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Your complete guide to Fort Collins' operating cannabis dispensaries, from locally-owned gems to award-winning retail experiences
Fort Collins has established itself as a progressive cannabis destination in Northern Colorado, hosting a diverse array of licensed dispensaries serving both medical patients and recreational consumers. This college town of around 171,000 residents embraces cannabis culture while maintaining responsible regulations through dual-licensing oversight from both state and local authorities. Whether you’re a Colorado State University student, a curious tourist, or a medical patient seeking therapeutic relief, Fort Collins offers legitimate options throughout the city. For educational resources on cannabis basics and strain information, Herb provides valuable insights to enhance your dispensary experience before you visit.
LivWell Fort Collins represents one of Northern Colorado’s most established cannabis retailers, operating as a superstore destination since 2019 at 900 North College Avenue. This location serves as a cornerstone for recreational and medical marijuana access in the Fort Collins-Loveland metro area, offering an extensive selection that caters to diverse consumer preferences and budgets.
The dispensary’s strategic location near Colorado State University makes it incredibly accessible for both local residents and college students seeking quality cannabis products. With free parking and an on-site ATM, LivWell removes common barriers that can complicate dispensary visits.
What Makes Them Special:
Best For: Colorado State University students and faculty, budget-conscious shoppers seeking variety, customers who value convenient parking and accessibility, first-time dispensary visitors wanting a professional retail environment
Location & Hours:
Verts Neighborhood Dispensary began its journey as a medical-only dispensary in Fort Collins in 2014, establishing deep roots in Northern Colorado’s cannabis community before expanding to serve recreational customers. Located at 1240 W Elizabeth Street just west of the CSU campus, Verts has built an exceptional reputation for premium quality products and outstanding customer service.
The dispensary’s commitment to customer education sets it apart from competitors. Staff members take time to understand individual needs rather than rushing transactions, creating an atmosphere where both cannabis newcomers and experienced consumers feel comfortable asking questions.
What Makes Them Special:
Best For: Medical patients with specific therapeutic needs, cannabis newcomers seeking education-focused service, CSU students and residents in the west campus area, concentrate enthusiasts looking for variety
Location & Hours:
The Green Solution Fort Collins brings award-winning cannabis to North College Avenue, having earned more than 50 awards for their premium flower, concentrates, and edibles. Located at 810 N College Ave, this dispensary sits halfway between Colorado State University and Terry Lake, offering convenient access for both students and north Fort Collins residents.
The Green Solution operates as part of a respected Colorado chain known for vertically integrated operations, meaning they control cultivation, processing, and retail. This vertical integration ensures product quality and consistency that independent retailers sometimes struggle to match.
What Makes Them Special:
Best For: Quality-focused consumers willing to pay premium prices, customers seeking award-winning strains and concentrates, shoppers who value brand reputation and consistency, tourists exploring Fort Collins’ Old Town district
Location & Hours:
Flower Power Botanicals proudly operates as one of Northern Colorado’s original cannabis pioneers, opening as a medical dispensary and cultivation facility in 2010 before adding recreational sales in 2014. This locally-owned, true small family business distinguishes itself through an unusual operational structure—housing a recreational dispensary, medical dispensary, and cultivation facility all in one unique complex just east of Old Town Fort Collins.
The star attraction remains their flower selection, cultivated on-site with 15 years of growing experience. Unlike many dispensaries relying entirely on third-party suppliers, Flower Power grows 99% of the flower on their shelves, offering a healthy assortment of deli-style sativas, indicas, and hybrids.
What Makes Them Special:
Best For: Flower enthusiasts who appreciate craft cultivation, environmentally-conscious consumers who value reusable packaging, college students seeking educational guidance and discounts, cannabis connoisseurs interested in terpene and cannabinoid discussions
Location & Hours:
Organic Alternatives stands as Fort Collins’ premier shop for high-quality, sustainably and organically-grown cannabis, conveniently located at 346 E Mountain Avenue in Old Town. This dispensary strives to provide exceptional medicine to legal Colorado consumers through an unwavering commitment to organic growing practices, obsessive attention to detail, and passion backed by extensive horticultural knowledge.
Owner Steve Ackerman played an intrinsic role in bringing legal marijuana to Colorado and continues involvement as regulations evolve at state and city levels, ensuring Organic Alternatives maintains impeccable compliance standards. The dispensary’s dedication to sustainable, organic production practices creates cannabis free from synthetic pesticides and harmful chemicals.
What Makes Them Special:
Best For: Medical patients seeking therapeutic cannabis, environmentally-conscious consumers prioritizing organic cultivation, Old Town residents and downtown workers, customers willing to invest in premium sustainable products
Location & Hours:
Green Dragon Fort Collins operates at 813 Smithfield Drive, formerly known as Choice Organics—Fort Collins’ very first recreational dispensary when Colorado legalized adult-use cannabis in 2014. This location brings new lower prices, enhanced customer service, and an expansive selection of flower, concentrates, edibles, topicals, CBD products, glass, vaporizers, and smoking accessories under the Green Dragon brand.
The dispensary’s history as Choice Organics gives it unique credibility in Fort Collins’ cannabis community. Choice Organics established many standards for quality and customer education that persist under Green Dragon ownership, maintaining connections between growers and consumers.
What Makes Them Special:
Best For: Cannabis history enthusiasts, customers seeking diverse product selection under one roof, budget-conscious shoppers attracted by competitive pricing, medical patients who prefer established dispensary operations
Location & Hours:
Green Dragon’s second Fort Collins location operates at 804 S College Avenue Suite C, positioned closer to Colorado State University and central Fort Collins neighborhoods. This location provides convenient access for south campus students and residents in Fort Collins’ midtown district, operating with extended hours to accommodate diverse schedules.
Like its Smithfield Drive counterpart, this location emphasizes accessible pricing, broad product selection, and knowledgeable staff assistance. The South College Avenue positioning makes it particularly attractive for CSU students and faculty seeking convenient cannabis access.
What Makes Them Special:
Best For: Late-night shoppers requiring extended hours, CSU students living south of campus, customers seeking straightforward transactions without extensive consultation, recreational users wanting convenient South College Avenue access
Location & Hours:
Solace Meds has served Northern Colorado since 2009, establishing itself as a recreational and medical dispensary committed to providing safe, high-quality cannabis products. Located at 301 Smokey St Unit A, this location emphasizes enhancing customers’ lives through responsible cannabis use, backed by a knowledgeable staff and welcoming atmosphere.
The dispensary’s strong management team recognizes cannabis’s central role in society by initiating innovative approaches to improve quality of life. Solace Meds maintains meticulous care in product selection, ensuring consistency and purity for customers.
What Makes Them Special:
Best For: Customers seeking maximum product variety, shoppers who prefer debit card payment options, medical patients requiring specific product formulations, consumers who value longstanding business stability
Location & Hours:
Solace Meds’ second Fort Collins location operates at 3516 S Mason St, extending the dispensary’s reach to south Fort Collins neighborhoods. This location maintains the same commitment to quality, customer service, and responsible cannabis use that defines the Solace Meds brand across its Colorado operations.
The Mason Street location provides convenient access for residents in south Fort Collins residential areas, reducing travel time for customers in this growing part of the city.
What Makes Them Special:
Best For: South Fort Collins residents, customers seeking convenient neighborhood access, shoppers who established loyalty to Solace Meds brand, consumers valuing payment flexibility
Location & Hours:
Kind Care of Colorado has operated as a locally-owned and operated medical and recreational dispensary since 2009, located at 6617 S College Ave just south of West Trilby Road. The dispensary’s primary goal focuses on providing customers safe, affordable, and discreet access to cannabis, backed by knowledgeable staff who understand both therapeutic applications and recreational preferences.
Kind Care serves customers with payment convenience that many Colorado dispensaries cannot match, accepting both cash and debit cards. The dispensary also features loyalty programs allowing customers to accumulate points toward future purchases.
What Makes Them Special:
Best For: South Fort Collins residents seeking neighborhood convenience, customers who value local ownership over corporate chains, shoppers attracted to loyalty rewards programs, medical patients and recreational users seeking affordable access
Location & Hours:
All adults 21 and older must present valid government-issued photo identification proving age eligibility to purchase recreational cannabis in Fort Collins. Acceptable forms include driver’s licenses, state ID cards, passports, and military IDs from any U.S. state. Medical marijuana patients need both a valid Colorado medical marijuana card and government-issued photo ID to access medical menus and receive associated tax benefits and higher purchase limits. Colorado does not accept out-of-state medical marijuana cards for medical purchasing privileges, though out-of-state visitors can purchase recreationally with valid age-verified identification. Bring proper identification as budtenders will check it twice—once at check-in and again at the sales counter per Colorado law.
Fort Collins initially banned medical marijuana dispensaries in 2011 through voter-approved Question 300, forcing all 21 licensed businesses to close within 90 days. However, the cannabis business industry drafted a successful 2012 ballot initiative reinstating dispensary licensing with numerical caps and preferential treatment for previously closed businesses, allowing Fort Collins to begin accepting applications in January 2013. This turbulent regulatory history created today’s diverse dispensary landscape where education and destigmatization take priority over simple sales transactions. Budtenders focus on providing knowledge alongside products, helping customers understand strain differences, terpene profiles, and responsible consumption methods rather than pushing high-THC products without context. The college town atmosphere around Colorado State University encourages welcoming, judgment-free environments where newcomers receive patient guidance from experienced staff.
Yes, any adult 21 or older can legally purchase recreational cannabis in Fort Collins regardless of residency status or home state. Colorado welcomes cannabis tourists and established itself as one of America’s first states embracing visitors with recreational cannabis interests. Simply bring valid government-issued identification proving you’re 21+—your home state driver’s license, ID card, or passport works perfectly fine. However, remember that marijuana remains federally illegal, meaning you absolutely cannot transport cannabis across state lines or attempt to fly with it, even to other legal states. Purchase limits for out-of-state visitors mirror resident limits: up to one ounce of flower, eight grams of concentrate, or 800 milligrams of THC in edibles per transaction. Many Fort Collins dispensaries near Old Town and CSU particularly welcome tourists with educational staff ready to explain Colorado’s cannabis offerings.
Quality cannabis flower in Fort Collins typically ranges from $25-$60 per eighth ounce depending on cultivation quality, brand reputation, and whether you’re purchasing from value, mid-tier, or premium selections. Budget-conscious shoppers can find acceptable flower starting around $20-$25 per eighth, though top-shelf strains from award-winning growers like those featured at The Green Solution command $50-$60. Concentrates generally run $15-$40 per gram, while edibles span $5-$30 depending on potency and brand. First-time customer discounts (typically 10-20% off) are nearly universal across Fort Collins dispensaries, and daily deals provide additional savings opportunities. Medical marijuana patients pay lower effective prices thanks to reduced tax rates—recreational cannabis carries higher state and local taxes that medical patients avoid. Check Herb’s deals page before shopping to find current Fort Collins promotions and maximize your cannabis budget.
Fort Collins currently does not permit licensed cannabis delivery within city limits. Instead, several Fort Collins dispensaries offer online ordering with in-store or curbside pickup throughout the city and surrounding areas, though options vary by location. LivWell and other major operators maintain robust online ordering and express pickup options, allowing customers to place orders ahead of time and skip in-store wait times. This setup provides added convenience for medical patients with mobility limitations and customers who prefer minimizing time inside retail locations, while still benefiting from in-store pricing. Many Fort Collins dispensaries also feature scheduled pickup windows, combining digital convenience with straightforward, fee-free access to cannabis products.
Cannabis strains fall into three categories based on plant genetics and reported effects, though modern cultivation has created extensive hybridization blurring traditional distinctions. Indica strains traditionally produce relaxing, sedating effects often described as a “body high,” making them popular for evening use, pain relief, sleep support, and anxiety reduction. Sativa strains typically deliver energizing, uplifting effects creating a “mind high” that enhances creativity, focus, and daytime productivity while potentially relieving stress and depression. Hybrid strains combine indica and sativa genetics, offering balanced effects or leaning toward indica-dominant or sativa-dominant characteristics depending on genetic ratios. For detailed education about strain differences and effects, Herb offers comprehensive guides to help you make informed dispensary selections.
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