Dispensing Goodness: What to Look for in a Cannabis Dispensary

Last Updated on December 30, 2023 by Marie Kathleen

Since cannabis was legalized in Canada, cannabis dispensaries have become a familiar part of the country’s retail sector. Just like any other store, cannabis dispensaries sell a range of products both online and in actual “bricks-and-mortar” shops on city streets and in suburban locations. 

The line with the growth of online shopping, these days cannabis dispensaries also have extensive and highly evolved methods by which their customers can purchase their goods and ask for information online.

Of course, like any shopping experience, sometimes it can be daunting, or even a little overwhelming, for a new customer to go into a cannabis dispensary without some prior knowledge of what they’re looking for and how they are going to purchase it.

So let’s take a look at a few of the things you should consider when choosing a cannabis dispensary that is going to be providing all of your cannabis needs and giving you the advice that you may need from time to time in order to make your cannabis journey easier and more pleasant.

A Brief Background to Cannabis Legislation in Canada

The recreational use of cannabis was legalized in Canada in 2018. The Cannabis Act of June 2018 made it legal for people to buy and consume cannabis for personal use. 

Drug prohibition had begun in Canada with the Opium Act of 1908. Cannabis was added to the list of prohibited substances in 1923 due to Canada’s involvement in international conferences where the prohibition of drugs was discussed. 

A Growing Popularity

The recreational use of cannabis in the Western world had been growing since the 1800s. But it wasn’t until the 1930s that cannabis use became popular in Canada and not until the 1960s that its popularity really surged. 

Moves to legalize cannabis for medicinal use had begun as early as 2011, and in June 2015, the Supreme Court of Canada expanded the definition of medical medicinal cannabis to include any form of the drug, including teas, brownies, and oils. 

This paved the way for the full legalization of cannabis in 2018. Since then, cannabis retail outlets have been springing up across the country, and nowadays, buying cannabis is as easy as buying a loaf of bread.

So that’s the skinny on cannabis legislation. Now let’s take a look at what you should look for when choosing a cannabis dispensary.

Cannabis Dispensaries

For starters, a cannabis dispensary is simply a retail outlet like any other store. It’s just that instead of selling coffee, or fishing gear, or books of puns, a cannabis dispensary sells cannabis and cannabis-related products. Of course, you have to be 21 in order to enter a cannabis dispensary, and you will be required to produce an ID to verify this. 

Other than that, a cannabis dispensary is just like any Main Street or online store that you can walk into, browse the range of products, ask advice from the store staff, select and pay for the things that you would like…and away you go. 

And just like any shop or online business, there are a few things that you need to consider before you choose a cannabis dispensary that will become your go-to place for supplying all of your cannabis-related needs. 

Quality vs Quantity

You would expect that your cannabis dispensary would have a great range of cannabis products, all of the highest quality…that goes without saying. 

Choosing a dispensary with a large selection of cannabis and cannabis-related products will allow you to select products that have the right potency, and which you can use in a way that you feel comfortable with. 

Strengths and Potency

For instance, you might see edible forms of cannabis such as cookies that come in different strengths such as 1.5 mm 2.5 mm, even 10 milligrams of THC. For this reason, the dispensary staff need to be extremely well-informed and able to communicate their knowledge with you regarding the appropriate type of product for your particular needs. 

What Else Will I Need?

As well as having an extensive range of products, a good cannabis dispensary should stock a selection of the paraphernalia and equipment that you will need in order to utilize your chosen marijuana product. And in order to get the best out of your favourite cannabis product, you may need to have some discussions with the staff about various options or combinations.

This is especially true if you are a newcomer to cannabis use, and you are unsure about the best way in which you can consume your chosen cannabis product. 

Edibles, oils, buds, bongs, dab rigs, sauce, shatter, wax…the marijuana world is full of a confusing array of jargon, colloquialisms, slogans and brand names. The more informed the staff of your chosen dispensary are, and the better they are at communicating that information, the easier your marijuana purchasing experience will be.

Source of Your Gear

When you are shopping for fruit, vegetables, coffee, or any other products these days, you’re going to want to know where they have come from, if they have been ethically sourced, and that they come from a reputable supplier. The “budtender” (i.e. the retail assistant or manager) at your cannabis dispensary should be an expert on where their different strains of cannabis come from, where the dispensary sources their products from, and how fresh that product is. 

The freshest cannabis products may well be grown on-site by the dispensary themselves; or, they will have a regular set of suppliers who provide them with top-quality products and equipment. 

We Deliver!

Your chosen dispensary will deliver on quality and service. But you also want them to actually deliver to your doorstep. 

Get it Online

These days, online shopping is a pretty basic and regular occurrence. Most businesses have an online presence and depending on how sophisticated their online ordering system is, you should be able to select your chosen product, add it to a shopping cart, and have it shipped with a minimum of inconvenience and drama. 

Post-Purchase Service

These days, automated email workflows allow customers to send feedback to online businesses, who in turn will monitor your browsing and buying preferences and store that information to enable you to streamline your cannabis buying process even further. 

This is now a fundamental part of e-commerce, so don’t be afraid to sign up for email newsletters, product updates and priority customer status. All of these things will make your shopping experience better, faster…and way more mellow!

Check Out the Reviews

One of the best aspects of shopping in online stores is that testimonials from happy customers can be posted on the store’s website. This is a great way for the store to improve their brand, to give their customers peace of mind that the dispensary supplies quality products, and that their shipping, guarantees, quality control, and after-sales service are up to scratch. 

Good reviews on a dispensary’s website will indicate that they are in tune with the needs of their customers and that their products and services measure up to the high standards expected by today’s cannabis users.

Matrix Extracts is Your Go-to Dispensary.

The staff at Matrix Extracts are experts in all things cannabis. They can help you with advice about all manner of different options to suit your exact needs. 

Not only that…the guys and girls at Matrix Extracts are very good at explaining things in a friendly, easy-to-understand way. If you are a newcomer to cannabis use and need advice about the best products for your needs, they will be happy to guide you along every step of your cannabis journey. So check out their website at matrixextracts.co and extract some information out of them today!