4 Strains from 4 Real Cannabis Supply in Fort Garland

4 Strains from 4 Real Cannabis Supply in Fort Garland

Strains Reviewed(in chronological and review order): Northern Lights, White Widow, Napalm Kush, Life Saver

April 29, 2011 to the Morning of May 3, 2011

Info on 4 Real Cannabis Supply:

4 Real cannabis supply is located at the intersection of:

Highway 160 & Co Rd 17 in Fort Garland, Colorado

PO Box 535 Fort Garland, CO 81133

website address: www.4RealCannabis.com

email: info@4RealCannabis.com

Phone # 719-989-8221

Total weight purchased: 3.5 grams

Cost: $50.00 including tax (member pricing)

Total Review Period: 4/29/2011 4:00 pm to 5/03/2011 04:19 pm (4 days)

First Impressions:

The male budtend at 4 Real Cannabis Supply was courteous and respectful. My ID and paperwork were checked and photocopied (this was my first visit to 4 Real) in accordance with Colorado State Law. I was then showed toward the medroom to make my selections. I asked the budtend if any specials were available for first time visitors. I was told that he could give me the member pricing on this visit. As I walked into the medroom, I took note of my surroundings.

Whiteboards on the wall clearly listed member and non member prices. The prices were about at current industry standard, perhaps a little less. The medroom had a refrigerator presumably for medibles, however I did not look at their medible selection because I was on a strict budget, so I cannot speak to medible quality in this review. The glass-top counter was sparsely populated with mason jars of green herb and hash concentrate medications. I quickly excluded hash concentrates, although the hash in the display case appeared to be cold water extraction concentrates of good quality. I excluded hash from this review because it was my first visit to their dispensary, and I wanted to look only at the flowers. I spotted one of my favorite strains for fibromyalgia pain, Northern Lights under the glass, and instantly was happy that I had made the trip. I took note of lighting in the case, and quickly became worried that the medication might be over-cured.

I asked the budtend to point me towards medications they had been recommending for their fibromyalgia or seizure patients. I asked this question to test the budtend’s general knowledge of strain effects and conditions known to be well treated by specific strains. The budtend immediately pointed me to Northern Lights. The Northern Lights looked and smelled as I had expected it to. I asked if he knew the phenotype of the Northern Lights in this particular jar. For the record, Northern Lights #5 is my favorite phenotype within this strain. The budtend had to admit that he did not know the phenotype of this herb. He also pointed me towards White-Widow. White-Widow is another strain I tend to hold in high regard for my fibromyalgia pain and had already all but decided I’d like to review I have also had decent results with an offshoot of the White-Widow strain known as White Rhino (or Medicine Man) for seizure symptoms.

My first impression of the White-Widow before me was the odor. Most White-Widow I have had the pleasure to sample has almost no discernible scent until the buds are broken open. The smell in the jar was faint, but it was there. I asked the budtend if he would mind splitting my 3.5 grams (1/8 oz) between 4 strains so I would have a larger cross-section of the shop’s wares to review. He readily agreed.

I was also shown Lifesaver, Napalm Kush, both of which I was told had been helpful to a seizure patient of theirs, and one or two other strains. I did not ever remember sampling either Lifesaver or Napalm Kush. My nose pointed me in the direction of these strains as well.

While I was making my selections, I informed the budtend that I would be reviewing the medication and spoke a bit about the way I review. It was a conversation with a friendly rapport. We also spoke a bit about current medicinal cannabis patient politics within the state. I found the budtend to be knowledgeable and up to date on current events.

I walked out the door with 1 gram each of Northern Lights, White-Widow, and Napalm Kush. I also took 0.5 gram of Life Saver. I’d like to add that these 4 strains seemed to be a cross-section of almost half of the strains of herb represented in the store that day. My purchases were placed in a discrete white paper bag for transport and I was offered a copy of my receipt, which I took.

Additional notes on all strains:

4 Real Cannabis Supply grows all of its medication organically. All strains in this sample are Indica dominant. All strains in this sample burned to clean white ash indicating that the plants had been flushed of nutrients properly prior to harvest. All strains in this sample were mildly over-cured to severely over-cured. I would suggest that in the future the medication be stored in a humidity controlled refrigerator once it is at the perfect stage of dryness.

Northern Lights:

Score: 9.5 of 10 possible Medicinal Leaves

Sample Period: 4:20 pm 4/29/2011 – 4:19 pm 4/30/2011

Amount Purchased: 1 gram

As stated above, Northern Lights is an excellent strain for fibromyalgia pain. I would also like to note that it is an wonderful strain for the symptoms of post-traumatic-stress- disorder (PTSD). This strain is a standby for myself and many of my friends with PTSD. While this strain is an indica, I find it to have a highly social effect. It is good for appetite stimulation, as well as pain relief. This is a very active medication, in fact, I was able to journey to town two days in a row (something I do not generally do as a rule) and take care of quite a few exhausting, but necessary tasks.. Coupled with its pain relieving properties, it is an excellent medication for getting things done even when in pain. At the end of the intensely social effects, it becomes very sleepy and is therefore a good medication for a number of ailments. This batch of Northern Lights was everything that I have come to expect from the Northern Lights Strain. Kudos.

White Widow:

Score: 4 of 10 Possible Medicinal Leaves

Sample Period: 4/30/2011 4:20 pm to 5/01/2011 6:00 am (sample period shortened)

Amount Purchased: 1 gram

This batch of White-Widow did not meet with my expectations for the strain. I usually find this to be an excellent strain for pain relief and sleep. With this batch, there was a slight psychological effect, but no help with my pain/sleep symptoms. The medication was over-cured, and the buds had been bruised/broken indicating that the medication had been around for a while. I usually give the strains I review a 24 hour test period, however, the quality of this White-Widow forced me to move to the next strain ahead of time. I was in some pain as a natural consequence to my activity the previous day, and this medication was not taking care of my symptoms. This may have been an excellent medication when it was fresh, however, I seemed to have been shopping a bit late for that.

Napalm Kush:

Score: 5 of 10 possible Medicinal Leaves

Sample Period: 5/01/2011 6:01 am to 5/2/2011 4:20 pm

Amount Purchased: 1 gram

I always like to try new strains, and I have to say, Napalm Kush is a strain I would like to sample again. The flavor on this Napalm Kush was very nice. It was spicy with a few complex citrus notes. Again, the medication was over-cured, causing the gram to burn up very quickly. The effects of the Napalm Kush were dramatic but short lived. I saw a significant increase in appetite and decrease in pain symptoms for 30-45 minutes after smoking this medication. I would have been happy to rate this medication as high as a 7 or an 8 had it not been so dry. As a low income patient, I cannot endorse a medication that has such short-lived effects AND burns so quickly because it is dry. I did not have any seizure activity while smoking this strain. I’d be intrigued to sample it when fresh to find out how short or long-lived the effects are when cured to perfection.

LifeSaver:

Score: 9 of 10 possible Medicinal Leaves

Sample Period: 5/2/2011 4:20 pm to 5/3/2011 4:19 pm

Amount Purchased: 0.5 grams

LifeSaver is another “new to Breezy” strain, and I must say, “Thank you 4 Real for introducing me to this strain!”. It is a strain that I would definitely love to sample again. Of all the strains in this review, the LifeSaver was the closest to being perfectly cured. It is an indica dominant strain, as are all the strains in this review. I really wish I would have gotten a full gram of this medication. Its flavor was pleasant, slightly dank and earthy. This batch of LifeSaver was very slow burning. I smoked the same bowl over several sessions. It is a potent medication. It was excellent for pain and sleep. I did not have any seizure activity while smoking this strain. It also was a decent appetite stimulant. The effects were long lived in comparison to the other strains in this sample with a hang time of around 2-2 ½ hours.

Conclusion:

Aside from the issue of dryness, the herb from 4 Real Cannabis is of moderate/moderate-high quality. I would be happy to give them my business again.