Strawberry Pot Tart, Birthday Baked, and Coconut Fudge are just a few of the many flavors of homemade ice cream that are offered to patients at Natural Alternative Medicine. Medical marijuana dispensaries like Natural Alternative Medicine and Dr. Reefer have become common stores in Boulder. (CU Independent file/Kristen Metzger)
Dr. Reefer walks into his work every day, ready to harvest, bake and sell medical marijuana.
He is ready to sell what he knows most about. He is ready to sell marijuana to his various patients who come in with a card and cite various forms of pain for their reasons to inhale or eat.
Before Pierre Werner became Dr. Reefer, he ran a medical marijuana referral service in Las Vegas. But before that, Werner said he was jailed for two years for growing and selling marijuana. One of his roommates was also in for growing and selling, but for recreational marijuana. The Dr. Reefer dispensary opened Nov. 2, 2009.
People walking into Dr. Reefer wanting to buy marijuana must have a card. Werner said that reasons for getting medical marijuana change, but some reasons include chronic sickness, severe pain or nausea, cancer, glaucoma or muscle spasms.
“It helps the patients reduce and eliminate pharmaceutical products,” Werner said. “For most of the patients, it’s used to subside other things, like pills. Someone taking 10 OxyContin can take less if they smoke a couple of joints.”
Mara Maeglin, a 19-year-old sophomore psychology major, said she supports the use of medical marijuana and the opening of the dispensaries.
“Weed alleviates pain,” Maeglin said. “It definitely does. It is better than taking pills like Vicodin. It is more natural.”
Although many Boulder residents approve of the medical dispensaries, some still are cautious about their impact.
Boulder resident Bill Townsend said he worried about the dispensary opening close to his house.
“I’m worried about crime and not being able to sell my loft,” Townsend said. “We wouldn’t have bought this in 2004 if medical marijuana was near it.”
Townsend also said he is worried about burglaries and fears that parents would be worried to live there with their children.
Kimberly Ries works to bake and sell the plant. Ries is the co-owner of the Hill Cannabis Club and Wellness Center, which opened Feb. 6.
Both dispensary owners say they have a great selection of marijuana products.
Dr. Reefer sells various strains of marijuana, including Indica, Sativa and hybrids.
Heidi Keany, a 19-year-old employee of Dr. Reefer, said there are differences between each strain.
“Indica is more of a body relaxant, while Sativa is more of a head relaxant,” Keany said. “The hybrid is the mix of the Indica and Sativa.”
There are also concentrates, another category of marijuana for medical patients to purchase.
Werner said he recommends the Caviar concentrate, a brown green substance.
“It is made from the best medical marijuana marinated in liquid hash,” Werner said. “Two puffs will get you medicated. You don’t have to use a lot.”
Dr. Reefer also sells edibles, including cookies, chocolates, o’boys (which are rice crispy treats), lollipops, butter, brownies, goo balls and homemade cupcakes.
Ries said the Hill Cannabis Club and Wellness Center also has a good selection.
“We have definitely over 10 strains,” Ries said. “We have a good variety between Indicas and Sativas, which is good. We also have free edibles on Saturday. Right now we’re out of edibles, but I bake full time at Boulder Baked, so I’ll make more immediately.”
The shop also sells Mad Batter products, which are a healthy alternative to brownies and other sweets. Ries said there is gluten-free granola and popcorn.
Despite the positive effects of medical marijuana, some students, like 19-year-old sophomore psychology major, Jake Friedman, do not smoke because of possible negative consequences, including a lack of good sleep.
“It really screws up your sleep cycle,” Friedman said. “You stay in Rapid Eye Movement sleep, so you never get in Stage IV sleep. Stage IV is the most relaxing.”
Georgianne Cotton, a 21-year-old junior news editorial major, who also said she doesn’t smoke, warned against the sleep consequences.
“If you don’t get good sleep it can make your medical condition worse,” Cotton said.
Both Friedman and Cotton work at Community Health, a division of Wardenburg.
College students who are also medical marijuana cardholders shop at both stores, but Werner said that college students do not make up the majority of his customer base.
“Between 20 to 40 percent of our customers [are in college],” Werner said.
Ries said that about 60 percent of her customers are college students.
As far as testing the product goes, Werner said he makes the ‘Budtenderess,’ or Keany, test everything, so she can know the quality and explain the marijuana effects.
“I can pinpoint where it affects you in your body,” Keany said.
Each shop has its own specialty.
Werner said the Dr. Reefer is the biggest dispensary in Boulder; 3,000 square feet and the only with live plants, which are large and green. Dr. Reefer also offers a free clone with every purchase, and sells topical lotions and marijuana sodas, as well as clone classes.
“The classes teach people how to clone,” Werner said. “This includes cutting, pH adjusting in the water, where to cut the plants, what nutrients to use, how much to use. This will be on the university level in the future.”
Chris Pierce, a medical marijuana patient and manager at Color the World, said he has been coming in to Dr. Reefer since it opened.
“I love the good Bubba Kish and the Caviar,” Pierce said. “It’s amazing. People say ‘one hitter quitter.’ It’s the real thing. I smoke all day long.”
Pierce added that he gets brownies because he likes chocolate.
Gregory Carlson, a 21-year-old senior mathematics major who is president of the College Republicans, said he has mixed views on medical marijuana.
“I doubt many of the cases of medical marijuana,” Carlson said. “I think the more you introduce [the dispensaries], the more it gets to young people. However, the capitalist in me is for it, if it’s heavily taxed.”
Dr. Reefer is located at 1121 Broadway Suite G-1; visit drreefer.com for more information.
The Hill Cannabis Club and Wellness Center is located underground on College, next to the Root.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Sara Juliet Fruman at Sara.fruman@colorado.edu.
