Along with college football (a mixed blessing here in Razorback Country), county fairs (all blessing, unless post-corndog depression counts as “mixed”) and the onslaught of pumpkin-spice-flavored products in their locust-like horde, this time of year marks the beginning of the holiday season, with Halloween and Día de los Muertos teeing up the Big Ones: Thanksgiving and Christmas, along with Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and secular get-togethers of every stripe.
To get a head start on getting into the proper headspace for the busy months ahead, the Arkansas Times proudly presents another round of cannabis recommendations from some of Arkansas’s best budtenders. Far removed from the old method of taking a chance with whatever your coolest and/or crispiest cousin offered to share out behind the garage, these days a person can talk to qualified professionals and procure some real medicine that might do a body some actual good. In that spirit, we present the following suggestions for getting the most out of our state’s medical cannabis — and your holidays — from the pros in the know.
Ian Hallam
Budtender and customer service specialist, The Hill
Ian Hallam, a longtime patient and current budtender at The Hill dispensary in Fayetteville, recommends a more traditional take for holiday fare: a selection of top-shelf “flower,” or what the old-timers might refer to as “marijuana.” Hallam’s pick goes by the exotic and enticing nomme de ganja “Bacio Gelato,” a hybrid indica strain from River Valley Relief. Praising Bacio Gelato as his go-to since its introduction more than a year ago, Hallam notes the consistency of this strain’s quality and its propensity for a relaxing, full-body effect that sets in immediately. In a go-go world, being able to slow down at the drop of a hat is a virtue not to be discounted.
Bacio Gelato is a cross between the Sunset Sherbet and Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookie strains, and is described by River Valley Relief as a flower whose combustion results in a “thick, creamy and rich smoke [with] a sweet overtone.” At 22.6% THC — fairly potent for flower — Bacio Gelato is another offering cultivated with more experienced patients in mind, and should ideally be consumed when one’s other obligations have been fulfilled — although, presumably, a friendly (congenially cutthroat) round of spades with a few cardsharp cousins can be safely undertaken.
Amethyst Navarrete
Vault tech, Arkansas Natural Products
Starting out at Arkansas Natural Products in July of 2022, Amethyst Navarrete made her mark as a budtender before taking on the role of vault tech, in which she’s responsible for getting medicine into the hands of ANP’s many patients.
Though Navarrete may not be offering one-to-one recommendations to patients on a daily basis while she keeps the dispensary’s sanctum sanctorum operating, her experience begs a listen. She chose to highlight an edible product — appropriate for a time of year given over to food, fellowship and more food — in the form of Wana Mango gummies.
Produced by River Valley Relief, Wana Mango gummies have several varieties in which sativa, indica and hybrid strains are prevalent, along with those prioritizing a more balanced CBD-to-THC ratio. All of these are enriched with more than 30 terpenes.
All of which is to say, it’s a boon for Arkansas cannabis patients to have not only a wide array of potential and specific medicines, but dedicated professionals like Navarrete to help one navigate the cornucopia of options.
A self-professed aficionado of edible cannabis, Navarrete makes a convincing case for considering Wana Mango as top-flight medicine for the holiday season, highlighting effects that seem uniquely suited for the (mostly) happy trials and (more or less) welcome travails unique to this special stretch of the calendar.
“What sets these gummies apart is their unique ability to provide calm, focused energy,” she said, describing the resulting mindset as “clear and uplifting.” Top that off with a touch of the giggles, she said, and you have a “well-rounded edible that balances flavor, efficacy and a touch of fun.”
Robert Knight
Budtender, Arkansas Natural Products
Robert Knight was an early patient of Arkansas Natural Products in Clinton, but it wasn’t long before General Manager Jennifer Morgan took note of his cannabis-related acumen. “I saw how educated he was on cannabis,” she said, and decided to put a paycheck behind that notion, hiring Knight as a budtender in July of 2023. After more than a year on the job, Knight offers a recommendation he believes will serve his patients well this season and beyond: ArkanRAW Full Spectrum Raw Cannabis Oil, manufactured by River Valley Relief out of Fort Smith.
By utilizing whole plant extracts, ArkanRAW cannabis oil comes out of the production process sporting a wide array of cannabinoids and terpenes (hence “full spectrum”) that is particularly suited to treating severe pain while providing relief from symptoms of high anxiety.
It is also quite stout, testing at a bit more than 76% THC. As such, it is a product more suited to experienced patients than those just beginning treatment. According to the River Valley Relief website, a full dose is roughly equal in size to a grain of sand, and it is recommended that patients start with a low dose and increase slowly if needed.
Along with ArkanRAW’s potency — he recommends it to patients that need a little extra help to manage pain — Knight is impressed with ArkanRAW’s efficient delivery system.
“It’s versatile and easy to use,” he said. “You can infuse some honey [with the oil] for a little kick to your coffee or tea — or just put it on your favorite hard candy and hold it under your tongue for quick relief.”
If you’re hankering for a remedy to help you wind down after a long day of visiting with the extended family (not arguing, and definitely not arguing over politics) without packing such a wallop, Knight suggests Wana Spectrum Rosin gummies. These berry-flavored, naturally sweetened gummies are made using an extraction method that leaves enough cannabinoids and terpenes intact for a full-body effect. At 10 milligrams of THC per dose, these gummies make it easy to take a little nap, but don’t pack so much of a punch you can’t sit up for the last football game of the day and talk a little pigskin with your tryptophan-saturated uncle, suspect political opinions and all.
Brooklyn Moss
Budtender, Natural Relief Dispensary
Yuletide 2024 will mark two years that Brooklyn Moss has been helping patients at Natural Relief Dispensary in Sherwood. When asked what product she would recommend to blend natural medicine with holiday cheer, she doesn’t hesitate to hype the THC-infused hot cocoa mix from Leafology.
“It’s great,” she said. “It tastes just like hot chocolate.”
Leafology Hot Chocolate Mix (according to the packaging, though some web searches list it as “Hot Cocoa Mix”) is an infused and flavored powder, sort of like a classic packet of Swiss Miss with a little added merriment. It can be prepared using any liquid suitable for making unleaded hot cocoa — water or milk, more often than not — but Moss goes on to suggest the true chocolate lovers out there can also opt to put the potent, tasty powder directly into a mug of their favorite (unmedicated) hot cocoa.
Now, should you or one of your holiday companions get a little too full of chocolate and need a change of pace, Moss has you covered there, too. When it’s time for a change-up in the taste department but the weather and the vibe still call for a piping-hot cup of cheer, she recommends a little slurp of SURP, a spiced apple cider simple syrup from Spring Lake, an imprint of Revolution Cannabis. A concentrated syrup available in 1.69-ounce bottles, SURP Spiced Apple Cider is perfect for adding to any number of holiday drinks. The small bottle and relatively low concentration of THC indica — 100 mg per bottle — also makes it easy to control dosages. “It’s a low dose,” Moss said, and does wonders to “calm and relax your mind and body.”
But the best thing about SURP might just be the fact that it’s a good and comfy fit with a time of year that, hopefully, has its share of good and comfy nights for everybody out there in the Arkansas wintertime. “During the holiday season, nothing is better than apple cider,” Moss said.
Well said and well met, and happy holidays to all from these excellent budtenders and everyone at the Arkansas Times!
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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
