Pubdate: Fri, 12 Jul 2013
Source: Tucson Weekly (AZ)
Copyright: 2013 Tucson Weekly
Contact:  http://www.tucsonweekly.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/462
Author: J. M. Smith

GETTING IT RIGHT

Mr. Smith finds that a stop at Arizona's oldest cannabis dispensary -
in Glendale - is well worth the time by J.M. Smith

There will always be debate over which medical cannabis dispensary in
Arizona is the best, but there can only ever be a first one-Arizona
Organix in Glendale, which opened in December.

Since I was passing through Phoenix last week, I decided to stop by
and take a look at what the West Valley shop has to offer. I was not
disappointed.

Arizona Organix is super-easy to find. It's in a storefront at 5301 W.
Glendale Ave., about three miles west of Interstate 17 on the south
side of the street. Parking was a breeze because I lucked into one of
a handful of spots on the street in front. More parking is available
behind the building, in case you don't want your mom (or your wife,
hehe) to see your car out front.

The roomy, sparsely furnished waiting room is somewhere between
upscale and downscale-maybe eye-level-scale. There is a large coffee
table in the middle of the room and about 15 simple upholstered,
wood-framed chairs line the walls. A television was showing cable
news-a refreshing break from the cannabis videos that many other
dispensaries play. There was a delicious aroma of fresh marijuana, as
if the ventilation system were piping in air from a storage room. Yum.

The receptionist greeted me from behind typical security glass and
took my card through a bank-style sliding drawer. Arizona Organix is
the first dispensary I have been to that didn't ask me to fill out
paperwork. They simply took my card, which they presumably checked
against the state database to make sure I'm not a cannabis hoarder,
then buzzed me into the back room. It was so nice having no forms to
fill out-a small but appreciated gesture. I hope their lawyers don't
make them start doing it.

The large back room has an ATM against the back wall and a service
counter and glass medication case along another wall. The day I was
there, the case contained about a dozen strains, which seems to be
emerging as a standard. Arizona Organix also sells edibles, which,
interestingly, are made in the commercial kitchen at Tucson's Green
Halo. I bought a brownie ($10), and it tasted interestingly better
than a Green Halo brownie I bought at a Tucson dispensary. The trip to
Phoenix apparently didn't hurt, because the brownie was fresh, fluffy
and yummy. Kudos to Green Halo for making edibles widely available.
:)

Unlike other dispensaries, the glass case at Arizona Organix contains
only samples. A clerk writes down your shopping list, then you pass a
slip of paper through one of two glass windows like the one in the
waiting room. Clerks then fetch your goods and send them out through a
sliding drawer. I like this arrangement. It seems likely to discourage
all but the stupidest of robbers.

I have a tiny complaint about Arizona Organix and it isn't the only
dispensary sticking in my craw over it. The logo for this dispensary
includes a medical Rx symbol, as do the bags they put meds in. I
understand they want to give a medical impression, but cannabis is not
available by prescription in any state. That's federal law. So I wish
dispensaries would stop using the Rx-it contributes to the misguided
belief that MMJ patients have prescriptions.

That's a pretty small complaint in the scheme of things. The First
Dispensary In Arizona has a decent selection and a convenient
storefront (if you're in Glendale, obviously). The prices are
good-meds top out at $60/$110/$200 per eighth/quarter/half-and the
staff was friendly and courteous. On the downside, the hours are a
little restrictive. They're open only from noon to 6 p.m., Monday
through Saturday.

Ultimately, Mr. Smith Approves.
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MAP posted-by: Matt