It’s not every day that a new marijuana dispensary opens with a $9 cap on top-shelf cannabis flowers. OK, I’ll go beyond that: It’s never happened before, in my experience. That is, until Monday.
That’s when USC opened in Tacoma. Lured in by the promise of top-shelf $9 grams, I wasted no time getting down there on opening day, May 20; the still-unfinished storefront was no impediment to some enjoyable flower-shopping.
The patient just ahead of me asked budtender/receptionist Alex what “USC” stands for; Alex drew a blank. But with prices topping out at $9 a gram, it could well stand for Under-Selling the Competition.
I was quickly allowed into the capacious (and unfinished) bud room after handling the paperwork, and was blown away by the fact that mid-shelf flowers (“Greenhouse Strains,” USC calls ’em) were only $6 a gram. Wow!
There was also some slightly scruffy-looking “House Special” for just $4 a gram and an incredible $10 an eighth-ounce. Unable to resist the impulse to actually buy a $10 eighth, I went for it.
“This one doesn’t have a name,” said the other budtender, who didn’t give his name when I introduced myself to them both. “I’ll just write ‘$10’ on it.” When buying the House Special, be aware that the big jar you see in the glass display case isn’t where your flowers will be coming from; budtender-without-a-name said that jar was “just for show,” and went and got the flowers somewhere else. It had a slightly sleepy inner glow to it, and was useful in quelling pain.
I also couldn’t stop myself from trying a $6 strain, Super Blue Dream; at that price, I didn’t object to its missing signature sweet smell, or to the fact that the flowers had a slightly loose trim and appeared to have had somewhat rough lives (perhaps transported in plastic rather than glass) prior to their arrival in my stash.
Two of the top-shelf $9 strains caught my eye. First was Blueberry, which Alex explained was a sativa variety. It had only a very faint hint of its namesake’s signature berry smell, but the rangy, heavily trichomed flowers looked quite nice. There wasn’t much blueberry taste during toking, either, but the effects came on almost immediately, verifying the strain’s essential sativa nature with a euphoric rush.
The second of the $9 strains to find its way into my medicine cabinet was the indica strain Purple Haze, which wasn’t purple. The flowers did, however, resemble in shape those of the Purple Pinecone strain I’ve seen at a shop or two around town. Purple Haze’s bouquet was so subtle as to be practically undetectable, making it a good option if you have whiny neighbors, and it tastes good upon toking. If you happen to get some Purple Haze, turn the buds over and look at all those trichomes on the undersides of the calyxes as you enjoy the quick, effective pain relief. You’re welcome.
tokesignals@seattleweekly.com
Steve Elliott edits Toke Signals, tokesignals.com, an irreverent, independent blog of cannabis news, views, and information.
USC 5408 S. Tacoma Way, Tacoma, 253-212-9534, usc5764@gmail.com. 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Mon.–Thurs.; 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Fri.–Sat.; closed Sun.
