Aaron Varney wants to share his knowledge of cannabis with everyone.

But in particular he’s reaching out to seniors who want to know about using cannabis for pains associated with aging.

“Seniors have a lot of [health] issues that cannabis can address,” Varney said. “The aging process is what it is — joint pain, insomnia.”

Because many older Americans are reluctant to step into a marijuana retail shop, Varney decided to take his knowledge on the road. His “Cannabis 101 for Seniors” program has been presented at senior centers, senior living communities and elsewhere.

“There’s still a stigma about marijuana,” he said. “Even though it is legal in Washington, both for medical use and recreational use, some people don’t want to go into a store that looks like a head shop.”

That’s why the stores he owns with his partner, Maria Moses, are open and inviting to all ages. The Dockside Cannabis stores are located in Shoreline and Seattle’s SoDo District.

Originally, the pair had a medical marijuana store in Fremont, which they opened in 2011.

Last year, when state regulation merged the two, Varney and Moses were able to secure two licenses for shops in Shoreline and Seattle.

Since the beginning, their focus has been to help those with medical conditions know what’s available to help.

“The most important thing is to listen to the patient,” Varney said. “Really hear what they’re dealing with. Making sure that each person gets the results they are looking for is the key.”

First has to be whether the patient wants to experience that relaxing euphoric feeling that they will have by using a product with THC. If not, then the patient needs to use a product with CBD.

“Some patients come in and say they remember the ’60s,” Varney said. “They want to experience that high again. Others don’t and are looking for something to help them deal with their joint pain.”

At his 101 sessions, he is often asked about the psychoactive qualities of cannabis.

“They say, ‘What should I use if I don’t want to get high?’” he said. “We point them in the right direction and make sure that their dosage is right.”

The rule is to start with a small dose and determine if that lessens symptoms, and if not, to continue on incrementally.

“You can always increase dosage,” he said. “But you can’t take it away.”

Another question he gets at his sessions is what products are available that don’t require smoking.

“We talk about edibles and topical,” he said. “And we talk about tinctures, which are great because you feel the effect sooner. By putting a drop under your tongue, it immediately gets in your system.”

Another option is vapor cartridges, he said.

“It’s not an irritant like smoking is,” he said. “But it is a fast-acting route and gets in your system almost immediately.”

The idea of “Cannabis 101 for Seniors” came to Varney after a bus full of seniors came for a tour of the shop one day.

“We were showing them around and telling them about the products and I just saw a lot of enthusiasm,” he said. “I worked with the Senior Care Coalition group and administrators of senior care facilities and it just grew from there.”

While he’s helping seniors, he still considers medical patients his main audience.

“Part of our mission is education and outreach,” he said. “But we are still serving the medical patients. All our staff have medical cannabis certification. In fact, we have the most staff with certification in the state. It’s so important to us that we pay for it for every employee.”

And the stores are keen to customer service, too.

“It’s hard enough to be in pain,” he said. “But to come into a cannabis store with questions and feel pressured to hurry because there are people in line behind you, that’s just not right. So we’ve created space for our patients to be able to take the time they need and to have an experience with ease.”

For more information, go to www.docksidecannabis.com. Store locations are 1728 Fourth Ave. S, Seattle; and 15029 Aurora Ave. N. in Shoreline.