[mikereedell]

In CO, buying MMJ still requires a medical card. If you go to a medical/recreational dispensary without a medical card you can only purchase recreational MJ, which tends to be sativas or hybrids while medical tends to be indicas and indica hybrids.

There are also different tax and quantity rules around MMJ in Colorado. Medical card holders pay 2% (I think) tax while recreational pay over 20% tax. Medical card holders can also purchase 2oz at a time while recreational users can only buy an ounce at a time. Medical card holders can also grow twice the amount at home than non-card holders.

Until there's no differentiation between medical and recreational MJ, there will still be a need for doctors who are willing to fill out the paperwork for medical cards.

[code_duck]

Stores and the law are set up as if there is a real distinction between recreational and medical cannabis. It's sort of silly because it is all the same strains, grown by the same people who are growing it for the black market 10 years ago, or still may be. There are some legitimate true medical strains, like the ones high in CBD or CBN. As far as your standard cannabis though, the goals of people growing your average medical cannabis are exactly the same as the recreational… Make it as potent (high THC by weight) and flavorful as possible. At this point stores use the quality and price difference to try to encourage you to sign up through their clinic service, which they make money from. Medical in CO is about like a club you buy into.

Here in Colorado, the best thing to do is to still just go to my friends house, where I can get an ounce as good or better as the highest quality medical available, for 50 or $100 less with no government involved - just like 10 years ago but cheaper and higher quality.