When going into a dispensary, be prepared to have your government ID. Depending on the state regulations you might have to complete some paperwork first time shopping. Also have a budget in your mind either with cash or a number. It adds up quick and when you're new it truly is like a kid in a candy store euphoric feeling. Most stores will have some type of new customer promotion so be sure to ask what are today’s deals.
What type of “sesh” are you planning for? Typically Sativa is on the energy side and Indica is the sleepy side with hybrid as your in-between. Let’s remember this scale was developed years ago and differs person to person. As you start to stack up those “sesh”s and experience you will learn what your scale is for each type. For this example let’s say we want to find a joint to smoke first thing on a saturday morning to be productive and/or creative. I will usually learn more in the Sativa or Hybrid category.
Basic Form of Cannabis? There are different options in the form it's not just a joint like the movies? Nope - we have evolved far from that. There is a 4 category cheat sheat - Flower, Vapes, Edibles, and Topicals.
Flowers, or what I call nugs. This is the natural plant form that is grown like any other flower and then trimmed and dried out to the nugs you see in the bags or jars in the store.
Vapes - Vape pens are either cartridges or disposables. Usually these are concentrated oils of the flower. They tend to be heavier in hit and feels. You can find disposable all in one vape pens ready to inhale OR find strain specific cartridges that screw onto a battery. Some cartridges use proprietary batteries and some use the standard.
Edibles - Edibles think gummies, beverages, syrups, snacks and much more that you eat like Alice did. This form does take a bit longer to hit the system. Think of this as your steady beer that if you have too many of it creeps up on you. Start with a small dosage 5MG and then add from there over 1HR increments
Topicals - Topicals are similar to medical rubs, Muscles relaxers to even personal lubricant and time of the month relief.