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This Is What A Legal $8 Eighth Looks, Smells, And Tastes Like

Plus some notes about how stoned it got us


I was in line at Green Heart Cannabis in Brockton a few months ago when I noticed that nearly everyone ahead of me was agreeing to an offer that sounded too dreamy to be real: Do you want to add an eight-dollar eighth on to your order?

But it was real. And I added one to my order too, not thinking much about it. After all, Green Heart is known for its excellent deals—to the point where their wake-and-bake specials have been known to have people lined up around the building before they even open the doors. And again, this happened months ago, so it was before plummeting prices became the cannabiz topic du jour.

So it just sat there, in its nondescript foil-lined pouch, in my box of many goodies among strange edibles and CBD products that I’m unlikely to consume. Solid backup, I figured. 

Mostly it went unthought about, save for one occasion when out of a random burst of curiosity I examined the package. I had to flip it over, scan to the bottom of the label, and squint a bit, but upon close inspection I traced this unprecedentedly cheap (as far as we’ve seen at least) weed back to NETA, a major operator that opened the first recreational dispensary in Mass—in Northampton—back in 2019.

It’s a given that the fact that anyone can sell an eighth for that low of a price (or even $13, which is the lowest I have seen at Green Heart or any other dispensary in the past few months) is a topic for a thousand columns and reports—about supply and demand, the impact of various regulations on prices, how smaller operators are affected, you name it. I’m also aware that costs have hit comparable lows out west. We have certainly covered a number of these topics and will continue to explore various related trends, but for the purpose of this exercise, I am simply reporting on what this extremely cheap weed looks, smells, and smokes like.

I’ll cut to the chase—if you’re over 40, unless your older cousins grew their own or you had access to big-money underground circles, then at bare minimum, this is mightier than anything you smoked in high school. With that baseline, here’s how my eighth of L.A. Kush Cake stacked up:

Appearance: These are popcorn nuggets, which isn’t necessarily bad, and surprisingly I find the overall batch to be healthy-looking enough that I wouldn’t think twice before rolling some up if a buddy came through with a trunkload. It’s machine-trimmed down to the skeleton, but there’s enough meat and sparkle on the bone to work with.

Texture: I hope you aren’t too excited on account of how it looks, because while these nuggets might be bright and shiny, they are acorn hard. Stepping on one of these dried green animal turds would feel like coming down on a Lego, yet they held some body in the grinder, somehow not just pulverizing into a fine powder with a single turn.

Smell: This part may surprise you. I know that it surprised me. This stuff is pungent, in a positive way. The descriptor “earthy” is way overused but it applies here, with terps that register like a freshly mowed lawn or a garden center more than your average batch of grass. Without knowing that it was a cheap buy, a friend who doesn’t partake said that the burn smelled worse than most stuff that I smoke, but they may have just been busting my shoes, as I didn’t notice any particular stench.

Taste: You’ll want something tastier than this Kush Cake for your birthday, but it is serviceable for any ordinary afternoon, and we can certify that it is kinder on the tonsils than expected and a far cry from the dirt or even mids you would have picked up for five times this much money two decades ago. It’s light and almost sweet, a minty Kush refreshment one might mix with infused chocolates. If you have ever enjoyed some fast food against your better judgment, then you may understand my reluctant appreciation here.

Effect: Not too high, not too low. Not too fast, not too slow. Did it get us stoned? It sure did—first, off the test rip in a chillum, then especially off an enormous blunt chock full of L.A. Kush Cake. With 21.7% Total Active Cannabinoids, most of that THCA ready to activate upon incineration, there’s no wonder that it did the trick.

Of course, had I purchased the same bag for $40 on the illicit market in 2007, I’d have expected nothing less.