Washington County VT Dispensaries: Complete Guide (2026)

Washington County stretches across central Vermont from the Winooski River valley at Montpelier east through Barre and south to the Mad River Valley's ski mountains. It is Vermont's smallest county by area but holds the state capital, the state's most populous county-seat city by a narrow margin in Washington County (Barre, with approximately 9,000 residents in Barre City proper), and a ski corridor — Sugarbush and Mad River Glen — that draws visitors from across New England every winter. Seven CCB-licensed cannabis dispensaries are distributed across three distinct areas, each with its own character and tax rate.

TL;DR: Seven dispensaries in three areas. Montpelier (Vermont's state capital) has two shops at 20% tax — the county's best rate — including Capital Cannabis Company, the only integrated medical + recreational license in the county. Barre City (21% tax) has three shops on and near Main Street: VT Strong opens earliest at 8 AM Mon–Sat with deli-style service; Dames is open at 9 AM including Sundays; Forbins Reserve is the county's only vertically integrated shop with an in-house grow. The Mad River Valley (Waitsfield, 21%) has Blue Sage in Waitsfield Village Square and Valley Meade at the Route 100/17 junction — the corner where Route 17 splits toward Mad River Glen and Route 100 south leads to Sugarbush.

All 7 shops at a glance

Montpelier: Vermont's state capital

Montpelier is the nation's smallest state capital by population — roughly 8,000 residents — and a compact, walkable downtown anchored by the gold-domed Vermont State House. Both dispensaries sit within a short walk of the State House on Main Street and River Street respectively.

Capital Cannabis Company at 44 Main Street is the county's most distinctive shop. It is woman-owned, founded by a registered nurse, and holds Vermont's integrated CCB license — covering both adult-use recreational and medical cannabis sales under one roof. For any Washington County customer who is also a Vermont registered medical cannabis patient, Capital Cannabis is the only county option. The 8 AM weekday open is among the earliest in central Vermont. Downtown Montpelier is a 5-minute walk to the Vermont State House, and the Capitol District's daytime population of state employees, legislators, and lobbyists makes this a well-trafficked daily-use location. Tax: 20%.

Juana's Garden at 188 River Street, a short walk from Main Street along the Winooski River, is BIPOC-owned — founded by Cintia Lovo Arias and David Pransky, a team with backgrounds in music and community entrepreneurship. The shop uses deli-style retail: flower is displayed in glass jars so customers can see and smell before buying. The selection emphasizes Vermont-grown cannabis. Juana's Garden hosts live music and community events, and is open daily 10 AM–7 PM — including Sundays until 7 PM, an hour later than Capital Cannabis. Tax: 20%.

Tax note: Neither Montpelier shop charges a local option tax. Both are at Vermont's base 20% rate — 1% less than all three Barre shops and both Waitsfield shops. For buyers who shop regularly across Washington County, doing your Montpelier errands while buying cannabis saves a dollar per hundred.

Barre City: the Granite City

Barre City (population approximately 9,000) is Washington County's most populous city and sits about 10 minutes from Montpelier via I-89 or US-302. It earned the "Granite City" name from the Rock of Ages quarries and the immigrant stonecutting workforce that shaped the city's culture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Barre has three cannabis shops, all within a half mile of each other on and near Main Street. Barre City adopted a 1% local option cannabis tax, so all three shops charge 21%.

VT Strong at 69 South Main Street is husband-and-wife owned and the earliest-opening Barre shop on weekdays — 8:00 AM Monday through Saturday. The format is deli-style: staff walk customers through Vermont-grown small-batch strains with an emphasis on craft regional growers. South Main Street is US-302 heading south toward Berlin and Montpelier. Sunday hours are 10 AM–6 PM. Tax: 21%.

Dames at 240 North Main Street is women-led and opens at 9:00 AM daily — including Sundays, where it has the county's earliest Sunday open at 9 AM (Barre City, 21% tax). Online ordering for in-store pickup or curbside is available at damesvt.com. North Main Street is the US-302 corridor heading north out of downtown Barre. Sunday close is 4 PM — earlier than VT Strong's 6 PM Sunday close. Tax: 21%.

Forbins Reserve at 21 Metro Way Unit 8 is the only Barre dispensary with an on-site cultivation operation. It holds both a CCB adult-use retail license and a Tier 3 Cultivation license, which allows the shop to sell from its ForbinsFinest Cultivation in-house grow alongside third-party Vermont producers. For buyers who want to purchase cannabis grown and sold by the same operation, Forbins Reserve is the county's only option. The Metro Way location is in Barre's eastern industrial corridor, accessible from Washington Street (US-302). Hours are Mon–Sat 10 AM–8 PM; Sundays 12 PM–4 PM — the narrowest Sunday window of any Washington County shop. Tax: 21%.

Waitsfield and the Mad River Valley

The Mad River Valley is one of Vermont's best-kept ski destinations — a valley on Route 100 about 35 miles south of Burlington that contains two distinct ski resorts: Sugarbush (Lincoln Peak and Mount Ellen, a full-service resort owned by Alterra) and Mad River Glen (a cooperative-owned mountain with a legendary single fixed-grip chairlift and a skier-only policy, no snowboarders). The two Waitsfield dispensaries are positioned exactly where the valley's traffic converges — one in Waitsfield village, one at the Route 100/17 junction that routes visitors to both mountains.

Blue Sage at 5121 Main Street sits in Waitsfield Village Square — the commercial center of Waitsfield village, near Mehuron's Supermarket on Route 100. Blue Sage is a Tier 1 hybrid licensee, meaning it cultivates, manufactures, and sells its own cannabis rather than buying entirely from outside wholesalers. For visitors approaching the valley from Burlington, Waterbury, or Montpelier on Route 100 northbound, Blue Sage is the first dispensary you reach before hitting the Route 17 turnoff. Open daily 11 AM–7 PM. Tax: 21% (Waitsfield adopted a 1% local option sales tax effective July 1, 2026).

Valley Meade Dispensary at 8 VT-17 sits at the Route 100 / Route 17 junction — the turn every skier makes when entering the valley. Route 17 west from this corner leads to Mad River Glen (approximately 5 miles up the Appalachian Gap); Route 100 south from the same corner leads to Warren and the Sugarbush Access Road for Lincoln Peak. Valley Meade is a family-owned farm and dispensary and markets its own exclusive strains alongside Vermont-grown flower, edibles, topicals, tinctures, and accessories. Open daily 11 AM–7 PM. Tax: 21%.

Note for ski visitors: Cannabis is not permitted on Sugarbush or Mad River Glen resort property. Shop before you go, store your cannabis at your lodging, and don't bring it onto lifts, terrain, or resort buildings. Both shops close at 7 PM daily, which covers most afternoon departures back down the valley.

Vermont cannabis law in Washington County (2026)

Vermont's S.278 raised the adult-use possession limit effective July 1, 2026. Adults 21 and older may now possess up to 2 oz of flower and 10 g of concentrate in public — up from the previous 1 oz / 5 g limits. Home cultivation of up to six plants per household (three mature, three immature) remains legal under existing Vermont law. See Vermont Cannabis Law Changes 2026 (S.278) for the full detail.

See also: Capital Cannabis Company listing — 44 Main St, Mon–Sat 8–8, Sun 10–6, integrated medical + recreational; Juana's Garden listing — 188 River St, daily 10–7, BIPOC-owned, deli-style; Dames listing — 240 N. Main St, Mon–Sat 9–8, Sun 9–4; VT Strong listing — 69 S. Main St, Mon–Sat 8–8, Sun 10–6; Forbins Reserve listing — 21 Metro Way Unit 8, Mon–Sat 10–8, Sun 12–4; Blue Sage listing — 5121 Main St Waitsfield, daily 11–7; Valley Meade listing — 8 VT-17 Waitsfield, daily 11–7; Montpelier near-me guide; Barre near-me guide; Waitsfield near-me guide; Lamoille County guide; Addison County guide; Rutland County guide; Windsor County guide; Vermont Cannabis Law Changes 2026 (S.278); Vermont Strain Match; full Vermont dispensary directory.