The question of whether marijuana is legal in Oklahoma was largely put to bed back in 2018. The new Oklahoma marijuana laws have legalized the possession and use of cannabis in the state for medical reasons.
Unlike other states which have legalized medical marijuana, Oklahoma does not require the patient to have one of a set list of qualifying medical conditions.
Possibly as a result of this, the market for medical marijuana in Oklahoma is one of the largest and the industry one of the most successful in the entire country:
- More than 7300 medical marijuana business licenses were awarded in 2018-19 alone
- Over 1800 dispensary approvals were awarded in the same period
This is excellent news if you’re in the Sooner State and you want to have some options when it comes to getting the relief you need.
The only downside is that it can make it difficult to choose the best dispensary for your particular needs…
In this article, we cover a few things to keep an eye out for when you’re choosing your new favorite dispensary:
What to look for in your dispensary in Oklahoma
1) A license
It might be an obvious place to start. But you always want to make sure that you are getting your marijuana, THC carts, live resin carts – whatever you want to buy in Oklahoma – through a licensed dispensary.
The huge number of medical marijuana business licenses which have been awarded here can make it easy to imagine that every business which sells medical marijuana does so with permission.
However, there’s no guarantee. Oklahoma weed laws specify that only medical patients or their caregiver can purchase goods from licensed dispensaries. They also must have a valid medical marijuana patient license.
Your dispensary can verify your patient license by checking the state’s database. It only seems fair that you do the same.
(Important sidenote: that CBD oil derived from hemp is legal without a license.)
2) High-quality, well-labeled products
Not all cannabis products are created equal. It’s a smart move to check the labels of everything you are considering buying. On the label, you should be able to see:
What the product actually is
- How much CBD, THC and other active ingredients it contains
- How potent it is in terms of percentage, or whether it is a full-spectrum product
- How and where the cannabis it was made from was grown (at K.I.N.D. Concentrates we would always suggest prioritizing organic, natural preferably locally manufactured products)
This is important information. Because there is a big difference between something like pure THC carts and the live resin oil cartridge which you might put in your live resin pen. This is something which isn’t necessarily obvious unless the label is very clearly set out.
A pure THC oil has been isolated from the rest of the plant and can often be very pure. A live resin product has been created with the aim of keeping the whole plant together. This can lead to the creation of the Entourage Effect, where the strength and beneficial effects are magnified – despite often having a technically lower percentage on the label.
Facts like this mean that a good dispensary should also have someone on-hand ready for you to ask about your purchases…
3) A proper budtender
The word “budtender” is a fun mash-up between “bartender” and the cannabis “bud”.
For some dispensaries and other businesses in the cannabis industry, a budtender is simply a word they use to describe someone who works in their store, usually in a front-of-house role.
But for others, a budtender signifies someone who has actual training and specific knowledge about:
- The different products on sale
- The qualities which specific strains of cannabis possess
- Suitable strains for specific situations
- The effects which certain strains and products can create
- How best to utilize your money to create the effect you want
A good budtender shouldn’t be encouraging you to spend more money. They should be showing you how to get the best value for your money.
It’s their job to guide you towards strains and products which will be best for any conditions you might want to address or effects you might want to create.
Essentially, they should be a walking Wiki for your purchase. One which can also provide recommendations. No good dispensary in Oklahoma or anywhere should be without one.
4) Price
When it comes to price, it’s easy to imagine that you will be wanting to look for the cheapest products available.
Unfortunately, in many cases, this means you may end up spending far more to get any kind of effect or relief from the products you buy. Many cheaper products are high in flashy graphics and advertising and low in actual quality of marijuana or marijuana-derived content.
This isn’t to say there shouldn’t be products available at a good range of price points in your dispensary. But it is to say that cheaper doesn’t necessarily mean better value for money.
For example, any live resin carts price will almost certainly clock in higher than that of most other products. But that’s because live resin carts contain a higher quality product which will give you far more relief for far less quantity.
It’s always a smart move to pay attention to the value for money your dispensary offers and balance it against the quality of the products which it sells.
How to choose your medical marijuana dispensary
In summary, whether you want to buy some actual marijuana, cartridges for your vape or a high-quality product like K.I.N.D.’s live resin in Oklahoma, you should always do so via a dispensary which is:
- Licensed to sell you what you need
- Going to sell you products of a reliable quality which actually work
- Staffed with at least one expert who can advise you on what might be best for you
- Offering a cost-effective (not bargain basement) price for what you need
If in doubt, you can always get in touch with us for a little free advice.
