So you’re ready to give cannabis a try! You went to Weedmaps or Leafly, and found a nearby dispensary and pulled up their menu. You begin to peruse it, and realize: you have absolutely no idea what the heck any of these things are or how to use them. We got you, friend. Let’s give you the Cannabis 101 Welcome tour!
The first thing to know about going to a dispensary is that you need your driver’s license or state ID or a passport. You will not be able to show a copy of it, a picture of it – they will need the actual ID. So don’t forget that! If you are a medical patient, you should also bring your medical patient ID card. If you live in a medical state, you may not be able to enter without this. If you live in a state with both medical and recreational, you may still be able to purchase cannabis, but at the recreational price.
You should be greeted by a welcoming staff member who will help get you checked in and let you know where to wait and where to go once they’re ready for you. Some dispensaries have nice comfy waiting areas, and some don’t really have a waiting area with a place to sit at all. If you are someone who needs a place to sit while you wait, consider calling ahead to ask before you arrive. Here at Got Greens – we have a nice comfy lounge for you!
Once you’re called back, a budtender will ask you what you’re looking for. This is something to consider before you arrive. Are you interested in smoking flower? Edibles? Do you need topicals like creams or salves? You may even not be sure yet, and that’s okay! Our knowledgeable budtenders are experienced with cannabis and ready to help you. We care deeply about all of our patients and customers and want you to have the best experience with cannabis. For us, that means being able to answer your questions knowledgeable and help you select a product that best fits your needs. Cannabis affects everyone differently, so your unique experience matters to us!
If you choose to consume edibles and have never tried them before, remember this phrase: start low, go slow. You can always take more, but never less! We always recommend starting with a very small dose and seeing how your body reacts. There are some people that just don’t enjoy edibles, and you don’t want to learn that you’re one of those people after consuming a dose that is too high for your body. A common/standard edibles dose is 10mg, but there are many people who are highly sensitive to edibles, so we recommend starting as low as 1 mg on your first try. If there’s no effect, wait a minimum of 1 hour before consuming more (and we even recommend at least 90 minutes – sometimes edibles can even take up to 2 hours to take full effect). Talk to your budtender and ask any questions you may have! They can help you select an edible, too – they come in all kinds of products. Beverages, chocolates, gummies, flavor syrups, water soluble powders – there are tons of ways to consume edible cannabis.
Once you’ve talked to your budtender and selected the products you’d like to purchase, your budtender will ask for a form of payment, which is typically cash or debit, which sometimes works like an ATM (meaning you’ll approve the rounded up number - usually by 10s and 20s - and then they will give you cash as change, and a fee is usually applied as well). At Got Greens, we are able to do single, standard debit transactions, which saves our customers money on fees.
That’s it! You’ve completed your first cannabis dispensary purchase! Remember to consume responsibly.
