Since Massachusetts legalized cannabis for recreational use in 2016, options of how to consume the plant, what to buy, and where to shop have exploded. Gone are the days of sneakily coordinating a pick-up via text with your weed guy; walk a few blocks in a good amount of MA municipalities and you’re sure to stumble across a pot shop or two.
With all these choices, the question of what to buy can be daunting. Here’s a roundup of the best cannabis products available across Massachusetts, compiled by Leafly expertise and market research.
Fernway vapor cartridges
If you enjoy cannabis vapes, you haven’t lived until you’ve hit a Fernway cartridge. The company is brand new—the founders, old friends who decided to combine their unique skills and shared passions for cannabis, spent most of 2020 preparing for their official launch on April 20, 2021. Topical, right?
Their first drop comprised five half-gram, 510-compatible cartridges, all utilizing cannabis distillate with botanical terpenes for flavors like Berry Haze, Wild Mint, and Stonefruit. Last month, their more recent collection of strain-specific cartridges hit dispensaries across Massachusetts, boasting four new products with cannabis terpenes to recreate popular flower strains in vapor, such as Red Headed Stranger and Tahoe OG.
There’s still more to come—Fernway is now rolling out a few of the original, botanically flavored strains in one-gram cartridges. Though based out of Northampton, MA, Fernway products can be found at shops throughout the state.
Happy Valley flower
Born and bred in Gloucester, Happy Valley will surely put a smile on your face. Buds from this brand are huge, dense, and aromatic, grinding to the perfect consistency for packing a bowl.
Cultivars range from fan favorites like Super Lemon Haze and GG4 to rarer crosses like Dog Patch (Chemdog 91 BX2 x Chemdog D). These eighths don’t come with terpene shields, so grab a Boveda two-way humidity pack and throw it in there so the flower stays fresh.
The brand’s website breaks down each strain offered, giving a listing of terpenes, genetics, and common effects. And flower isn’t all the company offers; the full product lineup comprises a selection of edibles, vapor cartridges, and concentrates, too. With stores in Gloucester and Boston, Happy Valley also wholesales its products to dispensaries state-wide and delivers to select areas. Find out more at happyvalley.org.
Cantrip infused seltzers
Cannabis seltzers really proved to be the drink of summer this year, and for good reason: They’re light, refreshing, and fast-acting. Before summer ends, cool off with Cantrip seltzers, sold in four-packs of three unique flavors — lemon basil, grapefruit hibiscus, or ginger peach.
Each can has 3mg of THC and 2mg of CBD, and are infused through a nano-emulsification process, meaning consumers can expect to start feeling effects within about 20 minutes of consumption. Cannabis terpenes and other herbs give the citrus flavors an earthy punch, making the seltzers taste just as savory as they do sweet.
The company is small in size, founded by former dispensary employees in 2020, and based out of Framingham. See where to find Cantrip in Massachusetts on the brand’s website, and, as its slogan goes, “Hang out without the hangover.”
Nature’s Heritage concentrates
Nature’s Heritage brands itself as “the best cannabis Mother Earth has to offer,” and it’s hard to disagree after trying some. The flower is always hand-trimmed, organic, and pesticide-free with potent terpenes and bud recognizable by its vivid colors and surplus of trichomes.
The brand’s flower, while amazing on its own, is probably best consumed after it’s been extracted to form concentrates—whatever your desired consistency is, Nature’s Heritage has likely got it: wax, bubble hash, live rosin, etc. Nearly all of its legendary strains are available as concentrates—check out the indica hybrids in particular if you’re looking to feel chill and uplifted.
Nature’s Heritage is a national brand but operates its Massachusetts production facility out of ARL Healthcare in New Bedford. Dispensaries across the state carry the brand. Read more at naturesheritagecannabis.com.
Freshly Baked gummies
At this point in the legal cannabis game, it’s hard to revolutionize the classic infused gummy. But, the Freshly Baked company has found a way. Based out of Taunton, the company was founded in 2018 by two disabled veterans with the hopes of introducing cannabis to others suffering from PTSD to help manage it.
Gummies come in packs of 20 with each gummy totaling 5mg. They’re juicy and refreshing in texture and the flavors are next-level—grab a pack of blueberry lemonade or strawberry lemonade for a tasty treat with the perfect dosage.
The company just started packaging its own flower, too, so Freshly Baked pre-rolls should be rolling out at dispensaries across the state soon enough. Check out Freshly Baked’s website for where to find their products or to order delivery to any residential address within 15 miles of Taunton.
Sira Naturals pre-rolls
The best time for a pre-roll is when you’re just too lazy to roll your own joint—but with so many brands making them, which ones are any good? Sira Naturals pre-rolls are consistently top-quality, packing the perfect one-gram dosage into a Raw king-size cone. They’re ground finely and always kiefy, for a smooth, even burn.
As with all dispensary pre-rolls, give these a roll between your fingers a bit before lighting them up, just to evenly distribute the flower so it doesn’t canoe to the side when you light it. Find a list of dispensaries that carry Sira’s pre-rolled joints online at siranaturals.org.
