Many of the first medical cannabis programs adopted deli-style dispensary sales. This means that the budtender would weigh flower out of a large container, picking specific nugs out for each customer. Patients could bring their own stash jars and reuse others, leading to less waste than the current systems. That was one of many benefits for consumers. However, at this point in the legal weed game, deli-style weed is difficult to come by.
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Why cannabis consumers love shopping deli-style
Select dispensaries in Arkansas and even one in Washington still conduct deli-style weed sales. Consumers like shopping for weed like this for a handful of reasons, like seeing the buds and telling the budtender about their size and density preferences. Deli-style flower also tends to be fresher than pre-packaged products.
Many brands pack grams, eighths, and above in mylar bags. Unfortunately, this is not the best way to keep weed fresh for a long time. Pre-packing often leads to freshness issues with products on the shelves for a minute. These are vital shopping touchpoints, but having a sensory experience with the flower before purchasing may be why people love shopping for cannabis deli style.
Budtenders have a saying, “The nose knows.” This means that a person can smell weed, and their instincts often say whether it will fit their needs. Pairing the smell with what the weed looks like helps people choose, and it is hard to do when the product is pre-packed. Some states allow for a smell jar, but it can often lose its smell before the product sells out.
Consumers have multiple complaints about pre-packed weed, and they cherish stores and states where deli-style is still on the menu. Unfortunately, only a few places still allow this cherished sales method–and another state recently bit the dust in the name of compliance.
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Oklahoma says farewell to deli-style weed
The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority is officially implementing House Bill 3361 as of last week. The bill was passed in 2024 and moved to change how dispensaries sold cannabis products. Lawmakers argued that pre-packaged products were more traceable and, therefore, safer for consumers.
Loose pounds of flower, the common sales unit before regulatory bodies stepped in, are not as easily tracked by the state. Tracking cultivation batches and sales units is crucial for regulators in the event of recalls and similar situations.
The newly solidified bill requires all Oklahoma cannabis flower, pre-rolls, and any other loose product to be pre-packed in quantities from a half gram to three ounces. Dispensaries have until November to sell the rest of their deli-style stock entered into inventory before June 1, 2025. By then, there will only be a few stores that still sell weed this way.
People love shopping deli style, but these dispensaries have become few and far between. By November, there will be a whole state’s worth of stores that are no longer weighing out bags by the customer.
