The 8 dollar gram

8 am. The last time I chased down mota at that time in the morning was in high school. Those days it was with pals, riding around in our big pieces of Detroit metal, Ted Nugent on the stereo, cheap sunglasses barely containing our wide eyed grins and stoned countenance.

No, since I've been back in the game shopping for grass has generally been an after work affair. Last week on my way home I stopped to shop but was given the big bargain tip: I was told to stop by my local dispensary between 8 and 9 am to secure the deal of the day, the 8 dollar gram. Not the 4 finger 1 ounce bags of  Columbian mota for 40 bucks like back in the days of yore but it sounded like a good deal to me all the same.

I have read recently that wholesale marijuana prices in Colorado have been coming down, for reasons due more to efficiently and overproduction than to folks not wanting their flower. To the contrary, folks have been spending big money on cannabis here in Colorado in 2016, to the tune of 600 million  just during the first six months, according a recent article posted in the Cannabist section of the Denver Post. One of the bigger problems facing consumers is that a lot of those cost savings have generally not been passed along, that the profit margin has gone up for local shop owners, which, for many of us subsisting in the world of very pricey grams, is not a very good thing. But some owners are out there helping to correct that situation. I was going to find out about that price break personally.

The price of freedom is steep and I get that. I would rather pay the going rate and walk around with my head held high than to skulk around waiting to be picked up by the man. I don't mind paying the price if the product is great, the variety wide and the shop inviting. What makes all that better is if the owners recognize that everyone likes a bargain and makes those bargains widely available.

Well, I don't know if shopping for bud at 8 in the morning qualifies as widely available but if so then I am your man. I decided to shop two different stores this morning, not only to do a side by side comparison of what an 8 dollar gram looks like in the flesh like but I wanted to see what the vibe was  like at a dispensary during that time of the day. I have been going into veritable bee hives of action when I've hit the shops at 3 or 4 in the afternoon. The pressure to get folks in and out of the door is high as there always folks waiting to get in and shop during those after work hours. I wanted to see what it would be like to walk into a store and not feel the hustle, to feel like I would at almost any other "normal" establishment I might choose to go shopping in at that time of the day.

So, I hit XG Platinum first as it was first along my route. I was sold by the sales pitch the week before and couldn't wait to try it out. I couldn't come in on the 8th of the month where grams were being sold for 8 dollars all day long but I could come visit in the morning on the way to work. The shop was cool, clean, casually lit as if I walked into a nicely appointed wine bar. The staff was smiling and easy going. I was escorted to the back of the store by a winsome young lass and introduced to another, both taking their time to verify my id. I asked what the bud of the day was and was told Trainwreck, which, for me, would be a very good deal indeed. My only sadness was that by the time a strain got to that price break there it was all popcorn sized nugs, all bottom of the plant action. All three deals of the day, including Cindy 99 and Ice were down to that sized flower but I was happy to get the deal.

After a long chat about the current state of vaporizers and local glass shops I bought my treats and headed down the street to my second stop of the morning, Nature's Herbs and Wellness. I am a member of that dispensary and have had a number of happy exchanges with them already since my arrival here in Colorado. Through their Ganja magazine I was aware of their new lower prices and wanted to see what it was like to take advantage of their daily special. Every day a new one, every day 8 dollars a gram. This morning's strain was Lavender Kush, which was fine as it was yet another new flower for me. The ladies behind the counter were pleasant and chatty, which was great because so was I. I would still be on the hunt for my Firefly 2 after this shop but I had a good time talking about the benefits of shops vs the black market. All of us there that morning were pleased with the current state of cannabis in Colorado. Who wouldn't be considering the option?

Long gone are the days when my buddies and I had to hunt down unsavory characters just so we could have a bit of swag to puff on before the start of school. I am happy to know that 5 minutes from work I can pick up a couple of grams for a reasonable price for later on in the day. I don't have to stand in line, do the doctor's office wait, just walk inside and have the shop to myself. Always a lovely thing at 8 in the morning!

Salud!

XG Platinum!
http://xgplatinum.com/

Nature's Herbs and Wellness!
http://naturesherbsandwellness.com/