Dear Stoner: Why Are Some Dispensaries 21+ Only?

Dear Stoner: Dispensaries that are medical and recreational are only allowing medical patients 21 and older in. Does that mean medical patients under 21 have to go to med-only shops now?
Brynn

Dear Brynn: That’s not the case, but I can’t blame you for coming to that conclusion. My strain-reviewing gig takes me to a lot of dispensaries around town, and I’ve noticed the same trend you have: Most dual-use dispensaries have instituted a 21-and-up age limit since adding recreational sales. However, many still have not — and the reason is more about zoning than licensing. The dispensary whose strain I review this week, the Denver Clone Store on Ivy Street, is dual-use and allows medical patients under 21 in, and so does Medicine Man Medical Market in Glendale and many others. What do they all have in common? Different location designations for the med and rec bud rooms.

The dual-use dispensaries that have the 21-plus age limit are co-located, meaning the medical and recreational side share the same ID checks and points of sale. If a dual-use pot shop only has one bud room and reception window, then you have to be 21 to get in no matter what. If the dispensary has two separate location designations (i.e., different bud rooms, ID windows and points of sale), then the age restriction probably doesn’t apply. This trend also has a lot to do with where you live, because it’s harder for a storefront dispensary in central or downtown Denver to add another bud room and point-of-sale system than it is for a warehouse on the north side to do so.

Dear Stoner: Thinking about making some special brownies this weekend. Should I follow the box instructions?
Corey

Dear Corey: For the most part, yes. If you already have your cannabutter or infused oil prepared for baking, then the mixing process is the same — unless you have to melt the butter beforehand, in which case you should melt it on low. Heat kills THC (even lukewarm temperatures do, albeit at an extremely slow rate), and that’s the biggest thing you need to watch for while baking with cannabis. Some baking mixes call for a 350-degree baking temperature, but you should never go over 320, just to be safe. I once left some cookies in at 350 degrees for a little too long, and the only thing more disappointing than their brick-like texture was their lack of potency.

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