Your first visit to a Chicago dispensary.

Your pre-visit checklist

Tick these off before you leave. Your progress saves on this device.

What happens at the door

Every licensed shop checks ID before you reach the sales floor. Expect a front desk or a security check where staff look at or scan your ID. It has to be valid and not expired. A driver's license, state ID or passport works.

Adults 21 and older can buy adult-use cannabis. Registered medical cannabis patients have their own rules and lower taxes.

How the menu works

Menus are split by product type: flower, pre-rolls, vapes, concentrates, edibles, drinks, tinctures and topicals. See products explained for each one.

Flower is sold by weight. These are the sizes you will see:

Edibles are sold by milligrams of THC. In Illinois a package of edibles can hold at most 100 mg of THC, split into servings of 10 mg.

Talking to the budtender

The person behind the counter is called a budtender. Tell them it is your first visit, what kind of experience you are after and how you plan to use it. Ask about price per gram, what just came in and what other customers buy again.

Budtenders are not doctors. If you have a health question, ask a doctor.

Paying and taxes

Most shops take cash and many take debit. Card rules vary, and many shops have an ATM inside. The shelf price is not what you pay. Illinois adds an excise tax of 10%, 20% or 25% depending on the product, and Chicago adds 10.5% sales tax plus 3% city and 3% Cook County cannabis taxes.

Ask about first-time customer offers before you pay. Use the tax calculator to see your real total.

After you leave

While the car is moving, cannabis has to be in a sealed, odor-proof, child-resistant container. Any other container is a Class A misdemeanor. You can never use cannabis in a vehicle, and driving under the influence is illegal.

Use cannabis in a private residence where the owner allows it, away from anyone under 21. Not in any public place.

First visit FAQ