The green report: Waxing and waning

Star Buds not a five-star experience

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If you’re looking for Star Buds, you´ll find it pretty easily. Nestled in the back corner of a plaza on the corner of Lake Lansing Road and North Larch Street, the shop features a large, lit-up marijuana leaf on the sign. The plaza is well-lit, has a huge parking lot and is next to a convenience store — perfect for addressing cases of the munchies or cotton mouth.

I entered through the front door. The shop was clean and comfortable with modern decor. The waiting area was small, with just a few seats and an adjoining office for doctor certifications.

After showing my medical marijuana card and ID through a security window, I was allowed to pass through another door and a metal detector that led into a large showroom. The perimeter was lined with lighted glass cases which were filled with concentrates, flowers, edibles and smoking accessories. The edibles case was well-stocked with candies, cookies, capsules, tinctures and more. The employees wore medical scrub tops with an embroidered Star Buds logo.

Almost as soon as the budtender started talking, I was disappointed by the misinformation I was being given. I´ve had bad service before, but it´s a different kind of discontentment when you are being misguided. He seemed to place an emphasis on everything being “really strong.”

They carry two types of concentrates:

an oil made through isobutene extraction and a wax made through carbon dioxide extraction. I was given a recommendation for the latter. I was told it was both dewaxed and winterized. I wondered how a wax could be de-waxed. Furthermore, in cannabis chemistry winterizing is just another term for de-waxing. Both refer to a process in which unwanted fats and other plant material are filtered out, leaving a strong, concentrated product.

He went on to try to explain the process in which concentrates are made.

After a two-minute speech, during which he used every buzz word he could think of, he admitted that he didn’t really know how they are made because he never makes them. I asked whether the CO2 wax had been lab tested and I was told it came back at 90 percent THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), but no results were available to look at. Although he didn’t mention what lab it was tested at, I have a suspicion since almost all the products were in jars labeled “Iron Lab.”

I decided to skip the concentrate, which featured a $60 per gram price tag, and started looking at the buds instead. They had a large selection, 28 strains in total. All were labeled by name, and some were marked with “best seller” tags. The budtender asked me if I preferred indica or sativa. When I answered sativa, he suggested the Gorilla Glue, which he described as a “pure sativa.” I decided to take him up on his recommendation, even though it was $20 per gram. He handed me a small pop-top medicine bottle with my selection already weighed out.

Back in the safety of my home, I decided to weigh my acquisition to make sure it hit the mark. It did, and even included a bit extra. The 1.2 gram readout caused a little smile to emerge, but it was short-lived as I noticed the label had a checkmark next to “hybrid.” The Gorilla Glue, which is in fact a hybrid strain and not pure sativa, smelled great and looked like authentic Gorilla Glue. The taste and effects, however, were weaker than normal. Overall, this store has a good foundation and a lot of potential, but better education for the staff and lower price points would serve them well.

Steve Green is a happily married father of four, and is a medical marijuana advocate. He uses medical marijuana to prevent seizures.


Star Buds Medical Marijuana Clinic

2012 N. Larch St., Lansing (517) 977-1085, starbuds-mi.com

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