When I got to Left Coast Cannabis in Tacoma, it was hard to tell exactly when I was “in.” There was a guy in some sort of guard shack out front, but he didn’t ask me for any paperwork— he just asked if I was going to Left Coast. I told him yes, and he waved me on. Through the entrance was another guy behind a desk to the left, but he told me he wasn’t with Left Coast; he said he was with a cannabis testing lab.
While I was talking to him and trying to figure out what was going on, a middle-aged couple who’d come in after me rudely brushed past me and went in ahead of me. I straggled on into the bud room, feeling a little out of place since nobody had checked my paperwork, and I’d never before been allowed all the way back without that happening.
Three people were in line ahead of me, including the couple who’d just run ahead, and I realized that Left Coast’s two budtenders were checking authorizations right there at the counter.
Once I’d gotten over that confusion and started feeling at home again, budtender Marty asked what I needed. I told him I needed flowers, both indica and sativa, and he showed me a couple strains. Since the first ones I saw weren’t really the ones I wanted, I had to ask him to get me a couple more jars down from the shelves (they had $6, $8, and $10 strains; I stuck to the $10s). After eyeballing and smelling a few strains, I settled on Durban Poison, a pure sativa, and Hindu Kush, a pure indica.
Durban Poison delivers on the promise of its heavily trichomed flowers with a quick euphoric onset and a creative, energetic high. It vanquishes nausea and replaces it with the munchies, and allows you to stay focused on the task at hand. Anxiety and stress go by the wayside as well. Durban Poison’s slightly fruity bouquet and taste joins its clear-headed, uplifting effects to make it a great morning or midday smoke.
Hindu Kush’s subtly skunky, lime-green buds simply switch off the pain in your body, toke by toke. Named after the mountain range between Pakistan and Afghanistan, this 100-percent-indica strain, reputedly centuries old, leaves a preternaturally calm mental state in its wake. Don’t get the Hindu Kush if you’re looking for a cerebral high; this is body medicine. The flowers taste earthy, redolent of hashish, with a thick, fragrant smoke quickly resulting in a warm, mellow relaxation, excellent for pain management. The effects tail off after only about an hour.
Donation-wise, Left Coast Cannabis gives me absolutely no reason to complain; a $6/$8/$10 pricing structure is something I’d love to see at every shop in the area. A little more thoughtful and patient-friendly experience when it comes to actually walking in the place would be a big improvement, however.
tokesignals@seattleweekly.com
Steve Elliott edits Toke Signals (tokesignals.com), an irreverent, independent blog of cannabis news, views, and information.
