Need your opinion on how to buy best meds

i need a re-boot on my buying skills at collectives, since I do not always go to the same one (around where i live, well, they aren't on Iwein's list), and as a result do not form a relationship with a bud-tender.


so, i used to ask, "what's 9/10?" They didn't like that, and admit there's a problem with the language. It's like asking too much....who's gonna say, nothing, try back?

So i switched to asking "what's the heaviest hitting indica today?"

But, does it matter what i ask?

How do you guys, and gals, do it?

I tell myself not to pay too much attention to smell, but what about you? If you open a jar of Raskals Fire and it doesn't smell do you immediately start to worry and reach for other jars?

I know some people shop online before they go, and I used to try, but it's so cumbersome to drill down to who has what and whether it's any good.

Thanks,

sample a large variety, but use miniscule amounts.

this will give you a good idea of what to expect.

do know that there will be variences in the effects batch to batch.

I'm kinda the same way, it takes me forever and the budtenders around here dont really answer helpgully to questions. Like I usually just go in wanting either an Indica or Sativa or somethingf like that, and they have 20 different names I never heard of. So all I can really do is ask whats best, but they dont really like that. So now I'm in your boat, trying to say stuff like whats most potent?

i don't take anyone's word on potency, only my own, which is why sampling is the way to go.

So you mean like buying a little bit of everything?

I usually ask "what do you like/smoke?". It's a crapshoot as well but it doesn't offend anyone and I've gotten some really good strains that I would have otherwise skipped.

If I don't like what they pull out, usually just start looking for strains I like that have a good look and smell.

The only way to know really is to get familiar with what your place has to offer. Or find a new, more helpful dispensary. Even then you still won't know what you're in for until you try it. Even going off something like trichome prevalence can be misleading. I've had some real frosty goodness that tasted great but the effects weren't what I expected.

You'll only know for certain what you like after trying it, so I will second the idea to get a little bit of a lot of different buds at first.

It's all about finding a real quality dispensary and then once you find it, stick with it, so that you not only build a relationship with them but then also get a real good handle on the particular strains that they have that work the best for you, so, first off, I would check the following thread: http://weedtracker.com/cannabis/topic/230937-who-is-the-best-collective-in-orange-county/

Then, after reading through that thread, and after picking out a few dispensaries that you'd like to check out, check them out in more detail by reading up on them here: http://weedtracker.com/cannabis/forum/4-orange-county/

Now granted, not all dispensaries are represented at weedtracker, but I know of no other site that has such comprehensive dispensary reviews as them.

After reading these reviews along with the patient feedbacks, you should be able to pick out a few really good ones to check out.

I'd then go in and give them the impression that you are brand new to all of this and you really don't know the difference of one strain from another, let alone have the ability to be able to tell a good one from a bad one...........and let them take the ball and run with it. THAT will tell you a LOT about them and will give you an indication of if you can really trust what they have to tell you, along with giving you an indication if they know what in the hell they are talking about.

With all the new strains coming in, and with the various talents and care given by the different growers, it's imperative to find a place that you can trust.

You want a budtender to be able to explain to you the different qualities of each strain. You want the budtender to be able to tell you what works for a specific ailment and what doesn't work for a specific ailment. You want a budtender to tell you that sometimes, using less is better than using more. You want a budtender to be able to tell you that one strain may be better for you than another strain, EVEN if that strain is less expensive. You want a budtender to tell you that if a particular strain does not work for you, that you can return it for something else. You want a budtender to tell you that if you really fall on bad times, that they will adjust the price as necessary so that you will still be able to get your medication.

Now maybe I should reword this and that the above is what I have received from my dispensary and I'm kind of spoiled and would therefore expect nothing less. You may not be able to satisfy ALL of the above, but satisfying some rather than none is something that I think is worth striving for.

btw, you shouldn't have to ask for any of the above. It should just be offered.

You want a budtender who doesn't think "shit it's him again" when you walk in.

Fidget, I totally agree. But I think you may be thinking that I demanded or asked for all of the things above. I never did. I just walked in and told them that I didn't know shit about this stuff. They then asked me what I was trying to treat, and when I told them, they proceeded to spend 30 minutes with me explaining all of the things I mentioned.


That's why I think it's best to walk in as a complete newb and let them 'strut their stuff'.

In the two years that I have been going to CRC, I never once returned any bud that I wasn't happy with nor have I ever asked for any kind of discount, but it is nice to know that they will do these things, for it gives one the indication that they really care and will stand behind their product and their recommendations. They may recommend one strain for someone for a specific ailment, but we all know that we have different body chemistries and that while one strain may work for some, it may not work for another. I would think that a dispensary would know this as well and would not want one of their patients to have a medication that did not work for them.

And yes, this is a high standard to shoot for, but I am only mentioning this so that it can be realized that dispensaries such as this DO exist and it may be worth your efforts to find one.

Nosferatu said:

So you mean like buying a little bit of everything?

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i don't use dispensaries, but i do ask for samples before investing any money in a particular batch.

Look and smell generally DO NOT indicate potency.

the effects are different if smoked, or vaped, and will also vary depending on how they are vaped, so the only possible way to know how you will be affected by an herb is to try it yourself with your own techniques, so you can be sure.

If you want to be certain as to an effect, the only conclusive way is to sample, so you might try to work something out with your supplier, that way you don't spend too much on things you're not interested in.

i just wanted to say that at least you guys have the option. my "budtender" so to speak only has one strain at a time and he cant even tell me if its indica of sativa over the phone. I get what I get most of the time.

at least you guys have the option to choose different strains. any normal non med patient would be happy with any strain from a dispensary.

if i had to ask id just ask for exactly what youre looking for? do you want your mood/head up, go with the best sativa, do you have pain or want a good body high? go for indica. do you want a mix of the two? do you want more body high and less head high? i think you're over thinking it.

gettin lifted said:

i just wanted to say that at least you guys have the option. my "budtender" so to speak only has one strain at a time and he cant even tell me if its indica of sativa over the phone. I get what I get most of the time.

at least you guys have the option to choose different strains. any normal non med patient would be happy with any strain from a dispensary.

if i had to ask id just ask for exactly what youre looking for? do you want your mood/head up, go with the best sativa, do you have pain or want a good body high? go for indica. do you want a mix of the two? do you want more body high and less head high? i think you're over thinking it.

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i think most oversimplify it with the traditional (sativa)------(indica) scale.

i think it's a bit more complex than that based upon personal experience as well as the experiences of many on this site which lead me to believe there's a more complicated formula.

i believe the method of administration has quite alot to do with the overall experience, and that the dosage as well as the original ratios of the chemicals in the plant play a part, but whether or not they even make it into your system depends on your method of consumption.

you're making a case from a non-medical standpoint, but try to understand that there are alot of medical users on this site (as well as recreational users), and it matters alot to all parties involved, expecially because of the high cost associated with the consumable.

Iwien - got you, pick a good place.

OO, ask if I can buy a nug of several strains they get on a regular basis (fuckin beautiful idea, should have thought of it before, but some assumptions have stopped me, I think this is the best solution for my situation)

i hate being "that guy," yeah (....I've left some 'tenders frazzled)

and I'm definitely over-thinking this...that, and anger, are how I compensate (but I'm trying to notice)
_


thx! should have asked before

I just try small amounts of whatever they have, skipping any whose smell I don't like. Different shops can have wildly differing goods so check out a few spots.

VWFringe said:

OO, ask if I can buy a nug of several strains they get on a regular basis (fuckin beautiful idea, should have thought of it before, but some assumptions have stopped me, I think this is the best solution for my situation)

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while this does sound like a great idea, remember that batches will vary in potency.

a cutting finished indoors will differ greatly from a cutting from the same plant that is finished outdoors.
it's the same for indoor conditions, unless all were grown in the same indoor conditions, there will be variation, which is why it's good to know growers.

BTW, how long someone waits to harvest a plant is also a variable, just to add to the equation.

OO said:

VWFringe said:

OO, ask if I can buy a nug of several strains they get on a regular basis (fuckin beautiful idea, should have thought of it before, but some assumptions have stopped me, I think this is the best solution for my situation)

Click to expand...

while this does sound like a great idea, remember that batches will vary in potency.

a cutting finished indoors will differ greatly from a cutting from the same plant that is finished outdoors.
it's the same for indoor conditions, unless all were grown in the same indoor conditions, there will be variation, which is why it's good to know growers.

BTW, how long someone waits to harvest a plant is also a variable, just to add to the equation.

Click to expand...

And then, add to that the curing time, fertilizers used, etc etc etc. It may be worth to ask if your dispensary just stocks flowers that are grown by their patients, and if so, is a particular strain that they carry always grown by the same person. Even then, there will be some variability, but if a particular strain is grown by the same cultivator, than at least there will be a bit more consistency from one batch to the next.

lwien said:

OO said:

VWFringe said:

OO, ask if I can buy a nug of several strains they get on a regular basis (fuckin beautiful idea, should have thought of it before, but some assumptions have stopped me, I think this is the best solution for my situation)

Click to expand...

while this does sound like a great idea, remember that batches will vary in potency.

a cutting finished indoors will differ greatly from a cutting from the same plant that is finished outdoors.
it's the same for indoor conditions, unless all were grown in the same indoor conditions, there will be variation, which is why it's good to know growers.

BTW, how long someone waits to harvest a plant is also a variable, just to add to the equation.

Click to expand...

And then, add to that the curing time, fertilizers used, etc etc etc. It may be worth to ask if your dispensary just stocks flowers that are grown by their patients, and if so, is a particular strain that they carry always grown by the same person. Even then, there will be some variability, but if a particular strain is grown by the same cultivator, than at least there will be a bit more consistency from one batch to the next.

Click to expand...

absolutely, though with the proper storage techniques, curing time can be less important to the potency than nearly any other variable.

that being said, many growers try to be as consistant as possible, and usually do everything exactly the same, but this isn't always the case.

here in the coffeeshops they often don't know what sativa and indica is...
so either I choose something I know(I know all the more common strains, so I know a little what I can expect from it) or I ask and say that I want something high/activating, in the mind(since they don't know what I mean if I say sativa as mentioned earlier)
also I know one shop who has a nice booklet with pics of a bud with under it the prices of that soecific strain, and looking at such a pic you cab also determine quite a bit(dense=indica, more fluffy with 'towers'=sativa)
also I've heard you can get a lot from the smell(volatile smells like lemon/citrus etc more a sativa headhigh effect, more earthy deeper spicy scents etc more indica bodystone effect)

djonkoman said:

here in the coffeeshops they often don't know what sativa and indica is...

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Djonko, I've never been to a CS where the guys don't know about sativa & indica. That would in fact just make me run out of their shop...

lwien said:

Fidget, I totally agree. But I think you may be thinking that I demanded or asked for all of the things above. I never did. I just walked in and told them that I didn't know shit about this stuff. They then asked me what I was trying to treat, and when I told them, they proceeded to spend 30 minutes with me explaining all of the things I mentioned.


That's why I think it's best to walk in as a complete newb and let them 'strut their stuff'.

In the two years that I have been going to CRC, I never once returned any bud that I wasn't happy with nor have I ever asked for any kind of discount, but it is nice to know that they will do these things, for it gives one the indication that they really care and will stand behind their product and their recommendations. They may recommend one strain for someone for a specific ailment, but we all know that we have different body chemistries and that while one strain may work for some, it may not work for another. I would think that a dispensary would know this as well and would not want one of their patients to have a medication that did not work for them.

And yes, this is a high standard to shoot for, but I am only mentioning this so that it can be realized that dispensaries such as this DO exist and it may be worth your efforts to find one.

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Lwien I'm as big a mitherer as you when it comes to things like that.
If we had dispensaries in the UK I'd be using a similar method to your good self to judge the quality of service.

I never go by strain alone even though I do have my favorites, since every harvest is usually of different quality. Some growers are pretty consistent, but still.

I go by smell and sight. If it smells nice it usually tastes nice, and if it has a lot of white powdery stuff on it should be strong enough.

But I've never had any problems simply asking for 'the strongest shit they have' as well.

To be honest I have no idea how buying legal weed in America works. As soon as I'm in the USA I'm gonna make a field trip of visiting one of those dispensaries just out of curiosity.

FLskwat said:

djonkoman said:

here in the coffeeshops they often don't know what sativa and indica is...

Click to expand...

Djonko, I've never been to a CS where the guys don't know about sativa & indica. That would in fact just make me run out of their shop...

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around here most stoners also don't know what sativa and indica is...
I guess you've been in amsterdam? I live in the northern netherlands, so there are barely tourists here so the coffeeshops are not aimed at tourists but at localss
there are shops where they do know the difference tough, but the others they do know the different effects but not that it is sativa and indica

OhTheAgony said:

To be honest I have no idea how buying legal weed in America works. As soon as I'm in the USA I'm gonna make a field trip of visiting one of those dispensaries just out of curiosity.

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Need to get a script first and to do that, you need a valid ID or drivers license from the state that you want to get cannabis in and then you need to pay a visit to the doc. What's legal here is medical MJ, not recreational MJ...................yet.

Or a friend with an MMJ card and a celly for live description...(been there...)

EDIT: question Lwien, what about those pushy add guys on Venice for example? These saying to every tourist to "enter the building they are standing next to,go to the doctor on ground 0, get a script for 135 bux and then at the MJ club on 1st floor"...are these only for US citizen? Not talking about the quality of the "dispensary" wich obviously is a tourist scam...