Pubdate: Thu, 20 Aug 2015
Source: Westword (Denver, CO)
Column: Ask A Stoner
Copyright: 2015 Village Voice Media
Contact: http://www.westword.com/feedback/EmailAnEmployee?department=letters
Website: http://www.westword.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1616
Author: Herbert Fuego

WHAT MAKES A BOUTIQUE DISPENSARY?

Dear Stoner: I've seen a lot of pot shops advertising themselves as 
"boutique dispensaries." Sounds like a lame marketing ploy to me.

Jake 'n' Bake

Dear Jake: You might already have the Man beat if words like 
"superfood" and "artisanal" don't lure you in to pay more, but just 
because you don't trust marijuana marketing doesn't mean everyone is 
out to hose you. The traditional definition of a boutique is a small, 
stylish shop that sells specialized products at slightly higher 
prices.Plenty of Denver and mountain-town dispensaries try to fit 
that mold - yet the steep prices are the only boutique aspect they 
achieve. Yes, local art and comfortable furniture is nice, but don't 
let trendy interior decorating block your senses.Check out the buds 
and concentrates, and fire off some questions to the staff. Do they 
grow in-house? If so, how big is the grow? Do they send trim or nugs 
to hash companies for concentrates, or do they make their own? If the 
budtenders are eagerly telling you about strain genetics before you 
even ask, there's a good chance you're at a stand-up shop.

Be prepared to pay a little extra if you're at a legitimate pot 
boutique. Properly drying and curing pot for peak smell and taste can 
take more than a month, and time is money. Likewise, you can buy a 
fifth of Evan Williams for $13 and regret it the next morning, or 
spend more on a bottle of smallbatch and actually enjoy yourself.

Dear Stoner: I had back surgery as an infant and scoliosis as a 
child. I was thinking about applying for a medical marijuana 
prescription for back pain, but I've heard it's harder to get one nowadays.

Janet

Dear Janet: Since recreational cannabis and the higher tax rates 
accompanying it came to Colorado in 2014, the state has put the 
magnifying glass on medical marijuana patients. Thanks to some 
cash-hungry doctors doling out pot prescriptions to every 
twenty-something who suffered a broken arm in grade school, the 
Colorado Senate passed a law in May establishing stricter 
requirements for those applying for prescriptions under the condition 
of chronic pain, the most common ailment treated by cannabis in Colorado.

Despite that, if you've had back surgery and have suffered spinal 
issues since childhood, you're almost sure to qualify for medical 
marijuana. Take your medical records to your evaluation and don't 
talk like Spicoli, and you should be smoking medicinal soon enough.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom