Canadian Licensed Producers

[biohacker]

@chris 71 I could not agree with you more. And this is exactly the feeling I have received from my last two days of using RedeCan products...peace of mind and knowing exactly what i'm getting. With dispensaries you really have no idea, who knows what heavy metals or pesticides are in it? You're playing with your health, I mean this is something we are inhaling. I'm quite satisfied with the LP system and could care less if every dispensary went away over night.

Correct me if i'm wrong but IIRC the recalls were voluntary.

I see my Dr. this morning to try to switch to TILRAY. Although i'm not terribly concerned with the Irradiation, it also hasn't really be proven to be safe for the inhalation of cannabis either, and it must do "something" that isn't great IMHO, so why bother when some other LP's can do it without? I was considering Whistler Organic, but those prices are just crazy, Broken Coast doesn't have much variety and is somewhat pricey, Tweed is expensive, I like Tilray's variety, they seem like one of the "big boys" like tweed (Broken Coast/RedeCan/Whistler all seem like small fries). And i'm mostly attracted to the blends that are high THC and super cheap, with the ability to have the choice of practically anything including CBD's.

How does this work now? Dr. just fills out Tilay's form? So since my RedeCan is good for a year, I now have TWO LP's? Pretty sure you're not supposed to do this, but how they heck would anyone know?

 

[chris 71]

i also given the chance would rather not have the irradiated bud but i would still use it .im pretty sure its perfectly fine to have more then one lp . i dont know the particulars , but i know other people do it . check out some reviews on lift if you havnt already .there are people on there that have more then one lp

 

[mikek9]

Yeah lots of people have 2-3 or even 4 or 5 LPs.

I personally only have one and deal with Tweed. Tweed is surprisingly inexpensive if you buy the right strains. They have OG Kush, Chocolope and Super Silver Haze all for $6/gram. If you qualify for compassion pricing then that works out to $4.80/gram. That is the cheapest price I have seen for whole bud products. The super silver haze is 19.4% as well and a proper batch in my opinion.

On gamma irradiation/cold pasteurization. I as well would avoid them, but not so much because of the process itself more because of what is supposedly corrects. I would rather avoid something that needs it to pass inspection. Like all bedrocan strains are gamma irradiated and I have never ordered them even though they are in the tweed shop. I have only ever had one product that was cold pasteurized and it was pretty decent. I didn't notice anything that was particularly taken away from the experience as a result of it. It was a milled/ground product which tweed for some reason seems to cold pasteurize. The only bud they have that is cold pasteurized is the Nordle. Everything else is not.

 

[weenstoned]

We also know that gamma radiation destroys the essential oils, called terpenes, which are naturally produced by the plant and play an important synergistic role in the body."

Wow reading this I would definitely never buy irradiated cannabis now regardless of the safety aspect. If terpenes and other compounds weren't necessary then every medical cannabis user would just be on Marinol. Same reason I am not that interested in concentrates which are basically just distilled THC.

 

[biohacker]

You got it man! I can tell that these terpenes have been stripped out....nearly non existent smell. Tilray application is in!

 

[mikek9]

So I ordered two bedrocan strains through Tweed as they had the Bedica (17%) and the Bedrocan (22%).

The Bedica smells and tastes pretty nasty. I don't know how to describe it but just not pleasing at all. The effects were of a quality indica not to mention the nugs looks really proper and well grown with great moisture content for an LP.

 

[theCerberus]

So I get that smell and taste arent important in the pharmaceutical world, the effects are.

But as a patient, knowing the terpenes (aromatic compounds) are part of the entourage effect, knowing that they have therapeutic medical value, I would have to argue that smell is very much part of those effects.

Cannabis is a flower, and I believe it should not smell foul. nasty taste is from the lack of flushing and curing some of these LPs do.

As a patient I am suffering enough in pain. I shouldnt have to suffer through foul taste to get relief when another company can make it smell and taste very pleasant with better effects.

I will never understand why these companies choose not to cure, or worse not to flush. The best they can justify is ignorance or laziness. Why would you not want the best product on the market?

High THC % numbers will only fool us for so long. Gotta have the top shelf, well flushed and cured bud to match those numbers for it to be worth it.

 

[Mainoffender]

So I get that smell and taste arent important in the pharmaceutical world, the effects are.

But as a patient, knowing the terpenes (aromatic compounds) are part of the entourage effect, knowing that they have therapeutic medical value, I would have to argue that smell is very much part of those effects.

Cannabis is a flower, and I believe it should not smell foul. nasty taste is from the lack of flushing and curing some of these LPs do.

As a patient I am suffering enough in pain. I shouldnt have to suffer through foul taste to get relief when another company can make it smell and taste very pleasant with better effects.

I will never understand why these companies choose not to cure, or worse not to flush. The best they can justify is ignorance or laziness. Why would you not want the best product on the market?

High THC % numbers will only fool us for so long. Gotta have the top shelf, well flushed and cured bud to match those numbers for it to be worth it.

Exactly why I'm with Tilray. I tried a dispensary and the prices were even more than the LP's for weak ass flower. I have had a few decent strains and still go their for concentrates but for the most part keep going back to Tilray. The dispensary I tried have started to test and are charging $11/g for flower topping out at 14% THC. Nothing they sell is over 24%. I know there's good dispensaries but there's more and more popping up in the GTA in it for the same reason the LP's are.............$$$$$.

 

[theCerberus]

I recently signed up for the LP Aurora and they are matching Tilray in quality but the price is way less and the shipping is free. I am no longer renewing my script with Tilray. Broken coast, Aurora, and Mettrum all have decent quality bud, and between the 3 of them decent selection. I hesitate to say Aurora and Mettrum put out top shelf all the time, but its potent enough and cheap enough that it isnt as big of a deal. My experience with Broken coast has only been high quality top shelf stuff. Its also cheaper than tilray but they are lacking in strain selection.

I know Aurora has no 30% THC strain, but high THC % isnt everything.
Their Grape LA is very terpy and potent. More potent then some of the 30% indicas Tilray is pushing.
On the other hand I got 2 strains that were cured quite poorly
Kosher Kush and AK47 (I would not recommend ordering those 2) and 2 other strains with a number of seeds. EM-Dog and LA Affie (both smelled and tasted great, but potency suffered). but everything else on the menu is near top shelf.
Broken coast just released a new sativa dominant hybrid strain called Hourglass and I am waiting for it to arrive in the mail.

If Aurora can keep it consistent, and in stock, my go to indica strain for pain relief would definitely be Grape LA.
The best sativa I have found for pain relief without the couch lock is Headband. I requested that Aurora grow this strain and I am hoping they come through for me. Tilray has the best produced Headband on the market for MMPR. Mettrum had a batch of Headband in stock 3 months ago and it sold out in less than an hour. They havent had Headband since then despite their CSRs claiming it would be back shortly and them being approved for another grow site.

 

[weenstoned]

Doesn't Aurora have Cannatonic with 25% CBD? I would definitely be all over that.

Have to assume the new medical rules coming in less than 6 months will probably let the LPs sell real concentrates and possibly edibles or at least more concentrated edible oils. I would imagine their lobbyists are pushing hard for this as dispensaries are killing them for product selection.

 

[theCerberus]

Doesn't Aurora have Cannatonic with 25% CBD? I would definitely be all over that.

Have to assume the new medical rules coming in less than 6 months will probably let the LPs sell real concentrates and possibly edibles or at least more concentrated edible oils. I would imagine their lobbyists are pushing hard for this as dispensaries are killing them for product selection.

Correct. Although its only 24.3% CBD. Its fresh, sticky and terpy. The buds are a little on the small side for the average Cannatonic plant and extremely small compared to the pheno Tilray has (it has giant buds). It smells like mango and lemon. very tropical almost pineapple flavour.

I have been trying to figure out what effect CBD has on its own. From everything I have read it should be "pain relief, without the high", but I am getting very stoned from it and every other CBD strain I've every tried. It seems to start as a tingle in the back of my head and also underneath my feet. Then I feel quite stoned. This stuff has <1% THC but I am baked more than 30% THC master kush. I think CBD is being marketed by those who have never tried it before. I also think my tolerance to THC strains, and lack of tolerance to CBD is intriguing. It might be why I find THC mild and CBD very strong.

I like Cannatonics effects when mixing it with other strains especially because of the pleasant tropical flavours it has, but on its own its too strong, and is an uncomfortable high.

As for concentrates. I think LPs would not have invested in CO2 extraction machines if they did not intend on selling concentrates.
I cant afford to buy a Waters CO2 extraction machine nor employ an expert to run it, but I can certainly afford to make sunflower, coconut or grapeseed oil by simply cooking the cannabis together with oil and straining the result.
Why on earth would anyone invest in an extremely expensive (actual price is unlisted, must be requested from waters) machine to make watered down edible oil? I highly doubt thats the end game.

 

[weenstoned]

Personally I would characterize CBD as getting you stoned physically, but not really high mentally. Though I guess it is kind of relaxing mentally. Definitely interested in trying super high CBD, but my best experience has been with strains with a 1:1 ratio like Halley's Comet.

Would love to see some of the LPs do bubblehash or dry sift, but I am sure CO2 is easier/yields better.

 

[theCerberus]

Technically as patients we are allowed to make CO2, ice wax, dry sift, bubble, rosin hash anything without solvents because of R v Smith. So I think if an LP wanted to, technically they could allow us to put our medicine into the machine and take what comes out of it. I mean you should be able to have anyone 18+ assist you in hash production. Smith made and sold edibles to a BC dispensary without MMAR or MMPR approval and won his supreme court case.

If an LP wont risk doing it, there could be another company that allows patients to use their CO2 extraction machine. Most patient cant afford such an expensive machine, and just want finished products anyways. I wish there was an easy way for patients to be hooked up with extraction artists/companies.

 

[Mainoffender]

I recently signed up for the LP Aurora and they are matching Tilray in quality but the price is way less and the shipping is free. I am no longer renewing my script with Tilray. Broken coast, Aurora, and Mettrum all have decent quality bud, and between the 3 of them decent selection. I hesitate to say Aurora and Mettrum put out top shelf all the time, but its potent enough and cheap enough that it isnt as big of a deal. My experience with Broken coast has only been high quality top shelf stuff. Its also cheaper than tilray but they are lacking in strain selection.

I know Aurora has no 30% THC strain, but high THC % isnt everything.
Their Grape LA is very terpy and potent. More potent then some of the 30% indicas Tilray is pushing.
On the other hand I got 2 strains that were cured quite poorly
Kosher Kush and AK47 (I would not recommend ordering those 2) and 2 other strains with a number of seeds. EM-Dog and LA Affie (both smelled and tasted great, but potency suffered). but everything else on the menu is near top shelf.
Broken coast just released a new sativa dominant hybrid strain called Hourglass and I am waiting for it to arrive in the mail.

If Aurora can keep it consistent, and in stock, my go to indica strain for pain relief would definitely be Grape LA.
The best sativa I have found for pain relief without the couch lock is Headband. I requested that Aurora grow this strain and I am hoping they come through for me. Tilray has the best produced Headband on the market for MMPR. Mettrum had a batch of Headband in stock 3 months ago and it sold out in less than an hour. They havent had Headband since then despite their CSRs claiming it would be back shortly and them being approved for another grow site.

Good suggestions. I'm up for renewal in September and will definitely take a look at Aurora. I'm tied to Tilray now but hoping to get renewed for 2 or 3 LP's then. Your take on Tilray's Headband echoes mine. I was surprised how high I became and the flavour was top notch. Unfortunately high CBD strains haven't done much for my pain so I always go back to high THC strains.

 

[killick]

I've been using MedReleaf but am about to split my scrip with Aurora. For a brand new place they are trying hard.

 

[hi_there]

knowing the terpenes (aromatic compounds) are part of the entourage effect

Definitely, and this is what is lacking in milled product for sure!

 

[biohacker]

Why would terpenes be lacking in milled product? For instance, I purchased the Limolene blend from Tilray, isn't Limolene a strong terpene?

Gamma irradiated on the other hand...

 

[hi_there]

Not sure really, Cannimed mills everything and their explanation makes sense but I never see crystals. Does that mean they are not there or do they blend in some how? All I know is I get way more/better medication when I purchase even some cheap bud from the local compassion center.

 

[biohacker]

Tilray blends are good potency (approx 18%) and I know what you mean about the lack of trichs, but i'm sure they are in there....smell is amazing as is flavour. I won't buy a milled product again, simply because the grind is so fine that it irritates my airways...much prefer a medium -coarse grind. Tilray milled blends are $5/g so I figured there would be value, but with taxes it's not a great deal.

 

[theCerberus]

A lot of people (like myself) prefer whole buds and breaking them up ourselves.
I think referring to cannabis as "herb" is fitting because fresh whole spices tend to taste stronger than their ground up dried counterparts. Think fresh cracked black pepper as opposed to the stuff sitting on tables in shakers which is already ground up. sure that stuff still tastes like pepper, youd be hard pressed to argue it didnt. but the fresh cracked pepper is always gonna have more flavour, and you wouldnt criticize someone for wanting it over the pre-ground stuff. old ground black pepper loses its bite. same with cannabis. in my experience, over time terpenes degrade faster on ground up herbs.

i would never buy preground material unless it was broken up in front of me and put immediately to use or my only option for pain relief. luckily its easy to find buds in canada.

Definitely, and this is what is lacking in milled product for sure!

i agree.
keep buds in an airtight jar, add a boveda 62 to ensure perfect humidity level, and keep the jar in a dark, cool place.
use the medicine as soon as its milled.

 

[Mainoffender]

Have been with Tilray for 8 months and wondering what they're up to? When I joined they had around 20 strains and always a few around the 30% THC mark but this morning they're down to 12 with none over 25% (OG Shark just sold out)? Prices seem to have dropped too with 10 strains at $9/gm or less? Extracts are again sold out. I know they're expanding to Europe and Australia and wondered if their exports are impacting inventory in Canada? I'm not even sure if they're allowed to export but somethings going on. Think I'll try Aurora when my prescriptions up or at least split it with Tilray.

 

[mikek9]

Any updates on aurora?

Also, how is everyone doing with their LPs?

 

[killick]

MedReleaf is having intermittent product shortages. Some days are worse than others...

I've heard good things about Aurora, but haven't tried it yet...

 

[theCerberus]

Any updates on aurora?

Also, how is everyone doing with their LPs?

Aurora is OK. i thought after the first few strains they were doing fine, but now they mainly put out what i'd refer to as mids. a large number of strains have had varying amounts of seeds (space queen, grape LA, purple LA, blackwater, LA Affie, and EM-dog). the ones that dont are mostly passable but not fantastic. i dont think they match tilray in quality anymore.
their best strain IMO is still the Grape LA (Grapefruit x LA Confidential). it had an extremely strong, spicy, grapefruit flavour. it was mostly top shelf but completely inconsistent within the same lot. i got three 5g containers from the same lot and one of them had a number of small premature seeds. the other 2 containers were perfect though. But alas this strain is now sold out and it was the only one of Aurora's strains i'd consider refilling.

then there was the Kosher Kush that was disgusting. i mean putrid smelling, really terrible that I couldnt even bring myself to vape. surprised the hell out of me considering the other strains are very good phenos/cuts. I wouldnt dare say any of the other strains arent what they say they are, but this I will say definitively that this is not Kosher kush.

I asked if they would stop selling it because of how gross it smelled, and that it didnt represent what the strain is. they agreed, "kush should taste like kush" and they actually did pull it for a number of weeks. Then they released 5 or so strains and put it back on the menu until it sold out, they even advertised for it on the facebook page as a great strain (which I am disappointed about). there are many decent strains at aurora and this just isnt one of them. there should be some sort of QA that stops this stuff from releasing, but they only care if it passes health canada's safety tests, which has nothing to do with actual quality.

(example: If I sell moldy or bacteria laden tomatoes its a health and safety problem.
if i sell flavourless tomatoes its a strain and/or growing technique quality issue, but if it passes safety tests, its still fine to eat, i am just a subpar tomato company, so I must price my tomatoes lower than the fancier, tastier ones. this may have a place on the market for retail sandwich/fast food shops to buy in bulk. much like a less flavourful strain or trim could be used in cooking.
now take it one step further.
if a strain of tomatoes tasted bitter and foul, but wasnt mouldy and passed safety tests why would you associate your company with that? why not a nice flavourful one as the poster boy?
the point is, just be honest with what you are selling. dont market it as something its not. a good majority, if not all the of current LPs, market themselves as premium quality, and they deceive sick and dying people. You shouldnt be proud of your product for passing basic safety tests. Safety is never the standard for consumables, it is the bare minimum.)

You may notice Blackwater and LA Affie are both genetically Kush strains (despite lacking "kush" in strain name). These 2 actually taste quite good, very strong OG kush smell off the blackwater and a few seeds, but the LA affie had a ton of seeds and didnt smell till I broke it up. very good pink+caramel kush aroma, but not very strong.

Then there was the AK47. Sent completely uncured smelling exactly like Tweeds weed. I wonder where that came from.... I dont even think Aurora grew this one.... or the kosher kush... they probably both came from tweed (and I dont like that at all because I am under the impression that aurora is producing it, and I would like some transparency if they arent).
And it is legal under MMPR to do that....


Broken coast is still fantastic. The Hourglass strain I recently received is what I've come to expect from them. top shelf, premium stuff. Smells very floral with a bit of a cool, crisp almost cucumber like fresh produce flavour. The buds are quite large and it is quite a potent. It is sativa dominant, but only 60%, so there is some nice painkilling effect, while keeping you active. The flavour is not really my preference, but I respect it and definitely have use for it.

Broken coast is releasing a number of new strains in the coming weeks/months that are very enticing. I'll be sure to check out their Afghani Hashplant, Strawberry Diesel, Chocolate Berry Kush, and Sour OG.

 

[mikek9]

So I pulled the trigger on aurora. Split my script between tweed and them. I was really attracted to them by the pricing and the seemingly decent quality for at the start. They are only going to likely get better I would hope.

I was tempted to split it between tweed and broken coast but they just have such a limited selection of strains and the pricing isn't great. I use a lot of tweed's $6/gram strains which are $4.80/gram at the compassionate price which is a great deal for whole buds. I mean their headband right now is 23.4% THC and only 4.80 gram for me. I bought 30 all in separate 5 gram containers so I can open them as I need to. And with tweed's free shipping this is possible to make multiple small orders to get everything in small containers.

I have been happy with the communication between Aurora and myself so far. The customer service reps seem a little untrained, but this could still be because they are new.

I am looking forward to my $50 credit which I hope will satisfy me.

What I am really looking forward to is home growing and I hope splitting my scripts won't alter the amount of plants I'll be entitled to grow.

Also, for possession purposes am I only allowed to carry the largest script I have or does it take into account the multiple scripts one might have?