12 APRIL 16-22, 2026 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | latory effi ciency bill or something like that, but actually rebuilding the entire program, from testing, to track and trace, to really looking at the industry now and not just playing around the edge. That’s not meant as a knock on anybody. I have a lot of respect for the people involved and building those rules,” he says. In that journey, he’ll have an ally in Kaiser. “The rules have been tailored for multi- licensed businesses and were infected from the get-go,” Kaiser says. “If the end result is to just remediate all of your weed because you don’t want any problems, then the people who are attracted to this market are not going to be trustworthy.” In response to an inquiry about the state’s current cannabis standards, the MED says that rulemaking behind testing regulations invites “signifi cant collaboration with di- verse stakeholders to inform any recom- mendations on rules,” including growers. “On testing regulations, specifi cally, the di- vision consults with the public health depart- ment for their recommendations,” the MED says, pointing to a web document produced by the CDPHE with supporting scientifi c information behind required cannabis test- ing, including mold and aspergillus testing. According to that document, combusting and inhaling aspergillus can cause an infection known as aspergillosis, pointing to research on two pulmonary patients at the United Kingdom’s National Aspergillosis Center. “People with structural lung damage, lung disease (especially asthma), cystic fi brosis, and in an immunocompromised state are at risk,” the CDPHE document explains, adding that aspergillus is “known to cause a variety of immune lung disorders, ranging from asthma, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis to invasive and life-threatening systemic fungal infections in immunocompromised hosts.” According to 2025 fi gures from the Cen- ters for Disease Control and Prevention, symptomatic aspergillosis largely occurs in immunocompromised persons at a rate of one to two people per 100,000 each year. The MED argues that business own- ers need to accept greater responsibility across all quality control areas, including contamination testing. In an industry-wide memo released April 13, the MED said it was aware of commercial cannabis compliance issues that “present serious risks to public safety, market integrity and the tax revenue framework that supports Colorado’s regu- lated marijuana industry.” These compliance issues include falsifying product transfer and production yield records, inaccurate bills of sale, sneaking in unlicensed cannabis and cannabis extract into the regu- lated system, and a lack of required video surveillance at cannabis facilities, according to the MED memo. As part of its “mission to protect public health and safety,” the MED could adopt new or amended regulations and issue more industry bulletins “to promote compliance in the regulated market and en- sure clarity on the consequences of violations.” “It’s Still a Blessing” According to Bradley, edibles and other packaged goods have never been better in Colorado, and good weed can still be found by those who look for it. “I think, unquestionably, there are higher- quality products now on the [consumer pack- aged goods] side than there were back then. People were literally dipping Nerds in THC oil and selling them, or spraying aerosol THC on some candies they were buying at the store,” Bradley says. “It’s almost impossible as a business to cater only to the heads. The can- nasseurs are driving the industry, but you can’t just make it on that. ...It is harder to fi nd true Grade A fl ower, but it is absolutely out there.” And, as Laster, Johnson and many other long-time cannabis consumers point out, Colorado is full of Grade A rosin, a form of solventless hash that has been steadily rising in popularity. Cannabis extraction technology and tech- nique improvements have skyrocketed in the wake of legalization, and Colorado is on the forefront of dabbable and vaporiazable rosin. Tim Du is partly responsible for Colorado’s hash wave, fi rst as an extractor for Dablogic (another esteemed Colorado cannabis brand that recently closed) and now as lab director at Soiku Bano, a hash rosin manufacturer that’s widely considered one of the state’s top rosin brands. Like Malek’s, Soiku Bano is one of the few cannabis brands to expand during this market recession while maintaining its repu- tation among consumers. Because he has to partner with growers to secure fresh-frozen cannabis for rosin extraction, Du under- stands how easy it is for good momentum to go away in the cannabis industry, whether it’s a bad harvest or unpredictable problems with your building, utilities or landlord. “When we fi rst started in 2020, there were a lot more licenses that were cultivat- ing, a lot more options,” Du says. “Some of our favorite grows have gone out of business. When we look back and see that, we’ve lost a bunch of good partners. We’ve picked up a few recently, but it’s always a battle.” According to Du, Colorado “has the picki- est customer base” for hash, and the demand and knowledge in that arena is increasing. Soiku Bano only partners with only 10 to 15 percent of the growers it prospects, he says, so that leads to a lot of test runs with potential suppliers and conversations with peers. “There are a lot of growers who don’t re- ally care what price they get for it. They just try to get it out there. You hear the phrase ‘race to the bottom,’ which is way more applicable today,” Du explains. “One of our competitors just dropped their menu, and it looks just like Bakery Four’s. It’s all candy, fruits and baked goods.” Market trends and consumer preferences may not always agree with the cannabis- laden dreams that people like Du, Jenkins and Noueiry are chasing, but they’re all making it happen in different ways. Jenkins and Noueiry are grateful to support them- selves through their passions and be their own bosses. Du moved from New Jersey to Colorado with an associate’s degree in horticulture, and now crafts some of the state’s most sought-after cannabis products. And there are dozens, if not hundreds, more of those stories across Colorado. “Whenever I see people still out there trying hard to make it happen, I’m just proud of them doing their thing, you know?” Du says. “Circumstances may have changed, but it’s still a blessing to be doing your thing.” And it could be worse. Laster, who spent a year working in Missouri dispensaries before moving back to Colorado, says the weed out there is “much worse than Colo- rado’s, and pretty overpriced.” There are also dispensaries on the East Coast popularizing “spray packs,” essentially stale cannabis sprayed with synthetic terpenes or other fl avors — because there is always someone out there with new ideas for old weed, and there will always be people hard on cash willing to try it. “And those people will still fi nd a way to complain about the prices,” Laster says. Email the author at thomas.mitchell@westword. News continued from page 10 Heady Stash LOOKING FOR QUALITY CANNABIS? GIVE THESE COLORADO GROWERS A TRY. BY THOMAS MITC HELL There are still plenty of great cannabis grow- ers in Colorado fi ghting the good fi ght and growing respectable reefer, and the vast majority of Denver area dispensaries carry at least two or three of them. There are far too many to list, but here are fi ve growers I love to burn in 2026, in alphabetical order. Green Dot Labs greendotlabs.com Green Dot Labs fl ower has been on Colo- rado’s top shelf since the Boulder-based operation, long known for its concentrate products, began dedicating resources to cultivation and pre-packed fl ower over six years ago. Few, if any, growers have been able to stay on top that long, but founders/ husband-wife duo Dave and Alana Malone have kept Green Dot on point well into the 2020s, even during a multi-million- dollar expansion into Arizona. Green Dot strains such as A5 Wagyu, Paloma, ROYGBIV and Thunderdome have received numerous awards and accolades from cannabis critics; each one showcases something unique and extremely potent, both in fl avor and effect. A5 Wagyu may be the meatiest, fattiest- smelling strain I’ve ever come across, while Paloma is full of grapefruit, black pepper and smoky sweetness, creating a fi zzy sensation in your schnoz. But Thunderdome, in all of its gassy, garlic-y, dumpster funk glory, may be my favorite. Malek’s Premium Cannabis malekspremiumcannabis.com Malek’s Premium Cannabis and its rosin arm, Malek’s Melts, are led by founder Malek Noueiry. With over a dozen years in the Colorado’s cannabis industry, six spent at the helm of Malek’s, Noueiry and his staff are dialed in this year, with a steady mix of in-house specialties like Panda Puffs, Petrol Rainbow and Tally Mon, classics such as Fire OG and Sour Diesel, and new experiments. Malek’s Private Stash line, still more affordable than most premium pre-packed jars, has released impressive, stanky takes on Caribbean Butter, Puro Loco and Red Hotz in 2026. Malek’s has also rescued local beloved genetics from defunct grows and went unbeaten in several joint- rolling competitions that largely included California brands. Single Source instagram.com/singlesourcecolorado Co-founders Tony Karas and Kenneth Con- naughton have been working together for a decade, and have been in Colorado’s can- nabis trade even longer. The duo can be found fl y fi shing almost as often as they are in the grow, and the Colorado-centric ethos shines through their fl ower and rosin. Single Source still dedicates growing space to Sour Diesel and classic OG strains, like Brain OG and Loompah’s Headband (one of Denver’s skunkiest delicacies), and you’ll fi nd com- plex, balanced cuts of newer strains, like Sour Papaya and Strawberry 2.1. Everything they touch is sweating in trichomes and hits at least an 8/10 on the fl avor scale, and many of their creations — like the Hawaiian- Punch-forward Whip Itz or Champagne Patties — are goddamn tens. SPCY Canna spcycanna.com Boutique budtenders have been in love with this Denver-based cultivation for over a year now, and for good reason. Chocolate Diesel, winner of Westword’s Best Canna- bis Strain of 2026, is a gorgeous combo of Chocolope and Sour Diesel that lives up to the pedigree — and that’s not the only new hybrid with classic genetics SPCY grows: Super Durban is a stanky-sour-sage mix of Durban Poison, a landrace sativa from South Africa, and Super Silver Haze, a mix of Skunk, Northern Lights and Haze. You can count on SPCY to hit home runs with modern, popular varieties like Black Maple, Blue Zushi and Chimera Junky, as well, but it’s the time-tested genetics in strains like Dr. Who (Chem ‘91 x Trainwreck) and Golden Pineapple (Golden Goat x Pineapple Kush) that keep me coming back. Viola Violabrands.com Founded by ex-Denver Nugget Al Har- rington, Viola could be Colorado’s best cannabis celebrity brand. That’s because Viola, named after Harrington’s beloved grandmother, is much more about cannabis than celebrity. Harrington isn’t working in the shadows, and Viola’s professional basketball roots are evident in the branding, highlighted by a recent collaboration with NBA legend Allen Iverson (a former Nugget himself). But the proof is in the pot, and Viola grows some good shit. After a brief pause in the Colorado market, Viola rebounded strongly in 2025 with quality fl ower releases, including Apricot Scone and the Yams, and continues scoring high with Bubblegum Gushers and Iverson ‘91, a balanced hybrid of F1 Durban, Gushers and Runtz named after Iverson’s MVP season. ■
