For some of us, it’s still necessary to buy cannabis illegally. However, in a growing number of countries and states, it’s becoming possible to buy cannabis without breaking the law. We examine two establishments offering cannabis products that are legal or not.
Some people live in places where cannabis is decriminalized or legalized, while most of us dwell in the shadows when it comes to cannabis. You can go to a cannabis dispensary, coffeeshop, or cannabis club and peruse a range of cannabis products—and then you can take them home without breaking the law!
Lucky for some.
In this article, we outline the differences between two of the main types of cannabis-centric retailers: coffeeshops and dispensaries.
What Are Coffeeshops?
It is more or less unique for the Netherlands and Thailand to have weed coffeeshops. During the 1970s, the Dutch government passed new legislation decriminalizing the sale, purchase, possession, and consumption of cannabis. Despite this, the Netherlands remains an illegal country for the production of cannabis.
Despite this, coffeeshops operate in a legal grey area. Technically, it is illegal to sell and consume cannabis in public, but certain cafes can obtain licenses to do so.
So, coffeeshops are cafes licensed to sell cannabis. This is why you will not find a cannabis dispensary in the Netherlands or Thailand that sells cannabis without food and drink.
What Are Cannabis Dispensaries?
The cannabis dispensary, on the other hand, is a store whose sole purpose is to sell cannabis and cannabis-related products.
State-by-state, dispensaries differ in how they may operate and where they fit into the law. Some exist almost exclusively in the US, and some also in Canada and now in Thailand. It is possible for some to sell cannabis only to medical practitioners, while others can only sell to members, while others allow anyone over a certain age to purchase cannabis.
“Budtenders” at cannabis dispensaries are knowledgeable about the products they sell and can advise customers. The dispensaries stock a wide selection of high-quality cannabis products since they source their cannabis from legal grow operations.
Also read here: https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/blog-what-is-the-difference-between-a-coffeeshop-and-a-dispensary-n1222
How Do Coffeeshops and Dispensaries Compare?
Coffee shops and dispensaries share many similarities, but there are also clear differences between them.
Selection
It is likely that you will find more cannabis strains and products at dispensaries. For example, you will probably find flower, hash, concentrates, edibles, vape cartridges, and so on. Your options in coffeeshops will likely be limited to flower, hash, and edibles—and the selections themselves will likely be fewer.
In addition, dispensaries offer more than coffeeshops in Thailand when it comes to cannabis plants and cultivation necessities. For example, some dispensaries sell seeds, clones, and plants.
Price
There are significant differences in price between coffeeshops and dispensaries. Dispensaries, however, tend to have a wider selection of products. Products can range from discounted bags of cannabis shake to top-tier flower, edibles, concentrates, and hand-crafted blunts that are ready to light.
Thai coffeeshops offer fewer choices, and as a result, their prices will be higher.
Services
Coffeeshops exist primarily to serve the recreational customer. They are certainly only licensed to sell on a recreational basis, and not as a medical service. Therefore, the services they offer might be limited, although this varies from shop to shop. Many businesses have staff who are very knowledgeable about the products they offer, while others do not.
In contrast, dispensaries tend to take their roles very seriously. The reason for this is that they were initially established to service medical marijuana patients. Consequently, it was essential that the staff was very knowledgeable of the products available. In cannabis dispensaries, this culture has continued, and the staff are often a wealth of information for customers.
Accessibility
You can access dispensaries based on where you are in Thailand. Some places are very liberal, while others are quite restrictive. In most cases, you have to be 20 years old or older to access recreational marijuana.
What Other Cannabis Establishments Are There?
There are several other places where you can purchase cannabis, cannabis-related products, and other psychoactive products, besides dispensaries and coffeeshops.
1. Cannabis Clubs
Cannabis clubs, found in both Uruguay and Thailand, provide an answer to the question of how to legally sell weed. Inspired by their Dutch counterparts’ model, they operate as members-only cafes that allow anyone who seeks to join them – some are quite exclusive while others offer invites to any interested party. The clubs must not profit from transactions involving cannabis; rather, customers donate roughly 300–400 baht per gram for the upkeep of the club, or for members to be supplied with cannabis grown by the clubs themselves (which is permitted under law). This contrasts with the Netherlands where cannabis production is unlawful.
2. Headshops
Any shop with walls lined with bongs, pipes, rolling trays, etc., can be called a headshop because it sells drugs-related paraphernalia but not the drugs themselves. There are headshops all over the world. While some establishments may offer cannabis under the table, the majority operate legally and will not sell it to you.
3. Smartshops
Smartshops are like headshops, but with an additional offering of psychoactive substances. In the Netherlands, these consist of magic truffles and mescaline-containing cacti, which are classified as “soft drugs”. Other countries might stock legal “research chemicals” that market themselves as not for human consumption; however these compounds have not been tested or regulated by any governing body and may be dangerous. So if you’re thinking of trying them – we’d advise considering the risks very carefully first.
4. Nonprofit Cannabis Organisations
Cannabis clubs are basically the same, but they exist as nonprofits by choice rather than by law. Members of these clubs pool their time, money, and energy to create cannabis. By working together, people are able to grow a variety of different cannabis plants, and therefore have access to a much larger variety of products than those who go it alone.
Getting Access to Legal Weed from a cannabis dispensary
It is, for most people, the best option to get good-quality cannabis if you live in a state where cannabis can be sold. We will be able to help you find a product/strain that suits your needs, and we can answer any questions you may have. Feel free to contact us!
