Some of the dispensaries I go in are nice enough that I could write a review with relative ease. Other dispensaries are so great, the review writes itself and Alternative Wellness Center is one of those.

After plans fell through one afternoon last week, I found myself in Denver with little to do but waste time. I had been invited by a few people to come check out a dispensary on the west side of I25. When I dug through my purse and snapped open my med jar, I found it was uncomfortably barren and decided that now was as good a time as any to try out something new. I drove a few blocks west and found myself at Alternative Wellness Center (2647 West 38th, Denver CO 80211)

After rounding the block a few times for a parking spot, I figured out the private lot behind the place had its own parking. I pulled in and rolled in the front door. A pretty girl smiles at me from her desk and welcomes me back into a large room lit with natural sunlight. The friendly bud tender nodded to me from behind a glass display case and the most adorable little dog starts to dance around my feet, begging for the tummy-scratching she seems accustomed to. The place is welcoming and comfortable, and almost too trendy. I feel like Im sitting in a posh dental office, not a store where you go to buy one of the most controversial medications ever, marijuana. I plop down on the leather sofa to play with Lily, Cannabis’ most famous bitch, and am suddenly immersed in conversation.

If you want to know why a person is in this industry, visit them on your own terms. I didnt let Alternative Wellness know I was coming but I still had the opportunity to sit down and talk with both of the owners and their staff. (Hi Ed! Hi Pablo!) They were willing to answer my questions and even offered up their own personal stories about how cannabis had changed them, while listening to my long-winded accounts. Although they were busy, I had the opportunity to meet their Rolfer and get a full tour of the beautiful facilities(seriously, check out their epic bathroom!)

What I enjoyed most, and what makes Alternative Wellness Center stand out above the rest is the conversation I was able to have so quickly after meeting everyone. In a relaxing atmosphere I found myself enthralled in a passionate exchange with the staff about the legitimacy of our industry and how to best help the patients around us. We talked about HB1284 and how they would be affected. We talked more about the edibles industry and how they plan to stay on top of the market with their denver-based wholesalers. We talked and before I knew it, the afternoon was spent.

Its all warm and fuzzy, right? We had a great conversation about cannabis and activism and greed, the owners having a firm grasp on the laws they are up against and the coming legislations that are changing them. So we know they are in it for apparently all the right reasons, and are doing well by their patients and employees, but what about the medicine?

For meds, This place is second only to one. I picked up three strains, K2- a new breed I had never come across yet but that surprised me with its crystalline leaves and intense earthy aroma. Durban Poison, one of the strains I use most common, because it works so well with my RA. And last but certainly not least, Lambs Breath- the strain that introduced me to medical marijuana- the first strain I didnt get from that guy I know.

All three strains were beautiful, so beautiful that I neglected to smoke them until I could show my friends. Look, real medicine, from a Denver dispensary, who knew!? Jokes aside, most Denver dispensaries are eons behind the dispensaries in Northern Colorado and I found good meds were few and far between.  Alternative Wellness Center is the exception to that rule, they had plenty of strains but of much higher quality than I normally see. After a few quick-fire questions, I smiled knowing that the budtenders were not only handling the medication well, but really knew what they were talking about. Each one of them asserted a high-level of cannabis knowledge that is generally lacking in many of the facilities across this state.


Cheers to you, AWC. If Im ever in Denver and in need of meds, I wont be going any where else.

To Visit Alternative Wellness Center visit their website here. Their Facebook page HERE. And meet Lily for yourself here. That’s right, she is so cool she has her own facebook page, tell her I sent you.

Hours of Operation
Monday–Friday 12:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m. Saturday 12:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
Private Consultation Available

2647 West 38th Ave Denver, CO 80211
(720) 855-6565

info@altwellcenter.com


I have to add this in here, because in the interim of writing this review, I made it back to AWC one more time. I picked up some of their OG Fire Kush for a strain review on the John Doe Radio Show and I have to say, bravo. To the talented grower that took such time and care in growing this wonderful strain, thank you. You knocked the whole JDR crew on their asses, and that alone is something to be said. High Five to you, my friend.

© 2010, AntiSoccermom. All rights reserved to the original author unless stated otherwise.

Follow In Harmony Wellness by becoming a fan on their facebook!


I woke up that morning with a migraine. You know when they come on WAY before you open your eyes, it’s sure to be a rough day. For me, and thousands of people like me, pharmaceutical medications only make symptoms worse. I groan my way out of bed and head to the local dispensary to get the medication I need to make myself comfortable.

When I got to In Harmony Wellness, I was greeted by name by the same receptionist that’s always there. The Co-owner, Tina Valenti, usually smiles warmly when I pop my head into her office but this time, she frowns and motions me inside. Apparently, I looked like I felt. I step inside the business office and its just what you would expect. A giant whiteboard scribbled with ideas, a foreboding looking safe and a desk riddled with paperwork, where Tina is digging through drawers. She hands me a packet “It’s my last one, but you look like you could use it.” She says, that comforting smile returning to her face. It’s that EmergenC fizzy drink in raspberry, coincidentally my favorite flavor. It promises to deliver 1000mg of vitamin C straight to the chin of whatever is dragging me down.

I slump into a chair as she rattles off a list of things that may help my obvious misery. She offers a couple of herbal remedies, but not the kind you would think. Traditional Chinese Herbs and a product called “Cold Snap.” She slaps down a handful of throat lozenges and reminds me not to use them without eating first. “They can make you sick to your stomach” She warns. I make a meager effort at humor by announcing that she might also have something that helps with nausea, alluding to the room down the hall where jars of high-grade medical marijuana, medicated edilbles and tinctures are stored and dispensed.

Without going into the politics of everything and without standing on any podiums or shouting from any treetops let me say this, I need dispensaries. Unable to grow my own because of allergies and arthritis, I need to utilize the talents of people who are capable of such things. I need to know that there is medication available for me, be it for a wicked migraine or for my auto-immune disease. I need the option to have tincture if I cant smoke or hash if I just need to sleep. I need edibles, a fine art I have yet to master, for when there are young children in the house and smoking is out of the question. I need quality medication and as a patient in Colorado, I need Care-giving dispensaries.

In Harmony wellness has several great qualities that I have yet to find anywhere else. First and foremost, they are consistent. Co-owner Derek Cumings, has unparalleled talent for turning medication into delicious goodies with unrivaled medicinal benefits. Their meds are always great, but more importantly, their edibles always taste the same. The Cannabits hard candies will taste the same today as they did a month ago. The tincture will be the same potency and though the candies inside the brownies may change, the taste and quality never have.

Secondly, they genuinely care about you as well as the community around them. They ask about your symptoms and even recommend specialty products to treat what ails you. They take care of their neighbors with food drives and community outreach programs. (Dont forget to bring in some canned goods for the Windsor Food bank, a drop box is located right inside their front door. )

Lastly, their prices are so fair that you almost feel like you are ripping them off. A rare emotion when dealing with this costly medication.

In short, there is something different about In Harmony Wellness. Something Sincere. I’ve claimed to have a favorite dispensary before, its true. But as they say, time reveals the truth and while I support my former favorites in spirit, I simply cannot rely on them being consistent with their product. In Harmony provides the consistency I am looking for, while retaining the high quality I desire. Reading the bills that have been proposed by Romer and Massey, I think mostly of In harmony. Should legislation take these legitimate, patient focused care-giving businesses out of our community, it will mostly hurt the patients they strive so hard to care for.


Visit In Harmony Wellness at 4630 Royal Vista Circle #12, Windsor, CO. Open from 10:00am to 6:00pm Monday through Friday, 10:00am to 5:00pm on Saturday, and closed on Sunday.

You can reach them at 970-222-5555 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              970-222-5555      end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              970-222-5555      end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              970-222-5555      end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              970-222-5555      end_of_the_skype_highlighting, or via email at inharmonywellness@gmail.com. Follow them on Facebook by clicking HERE!

© 2010, AntiSoccermom. All rights reserved to the original author unless stated otherwise.