Medical marijuana dispensary review: Kush'd up at ALCC LLC in Denver

This dispensary has closed.

From the outside, ALCC LCC is an unassuming brick building on an edge of downtown mostly frequented by the homeless and yuppies living in the nearby modern condos. I've driven past it several times on my way to Coors Field this summer and never really given it a thought. But looks can be deceiving. Read the complete review below.

ALCC LLC

2257 Curtis St.

Denver, CO 80205

303-297-3435

Strain menu: http://tinyurl.com/2bcrmm9

Hours of operation: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week. Owner: "ALCC LLC." Owner's Statement: "Best kush in town, guaranteed." Opened: June 2010 Raw marijuana price range: $35-$50 an eighth, tax included. Other types of medicine: hash oil, edibles (from vendors) Patient services and amenities: Smoking accessories sold on site. Wheelchair accessible: Yes.

Our take: Behind the tan brick walls and iron grates over the windows of ALCC LCC is a lime-green and neon-red Candyland of kush flowers. The dispensary itself has a huge waiting room, with granite counter-tops and various leather chairs and couches spread out around the room. Pictures of Bob Marley and a cool snowboard-turned-longboard functioned as artwork, giving the place a youthful, funky vibe. Comfortable as it is, the obnoxiously loud neon green and red paint would drive me nuts after too long. Thankfully, I'm not the type of guy who hangs out in a dispensary all day. After making myself at home and grabbing a cup of water from the surprisingly nice mini-kitchen around the back of the waiting room, the bulletproof vest-wearing security guard buzzed me through to the dispensary room.

There, I found more of the same paint scheme, but this time with various shades of greenery on the granite counters in front of me. On shelves behind the counter were various glass bongs and high-resolution posters of flowering marijuana plants. The shop also had a case of glass pipes and a fridge with different edibles. What drew me to the place -- and what would likely keep me coming back -- is the huge selection of kush strains they carry. I checked out their menu online at Weedmaps before heading over and knew what to expect, but I was still blown away by at the selection of t least eighteen strains of herb, most all kush varieties. The budtender (who I later learned was the owner) was a smiling guy with a light foreign accent and slicked back hair named Archie. He asked if it was my first time there, then proceeded to walk me through their inventory.

ALCC LCC does a good job of pricing meds, with eights of mixed strains starting at $35 and premium kush strains going for $50. Some of the strains -- like the $40 Mango Kush and the $50 Sour Diesel -- were unimpressive. But other strains, like the Platinum OG, Banana OG and various Bubba varieties, smelled and looked delicious. There was a large magnifying glass with LED lights to examine each jar, and Archie was able to describe each of the strains' effects -- notably the Skywalker OG, which he promised would last "four hours, at least."

Kush variety strains get their name from the Hindu Kush mountain range, from where they're said to originate. The wide variety of the kush family -- all with somewhat similar flowering and medical characteristics -- has been achieved by breeding through the '70s up to the present day with other indica-heavy strains, as well as some sativa blends. I like kush strains for the taste and the body-and mind-numbing relaxation they offer. Archie said ACC LCC has collected the kush strains over the years mostly because he considers them to be "the best of both worlds" between sativa and indica strains: "It is a super hybrid." He added that most all of the OG cuts were grown in soil, while other strains are grown hydroponically.

There didn't seem to be much else aside from the dozen or so kush varieties, however. The only available concentrate was a black, sludge-like honey hash oil in small plastic capsules for $50 a gram. The edibles were from local vendors like Mountain High and Annie's, with Archie pointing to one variety of Annie's truffles and with a sudden seriousness warning me that they were "very strong, bro." ALCC LCC doesn't take credit cards, but they do have an ATM in the bud room. I walked out with a split eighth of the $50 strains (tax included) and a free "kush" joint.

I smoked on the strains for a day or so, mostly in the evening to end my day, but really came to appreciate the two yesterday afternoon. Around 5 p.m. on Tuesday, after feeling great all day long, my stomach began to cramp up and a heavy, gut-tugging nausea took hold of me. I fought off the nausea and pain for the next few hours, choking down some blended sativa hash in a joint, but eventually things got worse and after vomiting blood, I headed to the emergency room. I spent the next seven hours on IV fluids, passing out from the drugs and waking up only to be in more pain. Finally, the spasms stopped, and I headed home to recoup.

Yesterday, I spent most of the day sore from the night before, unable to move from the couch. Around 2 p.m., I grabbed my baggies from ALCC LCC, sat down and medicated with both strains to deal with the pain as well as the mental drain that hours of high-stress, anxiety-causing sickness can have.

Page down for the product pictures/reviews.

The Bubba OG The herb had a lasting fruit-punch sweetness to it, underscored by the rubbery/piney tang that most all kush strains posses in some way. That fruity taste came through in the taste of the herb, especially through a small bubbler I recently cleaned. It left a great aftertaste and didn't produce a thick smoke that choked or gagged me. This was the first strain I had yesterday, as my stomach soreness began to irritate me. A small bowl left me feeling smooth without feeling high and relaxed my entire body enough that I could catch up on some sleep. Skywalker OG These dark, dense nuggets had a rich, leathery smell along with a lemony OG tang and were covered in tiny amber crystals. Despite appealing to the olfactory senses, the nuggets I got were only so-so looking, trimmed either very roughly by hand or with a trim machine. It also burned harsher than the Bubba and caused me to cough on even tiny hits -- likely also due to my hurting throat. As promised, though, this was a very potent strain. Instantly my eyes were droopy and I felt a wave of relaxation like a warm blanket fresh out of the dryer thrown over you. The strain also helped me build almost too strong an appetite, as I found out just how unsatisfying a bowl of soup and saltine crackers really can be.

William Breathes is the pot pen name of our medical marijuana dispensary reviewer. Read the William Breathes bio here and be sure to check out archive of Mile Highs and Lows medical marijuana dispensary reviews.

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