few questions (waiting for card(

[stuartambient]

I have a physician's recommendation now. I sent off the paperwork to the state (sent certified).

Few questions -
1 - Even though I have a designated care giver am I still allowed to shop at other dispensaries ?

2 - I heard that cards are now taking up to 8 months to process , any truth to that information ?

3 - Is purchasing a gram or 2 frowned upon in the dispensaries ? I know that is a bit silly question but with being new to this all.

TIA
SA

[justinsane33]

1. you can shop anywhere you want and if they tell you that you need to assign them as your long-term caregiver they're lying to you.

2. the cards are taking forever cuz (whatever it's called) is really short-staffed. doesn't matter how long it takes as long as you have that application paper.

3. purchase whatever you want at a dispensary. i tend to buy smaller amounts if i want to try something new. i never buy more than a quarter or so cuz if i smoke the same strain for too long it doesn't work as well. like to switch it up. the only thing you should worry about is feeling obligated to buy at all. sometimes when they're super nice i feel bad coming in and not getting anything but i deal.

[PufferLungs]

You don't have to designate ANYBODY as your care giver. You should be able to walk into any dispensary and purchase as little as a gram and up to 2oz in the state of Colorado.

Any dispensary that tries to make you their care giver is not the place you want to shop.

I can walk into a dispensary in my area and simply show them my application (taken 8 weeks so far and still no card). I can purchase anywhere from 1 gram up to the legal limit of 2oz.

I am a new patient, so I like to try out all kinds of different strains. So far, I have purchased 3 times from the same dispensary. First time I bought 2 grams - 4 different strains. A total of 8 grams - but 4 different kinds. 2nd time I purchased 4 grams of one that I liked from my first visit and also 1 gram each of 3 more different kinds. 7 grams total. My third visit, again 4 grams of the kind I liked from before and again 3 or 4 different strains but only 1 gram each.

I am keeping an excel spread sheet to track my experiences with each strain. I have a bunch of metal pins, bolts and rods in my back from a nasty fall off a ladder in 2005. I've had 3 surgeries on my back and my L-5, S-1 are now fully fused and bolted.

For me, I don't want that baked out of my mind Indica high. It gets you high as a kite, but it seams to intensify the pain receptors. I feel the pain even more on an Indica strain. I prefer a more mellow Sativa because it gives greater pain relief low in my back and in the muscles around the area where all the metal rods and bolts are located. Sativa seams to be better for the muscle spasms and contractions that cause me so much grief on a daily basis.

:stoned:
:thumbsup:

[stuartambient]

Thank you PufferLungs .
First off, sorry about your pain. Hope the right medicating works for you.

I'm not sure if a dispensary offering to make them your primary is necessarily bad. If there are perks along with the offer and they are sweetening the deal then perhaps it is a good mutually beneficial thing.

Anyway, at the same time I want to try and support local businesses that are attempting to do something in an unknown market , with rules changing every day and a bad and sinking economy.

Stuart

[justinsane33]

For me, I don't want that baked out of my mind Indica high. It gets you high as a kite, but it seams to intensify the pain receptors. I feel the pain even more on an Indica strain. I prefer a more mellow Sativa because it gives greater pain relief low in my back and in the muscles around the area where all the metal rods and bolts are located. Sativa seams to be better for the muscle spasms and contractions that cause me so much grief on a daily basis.

:stoned:
:thumbsup:

YES!! it's not just me! i swear sometimes when i'm high that i feel pain more easily than normal. it amazes me that it helps people with pain when it only intensifies my own. sativa every time if i can help it.

[TheStrainMan]

yep, shop anywhere regardless of who is or isn't your primary care-giver. If you designate someone, hopefully you are getting something of equal value in return from them. They can now grow 6 plants on your behalf, which is an easy pound of buds (at least, depending on strain) for a good grower. Some care-givers give out free meds to their primary patients, others give discounts, but I'm starting to see more and more give for the honor of expanding their business with your 6 plants. Patient coalitions are beginning to form in the Denver area that are bringing this idea into the light, so we'll begin to see a change in benefits for becomming someone's primary patient.

On the subject of buying individual grams... absolutely. If anyone gives you anything other than appreciation that you are testing more of their strains to attempt a better match for your medical symptoms, please remind them of that and know there are many, MANY kind dispensaries out there that will even be happy to sell you half of a gram at a time... and place it in a nice littly teensy jar, too. I felt rushed at a few dispensaries, but I go to many and it is rare luckily.