The Apothecarium - Burtonsville

I hate to write this review. I've been a pretty loyal customer to herbiculture over the past year, and have recommended it to multiple friends. However, the past few months have been questioning if Herbiculture is really maintaining the standard of Healthcare I found so helpful when I first went there. Herbiculture prides themselves in using the terpene + full cannabinoid breakdown in aiding patients with their needs. I've learned a lot and have been able to cater my medicine to my needs. Despite knowing one of the employees personally, I received the same high quality attention as other customers would. Lately, things have understandably busy and hectic with the pandemic. New hires, enhanced safety standards, inventory/POS delays. I used to work in the industry- these are merely logistics. While some customers may find this annoying, I understand it's part of the process. I've always found the customer service and attitudes of everybody to be 10/10. All super nice people, special mentions to mike/Isaiah/rashad (spelling?)/and a few other staff members I'm blanking on names for. Recently, I've been seeing less and less medicinal focus. The terpenes are listed but don't seem to be common knowledge between employees, and I think the hiring process has rushed and resulted in inadequate training. No longer can I go in and ask for three recommendations based on terps or effects. Its just a menu and if you didn't order ahead, you kind of just flounder around figuring out more expensive = better. You can ask for a terpene breakdown, but if you haven't done prior research then it can be overwhelming. The inconsistency with inventory is frustrating but expected to a degree considering growing seasons/phenotypic differences in the plant. However, high terpene/medicinal (flower) strains seem to have been all but replaced by low terpene, high THC flower. Considering their pride in terpenes, the products don't seem to be reflecting this anymore. Additionally, the inconsistency in quality is frustrating. I've paid $60 for an 8th of poorly cured, terribly trimmed 'medicine' and gotten better looking/smelling/medicinal for half the price on a different day. There aren't even discounts for buying bulk.... ridiculous.. Every time I come back it's more and more of a crapshoot. I essentially have to go by company before medicinal effects. Especially now that there is usually a long wait time (again, to no fault of herbiculture), there is a -very- subtle pressure to get in and get out quickly. There doesn't seem to be much of a market for concentrate/dabs/wax but 2020 has definitely changed that. While the usual stock is $80-$100 grams of diamonds/sauce, occasionally there will be some quality live resin or live batter. now that, my friends, is medicine. 10% terpene ratios- yall are killing it. The overwhelming majority of strains though are overpriced half grams which I would never recommend to anybody. Just not worth the money. Their concentrates are definitely higher in quality. Producers I prefer are culta and evermore for concentrate, and for flower I bounce between rhythm, curio, and HMS. Honorable mention to Holistic Industries- I need to try more. Companies like Verano and g leaf are hit or miss for concentrate/flower. Really high quality or really low quality, price seems irrelevant. Holy shit, avoid grow west at all costs. They are clearly a cover operation for moving illegal cannabis to DC and sell trim/low quality to dispensaries. I've been disappointed by every single one of their products and actively avoid them for this reason. There is no medicinal value in trim. Maximum chlorophyll and plant sugars with minimum cannabinoids. Grow west should be ashamed, and herbiculture seriously should stop carrying them. A $5 preroll of trim is not medicinal, it's to get high on a budget. You're not fooling anybody with that. I understand that at the end of the day, Herbiculture must maintain a delicate balance of commercial sustainability and medicinal products/service. Lately, it seems as if the owners are prioritizing profits at the expense of customer medicine. Many customers with med cards want high THC and don't care about terpenes. That's fine, but goes against what seems to be the core mission of herbiculture. I fell in love with herbiculture because I knew they would provide quality medicine. At this point, you may as well take a trip to DC because Herbiculture almost seems to value recreational effects over medicinal effects. With that said, I have faith that herbiculture can realign themselves with what they drew in so many of us for. Their employees at worst are uninformed but willing to help to the best of their abilities. Never met a rude face, bad attitude, or disinterest. These people do work hard to give customers a good experience. Their deals are phenomenal and nearly make up for the criticism I hold. The customers can be really mean and aggressive. The employees do a very good job with handling these people. I respect them all, especially management for handling these tough times. A lengthy but honest review. If you made it through this, go ahead and check them out. You get 20% off your first time, and you should stock up. They have great deals daily and you can easily use this to your advantage.

I didn’t enjoy my visit waited a long time the security is not friendly not the same vibe as before will have to look for a friendly atmosphere since they sold not good customer service condescending

This is my second visit to Herbiculture and I have experienced nothing but good vibes from the staff. Everyone is welcoming and I was provided with outstanding customer service. The medication I was seeking was available and I picked it up on the same day within one hour. I definitely will return for my future medication! Thanks to all!

I had to write a follow up review. Herbiculture is my closest dispensary & I can’t possibly say enough positive things about both the place & the employees! You walk in, sign in & someone comes to bring you back, it’s never a long wait either. I tend to come in after 5:30-6 pm, close to closing time, but they never rush you or make you feel hurried (even though I always ask a million questions), they honestly take care of you. They have some of the best deals around as well. Even if it’s a bit of a drive, it’s worth it. For a smaller dispensary, they carry ALOT! There are some other things that they don’t have but will order for you. I could go to other dispensaries that are just a little bit further away, but Herbiculture is always my first choice. A big thank you to everyone who works there! Highly recommended. Score (0-10): 10