Beginners Guide to Shopping Legal Cannabis:

Whether your long-term dealer finally got out of the game or it’s your first time purchasing cannabis ever, going into the dispensary for the first time can feel a little overwhelming. Here’s what you can expect at Bonnefire.

When you walk into any dispensary, if you look 25 or under, Ontario regulations require that we check your ID. For safety, if you have a face covering on we will always ask you to remove it to check ID, no matter your age.

Legalization has a lot of benefits, but the options and the information available are some of the most notable to the average consumer. At Bonnefire, we carry a wide selection of some of the best products available on the Ontario market. Everyone has a different definition of the “best” but for us, we value quality craft flower- small batch, hand-trimmed, and grown with care.

Legal cannabis in Canada is regulated per province, so every store in Ontario has access to the same products. But that doesn’t mean we all carry the same products. We have tens of thousands to choose from to fill our menu!

The following formats of cannabis can be found at most stores:

Whole flower and pre-milled flower available in one gram up to an OZ (28g)
Pre-rolled joints and blunts in a variety of sizes and quantities
Edibles, such as gummies, chocolates and drinks
Vapes both disposable kinds and cartridges for reusable batteries
Concentrates such as hash, resins, or THC diamonds
Topical creams, lotions, and balms

From Legacy to Legal

Most folks in the industry use the term “legacy market” to refer to pre-legalization days. If you’re a legacy smoker, you can count on the Bonnefire team to know your favorites. A lot of legal products have changed the names of our favorite classics for marketing reasons, but we try to keep an eye on this so we know which of our products have those familiar OG Kush or GrandDaddy Purple genetics hiding behind their fancy packaging.

When shopping in the legal market, be sure to ask for hand-trimmed cannabis. Many of the large producers in Canada are machine-trimming their products which destroys the best parts of the bud. We believe this is often why legacy smokers say that legal weed isn’t any good, and when it comes to machine-trimmed buds we’re likely to agree with you!

New Consumers

If you’re new to cannabis, it can be hard to know where to start or what to ask for. Not everyone has the same perception of “mild” due to how individualized the cannabis experience can be.

At Bonnefire, we always recommend starting with a “balanced” or high CBD option. “Balanced” cannabis options have a roughly even amount of CBD to THC content. THC is the molecule in cannabis that causes the intoxicating effect, or the “high” while CBD is a non-intoxicating cannabinoid that can help buffer your system. CBD helps to reduce anxiety and paranoia that can come from THC as well as reduce or even eliminate the groggy effect of THC that often hits as the high wears off.

We recommend starting with a balanced pre-roll or drink option if you’re a true beginner. We prefer these formats because they are easy to use and faster acting than most other edible formats. Smoking cannabis produces effects with 30 seconds to five minutes. Cannabis drinks typically take effect within 15 minutes, whereas most traditional edibles can take an hour, or multiple hours to set in. This waiting period is often anxiety inducing for new folks or can lead to taking more than necessary due to delayed effects.

Still not feeling confident about your first visit to the dispensary? Feel free to send us an email, give us a call, or message us on Instagram to ask any pre-store questions! Let us know when you come in that it’s your first time shopping with us and we’ll be glad to show you all the options and answer any questions you may have. We’re ready when you are, and we hope to see you soon!