The Highs and Lows in the Daily Life of a Cannabis Budtender

Insider reporter Locklin Newman, a budtender at a local medical marijuana dispensary, gives a firsthand account of working in the industry at a time when cannabis laws are constantly changing.  

Most days, my job feels like retail, but with cannabis instead of McDonalds’ Big Macs.

If I am opening, I have to be at work at 8:30 a.m. to get everything ready. The morning routine includes moving carts with pounds of product on them to the back of the house where orders are prepped for patients who place them online. 

On multiple days of the week we receive in-state shipments from processing facilities. We have to take the product back and put it into our online inventory system. This is both funny and ironic to a young adult like me, because this looks like legal trafficking, but with more of a PG-13 aura instead.  

It is crazy to see the evolution of the law–from people hiding in their basements consuming cannabis in fear, to buying it in a brightly-lit store off a 22-year-old budtender. 

After stocking and prepping the day’s orders, I place iPads out on the sales floor for patients who haven’t placed online orders. The online menu is what patients analyze and order from, and it offers a wide variety of products: flowers, concentrates, cartridges, tinctures, lotions, balms, capsules, troches (gummies), and vaporization devices/tools. 

The choices can be overwhelming. That’s where budtenders really come in. 

Afternoons and evenings are filled with interacting with patients. Many people come in not knowing what might help them or what they need, and it’s often the budtenders job to educate patients on all aspects of cannabis. As a budtender, you have to make sure the wants and needs of each patient are met to the best of your ability. This means there’s a lot more personal customer interaction in this field compared to food or other retail positions. Patients range from an 18-year-old teenager who’s looking to consume cleaner cannabis to a 60-year-old war veteran who is just looking for something to help with his back problems. This job requires a versatile and adaptable personality in order to accommodate such a wide range of people. 

This job also requires knowledge of the products, which is something I didn’t really need to have for any of my previous retail jobs. Cannabis is interesting. It can be treated like a party drug like alcohol, or it can be treated like something spiritually medicinal and pain-alleviating. I notice a blatant difference in patients who are there for medicine and those who are treating the dispensary like it’s a liquor store. 

Cannabis is a lot different than alcohol. Alcohol is a depressant and cannabis is a psychotropic. I value the spiritual aspect of cannabis a lot. When a person who got their medical card just to get high comes in, I don’t try my best to truly find any “medicine” for them. Instead I dedicate that energy to those who are seeking real relief and those who are fellow connoisseurs. 

Like many young adults, I have a background in cannabis exposure. But I realized that consumption does not equate to education. I furthered my knowledge by attending Oaksterdam University online. Oaksterdam offers certificate programs in cannabis studies. Through my studies at Oaksterdam, I learned how to help patients a lot more thoroughly. 

The more I learn, the more I can really dial in what is helpful for our patients’ problems. For example, if a patient suffers from arthritis in their wrist, I can match them with a specific lotion high in CBD and THC content that will help alleviate their pain. Another example would be a patient having digestive issues and they would likely benefit from something high in THCV.  Cannabis has been misunderstood for many years. When used properly, it can help with so many things. 

The cannabis industry is, of course, constantly evolving. It seems like every day there are new laws and regulations, and it’s important to stay on top of that. There are many new studies coming out proving the medicinal benefits of cannabis and hemp. I love seeing this “new” form of medicine become more and more accessible and legal. It’s an exciting industry and I love being a part of it.