![](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Cannabis-In-Dispensary-Display-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Now that weed is legal in more than half the nation, millions of people have the luxury of stepping inside their friendly neighborhood cannabis dispensary to stock up on a wide array of concoctions from the mad science minds of marijuana. It\u2019s a veritable candy store for the red-eyed aficionado, a lengthy departure from a time when procuring pot meant needing to know a guy who knows a guy who knows someone who buys from this dude down in Miami, and then waiting around by the phone all weekend for the one guy to call. No, a cannabis dispensary is a much better deal. They have set hours, they\u2019re clean and nobody gets mad if you call past 10 pm.<\/p>\n
Yet, while these retail shops are precisely what the cannabis community has spent decades trying to achieve, there\u2019s some anxiety, a twinge of awkwardness, if you will, involved in visiting one for the first time. It\u2019s not like sitting around a dealer\u2019s living room making small talk while he weighs out an eighth. It\u2019s more like an Apple store, and just as intimidating. All told, nobody really knows what they\u2019re doing, especially the unseasoned shopper. And while the adventure is half the fun, not understanding how to navigate a dispensary properly can result in a less-than-pleasant experience.<\/p>\n
In the interest of helping the cannabis customer hit the legal market with confidence, we talked to dispensary patrons across the nation in hopes of uncovering critical details that they wish someone would have told them before their first time. The results were enlightening.<\/p>\n
Everyone knows by now to bring cash and a legal photo ID if they\u2019re expected to be let through the dispensary door. Or maybe, much like Dylan, a 23-year-old from Louisville, they don\u2019t. \u201cI wish someone would\u2019ve told me this before I went,\u201d he says. \u201cInstead, I paid an arm and a leg to pull cash out at their ATM.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beyond the need for cash<\/a> and proper identification, the uncertainty that lies beyond the gates of ganja is enough to induce heart palpitations and a panic attack. An anxiety-riddled consumer might even liken the occasion to that one time they stopped by a local microbrew and were made to feel dumb by a crew of hipster beer snobs for not knowing anything about double-hopped IPAs. Listen, this type of insecurity-driven arrogance is the worker\u2019s problem, not the consumer\u2019s. Those spending money aren\u2019t supposed to be experts, the staff should (must?) help educate.<\/p>\n Fortunately, a dispensary is typically a friendly environment. If it\u2019s not, go somewhere else.\u201cIf you don\u2019t like the vibe, you should leave,\u201d Nate, a 30-year-old from Pueblo, CO, says.<\/p>\n Budtenders, the men and women behind the vast displays of flower, vapes, edibles and concentrates, are paid to ensure the consumer gets the most from their visit. They\u2019re there to assist, and they want the customer to leave happy. Rest assured, you\u2019re not the first newbie to walk through their doors and you won\u2019t be the last.<\/p>\n But everyone is built different, so it\u2019s important to be as open as possible. Clear communication is hands down the most important aspect of a first-time visit. Don\u2019t be shy. Tell the budtender that it\u2019s your first time and provide them with details about any medical conditions, consumption preferences or desired effects that may help them guide you to the appropriate purchase. A great budtender will take the wheel.<\/p>\n Let them show you around and have fun.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of places will take the time to explain all their products and they have newbie specials that are definitely worth taking advantage of,\u201d reports Richard, a 35-year-old from Eugene, OR.<\/p>\n From there, make sure the budtender is prepared to answer a lot of questions. \u201cThen ask them all,\u201d advises Lissa, a 36-year-old from Lambertville, MI. Sarah of Nashville, concurs, adding that the budtenders she\u2019s had provided guidance and even offered plenty of recommendations. In fact, just like you might inquire with the waiter as to what\u2019s good at a new restaurant, soliciting a budtender for their personal preference is welcome. Most enjoy counseling newcomers. \u201cThe people working at dispensaries are usually pretty cool and knowledgeable,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve learned to ask them questions and get their suggestions. There\u2019s lots of times where I\u2019ve learned a lot or tried something new that I really enjoyed at their suggestion.\u201d<\/p>\n What kind of questions should a first-timer be prepared to ask? At the core, buying cannabis is relatively simple. You find something that piques your interest and try it. But the purchasing decision can get somewhat complex depending on the needs of the individual. Are they searching for relief from a specific health condition? Do they want something that isn\u2019t going to make them devour everything in the house? Maybe edibles sound like fun, but they don\u2019t want to go overboard. There aren\u2019t any stupid questions in this arena. If there\u2019s a concern, get an answer.<\/p>\n \u201cA first-time user of any of the products should ask questions related to dosage amounts, and maybe the effects of the various ways of ingestion,\u201d Josh, a 27-year-old from Arlington, says.<\/p>\n Also, don\u2019t get starry-eyed over high THC. Although a first-time buyer may be inclined to select a strain with the highest THC percentage, well-seasoned cannabis consumers argue this is the wrong move. Look at the terpene profiles instead. Terpenes create the aromatics and various characteristics of the cannabis plant. THC is just one component, and it alone doesn\u2019t create a pleasurable experience. \u201cIgnore THC percentages,\u201d advises Rick Thompson, executive director at Michigan NORML<\/a>. Others echoed this sentiment. \u201cShop terps not THC,\u201d says a man named Zach.<\/p>\n It also doesn\u2019t hurt to do preliminary research of your own before showing up cold to any given dispensary. Exploring these shops online prior to a visit and examining their menus can provide a new customer with a nice jumping off point for when they\u2019re at the front of the line. So, I saw X-brand was on sale this week. How do you think it would work in terms of managing my elbow pain?<\/em><\/p>\n Unfortunately, while budtenders are often hardcore cannabis geeks with a plethora of knowledge about the plant, many of them aren\u2019t. \u201cNot all budtenders are nerds and won\u2019t be able to offer much more than a personal opinion,\u201d asserts Lori, a former budtender<\/a> from Phoenix. \u201cThey\u2019re salespeople and will push inventory rather than be your personal little pot guru to guide you through your journey. If you can\u2019t find the pot nerd, then don\u2019t let them rush you and take your time.\u201d<\/p>\n Others wholeheartedly agree, adding that having some idea of what you\u2019re looking for ahead of a visit will help. \u201cThey\u2019ll rush you and throw out random suggestions of whatever to keep the line moving, so spending a little time beforehand and knowing the store\u2019s menu makes it much more pleasant than blindly going in and getting handed a clipboard with a million names on it,\u201d warns Adam of Seattle. \u201cAlways look online first.\u201d<\/p>\n Several cannabis aficionados contacted also had recommendations for first-timers. Some advise visiting during the week as opposed to the weekend when these shops are traditionally not as busy. That way, the staff will be more apt to spend more quality time showing you around the floor without pressure to hurry up and make a sale so they can move on to the next customer.<\/p>\n Many say it\u2019s also wise to make a budget and stick to it. Be sure to account for taxes and remember that every state taxes differently.<\/p>\n \u201cMy first visit, I spent so much money and ended up not smoking it and using it all,\u201d says Tia from Ohio. \u201cI wound up giving a lot of it to my Uber driver.\u201d Oh, and fair warning, some budtenders can be high-pressure. It\u2019s distinctly possible that they could be part of a sales contest. \u201cPrepare to fend off the \u2018upsale\u2019 from the helpful staff,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n If all else fails, find a buddy with some dispensary experience to accompany you on the inaugural visit.<\/p>\n \u201cTake someone with you that\u2019s been before,\u201d suggests Steve from Ann Arbor, MI, adding that he\u2019s assisted several newcomers. \u201cIt just makes it less stressful to have someone along you can trust.<\/p>\n If there\u2019s any parting advice for the cannabis customer to live by, as with anything else, it\u2019s to be courteous and kind to the budtender. Not only is this the right thing to do, but it\u2019s always appreciated. Not every customer experience is pleasant for these folks, so cut them some slack if they don\u2019t automatically have all the answers. A friendly customer will always fare better than one acting rude. Who knows, a little charm could even work to your benefit. \u201cNever be a jerk to your budtender,\u201d Adam from Seattle says. \u201cThey can save you a lot of money if they want to.\u201d<\/p>\n The post Cannabis 101: Dispensaries<\/a> appeared first on Cannabis Now<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Now that weed is legal in more than half the nation, millions of people have the luxury of stepping inside their friendly neighborhood cannabis dispensary to stock up on a wide array of concoctions from the mad science minds of marijuana. It\u2019s a veritable candy store for the red-eyed aficionado,Continue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":65685,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[849,50,266,4189,80,1077,4018,139,7568,420],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65684"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/58"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65684"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65684\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65686,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65684\/revisions\/65686"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65685"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Californians](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Cannabis-In-Dispensary-Display.jpg\")
<\/a>Don\u2019t Be Shy; They Want to Help<\/strong><\/h4>\n
No Stupid Questions, Only Missed Opportunities<\/strong><\/h4>\n
![\"Budtender](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/budtender-selecting-cannabis-at-dispensary.jpg\")
<\/a>They\u2019re Not All Ganja Geeks, But Be Nice Anyway<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n
\nRead More: Cannabis 101: Dispensaries<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"