Pubdate: Thu, 14 Nov 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

ONLINE OPPORTUNITIES

Sadly, Tucson Is Still a Step Behind As Far As Dispensing Digitally

Back in the day, before there were dispensaries, there was Craigslist.

I don't think Craigslist asked to be a forum for connecting cannabis
and patients, but it immediately happened when patient-caregiver
exchanges became legal. People were trading meds and plants and
edibles from the Tucson Mountains to the Rincons. Well, it seems maybe
some of that traffic has gone to dispensaries, because Craigslist
doesn't offer much for cannabis patients in Tucson now.

A cannabis search of Tucson Craigslist last week turned up a handful
of hits but, sadly, none offering meds. There were two charcoal air
filters, a hydro grow kit and some water pipe parts for sale. But
Craigslist now offers an automatic nearby search. If you look up
toward Phoenix, you get a wonderland of med convenience and selection.
Caregivers in Phoenix are delivering valleywide, with prices in the
range of a dispensary, some cheaper.

For a $50 donation ($5 delivery charge), you can get an eighth of Blue
Crack, a custom Green Crack-Blue Dream strain, delivered "a reasonable
distance" from Ray Road and 48th Street. Another ad offers to bring
you meds anywhere in Arizona's great central valley for $5 to $10 extra.

"This strain is Sour Diesel, it is pungent, sticky, potent and
delicious, the aroma will fill up a room. It is great for depression
and anxiety. This medicine is dispensary quality all the way! Please
text a copy of your valid Arizona State medical card before contacting
me. Have a great day!"

OK. I will, but only if I'm in Phoenix, apparently. And while I'm
there, I think I'll renew my card because there is a clinic offering
certifications for an astounding $49 in Mesa. I'm not aware of anyone
in Tucson doing certifications that cheap. If someone is, please tell
me. ;)

Classifieds at AzMarijuana.com, which is a nascent cannabis Craigslist
of sorts, tell the same story-lots of ads for meds in Tempe,
Scottsdale, Mesa, Chandler-everywhere from Apache Junction to
Glendale. Exactly zero ads for Tucson. That site offers a lot of other
ways for patients to connect with each other.

Its forum offers tips on growing, advice for marijuana newbs, strain
advice and about a dozen other topics. You can look up MMJ events,
including the Most Awesome and apparently still-strong farmers market
at 4853 E. Thomas Road in Phoenix. I still haven't gone up for this,
but I should. Something tells me the Counter Narcotics Alliance would
frown on that idea here. Road trip anyone?

AzMarijuana.com also has job ads, but don't bother looking there for a
job in the cannabis industry. First of all, they're all taken. Jobs in
this industry are rare and highly sought after. These jobs are like
manna that dispensary operators sprinkle down from the heavens upon
their closest and most trusted and experienced associates. You don't
get any.

Second, the job ads at AzMarijuana.com are almost entirely from job
seekers, not job manna sprinklers. Suddenly everyone is an experienced
grower and just needs a break to get into the biz. Good luck with
that. Cannabis seems to be emerging as a Who You Know industry, with
some What You Know for good measure.

AzMarijuana.com even makes a claim that you can find a med-friendly
date there. I didn't, which might be evidence that it's impossible.
Hehe.

The website is worth checking out, nonetheless.

In the end, it seems online classifieds and forums are still not a
huge factor in Arizona's cannabis biz. There are a handful of
caregivers and a few licensed dispensaries advertising, but ultimately
the informal online cannabis presence might be weaker than it was last
year before dispensaries.

I'm not sure what to make of that. I kind of expected ads offering me
a wide range of options and information on all things cannabis. I was
hoping for a bunch of clones of every stripe and edibles of every
flavor and handmade, lovingly carved pipes in all shapes and sizes. I
think I'm a little sad that I only found a handful of Tucson ads.

Oh, well. If I go to Phoenix, I can Have a Great Day!
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MAP posted-by: Matt