Maine Guide To Cannabis

Stoners Gonna Stone

One of my absolute favorite things about buying weed in Maine is how chill it is. With very few exceptions, the dispensaries I frequent are quiet spaces, never overcrowded and staffed by folks who will provide as much or as little guidance a customer desires. I shop medical, so there is a foundation of caregiving built into the experience.

I enjoy the ridiculousness of 420. The origin story sounds like a few high-school experiences I had. The cultural phenomenon that has grown around it is wild. However, the “black-Friday” hype built into the day is a bit weird… especially here in Maine.

I got no time for goody bag lines. I do like sales, discounts and loyalty stuff. I also like meeting new people and learning more about growing and consuming cannabis. The 420 experience – which this year was a jumble of weekend/holiday days – seems to deemphasize community in favor of an oddly discordant commercial experience. I get it – business is business, but it does lack a bit of joy and whimsy.

I visited 3 dispensaries this weekend. One twice. On all three I got the day wrong. The Market in Westbrook was doing 4/20 on 4/20. I stopped by on Saturday, 4/19. Same deal with Captains Cannabis in Portland – 4/20 was on 4/20, but they were offering a 10% discount on 4/19. Skunk Circus‘ big day was 4/19, but they were offering deals all weekend.

At Captains’ on Saturday, I picked up a 1/4 of Blue Lobster. Since their big day was Sunday, I didn’t want to waste my wad prematurely, but I graciously accepted the 10% discount. The team is great there. They are changing to full deli-style, , but the 1/4 I got came out of pre-packaged bin.

I didn’t get anything at The Market on Saturday. I returned on Sunday for 4/20 and left empty-handed. They were offering “$100 ounces”, but they always have those, and from what I could tell the good brands were same $25 an 1/8th they always are. Those guys always have a great menu at a fair price, which is perhaps why 4/20 was underwhelming for me there.

I hadn’t planned on heading to Raymond on Sunday, but I was looking for a sure thing, and knew Skunk Circus would deliver. I loaded up there; had the place to myself and was glad to get a 4/20 discount. I missed the big event on 4/19. From what I’ve heard, that was the place to be for some joy and whimsy.