Canna-what? A Brief Introduction to the Cannabis Dispensary Industry and Product Glossary
Medicinal or recreational cannabis businesses and any business related to them have numerous strict state regulations associated to them. A marijuana or cannabis retailer, also known as a cannabis dispensary, cannabis cooperative, or simply a dispensary is a location at which marijuana is sold for recreational or medical use.
Other countries often have them in coffee shops but in the United States, where legal, they are the state regulated outlet for both recreational or medical marijuana. This is similar to a liquor stores, but the entry requirements are often more strict. Usually you need to show your ID for recreational and your ID and a medical cannabis prescription for a medical dispensary to the security guard at the entrance.
The Process
The process of visiting a dispensary depends on if you're going to a recreational or medical dispensary. A recreational dispensary usually only requires you to be over 21 years old with a valid state ID in the states where recreational cannabis use is legal.
For a medical dispensary you must first get a prescription from a doctor according to the state's guidelines. There's usually a list of qualifying conditions that vary state to state that an individual must have in order to have a medical prescription for cannabis. Once you have the medical cannabis prescription, you can then visit a medical cannabis dispensary for medicine.
Expect to be presented with a wide variety of products. There will be many brands and many different varieties of flower and oils available. All products will be labelled with the amount of THC, the active psychoactive component of cannabis, as tested by a state licensed laboratory. Edibles often have the amount of THC listed in milligrams which can be difficult to understand how potent that may be. A gram of 18% THC cannabis will have about 18mg of THC. There's a lot more chemistry involved as well, but that's a whole college degree in itself. Expect to have a long learning curve to understand all the products offered.
Differences between Recreational and Medicinal Dispensaries
In states where recreational cannabis has been legalized, there is usually little difference between the medical and recreational dispensaries. In Washington, Oregon, and Colorado most of the dispensaries serve both recreational users and medical patients. Usually these dispensaries offer discounts for the medical patients. In other states where recreational cannabis has just become legal the dispensaries are often separate. The biggest difference between the two is that only medical patients can go to a medical dispensary. A recreational dispensary allows everyone 21 and older to purchase cannabis.
Exiting the Dispensary
When leaving a dispensary, every state requires the use of an exit bag to cover the product. This is strictly regulated and is the reason there are so few packaging vendors. Take care to always keep the product sealed until you are home. An open cannabis package will be treated the same as an open alcohol container.
Home Storage and Child Safety
As mentioned on 10Buds, Safety is the number one concern for most parents. Make sure cannabis products are stored away from children. Most packaging today is required to be either child proof or child resistant by state law. As federal guidelines are drawn, there will be only more strict rulings in regards what packaging can be used. We're your number one source for compliant storage for any of your products. We also are incredibly vigilant to changes in state laws to make sure our products stay compliant in the future.
Legalization is a Process
The cannabis industry as a whole operates under strict laws. As federal legalization looms, it looks to become even stricter as time goes on. On top of that, every social media platform has their our set of rules. Thankfully, most of these products don't vary in status due to being medical or recreational. Do note some platforms require you to only have these products set to only be viewed by those 18 and older. Read the terms of use of the social media in question before posting to avoid any issues or account suspensions.
What are Cannabis Related Supplies?
The cannabis industry requires a wide variety of accessories and supplies. Most of these supplies also have use in many other industries as well, due to their nature and as such have made wholesale prices incredibly affordable. These supplies include bags to numerous to list here, glass and acrylic jars, capsules, vials, scales, and much more.
Wholesale supplies is a blanket term and as such it can be incredibly difficult to understand all the products we offer. Further down the page we offer a glossary of almost all the products we offer. If it relates to recreational or medical products that are needed to weigh out flower or oils, label the packaging, or premium storage containers for personal or sale use then we're your number one choice.
The secret to increasing profits as an emerging business in this new industry is high quality packaging. It's the universal secret brands have been using for years to beat the competition. Our containers for herbs, oils, and edibles are perfect for maintaining product integrity from your inventory to the end consumer. That's why we're also your number one choice for all exit bags. We have a large selection that are compliant for every state. MJ Wholesale's products are also great for man other businesses! From cash counting machines, office supplies, and even coffee dispensers for waiting rooms.
Glossary of Our Product Offering
Dispensary Bags - Plastic or paper bags used to cover a dispensary purchase. Similar to brown paper bags for alcohol sales.
State Compliant Marijuana Labels - Every state requires a label that indicates the THC test, information to track the product from producer to consumer, and often packaged on date.
Mylar & Child Resistant Packaging - Space age material made by NASA to insulate spacecraft. Locks in humidity, smell proof, extremely durable, and tear resistant.
Pop Top Drams - Prescription style bottles that feature a pop top. Similar to those used in pharmacies.
Blunt Tubes, Doob Tubes and J-Tubes - Protective casings that prevent a joint or blunt from being crushed. Used also to allow for single sale of joints.
Herbal Jars - High quality medical grade storage containers made of acrylic or glass.
Concentrate Containers - Quality containers perfect for the storage and sale of herbal oils.
Herb Scales - Accurate and easily to calibrate weight measurement devices.
Ash Trays - A receptacle for the waste ash produced from smoking.
Water Pipes - A smoking utensil that uses a water reservoir to rapidly cool the smoke.
Oil Rig - Similar to the water piper in that it uses water to cool the smoke, but is designed for a “nail” of quartz or titanium that is superheated and then allows oils to be vaporized.
Dab Tools - Utensils that make the use of herbal oils much easier.
Grinders - A usually circle device that uses mechanical friction to grind herbs into much smaller pieces.
Hand Pipes - A smoking device that is small and portable.
Lockboxes and Other Storage - Secure and child proof storage for all kinds of different uses.
Lighter - A small butane torch used by smokers to provide fire for consumption of their smoking product.
Torches - A small but powerful butane torch used by oil users to heat their oil rigs.
Air Fresheners & Candles - An assortment of items used to remove the residual smells of smoking use.
Smoking Related Apparel - Novelty clothing and accessories designed to let people show their love of smoking.
Papers, Cones and Wraps - Products used to provide a hand held form of consumption for herbal products.
Vaporizers - Small machines that use heating coils to heat herbs or oils to specific temperatures much lower than smoking.
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