A new cannabis strain has been released by Harmony dispensary in Secaucus named BridgeH20 after veteran advocate and businessman Leo Bridgewater.
Bridgewater is the Director of Veteran’s Outreach for Minorities for Medical Marijuana (M4MM) and has been a leader for legalization here in New Jersey while involved in the cannabis industry across the country.
He said it had been a year and a half in the making.
“I want to name a strain after you,” Brodchandel said to him one day. Brodchandel said that many people had come into the dispensary saying the only reason they had decided to get their medical marijuana (or clinical cannabis) card was that they had heard Leo Bridgewater speak.
“We knew we had to honor him as a veteran and cannabis advocate by collaborating with him on his very own strain,” said Harmony Dispensary Director of Cultivation, Adam Johnstone.
“I was flattered,” Bridgewater said.
He has known Brodchandel for about four years through industry circles and events, and they have become close. LEo Bridgewater spoke well of him, saying he was one of the few dispensary entrepreneurs that do a lot of community outreach.
While honored and flattered, he would never go through the process again.
“I wasn’t prepared for the emotional roller coaster. I thought people grew and they just throw your name on the shit,” Bridgewater said.
He became an advocate for cannabis after realizing it would help him cope with his PTSD from his tour in Iraq.
“I found out I had triggers I didn’t even know about,” Bridgewater said about the process. It involved a great deal of trial and error and recording his reactions, feeling, and moods after every strain was tried.
Industry Renown at Harmony Dispensary
Leo Bridgewater said he has heard from contacts on the West Coast and Florida who want to sell his strain in the future.
“It’s the ultimate industry nod. I know a whole bunch of people don’t know who Jack Herer is, but they know his strain,” Bridgewater said.
Herer was a well-known hemp activist who wrote: “The Emperor Has No Clothes.”
Harmony Dispensary currently only has one location in Secaucus in Hudson County.
“The industry reaction has been absolutely phenomenal,” Bridgewater said.
New Indica Dominant Cannabis Strain
The BridgeH20 cannabis strain is a hybrid that is 70/30 Indica combining the strains wedding cake, chemdog, and OG.
“I lean towards a heavy Indica so that I don’t dream,” Bridgewater explained. He often has nightmares that leave him more tired when he wakes than when he goes to sleep. It was almost physically demanding, he said.
The strain they came up with is quite strong, even for a veteran smoker like Bridgewater. He admitted trying it made him feel like a novice.
“Do not consume bridgeh20 and then have someplace to go. This is your nightcap,” Bridgewater advised.
Bridgewater said that it has a unique, welcoming dank aroma that is piney.
“I slept for 10 hours,” he said. The cannabis strain was strong it seemed he woke up the next and forgot he had smoked it.
The day after smoking it he felt much better. He said that he felt rested and that his mood was enhanced. While feeling enhanced, he was much more productive than he otherwise would have been.
“I sent Adam a message, you hit this one out of the park!” Bridgewater said.
Edibles with BridgeH20
Bridgewater was curious how his brand-new cannabis strain from Harmony dispensary would work when making an edible. He explained that due to the taste of strains, not every strain goes with every type of food.
“You can’t just put AK-47 butter on some cornbread. The taste of the strain will not work with cornbread,” Bridgewater explained. “It’s all about taste and terpenes.”
He recommended that people seek to appreciate its taste due to the terpenes.
When you have a legal cannabis market, one can be a connoisseur comparable to the way nuances of wine are critiqued and appreciated by aficionados. Strains can be appreciated for their special properties.
Bridgewater added that this requires a degree of sophistication and experience in smoking.
He recommended that users experiment first with different dishes.
