Westword Dispensary Reviews (4 of them)

I was wading through Westword's website on pot-related articles and found 4 reviews of dispensaries. Everyone probably already knows about the dispensary reviewer position available- they're not taking anymore apps and it sounds like between 100-200 people applied for the gig.

Here's the first review:

Patients Choice of Colorado
By Mae Coleman in Marijuana
​
Patients Choice of Colorado
2251 South Broadway
Denver, Colorado 80210
Patients Choice of Colorado | Medical Cannabis Dispensary and Healing Center
[email protected]
303-862-5016

Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. By appointment only.
Size: About 2,000 square feet
Date opened: March 2009
Clients: 1,300
Patient services: Handicap accessible; delivery for incapacitated patients.
Doctor evaluations on site: No.
Raw marijuana price range: $105-$115 per quarter ounce
Other types of medicine: Edibles and hash made by owner Jim Bent, who has a culinary degree.
Amenities: No smoking on premises. Massage therapy on site and cooking classes in the future.

Our take: The last thing you'd expect a visit to a marijuana dispensary to feel like would be a college tour -- but that's exactly what a trip to Patients Choice of Colorado resembles.

The establishment's surroundings are deceptive. Patients Choice has hung its shingle on an industrial stretch of South Broadway teeming with fast-food joints and auto dealers. Inside, however, it's like a whole different world, with a soothing green paint scheme, natural wood touches and tasteful floral arrangements. Like we suggested, it could pass for an admissions office -- especially since, like universities, prospects need to schedule an in-depth tour of the operation before they're allowed to become a medicated BMOC.

The tour's worthwhile, however -- a nod to the fact that many people still don't know the ins and outs of the nascent medical marijuana industry. To help fill in the gaps, an über-professional tour guide covers the Patients Choice's considerable rules, such as no smoking (of any substance) on the premises, limiting patients to at most six ounces of pot a month and requiring a state-issued medical marijuana ID to get in the door, not just a doctor's recommendation for the ID, like many dispensaries will accept. (The place sticks by its rules: A manager was overheard reaming out an employee by letting in a customer whose state ID had expired five days earlier.) The dispensary also asks patients to inform them of any food allergies, so that one of the owners, a culinary school graduate, can take these issues into account in his edible marijuana concoctions.

The tour guide encourages newbies to become "members" of the dispensary, which means making Patient Choice their designated caregiver in exchange for price discounts and other perks. The guide notes that doing so doesn't restrict patients' ability to grow six marijuana plants ourselves -- an argument that, as far as we're concerned, is still on shaky legal ground. But at least the operation is up front about why it's pushing such memberships. "It helps defray our costs," explains the tour guide -- since the more "members" it has, the more pot it can grow and sell.

And Patients Choice grows and sells a good amount. There are three dispensary counters, and two more on the way once one of the operation's two grow rooms filled with pot seedlings is converted into additional retail space. A staffer behind one of those counters at first seemed dispassionate, uttering "What can I get you?" with all the engagement of overworked McDonald's employee. But when he heard the customer was a first-timer, he did a 180, going over in detail the nineteen strains of weed, four types of hash and other options like sub-lingual tinctures, muscle rubs and mouth sprays. He even discouraged some of the edibles for sale for certain medical conditions -- a big step towards feeling more like a pharmacy and less like a straight-out pot store.

All in all, Patients Choice offers strict but high-caliber service -- sort of like the Ivy Leagues of dispensaries. Too bad its locale feels a bit like the wrong side of the tracks.

Peace in Medicine Center
By Mae Coleman in Marijuana

Peace in Medicine Center
2042 Arapahoe Street
Denver, Colorado 80205
Home :: Peace in Medicine - Denvers Cannabis Dispensary and Trestment Center
[email protected]
720-242-9308

Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. No appointment necessary.
Size: 5,000 square feet
Date opened: April 20, 2009
Clients: 1,400 as of September 2009
Patient services: Handicap accessible; no delivery service.
Doctor evaluations on site: Doctor evaluations Tuesday through Thursday for $200 total.
Must customers make the dispensary their designated caregiver: No
Raw marijuana price range: $90-$130 per quarter-ounce
Other types of medicine: Seeds; clones; balms; hash and marijuana tinctures; edibles like cheesecakes, cookies and muffins.
Amenities: Game room; pool table; music room; television lounge; vaporizer bar; complimentary snack bar; Medical Marijuana 101 classes; free treatments like massage chiropractic and acupuncture; on-staff veterans advocate and disabilities coordinator.

Our take: The Peace in Medicine Center is one of the biggest players in town, and the secret to its success seems to be its smorgasbord of extras. From its cushy TV lounge and vaporizer bar (patients can't smoke their medicine on site, but they can vaporize and inhale it) to its $250, seven-hour "Medical Marijuana 101" classes and regular alternative-therapy sessions that are free save for tips, the place rivals a Carnival cruise ship in terms of on-site activities. We're just waiting for the installation of the cannabis-infused shuffleboard court.

Located amid a drab stretch of parking lots not far from the ballpark, the Peace in Medicine Center offers a comfy vibe inside -- though its mismatched furniture, Mexican-blanket tablecloths and Grateful Dead posters reminds us of a post-grad's first attempt at home decorating. The décor's fitting, since during busy hours the place can feel like a big party, with a constant stream of patients coming in to buy medicine, enjoy the amenities or get evaluations from the on-site doctors. Some people might welcome all this activity, though it can also be a bit overwhelming. The crush of people can also strain the dispensary's large, professional and friendly staff and lead to longer wait times to get access to the operation's pharmacy room.

Given everything else Peace in Medicine offers, that pharmacy turns out to be a bit of a let-down. On a recent visit, the small single-room dispensary offered sixteen strains of weed, from $90 Blueberry to $130 Royal Kush, as well as tinctures ranging from $40 to $65 an ounce -- but no edible types of pot. The pharmacist behind the counter, who seemed knowledgeable about strains and ailments, explained the dispensary was in the process of acquiring new types of edibles, and in truth, Peace in Medicine Center should soon be offering a whole lot more. In the next two months, the dispensary plans to nearly double in size by expanding into a neighboring space, with more on-site activities, a kava-root tea bar, two additional marijuana-dispensary operations and a "ganja grocery store" featuring marijuana edibles and paraphernalia.

"We are all about the health," says owner Josh Stanley. "The marijuana is secondary." He's right: For those looking for the SuperTarget of healing experiences, Peace in Medicine Center is the place to go. But for the time being, those looking for quick, no-frills access to medicine might want to shop around.

Sunnyside Alternative Medicine
By Mae Coleman in Marijuana

Sunnyside Alternative Medicine
1406 West 38th Avenue
Denver, CO 80211
303-720-6761

Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Size: 500 square feet
Date: Opened: September 23, 2009
Clients: 35 as of early October 2009
Patient services: Handicap accessible and handicap parking out back. Delivery service available.
Doctor evaluations on site: No, but they refer to outside doctors
Raw marijuana price range: $100 per quarter ounce, plus tax.
Other types of medicine: Edibles, candies, clones and hash.
Amenities: None; not a wellness center. All major credit cards will be accepted soon.

Our take: The state's medical marijuana scene is still in its nascent stages -- though these days it seems to be on Miracle-Gro. The largest, most established dispensaries around are just a few months old. New ones are popping up by the handful every week, started by folks with little more than access to weed and an entrepreneurial streak. Some of these upstarts will no doubt make it, becoming popular, reputable operations. Many others, however, will probably wither away as the industry shakes itself out.

Count Sunnyside Alternative Medicine among the start-ups, a place that's struggling to find its place in the ganja boom. It's just a few weeks old at its current location, a storefront along the less gentrified stretch of West 38th Avenue, across the street from back-to-back furniture rental companies. A few weeks earlier, the operation ran ads in Westword calling itself Capitol Hill Alternative Medicine, but Aaron, its owner and sole employee, couldn't find the right spot downtown, so he changed its location and name. Unfortunately, the cell phone listed on those old ads doesn't seem to work in Sunnyside, so those who call up the old number end up listening to snippets of conversation.

It's clear Sunnyside Alternative Medicine just opened from the moment a customer walks in the door. The waiting room features nice wood floors and newly painted walls but is devoid of decoration and décor. Bags of Skittles and M&M's sit on a mini refrigerator in a corner. A few magazines and pot books are available for perusing, which is nice since, as a one-man operation, it might be awhile until Aaron wraps up, one at a time, with other customers and vendors who've stopped in.

This back room is as bare-bones as the rest of the operation, with none of the bells and whistles of some of its bigger competition. A glass display case shows off seven medicine jars of weed, all going for $100 per quarter ounce plus tax. For those looking to pinch pennies, there's also a bag full of bottom-of-the-barrel and poorly cured medicine for $40-a-quarter-ounce. That stuff ain't great, but hey, neither is boxed wine. The proprietor seems knowledgeable of his strains, though mostly in terms of how high it'll get you -- as in, "This stuff will get you really high," and "This other stuff got me high for four hours last night." He couldn't say much about the pot cookies and THC-infused lollipops he had for eight bucks a pop, since he hadn't actually tried them yet.

The most redeeming quality of Sunnyside Alternative Medicine: Its owner. Aaron, comes off as earnest and friendly, never once bugging patients to sign him up as their caregiver. He promises good things down the road, like art on the walls, a credit-card machine and an official sign out front. He's the sort of guy who almost makes you forget you're standing alone with him in a nearly empty, cramped room talking about purchasing quasi-legal narcotics. Almost.

The ReLeaf Center
By Mae Coleman in Marijuana

The ReLeaf Center
2000 West 32nd Ave
Denver,Colorado 80211
The Releaf Center | Denver Colorado - Medical Marijuana Dispensary
303-458-LEAF (5323)

Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m, Monday through Saturday. No appointment necessary.
Size: 1,700 square feet
Date opened: August 3, 2009
Clients: 350-plus as of mid September 2009
Patient services: Handicap accessible; no delivery service.
Doctor evaluations on site: No.
Must customers make the dispensary their designated caregiver: No, but offer incentives for customers to do so.
Raw marijuana price range: $85 to $120 per quarter ounce
Other types of medicine: edibles, tinctures, hash
Amenities: Massage therapy for premium members, plans to offer housecleaning, chiropractic, doctor consultations and other services, most of which is focused on premium members.

Our take: Turns out a marijuana dispensary can be a boon to a neighborhood. Before the ReLeaf Center moved in there this summer, the vacant storefront at the southwest corner of 32nd Avenue and Tejon Street in northwest Denver had seen better days. Now, apart from the metal bars that still grace the windows, the joint's had a total makeover.

The amount of elbow grease invested in the place is apparent as soon as customers walk in the door. The spacious front waiting room, where people show their marijuana-patient IDs to an employee behind a glass window before getting access to the dispensary, is all classy hardwood floors and mirrored walls, like a dance studio. The clean, sterile vibe continues into the heart of the store. Eventually, the owners say they hope to install additional dispensary operations and other amenities. But so far, the sprawling operation is nearly empty save for a piano missing its bench, assorted security cameras, paintings for sale that seem to be channeling Tim Burton and a small shelf of brochures that includes menus for Mary Janes Pizza, a not-so-subtly-named restaurant that recently opened across the street. There's nearly enough space and hardwood floor for a medical-marijuana squash court.

Everyone who stopped by the ReLeaf Center on a recent afternoon seemed to be the sort of guys who'd fit in at LoHi SteakBar, the swanky new eatery nearby. Do these customers really need medical marijuana? One of them did, since he detailed a tale of woe and misery that included busting his knees while working at a psych ward and crushing a few spinal discs during a construction job. In other words, don't expect him to hit the aforementioned squash court.

The ReLeaf Center's professional-looking pharmacy offers two glass display cases full of medicine. Along with a variety of marijuana types, from top-of-the-line strains like "G13" to bargain-basement outdoor-grown bud, there are tinctures, hash and kief for sale. There's a credit-card scanner as well, a free edible with first purchase and a sign noting, "We sell medicine. Describe it as such." The small fridge reserved for edibles was a little bare, however, offering only a few selections of caramels, oils and hummus.

The staffers were quick to offer thoughtful suggestions and had a digital microscope on hand so customers could take a hyper-detailed look at their product. They were also keen to push their "premium membership," in which customers received free "Cultivation Kickback" medicine, a 10 percent discount on all purchases and other premiums in exchange for designating as their primary caregiver someone associated with the dispensary. As with many nascent dispensaries, the ReLeaf Center seems to be eager to expand its patient base so it can grow more medicine.

Whether you take the bait or not, the ReLeaf Center offers all its customers a professional atmosphere and knowledgeable staff. With places like this, Lower Highlands is movin' on up.

Denver

Alternative Medicine of Southeast Denver
AMSDCO.com
6853 Leetsdale, Denver, 80224
(720) 941-8872

BC Inc.
[email protected]
5777 East Evans Plaza
Denver, CO 80222
720-323-2383
720-289-3006
11 a.m.- 7 p.m

Biocare
2899 N. Speer Suite 105
Denver, CO 80211
303-455-3187
11 a.m.- 7 p.m. Daily
Welcome

Cannabis Medical
[email protected],
Cannabis Medical, LLC - Home
762 Kalamath St.
Denver, CO 80204
303-912-2013

Capitol Hill Alternative Medicine
303-882-6173
Free delivery in Metro Area

Captiol Hill Medicine Shoppe
1410 Grant Street #B104
Denver, CO 80204
303-993-5777

Caregiving Friends
(720) 999-0486

Cherry Creek Health
http://cherrycreekhealth.org/
[email protected]
By appt. only
303-388-0086

Colorado Cannabis Services
1842 S. Parker Rd, Unit 18
720-984-6543

Front Range Dispensary LLC MMJ
720-620-4463
Open 7 days/ week
Delivery Available

The Healing House Pharmacy and Club
The Healing House - Home
123 West Alameda
Denver, CO 80223
720-389-6490

Herbal Connections
Herbal Connections | Medical Marijuana | Denver, Colorado | Home
2209 W. 32nd, Denver, 80211
(720) 999-6295
7 days/week 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

Herbal Wellness
771 Santa Fe Dr
Denver 80204
[email protected]
720-299-1919

Highland Health
Highland Health Home - Highland Health - Wellness Center and Medical Marijuana Dispensary
[email protected]
2727 Bryant Street, Suite 420
Denver, CO 80211
303-455-0810

Jewel of Cannabis in Capitol Hill Area
424 Lincoln
303-955-0701

Local Caregivers of Colorado
Home - Local MMJ: Colorado's Best Medical Marijuana Delivery Service
720-233-5482

Unnamed
1240 S. Parker Rd. #100
720-629-3476

Metro Cannabis
Medical Marijuana Dispensary Denver Colorado
[email protected]
4101 E. Wesley Ave., Suite #5,
Denver, CO 80222
(720) 771-9866
7 days/week 11 a.m.-9 a.m.

Metro-Cannabis 2
METRO CANNABIS ON HAMPDEN, INC - Home
3425 South Oleander Court, unit B
Denver, CO 80224
303-305-9625

Mile High Quality of Life
Flash Intro Page
[email protected]
Southeast Denver
720-933-1857

Mile High Remedies
4155 East Jewell Avenue
Denver 80222
303-419-3896

Mile High Wellness
Mile High Wellness
6740 E. Hampden Ave.
Denver, CO 80237
720-382-8516

Pain Management of Colorado
Medical Marijuana | Pain Management of America
Denver, CO
303-423-7246

Patient's Choice of Colorado
Patients Choice of Colorado | Medical Cannabis Dispensary and Healing Center
2251 S. Broadway
Denver, CO 80210
[email protected]
303.862.5016

Peace in Medicine Center
Licenses available
Home :: Peace in Medicine - Denvers Cannabis Dispensary and Trestment Center
[email protected]
2042 Arapahoe St.
Denver, CO 80205
720-242-9308

The Releaf Center
The Releaf Center | Denver Colorado - Medical Marijuana Dispensary
2000 West 32nd Ave Denver, Colorado, 80211
303-458-5323 (LEAF)

Rockbrook, Inc.
Home (RockBrook,Inc.)
[email protected]
Colorado and Yale
Denver, CO 80222
303-756-0595


North Metro

Colorado Patient Coalition
www.c3iniatives.com
[email protected]
9460 Federal Blvd
Federal Heights, CO 80260
303-667-6032

Green Medical
www.greenmedicals.com
[email protected]
10781 Washington St.
Northglenn, CO 80233
303-495-5000

The Healing Center
Home
[email protected]
8020 Federal Blvd
Westminster, CO 80031-4165
303-0412-0200

Herbal Remedies
3200 W. 72nd Ave (72nd & Federal)
303-430-0420
Licenses available


West Metro

Cannabis Kindness Center
4045 Wadsworth Blvd UNIT 306,
Wheat Ridge, CO 80033
303-431-4994
Open 7 days

DenCo
5830 West 38th Ave
Wheat Ridge, CO 80212
303-518-0303
Free delivery

Golden Alternative Care
Colorado Medical Marijuana | Golden Alternative Care | Golden, CO
807 14th Street Suite A
Golden, CO 80401
303-278-8870
Tuesdays 12:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Wednesdays through Saturdays 11:00 am to 6:00 pm
Sundays 11:00 am to 5:00 pm

Green Tree Medical LLC
3222 South Vance Street
Lakewood, CO 80227
[email protected]
720-838-1652
Delivery 24/7

A Kind Place
9195 W. 44th Ave #E
44th & Garrison
720-569-1666

A Kind Place 2
9195 W. 44th Ave., E
Wheat Ridge, CO 80033
720 569-1666

Mr. Nice Guys
[email protected]
12550 West Colfax, Unit 119
Lakewood, CO80215
303-233-6423

Meadows Wellness Center
1701 Kipling Street, Suite 104
Lakewood, CO 80215
720-435-3830

NatuRx
10107 W 37th Place
Wheat Ridge, CO 80033
303-420-9427

Rocky Mountain Organic Medicine
420 Corporate Circle
Golden, CO
Mon-Sat 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
720-230-9111

Sunnyside Alternative Medicine
1406 W. 38th Ave
Denver, CO
303-720-6761
Tues.- Sat. 11 a.m.- 8 p.m.
Sun. 10 a.m.- 5:30 p.m.


South Metro

985 Dispensary
985 Santa Fe
Denver, CO 80204
303-446-0420
1 p.m. - 11 p.m. 7 days/ week

AlternaCare
303-386 5865

Cannabis 4 Health
1221 S. Pearl Street
Denver, CO 80210
720-296-7563

CannaMart Inc.
Medical Marijuana Dispensary serving all of Metro Denver Colorado Area
[email protected]
7939 E. Arapahoe Rd., Suite 285
Greenwood Village, CO 80112
303-771-1600
Open 7 days a week
10 a.m.- 8 p.m.

Cannamed
6859 Leetsdale Dr. Suite 420
Denver, CO 80224
1-877-420-6337 (MEDS)

Green Mountain Care
greenmountaingroup.org - Providing Quality MMJ Care
[email protected]
5423 South Prince St.
Littleton, CO 80120
303-953-9231

The Hatch Wellness Center
3624 Highlands Ranch Pkwy. # 105
Highlands Ranch, CO 80126
303-470-9270

The Kind Room
P.O. Box 620833
Littleton, CO 80162
The Kind Room
720.266.3136

Nature's Kiss Medical Lounge
4332 S. Broadway
303-484-9327

Walking Raven Dispensary
2001 S. Broadway
720-327-5613
10 a.m.- 8 p.m. 7 days/ week

Wellspring Collective
http://www.wellspring-collective.com1724 S. Broadway
Denver, CO 80210
303-733-3113
10 a.m.- 8 p.m. daily


Boulder/Longmont area

420HighWays, LLC
420HighWays - Medical Cannabis Dispensary in Colorado
Veronica Carpio
201 E. Simpson St. #B
Lafayette, CO 80026
720-434-5210

The Apothecary
[email protected]
1314 Coffman Street
Longmont, CO 80501
(720) 210-3986

Botanic Labs
1110 Boston Ave. Suite 210
Longmont, CO 80501
Appt. only
303-260-8203

Boulder County Caregivers
2955 Valmont
Boulder, CO 80301
(303) 495-2195

Boulder Alternative Medicine
1325 Broadway St, Suite 213
Boulder, CO 80302
bouldermeds.com
720-210-4021

Cannamed
1750 30th Street #8
Boulder, CO 80301
1-877-420-6337 (MEDS)

Grateful Meds
[email protected]
110 Snydner
Nederland,CO 80466
303-258-7703

Green Belly Co-OP
greenbellycoop.com
info@ greenbellycoop.com
3330 El Dorado Springs Dr.,
El Dorado Springs, 80025
(720) 381-6187

New Options Wellness
South Boulder, CO
720-266-9967

Organic Medicine Club
Erie, CO
303-800-4196


Fort Collins area

Alliance For Cannabis Therapeutics
[email protected]
Fort Collins, CO
970-308-5496

Colorado-Chronix
-=Colorado-CHRONIX.com=-
970-227-3366

In Harmony Wellness
4630 Royal Vista Circle Unit 12
Windsor, Co 80528
[email protected]
970-988-3898

Natural Alternatives for Health
[email protected]
Medical Marijuana - serving Northern Colorado - Fort Collins and Loveland
Delivery only
Loveland/Fort Collins
970-412-1573

Nature's Medicine
NaturesMedicine420.com
[email protected]
843 North Cleveland
Loveland, CO 80537
970-461-2811

Magic's Emporium
Home Page
[email protected]
2432 East 13th Street
Loveland, CO 80537
970-397-1901

Tranquility Healing Center
[email protected]
Loveland, CO
970-215-3519


Colorado Springs and Golden/Evergreen

Cannabis Therapeutics dispensary
Michael Lee
907 East FIllmore St.,
Colorado Springs 80907-6315
[email protected]
(719)-633-7124

CannaCare
coloradocannacare.com
[email protected]
1675 Jet Wing Dr.
Colorado Springs, CO 80916
(719) 596-3010

Colorado Cannabis Center
Colorado Cannabis Center - Cannabis Medicinal Marijuana
[email protected]
East Colorado Springs, CO
719-574-4455

Colorado Cannabis Caregivers
[email protected]
2203 N. Weber St.
Colorado Springs, 80907
719-634-7389
719-440-4124

Front Range Caregivers
[email protected]
719-321-2442

The Highlands Cooperative
The Highlands Cooperative
[email protected]
332 West Bijou, Suite 101
Colorado Springs, CO 80905
719-442-6737

Marisol Therapeutics
[email protected]
- Marisol Therapeutics
Delivery only
800-584-6274

Pikes Peak Alternantive Health and Wellness
www.ppahw.com
1605 South Tejon Street Suite 101
Colorado Springs, 80905
719-575-9835

Trichome Health Consultants
main
[email protected]
2117 West Colorado
Colorado Springs, CO 80904
719-635-6337


Golden/Evergreen

Golden Alternative Care
807 14th St. Golden
[email protected]
303-278-8870
Wednesday-Sunday 11 a.m.- 6 p.m.
Appointment only Tuesday

A Kinder Place
Evergreen
303-567-2235

Mountain High Wellness Center
Evergreen
Delivery only
303-243-4457


Greeley, Pueblo, Mountains/Western Slope

Generations Natural Medicine
Web hosting, domain name registration and web services by 1&1 Internet
[email protected]
2006 8th Street
Greeley, CO 80631
970-353-2839


Pueblo

Mary's Medicine
MarysMedicine.com
719-778-5620


Mountains/Western Slope

Top Hat Enterprises
Saguache
719-221-3373

Colorado Mountain Dispensary
Carbondale
970-948-6404

High Valley Healing Center
San Luis Valley
303-877-7452

Natures Medicine
Welcome to Natures Medicine Wellness Center Grand Junction for Medical Marijuana Patient
[email protected]
1001 Paterson Rd
Grand Junction, Colorado 81501
970-424-5293

3660 Downing, Denver.

I heard they are offering free 1/8s right on the spot if you designate them as caregiver, plus 1/8 every month after that.:thumbsup:

Capitol Hill Medicine Shoppe
By Mae Coleman in Marijuana

Capitol Hill Medicine Shoppe
1410 Grant Street, #B-104
Denver, Colorado 80204
Capital Hill Medicine Shoppe | Licensed Denver, Colorado Medical Marijuana Dispensary
303-993-5777

Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday -Friday; closed weekends
Size: 1,100 square feet
Date opened: July 1, 2009
Clients: 100 registered patients, about 400 consistent customers
Patient services: Handicap accessible; delivery service available
Must customers make the dispensary their designated caregiver:
Raw marijuana price range: $98-$108 for a 1/4 ounce
Other types of medicine: Edibles, hash, tinctures, balms, lotions, clones

Our take: Some people might consider it a bit uncouth that Capitol Hill Medicine Shoppe, true to its name, hung its shingle a stone's throw from the hallowed gold dome of the state capitol. Then again, this dispensary might've found the perfect spot. Considering all the budget woes and political bickering besetting our elected officials these days, surely more than a few of them could use the relaxing effects of what the dispensary has to offer.

If any of those uptight mucky-mucks do stop by the Medicine Shoppe, they'll probably be pleased with what they find. While its name may suggest an old-timey pharmacy, the place has the clean, modern look of a doctor's office. A very, very small doctor's office, it should be noted -- though the owners make do with an open floor plan and lots of natural light.

This is a place that's all about the pot. While a friendly receptionist is more than willing to refer potential patients to an outside doctor who'll help them get their medical marijuana card (a guy who seems to be good friends with the owner, since the doctor calls for friendly chat during a recent visit), there are no medical or other services on site. There is marijuana, though -- lots of it. Twenty-two varieties, in fact as well as 52 kinds of pot edibles like lollipops, brownies and tinctures, boasts the pharmacist/owner, a guy who, according to a companion of mine who tagged along, resembles an Office Depot staffer in dress and demeanor.

The guy apparently knows what he's talking about, though; he says he's been a caregiver for more than twenty years -- which means he's been one longer than it's been legal to play that role in any state in the country. To help newbies get up to speed, he offers a variety-pack sampler featuring seven-gram-size quantities of popular strains for $57. That's a bit on the steep side, though, as are many of his prices. If you'd rather save your green and grow your own, the Medicine Shoppe offers clones for $40 and feminized pot seedlings for $45.

While only three months old, the Medicine Shoppe recently sprouted two other Denver locations, including one on the 16th Street Mall. Too bad it didn't open a year earlier, though. If this joint had been around the capitol in 2008, surely Doug Bruce would've been WAAAY more chill.

Herbal Wellness
By Mae Coleman in Marijuana

Our take: Can there be too much of a good thing? Even if that "good thing" is marijuana?

That's the question one faces at Herbal Wellness. Walk into its pharmacy and you'll be confronted with a glass display case jam-packed with jar after jar after jar of marijuana. Fifty varieties in all, according to the rainbow-colored sales board overhead. The bountiful inventory is both intoxicating and overwhelming -- sort of like being a little kid and stopping by Toy R Us just before Christmas.

Herbal Wellness is located in a second-floor office in the middle of the Santa Fe Arts District -- right above the Colorado Democratic Party headquarters, as Herbal Wellness employees are quick to point out. An unintentionally appropriate green-hued hallway leads upstairs to the dispensary, a sizable place featuring an outsized flat-screen TV, cushy leather couches and local artwork on the walls.

Employees seem friendly, though the documents they require customers to sign set off some alarms. While most dispensaries these days make clients sign forms agreeing to let the business act as their "primary caregiver" just for the duration of each visit (a legal maneuvering around the state law that's yet to be vetted in court), Herbal Wellness takes that arrangement one step further. Their paperwork indicates that Herbal Wellness will act as a customer's primary caregiver until the customer sends a letter to the state canceling the relationship. That's a pretty stringent arrangement for a place that says it doesn't require patients make the operation their designated caregiver. When asked about the form, an employee promises, "We're not out to screw you," and that the paperwork is submitted with the state. If it isn't, though, why the austere language? It all seems a bit suspicious.

Customers might forget such concerns once they behold the aforementioned pharmacy. There's practically a field's worth of marijuana on hand; thankfully the pharmacist, who doubles as the dispensary's on-site massage therapist, is friendly, patient and knowledgeable. Prices are a tad on the steep side, though a few strains are always offered at a slight discount (possibly because there isn't enough room left in the display case to hold it all). Beyond the small forest of raw weed, Herbal Wellness offers many other forms of cannabis, from tinctures and chocolate truffles to med strips -- thin little flakes that melt on your tongue.

In other words, there's apparently a medicine here for every ailment. Maybe there's even one that helps people recover from the shock of seeing all that pot.


Herbal Wellness
771 Santa Fe Drive
Denver, CO 80204
[email protected]
720-299-1919

Hours: Monday through Friday 12 to 8 p.m. and Saturdays 12 to 5 p.m.
Size: 1,450 square feet
Date opened: May 1, 2009
Clients: 1,500 as of October 2009
Patient services: Not handicap accessible but will accommodate those customers if they call ahead. No delivery
Doctor evaluations on site: No
Must customers make the dispensary their designated caregiver: No, but offers free half-hour massage and 10 percent discount to those who do
Raw marijuana price range: $100 to $120 per quarter ounce
Other types of medicine: Lotions, edibles, hash oil, hashish, clones, lollipops
Amenities: Full-time massage therapist, art gallery, consulting wing that helps others open dispensaries