Just like millions of other patients in the U.S., you’ve got a medical card of your own. That’s awesome! After all, it’s never been easier to quickly and easily see a licensed, certified cannabis doctor digitally that’s perfect for dealing with the symptoms associated with issues like anxiety, arthritis, epilepsy, eating disorders, and a whole lot of other qualifying conditions. But once your card comes in the mail and you step into a dispensary for the first time, it can be a little bit disorienting.
One of the parts that can be the most intimidating for newbies is the actual process of sorting through that dispensary menu and choosing products to order. After all, how are you supposed to know which products are which on the menu? And come to think of it, how do you even read that menu in the first place? It’s chock-full of industry jargon and stuff you don’t really understand, all of which adds to the confusion of heading to the dispensary for the first time.
Thankfully, we here at FadeMD are all about figuring out ways to give you more consistent, reliable ways of getting and enjoying your medical cannabis, whether it’s connecting you with a licensed cannabis doctor in your state or, in this case, teaching you all about how to read a dispensary menu properly!
So, in the spirit of making your first trip to the dispensary a great one, here are some must-have tips for how to read a dispensary menu and get the right products for yourself!
Factors to Consider Before Looking at a Menu
Before you even glance at a menu, there are a few factors to keep in mind that can help you narrow things down on the menu and make your choice of medical cannabis products easier.
Here are the three things to keep in mind: What time of day you’ll be using your medicine, what effects you’re looking for, and what method of consumption is best for you. Let’s take a closer look at each one, shall we?
What Time of Day You’ll Be Using
While this one might not seem like a big deal for recreational users, for medical cannabis patients and their medicine timing is everything. For example, if you’re dealing with back pain at your 9-5 desk job then you’ll need a cannabis product that not only does the job of getting rid of that pain but has the right cannabinoid profile so you’re not high at work. That means a little bit more CBD and not so much THC, a product great for daytime/morning use. If you’re trying to deal with insomnia, on the other hand, you’ll want to aim for a nighttime-type product with enough THC to put your lights out.
What Effects Are You Looking For?
To get the most out of your medical products, you’ll need to understand what effects you’ll need to ease your symptoms. Picking up the right product, strain, or concentration of cannabinoids to treat your symptoms is really important for medical patients. After all, you wouldn’t go on heart medication for a broken leg, right? The same concept applies to medical cannabis products.
Make sure to do some research on your own on the products you’re considering and the effects they have. That will help you narrow things down and end up with the product that’s right for you!
What Method of Consumption Are You Looking For?
It’s not the 60s anymore folks. There’s more to cannabis than just smokable flower and joints. These days, medical cannabis can come in a variety of different forms. Medical dispensaries offer medical cannabis in the form of standard dried cannabis flower, pre-rolled joints, oil vapes and disposables, tinctures, oral capsules and suppositories, transdermal creams, and even methods like cannabinoid-infused inhalers.
All of those different methods take different amounts of time to kick in and have different effects, which impacts the type of product you eventually end up with. Make sure to keep this in mind while researching and picking out your products.
How to Read a Dispensary Menu
Now that we’ve gotten the pre-research and due diligence out of the way, let’s go in-depth on how to actually go about reading a dispensary menu. Let’s get into it!
Cannabinoid Profile
When it comes to names, cannabis products are some of the most unique on the market. Often given vague, buzzword-packed names like “Gorilla Glue,” “OG Kush,” or “Crouching Tiger Hidden Alien,” it can be hard to tell what you’re actually getting when it comes to cannabis strains and products.
A good indicator, however, is the cannabinoid profile. While the menu likely won’t give the full list of cannabinoids that come in the strain or product, it will list the percentage of THC and CBD. Those two major cannabinoids can give you a decent picture of what the products themselves do and what they’re good for.
Dosage
Just like any other medication, dosage matters. And the dispensary menu gives you a decent idea of what your dosage should look like. For example, dried cannabis flower is usually sold in either ounces or grams. So if you know that you use a certain amount of cannabis product to get the job done and feel relief from your symptoms, you need to factor that into your decision when looking at a dispensary menu. If a product only offers a few grams, but you typically use more than that amount of grams per week, then you should avoid that product and shop for one that either meets or exceeds your needs.
Not only will that save you money over the long term, but you’ll get the products you need to ease your symptoms and meet your dosage needs.
Consult with the Budtender
While there are ways to tell what’s up with the products on the menu just from a glance, there’s just no dispensary menu big enough to give you every detail you’re looking for about a product – even online. That’s where the budtender comes in.
These aren’t just the average cashiers, they’re trained experts who know the product inside and out. In fact, they’ve likely used or tried it themselves. So they’re able to provide top-notch advice and expertise about which products on that menu are right for you.
They’re a great help in narrowing down the menu, providing you some insight on what you’re getting, and help you end up with the right products to treat your symptoms at the right price point. Using them as resources will go a long way to helping you pick out the right possible product for the right time of day, issues you’re looking to treat, and what consumption method you opt for!
Disclaimer: The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained in this article is for informational purposes only. No material from this article is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment before undertaking a new health care regimen. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
