How Do I Make Sure Pre-Packed Weed Is Any Good?

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Dear Stoner: Mold scared me away from deli-style weed, but these pre-packed buds are often dry or old or not as good as advertised. Any quality-assurance suggestions to avoid disappointment?
Lively

Dear Lively: If you walk into a dispensary expecting universal cannabis quality akin to the consistency of a six-pack of beer, then you're going to be frustrated often. Regardless of whether our expectations are realistic, cannabis growers aren't going to wow us with every harvest of every strain. And similar to liquor stores stocking expired beer, dispensaries are sometimes responsible for selling subpar buds, too. There are protective steps you can take, though.

click to enlarge

A lot of dispensary shoppers have moved away from deli-style flower, but it still has its advantages.

Lindsey Bartlett

Since January of this year, cannabis growers must label harvests with nine-month "use by" dates. Dispensaries can still sell cannabis past that date, and harvest dates were already on virtually every flower label, but having the math done for you doesn't hurt — not that the nine months is based on any science. One final, more important question (and please remember this one): Have you ever asked the budtender to open your pre-packed buds before buying? They will, and it'll probably save you from future disappointment.

Send questions to [email protected].