“With a somewhat heavy and a little bit buzzy body high, this felt like just the right vibe for watching a nature doc, or dare I say, a stellar option for stargazing.”

Ahem. Since long before I knew what it was actually like to smoke marijuana, I knew that toking up and observing nature, be it a documentary, aquarium, or even just the stars, went hand-in-hand. But what my uncultured and uninfluenced young brain didn’t know was that not all cannabis products are created equal, and they’re certainly not all created for the same purpose. I can’t pretend to know the true intention of the growers behind Madrone’s White Russian flower, but experience has taught me that this weed’s ultimate purpose is for taking a delicious honey hit and then taking it all in.

It was the Fourth of July, and with no special plans beyond watching the fireworks from the comfort of my couch, I decided to give this flower a try. As soon as I came close to opening the little zip bag, a fragrant, sweet, and floral aroma filled my living room. Seriously, even for weed, which generally smells great to me, it has a particularly gorgeous scent reminiscent of honeysuckle. I was immediately hit with a wave of familiarity. Honeysuckle is one of my mother’s favorite scents. It is her go-to that she uses in her closet, and it brings about one of my favorite childhood memories from home: Closet Club. 

This basically means we used to hang out in her particularly large closet, try on all her pretty clothes and accessories, sometimes get some gifties, all while catching powerful whiffs of honeysuckle. Anywho, this weed smelled a lot like my mother’s closet in the most magical of ways. With that, I ground it up, lit it up, and took a few deep, delicious hits. Flavor-wise, it was pretty consistent with the honey and floral notes, but it also had the surprising addition of a peppery spark. It’s sweet and delicate, and just a little bit feisty.

The high hit hard and fast, especially in my head. I felt subtle creativity, a bit uplifted, and an overflowing euphoria. I immediately had the urge to wander through an aquarium, preferably stopping at one of the jellyfish displays to watch those little alien weirdos drift through the water for an unsettling amount of time. But alas, I was home, no fantastical floating jellyfish for miles. So instead, I tried taking my Penny board for a spin. Key word being tried. While feeling awake, and even a bit energized, this wasn’t quite the right high for skating. My balance and perception were impaired enough to quickly realize this was a high better suited for my initial desires: getting lost in euphoric waves and observing nature. With a somewhat heavy and a little bit buzzy body high, this felt like just the right vibe for watching a nature doc, or dare I say, a stellar option for stargazing.

“It was as if I was swimming alongside each and every Nemo-looking clownfish as we wandered through the anemone.”

So let’s talk about smoking weed and watching nature documents. Everyone and their uncle knows that it’s a “thing.” But trust me when I tell you this is THE flower to pair with your favorite “Planet Earth” episode. Or even better, in my humble opinion, “Blue Planet.” There’s just this lovely euphoric fascination that seems to coat your brain cells and enhance the experience of observation, placing you smack dab within whatever you’re watching. It was as if I was swimming alongside each and every Nemo-looking clownfish as we wandered through the anemone.

As the sun set and the night deepened, the fireworks kicked in, full force. I don’t mean a euphemism for the high—I mean the excessive war-zone-esque home fireworks displays this year in Los Angeles. Which brings me to my sole critique of Madrone’s White Russian; it is not the thing to reach for when you’re feeling anxious. Very rarely has cannabis caused me any kind of anxiety or paranoia, and I wouldn’t necessarily say this one did either. 

Usually, if I’m feeling anxious, a little weed helps quell the wave of emotions and paranoia. But this time, after beginning to experience a little anxiety from the surround sound battle display of fireworks, I found my feelings of panic and paranoia spiraling out. Again, I wouldn’t say this weed gave me anxiety, it just intensified it. Everyone is different, but my advice would just be to be wary of trying this one out under an already anxious circumstance.

Eventually, my anxiety died down, and I returned to the happy euphoria and buzzy body high. Ultimately the fireworks faded, as did my high. Despite the mid-high hiccup, it was an overall excellent experience. I still don’t know if this weed was made for aquariums and nature docs, or if aquariums and nature docs were made for this weed. Either way, it’s sure to be what I reach for as soon as I can once again wander amongst the jellyfish.