Cannabis 101

Cannabis 101: Shop Around Dispensaries, Source: http://azmarijuana.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Natures-AZ-Medicines-Fountain-Hills-Patient-Services-Area.jpgIt may seem strange to some of you, but I only recently considered the idea of shopping around to find a new dispensary. I am approaching the completion of my second full year as an authorized medical marijuana patient. It never really occurred to me to look at competing dispensaries, but I am very glad I did. I want to start off by saying that, of the three dispensaries to which I have belonged, all of them have been professional, clean and have superior marijuana. I had been going to the same dispensary for about 18 months, the one with which I started and to which I was recommended by my authorizing physician.

This last New Years, I was looking to resupply at my normal dispensary but, due to the holiday, they had closed early and wouldn’t be opening for two days. Not wanting to go without my cannabis, I decided to stop at another dispensary that was nearby and still open. (I felt a little guilty, but, hey, they were open and I needed my meds). After that visit, I never went back to my first dispensary. I found this new place had all the same stuff I liked about the first one, but at about 2/3 the price. I was elated!

Sadly, without warning or explanation, my new place shut down and went exclusively delivery. As a parent of teens and a believer in looking/smelling the weed before buying, I am not too keen on delivery services. I’m happy they exist for those who cannot get out themselves, but, for me, I’m still not ready to lose that remaining level of discretion. Also, I want to know what I’m buying before I pony the cash. So, like my New Year’s debacle, I was back on the hunt for a new dispensary.

After some research and some help from Weed Maps, I found a place. This new dispensary is a bit farther away from home, but still within a 10 minute drive. I really appreciate the distance it puts between my cannabis use and my neighborhood. I hold no shame about it, but with my wife and kids active members of our community, I did not want to attach any stigma to them.

The new place is clean, secure and has an exceptionally friendly staff (even for professional weed sellers). And their prices? As good as or sometimes better than my last place. I couldn’t be happier. Plus, this new dispensary has been around for almost 4 years, so I know they have a greater chance at staying put.

The point of all of this is that you can, and should, shop around competing dispensaries. A lot of the prices are not based on quality, but rather the deal that the caregivers make with the dispensary, and I have found two identical strains from competing dispensaries priced at very different points. It also must be stated that, even though they work on a donation basis, they are still fundamentally a business concerned with a bottom line and will make money where they can.

With retail recreational cannabis coming into the forefront, capitalism will take hold and, on some level, the weed market will behave like any other for-profit retail industry. However, don’t be fooled like I was that a gram of good weed will be priced roughly the same from dispensary to dispensary. They are not. You could not only find a great dispensary and make some new friends, but you could likely save some cash as well. Don’t be afraid to shop around!