Do you need marijuana to treat your medical conditions? Perhaps you are asking yourself where can I find “dispensaries near me?” As you make your search, you can easily be tempted to contact the very first dispensary that you find. This can be a huge mistake on your part.
When it comes to recreational dispensaries, you need to make sure that the store you are considering is a reliable one. Cannabis is still considered illegal in the Federal level and criminal elements might take advantage of this. If you get your hands on the illegal weed, you could get into trouble with the law.
Buying from a recreational dispensary is the better option. But unlike prescription medicines, obtaining cannabis is not as easy as picking up a prescription from a drugstore. You see not all dispensaries can be trusted. The biggest challenge on your part is being able to find a trustworthy dispensary that sells safe and effective products. But how do you know which ones to trust? Here are some questions you need to answer.
Is it licensed?
Being licensed is the biggest proof of reliability. It is an assurance that you are getting high quality products. A licensed dispensary is also an indication that you can trust the labels on the products that show the amount of cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the various oils, tinctures, edibles, and other products. Doctors will recommend cannabis products containing certain amounts of these compounds for different types of medical issues.
Has it been fully tested?
Different states have different product testing requirements. For this reason, you need to check whether the cannabis product you intend to buy has been fully tested for quality. You can ask the dispensary to show proof of certificate of analysis from a laboratory to ensure that it has been subjected to testing for pesticides, fungus, heavy metals, and other toxins.
Check with your state government website to learn what is required for dispensaries and growers there is no uniform standard.
What do you need in advance?
If you live in a highly populated city where cannabis is legal for both recreational and medical purposes, your first-time to visit can be a daunting experience. Again, buying cannabis isn’t like buying prescription medicines wherein you can just read the labels and decide whether you want a certain brand or not. Doing this in a dispensary is unlikely because most of the time there will be other people behind you and wouldn’t have time to compare shops and read labels.
Benefits of Medical Marijuana cards
For medical dispensaries, almost all states will require registration and obtaining a medical card or getting a doctor’s recommendation. One benefit of a medical card or doctor’s recommendation is lower cost. Most state dispensaries do not tax cannabis for medical use or charge a lower tax for recreational use.
Cannabis is subject to a state’s regular 2.9% sales tax as well as local taxes. For recreational cannabis, there is a 15% retail excise tax. Medical marijuana cards proves that you have the legal right to purchase cannabis for medical reasons.