What to Avoid at the Dispensary

Cheap pre-rolls: pre-rolls priced way below everything else on the shelf are almost always made from shake and trim — the leftover material swept up after trimming, not actual flower off the bud. Nothing wrong with shake existing, but it's a different product than what the strain name on the label implies, and it tends to burn hotter and harsher than flower would.

Budget ounces and halves: a steep discount on a full ounce or half often means the batch is on its way out — older stock past its peak, smalls swept together from multiple runs, or trim-heavy bags padded out to hit weight. Ask when it was packaged and tested before buying in bulk just because the per-gram price looks good.

Heavily discounted stock in general: a markdown isn't automatically bad, but a jar sitting 40-50% off everything else in the case is usually being pushed out before it degrades further, not because the shop's feeling generous. Terpenes fade fast once a jar's been opened and handled repeatedly at the counter — smell it before you commit if you're able to.

Budget vape pens and carts: cheap hardware is the real problem, not just cheap oil. Bargain batteries heat unevenly and can scorch the oil instead of vaporizing it cleanly, and bargain distillate sometimes gets thinned to stretch the batch further. If a cart is priced well under everything else in the case, that's usually the corner that got cut.