Follow the green brick road

On the west side of the state, it’s really hard to find open provisioning centers or safe access points. And when you do find them, they tend to only stock cannabis flowers.

I think it’s unfortunate that medibles, oils and extracts, which many doctors and patients claim to have the best medicinal effect, are not available. And just because shops are few and far between does not mean there are fewer patients. In fact, many patients on the west side of the state STEVE GREEN are regularly driving an hour or more for their medicinal marijuana.

Late last month, I took a road trip to visit a friend in Grand Rapids. But halfway there, I realized I had not packed enough meds for the day. I decided to make the best of the situation and visit a new store in the area. I had heard good things about Emerald City in Nunica and decided I’d check out its selection.

Finding the shop was easy. It was clearly marked with a sign, and parking was plentiful. The front door leads into a huge lobby that still felt welcoming, despite its size. It was clean, with beautiful decor and seating. I was greeted and the store policies were explained to me, then I filled out the necessary paperwork to be put into the shop’s system.

Once I was in the green room, I sat at an elevated desk to view the selection. The desk is a thoughtful feature; patients don’t have to bend or stoop to see the display. The left side of the display housed the $15 per gram selections, and on the right were the $10 per gram strains. I counted 25 different strains in total.

I asked several questions of the budtender, and I was pleased when he answered with thoughtful and accurate answers. I smelled several of the jars and was impressed by many.

I chose the Green Love Potion strain, which smelled like a bouquet of herbal relief with hints of pepper, spice and lavender. It had a great trim job and beautiful coloring.

I had somehow overlooked a store exclusive called Thanksgiving Feast. Luckily, the budtender was nice enough to include a gram of this strain because he knew I had traveled a long way. I thanked him and went on my way.

Back in the safety of a proper smoking area, I started with the Thanksgiving Feast strain. As I broke it up and rolled my joint, I was only slightly impressed by the smell. Once I lit the joint, however, this strain immediately became one of my favorites. The first hit tasted of clearly of cranberries, but almost every inhale after that tasted like turkey breast. The exhales even tasted like Thanksgiving stuffing. I wish I had picked up more of this delightful treat.

Next up, I opened the Green Love Potion and started rolling the joint. It is a strain I don't find often, but I enjoy it almost every time. This sample lived up to my expectations. Its sweet taste was on point. The ash burned white, meaning a good flush, and, most important, the relief I usually find with this strain was there. It relieved my stress and melted away my muscle pain and spasms.

Steve Green, who writes this column every two weeks, uses marijuana to prevent seizures. He has no business ties to any dispensaries or products.

Emerald City Provisioning

Noon-7 p.m. Monday- Saturday, closed Sunday 11999 Cleveland St., Suite A, Nunica (616) 837-0517, emeraldcity.us