Illinois and weed

[Adobewan]

I'm mostly a black market flower guy because the dispensary prices here still haven't come down far enough in price, but for now I am buying it there anyway in the hope it is cleaner just to protect my healing incisions. Haven't been very impressed with most of it, tho I did get some Aeriz Cake Breath that was very good.

I'm recovering quite well. Almost 6 weeks since surgery and I am back to vaping (no dabs yet) and managing pain with mostly Tylenol which means not much pain. Did something to my back and that is greater pain right now. Can't flip a water bottle so stuck with tap water for a while. That's my biggest complaint at the moment...

Broken ribs suck and take a while to heal. Been there, no fun at all. Hope that is the worst of the damage.

I imagine you have already but have you asked about bulk pricing at your dispensary? Some have good deals but can be "quiet" about them. Continued good luck with your recovery.

 

[cybrguy]

I imagine you have already but have you asked about bulk pricing at your dispensary? Some have good deals but can be "quiet" about them. Continued good luck with your recovery.

I haven't asked specifically but I have noticed when they package at 14g (1/2 oz) their pricing is better just like my BM guy gives me a deal when I get a bigger order. I have a friend who goes thorough a lot more than me that I pick up for from my BM guy which helps get the price down.

Before running into that Cake Breath I wouldn't have wanted a quantity of anything I had gotten from a dispensary around here. After I picked up that eighth I went back for more but they had run out. It had been listed as a "staff favorite" and I should have believed them, but it was my first pass at that dispensary and I didn't know if a "staff favorite" was just something they wanted to push. Now I know.

 

[Timps27]

I miss being in MO with relatively close access to Bedford Grow flower; one of my favorite growers still after living in 4 legal states.

ETA: worst prices by far though.

 

[strech]

Be grabbing up superflux concentrates lately. They been throwing em on sale grab a bunch when they had them at $11 a gram. Pre 4/20 sale was nice.

 

[FlyingLow]

Picked up another Floral Blulato live rosin, on the sweeter side and I enjoyed the last one.
Also could not resist a couple more Rev Small Batch. Grabbed the Live Rosin Wedding Sherb and I am excited to try the Luckleberries59 Traditional Hashish Moroccan Melt, it is a "hand worked dry sift."

I was also pleasantly surprised by the Stiiizy cart Jealousy. I do not usually favor these, but it tastes okay.

 

[KidFated.]

Anyone have experience with sunnyside? I have some live sauce coming from there but my get some flower too

 

[FlyingLow]

Anyone have experience with sunnyside? I have some live sauce coming from there but my get some flower too

I have not yet, but it is nearby and my flight is delayed to early afternoon... I was on the fence about running by this morning but changed my mind.

I'd love to pick up a few more things, but am refraining as I will be in Colorado next week with much more advantageous pricing. Everything I shop for costs 30-50% more in Illinois.

 

[twain55]

Anyone have experience with sunnyside? I have some live sauce coming from there but my get some flower too

Sunnyside is Cresco's dispensary. They have many locations in the state. They sell all cultivators but will have the best prices on their own.

 

[Pinte]

Cresco stuff has been pretty good. You gotta wait for the deals tho unless you just don't care about the cost.

 

[strech]

I used to shop at Sunnyside a bunch. I moved and it's not that convenient anymore. Good loyalty program for Med card users. Usually good for sales every month. But even with their sales I've been finding much better deals at zen leaf and natures grace.

 

[cybrguy]

So, I see it's been quiet in here. Since I have made so many posts bitching about local prices I thought I would share that dispensary prices in Illinois Chicago area have been coming down substantially lately. Gotta be the competition ramping up. I have seen some really good pricing. A full ounce of well reviewed flower for $220 retail offered with a 30% off sale at Rise. That was about $195 after tax out the door. Some of the discount is quantity, but still it is dramatic change. I really hope that is the new trend.

 

[FlyingLow]

I hope things have turned!

 

[Pinte]

That's about where top shelf should cost for an oz. Nice.

 

[Timps27]

Much better than what I remember a few years back, I can remember paying $200 for bulk half’s and freaking $100 for a half gram of wax! Everyone had good vets discounts so that helped, but I was coming over from MO at the time so the out of state tax on top was a real kick in the jimmy.

 

[cybrguy]

OK, so things ARE getting better. My BM guy moved to Cali and I don't really have another here, tho he offered me a name before he left. So, the time has come and I applied for a Med card and was accepted. I went out yesterday and made my first medical purchase, and to be honest I was able to buy decent cannabis, on sale, at a price not dramatically higher than what I was paying. Non sale prices can still be kind of high, but with the lower taxes that Med gives you here, it seems like it may be manageable.
Now to look for the apothecary (deli) model of pot in jars that you can see and smell. Illinois won't get to that any time soon if ever because of the way they legalized with legislation heavily setting rules. But I wonder if Michigan offers that style of store? Does anyone know?

 

[Magic9]

But I wonder if Michigan offers that style of store?

Yes. They offer both pre-packs and a "deli-style" where you can inspect pre-purchase. Michigan is light years ahead as far as accessibility. Kalamazoo has a reputation for being the best bang for your buck from the Chicagoland area.

MO also has see/smell from what I hear.

 

[FlyingLow]

I’ve not been back in some time but will be in town in the next month or two. Glad to see prices down, hope it continues!!!

The real question is, where is quality? It was shit last time I compared concentrates to Colorado or Cali… shitty quality, limited selections, and lucky to find any hash rosin at all.

One of my biggest gripes, as somewhat of a concentrate hunter, was the complete lack of competition. The same Fucking brands are in every store, nothing mom and pop, nothing truly “Craft”, just big brands.

 

[cybrguy]

I'm much more of a flower guy and I have been a little surprised (and pleased) at increases in the quality of the flower that I've been running into from the dispensaries. Some of it has been surprisingly good. But there is still a lot of crap. Consistency is still not there. Most of my black market stuff has been coming from California and has been quite good so I am pleased that locally grown stuff has been decent. I don't have a vendor I like best yet. But I'm new to the dispensaries.

 

[Magic9]

I’ve not been back in some time but will be in town in the next month or two. Glad to see prices down, hope it continues!!!

The real question is, where is quality? It was shit last time I compared concentrates to Colorado or Cali… shitty quality, limited selections, and lucky to find any hash rosin at all.

One of my biggest gripes, as somewhat of a concentrate hunter, was the complete lack of competition. The same Fucking brands are in every store, nothing mom and pop, nothing truly “Craft”, just big brands.

MSOs (multi-state operators) are king here. There's hundreds of brands, all from the same handful of companies raking in the cash. It's feeling a bit "cartel-ish". But progress is progress.

I'm much more of a flower guy and I have been a little surprised (and pleased) at increases in the quality of the flower that I've been running into from the dispensaries. Some of it has been surprisingly good. But there is still a lot of crap. Consistency is still not there. Most of my black market stuff has been coming from California and has been quite good so I am pleased that locally grown stuff has been decent. I don't have a vendor I like best yet. But I'm new to the dispensaries.

I haven't been to a dispo anytime recently, but Revolution (and their offshoots) seem to be leading the pack this past year. QC is supposed to be pretty good, the grows seem to be pretty dialed in, and they've been consistent from reviews. (r/ILTrees is a decent resource)

Side note, Ascend has an "outlet" store with several Chicagoland locations. The inventory rotates pretty frequently, but even with the recreational tax, the price stays pretty competitive.

 

[Texus]

Revolution also has budget line Tales and Travels (Fruit Stand and Moose T are both killer in that line), and is growing Cookies branded flower in IL.

Floracal is the higher end Cresco stuff (and smalls of those strains can be found in their budget High Supply branded stuff).

And Aeriz (still another top brand in IL, tho their stuff can be light on the nose) has an interesting discount approach in their Daze Off line: each of those is a mix of buds from two different strains. Aeriz is also growing Fig Farms stuff and grows the Up North label too. Up North Durban Poison is one of the most highly regarded sativas in the market.

Another strain specific rec is Animal Face by Rhythm. Not generally a fan of Rythym, but that one they have really dialed in.

And while prices are still stupid high, live rosin has finally hit the market in a significant way in IL, both from Rev and Aeriz.

 

[FlyingLow]

Revolution also has budget line Tales and Travels (Fruit Stand and Moose T are both killer in that line), and is growing Cookies branded flower in IL.

Floracal is the higher end Cresco stuff (and smalls of those strains can be found in their budget High Supply branded stuff).

And Aeriz (still another top brand in IL, tho their stuff can be light on the nose) has an interesting discount approach in their Daze Off line: each of those is a mix of buds from two different strains. Aeriz is also growing Fig Farms stuff and grows the Up North label too. Up North Durban Poison is one of the most highly regarded sativas in the market.

Another strain specific rec is Animal Face by Rhythm. Not generally a fan of Rythym, but that one they have really dialed in.

And while prices are still stupid high, live rosin has finally hit the market in a significant way in IL, both from Rev and Aeriz.

thanks for the report... I am back in town tomorrow.

 

[cybrguy]

There's a couple of craft vendors I've been having good luck with in the Chicago area. One is called the NEZ, and the other one is IC Collective. I have enjoyed the buzz I got from these guys. They tend to be a little pricey if you can't find them on sale.

 

[FlyingLow]

There's a couple of craft vendors I've been having good luck with in the Chicago area. One is called the NEZ, and the other one is IC Collective. I have enjoyed the buzz I got from these guys. They tend to be a little pricey if you can't find them on sale.

@cybrguy thank you so much for your recommendations! I was way into the western burbs and my hunt brought be all the way back to Namaste to source the IC- picked up T.I.T.S. and Sweet Sting and cannot wait to get into these! They also carried NEZ, and I am not sure if they make concentrates, but I picked up Point Break flower which looked great and was highly recommended.

Pricing still sucks but product has been improving with each visit. Craft products are hard to find in Chicago, I am excited to see how these measure up!

 

[FlyingLow]

I found the IC to be tops for what I’ve come across, but imo they not yet have the potency or flavor to compete with the best I’ve found in Montana, Colorado and Cali. That said, they still measure up well and better than the other Illinois products I’ve had.

The NEZ is another story. I found their product to be top of class, any state would be glad to have this brand. Point break has a great nose on it and is quite tropical fruity. I wish I got more for a press. I did track down one of their reps, they do not currently offer any concentrates but have plans for solventless offerings in the future. I’m really grateful for cybrguy introducing me to this brand! Thank you!

 

[cybrguy]

I'm glad you liked them. Those are my favorite growers here in Illinois. The closest medical Dispensary to me carries the Revolution brand as their "house brand" and for a house brand in Illinois it's not bad, but I tend to favor the craft brands when I can afford them. The IC Collective strains were on sale for 30% off recently which made a 1/2 oz about $105 which is a bargain around here. That's about the price I was getting black market goods for before my guy left town.