Don't bring all your money or pot with you to an initial meeting. Make it so that rip-offs have less to steal. Insist on your own security, and if you have any inkling of bad feeling or suspicion about your business associates, back out. You don't need the money more than you need your fingers. Try not to be so broke that you need to sell immediately.
Desperation breeds mistakes.
Manage your life and business so you can choose when to sell rather than being forced into it by an eviction notice. If you are caught in a rip-off situation, breathe deeply, focus on survival, stay alert. The life you save may be your own. Avoid hooking up with criminal types, even if they are flashing copious amounts of Yankee cash. Love your life and that of your lovers, friends and associates more than you love the dollar.