M........s

TL:DR - This is easily the best strain I have ever enjoyed, judging by any metric. I'm not only able to tolerate - but have been able to enjoy Blue Dream. It is the strain that has utterly convinced me that there can indeed be marked differences between strains of the same cannabis subspecies. The effects listed on the Leafly strain info are remarkably accurate. Blue Dream is a good strain for happiness, depression, mood, vigilance, creativity, and those who need to medicate and stay functional. You want more info after that TL:DR? Here you go: I stopped smoking pot a long time ago. It must be about 15 years now since I was last able to truly enjoy it. There was a gradual shift from enjoyment to being riddled with anxiety, hellish introspection, and a mental self-flagellation of an uncommonly robust nature, which had begun to make me question if I had some deep-seated masochistic tendencies I had buried and forgot about. Shit sucked. So I stopped smoking. Flash forward 15 years, five surgeries, and I find myself recently emerged from a decade's long addiction to fentanyl, hydromorphone, and good ol' trusty heroin when I ran through my Rx before I was supposed to. You can see how pain management might be a tricky issue. I've been experimenting with flower and concentrates over the last year without much consistency in how they work and how I handle it. But there's been enough of a glow in a few experiences to keep me searching for something that will work. Nearly all I had been smoking and vaping were indicas, or indica-dominant hybrids, since the commonly accepted rule of thumb is that sativas are bad for anxiety, indicas are good. So, I was trying those types over and over again and I absolutely hated it. Many days I would rather be in pain then be high since, not only did I feel worse than before I smoked, but it would absolutely wreck my fucking day. I had all but given up on finding something that I could use and was weighing the pros and cons of attempting to be responsible with pain management via prescription opioids, again. On a last-ditch attempt at finding something that would work, I picked up a gram of Blue Dream and one of Tangerine Dream (No intention of keeping a theme, there) and I rolled the dice on a gram of Atomic Northern Lights. after reading the information on, and reviews of, those three. Blue Dream was the one I had my sights on first. My tolerance is low. Very low. So I pinched off ~0.05gm and loaded into a one-hitter. As I'm putting the buds back into the jar, I catch myself sticking my nose in it and inhaling deeply, thoroughly, and getting lost in the aroma. A little grassy, a vague hint of the spice cabinet, and a good measure of the nectar-laden flowers of fruit trees. It also has that extra-special something to it that always defines high-quality cannabis for me. If you've ever smelled the stuff they used to import in quantities ranging from the shitload to the fuckton (I think those are imperial units), in addition to medical, you'll know what I'm talking about. I light the pipe, inhale, hold for ~2 seconds, exhale, and put it away. The taste of this is really good. I grew up on brick weed though so anything that tastes better than that brown-frown garbage is always a treat for me. However, I'm not particularly fond of the taste of smoke on anything but food. That said, this is pretty good. Smooth. Enjoyable. Nothing to complain about, but nothing I'm going to base a recommendation on, either. The high itself though, is like, the best shit ever! The literature says that this is a potent strain, but it's so gentle on the psyche I'm starting to think I can try other strains in the same range and not have a bad experience. After I exhale, I'll get that initial shift in perception both visually and internally and it begins to build slowly over the next 10-20 minutes from there. There are mild waves of euphoria and - I feel weird saying all this since I never used to believe it, but it's true - relaxation that wash over you. Real euphoria. Happy, smiling, God-it's-good-to-be-alive type euphoria. In no way do I feel lazy, nor stupid in the head. That is such a drastic departure from everything else I've tried that I almost begin to suspect I've taken on a placebo-effect from reading the reviews. But I haven't. I can't quite tell if this gives me energy, or if puts me into the proper mindset to be productive. It doesn't stimulate as much as it give vigilance. Either way, I love it. I no longer feel like a lazy bastard, sleeping and eating Cheetos while giggling at Netflix. Don't get me wrong, I used to love that, and I know a lot of you do, too. I'm not knocking it, I'm just not able to do it and not feel anxiety. That initial energy and bliss that I get tapers off after the first hour or so to a nice midpoint that feels more like contentment or satisfaction with life, than it does euphoria. Which I actually enjoy. I don't want to be tits-to-the-wind for 6 hours at a time. A good hour of being goofy-level happy is good for me. Any more than that and I start noticing parallels to how I would act under the forceful euphoria of opioids. Nothing bad, just a little more social lubrication than I want for that long a time. I - completely - agree that this is a good strain for depression, mood, vigilance, creativity, and those who need to medicate and stay functional. Blue Dream is - truly - enjoyable. While it's not as good on pain as the Tangerine Dream or the ATL I picked up at the same time, it is wonderful in its own way. I don't focus on it, and I'm too damn happy to really give a shit if I hurt, too. This is the strain which has eased a freight train of anxiety and uncertainty about my medical options in dealing with this aging, broken, body and the possibility of walking straight back into the addiction I worked so hard to escape from. I will be keeping a supply of this on-hand to reach for whenever I need to be able to function socially, professionally, intellectually, or any other "lly" I'm missing there. I can't recommend it enough!