The name game sucks!
The name game sucks! Thanks to the name game did you know there’s a chance that if you bought three different strains from three different brands, you might end up with three identical flowers that came from the same harvest?
How it works
Let’s say for example that I am a marijuana business in Southern California that is licensed to operate as a distribution company. By law, retail marijuana dispensaries and delivery services must buy the products they sell, including flower, from a company like mine. They cannot buy their flower directly from the grower. (Unless the grower has both a cultivation and distribution license and that’s not very common.)
As a distributor I buy weed from a number of growers. I am then responsible for having that weed tested and then packaged for retail sale. Sometimes I keep the brand and strain names attached to the flower. Sometimes I don’t. If I think I can sell it faster if I rename it, that’s what I do. You see when I buy flower in bulk it comes with a name from the grower. To rename the flower all I have to do is submit it to a testing lab as whatever I feel like calling it. Nobody checks to make sure I keep the strain name or the brand name that came from the grower. For example, if I buy 100 pounds of Strawberry Fields from Best Weed Farms, I simply submit it to the lab as Ice Cream Cake. The lab tests that flower and then sends me my Ice Cream Cake results. I then use those lab results when selling the flower to retailers under my own brand name.
If the dispensary or delivery service buying the weed from me chooses not to check and make sure they’re getting what they ordered, they end up with three identical strains on their menu without even knowing it.
I know what you’re thinking. Strawberry Fields is nothing like Ice Cream Cake. I’m just using those names as examples. But to be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised to find out a shady distributor did exactly this. I mean, the flower is sealed up in packages when it’s sold to a dispensary. And the dispensary sells it to the consumer without letting them see or smell it first. Unless the consumer really knows their shit, they’re going to pop that jar and fire it up thinking they are smoking Ice Cream Cake flower. That’s why the name game sucks.
In theory, a distributor can buy a batch of one strain, divide the batch and send it to the lab under three different strain names from three different brands that they’ve created. At the end of the day, if all three end up on the same dispensary or delivery menu, you could potentially buy all three thinking you have a nice assortment of flower for the weekend. When in reality you have three identical eighths. The chances of this happening are low but it’s definitely possible.
How to avoid name game strains
The best and easiest way to make sure you’re actually getting what you want and paid for is to buy flower from brands that either grow their own weed or that have a strong reputation in the industry. Brands like The Jungle Boys and Synergy Cannabis have been around for years and are known for putting out really good flower and not playing the name game. If their label says “XYZ” strain, you can bet that’s what you’re getting.
Avoid buying flower from brands you’ve never really heard of just because it costs less. Top-shelf strains from top-shelf brands come with a top-shelf price but in my opinion, it’s worth it. Not only are you paying for the flower in the jar, but you’re also paying for the peace of mind that comes along with buying weed from an established brand.
There are definitely some up-and-coming brands that are new to the market that would never play the name game. I’m not saying that every new brand is doing whatever’s necessary to make a buck. But I do know for sure that there are established brands in California that for whatever reason will switch the name of a strain if they think it benefits them and if they’re confident they can get away with it.
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