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4 min read

Flower vs. Vape vs. Edibles: How to Pick at a NY Dispensary

A plain-English breakdown of the three most popular cannabis product formats at NYS dispensaries — onset time, effect duration, price, and who each is for.

If it's your first visit to a licensed New York dispensary, the menu can feel like alphabet soup. Here's the honest comparison our budtenders give every day.

Flower

  • Onset: under 5 minutes
  • Duration: 1–3 hours
  • Price: $40–$60 per eighth (3.5 g)
  • Best for: traditional smokers, people who want fine control over dose

Vapes

  • Onset: under 5 minutes
  • Duration: 1–2 hours
  • Price: $40–$85 per gram all-in-one
  • Best for: discretion, travel, precise puff sizes

Edibles

  • Onset: 30–90 minutes (10–20 min for beverages)
  • Duration: 4–8 hours
  • Price: $20–$30 per 100 mg pack (10 servings)
  • Best for: longer sessions, sleep, non-smokers

The rule of thumb

Start with the lowest labeled serving of any product and wait the full onset window. NY caps edibles at 10 mg THC per serving for a reason — that's a real dose. Browse the full Piffords menu to compare live inventory.