Some of the most incredible and diverse products in the marijuana industry are coming out of Canada. This is partially due to the historically relaxed view ganja has in the Great White North, and also the pending legalization of adult-use pot expected next July.

But how does one differentiate the good products from the mediocre? Is there a rule of measurement someone can use to determine what the primo choices are in this sea of never ending cannabis consumerism?

Thankfully, yes there is.

Enter KLR GLD, a company dedicated to finding products that are a step above the rest in terms of quality, consistency, and potency. Herbal Dispatch sat down with Sam, the founder of KLR GLD to see how a brand is fortunate enough to receive his stamp of approval.

What exactly is KLR GLD?
It’s a quality control certification. [I deal with] high-end flower and assessing which ones meet our quality control standards.

The standards are described on our vendor profile. I often describe myself to people like a sommelier for a very large wine buyer. My job is to make sure everything is up to standard.

How did you get into this line of work?
When I was 20 I was at school for pre-law and was a good athlete. I was in training camp for my first year of basketball and I started having seizures out of nowhere. They were pretty bad for a while.

I obtained a medical production license back under the old system and really just got to know the plant.

When did you start KLR GLD and how did you get the idea for it in the first place?
I started it about three years ago. I opened up one of the first licensed dispensaries in Vancouver called Sunrise Wellness. I was one of the three founders of that.

It’s a very difficult job running a storefront in this industry and I didn’t feel like it was the best use of my time. At that time I was still trying to grow with my medical license and was spreading myself too thin. Ultimately, as good as I was at gardening, I could only do so much.

I knew a lot of the people who were the best gardeners in Western Canada and for them it’s a lot of [effort] to go and find the people that really appreciate their work. So I started working with them and working with the distributors that were looking to find stuff that was truly medical grade quality.

There is no certification in the industry so based on my reputation and background I created one for the shops.

Can you highlight some of the criteria you have when looking for new products?
[One of] the prime factors for me are the level of fertilizer that was used and how the residuals of that remain in the plant.

There are a lot of different ways [to cultivate]. You can grow organically, you can grow bio-dynamically, there are certifications beyond organic. But ultimately at the end of the day it’s how much of that food, whatever type that you were using, is left in the plant when it’s done and dried and ready for distribution.

A lot of that has to do with just not feeding it for the last portion of its life and giving it enough time to extract all the salts out from itself, just through giving it water. That takes a lot of time and extra effort and care. For large-scale production most people don’t take the time to do that.

So in KLR GLD certified products you are mainly looking for cleanliness and potency?
Cleanliness, potency, as well as fragrance for a general term.

Something that I look for and I really appreciate is when they cut the plant down. You take off the big extra foliage but you leave the majority of it on the large centre stem and hang it upside down to dry, so that the flowers are able to soak up the different terpenes and cannabinoids that are in the stem. That is all absorbed into the flower.

It’s the old-school standard way of doing it, but it’s not the fastest, most-efficient way of drying. That is something I really appreciate and I find it affects the terpene profile at the end of the day.

What is the best product you have ever recommended in your opinion?
My favorite one that frequents Herbal Dispatch that is KLR GLD certified is probably the Shishkaberry.

How do you plan to progress KLR GLD once legalization comes? Do you have any plans to be part of the legal system?
Horizontal expansion back into the production side of the industry. I have an investment group that I put together, to try and buy a licensed facility where we would go about producing a product that met the standards we have already established.

That is one of the ways I would go about it. I’ve thought about reaching out to, and have had talks with existing licensed production facilities about certifying them under this brand.

A lot of it for me and everyone else is waiting to see how the provinces, specifically B.C., decides to regulate everything. My ideal situation is that I would keep working under a similar structure as to how it is now.
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If you are looking for the highest quality marijuana, look no further than KLR GLD certified products. They can be found, almost exclusively, on Herbal Dispatch.

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Madison Cole

Madison is a marijuana enthusiast based out of Ottawa, Canada. Although she uses a pseudonym, Madison has written for many major publications including Maclean's, Chatelaine, City Parent and others.

Latest posts by Madison Cole (see all)

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