When you live in a state with no dispensaries, you have to trust your dealer. That often leads you to wonder, How knowledgeable are they?

One thing legal states don’t have to worry about is dealers. Dispensaries usually have knowledgeable staff, who all take great pride in their work, on the other hand, with dealers you have to keep in mind its one person. With it only being one person vs a business you run into a completely different set of issues. One common issue is they don’t have standard business hours.

They get you when they can and hopefully it’s not before you run completely out.  They do enjoy their personal lives as well. They may be out of town, they may be busy, or they may have simply run out. All these issues could be stopped by opening a convenient location to get your cannabis and cannabis accessories.

I’ve never been to a dispensary before, I hope to one day, but I make do with what I have. In the meantime popular television makes me think my first time visiting one is going to be similar to Charlie walking into the chocolate factory. I know that may not be an accurate description, but I can dream.  The only thing we can rely on without these marijuana sanctuaries is simply word of mouth.

The internet has tons of helpful apps that can bring a large chunk of the cannabis community together. Apps like High There and Duby are perfect to find cannabis enthusiasts both near and far to share pics funny memes or anything else your mind feels the compulsive need to share. Apps like Leafly and YouTube channels like Recreational420 give you a complete breakdown of the different strains to the point of explaining how the strain will make you feel.

I’m picky when it comes to marijuana. I enjoy knowing the strain of marijuana I’m smoking. To the point of if a dealer can’t tell me the strain names they have, I will block them from my life forever. How do you not know your product? I’m not as harsh when I’m in a smoke session with other people. If you can tell me the strain you have then I know you care about your marijuana to at least a small degree. That’s not to say I won’t still smoke because, hey, free weed. I just understand that I am more passionate about my bud than you may be.

But in states where cannabis is not legal, you HAVE to trust your dealer. I recall a time a dealer told me I was going to be enjoying Girl Scout Cookies, a personal favorite of mine because it left me energetic enough to get work done even if I just wrapped up a smoke session. When he told me what he had in stock I noted the strain I recently discovered and recently found out I hated, Blue Cheese. The mention of the name alone made my stomach turn. The name perfectly describes the smell of it, it’s a strong unmistakable odor that if you’re not ready for will make your eyes water.

“The smell of cheese hit me in the face like a Shawn Michaels Super Kick.”

I recall getting home and being so excited to open up my new treat. I had everything prepped and ready for a good night. As soon as I opened the pack I knew exactly what I had in my hand. The smell of cheese hit me in the face like a Shawn Michaels Super Kick. The deed was done so there was only one thing left to do, shrug my shoulders and continue with my night. Keep in mind this is all personal preference, Blue Cheese isn’t a bad strain, if I recall the high was nice it was just that smell was so damn strong.

Because the way I procure my marijuana isn’t exactly above board when I have a bad experience there’s no one to complain to. There is no manager I can speak to that will give me my money back while I low key hope they let me keep the purchase as well, just for the hassle. That is how most legitimate businesses operate.  Instead, it becomes a joke I can tell my friends, a story to share when I’m older and hopefully wiser.

There are instances where you’ll prearrange a meeting with your dealer just to have them vanish. That is the fastest way to lose business with me. I’m usually on the go so I can’t really sit around and wait to hear something back. I’d much rather hit up friends for a quick session and continue my day.

My ideal dealer would be a lot like Saul in Pineapple Express, or that old mechanic who will tell you their life story while they change your oil. Someone with a wide range of interests and always down to chill. Again because marijuana is not as accepted it takes longer to develop a relationship of trust enough to where it’s comfortable to spend more than the absolute minimum amount of time with each other.

GA currently has laws in place to allow CBD oil with very strict qualifying conditions, and with no state-licensed dispensaries, it leaves GA residents in a very strange grey area. I count down the days until GA is at least a medical state to more of the degree it already is. I just want to be able to go shopping with some knowledgeable people who can have all the new toys and gadgets in-store to explain and answer any questions you may have.

I’ve had dealers of all kinds. Some who had the fun stuff they love showing off, some who had assistants who made sure you were taken care of while they were out, and some who even got to the point of recommending strains to me. So I guess until I get to live my Charlie and the Chocolate Factory fantasy, I’ll have to settle for what’s at hand and hope for the best. It takes some trial and error.

Rob Holloway
IG: Ak_Word