Getting into dispensaries?

Hello fellow OMMPers! Last weekend I went to a dispensary here in the PDX area. I am a grower for a patient, so it was mainly just for fun and to check things out really. I prefer the budtender to just put everything he has on the counter and sniff through it all to find what I want. This guy obliged and to my surprise all the medicine looked like popcorn midgrade(I know midgrade, im from Georgia afterall). I didn't directly say that the meds were garbage, as that is definitely not my style, but it lead me to ask if he was looking for more vendors. I only have one patient atm but still have way more than will be able to be smoked before the next harvest comes in. I am not a super experienced grower and would not yet bring my product into some of the upper tier dispensaries around here until I get things down to perfection. However, I know that what I have is WAY better than what these guys were stocked full of. I basicly have an open invite to come in and meet with a manager and let them check my stuff out, but I don't know what at all to expect from the reimbursement side of things. I'm not looking to get rich by any means of this, just would like to be able to get my meds out there for others more than anything.

How lowballed should I expect to get? Their system seems to involve growers fronting, as is case with 90% of the dispens. in my area. Does anyone have any poor dealings with this sort of method to get rid of extra meds? Any tips or pointers you can give before I walk in there? Feel free to PM your response if you feel more comfortable. I think I am mainly doing this in an effort to better communicate and associate with the greater OMMP culture. Rollitup has been great for a format of communication, I just wish I KNEW more people or of a social group who are as passionate about cultivation as I am without it being their path to gold and glory.

tl;dr: need tips for dealing with dispensaries as a vendor.

Sorry I don't have any information except to agree that some dispensaries are selling ass. I commend you for wanting to grow quality while thinking of the patients you supply. I don't see any problem with at least recuperating your costs, either. I'd pay an artist for a painting or pay a musician to perform. Why not pay the cultivator for his skills? Thank you for doing you best to put quality out there!

I've been wondering about this myself. I live on the coast and will be moving to the willamette valley. From what all my friends and family say , i grow better herb than their selling in the dispensaries. I grow for my family and they will be takin care of but i want to hookup with a legit shop and provide some bomb ass meds on the top shelf.

Well, without getting too specific for the sake of the rules of these forums, I can give some insight on how it has gone since my post. I set an appointment with the manager of the same place I was talking about above and showed my goods. He approved and noted that they are having a hard time keeping up with demand. Now, this place(and I suspect others, but not all) work by the grower basically fronting to the dispensary and you are given a receipt. Once the dispensary receives donations for it all. you are reimbursed for your costs of producing the medication. This leaves them with no overhead but at the same time excludes some of the "top tier" medicine growers who know the can get reimbursed upfront from dispensaries operating differently.

A little bit of my extras have been there for a couple days now and I see them up on the Leafly menu, so I know it's being given a chance. I will fill you in on how all this works out as it develops.

Go to PDX Natural Access and check out their Girl Scout Cookies and Dawg Walker both very Dank

Great, thanks for the info Southerner. Interested in how this works as well, i'm in the valley and most places around me have a much lower standard of medicine than I grow for my patient, so it would be nice to know how this works. Thanks for posting.

Snap

Well, everything worked out just great! The meds were dispensed quickly so within the next couple days I got a call and they were already seeing if I had anymore extras. I was reimbursed the agreed upon price and left them more as I have I new harvest coming in. They should call me in a couple weeks to let me know how that is working out. All in all it was pretty nice. I am not the type to try and seek out individual patients to be reimbursed for small amounts, so this setup really works for me. If anyone is interested in doing this, I suggest you just for it. Be confident and cordial as with any such transaction and I think many of you may find it worth your time. There are just WAYYYYY more patients than growers at this point so I think demand is pretty high in the PDX area at least.

Especially for quality medicine

If it's not too personal, can you tell us what the reimbursement rate was? Once the dispensaries start reopening around here again, I'd love to have a legit way to farm out my extras, and maybe pay off my ENORMOUS electric bill.

To be honest though, I've never actually HAD much in the way of extras. I really need to learn how to ration better......

larrygumbie said:

You should not have to spot if you have true top shelf. We are getting $2800 from the clubs now..CASH at delivery. I have not had to spot for over 3 years now, and have a waiting list of clubs that want my meds. We cant grow enough any more. Where 3 years ago we could not give it away. The new OMMP is working great.

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The harvest I did was literally from my first grow ever. I know there is tons of room for improvement for myself, but I still felt it was better than what most I saw at this particular dispensary. I also know there are more experienced growers, such as yourself, who can easily get top dollar as well as cash upfront without problem. I think there's possibilities out there for any grower as long as they truly care about what they are doing. I congratulate you on your success and hope one day I am lucky enough to stumble along your extras at some dispensary cause I would sure as hell be donating. But I also remind you remind you that we all start somewhere

Does anyone know if they have chemdawg clones in the dispensaries in portland or salem?

larrygumbie said:

This is what has happen to the market. People that just started growing gives there so so weed to clubs..Clubs are full of so so weed now. But they get it for free and pay you guys if and when they want too. Lots and lots of growers like you guys on the market now. But just think for a min.? What makes you think the first time growing you would have weed good enough to sell in a club? Could you build a home for the first time and sale it? Or for that matter can you do any thing for the first time and sale it in a store? NO..You need to get better at what you do before you sale it to the public. These clubs are using you guys for free weed that's all.l..That is why lots of clubs are so full of crap weed...The market is going threw a flux now but it will all get fixed in the long run.

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Up to this point I have tried to be respectful, but you are so full of piss and vinager + your own bullshit that obviously you can't see that. Who are you to say the quality of my meds? I didn't get paid upfront but I can tell you that I am not getting much less than you are for reimbursement. I am not some piece of shit out there trying to make a $1,000,000 on a medical system(you?). This isn't my job which is why I didn't care about cash upfront; I do this for my patient(so he doesn't have to get gouged by people such as yourself) and as a hobby and if I can spread my extras to people who willingly want them then so be it. The thing that makes me think my weed is good enough to be reimbursed for is the FACT that it sold out in a couple days.

I could go on about your obvious ignorance but I let your 5 post speak for themselves. Keep thinking youre the best, I'm sure its lovely to live in that small world.

EDIT; Might I also add that what we are doing here isn't building houses. We are literally sticking a plant in the ground and letting it do what it is genetically programmed to do. Sure, there's a learning curve and definitely different levels of quality(though highly subjective) but you weren't the first person to figure this out, nor the last.

I'll gladly let you know in this thread how it goes in the future as how my motive was to encourage others to do so as well. Its hilarious how threatened you are by this thread, the idea that hobbyist and "noob's" competing head to head with you successfully. Just because you do something longer, doesn't make you any better. You are entitled to nothing, despite your claims(all without any sort of backing, might I add). You can keep assuming what you want about me, it just shows your stupidity really. Just because you are the stereotypical medical system abuser doesn't mean everyone else out there is. Do you really think you do some magic that can't be replicated? These are plants, the less you have to do to them the better you are doing. I'm sorry I have threaten your delusion that you somehow are having more impact than the actual genetics of the seed. I'm sure all those magic snake oil additives you probably use are the real difference.

You came into this thread with your head down charging and just look like an angry ape at this point.

EDIT: Serious question--- how is there EVER a dry season for indoor growers?

There's nothing good coming from this, so this'll be my last of it. Welcome to rollitup, I hope you keep hanging around this forum and in the future actually contribute anything except your own asinine assumptions and butthurt. Good day, sir.

I habe family that work in dispensaries in SoCal that swear that my stuff out performs what they sell, from looks to smell and to the ultimate test, the high. Every time they come up they tell me it. They also say I'd make a killing if I go back to cali...which were trying but we've got at least another month or two before we go anywhere.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to toot my own horn...

Also, my buddy made a large purchase in denver and I got a bag from him amd it was a good high but man, they leave tons of non-sugar coated leaf on etc that should all come off. I had a bowls worth of non sense from one small bud, not to mention the other buds that were covered... but when you're out, what can you do?

I understand both sides of this argument but "everybody's got to start somewhere". If someone's first grow turned out above average he has every right to try and get reimbursed for his efforts. If some despensaries are need of better product and some walks through the door, hell yes they'll take advantage of it. Here in CA, competition is fierce- you almost need to have a connection with a despensary to get them to accept your product. Albeit there are always the desp. around that will lowball you just for the sake of lining their pockets with the profit. Some of these desp. are very shady. i know someone that grew some pretty decent outdoor NL, they took it to a "lower level" desp. and the guy liked it alot and thought it looked good so he labeled it and sold it as indoor grown. That's what gives desp. a bad name, theyre just in it for profit and nothing else. Just like most things nowadays- "it's not what you know, it's who you know".

Hey southerner. Haters will always hate. Your doing something you enjoy. You're providing for a patient and making a little cheese on the side all from a hobby. Plus rep fer ya bud.

bigbillyrocka said:

I habe family that work in dispensaries in SoCal that swear that my stuff out performs what they sell, from looks to smell and to the ultimate test, the high. Every time they come up they tell me it. They also say I'd make a killing if I go back to cali...which were trying but we've got at least another month or two before we go anywhere.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to toot my own horn...

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Took a look at the link in your sig and it looks like that grow is coming along nicely! Very lush and green, I wouldn't at all be surprised if those produced some real quality herb.

BWG707 said:

I understand both sides of this argument but "everybody's got to start somewhere". If someone's first grow turned out above average he has every right to try and get reimbursed for his efforts. If some despensaries are need of better product and some walks through the door, hell yes they'll take advantage of it. Here in CA, competition is fierce- you almost need to have a connection with a despensary to get them to accept your product. Albeit there are always the desp. around that will lowball you just for the sake of lining their pockets with the profit. Some of these desp. are very shady. i know someone that grew some pretty decent outdoor NL, they took it to a "lower level" desp. and the guy liked it alot and thought it looked good so he labeled it and sold it as indoor grown. That's what gives desp. a bad name, theyre just in it for profit and nothing else. Just like most things nowadays- "it's not what you know, it's who you know".

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Yes, I have read that a lot coming out of California and that sometimes it doesn't even matter how good your product may be because like you said "it's not what you know, it's who you know". I guess I was thinking my post was more to be about my first experiences in dealing with any sort of dispensary and how that went for others who may have been curious. I got a bigger kick out of my stuff being on a Leafly menu than when I was actually reimbursed; but I also understand and respect that growings is a very serious thing for some growers and paying their bills depends on it. I have ethically NOTHING wrong with that and in fact support full legalization despite all this Kool-aid talk, I think a lot just got taken out of context and hopefully we can turn this thread back into an informative one so it isn't deleted.