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Cannabis is fully legal for adults in Missouri now, so you may be feeling curious about the potential benefits of weed (or just want to experiment for fun)! People have been using cannabis for medical and recreational purposes for millennia– are you ready to join the movement?
Getting started with weed can feel overwhelming. There seems to be so much lingo, so many different products, and how do you “do” weed anyway? Should you smoke it? Are edibles safe? How to ask for weed? What’s a dispensary like? Will people judge me for being new to cannabis? Is there even weed for beginners?
If you’re feeling like this, keep reading! The great news is that the cannabis community is very welcoming and happy to share knowledge with newbies. Here at From The Earth, we are grateful for every new customer that walks through our doors, and love educating them about cannabis benefits and products. Got questions? We’ve got answers!
This weed buying guide will teach you all you need to know to get started with cannabis, including what’s the best weed for beginners, how to use different products, and the best things to buy at a dispensary.
What to Buy at a Dispensary for Beginners
There are so many different types of cannabis products, but there is no need to overcomplicate things! When you’re just getting started with weed, you’ll probably want to go with one of three easy-to-use methods: smoking cannabis flower, eating cannabis edibles, or vaping cannabis concentrates. We go into more details about each of these techniques below.
Best Strains for Beginners
The tried and true, classic way to use cannabis is by smoking it. In order to smoke pot, you need three things: cannabis flower buds, a pipe, and a lighter (bonus: a grinder to get the bud broken up into small bits that burn easily. This can also be done with your hands).
Cannabis strains are often organized into two main categories: indica and sativa. While this simple system is becoming outdated as more information about cannabis is discovered every day, you may be wondering which is recommended– indica or sativa for beginners?
The truth is, unless you are using cannabis in order to obtain specific effects, it probably doesn’t matter. A hybrid strain will most likely give you the balanced, enjoyable experience you are looking for. As you learn more about cannabis strains, cannabinoids, terpenes, and how your body responds to them, you will most likely gravitate toward one or two fave strains. But for now, try an introductory hybrid strain such as Peanut Butter Acai or Lemon Tree Punch.
Once you have your cannabis flower, break it into bits using your fingers or a grinder. Loosely pack it into the bowl of your pipe, making sure to leave space for air to flow. Then inhale from the pipe as you light and hold a lighter to the bowl of weed. It should ignite, allowing you to inhale cannabis smoke into your lungs. Start with a small inhale and then increase to full lung capacity with future tokes as you gauge your comfort with inhaling the smoke.
If you don’t want to have to worry about buying additional accessories to smoke your weed, try a pre-roll! Pre-rolls consist of pre-ground strains, perfectly rolled into ready-to-smoke joints. This takes away a lot of the prep work– all you need is a lighter and you can simply smoke your pre-roll like a cigarette.
The best pre-roll for beginners is a small one. While a lot of pre-rolls on the market contain a full gram of weed (way too much for a beginner!), Illicit Smokos contain just half a gram per pre-roll– a much more manageable size for newbies and weed aficionados alike (though you’ll probably still want to share or just smoke half your first time around!).
Smokos are sold as individual joints– perfectly pre-packed with premium strains like hybrid Coco Chanel. Want to stay stocked up? Grab an adorable “mixtape” 5-pack of Rollozz or Gorilla Pie.
Best Edibles for Beginners
You may prefer not to smoke, which is totally understandable. There are more discreet ways to consume cannabis, with no smoke and no coughing involved. Lots of weed beginners like to start out with edibles because of their tasty flavors, easy dosage, and long-lasting effects.
The biggest mistake that beginners make with edibles is eating too much. Yes, they’re delicious, but do not overindulge! While overdosing on edibles is most likely not dangerous, you will be uncomfortable.
When just starting with edibles, you should keep your dosage at 5 mg or less (ALERT: This is typically only ½ a gummy– read labels carefully!) Weed gummies are a popular way to get started with edibles because they are so easy to dose and split evenly.
Illicit Hybrid Gummies come in tangy flavors Slaughtermelon, Fruit Punch’d, and Super Sour Tangie. Start by eating one-fourth or one-half of a gummy. Wait at least 90 minutes to see how it affects you before eating any more. This is because unlike fast-acting inhalation, edibles have to travel through your digestive system before hitting your bloodstream.
Once you get to know your dosage and how your body reacts to consuming weed, you can begin to experiment with the wide variety of flavors and dosages available in cannabis edibles.
Want to learn more about edibles? Check out our answers to the Top 5 Questions About Edibles.
Cannabis Concentrates for Beginners
There is a big world of cannabis concentrates out there, and you will most likely get to know more about them as you get further along into your stoner journey. But for now, the easiest way to get started with cannabis concentrates is an easy-to-use vape.
Vape cartridges come pre-loaded with cannabis concentrate, which contains the active ingredients of cannabis in an oil that has been extracted from the plant. To vape cannabis, you simply attach a cannabis cart to a battery, press the button to heat the concentrate, and inhale.
The concentrate is heated to such a high temperature that it is vaporized, so you inhale and exhale vapor, rather than stinky, lingering smoke. Vaping gives you the fast-acting effects of smoking weed, but with more discretion.
Start out with a hybrid vape such as Illicit Classy Carts in Razzmatazz or Cake Baby.
Even easier? Pick up a disposable vape like an Illicit Monopoly Melt in Bruce Banner or Strawberries & Cream. No buttons, no batteries– simply inhale and enjoy. Then toss it when it runs out of concentrate.
How to Order Weed
Now that you have an idea of what to buy at a dispensary, you may be wondering… how? Don’t fret– From The Earth makes it so easy. Whether you’re a people person, or an “avoid people” person, it is simple to order and obtain your weed from us with as much (or as little) help and interaction as you’d like. To order weed, choose one of the following options!
- Come on in to a From The Earth dispensary near you! Our friendly budtenders will be happy to have a conversation with you and help recommend the ideal products to help you get started with cannabis. Remember to bring your ID!
- Shop our online menu and pick up in-store. You can place an order online and then come into one of our locations to pick it up. Need more guidance? Try our AI Budtender.
- Order online for convenient delivery to your home or workplace from our Raytown or Independence locations.
Here at From The Earth, we wholeheartedly welcome you to the wonderful world of weed! We are so happy to have you and look forward to being your guide along this journey.
Still have questions? Check out 10 Tips for New Recreational Weed Users in Missouri.
About the Author:
David Craig is the VP of Marketing for Illicit and From The Earth. Craig has been on the ground floor of developing multiple lifestyle and retail brands in the cannabis, fitness, and entertainment industries from Las Vegas to New York City.
