Welcome to CBD With Bre, a blog series where I, as a self-proclaimed CBD noob, recount my experiences getting into the world of CBD. While I have a fair amount of experience on the research and science side of things, as I’m learning, it’s quite different when applied offline.

Continuing on from the previous instalment, I thought it might be a good idea to dive into my first few experiences checking out licenced shops. Long story short, if you’re a noob like me and find new situations intimidating, hopefully this gives you a better understanding of what to expect.

Of course, just as a quick disclaimer, this post is for informational purposes only and not meant to endorse any brand or product. We’re just here to reflect and discuss my personal experiences.

Context and Background

The plan began after the launch of LoFi’s first product, the CBD Oil | 1500. The goal was a simple one: purchase myself a bottle of LoFi’s new oil while chatting it up with budtenders and gaining some fun new experiences (and knowledge) for myself. On a personal note, I wanted to learn more about how the industry works on the practical, real-world side of things, and develop a better understanding of how the market operates.

The Experiment

Throughout my search, I ended up going to at least seven different local shops, split between my own city and one of the neighbouring ones. Finding a bottle of LoFi oil proved to be a challenge as it had only recently launched and it kept selling out. Some of the shops I visited didn’t seem to know what I was asking about, but upon recognition, I was constantly being told that LoFi’s oil was going fast. This was great for the company but kind of crappy for me. Regardless, this ended up meaning that the entire process took a few weeks and many repeated attempts. On the bright side, I learned more than I probably would have had I been able to find what I was looking for right off the bat.

In the end, unable to find LoFi’s oil and knowing it was going to be another few weeks before it was stocked, I ended up purchasing a different kind of CBD oil instead. While I was eventually able to find a bottle of LoFi, the trial below was with another brand.

My Observations

I begin CBD With Bre posts with the prerequisite that I’m a complete noob, so if you’ve been to a few cannabis retailers and know how they operate, a lot of my observations will probably sound obvious. If you’re new to the whole scene like I am, however, hopefully you’ll find some of these thoughts give you a better idea of what to expect. True to the first CBD With Bre post, to keep things simple, I’ll write up a list of bullet points below here.

1. The buildings are intimidating as all heck. The shaded windows make it hard to know what to expect upon entry, especially if you’ve never been to a shop before. The insides almost aren’t any better, most of them full of wide-open space, glass cabinets, and a wide glass counter full of products at the front.
2. Everything is locked up. I didn’t realize this wasn’t a ‘self-serve’ situation when I went into it. I don’t always like asking for help in shops, so it’ll be nice to know what I’m walking into next time.
3. On that note, there’s a big interaction component of the whole experience. This can be stressful, especially if you don’t know what you’re looking for yet. If that’s something that concerns you, maybe grab a friend to come with you as back up and do some research beforehand.
4. Budtenders know where you should be looking. If I didn’t go up and ask for what I was looking for, I wouldn’t have known where the CBD section was.
5. It’s important to read and be able to understand a product label for yourself, as well as doing your own calculations. A lot of the people I spoke to were super friendly, but it wasn’t until I got home that I realized I bought a CBD oil made from distillate.
6. Be prepared to experiment. There are a lot of products to try, and even with recommendations from the budtenders, you won’t necessarily know what’s right for you until you give it a shot.
7. Prepare yourself with whatever knowledge you can ahead of time. This isn’t to say that your local budtenders don’t know what they’re talking about but having a grasp on what you’re looking for and some of the key pieces of information around CBD might help increase your confidence.
8. There’s a difference between cannabis retailers and head shops. I definitely went into a few head shops asking around for CBD oil, only to learn more about Canadian regulations and licencing. Made for some great conversation, but I definitely left feeling a little more embarrassed that I probably needed to.

TL;DR

Getting involved with something new can be intimidating and stress inducing, especially when it requires interactions with people and going into shops with tinted glass windows. In my experience, however, the budtenders I met were more than willing to chat and answer my questions to the best of their abilities. While there are steps you can take to make the process of buying a little easier, personally, I’ve found the community to be very welcoming.