Ask a Stoner: Should Budtenders Warn Customers About Old Weed?

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Dear Stoner: I spent $55 on an eighth yesterday, and it was ancient. I'm used to dry weed, but shouldn't budtenders tell us if the expensive stuff is five months old?
Cashed

Dear Cashed: Budtenders are stuck in a hard spot. They’re expected to sell everything on the shelves, and this isn’t the beer trade. A Coors Light distributor will switch out expired cans for freshies at the liquor store, but cannabis growers don’t do that. Dispensary managers and store owners hate eating the cost of name-brand weed that comes in pre-packaged eighths, too, so budtenders become pawns in the larger scheme. Sometimes.

click to enlarge

Old weed isn't replaced by the provider, so it often falls on budtenders to get rid of the product.

Jacqueline Collins

If you’re a regular customer, especially one spending upwards of $50 on 3.5 grams of pot, then you should expect budtenders to shoot straight. They’d be stupid not to value that relationship. Still, I can see why you’d be hoodwinked at a store you’ve never visited before. It’s not right, but we should be used to how the retail world works by now. Any flower old or dry enough to pulverize at the slightest touch should be discounted to begin with, though, so there’s plenty of blame to split here. Find somewhere new to shop if you haven’t already.

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