The days are finally getting longer and warmer as summer approaches and with it even more hours in the day to consume two of the best creations known to man: weed and ice cream.

But we’ll do you one better.

The perfect companion to a summer barbecue, day in the water, or afternoon delight is ice cream with weed.

Don’t be deterred; it’s a lot easier than you’d think to create a delicious cannabis ice cream at home. Looking towards a long weekend, we’ve elevated this beautiful ice cream to create the perfect weed dessert.

Equipment you’ll need:

• Ice cream maker
• Mixing bowl
• Large saucepan

There’s no getting around it: you do need an ice cream maker to make restaurant-quality ice cream.

KitchenAid offers both stand-alone units or attachments for mixers already in your kitchen. Ice cream makers also come in a variety of prices to fit all budgets, including brands like Cuisinart and Ninja.

If that is too much of an investment for dabbling in the occasional infused ice cream recipe, there are several machine-free ways to make ice cream (with varying steps and resulting textures).

For this recipe, the bowl of the ice cream maker must be cold. Most manufacturers recommend chilling it for 24 hours in the freezer section of your refrigerator, not the deep freeze, before use. If you need to chill it in a deep freezer, aim for 8 hours.

You’ll also need a large saucepan for the caramel sauce and a large bowl for prepping the ice cream base.

Ingredients:

• 2¾ cups (650 mL) of 35% whipping cream
• 1½ cups (355 mL) of 2% milk
• 1½ cups (355 mL) of sugar
• ½ (125 mL) cup of water
• 4 tablespoons (60 mL) of cannabis-infused butter*
• 1¼ (5 mL) teaspoons of sea salt
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of vanilla

*We’ve used cannabis-infused butter to make this ice cream. We recommend making sure it’s made to your tolerance level before churning.

Let’s make some weed ice cream!

How to make ooey gooey caramel drizzle

Step 1: Prep the pan

Using a large saucepan for caramel is imperative; if it’s too small, the caramel will overflow when the cream is added. Set it on the stove with medium heat.

Step 2: Mix the sugar and water

Combine the sugar and water and bring the mixture to a low boil over medium-high heat.  Cook the sugar, without stirring, until it turns amber in colour. 

Step 3: Add the cream

Once it reaches a medium amber colour, remove the sugar from the heat and add ½ cup of room temperature whipping cream. Be careful when adding the cream, as it will cause the mixture to bubble violently with a hot burst of steam.

Step 4: Stir in the cannabutter

After the bubbling stops, stir in the cannabis-infused butter and 1½ teaspoons of sea salt until melted.

Step 5: Let it cool

Once all ingredients are incorporated, set the base aside until fully cooled. It should be a thick pourable consistency once cooled. Store the prepared caramel in a covered container on the counter.  

How to make “pot” ice cream

Step 1: Mixing the base

Combine the 2¼ cups of cream, milk, and vanilla with half of the cooled caramel in a large bowl. Whisk well until the ingredients are fully incorporated, then cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for a minimum of 1 hour. 

Step 2: Fire up that ice cream maker! 

Once the mixture has set, slowly add the ice cream base and churn following the manufacturer’s directions. This usually takes between 20 – 40 minutes based on the machine’s model and your desired consistency.

Step 3: Add garnishes

Scrape the finished ice cream into a freezer-safe container. You can easily build on this recipe with add-ins and toppings like chopped chocolate, peanuts or toasted pecans.

Important: Stir in the additions immediately after churning, as it will be too firm after it freezing to incorporate nuts or chocolate.

Step 4: Caramel drizzle

Add half of the remaining caramel and lightly swirl it into the ice cream before placing the container into the freezer to firm up. When ready to serve, drizzle the remaining caramel over top and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt.

We hope you enjoy this decadent-infused ice cream. Enjoy it on hot apple pie, in a banana split, or turn it into a tasty caramel milkshake drizzled with your favourite toppings.

Redawna Kalynchuk

Redawna Kalynchuk is a freelance writer, photographer and visual storyteller from Alberta. Her passion for cannabis comes from years of cannabis gardening and creating incredible infusions. Empowering you to grow, cook and share!

View Redawna Kalynchuk’s articles

Imagine having the chance to endorse a policy that 58% of all voters in your state want, and only 26% oppose. 

Imagine getting behind a policy so bipartisan and appealing that it can sway Trump voters to support your opponent, a full-on leftie. 

Imagine the opportunity to advocate for an economic boom that can create countless jobs in your state, and stop it from hemorrhaging millions of dollars to your neighbors.

Then imagine going on TV and saying, nahhh, fuck all of that.

That’s precisely the course of action that Dr. Mehmet Oz—the reality TV quack turned MAGA Pennsylvania Senate hopeful—took yesterday, May 19, when he hopped on Newsmax to deride and mock cannabis consumers and the cannabis industry writ large. 

The rant commenced when host Greg Kelly launched into a brief tirade about Lt. Governor John Fetterman, the Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania’s open seat in the US Senate. The Democrat, Kelly noted, aghast, wears “hoodies.” He also wears shorts! Aaaand he supports legal marijuana!!

Dr. Oz shook his head in disgust before winding up…and delivering the pitch, transcribed here in its full glory:

Folks, I got too much to do today to break down every instance of inaccuracy, condescension, and obliviousness in this breathtaking monologue. But I know that you—like me—have family members and friends who gobble up this kind of rhetoric like it’s Vicodin, and at some point, you might have to actually talk to them about it. 

So, let’s go over a few points:

• Since when does “giving” pot (wait, it’s free now?) to people make them stay home? Folks, pot has been shown to help people focus. Insanely successful athletes use it. Entrepreneurs, visionaries, activists…they all smoke pot!
• What is this emotional addiction you speak of, doc? Pot has been shown to help folks deal with stress. There’s a lot of stress out there. You want to make them less stressed? I dunno, make a plan to address things like climate change, income inequality, chronic loneliness, or homelessness.
• When you say mojo, do you mean…? Yes, ladies and gents, it does make people frisky.
• Yeah, so…states with legal weed don’t allow you to operate heavy machinery when you’re high. Or impaired on any substance. If you can trust your employees to not get shitfaced and go buckwild with a forklift, you can expect them to act accordingly if they have access to legal weed. Cannabis is now legal for all adults in 18 states. We have yet to experience an outbreak of stoners joyriding in front loaders. 
• Lastly…find me someone that “takes” joints, and I’ll run a full-length story on them. Scout’s honor.

For the moment, it remains to be seen whether Dr. Oz will even prevail in the GOP Senate primary. He’s currently in a dead-heat with his Republican rival.  

But if he does in fact face off against Fetterman, expect this topic to come up again—and again, and again. And expect Fetterman, one of the loudest pro-legalization voices in politics, to run with it. 

Because—as Fetterman realizes, and Oz clearly does not—talking about legalization isn’t about just speaking to a left-wing base. It’s about speaking to an enormous swath of American voters. And it might even win an election.

Max Savage Levenson

Max Savage Levenson likely has the lowest cannabis tolerance of any writer on the cannabis beat. He also writes about music for Pitchfork, Bandcamp and other bespectacled folk. He co-hosts The Hash podcast. His dream interview is Tyler the Creator.

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This week we examine how John Fetterman’s big primary election win in Pennsylvania was made possible by his strong advocacy for legalization. Also: Hottest weed strains of May.

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The Roll-Up: Leafly’s weekly cannabis news and culture podcast

Every Friday the Roll-Up crew—Bruce Barcott, Alyssa Yeoman, and Hannah Staton—dissect the week’s top cannabis stories and take a deep dive into a single issue. It’s a news and culture podcast, slightly elevated.

Subscribe for free on iTunes or Stitcher.

Got feedback? Bring it: therollup@leafly.com. Want more? Hit us up on Twitter: @therollup.

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Leafly Podcasts

Leafly Podcasts bring the latest in cannabis news, products, and culture directly to your ears each week. Subscribe to The Roll-Up, What Are You Smoking?, The Hash, and The High Life on podcast outlets like iTunes, Spotify, and beyond.

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Archive builds on its reputation for world-renowned genetics with two fresh Moonbow hybrids.

Leafly’s 2021 Strain of the Year is Dosidos, the brainchild of the legendary geneticists at Archive Seed Bank in Portland, Oregon—and if you love Dosi, you’ll want to keep an eye on its Archive-created children and grandchildren. Archive’s team, led by legendary breeder “Fletch” aka The Docta, are renowned for tinkering with phenotypes until they create the best expression of a strain. Dosidos is far from their first big hit; for the last two decades, they have been preserving classic clone-only varietals from the 90s into seed form, like with Face Off OG.

The next greatest Archive invention since Dosidos, the Moonbow line crosses two household-name strains—funky hybrid Dosidos and fruity indica Zkittles—to get one of the greatest rising stars in cannabis genetics. Leafly users rate it a 4.9 out of 5, a slightly better score than even its already-legendary parents.

Phenotypes of Archive’s Moonbow F1 Generation, including #99 and #112, have hit the recreational market, but Moonbow 112—yes, 112—is the latest and greatest… so far, at least. The strain placed in three 2021 Michigan Cannabis Cup categories, winning people over with its fruity-floral candy taste and euphoric, creative, and social effects. 

Two new strains are about to hit Archive’s shelves: One is the next evolution of the Moonbow line, while the other is Dosidos’ most excellent grandchild. These seed packs drop on Sunday, May 15, 2022, at 1 p.m. PDT, so get ready to grow some out-of-this-world cannabis this season.

Moonbow 112 IX: The boss-level Moonbow strain

Moonbow #112 F1 x Moonbow #112 F2 #60

It took three years of work to create Moonbow’s ideal form: Moonbow 112 IX. Instead of backcrossing with the mother Moonbow plant, Archive put in the work identifying phenotypes in later generations to create more reliable results. By breeding siblings F1 and F2, Archive combined the best the line has to offer into one strain. This produced something that re-creates or even improves on the original Moonbow #112 mother plant without cloning—so you can capture that lightning in your home grow.

The full-grown crops are impressive on their own, with great structure, impressive height, foot-long colas, and sticky buds that are each a handful on their own. Moonbow 112 IX was bred with flower quality as a priority, with a strong terp profile evoking blackberry, currant, and lime with a hint of gas. This one is truly the uber-Moonbow.

Moon Glow: A fresh and fruity Dosidos-heavy cross

Moonbow #112 x Planet Purple F2 #144

Moon Glow has Dosidos lineage from both its parents, with Moonbow #112 on one side and a male Planet Purple F2 #144, the offspring of an in-house selected Sherbadough (Sunset Sherbet x Dosidos #8) crossed with a Moonbow male (Zkittles x Dosidos), on the other. This magical strain boasts the dense, colorful buds that made its grandparent a legend, along with denser resin, zesty Zkittles fruit, and a touch of earth, kush, and red wine tannins from Sunset Sherbet. The beauty of these buds starts in the bag and continues throughout the entire experience.

The plants have a medium, well-branched profile, do well both as a cola dominant and topped, and take about 60-72 days to flower. Hashmakers can enjoy more than a 6% yield with some phenotypes.

Legendary genetics, straight from the source

Looking for strains like Scooby Snacks, Junior Mints, or Duct Tape? All of these come from Archive Seed Bank’s genetics, and you can even sort them by your favorite Archive parent strain to round out your crop with something you’ll love (or just nerd out on cannabis breeding).

Moonbow 112 IX and Moon Glow will be ready to purchase on May 15, 2022, at 1 p.m., so get ready to do some seed shopping.

*Availability subject to law

The United States Postal Service has served the American people for almost 250 years as one of the oldest and most venerable US institutions. You’ll recognize agency members by those timeless navy blue shorts and the eagle logo on the side of their trucks. The USPS has been making deliveries for centuries, yet many Americans still don’t fully grasp the organization’s mailing laws. Namely, what is the risk of mailing or shipping weed or edibles through the mail?

The short answer: mailing flower, edibles, vapes or any other cannabis product is federally illegal. Postal inspectors play a key role in helping wage the nation’s War on Drugs, including cannabis. As one of the country’s oldest law enforcement agencies, they work to identify and prosecute major drug mailers and intercept illegal drug proceeds that traffickers attempt to send through the mail.

But we know what you’re thinking: How many of those billions of packages being mailed each year contain cannabis? Are people getting away with mailing cannabis? Can I mail weed and not get caught? Is it worth risking the consequences? The long answer is a little more complicated, and we’re here to break it down.

Potential penalties for mailing weed

Though states can legalize marijuana possession under local law, possession for any reason outside limited research technically remains a federal crime, as does shipping cannabis through the mail. Additionally, as a government agency, the United States Postal Service is subject to federal law; any illegal use of their services is a felony. Plus, marijuana is still a Schedule I drug. 

That means anything under 50 grams can potentially get you up to five years in a federal penitentiary, and the penalties only increase as the amount grows.  More than 200 federal laws protect the sanctity of the US mail, enforced by the US Postal Inspection Service.

We should also note that even if you did not mail the package and are only the recipient, your knowledge and participation in the planning of the shipping makes you just as guilty as the person who mailed the package. Once a package is seized, a person is liable to face prosecution in both the state in which it was mailed as well as the state in which it was delivered. It’s totally at the discretion of the prosecutor.

Mailing hemp and delta-8 products

With the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill came the federal legalization of hemp and hemp-derived products, which are defined as having less than 0.3% THC. Hemp products can be mailed legally within the United States by the USPS as well as private mailers like FedEx and UPS, though there are some exceptions, such as vaporizers, and legality depends on if the sender or delivery state has laws in place that prohibit it.

Now you might be thinking that the rise of delta-8 THC, a hemp-derived cannabinoid with intoxicating effects that differs from delta-9, offers a loophole. You can extract it from federally-legal hemp plants, so you should be able to ship it anywhere in the country, right? Well, no. Delta-8’s legal status currently exists in a gray area; while the DEA has listed it alongside delta-9 THC on its scheduled substances list, it hasn’t been officially scheduled as such, yet.

But some states have passed their own laws against shipping and selling it, likely because its products do not have to be tested and regulated like delta-9 THC. So if you live in a state that allows it, yes, you can ship delta-8 products (minus vapes) through the USPS.

What about mailing weed through private couriers like UPS or FedEx?

In terms of alternative carriers within the US, there are a number of private couriers. The big three outside of USPS are FedEx, UPS, and DHL. A discerning cannabis shipper might ask “Which service should I choose and are any of these a better, safer option than USPS?” Surely these private companies offer the paying customers greater protection against government interference and warrantless searches?

The answer is a resounding no. FedEx, UPS, and DHL all specify in their terms of service that they reserve the right to open and inspect any package at their own discretion. They all also specify that shipping any form of marijuana remains illegal and “unacceptable.”  When you drop your package off at the FedEx or UPS store to be mailed, you’re putting the property into the possession of a third party, and the Supreme Court has ruled that giving your package to a third party “removes any reasonable expectation of privacy.” We should note that none of these couriers’ policies explicitly address delta-8 products.

FedEx

According to their terms and conditions, FedEx not only prohibits the mailing of cannabis flower and THC products, but also hemp plants, oil, and seeds. Compliant CBD products, however, can now be shipped. To compound this, in 2014, the US Department of Justice indicted FedEx with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances over its alleged role in transporting illegal prescription drugs. While this isn’t marijuana, it does strongly indicate that FedEx and other private couriers will be scrutinizing packages much more closely for any illegal substances.

UPS

UPS similarly prohibits shipping any cannabis products, but it does allow for raw hemp plants and CBD products that comply with state and federal laws (minus vapes), as long as they are shipped domestically and do not come from companies who also produce or handle marijuana or THC products.      

DHL

DHL accepts packages containing hemp plants and derived products with under 0.3% THC, but only within the US. While DHL claims to inspect 100% of their packages, they and other couriers are not required to x-ray all shipments.

The USPS seems like the safest bet

In contrast to these policies, the US Postal Service seems like the preferred carrier for many drug shippers because it offers more stringent Fourth Amendment protection. Postal inspectors must acquire a search warrant based on probable cause before inspecting mail and parcels. According to the USPS:

However, although postal inspectors do have to obtain a warrant to search a suspicious package, suspicion alone is enough to get parcels singled out and tracked. USPS actively encourages workers and the public to get involved in the identification of packages containing drugs by offering $50,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and indictment of a drug trafficker.  

When it comes right down to the illegal transportation of cannabis via mail, USPS is—relatively!—your safest bet. And we mean relatively. Remember, the act is an illegal one and, without a doubt, carries a significant level of risk.

What happens when USPS or FedEx finds weed in packages? Are there penalties?

Crunching the numbers, the Postal Service faces an enormous task in preventing the trafficking of illicit substances. Put simply, the sheer volume of packages the carrier handles every day offers the chance that contraband packages will get delivered unchecked; the United States Postal Inspection Service enforces over 200 laws with over 1,200 inspectors. They can put their collective shoulder to the wheel, but no matter how hard they try, it is virtually impossible for the USPS to catch all wrongdoers. In 2015 alone, they seized 34,000 pounds of marijuana from mailed packages.

For third party couriers, the onus of responsibility falls on them to report illicit packages to the authorities, who can acquire warrants and open investigations. Without reported data, it’s impossible to estimate how many packages found to contain marijuana or other scheduled substances have been cited to open investigations.   

Shipping drugs through the mail probably seems safer than it should be. The USPS, as well as partnering law enforcement agencies, simply don’t have the resources to try to figure out where the drugs are coming from and who’s expecting them.

However, it would be unfair to fault the USPS in the matter; they are just not equipped to x-ray and investigate each package, nor is there an official x-ray policy. Not only are packages given extra protection, as we’ve outlined, but the agency has also been losing money pretty much every year for the last decade due to a decrease in mail volume. The increasingly under-resourced organization faces increasing pressure to downsize, exerted by the government.

In 2016, despite turning a profit in a financial quarter for the first time in five years, President Obama still proposed the agency slash 12,000 employees in his fiscal 2017 budget. The Trump-appointed and current Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy, has made further cuts to plant locations, office hours, and mail delivery times.  

Does where I’m mailing the weed to impact the risk?

In short, no. Since the USPS operates on federal law, it remains illegal and risky to mail cannabis and cannabis products anywhere in the US, including out of the country, state to state, and within a state, even if medical and/or adult-use laws are in place. Like third party couriers, the USPS does ship compliant hemp-derived products within the US if state laws allow, and most states allow the shipping of delta-8 products.    

What makes a package suspicious?

Post inspectors have a long list of signs and tells that help them determine if a package could contain marijuana or other illicit substances. In fact, in 2016 the USPS founded the Administrative Non-Mailability Protocol (ANP) program, which “does not require postal inspectors to obtain search warrants to open detained packages.” In fact, if a package is detained and they don’t receive a response form the mailer or addressee in 21 days, the package is considered abandoned and they can open it anyway. Factors that raise suspicion with packages include:

• Outdated, handwritten or missing return addresses
• Odd shapes
• Excessively taped
• Excessive postage
• Leaking unidentifiable substances 
• Excessive odor

What about mailing edibles, cartridges, and concentrates?

Unfortunately, if it’s got any THC above 0.3%, any cannabis-derived edible, cartridge, concentrate, and even topical can be seized and even used as proof of a drug-trafficking crime. Even CBD and delta-8 vapes are prohibited, though CBD and delta-8 edibles and concentrates that comply with federal and state regulations are allowed.

Drug trafficking is an existing problem

Ever since the closure of the infamous Silk Road and the media furor surrounding it, people now know of the existence and the nefarious proclivities of particular groups within the Dark Net. Most Americans can access illegal substances with a simple click thanks to Internet access, Dark Net markets, and social networks like Instagram. Still, these hidden, online drug dealers don’t have access to some secret, underground delivery method us mere mortals are unaware of; they simply use the Postal Service.

According to former Attorney General Eric Holder, the problem is endemic:

Leafly previously contacted the Postal Service in the hope of getting more information on their policies regarding illicit substances, in particular cannabis, being transported in the mail. The USPS promptly responded while also providing some useful data:

On average, 1,000 suspects are arrested by postal inspectors each year for trafficking drugs and laundering drug money via the U.S mail in 2019, they made over 2,500. In addition to seizing cash obtained through criminal activity, postal inspectors have used federal forfeiture laws to seize houses, vehicles, boats, artwork, and other high-value items purchased with drug money.

Statistical trends: Mailing marijuana and other drugs

Despite these hefty risks, and the fact more than half the country has legal access to either medicinal or adult use programs, some cannabis users continue to dismiss the run-of-the-mill driving delivery system and keep mailing their product. In 2019, the USPS processed almost 55,000 packages they suspected of containing marijuana. 

The black market, even in adult-use states, continues to thrive, so many might find mailing weed a lucrative endeavor. Even as DEA seizures od marijuana continue to decline year after year, it’s unclear if this trend will be reflected in weed packaged mailed.

We’ve previously reported that while the overall number and weight of marijuana package seizures has been declining for years, there was an uptick in 2016; since then, however, the numbers seem to decline, but no one really knows just how much marijuana successfully makes it through the Postal Service undiscovered. Is it just a coincidence, though, that the level of detected cannabis has fallen as more states wholly legalize? 

Prohibition has been seen in the past to encourage and incentivize the black market. Perhaps, as cannabis becomes increasingly mainstream and regulated, the lure of the black market will wane through easier access and the realization that shipping the drug is no longer worth the risk of harsh federal charges.

Why do people risk getting caught mailing cannabis?

Is it really such a bad thing to put some eighths in the mail? Why are there so many people willing to take a chance on something like mailing cannabis? Actually, the data shows that it’s likely happening less and less. 

Increasingly favorable legislation in the US, coupled with Canada’s federal legalization and Mexico’s recent decriminalization, means more legal avenues for cannabis careers, and by extension, a drop in related crimes. The latest data shows that while agents hit a seizures pinnacle in 2009, getting their hands on around 4 million pounds of cannabis, they only confiscated about 1.5 million pounds last year. In 2021, the DEA made less than 1,000 marijuana trafficking charges.

But let’s face it, the USPS has been in financial trouble for the better part of a decade. In the past 10 years, total volume has declined by more than 56 billion pieces (or 26%), first-class mail volume has declined by 34.5 billion pieces, and single-piece first-class mail (primarily letters bearing postage stamps) has declined by 24.4 billion pieces.This translates to $47 billion in operating losses since 1971. Ultimately, can beggars be choosers? To paraphrase Gertrude Stein, traffic, is traffic, is traffic.

This post was originally published on July 26, 2016. It was most recently updated on May 18, 2022.

Ross Scully

Ross hails from the west coast of Ireland but currently resides in Seattle, where he is a product manager for Leafly.

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West Coast cannabis flower smokers: Prep your lungs for a long, hot, intense summer

This May, Kush Breath went Platinum. Chem Dog offspring like GMOG, Dawg Breath, and The Judge intimidate with both their bark and bite. And Archive Seed Bank takes your garden over the rainbow with their next-generation Zkittlez cross, Moonbow #112 IX.

Impress the session with this flood of crazy-strong, flavorful pot just sitting there on store shelves and delivery warehouses.

That’s right, it’s time for Leafly’s essential, monthly, West Coast fire flower round-up, Leafly Buzz. Let’s frickin’ go.

Trending weed strains in the west

Krypto Chronic

⬆ 43.4%

Prepare to orbit Earth and ponder the black hole at the center of the Milky Way via Krypto Chronic—the OG and Cookies cross popularized by Alien Labs of California. We got a crazy cut of it from Fig Farms, a big winner at May 15th’s the Emerald Cup Awards 2022. If big Fig invested the time to grow Krypto, we’re damn sure game to smoke it. This hybrid doesn’t have a clear breeder attached to it, but it’s a Fruity Pebbles OG crossed to Alien Cookies, then Jet Fuel Gelato. It’s fruity, berry, sweet, creamy, fuel funk and complex, bitter-sweet taste made Leafly readers report coffee, plum, and even tobacco notes. Expect super-high THC effects for advanced users, who might get energetic, happy, and relaxed all at once. Some patients turn to the Krypto Chronic to manage anxiety, pain, or depression. Krypto Chronic jumps up 43.4% month over month in search interest.

Slapz

⬆ 35.6%

Exotic Genetix’s cross of Runtz x Grease Monkey surges into May thanks to its hard-hitting aroma and dizzying, hybrid-indica effects. Slapz jumped up 35.6% in monthly searches as more growers tried out this recent creation from the leader breeder of Washington. Genetics from Zkittlez, Gelato, Original Glue, and GSC give this strain a face-smacking skunk, diesel, and pine, smell, and taste. Reviewers report getting aroused, creative, and hungry on Slapz, but newbies should watch out. Those mega-high THC levels can make novices anxious, and dry their mouth out.

Area 41

 ⬇ 21.8%

Lemon Fuel OG and Gelato 41 combine in Area 41, a staple strain from Alien Labs. Area 41 fell off 21.18% in monthly interest as fans sought out newer flavors. Still, those gas and gelato terpenes stain the palate with flavors of lemon and earth. The effect? Lovely, high-THC hybrid vibes for a workday afternoon into night, or a weekend day spent all turnt up. Reviewers report getting chatty and aroused as Area 41 zapped their pain and stress.

OG Kush

⬆ 17.5%

Fans of the legendary, undefeated OG Kush nudged this West Coast classic up 17.48% in monthly search volume. Since the ’90s, OG Kush has delivered tasty lemon, pine, and fuel smells with a woody, earthy finish no one can deny or diminish. But where the real OGs even at these days? Well, The Real OG brand cannabis in California delivered on the brand promise for us. We got a jar from the Sunset Pipeline dispensary in San Francisco, just south of Golden Gate Park—proof that it takes OGs to grow and source OGs. After a day of dealing with work challenges, OG Kush never fails to supply high-THC, hybrid effects that’ll make you hungry, relaxed, giggly, and stress-free. OG Kush goes great with weekday afternoons and evenings and works all day on weekends. Pre-game for those new Dr. Dre missions in GTA Online with the real OG this month.

New in the Leafly Strain Database

Platinum Kush Breath

Popping up on our radar—Platinum Kush Breath. Breeder In-House Genetics crossed a OGKB v2.1 x Platinum. We got a beautiful nug of it from award-winning growers Sense Cannabis in SF that tasted like earthy, fuel, minty, doughy, funk. Save this stratosphere-level high-THC strain for after you finish work and chores for the day, or they’re not getting done until tomorrow.

Beaver Tail

Speaking of Kush Mints crosses, the Canada brand Burb has brought their A-game to California’s hyper-competitive market with Beaver Tail, a cross of Pink Gelato x Kush Mints #11. Roots Genetics in Los Angeles bred the strain for Burb, and the two have grown it for eight months. Beaver Tail has an exquisite, icy-dark look, with that tasty, iconic gelato smell of creamy berry, fuel, and earth. Beaver Tail slaps fools with a 26-31% THC scores, and its heavy, relaxing body high effect goes great with a weekend weed nap, or killing your work week insomnia. Beaver Tail smacked us silly like we got on the wrong side of a semi-aquatic rodent.

Dawg Breath

Who let the Dawg Breath out? Award-winning California growers Green Dawg did. This Chem Dog offspring has serious bark and bite. Green Dawg crossed Motorbreath #15 to Motorbreath #15 F3—which means a whole heck of a lot of Chemdog and SFV OG genes expressing that chemmy, spicy, sour earth funk smell, and taste. This Doberman of a strain is a strong AF hybrid that works best as an after-work treat for getting super-lit and scarfing down. If you love Chem, OG, and GMO—meet your new best friend. Green Dawg sells Dawg Breath as ‘Puppies’—smaller buds with just as much ferociousness as the bigger dawgs.

Nuketown

A Humboldt County, CA budtender at High Tides recommended this sativa during a spring camping trip to Gualala, CA. We had to buy it, because of the reference to the famous Call of Duty multiplayer map Nuketown, and suspected roots in old-school Chernobyl. Sure enough, Flight Time Genetics of Denver crossed two classics—Chernobyl and MK Ultra—to make this hybrid. It’s got a 90s weed flavor–a bit sweet, grassy, hashy, and chocolatey. The high-THC hybrid proved versatile—whether it’s getting headshots in online multiplayer, or just soaking up rays watching the waves break on the rugged shoreline.

Fresh in stores this month

New on shelves

The Judge

from Claybourne Co., CA

Very few strains make us uncomfortably high in 2022, so take your hat off in the courtroom of The Judge, Claybourne Co’s highest-testing strain ever. This indica reeked of Chemdog or GMO when we popped the jar, so we knew an intense time awaited us. Indeed, Claybourne Co. reports they bred a Chem Dog-related strain that’s exclusive and unique. Expect a pungent, major diesel smell with a flavor that can evoke bitter coffee or rich plum. When your schedule opens up, put your phone on airplane mode and strap in for an intense, off-hours experience. Take a time out—this Judge is stern but fair.

Rocketing up the charts:

Super Boof

bred by Mobile Jay, Cultivated by Virgin Leaf, OR

For those unfamiliar with the term “boof,” it’s an all-encompassing term that simply means the herb isn’t up to snuff. Breeder Mobile Jay must have known he had a winner on his hands when he gave this cross of Black Cherry Punch and Tropicana Cookies the cheeky moniker Super Boof. This batch from Virgin Leaf Cannabis does a great job proving it’s anything but. The Punch in this cross gives this flower incredible bag appeal, with pops of midnight purple offset against silvery calyxes. While the Tropicanna bolsters the pronounced effect for a surprisingly sedative head change. Those familiar clean citrus top notes from the Tropicana are present in the jar. They smell like a sun-warmed roadside citrus stand the instant the buds hit the grinder.

Best-sellers

Ball out

Apples to Apples

by Cream of the Crop Gardens, CA

Cream of the Crop Gardens returns to the top of their game with this sativa-leaning offspring of the hit strain Apple Fritter. Apples to Apples crosses Sour Apple and Animal Cookies—a hybrid with a sativa lean that makes for a relaxing, fun party weed splurge. Apples to Apples has a tart, apple smell that comes from its diesel roots. It tastes like a scrumptious cookie with a sour apple note, delivering hybrid effects.

Ballin on a budget

GMOG

from Autumn Brands, CA

Roll fat, guilt-free party joints of GMOG from Autumn Brands for a tasty, potent, inflation-proof smoke this May. This hybrid indica combo of GMO and Legend OG comes from the breeder Cannarado and smells and tastes like fuel, and earth, with that must-have GMO funk. It’s also 30% THC, with euphoric, relaxing effects. Autumn Brands grows year-round in greenhouses and has a line of 14-gram jars of ‘Premium Smalls’—industry slang for ‘small buds,’ instead of big ones. Smalls can deliver all the flavor and potency of big nugs, just without the bulked-out size, and stem weight. GMOG smalls from Autumn prove it’s not the size of the nug that matters, it’s the satisfaction.

High Note

Moonbow #112 IX

from Archive Seed Bank

There’s still time to take your home garden to the top of the rainbow this growing season. On May 15, top seed breeder and seller Archive Seed Bank based in Oregon debuted regular seeds of Moonbow #112 IX. It promises the best of the Zkittlez genetic optimized for size, bling, smell, effect, and agronomy. Archive Seeds’ Fletch (aka The Docta) distinguishes himself in the breeding world by growing out hundreds of varieties, and actually smoking, and refining the crosses to something new, more stable, and optimal. Moonbow #112 IX comes from three years of work. The original Moonbow mixed Zkittlez and Do-Si-Dos. The number #112 plant of the Moonbow breeding project became a highly sought-after variety available in clone-only form. To get the Moonbow #112 into seed form, Fletch bred it to itself and make repeated selections he actually finished and smoked. The result drips with blackberry currant and zingy, lime zkittlez terps, he says. Moonbow #112 IX has some phenotypes that make great hash, but it’s optimized for flower gardens and flower lovers. Buy these seeds, grow them out, and enjoy a super-fine contemporary connoisseur smoke on fresh glass. But beware: This high-THC hybrid may give you neon visual tracers and leave you floating after you farm them.

And that’s it for Leafly Buzz May. See you next month in June for more of the hottest flowers ever bred and sold, including the national flower round-up Strains of Summer 2022, as well as the next Buzz hit list for the western US.

Oregon freelance journalist Ryan Herron contributed to this post.

How did we do this month? Leave a nice comment below.

David Downs

David Downs directs news and lifestyle coverage as the California Bureau Chief for Leafly.com. He’s written for WIRED, Rolling Stone and Billboard, and is the former cannabis editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, as well as the author of several cannabis books including ‘Marijuana Harvest’ by Ed Rosenthal and David Downs. He co-hosts The Hash podcast. TW: @davidrdowns | IG @daviddowns

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