Last month Phoenix New Times celebrated the cream of the crop with our 36th annual Best of Phoenix edition. Here are our top picks for places to buy medical marijuana or smoking supplies in metro Phoenix.
Best Place for a Complete Medical Marijuana Experience: Medical Marijuana Farmers Market
This twice-monthly farmers market is an oasis for medical marijuana patients seeking just about any form of MMJ, be it a concentrate, extract, salve, or edible of nearly any kind. And it carries more strain varieties of good old-fashioned buds than you can count. This place is a smorgasbord like no other! There are contests with prizes, designated medicating areas, and a kitchen where a patient can order a medicated smoothie to go with a delicious meal -- right after receiving a relaxing massage. What's more is that patients can speak directly with the cultivators from whom they are purchasing their meds, which can be far more enlightening than second- or third-hand information.
See also: 420 Celebrations in Metro Phoenix in Photos
Best Customer Perks at a Medical Marijuana Dispensary: AZ Natural Selections
On the quest to get the best new-patient perks in the Valley, AZ Natural Selections has taken the lead. Not only does it have a new patient special that rocks (as of this writing, five free pre-rolls that weigh just shy of a gram each with purchase of an eighth), but it also hooks up new patients with a rolling tray, an herb grinder card, enrollment into a loyalty program, and a sweet, discreet carrying tube for meds and a few other surprises to help even the most novice patient get rolling with MMJ. AZ Natural Selections tends to have a good selection of herbs displayed with information to help patients of all experience levels make an informed decision for any purchase. Plus, it gives you an excuse to spend an afternoon in Cave Creek.
Best Medical Marijuana Concentrates: Encanto Green Cross
Keeping up with the newest craze in methods of self-treating with medical marijuana, Encanto Green Cross stocks MMJ concentrates, which it carefully concocts in its in-house marijuana laboratory by marijuana-mad scientists hell-bent on making the best, safest, and most potent concentrates it can -- with plenty of variety to choose from. Luckily, the friendly and knowledgeable staff is well suited to educate even the most inexperienced patient on their arsenal of concentrates, such as wax crumble, budder, shatter, bubble hash, and kief. A little dab'll do ya!
Best MMJ Hybrid Strain: Blue Dream at Harvest of Tempe
Bravo to Blue Dream! Time and time again, this strain proves that it is a perfectly blended hybrid that is good for just about anyone, anytime. These buds vary from medium to light in color, tend to have a lot of orange hairs, and are abundant with frosty tricomes. The smell and taste are inherited from its Blueberry daddy, giving Blue Dream almost a baked-goods fragrance with berry undertones. Lower dosages create a light, daytime-friendly effect typical of the sativa side of this hybrid, while higher dosages bring out the indica traits for relaxing and winding down at night.
For patients who want the best of both worlds of head and body high while keeping only one strain on hand, Blue Dream is the weapon of choice.
Best Head Shop: Bud's Glass Joint
Bud's Glass Joint brings a unique, artistic dimension to First Fridays, often hosting live glass-blowing competitions and demonstrations for spectators to enjoy. It features many pieces by local artists and even sells locally made incense, among other things. Bud's modest location has plenty of products on display without becoming an overwhelming, hard-to-shop mess. If it doesn't have what you're after, just tell the proprietors and they are usually willing to track it down for you. The staff is courteous, knowledgeable, and welcoming, plus they really know how to throw a 420 party.
