A score is only useful if you know what went into it. GMR uses the same flower framework each time so a score on one review means roughly the same thing on the next.
We review the experience, not the THC number.
Flower scoring
Why put half the score on effects? Because a beautiful jar with a loud nose is still disappointing if the experience falls flat. Appearance, aroma, flavor, and cure matter, but the part patients live with after the session should carry the most weight.
Inside Experience & Effects
- Quality & Character — 20%: Was the experience useful, enjoyable, distinctive, and true to what the product seemed built to do?
- Onset & Progression — 10%: How did it come on, and did the experience develop cleanly or feel uneven?
- Duration & Finish — 10%: Did it last long enough, and how did it taper off?
- Consistency & Comfort — 10%: Did the experience feel coherent and comfortable, or were there negatives that got in the way?
Strict review guidelines
12-hour clear-baseline standard
Before an official scored session, we aim for at least 12 hours without cannabis. Around GMR we sometimes call it our T-Break Standard, but the point is not to claim that 12 hours resets tolerance. It simply gives us a cleaner starting point and reduces carryover from another product.
If we do not meet the 12-hour standard, the review will say so. That review can still be useful, but it will not appear in the official Rankings until the product is retested under the standard.
Flower is vaporized, not combusted
For consistency — and to stay aligned with Georgia's medical program — flower is evaluated with a dry-herb vaporizer. We record the device and temperature approach in official reviews whenever practical.
We review the batch in front of us
Cannabis can vary from batch to batch. We record the dispensary, price, batch or lot information, and available cannabinoid and terpene data so readers know exactly what our score applies to.
THC is information, not bonus points
An 18% flower can beat a 30% flower here. THC belongs in the product details, but a bigger number does not automatically make the experience better.
Value counts
Value is 10% of the score because price is part of the experience of buying medical cannabis in Georgia. We judge the product against its normal market price, not a one-off coupon that another patient may never see.
Provided products and material relationships
If a brand or operator gives us a product, provides a meaningful discount, pays for content, sponsors something, or creates another relationship that could matter to a reader, we will disclose that connection clearly. The scoring standard does not change because a product was free or discounted. If GMR ever uses affiliate links, the commission relationship will be disclosed near the relevant link or recommendation.
Experience is not a medical claim
When we describe relaxation, focus, appetite, discomfort, sleepiness, or another effect, we are describing our subjective experience with that product. Cannabis can affect people differently. A GMR review is not medical advice and is not a claim that a product diagnoses, treats, cures, or prevents a disease.
How to read the score
We want the top of the scale to mean something. A 10.0 should be rare, not the default ending to every positive review.
Other product formats: Experience & Effects will remain 50% of the score. The other half will use criteria that make sense for the format — for example, hardware and extract quality for vapes rather than cure and flower appearance.