With recreational legalizations in 18 states in the US, dispensaries are popping up like the weed they sell. However, even with strict regulation in place in each of these states, many of these seemingly legal dispensaries, are nothing more than extensions of the black market. While this might not always be a problem for a consumer, an illegal dispensary can mean not getting the products you want. Here’s how to know if your dispensary legit, and why it matters anyway.
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Are there really a lot of illegal dispensaries?
It might seem like the world of dispensaries represents the legal side of the cannabis market, but this isn’t necessarily the case. Despite the fact that dispensaries can be found in well-trafficked areas, like the Las Vegas strip, for example, this doesn’t mean they’re legit, even if their outright appearance would imply otherwise. While getting into how this happens, who rules cannabis black markets, or if something is being done between these powers that be, and law enforcement and government officials, is a whole article in and of itself. For our purposes, it suffices to say that a large part of what seems like a legal market, is actually quite the opposite.
It is said that California’s black market is over three times the size of the legal one, with much of that black market being dispensaries. How much of it? According to Politico, California actually has a low number of dispensaries with approximately 2 per each 100,000 residents. States like Washington and Colorado are higher, with more like 17-18% per the same number. California’s strict regulations are often blamed for this. What this means, is that though the state has about 823 licensed dispensaries, it has around 3,000 retail locations and delivery services which operate illegally, as of a February 2020 market report by Marijuana Business Daily.
Illegal dispensaries also mean illegal providers, and California boasts as many as 50,000 illegal cultivation operations. These operations, as they are following absolutely no regulation, may or may not be using harmful and banned pesticides, although realistically, regulation in this department is already lacking even for legal operations. Even so, it makes clear that such sites may be more problematic in terms of providing clean products. Though everything just mentioned relates to California, the appearance of illegal dispensaries in places like the Las Vegas strip, and reports from other states of illegal dispensaries and grow operations, indicate that this problem is extremely widespread.
Does it matter? Less than other factors in my opinion. For those who are die-hard that an under 21-year-old would be hurt by the use of cannabis (plenty are still caught in this trap), then this requirement holds more importance. For the rest of us that conceptually understand from our own experiences, and history in general, that this isn’t the biggest issue, whether our IDs are checked or not will have very little to do with anything. It stands, therefore, as a way to weed out operations, if nothing else (no pun intended).
The amount of THC in products
This is another dead giveaway, although it does require knowing state regulation, or it can easily be missed. Every state has a tight set of regulations about how much THC can be allowed in a product, and in an entire package. These laws vary by state, but if you do a quick internet search for “how much THC allowed in products in California”, or “how much THC allowed in products in Nevada”, the answer will almost always come up without having to click a site. California, for example, allows up to 10mg of THC per edible product, and 100 mg for an entire package. Nevada is exactly the same. Oregon, which has only been allowing 5 mg per edible and 50 mg per package, is set to raise its per package mount to 100 mg in January 2022.
What this means is, if you’re in one of these states, and you go into a dispensary, and you see a package of gummies claiming 40 mg per gummy, this is an illegal location. This goes for any state where products are being sold outside of the regulation limit, as a legit dispensary will not do this. This is one of the easiest ways to clarify if a location is being run legally or not.