Gone are the good old days of waiting for a dealer to show up, wondering if they forgot about you or not.
I’ve been enjoying cannabis for 35 years – give or take. I did have that strange period where I didn’t smoke, but let’s not dwell on that. In fact, if I had been able to know what I was getting and understood my terpene profile I wouldn’t have needed to take a break.
Legalization has brought lots of benefits. I know what I’m getting – it’s not just the funny names my dealer made up. I’m fairly certain the one guy referred to everything as “the super-chronic” regardless of what kind of dirt weed it actually was.
Now I know the genetic in every bag or pre-roll I buy – long gone are the code words “Sess” for the outdoor stuff and “Hydro” for the indoor grown weed.
Like, what did that even mean?
I’m also a lot more aware of what I put in my body these days. Some of the things that find their way into cannabis are concerning: Heavy metals, pesticides, and microbials like mould and other contaminants aren’t something anyone should be smoking, vaping, eating or drinking – but forced underground and maximizing profit over risk, you can’t really be surprised that some people cut corners.
I’ll take the current licensed cannabis hours any day – Ontario’s 9am to 11pm time frame is quite fine by me. As a woman I can tell you that it sometimes had me nervous waiting for someone I didn’t know to come meet me or come by my house. Too often I needed to leave it to a a guy friend or boyfriend to pick up for me. And I couldn’t stand jumping in the back seat of a car I didn’t know for that drive around the block while I paid and picked up.
It just never felt safe.
The worst though – going over to a dealer’s home to pick up and, instead, being invited in. As a woman I dreaded that – having to sit, smoke a joint with him and all his buddies I didn’t know, when all I really wanted to do was grab a half quarter and head out. I’m sure it wasn’t just women who found this uncomfortable – the safety issues are real.
It was a whole situation.
Legalization has made access to cannabis safer all around:
1. The products are healthier – they’ve all been through Health Canada’s rigorous scrutiny.
2. The edibles are verified doses – no more wondering if you’re going to get way too high, not high enough or worse yet, find cat hair in your brownies (true story…still turns my stomach).
3. Stores are much safer – it’s all on camera, prices are listed, weights are verified and you can ask as many questions as you want, all while staying in public!
4. No worrying about getting caught by the law. I love when the local police park outside or stops to say hi. Instead of being afraid of the law, we find them very supportive.
Yes, I think we all find it a little weird to pay taxes on cannabis – but that’s all part of legalization. Getting to find a budtender you trust, a store you enjoy and LPs that provide the licensed cannabis products that are perfect for you is so much more civilized – not to mention, safe and convenient.
If you miss calling friends and asking for the number of their “guy” because yours hasn’t been heard from in a week, you can always call the shop and pretend, but calling with questions about new products instead is totally more fun – and we LOVE talking pot!
I couldn’t agree more with you. Of course having products and producers held to a standard is wonderful and needed, but I think legalization making access easier to all those people (I know several) who were curious but just felt uncomfortable approaching a “dealer”. You’re spot on.