General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI am at the pot store. It's all old and crippled people
coming in. This is the most amazing place. The younger people that work here are so sharp and so fun.
LuckyCharms
(17,469 posts)Have fun!
ProfessorGAC
(65,334 posts)21 to 81. Men, women, black, white, brown, you name it.
We've got 4 stores within 25 miles & it's the same at all 4 (though I go to only one of them with regularity. )
I find that pretty cool.
forgotmylogin
(7,539 posts)The dispensaries in MO previously were just catering to medical customers and they're still there. Now it's open for recreational and it's all of us - middle aged women, bald people you know are going through chemo, young people obtaining it safely. The vibe in the dispensary is amazing and they hire diversely as well - the last time I went the employee who checked me in was in a wheelchair (and I suspect had MD or MS) and was doing a great job!
I actually drove to IL to get a special gift from a dispensary where Illinois has been doing it longer, and I swear - the building used to be a Babies R Us location and it was ENORMOUS like the Apple Store for THC! They had big giant touch screens for people who walk in without an order (they prefer you browse and order online) and then go up to the bar when called to receive your merchandise and complete your purchase.
ProfessorGAC
(65,334 posts)One company owns 2 shops in the closest bigger city (around 160k people).
The one we go to has limited product selection for adult use, and unlimited for med card holders.
The other one is what used to be a Pier 1. Much bigger.
They both have the touchscreen ordering (i always order on-line first), the staff is fantastic at both, & at the smaller one they have an express aisle for med card holders, plus curbside pickup.
Very well run. And wow, have prices fallen! The intrastate supply has caught up to demand. We pay, typically, 40% as much for an ounce as we did 5 years ago.
Torchlight
(3,400 posts)I can't imagine what it will feel like the first time I enter a shop and purchase some legally or smoke it openly.
leftyladyfrommo
(18,874 posts)years in jail for a joint
It just seems so unreal to me.
Torchlight
(3,400 posts)I can buy a vape pen of really good stuff* with a street price of $40. Are the prices in legal states higher or lower?
*really good stuff. In the eighties, I could smoke a giant joint and have a really nice buzz from it, but the stuff nowadays... sheesh! Three or four hits and I'm zoned-out for a solid hour. Better living through science!
leftyladyfrommo
(18,874 posts)My experience has been that the pot I buy is not too strong. But I also know it's grown under strict conditions and is not cut with anything. I don't like pot that's too strong.
forgotmylogin
(7,539 posts)I know you're not wanting "strong" but it's like when I drink - I want to sip just a little Jameson and control my buzz rather than needing to swill multiple less concentrated drinks and overshoot the mark.
Edibles take a while to work; smoking is messy and requires preparation and storage for gear.
You can get THC/cannabis oil carts that screw into a rechargeable battery they can sell you for like $15, or a complete rechargable/disposable vape pen. They might seem pricey but in my experience it's way more concentrated and two puffs are enough to get you started so you're not wasting it. Plus it's also super convenient, all in one portable and concealable if you need to use it discreetly, and the bonus is there is much less fuss and mess since there's no ashes nor burning nor lighters nor other tricky gear to clean and maintain. You click five times to turn it on, take your puffs, click five times to turn it off.
That's not to say that the ritual of packing a bowl or rolling to share with friends never has its place tho!
leftyladyfrommo
(18,874 posts)OAITW r.2.0
(24,737 posts)gram size. The cheapest is $35.00 - my pricepoint. This lasts me between 4-6 weeks. I'm in Central Maine. I was there last week and saw a lot of out of state liscense plates...probably stocking up before heading up North to camp/hike or returning home.
MiHale
(9,793 posts)Da,da,da
$40. Less the senior discount. Pre-ground
pack and play.
Shoulda added in northern Michigan. I grow my own but do sample some strains every once in a while.
Here this is how we shop.
https://highlevelhealth.com/dispensary-locations/east-tawas/?utm_source=gmb&utm_campaign=dispenza
IcyPeas
(21,930 posts)Maru Kitteh
(28,344 posts)Best of luck down there. Too bad you're not in El Paso (I assume). I'll bet New Mexico is making a killing off of West Texans.
forgotmylogin
(7,539 posts)I just bought two 1g disposable vape pens which were $50 each, but on a special where it was $90 for two. Vapes tend to last a while as you can usually get a good hit from 1-2 puffs.
Flower is about $40-$50 for 1/8, but there are strains which are priced higher and lower. 1/4s can be had for $60-$80
Vape carts you use your own battery for tend to be like $60 for 1g, .5g can be like 30-38, again variation based on strain and strength.
Gummy variations are available but limited and generally low-power with a few stronger which are expensive.
I kind of follow what they have on "two for" specials they run in each category - usually buying two packages of a specific brand - and sometimes you can get good stuff based on availability.
Abolishinist
(1,320 posts)I misread the title, I thought they were referring to a PET shop. So the first two posts were fine, then all of a sudden you're talking about smoking them! Made no sense, so I started over.
My wife has a good friend who has had various physical problems for years and walks using a cane. I forget what she's using, some THC product, but she says it has made her life bearable. None of the other mainstream, physician proscribed products worked for her.
leftyladyfrommo
(18,874 posts)doesn't have all the side effects that opiates do.
My friend just had his knee replaced and he hated the way his pain meds made him feel. I had vicodin once after teeth surgery and I really didn't like it.
forgotmylogin
(7,539 posts)She said her default level of pain was excruciating but she didn't react to it because she'd dealt with it for years.
We rode to a store one time and I was like "I'll park close so you don't have to walk" and she responded "I'm actually good because..." and told me how it was her miracle drug; she was using THC tincture under her tongue and it was the only thing that had provided reduction in pain relief out of everything she'd tried her entire life. She resisted for a while because she didn't want to get "high" but usually any high is negated when it's used for pain relief. That or the euphoria of long term pain relief is conflated with the "high".
She also had an appointment to have a biopsy for a tumor on her tongue. In the month it took to get scheduled (she was using the tincture) her tumor vanished, and she went in and they were like "there's nothing for us to biopsy." I'm not saying it's a cure for cancer, but apparently studies have shown it can reduce tumors in lab mice.
IronLionZion
(45,615 posts)most are based out of the west coast and some in the northeast. They ship to Virginia so they might ship to Texas too. It's discreet packaging.
MontanaMama
(23,366 posts)has a cheerful atmosphere and has a delightful staff. There are a lot of seniors who shop there and in my experience, the youngsters who work there treat them respectfully.
Wednesdays
(17,462 posts)You might want to edit that.
haele
(12,688 posts)I'm a bit fragile, move slower and can't stand for more than 5 minutes. I have to live with my limits, and yeah, it's a painful, crippling disability at times. I'm not a robust 40 anymore, even though I try to act it at times.
Perhaps mis-stated by the OP, but it's still true.
Haele
yardwork
(61,748 posts)I appreciate this point. I'm old and slow.
SYFROYH
(34,185 posts)As I shake my cane at you.
Hekate
(90,971 posts)eShirl
(18,506 posts)republianmushroom
(13,803 posts)spanone
(135,919 posts)yardwork
(61,748 posts)littlemissmartypants
(22,850 posts)A bill in the North Carolina Senate, the NC Compassionate Care Act, would make medical marijuana legal for a narrowly crafted group of people diagnosed with certain medical conditions.
That bill stalled in the Senate in summer 2021, and it has not yet come up for a vote again. It is backed by two powerful state Republicans, Sens. Bill Rabon (R-Southport) and Michael Lee (R-Wilmington), the primary sponsors of the bill.
Snip...
The bill has support from the majority of North Carolinians, according to one poll by WRAL News. The SurveyUSA poll found that 72 percent of North Carolinians supported medical marijuana legalization.
Support for medical marijuana is high across the political spectrum. The poll found that 64 percent of registered Republicans, 75 percent of registered Democrats and 78 percent of unaffiliated voters supported legalization.
More...
https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2022/04/20/what-is-the-state-of-medical-marijuana-legalization-in-north-carolina/
yardwork
(61,748 posts)The Republicans have a super majority in both houses of the legislature and the leaders blocked it.
littlemissmartypants
(22,850 posts)Grubbing Republicans to pass it.
This article about Republican Rabon may open your eyes. Optimists are seldom surprised by trouble.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/state-senator-shocks-n-carolina-assembly-reveals-medical-marijuana-use-for-20-years-to-ease-chemo-effects/ar-AA1bUvOa
tblue37
(65,522 posts)at the pot store.
WA-03 Democrat
(3,058 posts)Missouri - there I said it from OP, KS. Go Jaywhawks!
leftyladyfrommo
(18,874 posts)to buy. There is such heavy traffic between the 2 states that it would be impossible to catch people.
Elessar Zappa
(14,118 posts)I enjoy the experience when I go to one.
SWBTATTReg
(22,191 posts)them yesterday even. We even know a few workers that work at some of them (retail side) and I'm so happy that we finally have the right to buy this stuff w/o feeling like a criminal in our own backyard.
And I haven't noticed anything what the doomsayers were predicting, that if pot was legalized etc., that we would have road accidents everywhere, that we would have drug addicts all over the place, etc., the sort of doomsayer nonsense that we all heard and seen over the years.
And the tax revenues must be a nice chunk of change for those craving more tax revenues. I just hope that they are being spent wisely, as I wish for all tax revenues (to be spent wisely too).
leftyladyfrommo
(18,874 posts)February and at least some is going toward crme prevention. I don't know who gets to decide that.
Response to leftyladyfrommo (Original post)
elocs This message was self-deleted by its author.
leftyladyfrommo
(18,874 posts)Just people watching is fun there.
Response to leftyladyfrommo (Reply #20)
elocs This message was self-deleted by its author.
Doc Sportello
(7,541 posts)leftyladyfrommo
(18,874 posts)Doc Sportello
(7,541 posts)Wasn't talking about reefer, just a mindset.
yardwork
(61,748 posts)getagrip_already
(14,934 posts)The first thing they will jump up and down about is that it will allow kids easy access to pot. Wtaf?
First, kids already have easy and much cheaper access to pot than what is sold in legal shops, that they don't have access to anyway. Even edibles and drinks are easy and cheap to find.
Even as a small scale hobby grower, I can grow high quality cannabis for about $0.50/gm. In a dispensary, it can be around $5/gm. Street prices are much lower than dispensary prices. No "kid" will buy stock that came from one unless they want some specific product.
So it's no wonder they are filled with people that just want relief without having to deal with the underworld. They are cheery places, with good security and helpful staff.
And the products work.
But it's not at a price point many like, so they stick to their buddies friend.
leftyladyfrommo
(18,874 posts)it's good and a whole lot cheaper.
I.usually buy the 3.5 g and it's $40 to $50.
OAITW r.2.0
(24,737 posts)the attendent your ID. So, no access for kids.
leftyladyfrommo
(18,874 posts)walk in and again when you enter the locked part. And they really ck your id.
Some stores have armed guards.
forgotmylogin
(7,539 posts)The bigger stores have a bouncer at the door who won't even let you inside without ID. Then you walk into reception where they actually scan your ID so they know who is in the building at all times. Checking out and paying they check ID again and you exit through a special different door. My local store is a tiny semi obscure building among muffler places and strip-mall stores without direct foot traffic so they don't check at the door, but you must check in with reception and they buzz you through a locked door. No children are obtaining product directly from a dispensary unless they're sending in an 21+ stooge to buy it for them.
Inside is very clean and nice, like a government office or a bank - the DMV but nicer with several product displays and a few doors they've decorated with stoner stickers and signs. There are offices to help people who have medical ID cards with any paperwork, or to help people obtain a medical card. (You can buy without a medical card, but having one provides a discount and gives access to some additional special medical strains in volume for specific prescribed uses.) Then the main retail room: there are ATMs and monitors showing prices like an airline departure board, and promotional videos about products. You're usually not browsing in there - they don't display actual product under the counters or display cases - that's all in the secure room in the back; in general you browse online and pick up and you're not coming in blind to buy something from the cashiers unless they're only slightly modifying what you already ordered. (Once I asked if I could just pop in to buy a vape battery and the receptionist quickly helped me put the sale through on an iPad before letting me in.) There's usually cool music playing but not blasting at head-shop level. You can usually smell cannabis though there are signs saying customers can't partake in the building. It may just be because they store it and the employees likely are having a puff on break out of view.
nuxvomica
(12,457 posts)New York state has been incredibly slow at issuing recreational retail licenses (and slower now that there is a suit pending about how they are granting them) but they came up with a way to get retail sales out to the boonies where I live by allowing "growers showcases," a sort of farmers market for weed. So I attended one nearby two weeks ago and purchased weed legally for the first time in my life. Most of the sellers were 20somethings but most of the buyers were middle-aged and older. What really amazed me was the lavish packaging: perfectly rolled joints in glass tubes inside of sturdy boxes, for example, and all the growers had slick gift bags printed with sophisticated graphics. I felt like I was buying high-end perfume.
leftyladyfrommo
(18,874 posts)things even are. Edibles seem to be a lot pricier. And so many candies and drinks and stuff.
Pinback
(12,174 posts)I dont indulge myself, because I dont enjoy feeling stoopid like I did in my youth. But Im very happy about the decriminalization. And if I had chronic pain Id definitely try to score. Still not legal here in Ga., where the legislature is focused on other matters, like making sure there are guns guns guns everywhere.
Unwind Your Mind
(2,042 posts)I always thought this market would be comparable to wine, and it is in many ways
ZonkerHarris
(24,286 posts)Mossfern
(2,597 posts)and ache all over, I'm asking those here if weed will give me similar pain relief as my current oxy prescription of 5mg 2-3 X a day.
I'd love to give up the opioids but there are times when just the thought of doing some simple chores makes me cringe.
I do need to function, and not be high during the day.
My son manages a dispensary, so there's no issue of getting product.
He says a lot of his customers are little old ladies like me.
leftyladyfrommo
(18,874 posts)and it's because they prefer the pot to the hard drugs.
That's terribly ironic considering that pot was supposed to be this big gateway drug.
Midnight Writer
(21,830 posts)I went for decades without using pot, partly because I didn't like dealing with the criminal element involved (which became more and more prevalent), and because I concentrated on work and relationships.
Now I'm retired and old, without a lot of responsibility, and I look forward to my after-dinner toke.
LuckyCharms
(17,469 posts)it will "make you feel better about the pain".
I have chronic back pain that I sometimes have to use oxy's for, but rarely. Weed will kind of take your mind off it. I view it as "making peace with the pain".
Also, there are strains of weed that will allow you to function well during the day, while still being high.
I think it depends on what you are doing during the day and how well you have to "function".
The only things I will not do while high are drive and operate machinery.
forgotmylogin
(7,539 posts)It encourages blood circulation (which is why people get red eyes) and helps release muscle tension so if your pain is helped by increased blood flow to tight muscles it might work. I don't know if it would replace completely the pain relief from opioid medications. If your pain is due to bone structure/breakdown/cartilage/ligaments it might not help specifically, but many people get some general relief from the relaxation effects of cannabis.
In general sativa strains are energizing and indica strains promote relaxation and sleep. There are various hybrid strains of the two but generally medical users for pain, stress, and psychological issues tend toward indica to calm their symptoms instead of energizing sativa which can do things like make you decide you really should re-paint your living room RIGHT NOW.
womanofthehills
(8,801 posts)She just nibbles on cookies throughout the day because she cant get that high because she teaches college level classes from home. A combo of Valium, low dose naltrexone and pot cuts her pain.
I grow my own because I prefer cookies & gummies and want them organic Im happy to keep her supplied with cookies.
leftyladyfrommo
(18,874 posts)been afraid to try again.
Kennah
(14,352 posts)ismnotwasm
(42,022 posts)My favorite store we drive past used to be one of those round banks with a large digital clock display on a pole. Its got full windows and looks inviting. The clock time says 4:20 lol
sanatanadharma
(3,747 posts)When the 'generation gap' was all the range decades ago, nobody imagined the boomers would bridge the gap at the bud-bodega.
Browsing the sativa-salon, the cannabis-canteen, the marijuana mall, is the one 21st century American experience that I miss, as a now expat.
Chainfire
(17,715 posts)your dope for free!
getagrip_already
(14,934 posts)They aren't stupid. People are coming in with cash and leaving with product.
They make it visible. They aren't armed, but they will raise a fuss.
PatrickforB
(14,602 posts)the over 50 crowd, with some young people thrown in. And on the medical side customers trend even older.
womanofthehills
(8,801 posts)They are all over social media discussing every aspect of growing. Now, with LED lights, you can live in a tiny apartment and have your own grow.
leftyladyfrommo
(18,874 posts)lobby so there are younger people in there. Too.
twodogsbarking
(9,885 posts)MOMFUDSKI
(5,764 posts)ago. The dad was dying of cancer and in horrific pain. My son told dad he would bring some marijuana for him. Sons son overheard the conversation and said he could get some at high school! My son had no idea where to get any. Still laugh about it. Poor guy died but my son smoked it with him so he would feel better about doing it. That kinda stuff should never happen. Legalize it everywhere and be done with it
Tree Lady
(11,527 posts)and uses at night after stressful day of being top manager of 300 employees.
It's helped her a lot.
shanti
(21,675 posts)just wait until you get weed delivery! That's how I do it now, no muss, no fuss. That and growing your own is awesome.
Ohio Joe
(21,774 posts)Im just outside Boulder Colorado and turned 60 yesterday I grow enough for about 8 months of the year so I do still visit the local dispensary. I would say that there are few people I see that are under 45. Also, most of the staff is in their 20s.
I have grown to trust the staff
I feel free to be open and tell them what Im looking for and know Ill get the right stuff
Hey! I want something that will not make me tired or give me the munchies while I chill and play some No Mans Sky
Or
Hey! I got a bbq and want to load my volcano with something to give people mild munchies so my cooking seems better
Or
Hey! I want something to help me sleep when my insomnia kicks in
Or
Hey! Im fucking old and have pains, you got anything high in CBDs to help?
Ive always gotten what I needed.
obnoxiousdrunk
(2,910 posts)ship to a non legal state ? Asking for a friend .
LuckyCharms
(17,469 posts)obnoxiousdrunk
(2,910 posts)very long drive. I'll wait patiently till that day comes its legal everywhere.
WarGamer
(12,494 posts)Everything from 20 somethings to oldies.
Clean safe and happy place to be.
MaeScott
(878 posts)and a nice cookie eases a lot of aches and pains. I bake lots of cookies.
Captain Zero
(6,851 posts)Just what old knees need.
I take mine with music, a glass of Zinfandel, and maybe two Tylenol.
I can be good for several days to a week after that.
Dulcinea
(6,677 posts)Sadly, they didn't help. I got severe diarrhea instead
honest.abe
(8,688 posts)In fact Im the odd ball in there being old and slightly crippled.