Casey’s Fat Nugs Field Trips: Black Ridge Cannabis
Black Ridge Cannabis is a veteran-owned and operated dispensary in Calera, Oklahoma. When I found out the dispensary opened in March of 2023, this of course sparked a Fat Nugs field trip! I wanted to meet the owners Harvey Thompson, Edward Gann, & Kody Edwards to see what they were really all about.
Getting There
Aside from road construction that has been going on for actual years, getting there was a piece of cake. I do really feel for them though, since there is so much chaos happening you really have to detour to find an alternate route, but if you aren't looking you might just miss it. Once you do find it, you’ll notice (in typical dispensary fashion) while it may seem unsuspecting from the outside, the inside is a totally different story.
First Impressions: Vibes, Lighting & Quality
As is customary with any legal, medical dispensary, I showed my "Cannacard" and ID before being buzzed in. As a consumer, I hate that these safety measures need to be in place, but this means they take the safety of their staff seriously, and I can appreciate that. Needless to say, I was surprised when I first walked in by how clean and calm it was. You see, I hate walking into a dispensary and immediately feeling overwhelmed and overstimulated. But here, I could’ve sat in the corner with a cup (or several cups) of coffee for hours just writing, it was so “zen.”
The second thing I immediately noticed besides the vibe was that everything was well-lit. From overhead lights, to the lighting inside the display cases, I could see everything clearly. This made me feel like the establishment has nothing to hide, making it possible to actually see as well as engage with their products fully. As someone with bad eye genes, I greatly appreciate this as I don’t like having to squint and search for good lighting in order to simply read a label.
One of the owners, Kody, mentioned to me the push to make dispensaries more like a pharmacy. That alone is so disappointing to hear for me, but I see in their dispensary how they have taken that and put their best spin on it. After all, you can't sell low-quality bud pharmacy style, it just doesn't work. Their logic is simple; if we are going to treat it like medicine, then we need to grow it, pack it, and respect it like medicine. To this end, they take three main steps to ensure their product beats out the others while maintaining integrity:
Their flower is packed on-site with no prepackaged BS. They also perform quality assurance in-house, meaning they see, smell, and handle the bud themselves to make sure it measures up to those pharmacy style standards before selling it along to you.
They use TerpLock bags to package with (since humidity is a real issue here in Oklahoma). For example, the bud I received was absolutely gorgeous and perfectly dried, as if I had just gotten it from the curing room!
They own their own grow (first harvest coming soon). As most who aspire to vertical integration do, they really want control, to ensure all standards are truly met at every point in the process, thereby providing their patrons with the best product they can stand by. So, of course I can’t wait to go back and learn more about how that side is factoring into their business.
Even though their own bud isn’t quite ready yet, to tide me over until then, they put together a goodie bag of their top picks. Anyone can smoke a jay, but not everyone knows how to pick the good stuff, so I couldn't wait to get home and dig into their gifted recommendations. I'm a flower girl at heart, though I love edibles and concentrates, but there is something ritualistic to smoking for me that I enjoy. I'm also what one might consider a “heavy” smoker.
*Disclaimer everyone consumes cannabis differently. My normal is not your normal. Please don't compare how I consume with how you consume.
What’s In My Goodie Bag?
The first thing that caught my attention in the goodie bag was three prerolls.
The first was called “Chimpancheeze” from Arctic Fox, ringing in at 15% THC with 2%Terps. As odd as it may sound in today’s world, I actually really love low-THC strains. They are so mellow and light, it's the perfect summer vibe to me. You know how there's always one person in the group coughing up a lung though? Well….I'm that person. Not this time though! Because the flavor was great as it was smooth. I would describe it as a super heady, creative-flow-type high. As a writer, these effects help me break through blocks and keep my creative juices flowing.
The second was called “Garlic Cocktail” from Heartland Farms, ringing in at 32% THC with 2.32% Terps. Listen, this preroll was great at the end of a long day. The effects were everything I wanted but, I was still suspicious as they labeled the THC potency at 32% when it's clearly filled with “shake.” Don’t get me wrong, I love shake, and I almost exclusively buy shake. But when I’m told that just shake has tested that high, I have a hard time believing it. I don’t blame Black Ridge at all, the price was good at $3.00 and the effects are good, so the product itself isn’t bad. It just simply doesn’t need a percentage like that to really sell, but here we are.
The third was called “The Hippie Stick” from Modern Hippies, ringing in at a total Cannabinoid count of 51.45%. The strain featured in this preroll was “Ice Cream Cake” Flower, further “infused” with a “Georgia Pie” Dry Sift Hash and “Blue Cookies” cured resin. I just had to save it for 420, which felt appropriate. Upon trying, a beautiful balance between a head and a body high was felt, creating what I describe as an all around a glorious feeling, the kind that feels a bit “boujee" which is always nice. I would reserve it for special occasions, but luckily I love an excuse to celebrate. The flavor was good though and no runs which I usually get with infused prerolls.
Was it just pre rolls in my goodie bag? No! They also hooked me up with 1/8th of “Kitchen Sink.” I was intrigued by this, as I have heard people use this strain to come off opioids. At 28% I was a little skeptical again, but I've been surprised before and was open to being surprised again. Upon tasting, I found this strain to be soothing for me both physically and mentally. I felt clear-headed and calm. Anxiety and tension drifted away, as if carried further and further with each bong rip. I can see now why it would be a go-to for those looking for alternative options for pain management. The bud itself looked so frosty, kinda like me after I smoked it - frosted! I was pleased with how easily I could break it up without being crumbly. The moisture was perfect, it smoked well and tasted great. A triple threat of relief!
Final Thoughts
It was so nice to meet the owners, who are great people I learned truly care about the consumer. It's nice to see leadership that cares about the quality of the products they sell as well as what they grow. I was impressed with their being so knowledgeable about their products and truly felt each item within their offerings was selected with intention and thoughtfulness. HUGE shout out to Kody & the Black Ridge Cannabis team for being an example of what Cannabis dispensaries should be. They are raising the bar and I don't see them stopping anytime soon.
