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Comment by Thriptic | Hacker News Reader

You see the same problems in the American market too. Contrast the following experiences. To buy legally, I have to go trek out to my local dispensary, sit outside for 30 min - 1 hour, hope they have what I want when I get inside (no way to check in advance as they have no inventory management), pay 100% more than black market value per quantity, deal with ridiculously arbitrary restrictions on how much and what I am allowed to buy, I have to pay with cash, and I receive product with low potency.

If I want to buy illegally, I can call ping my friend, they tell me the whole inventory in advance, I tell them what I want, they bring it to me for free, I get very high quality product, it's very cheap, and we hang out for a few hours.

Which experience do you think most people choose?

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Legal. I’m not a heavy user, but legal has been the amazing. I can pick up edibles of known amounts of thc. The sales people are friendly and knowledgeable.

Buying illegally was always sketchy, never knowing if someone would show up, how good the product was, if it actually was indica or sativa or hybrid, it was always just “good shit”, which wasn’t always true.

Prices feel the same and it’s defiantly not lower potency in my experience.

I agree, I am in Australia so no legal weed here but I would happily pay more to be able to buy edibles as well as know exactly what I am buying and what the dosages are.

Not to mention that illegal growers don't care what poisons they douse the plants with as long as the insects die before they can eat them. Then the users smoke this crap. I don't know that we've yet seen the healthcare outcome of this.

Conversely, in Nova Scotia, I can go to my closest dispensary, wait about 5 minutes in line (inside a surprisingly posh store), pay with a simple tap, and I'm on my way. The biggest issue here is the waste from packaging.

Where is this? I can walk into a dispensary.. usually really close to wherever I am and just buy whatever I want. It's like buying bread.

When I lived in California I could have it delivered even.

Here in Colorado the black market continues to thrives because shit heads don't think they should have to pay taxes, but the actual experience of legally buying pot is super easy.

I'd pay double just to not hang out with my dealer.

This. The legal cannabis-buying experience in my small BC town is actually quite nice. My only complaint is the required product packaging. The stores are almost as nice as those in Seattle. No problem using a credit card, either.

Daily smoker in NYC, I went to California last winter to visit family. Along the way I stopped in at two dispensaries. Very poor experiences. Police like guards all over, waiting rooms that feel like air locks with doors between the waiting area and the inside. Metal detectors and wands. Cash only with an ATM with yet another line, then a line to the counter.

And like you I call my guy who sends me a list of at least 5-6 different strains, two regular strains he will always have (king and platinum kush), always fresh, with volume pricing up to pounds. Then he shuffles strains and special items like prerolls, edibles, exotics in jars, and oil carts. So there's always a variety. Plus free door to door delivery. So our experiences are similar and the reason why the legal market has yet to catch up with the black market.

> Police like guards all over, waiting rooms that feel like air locks with doors between the waiting area and the inside. Metal detectors and wands. Cash only with an ATM with yet another line, then a line to the counter

Living in Portland, OR that experience is wild to me. All of the shops I’ve been to don’t have any guards, just an employee during the required ID check.

Wish I didn’t have to use an ATM though.

While visiting Oakridge, OR I checked out a dispensary and it had the air-lock waiting area, rude staff ignoring me on the other side after shouting "busy with a customer!", expecting me to wait in a box until the one customer they were already dealing with was finished.

Since I was just curious and don't really consume weed, and wanted to buy something to bring to a friend's place as a gift, I just GTFO. The whole experience was awful and time-wasting, though I guess if you're a pothead wasting time isn't a concern.

My experience in CO was far superior. The place I went to there didn't even have the entrance doors closed, it was like going into a tourist shop selling overpriced t-shirts but instead it was marijuana products. The prices were ridiculous, but at least it didn't feel sleazy or like a huge unnecessary waste of my time where a hold-up may occur at any moment.

Obviously in America it depends on the state. My experience in CO is the opposite, lines are always short or non-existent (except during peak hours). Prices are cheap and concentrates are even cheaper. (It's cheaper than alcohol for sure.) Most stores have sites that show their inventory (TBH it is kind of so-so but honestly almost everything is high THC/low CBD anyway). Purchase limits decent; 28g/1oz flower/8g concentrates is a lot to go through for most people.

Only inconvenience are: Some puritan counties/cities have banned recreational stores. Prices in turist/ski areas can be a bit more expensive depending on supply/demand. And I think higher CBD stuff is getting divereted to the medical & CBD oil market but that's just a theory.

The illegal market obviously varies dealer to dealer... not everyone has that same kind of stay-and-chill relationship with their dealer.

Here in Colorado, I have none of your problems. The wait is usually 0-10 minutes for me. I can check their inventory online for most dispensaries, even pre-order only for some places. I can also call and ask them. The values are cheaper than the black market or about the same. I am starting to be able to pay with my credit card now, but primary it still is cash. The products I buy are amazing in quality. You didn't say which state you are in, so I'm guessing Oregon? I went in to a dispensary when I was there a few years ago and I felt like I was in a drug den. You had to sit around with a bunch of gross people, and had to have a consultation with a doctor... yeah I walked out of there and went to Washington.

The question is do most people have a similar legal buying experience as you?

I live in Denver and I can order online, walk to a dispensary in 10 minutes, show my id and be handed a bag with my order.

> sit outside for 30 min - 1 hour

I don't know where you live. But here in San Francisco, my neighborhood dispensary ("Apothecarium") is a top-notch experience, sort of like visiting a luxury goods store. They have a great waiting area, and when your name is called (usually within a few minutes), there's a concierge waiting for you who will take you through the entire buying process. It's very civilized.

The experience without the guilty conscience of putting someone behind bars (i.e. your dealer and/or their supplier/smuggler).

I have to pay with cash...

What's the deal with this? Admittedly "cash only" sounds more like how the illegal market works...

Marijuana is still illegal by federal law, which is enough to scare away the banks and credit card companies.

I don't use THC but I've been in the local dispensary (Boston, MA) https://netacare.org/locations/neta-brookline/

Gorgeous location, knowledgable staff, fair prices

I guess it really depends where you're at. I had a fantastic experience when I visited Seattle.

Here in Vancouver it was a fairly lame experience before legalization, but now it's like picking up groceries. $5 - $10 cad for a joint and you're good.

My experience has been vastly different. Pre-legalization I had many local dispensaries I could choose from. Now there is one. The legal weed is overly dry and over packaged.

I buy my weed from a closet in the back of a clothing store. At least I get quality, correct humidity and I can bring my own packaging.

And don't get me started on the egregiously-named "hobo" run by the sexual-predator-defending Donnelly group.

I straight up have no idea what you're talking about lol, but also don't smoke much. I know some people, particularly in the skater community, that love weed and probably care more, but I mostly join in if it's going around and my gf is usually the one getting anything. I can see how our experiences would be different if you were very regularly looking for weed before.

Turns out I was wrong on this. Gf confirmed that it is weaker and more expensive, but generally easier to get if you don't have a hookup.

Curious what state you're in - that doesn't match my experience in any of the five states I've been to.

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