Our Favorite High-CBD Marijuana Strains in Denver

Nobody outside of Colorado wants to hear complaints about the hassles of buying legal weed, but anyone looking for a specific CBD strain here can be in for a long day of searching. Sure, CBD edibles and vaporizer products are available — at much higher prices. And let's face it: Some people just like to twist up and burn.

Dispensaries have recognized the demand for more cannabinoid balance in their flower, with a handful of stores trying to keep at least one high-CBD strain on the menu...and some of that CBD weed actually tastes good.

To help speed up the CBD search process, here are eight of our favorite high-CBD strains around Denver, their varying CBD-to-THC ratios, and where to find them.

Pure Love
Kind Love is one of our favorite dispensaries in Denver, and its CBD strains don't disappoint. Pure Love, a 1:1 strain carrying Purple Diesel, Uzbekistani Hash Plant and Pure Kush genetics, absolutely gets me stoned, but in a much lighter, more manageable way than the dispensary's true THC behemoths. I've pulled out Pure Love joints on the golf course when my shoulder pops and grinds; it loosens my body and lifts my head to a comfortable cruising altitude that allows me to zone out without becoming too spacey in public. Truly therapeutic, and with a delicious mix of chocolate, vanilla and lavender. Don't want that much THC? Try Spectrum #12, a tasty Kind Love CBD strain with an 11:1 ratio.

Cherry Hills
Beginning tokers should keep their eyes out for that purple jar, because Cherry Hills has a comfortable yet euphoric high that rarely leads to freakouts. Most cuts carry a 2:1 ratio, with just enough of a CBD presence to provide potential medical benefits — or a calmer mind, at the very least. Daily users might find the high a little weak, but a hash garnish or mixing Cherry Hills with a more potent nighttime strain provides a solid nightcap, and the light high is great for medical users trying to ease their stomachs or joints without a stoned mind. We've spotted the strain Higher Grade, Oasis Cannabis Superstore and Rocky Mountain High dispensaries, with several more stores carrying Cherry Hills grown by wholesale supplier Veritas Fine Cannabis.

Cannatonic
This Spanish hybrid, a regular menu item at L'Eagle and a growing number of other dispensaries around Denver, carries a 1:1 CBD ratio that medical users swear by. I know some patients who use it for migraines and others for chronic pain; they enjoy the physical relief without the muddy high or mentally sedating effects. The mounting relaxation usually keeps me away from daytime use unless it's time to read or meditate.

Wife's Lemonade
This pretty lady, a creation of Boulder-based dispensary chain Terrapin Care Station, is a favorite among my THC-intolerant friends. The Wife and Lemon G, two high-CBD strains, were bred together for one of the tastiest 20:1 strains I've tried, with tart lemon and cherry flavors and an earthy back end. Just don't expect to feel high after smoking it: This strain is about as intoxicating as hemp, despite the fruity smell.

CBD Ox
If the THC in CBD Ox isn't strong enough to hit regular users (the strain typically carries a 1:1 ratio), the terps probably will. Rare Dankness head Scott Reach crossed his hefty Ox strain, a mix of Bubba Kush and Stone Mountain (which also carries Bubba Kush genetics), with a high-CBD cut he simply calls "Shak." One member of the Bubba family is usually enough to put me down: Backcross it and add CBD to the mix, and I'm down for the count. CBD Ox is a safe go-to for anyone searching for relaxation or a small push toward sleepy time, and the concentrate is even more successful. We usually find it at House of Dankness and other stores that carry Rare Dankness strains.

Incredible Power
Dispensaries are starting to realize the benefit of keeping a 1:1 CBD-THC strain on the menu, and Silver Stem's attempt, a three-way between high-CBD strains AC/DC, Blue Power and Omrita, is earning a lot of fans in Denver for a calming head high that slowly morphs into powerful body relaxation. We haven't seen it at a dispensary outside of Silver Stem, but the chain has seven stores around Colorado, with six in the metro area alone.

Desert Ruby
A product of the Green Solution, this strain has made its way to more stores in Colorado, including Emerald Fields, Higher Grade and Starbuds. Desert Ruby's CBD content is said to hover around 17 percent, with a THC level typically less than 1 percent, according to dispensaries. That could technically make the strain “hemp” in the eyes of the federal government, but it smells much more like pine trees, pepper and lemon zest than a rusty skunk fart in a pile of hay, the odor of most hemp. I like to use it as a bridge, mixing Desert Ruby with more potent strains, and also have my friends who don’t like THC try it out.

Pre-’98 Bubba Kush
Like many high-CBD strains out there, Pre-’98 Bubba Kush has a high-THC counterpart of the same name, so check the CBD content before taking it home. The Clinic's take on the classic nighttime hitter, though, is much more therapeutic, with a 2:1 ratio that gently rocks me to sleep instead of knocking me out. Sweet notes of bubble gum, vanilla, coffee and cherries on top of the earthy funk make for a fulfilling pipe smoke before bed, leaving me just enough energy and focus to read a few pages before my eyes get heavy.