Medical marijuana has so many benefits, and it's wonderful that the product is becoming legal in more and more states. If you've received your medical marijuana card, you are probably very excited to visit a local medical marijuana dispensary and pick up your products. But in order to ensure a good experience, you'll want to avoid these rookie mistakes.

1. Showing up with no idea what you want.

You do not need to walk into the dispensary knowing exactly what strain you want and how much you want. However, you should not walk in completely clueless, either. There are employees called budtenders at dispensaries, and their job is to help you choose the right products. But they need to have an idea of what you're looking for in order to point you in the right direction. So before you go to the dispensary, spend a little time looking up what strains of cannabis work well for the ailments you are trying to treat, and then cross-referencing with the dispensary's menu. If you walk in with a list of three or four strains you're considering, the budtender can help you pick the best of them.

2. Going straight for the edibles.

Edibles can be really helpful for those who want to consume cannabis more discretely, and those who do not want to inhale anything. But their effect can be strong -- and overwhelming if you have never used cannabis before at all. Even if your goal is eventually to use edibles, you should start off with some flower to smoke. And if the idea of smoking completely turns you off, try vaporizing instead. Vaporizing is a lot easier on your respiratory tract, but the effect is similar to that of smoking.

3. Buying the highest THC strain you can find.

THC is the active compound in marijuana, so the more it contains the better, right? Well, not necessarily. Especially if you are new to cannabis, the super-high-THC strains can be overwhelming because you'll become super high after only a hit or two. You're better off starting with a lower THC strain so you can scale your intake one hit at a time and figure out what feels best for you. Anything that's over 20% THC is serious stuff and probably best left on the shelf until you're more experienced.

If you do your research, start with smoking or vaping, and buy a low to mid-range THC strain, you'll be off to a great start.