Cannabis dispensaries in the United States or marijuana dispensaries are a local government regulated physical location, typically inside a retail storefront or office building, in which a person can purchase cannabis and cannabis related items for medical or recreational use. First modeled in Amsterdam in the late 1970s where they were innocently called coffee shops it would take the Americans more than a generation to successfully duplicate the idea of a retail cannabis storefront. Unlike the Dutch coffee shops, today dispensary customers are prevented from consuming cannabis on the site of a regulated dispensary in all known markets.
In a traditional Medical cannabis dispensary store a patient receives cannabis medication as allowed per the patients doctors recommendation. These dispensaries sell cannabis products that have not been approved by the FDA and are not legally registered with the federal government.
As of 2016 there are state regulated marijuana dispensaries in Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Illinois, Michigan, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Washington DC and Lawrence Kansas.
A cannabis dispensary differs from similar retail stores known as head shops, in that only state licensed cannabis dispensaries are authorized to sell cannabis. Right now there is only one in Kansas but I’m sure it won’t be long before there are several in every major city across Kansas. Third Planet will be offering 27 different strains from local organic growers.Lawrence residents are excited for the opportunities this will bring to the area.