That’s okay, we got you. In an earlier blog post I wrote about things to help you out for your first time in a dispensary such as Altitude Dispensary. These were the logistical things like having your identification card ready, being prepared to wait in a line, and trusting your budtender to help you get to your perfect selection of cannabis. This post will be more about what you need to know if it’s your first time partaking in any cannabis product.
First and foremost, it’s important to know that you have options, lots of options if you want to enjoy cannabis. This was not always the case. You even now have the option to not smoke which may be some people’s hesitation to try this wonderful plant. I get that.

But, let’s start with if you want to smoke. If you are going to smoke cannabis, you are going to be looking for flower. Flower is what we used to call weed, or pot, or grass. It’s what you think of when you think of marijuana. It’s the green stuff you put in your pipe and smoke.

Your options within the category of flower are sativa or indica, or a hybrid of both (my personal favorite, being disinclined to make tough decisions.) Your budtender can explain all the different types of flower Altitude Dispensary has to offer at any given time. But for a quick reference, with indicas, think ‘in the couch.’ This is going to be mellower and even help you to relax. While sativas are going to be a bit more up and allow you to do more than veg on the couch.

Once you have chosen the flower you want to smoke, you must decide how you will smoke it. You again have several options. You can buy pre-rolled joints. These are best for passing around and sharing. And because they are pre-rolled you don’t have to worry about learning how to roll your own joint (I’ve still not mastered this party trick.) 
You can also crumble or grind your flower up and put it in a pipe (preferably glass) or a bong (also preferably glass). A bong will likely get you the best bang for your buck- meaning one or two hits from the bong should be all you need as a newbie smoker to get you supremely high.

For all of these methods you will need a lighter to light either the joint or the bowl (aka pipe), or the bong. You may also want to purchase a grinder, though this isn’t necessary. If you are crumbling and separating your flower yourself, you want to be sure to remove all seeds and stems. These are no fun to smoke and should be removed and discarded before smoking.

Last but not least, you may want to purchase something in which to keep your flower. There are all sorts of fun glass jars you could choose from, or your basic Bell canning jar will do the trick. The main goal is that it is air tight so your flower doesn’t dry out.

We’ve only just covered the option of smoking cannabis as a newbie. Stay tuned for next week for more options on how to consume and partake in the wonderful products Altitude Dispensary has to offer the newbie cannabis user.