Ive wondered this as well. I was a MMJ card holder in 2009-11 in the SF/Monterey Bay Area. I hit up collectives from Santa Cruz to Sacramento. Like
@DrewVape said, 50% of the clubs had that "shell" weed. It was just off. Some of the collectives had lounges, and Dj's. Black light lit with that "cool club" vibe. Those kinds of places had the worst product. They had the prettiest bud tenders though lol. I stopped renewing my card for that reason, and just hit up the growers I knew. Selection of strains was the only con. Id rather have access to 3-4 strains grown properly, rather than the "industry" bud though. I have an appointment to get my Rec again this Friday. Its going to be interesting to see the changes. Concentrates were my motivation for getting another Rec.