culture | The Dispensary pre-grand opening
I remember reading about this a few weeks back, but I'd completely forgotten about it--it was by sheer luck that I saw a post on MassRoots and decided to swing by.
The Dispensary is at Decatur and Hacienda, which is basically all the way across town from where I work, so it took me about a half hour to get there, arriving just after 5. It was already well under way.
Like Thrive's open house event last week, The Dispensary had hired a cash bar and a food truck (I think it was barbecue but to be honest I couldn't say) right outside of the dispensary. They were also open to the public, meaning that no medicine was on display or available for purchase (all the packaging displayed was empty).
The Dispensary has a set up that's pretty much uniform to all the dispensaries I've visited--the initial "greeting room," the waiting room beyond, and then the actual sales floor. The waiting area had chairs as well as some barstool-type chairs (I'm not sure if those are a permanent fixture or were just placed for tonight's audience). On the sales floor, there's a lot of warm wood and dark colours, and their logo is displayed prominently behind the cash wrap. Their style, to me, is actually kind of reminiscent of Thrive's interior decor.
The staff, fresh out of training, were in attendance tonight, to connect with the community. They connected and blended pretty well--I'm still not totally sure who was a Dispensary employee, who was a vendor and who was a guest! That's kind of awesome, though: I think it helps the entire Yes on 2 campaign for voters to see that cannabis patients are just like anybody else. I was so amazed when I first started visiting dispensaries and saw the wide range of people around. It really helps normalize the whole thing.
The vendors and organizations in attendance included Getting Legal (seriously, they're an awesome resource if you're interested in information about medical marijuana and cannabis law in Nevada); Vegas Cannabis Magazine; Mother Herb Cultivation and KYND Cannabis.
Although they weren't represented there, I was happy to see that they'll be carrying Evergreen Organix edible and infused products, BAM rosin, prerolls by BAM and Deep Roots Harvest, and at least one CBD product. It also looks like they're going to have a decent selection on their menu--their pricing structure kind of reminds me of The Source, and it looks like they'll carry a lot of similar strains.
Another thing I loved to see was the selection of glass and apparel behind the counter. I love a well-stocked dispensary, and that goes beyond the medicine--going somewhere where you can not only pick up your cannabis, but also something to smoke it with (and cool shit because hello, who doesn't like cool shit?!) is so valuable to me. I think this also makes a dispensary more accessible to a newcomer, since your budtender can help you pick not only the right product but the right way to use it.
I didn't stick around for too long, but it took me ages to get home (mostly due to the terrible drivers on the 215). I was curious about how long it would normally take, so I decided to Map the route from my house to The Dispensary. Still about 30 minutes. Bummer.
This is a neat spot, and if I were closer I'd definitely check it out more, but proximity is a huge factor for me and unfortunately, there isn't anything there that I can't get at a dispensary closer or more convenient to me. Still, I definitely recommend checking them out if you're in the area!
The Dispensary's grand opening date is still TBD, but you can follow them @thedispensarynv on Instagram to stay up to date. When they do open, new patients will be eligible for a free preroll with purchase. They're located at 5347 S. Decatur Blvd.
