Lansterdam in Review: Potshop, pizzeria make for good northside neighbors

Bazonzoes opened its doors for both medical and recreational sales earlier this month and is conveniently located across the street from Deluca’s Restaurant — making it perhaps the most convenient one-stop-shop in Lansing for high quality cannabis and even higher quality pizza. 

The new dispensary also serves as Bazonzoes’ statewide headquarters for cultivation and sales and is celebrating its (apparently late) grand opening from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24 with vendors, food, free giveaways and more. Another Lansing location is also in the works.  

GKUA — Sour Garlic Cookies 

Price — $80/3.5g 

THC content — 27.25% 

Lil Wayne has been noticeably absent from the music world in recent years. But maybe that’s because he’s been too busy making strides in another lucrative industry: Recreational weed. 

The hype surrounding Wayne’s new product line of GKUA “ultra-premium” cannabis has been building for months since it was announced late last year. Last week, it finally arrived in Lansing. And for now, Bazonzoes is the only local pot shop to put the expensive brand out on its shelves. 

Sour Garlic Cookies is among several GKUA strains currently available in Michigan. This earthy-but-sweet indica tests in at upwards of 30% THC, making it one of the strongest varieties of flower available in Michigan without a medical prescription. And at $80 an eighter, it also surpassed Skymint’s latest DNA Genetics products for the title of priciest weed in Lansing.  

But is the premium bud worth the premium cost? In short: No. I won’t be coming back for another $30 pre-rolled joint. It also fell short of the advertised “best high of your life.” 

I locked myself in a parked car after work on Friday, plugged in Lil Wayne’s classic “No Ceilings” mixtape and let it rip. It was a smooth smoke, especially for a pre-rolled joint, which usually tends to be fairly dry. A biting citrus flavor blended fairly cohesively with a piney sort of herb overlay. And it was a creeper: I was already back inside my house before the effects kicked in. 

A wave of euphoria took hold about 20 minutes later. And despite an overwhelming mouth full of cotton, it turned out to be a great choice for a quiet evening at home. I chose to keep the nostalgia going by flipping through old yearbooks and playing games on my Super Nintendo.   

I’ll admit: This wasn’t a bad smoke. I was baked. But I also had bought into the gimmick of buying weed only because it had been endorsed by Lil Wayne. And at the end of the day, this new product lineup just wasn’t too far above some other potent strains available at half the cost. 

I found several other products available at Bazonzoes — like White 99 and Blue Gelato — to offer the same anxiety-relieving qualities without the inherent stress of totally draining my wallet.   

GKUA claims to have an “emphasis on purity” with some of the “highest natural levels of THC available” which are “sourced from the most experienced growers.” That may be true, but I’m still skeptical of any professional marijuana cultivation operation that feels the need to lean on the endorsement of a musician. And at $80 an eighter, I also expect to be floored by the effects. There might still be a market for this stuff, but it’s definitely among those with deeper pockets. 

Bazonzoes’ store hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays. Visit bazonzoes.biz for more information about products or to place an order. 

Kyle Kaminski is a City Pulse staff writer and cannabis enthusiast who has been smoking marijuana just about every day for the last decade. Every week, Kaminski samples some of the best cannabis products available in Greater Lansing, gets real high and writes about them.