🥦 420 blaze it (responsibly)

It's Thursday, Boston.

👋 Emily here! I saw zillions of fabulous signs while running the Boston Marathon on Monday, but the one my boyfriend held for me at the finish line was definitely my favorite. And if you’re a regular reader, I think you’ll agree.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Heartbreak at Heartbreak Hill

• Bad news Blue Line

• Jed Anderson

Up first...

BUSINESS

The 411 on 4/20

Happy 4/20 to all who celebrate. While the origins of this holiday are a little murky (which feels very on brand), pot shops in Mass. have been popping this week in preparation for the big day.

But even if you’re not partaking in today’s festivities, you can still take a hit of information on the state of Mass.’ cannabis industry. We also snuck in some recs from local pot shops for the cannabis-curious:

😃 If you’re buying, you’re in luck. The average cost of an eighth of an ounce of decent weed in Mass. hovers around $25 dollars these days, nearly half the price of what it was two years ago. You can thank an increase in licensed cultivators and retailers, making consumer prices plummet. These graphs show just how much the industry has exploded in the last few years.

☹️ If you’re a retailer or cultivator, you’ve got your work cut out for you. 2022 was a banner year for the state’s weed sector with recreational sellers posting over $1.4 billion in revenue. However, those in the industry think 2023 will be a mixed bag. More competition means there’s going to be a race to the bottom for pricing. And that race could squeeze companies out of the market. There’s also concern that a recession could cut back on consumer’s disposable income, which could impact recreational smokers.

🚓 That said, falling prices could bring more consumers into the market, possibly making up for smaller margins. As in, “your guy” may not be giving you the best deal. “For all the complaints we may have about dispensaries, at least we’re not sitting in a parking lot for three hours waiting for ‘our guy’ to show up,” said Matthew Coffman, an assistant general manager of Cannabist Boston. Plus, lower price points could incentivize the cannabis-curious to finally give it a try.

🥦 Consider yourself cannabis-curious and don’t know where to start? For Coffman, finding the right dispensary is step one. “Not all dispensaries offer a real consultation in the ordering process,” he said. A trustworthy “bud-tender” or “flight attendant” will listen to what you want out of the experience and be able to make a suggestion.

🤏 And the key is to start small. If you’re taking an edible, Coffman suggested starting at 2.5 milligrams (about half of a standard edible piece in Mass.) and do it with some food in your stomach. Sheritta Coleburn, of The Heritage Club in Charlestown, also recommended a microdose mouth spray where each spritz is only 1 milligram, giving you the chance to feel it out at your own pace. And if you just want to feel something fast, Coffman said a vape or a smoke is your best bet.

Whatever you choose, you can just tell yourself you’re supporting the local economy.

TOGETHER WITH SPARK BOSTON

Looking to get involved in your community?

As part of the City of Boston’s Love Your Block neighborhood clean up, we’ve partnered with SPARK Boston to host a clean-up site on April 29 at the Hunt Almont Park (40 Almont Street) in Mattapan at 10 a.m. Come join us, or find another Love Your Block location.

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

👟 Two diverse running clubs say police targeted them on Marathon Monday. Members of the Pioneers Run Crew and TrailblazHers Run Co. were cheering for marathoners near Heartbreak Hill when they said police surrounded the group. This video shows bike and motorcycle officers blocking the group from the route on both sides. Newton Police said they showed up after being notified by the B.A.A. three times that group members were jumping the rope barrier and “impeding runners.” A Pioneers Run Crew leader said that, like other spectators, some group members occasionally hopped onto the course to cheer on friends.

🙄 Uh oh, Blue Line riders. The MBTA is considering more nighttime shutdowns of the Blue Line to speed up track work to help reduce slow zones. Right now, the MBTA’s new GM is looking to start shutdowns at 7 p.m., which would hopefully mean they could wrap up the work in a month. 43% of the Blue Line is currently under speed restrictions (compared with only 2% in March), which has added 15 minutes of travel time to riders’ round-trip commutes. And yes, you can expect this same kind of song and dance for the other lines this year, too, according to the GM.

🏠 Apartment hunting this year is no joke. And a few things are to blame: Higher interest rates are pushing people out of the housing market and back into rentals, which means fewer vacancies (the current vacancy rate in Greater Boston is .49%); new construction has slowed; and current renters are staying put after the rigamarole of moving during the pandemic. Mix those things together, and you’ll see that despite rental markets cooling nationwide, Greater Boston’s is climbing, with the median rent for a one-bed sitting at $2,011, according to Apartment List. Translation: Too much demand, too little supply.

👎 The T gets a “D.” 67% of respondents in a recent Boston Business Journal poll gave the T a “D” or an “F” when asked to grade the public transit options available to them *pretends to be shocked*. The T’s grades averaged out to a “D,” the bus system got a “C-,” and the Commuter Rail is apparently the only one getting its degree with a “C” average. But the results weren’t all bad news. Half of respondents said they’re using the MBTA system either daily or weekly, up 16% from last year. Plus, 75% of respondents said public transit near them was affordable.

ONE LAST THING

Jed Anderson

The Red Line, but make it cinematic.

MBTA comedian Jed (@jeddeo1 on TikTok), known for his deadpan style of detailing his travels, jumped on a TikTok trend of turning mundane things into Wes Anderson films.

The video, set to a song featured in Anderson’s film “The French Dispatch,” shows shots of the train and of a blank-faced Jed riding the T in Anderson’s signature hyper-saturated film style. Perhaps the best part of the clip is when the turnstile gates closed in perfect sync with the music. I would honestly watch a full-length film of this.

🚇 Thanks for reading! Sometimes romanticizing your MBTA experience is the only way to get through it.

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected].