High On Dispensaries #1 - A Letter to First-Timers

Did you ever think you would be shopping for weed in a store?

Neither did I. We've come a long way from the risky and paranoid toking of our youth. Now we have a full-spectrum medicine available to nearly anyone who wishes to pursue "alternative" ways to health and happiness.

This post is the first in a series called High On Dispensaries, which I will be creating over the coming weeks and months.

I've got some great first-time visit advice for you, but first, here's a little introduction to High On Dispensaries.


I couldn't be happier about the direction cannabis is moving, and its increasingly important role in our lives. As a Colorado resident, it is my right to grow six plants for personal use. I have six lovely, healthy and spoiled ladies growing in three-gallon pots on my back deck. The material that I harvest in just a few weeks' time will provide no-cost medicine to my family for the whole winter.



Toward the beginning of this year I decided to get my Colorado Medical Marijuana Badge so that I could work in the industry for which I cared so deeply. After receiving the badge, I got a job as a manager of a recreational dispensary near my home. Since then, I've been selling cannabis products full-time.

I thought I knew something about pot. I was wrong. Since beginning in the industry, not a day has gone by without me learning something new. There are so many different strains, products and delivery methods available that a first-time dispensary visitor, no matter how seasoned a user they may be, will always be overwhelmed.

Our shop is in an exceptionally beautiful part of southern Colorado, so we cater to many out-of-state and even international guests. I've seen first-hand the preconceived notions most of them carry and I've done my best to clarify everything for them and make them feel as comfortable as possible. That's exactly what I intend to do for you, the reader of this series. I aim to make you more equipped to make the transition from black-market back-alley dealings to shopping from a variety of professional and quality cannabis products in a store.

So you want some advice for your first dispensary visit?
Here we go.

Relax.

You may feel like the employees are rushing you, just because you may have had to wait and there may be other people waiting after you. You are the customer. Don't think of them as dealers. They work for you. In fact, they are literally working for your tips. Take all the time you need, and look at everything in the store, as there are no doubt hidden gems. Trust me, almost no one takes as much time looking as they ought to. You're only shorting yourself if you make a cannabis purchase hastily. Just breathe and enjoy the surreal experience.

Communicate.

Tell the budtender what you are looking for, and be as specific as you can. Budtenders are by no means doctors, or even pharmacists, but there is one thing that they know more about than 99% of everyone: cannabis. They can give you incredible suggestions based on your specific needs. And get this: They hardly ever work on commission. That means that they have no special interest in what they're selling you, other than to get you the most appropriate product for your needs.

Smell.

This may seem strange to someone who is new to the whole... cannabis thing, but smell everything. If you see twenty different kinds of weed on that shelf, you better have smelled at least 12 of them before you made your final decision.
I'll get into this more in later posts, but in my opinion, the way a bud hits your nose is the most important deciding factor.

Ask.

Ask about everything. The budtender will be happy to answer your questions, and if they can't, chances are they have Google handy. In my shop I'm always happy to take time to learn with a customer. After all, we're all very new to this medicine.

Follow the Rules.
To first-timers and out-of-staters, our rules and restrictions may seem over the top. All visitors must be adults with a valid photo identification proving they're at least 21 years old. Furthermore, guests must agree not to give any products to any minors or transport anything over state lines. This is a big deal. If we hear someone talking about taking product out of state, we are obliged to refuse them service. The bottom line: There's no need to complain, just play ball. We're lucky to be allowed to do what we're doing in this industry.

Have Cash.

Dispensaries in the United States are generally cash only, and often they do not have ATMs. Plan accordingly, but remember that you're going to be a kid in a candy store. You'll want to spend all the money you brought.

So there you go! There's some quick dispensary advice for first-timers, straight from a dispensary man. Every day I see a real need for more education about this "budding" industry. I look forward to using this wonderful platform and this series to further that education for as many people as possible.

I will address common issues and questions I deal with in my work such as:

How do I get the most value out of my cannabis visit?
How do I select a strain of bud that's right for me?
What are cannabinoids? Terpenes? Trichomes?

I will also address cannabis issues from a more speculative viewpoint:

Why is cannabis still illegal?
What is the long-term future of cannabis?
Who's going to make the money?

So if you're interested in hearing a humble dispensary manager's take on these questions and more, follow me. There will be plenty more to come in this series

I sincerely thank you for reading this post. Now let's all go out to the nearest dispensary, stock up and get elevated. :D

Images are either mine, or free from Pixabay.com