HOW TO CHOOSE A WEED DISPENSARY

In the evolving cannabis industry, more states are legalizing cannabis across the country each year.

In fact, this year, in 2022, there are five more states looking at adult-use cannabis: Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota, and South 

Dakota. With that, there will be more weed dispensaries and more customers.

If you’re searching for cannabis products at dispensaries, the retail process can vary by location.

Sometimes you get staff that know their products, then other times you get one that just knows how to complete a sale. The former is always better than the latter, and that’s why it helps to know how to find licensed weed dispensaries and brands.

A weed dispensary may carry products from different brands, even if it has its own cannabis brand.

The world of cannabis brands and weed dispensaries

First things first, every cannabis company is a cannabis brand by literal definition. Whether a cultivator, manufacturer, or dispensary, if you are a legally licensed cannabis company, you have a brand.

That said, when people say “cannabis brands”, they are usually talking about brands that grow, produce, and/or manufacture cannabis products to be sold in dispensaries, i.e cannabis stores. Those products include weed strains, hash, weed pens, cannabis oil products, cannabis edibles, and other cannabis product formats.

You can find many different kinds of cannabis products at a licensed weed dispensary.

When people talk about dispensaries, obviously, they mean weed stores where customers can browse products from weed brands.

Dispensaries have buyers that coordinate the menus and select which brands will appear on shelves.
 

Products can be sold in-store, but also online, through online marketplaces like Weedmaps, Leafly, Eaze, etc.

Some cannabis brands, STIIIZY for example, also have dispensaries. These are vertically integrated companies that control the whole process from seed to sale.

Cannabis brands like STIIIZY provide cannabis products and have their own weed dispensary.

Brands that also own retail dispensaries may have many stores, depending on the number of retail licenses they are able to secure.

The majority of cannabis brands sell their products through dispensaries they do not own. You need a lot of capital and support to be able to tackle all angles of the cannabis industry at once.

Dispensaries carry a wide array of brands, and the selection is always changing, based on customer interest and the state of the market. Some brands exist in many different states, after doing deals with growers in those respective states.

How to choose cannabis brands

Choosing cannabis brands ties into choosing cannabis dispensaries too. An important aspect of it all is licensed access. You want to look for licensed brands with consistent product information.

The safest approach is to only purchase cannabis products from licensed cannabis brands and licensed dispensaries. Unregulated products can carry risks and may not follow state testing, packaging, or labeling requirements.

With brands, you want to be able to review consistency. This can include product labeling, available testing information, and product variety. Additionally, brands that can provide a wide range of product formats are often considered by customers when comparing options.

Every type of cannabis product you buy, whether cannabis flower or cannabis concentrates, goes through a production and review process before reaching licensed retail shelves.

Product consistency relates to a brand’s cultivation, manufacturing, and review process. Licensed brands typically follow internal standards for cultivation, production, and product review.

Weed dispensaries may sell strains of weed cultivated under defined production standards.

Variety in products is important when choosing a cannabis brand. Even if a brand focuses on a single category, like flower, many customers look for different strain options. If a brand offers weed gummies, customers may look for a range of listed options.

What to know when choosing a weed dispensary

With dispensaries, you want to know whether they consistently carry the products you are looking for. You may also want to review the product standards and brands available on the menu.

Specific to dispensaries, you also want to be able to ask staff product questions. Staff are often the first, sometimes the only, place customers get product information. 

Staff should be knowledgeable about the menu, product categories, and current availability.

Just like you want brands to have a variety of products, you may want dispensaries to carry products across major cannabis categories too.

Whether you’re looking for cannabis flower, cannabis concentrates, vape products, or tinctures, dispensaries may carry a range of product formats.

Licensed weed dispensaries sell a variety of cannabis products.

The future of cannabis dispensaries

The future of cannabis dispensaries is still being shaped by the changing legal landscape of cannabis. Some states, like California and Nevada, have passed legalization allowing cannabis lounges attached to dispensaries. One thing is for sure, more states may legalize cannabis, more dispensaries may open there, and more brands may enter the market.

At STIIIZY, we use selected flower for all of our cannabis products including our pods system and battery system.