Acannabis retail outlet (also known ascannabis shop,cannabis dispensary,cannabis store,cannabis cooperative) is a location at whichcannabis is sold or otherwise dispensed, either forrecreational or formedical use.
Due to the complexlegal regimes surrounding cannabis, cannabis shops have different names and modalities depending on the jurisdiction. In theNetherlands these are calledcoffeeshops.[1] In theUnited States they exist as an outlet for both recreational and medical use, often calleddispensaries.[2] In other jurisdictions likeMalta,Spain,Uruguay,Germany, cannabis dispensation takes place incannabis social clubs, legally not considered as a retail shop but as non-profit cooperatives. Finally, there are other types of cannabis shops like Bhang shops in India andexperimental cannabis dispensation systems inSwitzerland.
Cannabis shops differ fromhead shops in that the latter sells onlydrug paraphernalia. The world's largest cannabis dispensary is inLas Vegas, Nevada at 112,000 square feet opened byPlanet 13 Holdings.[3][4]
Cannabis selling coffeeshops began in the 1970s. Establishments likeMellow Yellow coffeeshop were known for open cannabis smoking and dealing. After an explosion of hard drugs authorities began to tolerate soft drugs and legalized cannabis selling in registered coffeeshops.[5] Similarly, cannabis cafés and bars are well established in Thailand.[6]
In certain territories of the United States, dispensaries distribute cannabis to the general public or in some cases only to approved patients.[7] InUruguay cannabis dispensaries are built by the government and can sell to the public.[8]
In 2015, theCity of San Diego madeA Green Alternative the first licensed medical cannabis dispensary and delivery service in the city.[9]
In Canada, dispensaries are also popularly known ascannabis stores. Following the national legalization of recreational cannabis under the 2018 federalCannabis Act, laws around the licensing and operation of cannabis stores are left to the provincial and territorial governments.[10] Some provinces and territories, such asManitoba andSaskatchewan, have a fully privatized physical and online cannabis retail market.[11] Others maintain a hybrid system with fully privatized physical retail but government-owned online retail (such as inOntario orNewfoundland and Labrador), or a mixture of private- and government-owned cannabis stores (such as inBritish Columbia).[11] Government-owned cannabis stores are typically operated through existing provincial/territorial governmentalcohol monopolies (such as theNova Scotia Liquor Corporation) or by establishing newCrown corporations to operate cannabis stores (such as theSociété québécoise du cannabis orCannabis NB).
Designated similarly to a dispensary, cannabis delivery services do not operate a walk-in storefront. InCalifornia the rise of delivery services has been steadily occurring. Cannabis delivery services are subject to the same regulations as walk in dispensaries with the added stipulation that they can only deliver directly to the consumers home address. Delivery to public business and other areas is expressly forbidden byCalifornia Cannabis Delivery Laws
InOntario, the government-ownedOntario Cannabis Retail Corporation retains the legal monopoly on online delivery for recreational cannabis.
A Cannabis social club (CSC) is a non-profit members-only industry model for non-medical cannabis. CSCs do not "sell" cannabis as such: legally, they only grow the amount needed for their members in exchange for the costs of production (a form of delegation of home cultivation to the club). The exchange of the product against money is not considered a sale, but a sharing of the costs of production, and therefore can be considered a personal activity, happening in collective private settings.[12]
CSCs exist without specific regulation, taking advantage of legal precedents, in New Zealand, Spain,[13] Belgium,[14]France,[15] the Netherlands,[16] Slovenia,[17] and Austria.[18] They are regulated by law inUruguay (since 2014),Malta (since 2021), andGermany (since 2024).
In India, severalIndian states allow licensed bhang shops to sellbhang, adecoction of cannabis. They mainly sell traditional cannabis-infused Indian bhang drinksBhang lassi andBhang thandai.
In Switzerland, the firstpilot project of recreational adult use dispensation, half-way between a dispansary and a cannabis club, started on 31 January 2023.
The Netherlands is also experimenting a legal dispensary system, in parallel of its coffeeshop model. The pilot project started in December 2023.[citation needed]
| General | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usage |
| ||||||||
| Variants | |||||||||
| Effects | |||||||||
| Culture | |||||||||
| Organizations |
| ||||||||
| Demographics | |||||||||
| Politics |
| ||||||||
| Related | |||||||||
