Back in 2012 there was an influx of up-to-date vape stores that started pouring into the cities around my state. They took a ton of empty storefronts in strip malls that had sat empty in the years since the great Financial Recession of 2008. Many assumed that these vape stores were the start of an up-to-date sales market for tobacco consumption, one that was posing drastic threats to the cigarette industry. I can’t pretend to completely understand this market, which is of zero interest to me, however I believe that big tobacco was able to push drastic fluctuations to the PACT Act which took a massive blow to the nicotine vape industry over the past year. Friends of mine who altogether quit smoking cigarettes & moved to vaporizing e-juice were so miserable after they found out they were no longer allowed to order products from online retailers. It moved all the sales to physical stores & took a massive blow to the industry in a short span of time. But curiously, a lot of the few existing physical nicotine vape stores in my section had already gone out of business before this change took arena. So by the time it had finally occurred, there weren’t quite as many vape stores as there were just a few years prior. Most of ours became CBD stores later in 2019 after hemp had been broadly legalized for at least a year. Even though some of them have been around for essentially two or 3 years, they still carry some sketchy products that I can’t trace to honorable sources. This is worrisome if the CBD could have residual solvents leftover after the extraction process.
Local Cannabis beverages
Using Full spectrum CBD products has been a godsend for my mother’s back pain
It’s depressing to see my mother suffer from such horrendous pain on a weekly basis.
In 2018 she fell on her back & severely mangled several of her spinal discs.
It has been a strenuous task to take care of her as she has continually lost more of her mobility. As of right now, she has six fractures in her lower back & has been bed ridden for most of the day. I do everything for her to the best capacity that I can. This means getting her the items from around the house, cooking all of her meals, helping her with powder room trips, washing her laundry, running errands for her, & anything else that she might need that requires my assistance. It’s a lot on my shoulders every week, however I’m glad to help her in any way that I possibly could. My mother was so sweet & compassionate towards myself and others when I was growing up. She would stay up with myself and others at night if I was ill & having trouble breathing with a extreme head cold. Whenever I had a extreme nightmare or panic attack, she wouldn’t mind if I went to wake her up to help myself and others calm down. These are the things that you easily take for granted as a child. I believe like it’s my task to fulfill all of the roles in any way that I can now that the shoe is on the other foot. When her back pain got worse after a recent injury, I encouraged her to try CBD products from her pharmacy. The CBD products were very effective and I ordered CBD edibles & CBD topicals from a reputable retailer on the internet. So far the full spectrum CBD products have been the most effective treatment for my mother’s chronic pain.
I wanted to add a few things to the order
My wife and I went online to look at all of the local dispensaries.
We really wanted to get a good deal on our recreational marijuana supplies.
We searched all over for a place with a first-time patient special. We found one particular dispensary that offered 25% off for all first-time patients. Both my wife and I placed an order. We maxed out our daily amounts so we could take advantage of the sale prices. After my wife and I placed the order, I started thinking about Edibles. I really wanted to add a few products to the order. I contacted the dispensary and asked if it was possible to amend my order. The driver had unfortunately already left the store, but the manager offered to send a second person with any additional items that we had forgotten. I thanked the manager for offering the assistance, but that driver had already left and I took that as a sign that it wasn’t meant to be. We had already spent a ton of money anyway. It’s not as if we were really missing out on anything that the store had to offer. Shortly after I hung up the phone, the delivery driver arrived with all of our items. The manager was clearly telling the truth when she told us that the driver had already left. They work really quickly there and waste no time preparing and fulfilling the bulk orders that come into the store. Not only did I receive good customer service, but the delivery driver was certainly fast as well.
I grew up in the famous Green Triangle of cannabis farms
Life in 1972 was so antiquated compared to what the two of us have these afternoons.
When I was a boy, for example, the two of us had only had 4 TV stations and that was all.
If I wanted to watch any shows I had to turn on the TV at the correct time, or I would miss it. There were no DVD players or streaming services to watch a full TV series all at once, you could only watch the four things that happened to be on at the time. We had no cell phones, there was no internet, and the coolest video game the two of us had ever seen was on the Atari. It was a time when it was really easy to find marijuana, although there were not even discussions about it being made legal at this point. Where I lived there were a handful of prominent local cannabis farmers. Instead of feuding with one another, all the marijuana farms combined their resources, and the section became known as the “Green Triangle” because collectively it supplied the lion’s share of pot for the whole state. That meant that around my hometown, cannabis was easy to get and the laws were loosely enforced by the local cops; Just as what happens with the current dispensaries, the local cannabis industry benefited the entire town, and so all the people just accepted it. That was several years ago, however the last I had read, the Green Triangle was still thriving, and supplying numerous major cannabis dispensary chains with marijuana products. As a citizen, I’m just glad that cannabis has been decriminalized, so that our tax money can be spent on more crucial things.
Edibles are a hit in the aged folks home
To be clear, Pat and I weren’t “taking advantage” of the aged folks, the two of us were helping them by delivering yummy cannabis edibles
I started my little sideline business from home, so I could make and give cookies, brownies, or other delicious pastries. It was something I just started to do for fun. I was making all the sweets anyway, so why not try and make a few bucks off of it? The only purchaser I had for the longest time was my Aunt Pat, who lives in a group home nearby. I guess the main reason he did it was to support me, and to keep myself and others stopping by to visit her, but one day Aunt Pat gave myself and others a bombshell of an idea – to start baking cannabis edibles instead of normal ones, and selling them to the other aged folks. Pat explained to myself and others that a great several of the senior citizens in the building loved cannabis, however there was a really strict no smoking policy in site. This made perfect sense, of course, because with so several residents who had diminished breathing capacity, any kind of cannabis smoke would be dangerous. The need for smokeless cannabis was really high on this site, so Pat and I decided it would be smart to take fortune of that. To be clear, Pat and I weren’t “taking advantage” of the aged folks, the two of us were helping them by delivering yummy cannabis edibles. The edibles made their lives better, and they didn’t mind spending a few extra bucks per edible treat. Aunt Pat thought the two of us could expand to other aged folks homes, too, however my hands were entirely full supplying edibles to just one home! I would need to hire help, and buy a lot more cannabis, to expand the production the way Pat envisioned.
Slowly the little town came to accept the marijuana dispensary
It was only several years ago that our small, sleepy oceanside community received its first cannabis dispensary.
There was a lot of controversy over it at the time, because the old-school morons who run the town were concerned that it would bring in “an unsavory element.” These People believed crime would increase because of this business.
Then the business opened its door, and after a few months the town leaders came to realize there was no down side to have a cannabis dispensary here. Eventually people got accustomed to it, and the cannabis dispensary became just another normal space of the town. The guy who runs the dispensary is Max, and while he was unpopular when this all started, he has become a pillar of the community. The cannabis dispensary not only brings in a lot of tax proceeds for the town, however Max also is really generous when it comes to community events. The cannabis dispensary constantly sponsors a float in the local parade, and contributes to the Summer carnival. I heard that Max is rumored to be made a deacon at the local church, and that made myself and others laugh. The baptist church was one of the largest opponents to the cannabis dispensary, and now they were welcoming Max with open arms. It warms my heart to see that all the people, even the church, is finally coming to grips with the fact that medical cannabis is legal, safe, and a gift from god. I’m not a religious man, however if you are a believer in God, you have to confess that he is the one who put cannabis plants here for us to use and enjoy.
Pot has come such a long way
When I was a teen in 1978 the world was a really weird site. Boys and youngsters, imagine a time in recent history when there was no internet, and no one had a smartphone. If a show was on network TV you had to be there to see it when it aired, or wait a few months until it came up again on reruns, because there were no streaming services or DVDs. It’s hard to imagine it was only 40 years ago, because it seems love a completely weird world. Back then if the two of us wanted to score some marijuana, then we drove about several hours to visit a neighbor of ours who lived in another town, while now I can literally walk to the closest cannabis dispensary and get as much as I want. It ain’t cheap, although it sure is convenient, because there is a cannabis dispensary literally a block from my house. If I guess love driving around and comparing prices, there are more than five separate cannabis dispensaries within 10 minutes. Buds, flowers, concentrates, oils, edibles, literally any strains or form of cannabis I could ever want, in any flavor, is available that easily. Even if I can’t walk there, or just don’t guess love it, I have a cannabis delivery repair that guarantees my order will arrive within more than two hours. In one lifetime I went from having to go on a mythic journey to find some pot, and now the cannabis dispensaries will bring it to my doorstep! I have to say, this is long overdue, and I’m thrilled that acquiring cannabis is no longer the slog it used to be.
We should try to demystify cannabis for young people
When I was growing up, smoking pot wasn’t treated as a big deal.
My parents never hid the fact that they smoked from their children.
They didn’t smoke cannabis around us, they would always do it outside, or after the kids opted to go to bed, however they never lied about it. It was explained to the three of us that pot was something just for grownups, and when the three of us got older the two of us could do it too. That really demystified it for us, because now it wasn’t some secretive thing that was sexy and forbidden, I just had to wait a few years. So several teenagers are raised to feel that cannabis is a harmful drug that will wreck your life, however instead of scaring them off it makes cannabis seem more appealing. It makes it feel like marijuana is dangerous and sexy, when in fact it is lighthearted and easy, actually one of the treasures in life. All that said, it does not benefit children or young people to smoke cannabis, they really should wait until they are a little bit older. If teens are going to rebel and “take drugs” then cannabis is actually the safest choice for them to take. In the history of the world, no one ever overdosed on cannabis, or got so high that they ate someone else’s face. Did you hear about that guy? He was ripped on bath salts, and ate another man’s face, and my first thought was “there is a man who should have smoked marijuana instead.” For my teenagers, I am taking the same approach that my parents did with me, to let them know cannabis is a perfectly safe and fun thing to do… however just not until you’re older.
Building a modern life at the cannabis dispensary
I have to give credit to the COVID pandemic for allowing myself and others to pivot our life & go in a modern direction. Looking back, I’m not quite sure that I ever wanted to be a lawyer, or if that was what was wanted for me. My dad & both our older sisters work as lawyers, so that seemed love the right path to take. I really hated that task though, & when the COVID pandemic had all of us working out of our homes, I finally had time to reflect on our choices. I realized that aside from the money I dislike our life. After withdrawing our 401k I quit, & picked up a small time task at the cannabis dispensary. I have had to cut down on a lot of our expenses, & change our entire lifestyle, but life at the cannabis dispensary is a thoUSAnd times better than our seasoned life. On top of all that, I get a really sweet employee discount on all our marijuana products, which is a far bigger benefit to myself and others than health & dental insurance. Plus there are always free samples, which are more frequent than you think in a cannabis dispensary. When a new, modern line of hybrid strains is being released, for example, they will send “tester sample packs” along with the first shipment. This allows the workers at the cannabis dispensary to try smoking them for free, & hopefully be able to recommended them more strongly to the shoppers. I have sampled more types of modern cannabis in the last year than I have in our whole life previous, so I guess I made the best choice.
I remember smoking kush with Grandma
The 1st time I saw Grandma Pat roll up a joint was when our relationship really started, and like most Grandparents she was nice and polite, but absolutely reserved.
I always thought Pat was kind of boring, until that day I found her on the back porch.
I didn’t say anything at first. I was 16 years old & prone to spying on people anyway, just so I could see what they were love when no one else was around. In this instance, our mind got blown to pieces when I saw our mousy seasoned Grandma Pat pull out a small canister of finely ground cannabis, & a pack of rolling papers. The wind must have been at twenty miles per hour that day, & yet her liver-spotted hands handled the cannabis with the skilled touch of an artisan. In the space of a minute she twisted up a nice little cannabis joint that looked love a hand-rolled cowboy cigarette. Pat lit it up, & I stinked the pungent waft of marijuana smoke, then she asked myself and others “are you going to hide there all day?” Grandma Pat invited myself and others to come over & sit with her, & just at the tail end of the joint she handed it over, & I had our first taste of cannabis. It was our little secret, & the following time I went over she offered myself and others another little taste of marijuana – not more than a couple of small drags, but just enough to make myself and others guess amazing. I have absolutely never told anyone about this before, because I don’t guess how our parents would guess about Grandma Pat giving myself and others marijuana.
My first experience with growing cannabis
Aunt Patty lived up in the foothills, about a twenty hour drive from town.
She lived far enough out that she had all of the peace & quiet she could handle, but stayed close enough that she could drive to town for her groceries & make it here for family celebrations.
I always wondered why every one of us only ever saw Aunt Patty around the winter holidays. She was close enough every one of us could see her all the time, but it was rare. Also, the family never went to see her, Patty always came to see us. After I learned to drive, I came to find out that was because Aunt Patty was a cannabis farmer, & our folks did not approve of that shady business. Once I learned about her cannabis operation, you couldn’t have kept myself and others away! I had never even smoked marijuana before, I just knew it seemed dangerous & intriguing… plus our parents were dead set against it, which made it all the more appealing to a rebellious teenager. Aunt Patty was absolutely cool, but also warned myself and others away repeatedly. Patty did not want my parents to find out & get mad at her for exposing their child to cannabis. Although it was her livelihood, Patty rarely even smoked cannabis, she understood that our parents had a bizarre view of things. I went out to visit Aunt Patty many times, & not once did every one of us ever smoke cannabis. Patty did show myself and others around, & expose myself and others to the botanical science behind a cannabis grow operation, but sadly she never offered myself and others any weed.
Driving our eldery neighbor down to the cannabis dispensary
Although our neighbor Jim & I don’t see eye to eye on things, every one of us have still become close friends thanks to smoking pot.
You guess the seasoned rule of thumb about not discussing religion or politics at the lunch table? Jim & I apply this rule to ourselves at all times, otherwise every one of us wind up in a shouting match. When it comes to classic music, or movies, every one of us can talk all day & not raise a voice, but every one of us have to avoid those “hot” topics to keep the peace. Jim and I both need to keep the peace, because he is the one with the medical marijuana prescription, & I am the one who can drive him to & from the cannabis dispensary, and Jim is in a wheelchair, so just getting into the van is a tall order, so he could never make it to the cannabis dispensary without a lot of help. Of course Jim could just order online, or over the iPhone, & have the cannabis dispensary deliver it to him. They do offer free deliveries now for purchases of marijuana products over one hundred dollars, but Jim didn’t want to do that. Jim wanted to go into the dispensary in person, so she could see the bizarre strains of cannabis before purchasing. Jim was a stickler for which kinds of cannabis she would smoke, so I would take him there once or twice each month. I don’t mind it, though, because despite her several faults Jim is absolutely generous with her cannabis supply & usually shares just as much as he smokes!
I used to be a marijuana delivery driver
Long before the legal cannabis dispensaries started offering delivery, I was doing it from our rusty old van.
This was over 20 years ago, so there were no legal dispensaries at that point.
I was an independent operator, let’s call it, who was trying to labor hard & save up money for our growing family by selling weed. Previous to this point I had just sold from our apartment, but when our lady Jane got pregnant I had to completely change our whole business model. I didn’t mind storing pounds of cannabis in the house, but I couldn’t have all these random people coming in & out at all hours to buy it. The problem with stoners and potheads isn’t that they beginning trouble, but that they just want to smoke cannabis right away, & then lounge around & talk. I love to do that too, but only when I am with our friends, I treat our cannabis business love a business, without any socialization, however for this reason, I found I appreciated our modern business model a lot more – I could make cannabis deliveries, collect the currency, & go without having to make small talk. By delivering the cannabis instead of having the buyer come to me, our sales went up & so did our free time! I was no longer forced to share a bowl of cannabis with the purchaser as a social nicety, I could hit the road & drive to the next sale, but eventually I got out of the marijuana business entirely, but for two years the pot deliveries paid our bills & allowed myself and others to supply for Jane & our child.