer's Market more pleasant:
• Bring your paperwork. And by paperwork I mean your tamper-proof, doctor-signed medical-marijuana authorization. You'll get turned away without it--I've seen it happen. So don't embarrass yourself and the doorman by trying to get in without it.
• Bring along your own bud jars or containers if possible, along with tote bags. You'd be surprised how few of the vendors remember to stock up, and while you may be a legal patient, it's still not a good idea to go trundling out the door holding visible bags of pot.
• Samples are available to try at many tables, but don't get carried away--sample only if sincerely interested in purchasing.
• Prices hover around $10 a gram. Some strains are as much as $15 or as little as $5 a gram. Quantity discounts are often available for an ounce, or even a half.
• The market opens at 11 a.m. and stays open until 5 p.m. Show up early to avoid parking problems.
• Pay attention to what you're getting. More than once, I've seen beaten-up buds which appeared to have been kiefed (i.e., trichomes shaken off, which decreases potency). Kiefed buds should be sold as such, not as "closely trimmed" marijuana. Yes, I'm talking to you, dude with the vacuum-sealed bags.
You can follow Tacoma Cannabis Farmers Market on Facebook here.
Get ready, Seattle:
The Farmers Market concept has been such a hit (see what I did there?) that Seattle gets its own version on Sunday, February 27 at 400 Dexter Ave. N., the home of the Little Red Bistro. Plans call for the market to be held the fourth Sunday of each month.
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For an interview with Steve Elliott about "Toke Signals," listen to KUOW on Wednesday, February 16, between noon and 12:20 p.m.
Toke Signals wants to review your dispensary. E-mail tokesignals@seattleweekly.com.
Steve Elliott edits Toke of the Town, Village Voice Media's site of cannabis news, views, rumor and humor.
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