No. 82: Shopping for what???

No. 82: Visit a dispensary

O! I had an adventure recently.

I am no longer a dispensary virgin. 

Because I am in Colorado, marijuana is legal.  To a certain extent at least. 

But I had never been into one of the stores. Until this past week. 

I confess I have some marijuana infused oil, given to me by a friend, that I use on my hands to alleviate arthritis. I don't have arthritis bad yet but I get the feeling I might. Or maybe not because I use this magic oil and it really really does help with any swelling or aches and pains. 

Anyway, for those of you curious but not able, here's how my little visit went down. 

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Tenderfoot Health Collective

Sounds so wholesome, no?!

Inside the front door there is a lobby with some seating, magazines and a few doors. We were cheerily greeted by a couple of women who advised us all sales were cash only. Drivers licenses were required.

                           

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We were whisked through one of the doors into a long narrow room taken up almost entirely by a glass topped counter. Jars of buds were on display, an array of pipes lined the shelves, and there was an aroma in the air. Our knowledgable salesperson inquired as to what we needed. 

        

      

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Since I was mostly along for the ride, my friend put in her shopping list, mostly creams and tinctures to help with pain. Maybe a few edibles were also purchased. And a bud or two. This is definitely not the marijuana of the '70s. Back in the day, $10 would buy you a "lid", basically a 1 ounce Baggie of stems, seeds and leaves. Now all you buy are the buds for about $12 a gram. One gram equals .0353 of an ounce. Inflation. Of course, you aren't paying for the heavy stems and seeds anymore either. 

Questions were asked. Suggestions were offered. I was amazed at how much I already knew regarding the use of marijuana for cancer treatment. A few of of my regulars at the coffee shop were cancer survivors and they frequently shared their stories. I have met people here who have used hash oil to help with the pain of their cancer or even to diminish the size of tumors. Truthfully I believe that marijuana should be legal everywhere at least for medicinal purposes. I have SEEN the results. I have experienced results with my hands. Used appropriately, marijuana can be a good thing. 

Once the products were totaled up, cash was pulled out. Only a certain amount can be sold at a time to one person so we both ended up with bags, splitting the product between the two of us to keep everyone in compliance. 

It's interesting that this is a very viable business with great success. But since it is illegal federally, none of the cash can be put in banks. It is taxed by the state and there is a tremendous amount of money going into the state of Colorado coffers from marijuana sales. In fact, Colorado collected more than $135 million in taxes and fees in 2015 and $35 million of that is earmarked for school construction projects. We were told rent is paid by money order or cash, as are employees, and the employees are not even allowed to have bank accounts if they work in a pot store. Seems all very medieval and backwards. 
Maybe it's time for a change? I'm thinking most states could use that kind of revenue. 

Bags in hand, we exited the store but of course I had to stop for a pic.

                                

A bit windy out!

High times for sure. 

*photos from the THC website