Assorted cannabis edibles observed at Grass Roots in San Francisco
No, there weren’t actually any cannabis edibles on the floor at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco. But it would have been easy enough for a show attendee to investigate one of the newly legal recreational cannabis outlets, by taking a Muni bus or a Lyft or Uber. Our correspondent did just that, hopping the 38 Geary to visit Grass Roots at 1077 Post Street (between Polk and Larkin).
Grass Roots is probably typical of the new emporia in that it was formerly a medicinal cannabis outlet and has simply added a retail license. It gets good marks on Yelp for service, variety and value. One waits in a shortish line and surrenders one’s driver’s license briefly on entry to be recorded in a database. (In a worst case scenario, one supposes the U.S. Attorney General could subpoena the database and throw all of California’s recreational users in jail.) Another brief line, and one is at the counter talking to a knowledgeable salesperson.
Cannabis edibles come in baked goods, gummies, mints and possibly some other configurations. You can see the complete selection on the Grass Roots website. Each package is marked with the amount of active agent it contains, eg 100 mg THC. (If you are a recreational buyer in San Francisco you are limited to 100 mg per package; medicinal users can buy more. However, there’s no limit on the number of 100 mg packages you can buy.) A 100-mg pack of gummies indicates it contains 4 doses, so 25 mg per dose. Our correspondent’s salesperson said that 25 mg is indeed a good rule of thumb for a typical dose but a new user should start with a smaller amount, then augment it as needed. UPDATE: our correspondent now reports that a little under 10 mg THC is an effective dose for an adult male.
The edibles our correspondent reviewed were categorized as sativa, indica or hybrid. (There are also pure CDB and THC and a “TKO” but those are for medicinal users only.) The counter person confirmed that indica is by far the most popular. This is the relaxing, pain-reducing strain of cannabis as opposed to the euphoria-inducing sativa, so perhaps those who are concerned about legalization will be relieved buyers are using it for legitimate medicinal purposes, vs just getting high.
The advantage of edibles, as opposed to loose marijuana or prepared joints (“prerolls”), is that they can be consumed inconspicuously pretty much anywhere. The disadvantage is that it takes a while for them to take effect. (A pack of gummies advertises “60 Minute Activation Time”.) The retail price of a 100 mg 4-pack of Kushy Punch gummies is $16.00 which makes this a much cheaper experience than beer or wine. So a low bar, price-wise, if one wanted to do some experimentation.
