Origins Recreational, with its clean hardwood floors and built-in cabinetry, feels like the living room of a really wealthy Pacific Northwest hippie. The hippie that was growing organic weed in the 1970s and just happened to buy some Starbucks stock, so now they have a big house in West Seattle with a view and tons of beautiful organic cannabis.

Jon Sherman and Andrew Cornwall, the owners of Origins, care as much about cannabis as any hippie I've ever met. They are unhappy with how the state inspects cannabis—they don't trust the pesticide checks, they don't trust many of the state-approved testing labs, and without the federal government's involvement, there is no way to certify a farm is organic. So, Sherman and Cornwall created their own certification system: Origins Certified.

To become Origins Certified, which is required in order for a product to be sold at their sleek West Seattle shop, a supplier's garden must: undergo a chemical test to prove it is organic, undergo random testing for heavy metals and pesticides, only use one of the cannabis testing labs trusted by Origins, and agree to visits from Origins staff every year.

That is a lot, especially considering many retailers base their purchasing decisions on a spreadsheet of prices and THC readings. If you've ever wanted a more personal approach to finding the right cannabis for you, then you should head to West Seattle. The staff at Origins Recreation loves to talk and educate their customers on cannabis. LESTER BLACK