Living soil is all the rage in cannabis cultivation. Think it’s just a marketing term? Think again: A new study conducted by Columbia University and a group of cannabis farmers compared indoor, hydroponically grown cannabis versus outdoor cannabis grown in living soil.
Cannabis grown outdoors boasted a significantly greater diversity of cannabinoids and a greater quantity of terpenes. Have we got your attention? Let’s dig in (pun very much intended).
What *is*soil?
(Jason Henry for Leafly)
Most people confuse soil with dirt,” says Dr. Elaine Ingham, one of the world’s leading soil biologists. “But they’re different things entirely.”
Devoid of any organic matter, dirt is simply broken-down parent rocks. “They’re simply a mineral component,” she says. You might know your soil to be sandy, silty, or clay, but all three terms are merely textural descriptions. Out of balance, they can make gardening difficult, but even when they’re in ideal proportions (a third of each, known as loam), they don’t indicate soil health.
Soil, on the other hand, refers to an entire underground ecosystem comprised of dirt along with a whole cast of characters (bacteria, fungi, and micro-arthropods (nematodes, earthworms, and spiders—invertebrates we can see) that work together to break down organic matter and release nutrients in plant-available form, a process known as nutrient cycling.
Top cover with this to help build soil to grow the picture below. (Courtesy SPARC)
A biodynamic cannabis farm in Napa Valley, CA. (Leafly File Photo)
“Soil is very much a living thing,” Dr. Ingham stresses. She refers to the action happening underground as the soil food web.
This is how soil has been built for billions of years. Think of a forest—an incredibly productive environment that uses no synthetic fertilizer. It’s the soil food web that does all the work instead, building richer and richer soil over time.
Many cannabis cultivators grow plants in a soilless medium—either coconut coir or rockwool—and irrigate hydroponically with synthetic fertilizers. The origin and application of these chemicals has proven problematic.
Dr. Ingham explains that after WWII ended abruptly, chemicals companies had massive stockpiles of the explosive TNT sitting around. Where companies dumped their TNT, weeds grew better. The nitrogen in TNT is plant food. Thus, inorganic fertilizer was born. Plants grow fast when gorging on nitrogen.
“But that doesn’t mean you’re growing healthy plants,” Ingham says. “All you’re putting in is nitrogen when your plants actually need phosphorus, sulfur, potassium, zinc, iron, and more.”
An imbalanced diet makes plants susceptible to disease, and destroys the soil. All inorganic fertilizers are, by definition, salts: An inorganic material that dissolves in water. When you think about salt water, you can’t drink it or you’ll die from dehydration. It’s the same for any microorganisms in the soil: They’re killed by these fertilizers and then, bam—you have dead dirt, not living soil.
Living soil is more sustainable
Sources of fertilizer in the SPARC brand biodynamic weed farm in Napa, CA. (Courtesy SPARC)
Biodynamic bud grown in Napa, CA. (Leafly File Photo)
Why do cannabis farmers turn to living soil, aside from the terpiest terps?
“We were in awe that you didn’t have to throw soil out every year,” says Jake Taylor of No-Till Kings. The Long Beach-based farmers recycle everything back into their soil. No-Till grinds up last year’s leaves and stems into mulch for this year’s crop, introducing even more organic matter to feed their system. “It’s an ecosystem that keeps on giving,” says Taylor.
Mike Benziger of Glentucky Farms, situated outside of Glenn Ellen, California, didn’t launch his business embracing the way of living soil. For ten years he sprayed everything with fertilizer, insecticide, and herbicide. When a friend noticed there were absolutely no birds around, he realized he had essentially killed the farm. He swung far in the opposite direction and has now been Demeter-certified in what’s dubbed “biodynamic” farming for the past 22 years.
“I’ve come to realize that by far the number one thing is soil health. Biodiversity is important. Rhythms are important. Good seed stock and genetics are important. But soil health is number one,” says Benziger, whose weed won a gold medal at last year’s California State Fair.
Riding dirty
8 top brands growing indoors in soil beds, or outdoors in living soil
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How to start building your own living soil
Living soil starts with compost. (Shutterstock)
Looking to build your own living soil?
Step one—keep your hands off those bottles of synthetic fertilizers entirely. Don’t touch them. Walk away.
Second—start adding compost.All those good bacteria, fungi, and micro-arthropods live off decaying organic matter. In other words, if you build it—a compost pile—they will come.
Homemade is best, if done right. You can opt for a worm bin, a thermal pile (built all at once and allowed to heat up), or a cold pile (which you continuously add to).
Related
How to make organic soil for your weed
Compost—homemade or bought in bags—should never smell any way other than earthy. Whether you make your own from scratch or supplement it with some store-bought black gold, it can be helpful to get one pound of really good compost and add it to your own pile (or your garden bed) to get a jumpstart on good biology.
Good, bagged compost is hard to come by. Consider microscopically testing your compost to see how it stacks up. You can find a list of labs and consultants who can direct you to regionally specific compost sources at soilfoodweb.com/consultants.
There’s so many more resources for this type of farming, commenters will chime in below.
Related
How to Use Cover Crops to Improve Your Cannabis Garden
Saving the terps…and the world
MOCA soil beds in Eureka, CA. (David Downs/Leafly)
MOCA flowering room in living soil. (David Downs/Leafly)
While living soil gives us the best weed available, there are other, headier reasons to build soil. The farmers we spoke to are convinced that living soil can save the world. No, really.
“Living soil on a mass scale is the way of the future,” says Taylor, of No-Till Kings. “It sequesters carbon and prevents topsoil from blowing away like in the dust bowl, creating a vacuum of fertility. Building soil is precisely what farmers can do to help the environment and build the soil for generations to come.”
For more information, check out our list of other living soil gurus, and feel free to shout out your favorite living soil farmer in the comments below!
Flora and Flame Gary Payton grown in living soil. (David Downs/Leafly)
Just in time for Thanksgiving and the holiday season, we have your best buds and flower brands, Leafly Nation.
How do we know? Easy. In fall 2024, we enticed over 900 budtenders to pick the best weed strain and brand in their state. When they point out smoke, you can bet it’s fire.
The results are in, the votes tallied, and we’re ready to announce who took home awards in 17 different states.
Whether you’re staying home or traveling this holiday season and into 2025, shop smarter with this distilled list of Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024 award-winning strains and brands across legal America.
Overview of Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024 strains and brands:
State
LeaflyBudtenders’ Choice 2024 —Best Strain
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024 —Best Flower Brand
Arizona
Permanent Marker by Connected
Alien Labs
California
Permanent Marker from various
Cannabiotix
Colorado
Chemmy Jones
Green Dot Labs
Illinois
Bubba’s Girl (grown by CAM)
IC Collective
Maryland
Snoop Dogg OG
Sunmed
Massachusetts
Chem D
Smash Hits
Michigan
Candy Cake
Grown Rogue
Mississippi
Zoap
Sea of Green South
Missouri
Kumquat
Good Day Farms
New Jersey
Animal Face
Garden Greens
New York
Trop Cherry
Matter
Ohio
Orange 43
Klutch Cannabis
Oklahoma
Kitchen Sink
D&D Nursery
Oregon
Toad Venom
Deep Greek Gardens
Pennsylvania
Animal Face
Rythm
Vermont
Grape GMO
Upstate Elevators
Washington
One Piece
Heavenly
Arizona
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best strain of Arizona: Permanent Marker (grown by Connected, bred by Seed Junky Genetics)
Leafly strain of the year in 2023. Bred by Seed Junky and selected by hypemakers Doja Pak, this takes a mix of Biscotti and a Sherb backcross and crosses that to Seed Junky’s Jealousy strain. Permanent Marker really put the game on its side by spawning waves of people chasing that astringent marker ink note. Doja has said that the name for this actually started back when they first smelled this type of aroma in the jars of RS11 but that later when this strain hit, it perfectly exemplified that smell. Beyond just that telltale whiff of polyurethane resin, you can also get floral notes that come along with the Jealousy strain, and even moments of detergent soap as well. Connected Permanent Marker is a slightly sweeter version with a greener hue and more of those subtle smells. Leafly users across multiple states all say this strain produces a blissful experience that they consider top-shelf. (Matt Jackson)
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best flower brand of Arizona: Alien Labs
Fan favorites of the Sunshine State, Ted Liddie and the crew piloting the Alien Labs mothership have managed to take their top shelf game and deliver a similar experience to the smokers of Arizona. Though the team out there started small, the dedication to keeping things the same as their larger California crew is something that should be applauded. Unlike many other deals to take brands out of state, Alien Labs controls all their Arizona efforts, with Lidie himself making regular trips out to ensure that things are running up to par and that the new strains they’re preparing in California are also on track in Arizona as well. This push to create cohesion in the brand across state lines is part of what has made them so popular with Arizona’s budtender population. (Matt Jackson)
Another win for this unstoppable strain that delivers for smokers looking to find something that’s incredibly potent and speaks to the taste profiles of today. Seed Junky and Doja Pak again hit the podium to accept an award for the most recommendations from Budtenders, this time in California. With so many different high profile strains and breeders based out of Cali, winning this distinction is no small battle. This goes to show why Permanent Marker was chosen as the winner for Leafly’s 2023 Strain of the Year and returned to be the strain highlight for October. On the West Coast, Doja Pak of course has their amazing example but so does Connected, LA Family Farms, and MOCA Humboldt which Leafly Senior Editor David Downs recently reviewed as, “the best Markers this fall.” (Matt Jackson)
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best flower brand of California: Cannabiotix
Cannabiotix, or CBX, has a decade of history behind it and stands as one of California’s highest ranking flower brands in terms of statewide sales, especially for their Cereal Milk flower. Also available in Nevada, CBX keeps a large menu of around 40 strains, many of them exclusives made through the 8 different large-scale pheno hunts it maintains across 2 different facilities every year. It’s through these efforts that they’ve released top-selling strains like Tropicanna, Gluetopia, French Alps, and L’Orange. At Hall of Flowers this year, the public was introduced to Cannabiotix founder Neema Samari who, during their ICONOCLAST speaker series, said the brand name is a combination of the words Cannabis and Antibiotics. A nod to the company’s 2014 beginnings during the medical cannabis movement. As the market moved from medical to recreational, the brand has been known more by their abbreviation. (Matt Jackson)
Colorado
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best strain of Colorado: Chemmy Jones
Chemmy Jones stands out as Colorado’s top cannabis strain, offering a perfect blend of potency, flavor, and smoothness. Known for its powerful effects and complex aroma, this hybrid delivers a euphoric high while maintaining relaxation. With its distinct citrus and earthy notes, Chemmy Jones is a favorite among both connoisseurs and casual users. Its consistent quality, balanced effects, and impressive terpene profile make it the undisputed Budtenders’ Choice Best Strain of Colorado.
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best flower brand of Colorado: Green Dot
Green Dot ROYGBIV Orange up close. (Courtesy Green Dot Labs)
Green Dot sets the standard for premium cannabis in Colorado, offering consistently exceptional flower. With a commitment to quality, sustainability, and innovative cultivation practices, Green Dot delivers top-tier strains that satisfy both novice and experienced consumers. Their dedication to excellence earns them the title of Budtenders’ Choice Best Flower Brand of Colorado.
Illinois
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best strain of Illinois: Bubba’s Girl
A combination of old-school ’98 Bubba and GSC, smoking this strain will transport you back to an era of hacky sacks and YOLO hats. Grown by CAM, a brand that’s grown over the years to an impressive size, Founder and CEO Anna Willey told Leafly this strain represents the overall goal of their lineup: to combine the rich legacy of cannabis with modern demands for potency and flavor. “It’s not just a flower,” she said, “it’s a statement about CAM’s commitment to honoring the classics while pushing the boundaries of cannabis innovation.” When you squeeze the nugs your hands come away smelling like gasoline but underneath, you’ll pick up an orange peel smell that together, has the creaminess of a push-pop. Bubba’s Girl is a first-class blending of GSC’s fruitiness with the earthiness of Bubba, giving you a dense flavor that sinks straight to the bottom of your mouth. (Matt Jackson)
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best flower brand of Illinois: IC Collective
(Courtesy IC Collective)
After garnering a huge following as a mainstay for discerning flower smokers in The Bay Area, IC Collective has grown to become Illinois’ choice for Bartender’s favorite flower brand. What’s amazing about IC Collective is their dedication to keeping alive some of the harder to grow and not always hyped strains of cannabis that will forever hold a place in the hearts of serious weed heads. IC stands for “Integrity Code,” referring to the company’s mission to hold the line (quite literally) in the face of trends. Chem and Sour are some of the building blocks of this brand and they offer an astounding seven different varieties of Chem flower on their strain menu. Every time this brand manages to deliver beautiful nugs and the move to Illionois has given them the space to work on some of the surprise leads from their 2016 pheno hunt, as well as modern hunts that are underway now. (Matt Jackson)
Maryland
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best strain of Maryland: Snoop Dogg OG
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best flower brand of Maryland: Sunmed
Massachusetts
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best strain of Massachusetts: Chem D
Massachusetts’ home state breeder, Chemdog, adds to his wins with a Budtenders’ Choice 2024 award for Chem D.
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best flower brand of Massachusetts: Smash Hits
Massachusetts’ home state breeder, Chemdog and his brand Smash Hits adds to his trophy case with a Budtenders’ Choice 2024 award for best flower brand.
Michigan
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best strain of Michigan: Candy Cake (Zkittlez Cake x Jungle Cake)
When asked what strain is sending Michigan to the stores in droves, budtenders told Leafly that the clear winner was Candy Cake. This sweet treat which smells like cherry muffin candy brings together two flavorful strains that have been big winners for the Jungle Boyz brand. Zkittlez Cake is, like it sounds, a combo of Z and Seed Junky’s Wedding Cake. The Jungle Cake is also Wedding Cake, but this time with Seed Junky’s White Fire #43 which adds an element of gas to the cake mix. Both halves are rooted in the Seed Junky world but have achieved mainstream commercial success through Jungle Boyz. Over in Michigan, Bud & Mary’s told us they consider this a great end of the day smoke that gives a nice body high and Freshly Fine, who produces this strain for the state, says they consider this giggly high a great way to combat stress and even cramps. (Matt Jackson)
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best flower brand of Michigan: Grown Rogue
Grown Rogue is a name that seemed to easily spring to mind with budtenders across Michigan on the subject of favorite flower companies. An affordable brand of smoke, When it comes to bringing West Coast flavors to the Michigan market, Grown Rogue delivers cultivars like Apples & Bananas, Biscotti, MAC1, Kush Mints, Gelonade, Georgia Pie, and Cheetah Piss. Operating in both Oregon and Michigan, this year they increased the personal ownership of their midwest operations to 80% in an effort to keep the same low cost, quality products they strive for on the West Coast. Obie and Sarah Strickler started the brand as a medical cannabis grow over a decade ago and now through investors and valuable genetics, they’ve secured a reputation for delivering bang for the buck that seems to have resonated with Michigan. (Matt Jackson)
Mississippi
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best strain of Mississippi: Zoap (Rainbow Sherbert x Pink Guava) created by Deep East Oakland.
It’s no real surprise Zoap was nominated by budtenders of Mississippi after the flower went on to win Best Indica at a contest held this year. Zoap is part of a storied RS lineage that produced warships like Studio 54, Pink Guava, Jelly Roll, and RS11. After popping 12 packs of Dying Breed Seeds OZK, Bay Area cultivator DEO Farms eventually selected #16 (Pink Guava) to cross to Sunset Sherbert and spawn the Rainbow Sherbert line. Later, he would cross that Pink Guava back to the Rainbow Sherbert and from those 100 plants, #21 was selected for its soapy citrus flavor. Smokers on Leafly agree that this strain has a robust, and creative head high. Deep East spoke with Leafly and told us fans of Zoap will go crazy for the strains they’re working on next, including two that pair this cultivar with some Bay Area classics: Cookies and Vintage OG. (Matt Jackson)
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best flower brand of Mississippi: Sea of Green South (SOG ARMY)
Grape Headband. (Courtesy Sea of Green South)
Sea Of Green, or SOG, is a multi-state company that’s always striving to offer a diverse range of rare and in-demand strains produced in small, high quality batches. Their name is taken from a method of cultivation they’ve used since the brand first started. After success on the California market, their first batches to the Mississippi scene were released in March of this year and it’s already had a noticeable impact on budtenders. Owner/Operator BJ said they offer the same menu of strains in both California and Mississippi but consumers in each state are looking for different things. “They seem to be chasing terps more than THC,” he told Leafly. As for which strains have been most in demand, he listed their Pink Zaza, along with Deo Farm’s Zoap which helped them secure that title for Best Indica at the Sippi Cup competition, only two months after their debut onto the market. (Matt Jackson)
Related
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Missouri
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best strain of Missouri: Kumquat
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best flower brand of Missouri: Good Day Farms
New Jersey
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best strain of New Jersey: Animal Face
A personal favorite of this writer, Animal Face has the gassy, pine-laden aroma from the Face Off, but also carries with it the mint, doughy profile of Animal Mints. Seed Junky must have been thinking of how to create the perfect after-work smoke when he made this strain because it causes all the stress and worries of the day to positively melt away. Leafly reviews use words like “creeper” and “permagrin” to talk about how this sneaks up and relaxes your mind, a perfect reason this was chosen as a first place winner for Best Hybrid at the 2022 Emerald Cup in California. Since being released onto the market, East Coast smokers have found this to be a reliable way to take the edge off, providing good flavor and potent results. (Matt Jackson)
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best flower brand of New Jersey: Garden Greens
There are a number of things that stand out about New Jersey brand Garden Greens, including being backed by a fourth-generation, family-owned farming operation which lends over 100 years of agricultural experience to their cannabis cultivation efforts. Another is their win for Z Pie, which took first at the 2024 New Jersey Dispensary Awards. Or perhaps you’d prefer we list the collaboration with West Coast giants Golden State Banana which brought strains like Banana Mochi and Banana Bubblegum to the New Jersey crowd. Along with this, Garden Greens claims that they don’t want to be in every dispensary, only the ones that align with their brand ideals and mission, something that hasn’t slowed down their popularity it would seem. With a menu that also includes a number of heaters from Compound Genetics, Budtenders have made it clear there’s a lot to sample from this brand. (Matt Jackson)
New York
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best strain of New York: Trop Cherry (Tropicana Cookies x Cherry Cookies)
Part of the stoner’s essential daytime smoke, this is a killer from Colorado’s Relentless Genetics, who also produced the famous Rozay strain. Crossing Tropicana Cookies and Cherry Cookies releases an aroma that conveys the richly sweet and tart qualities of both cherries and tangerines. Sometimes this can even look like fake movie weed from the crazy purple hue the buds can take on. A version of this Trop Cherry took first place in the Michigan Cannabis Cup in 2022 and listening to the reviewers on Leafly, the accolades keep piling up.
“Never have I had such a flavorful strain. perfect strain for a calm productive mind. Trop Cherry is the only one that truthfully tastes like a delicious cup of fresh…no pulp orange juice,””I could smoke this morning, afternoon, or early evening.” This winning Budtender’s choice for favorite strain seems like an apt winner for the home of the city that never sleeps. (Matt Jackson)
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best flower brand of New York: Matter
Started in Illinois, now in seven states, Matter is part of the Pharmacann portfolio which represents one of the largest vertically integrated MSO’s in the country. As such, the brand seems to have access to a lot of popular strains like Larry Burger and Scottie’s Cake, but also newer contest winners like Grape Gas. They also make a bacon tincture which I’m curious to put in the gravy at Thanksgiving this year. (Matt Jackson)
Ohio
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best strain of Ohio: Orange 43
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best flower brand of Ohio: Klutch Cannabis
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Oklahoma
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best strain of Oklahoma: Kitchen Sink
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best flower brand of Oklahoma: D&D Nursery
Oregon
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best strain of Oregon: Toad Venom
Undoubtedly, one of the most sought after cultivars of 2024 has been Toad Venom. Created by Ronin Seeds and West Coast Connoisseurs, budtenders in Oregon told Leafly this flower sells out in a matter of days, especially since Evan’s Creek is the only contracted producer of the strain. Toad Venom packs a punch. Besides being incredibly stony, even to an experienced smoker, the nugs give off that doughy, minty profile that fans of Animal Face or Animal Mints will respond to immediately. Once you squeeze and grind the nugs, there‘s a gassy, fruity explosion that the breeder described to us as, “citrus and soft green fruits.” When we reached out to Evan’s Creek, they told Leafly this is just part of their work to highlight Ronin’s strains like Banana Cannons, Pi-Chew, and the upcoming Fire Belly Toad which combines the venom with Zikigai from Raw Genetics. (Matt Jackson)
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best flower brand of Oregon: Deep Creek Gardens
Deep Creek Gardens’ Firebird (Deep Jungle x Maui Sour OG). (Courtesy Deep Creek Gardens)
Deep Creek calls themselves Oregon’s home for Headies and Exotics. Organically grown, their flower is sometimes referred to as “slept on” when you ask budtenders at shops around the state. Their Supa Durban is a consistent purchase by many steady smokers, their Grape Pie also gets rave reviews and there’s debate as to if they grew some of the best GMO in the state. Since the beginning Deep Creek has had close ties to Dynasty Genetics and the company has won awards for their Ice Queen and Huckleberry Web CBD strain. You won’t find a website where you can look through their current selections and their Instagram presence hasn’t been updated since 2019 however they do look at the DMs. The proof is in the pudding after all, which means smoking is the best way to see what budenders in Oregon have chosen for their favorite. (Matt Jackson)
Pennsylvania
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best strain of Pennsylvania: Animal Face
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best flower brand of Pennsylvania: Rythm
Rythm has earned its reputation as Pennsylvania’s top flower brand through meticulous cultivation and exceptional quality. Their premium strains, rich in flavor and potency, offer a perfect balance of effects. Committed to consistency and innovation, Rythm delivers an outstanding cannabis experience, making them the Budtenders’ Choice Best Flower Brand in Pennsylvania.
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best strain of Vermont: Grape GMO
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best flower brand of Vermont: Upstate Elevators
Washington
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best strain of Washington: One Piece
One Piece. (Courtesy Svin)
Hitting the high seas is Washington’s winner for Budtender’s Favorite. A mysterious strain that gives off a creamy vanilla cake smell, you can also pick out notes of citrus and even gas in there. Curtis at Svin Gardens told Leafly the name is not just a reference to the popular long-running Anime series, but also to how you only need one piece to get you super stoned.
He also said that One Piece came to them as part of a happy accident. They had phased out a whole series of different Wedding Cake crosses, but afterwards someone in the garden brought him a clone that had a tiny seedling growing out the side which must have come from those crosses. The team kept it, let it grow, and now that happy accident accounts for 3/5ths of their flowering rooms. Though the team can never truly be sure what the Wedding Cake cross really is, Curtis says everyone has their own idea. We love happy accidents. (Matt Jackson)
Leafly Budtenders’ Choice 2024—Best flower brand of Washington: Heavenly
Budtenders of Washington wrote in and told Leafly that when it comes to flower, their favorite producer right now is Heavenly Buds from Southern Washington. On the grind since 2015, this family-owned and operated brand has a current menu that reflects some of the more memorable strains of the last decade. Legends like Apple Fritter, Gushers, and Purple Punch can be found listed next to currently high-in-demand strains like RS11, Honey Banana, and Superboof. Heavenly has a long history of outreach and education with people in the state, even throwing budtender educational meetups as far back as 7 years ago. One thing that’s also different about the brand is their love for old school, Moroccan-style hash which they release onto the market as well. (Matt Jackson)
How we chose the Leafly Budtenders’ Choice Awards
Budtender Shanara at 7 Stars in Richmond, CA shares her favorite strain and brand and got three chances at a $1,000 check. (David Downs/Leafly)
Budtenders did. We polled more than 900 of them in October for International Budtenders’ Day. We enticed answers by giving away three, $1,000 checks to respondents. The unprecedented insight into state weed tastes allowed us to make picks for 17 states this November.
Budtenders’ Choice awards went to the strains and brands most frequently mentioned by budtenders in that state. We also looked for regional flavors, and budtenders from multiple different stores all recommending the same thing.
Some nascent weed states like Arkansas lacked enough data to make a definitive pick. Other states like California, and Colorado had multiple top strains and brands loved by lots of budtenders. For example, 43 budtenders voted in California, and 56 budtenders voted in Colorado. When they point out smoke, you can bet it’s fire.
The 2024 general election has one high point for cannabis law reformers.
Nebraska has voted to legalize medical marijuana via two related measures—IM 437 and IM 438. The former essentially legalizes medical marijuana possession, and a health care professional’s ability to prescribe medical marijuana. The latter clears the path for a new state commission to write rules and regulations for a medical program. IM 437 passed with roughly 71% of the vote, and IM 438 passed with 70%.
Even though this year’s measures passed, proponents aren’t out of the woods yet. This September, Nebraska prohibitionists filed a lawsuit accusing signature gatherers for the campaign of “cheating” and gathering invalid signatures. The argument lacks much evidence, however; the case is currently before a District judge.
Here’s what happens next, if the measures move forward:
Is medical marijuana legal for adults in Nebraska right now?
No. IM 438—aka the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Regulation Act—stipulates the creation of the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission, which must begin considering business applications by October 1, 2025.
Don’t forget: Implementation of the program hinges on the district court allowing the measure to move forward.
How much marijuana will Nebraska patients be able to legally possess?
IM 437 legalizes the possession of up to 5 ounces of marijuana.
Related
Nebraska marijuana laws
When can I legally buy marijuana?
The measures do not set a specific date that sales will start.
Can medical patients smoke a joint in public?
Neither measure addresses public consumption. But odds are low that patients will be able to legally consume in public.
Can I grow cannabis at home in Nebraska?
Neither measure addresses homegrow.
Who will regulate legal growers and sellers?
If the measures go into effect, the to-be-created Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission will establish rules and rules for the program.
Related
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What kind of products will be available?
IM 438 gives a green-light to marijuana flower, concentrates, edibles, topicals and ointments.
Any equity or small-business licenses?
Neither measure addresses this question.
Will marijuana be taxed?
Neither measure addresses questions of taxation.
Stay tuned for more from Nebraska’s march toward medical cannabis.
Great news, America. The price of cannabis should fall for most of your adult life. Legalization has ushered in economies of scale—bringing a $60 bag down to $6. There’s penny joints, buy one get one free, buy two get one free, and on and on.
The question remains—how do I get at this fabulous affordable herb? Here’s a Leafly Cannabis 101 article on Why you should shop early for cannabis deals.
Wait, there are deals on weed in stores now?
If you just woke up from a coma, there are 24 legalization states, and over 40 medical ones. Thousands of dispensaries blanket the land—from remote Alaskan islands to balmy Miami.
Cannabis offers a popular alternative to stronger holiday stuff including alcohol. Plus, weed fans relish the chance to pick up something special for the holidays; and share it with friends.
Everyone loads up at the last minute on some pre-rolls or gummies or what have you. The line gets long, supplies run low, and in terms of the price—you can take it or leave it.
But today, November 4, three weeks out—you have your pick of the menus, and time to shop around deals near you. Weed prices are volatile. The good stuff holds firm at $60 per eighth ounce, then goes for half that when it runs the risk of going stale. Pounce on that.
You gotta take advantage of timing and shopping around, or you’re doing capitalism bad and you should feel bad.
Why you should shop early for weed deals: Better selection
New batches of Connected Trop Z don’t sit around awaiting for long. (Image courtesy of Connected.)
Here’s a fact—the best stuff often sells out the fastest. Grab a Cannabis Cup or Emerald Cup winner the second it drops. Shoot, order it for pick-up. Don’t get left with the snickle-fritz on Green Wednesday.
Maybe—instead of grabbing an overpriced, stale pre-roll on Christmas Eve, go in early December and get a premium hashhole with a gram of bubble hash for a penny.
What is early for cannabis deals this season?
Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 28th, 2024. You can plan your Turkey Day sesh out exquisitely starting today. Take a voice note of your dream scenario: ‘Some Permanent Marker flower, some Z live rosin. …’ Then search it up on Leafly, and order it.
There’s no shame in visualizing now what sesh success looks like on Nov. 28. Look around you. The Christmas catalogs from Amazon have dropped. Mariah Carey is taking pre-orders for the 30th anniversary edition of Merry Christmas.
Why you should shop early for cannabis deals: Stress less
Stress is toxic.
Don’t be one of those stressed-out fools honking in traffic on Green Wednesday. Be at home, stocked up in your snuggery, making crafts and stuff. Go marinate something for Thanksgiving the next day. Spend your weed savings on gifts for yourself—I mean, other people.
It’s 2024—you’re not sitting in traffic, you are traffic. There are so many new stress-free ways to re-up. In Canada, you can get a joint with your burrito on Uber Eats. Missouri has legal weed drive-throughs. More places offer pickup and curbside pickup. Arizona just added home delivery for all adults age 21+.
Related
How to order weed delivery online with Leafly
Waiting in lines is lame. Do something great for your future self, and lock in a sweet holiday stash today.
Holidays are the most fun when you plan well, get what you need, and allow yourself to be present and enjoy the vibes. Good luck out there.
Legal in all 50 states
With three weeks out you can order hemp stuff from across the country. Here’s some of our affiliate deals.
