Arizona’s 6 leading legal weed farms

Thanks to adult-use legalization in 2020, Arizonans 21 years and up can just walk into over 80 retail locations statewide and buy marijuana this year. But which pot is any good?

Arizona shops rapidly transitioned from 10 year-old medical to newborn ‘rec.’ New farms and stores come online weekly. High Times throws its 2021 Cannabis Cup this month.

But why wait for the judges’ picks? Leafly rounds up a jarful of Arizona’s hottest, most well-reviewed flower growers so far.

Alien Labs and Connected Cannabis Co.

You can’t bring cannabis across state lines—yet. But you can bring branding and growing skills.

California exotic pot masters—Alien Labs and Connected Cannabis Co.—expanded to Arizona in 2020. Expect award-winning Gelonade, Melonade, plus Biscotti, El Jefe, and Guava, cultivated to their high standards.

Growing, drying, curing, and storing indoors controls for the Grand Canyon State’s blistering heat, aridity, and bouts of monsoons.

Connected Cannabis Co, Vice President of Operations Adam Pressler-Smith said “We’re able to replicate the same environment for the plant’s success, just as we do in California,” he said.

Arizona Ents on Reddit flex their Alien Labs Galactic Gas ounces, or El Jefe eighths—available from Harvest. How is Connected in Arizona? Under a cultivation agreement with Harvest, which has 22 stores in AZ; the biggest player.

“Right now, demand is hot,” said Pressler-Smith. New flavors are coming soon.

Potent Planet

With a decade-old medical program, Arizona has sophisticated weed smokers onto the latest flavors. Those aesthetes like living on Potent Planet’s boutique crosses of the latest new-new.

Potent Planet growers explore the savory, raunchy side of dope descended from the likes of OG Kush Breath.

Look at the Breath cross White Truffle, Purple Drank Breath, and Wounded Warrior Breath.

They’re also dropping a bunch of Stankasaurus—that’s Dino Meat #8 crossed to Mr. Stinky. Primal! This is high-THC, partisan flavor—loveable, hateable, but never forgettable.

Lab-tested pesticide and fungicide-free, medical-first, 100% locally owned, and limited edition in Tucson, AZ.

Grow Sciences

Grow Sciences has never run a ‘buy one get one free’ special, and yet lines form for its limited-edition, in-demand releases of Exotic Genetix’s Strawberries and Cream, GMO Cookies, Grape Cream Cake, Runtz Breath, Limedog OG, Secret Triangle, and MAC.

Since 2018, the Phoenix-based grower-retailer crew has tracked down and popped the best cultivars in contemporary cannabis. They lab test it all for mold, mildew, and pesticides.

The small company can’t expand fast enough and is 4Xing its grow space. Arizona has no strict canopy limits, rather grow spaces are limited to two sites per retailer. Every grow site is linked to a store. Arizona has about total 120 retailers, which means it can have about 240 farms total.

Sunday Goods

We go from small scale to large with Sunday Goods, one of the biggest growers in the state.

The multi-state company has a seven-acre Dutch glass greenhouse in Willcox, AZ where they grow high-quality, sustainable herb. The greenhouse helps control for AZ’s harsh environment, and it has its own geothermal well.

Sunday Goods has Arizona’s reliable stash of today’s hits: Wedding Cake, and Gelato #33, plus some new jams like Lemon Brulee, or Granola Funk. Granola Funk crosses Forum Cut GSC to Wookie 15. Also popping: their Auto Cherry Kush x 3 Bears OG

DNA Genetics at Copperstate Farms

Arizona’s equally massive Copperstate Farms has something special under the greenhouse glass—DNA Genetics cultivars, a global leader for 20 years.

It’s so cool there’s world-class pot in a legalization state that’s just six months old.

On shelves this season from DNA/Copperstate: Tahiti Lime, Grim DG OJ, Miss DNA, and Ztrawberriez. Found at Nirvana, Herbal Wellness Center, Curaleaf stores, and more.

Shango

Shango brings Portland, Oregon’s epic cannabis culture into six states including Arizona. There, Shango’s rocking out inside a chunk of a former Revlon makeup factory—a massive 600,000 square-foot spot with four grow brands.

Look for their Gorilla Cookies, Chem Fusion, Amnesia Haze, Alien Cookies, Modified Banana, and bargain Alien Pharaoh.

And that’s just a snapshot of what’s popping in Arizona. Make sure to keep your flowers cool on the ride home from the store—a hot car in the desert summer burns up terps in a few minutes!

What’re you burning, Phoenix? Comment below.