What to Consider Before Visiting a Marijuana Dispensary

For me, the term “dispensary” always brought to mind a clinic at an army base or summer camp, with a stern nurse dispensing aspirin.  But when California passed Proposition 215 (the Compassionate Care Act) in 1996, reframing marijuana as “medicine”, a new institutional framework was needed for where such products could be obtained. Since then, an entire industry was born, and the word “dispensary” has taken on a whole new meaning.

In 30 states across the nation (and the District of Columbia), hundreds of thousands of Americans are having their first encounters with a medical (or recreational) marijuana dispensary. And for many of them, the experience can be overwhelming.

In general, those seeking cannabis for medicinal purposes receive only the most perfunctory guidance from their physicians about what products they might find in a dispensary.  That is because these doctors occupy an uncomfortable gray (and potentially litigious) area between marijuana’s ambiguous status as a federally outlawed substance and its sanctioning under state law.  In states like Pennsylvania, patients may be able to receive guidance on what products are appropriate for them from a specially certified pharmacist who’s required to be on-site at a dispensary. In California and other states, however, they are left to contemplate a dizzying array of products with the help of the dispensary’s team of hopefully well-trained budtenders.

Yet regardless of their desire to present themselves as impartial professionals, budtenders have a vested interest in promoting sales. This places a burden on patients to prepare themselves before their visit with a clear idea of what type of products would work best for their particular condition. But in the minimally-regulated, confusing arena of medical cannabis, this is easier said than done.

In posts to come, I will be examining the different things a patient needs to understand to become an informed medical cannabis consumer.  Because when not only your wallet but your well-being is at stake, better to become self-educated before self-medicating.