TERRITORIAL – Although recreational marijuana shops have been open for three years, some people are still unsure how to acquire cannabis or if they should choose for edibles over a slab of wax.
The Daily News visited Apotho Therapeutics in Plainville, CommCan in Millis, and Garden Remedies in Marlborough to ask shop owners some of the most frequently asked questions today and how to feel more at ease stepping through the door.
What is the dispensary’s check-in procedure like?
A government-issued ID indicating you’re over 21 years old (such as a driver’s license) and cash or a debit card is all that’s required to enter a recreational marijuana business. There is no need to make an appointment. Have your ID ready before you walk up to the best online weed dispensary because you won’t be able to enter without it.
You’ll enter to a brilliantly lit main lobby, evocative of a sleek Apple shop, with registers lined up and arrows or signs guiding customers where to walk or stand, once someone at the front desk checks your ID. Customers can place orders and ask the “budtender” any questions they have when they are called up to the register.
If that budtender is unable to answer your question, another will most likely be able to, according to CommCan CEO Marc Rosenfeld. He explained that they are trained to know about the products, which ones may benefit you, and how to utilize them if you have any questions.
If you’re not ready to order, you can stand to the side — outside the line – and go over the menu. The menus for each dispensary are also available on their websites, as well as the opportunity to order online and pick up in store.
Glass objects, such as pipes and bongs, are usually displayed in cases, with rolling sheets and grinders offered over the counter.
Customers enter Apotho Therapeutics in Plainville into an expansive foyer with laminate floors and more than a half-dozen registers. Behind the registers, there are shelves stocked with items such as glass bongs and television screens that display the store’s menu. Customers may expect a similar experience at Millis-based CommCan and Marlborough-based Garden Remedies, which both use stanchion posts to keep customers in line.
Previously: Natick’s first recreational marijuana shop gets the green light to open, but there’s a snag.
Why would you choose one product over another?
All three proprietors interviewed agreed that tinctures and topicals (which range in price from $16 to $65) are the easiest to utilize for beginners. Tinctures are anti-inflammatory and pain relievers that are measured with a dropper. Other problems, such as muscle discomfort, can be helped using topicals (such as balms).
Customers normally graduate from there to edibles and flowers, then vaping, and finally concentrates, which have a higher THC content and require a learning curve because they require the use of a dab torch, according to Mathew Medeiros, one of the owners of Apotho Therapeutics in Plainville.
Framingham city councilors received a request to add more marijuana licenses earlier this summer.
Edibles are particularly popular among those who want to sleep better, according to Rosenfeld, and often have more predictable effects, according to David Spolijaric, district general manager of Garden Remedies. A watermelon-flavored “Serenity” chew containing melatonin, for example, is one among the edibles sold by Garden Remedies, which has a recreational shop in Marlborough.
According to all three dispensary operators, one of the most frequently asked questions is how much THC is in a product, but there’s more to the products than just the quantity of THC in it.
“Some people believe that if a product has a higher THC content, it must be a superior product,” Spolijaric explained. “It’s all about the terpenes,” says the author.
According to Medeiros, terpenes, which give specific strains their scent or flavor, and other components can be more useful to someone than just a high dose of THC. Terpenes, such as Limonene, have been shown to improve mood. He claims that cannabinoids, such as CBN, can help you sleep better. Customers can access this information on product labels or by conducting an online search for the strain in question.
“The best approach to comprehend a cannabis product is to look at its entire profile,” he says.
When it comes to Indica vs. Sativa strains, a sativa strain will make users feel more uplifted, productive, and creative. You might expect a more mellow, drowsier body high from an Indica, which is why many people use it before bed.
Which marijuana products are the most popular?
According to all three dispensary owners, flower is still the most popular cannabis product. Pre-rolls are a best-seller for all of them, notably at Garden Remedies, where it is the best-selling product across all six of its dispensaries, according to Spolijaric.
The company’s 18-ounce flower comes in second, followed by gummies, he said. Levias, a THC-infused seltzer, has been available at the dispensary since this spring, and it has been a hit, he added.
According to Rosenfeld, flower accounts for around 60% of CommCan’s sales, with its DRiP line of vape cartridges coming in second. Concentrates and foods are next, followed by tinctures and topicals.
According to Medeiros, flower accounts for around 45 percent of Apotho Therapeutics’ sales, while pre-rolls account for 20 percent. He’s also witnessed a rise in the popularity of Levias and other edibles, as well as an increase in the number of individuals trying concentrates.
Who visits marijuana dispensaries?
Different age groups visit the CommCan dispensary in Millis at different times of the day, but the elder generation is by far the fastest-growing demographic, according to Rosenfeld. In September, employees from the company’s medical dispensary in Southborough will visit a local senior facility, where they will share their understanding of cannabis and answer residents’ questions.
“It’s a true melting pot,” he remarked of the varied clients who come in, as well as the similarly diversified employees.
According to Spolijaric, the most common age group at Garden Remedies is 25 to 40 years old. According to Medeiros, the majority of Apotho Therapeutics’ customers are between the ages of 45 and 65 and are mostly women.
When are the busiest times of the day?
The busiest days at Garden Remedies and CommCan are Fridays and Saturdays, according to the owners, while Apotho Therapeutics’ biggest days are Wednesday through Saturday.
Garden Remedies in Marlborough is busiest after lunch and after 5 p.m., when most people are getting off work, according to Spoljaric, who estimates that the business sees 300 to 400 customers each day.
According to Rosenfeld, the busiest hours at CommCan are when the doors open (10 a.m.) and after 5 p.m., with the dispensary seeing roughly 800 customers per day.
