Land meets sky meets pot

Right across the street from William R. Ridgeway Family Relations Courthouse, or as most people know it, the saddest place in Sacramento County, is Horizon Non Profit Collective. A no-frills collective with 9,000-plus members, the dispensary is unexpectedly open and bright, thanks to the tinted windows that, while discreet, provide a panoramic view of Sacramento’s ugliest thoroughfare. Just so you don’t look like some confused stoner, the entrance is on the Ramona Avenue side of the building.

The knowledgeable staff is more concerned with getting what you want than pushing you to buy the expensive stuff. All of the reliable stains are in stock—Trainwreck, Snowcap, Kush, Northern Lights, Blue Dream—as well as a revolving door of exotic hybrids like OG Full Melt, Odyssey and Blueberry Kush. I was happy to see that its hashish selection actually was labeled by strain, not some dopey name that translates to “the shake of a 1,000 varieties.”

Horizon also has a huge selection of teas (Sleepy, Jasmine, Berry Blast), elixirs and tinctures. The old saying that “If it tastes good, you won’t get high” doesn’t fly here, as its edibles are delicious and fresh, probably made by a grandmother with a med card. Horizon also has a variety of candy, butter, honey and olive oil. A nice assortment of dipping and barbecue sauces are also available. Perfect for those suffering with a debilitating illness. It also carries the astonishingly yummy and fast-acting Kushtown soda.

Kushtown soda is a pot-enhanced soda drink made with concentrated THC oil, high-fructose corn syrup, purified carbonated water and natural flavorings. Popping open a bottle of Granddaddy Purple on a Saturday evening, it tasted like any other good grape soda. I didn’t think about it again until I realized that I’d just watched three hours of The Benny Hill Show.

To truly test the effects, I tried Sour DZL soda before I had my morning bong hit. It tasted crisp, a lot like Squirt, and almost immediately I felt high, mellow and focused. All day long I felt like there was a warm bowl of steaming Cream of Wheat floating over my head, like in the old commercials. Kushtown is made in small batches at an undisclosed but nearby location and is available in flavors that taste like popular brands. If only they used cane sugar.

Horizon might not have waterfalls, trance music, digital menus or iPads. But it does have high-quality and fairly priced strains and edibles and, really, isn’t that all that matters?