The Hunt

In yesterday's dark, rainy, chill weather, Ten and I ventured down to Wareham. I’ve never been there before. It’s a short (if it’s not summer) 15 minute hop to the Bourne Bridge and Cape Cod. So, the town is Cape-ish – quaint, cozy, cute but not cloyingly so. Along the main drag there are big rambling Victorians – most seem to have been broken up into apartments and are in need of a new coat of paint.

Still gorgeous.

There are cranberry bogs all around. It’s home to The University of Massachusetts Cranberry Research Station (who knew there was such a thing?) AND the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Cranberry Marketing Committee.

The town’s all about the cranberry action.

A new plant’s come to town though. Yup, that’d be cannabis, bhang, ganja, weed, the GOOD kind of tea (sorry Hillel but it’s TRUE!), MARIJUANA.  Now that BOTH medical and recreational weed’s legal in Massachusetts dispensaries are blossoming. The one in Wareham was recommended so, DUH, we went.

Now then, the only other pot shop I’d been to was in Bend, Oregon where the greenery’s been legal across the boards since 2015. We pulled into the parking lot there, walked into the shop that was like any other retail establishment and I looked around at the T-shirts and lovely blown glass pipes. The product itself was in a glass case. There was a very friendly, competent clerk behind the counter. The emporium wasn’t crowded and the atmosphere was appropriately chill.

Here is Massachusetts medical Mary Jane's been AOK since 2012 BUT happy, recreational grass has only been legal since this past November 20th. Shit’s still being sorted out – sales are WAY more uptightly structured.

I thought this'd be our smoke shop but NO.

When we got to the joint in Wareham there were two security guards (security guards???? How unfriendly!) out front who directed us to a parking lot, located more than a mile away, where we were to leave Bix, REGISTER and take a shuttle back to the shop. The fuck?!

We’d driven more than an hour to get to this place and now we gotta jump through hoops, take a shuttle from some far the fuck off locale AND REGISTER? Why are we having to register? What the fuck’s that about? I just wanted to buy a little Larry Lemon and it’s SO LEGAL now!

Well, it’s like this – LEGAL recreational weed is still a new thing here. EVERYone wants some.  For sanity and safety’s sake, the stores need to be all utra organized. If not, I imagine, every day would  be like the old Running of the Brides days at Filene’s Basement. BIG structure is needed. Shops’d be mega chaotic and mobbed otherwise.

The “registering” business – that was about checking ID to make sure customers are of age (21) as well as having people scheduled for the shuttles. PLUS, the shop isn’t big by any means. There are no racks of T-shirts or pipe cases. They’ve nada but the weed. Can't have too many people in there at once.

OK. I get it now.

The worker bees at Verilfe were all awesome – friendly, helpful and happy. Considering what they’re selling – pain relievers, chill inducers, mellow time advancers – yeah, I’d be happy too.

I want to know what other stores are like. There’s one near Davis Square in Somerville that I want to try out. Also one right in downtown Boston and another in Brookline Village. In the rave reviews I’ve read, most folks stress ordering in advance. I’m guessing this is an indication of crowd size.

I also RILLY, RILLY wanna take a trip to Uxbridge to visit Caroline’s Cannabis, a “mom and pop” not tied to an existing medical marijuana dispensary.

Yeah Bay-bee – independent weed!