Medical marijuana dispensary review: Back to the Garden in Denver

Back to the Garden is in a cool spot on South Broadway, well north of the epicenter but still situated in the funky confines of Antique Row. Unfortunately, someone has apparently had their back to the garden instead of being back in the garden.

Back to the Garden

1755 South Broadway
Denver, CO 80210
720-583-2119

Hours: 10 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. seven days a week.
Marijuana prices for members: $25 for 3.5 grams, $160 ounces. Taxes not included
Marijuana prices for non-members: $30-$35 for 3.5 grams, $175 ounces. Taxes not included.
Online menu?: Yes. http://legalmarijuanadispensary.com/dispensaries/colorado/glendalewa-park-west-dispensaries/6128
Handicap-accessible?: Yes.

The storefront is in an old strip center on South Broadway, and it's among the smallest shops I've visited. The entryway/lobby/reception desk area has just enough room for three or four people, and that's assuming you've all become comfortable enough to sit hip to hip on the antique-style fainting couch across from the reception window.

The place is clean and simple. Decorations are minimal in the gray-and-white waiting room, limited to a few mass-produced Italian wine posters that college girls buy at Target and put up in their first apartment. But whatever: Traffic on South Broadway is infinitely more interesting to watch, and the entire storefront affords that view from inside.

A board with pricing on it was well placed near the receptionist desk, so I got a good look at what the center had to offer while I waited for the budtender to copy my ID, red card and paperwork that I was asked to fill out. Members get their first eighth for $10.99 plus tax. Otherwise, non-members are capped at $35 for an eighth and $175 for an ounce. After watching cars on Broadway zoom past while people in front of me took care of their business, I was let in through the security door to the bud bar.

Back to the Garden's Chemdawg.

Back to the Garden had the same problem I encountered recently at Buds4You: The smell of sweet, sweet cannabis was overpowered by some fruity air freshener -- or that's what I thought. It just as easily could have been that the budtender was wearing way too much perfume that day. Either way, it reminded me of being back in high school, when girls smoked cigarettes off campus at lunch but thought nobody could tell because they doused themselves in body spray and hand lotion before they made it back for last period.

Same here. Not that I'd want the place to smell bad, but if your customers can't handle the aroma of herb, they probably shouldn't be using it as medicine. And either way, it was hard to get past the scent of Herbal Essence or whatever it was floating around the shop and actually get into the smells from the jars.

Of course, that was also partly due to the bland odors emanating from the leafy buds inside.

Buds are kept in Mason jars in one of two glass counters. Sample jars with individual nuggets are set on top of the counter for easy patient access. I really dig this setup, because it lets patients pick and choose without feeling like they are overwhelming a budtender. To the left of that counter is another, smaller glass display with edibles, pipes and topical lotions.

Page down for the rest of William Breathes' take on Back to the Garden, including bud reviews and more photos.