As I continue down the cannabis entrepreneurship journey, cannabis has reached a certain normalcy in our world. What hasn’t changed much - cannabis education for the user. It has been lacking from the start. And that’s putting it nicely.
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There are great changes coming in 2022 and one of them is an increased focus on budtender training around cannabis education.
Source: Photo by Alexandre Chambon on Unsplash
As a short-lived former budtender, I can tell you that training around the cannabis plant is almost non-existing. You get product training, which is different than cannabis plant education. Most of my training involved training directly from the company with sometimes great to non-existing information about how cannabis works. Every once in a while I would find a vendor provided-training that helped me understand the age-old question “how do I use cannabis for” - you pick the health issue.
Companies like 1906 are great at connecting the dots - but only budtenders and other approved people in the industry have access to it.
You see budtenders aren’t really trained to help you on the “how do I use cannabis for…?” question. They are there to provide product information and can give you product recommendations but at the end of the day - cannabis works differently for every person.
So even though they recommend a strain or product that helps them sleep, or helps with chronic pain, it may not work for you.
I think the cannabis industry is finally catching on to the importance of cannabis education but unfortunately not cannabis education for the user.
Don’t get me wrong, yes please train our freaking budtenders but really - give the people who choose to use the plant cannabis education.
People who choose to use cannabis need cannabis education more than anyone. Why? Everyone thinks they know how it works. But how many of you are using weed and still have the same issues?
Don’t rely on your budtenders to give you the most accurate up-to-date information - stay informed yourself. Check out these seven reasons for you to stay current on cannabis.
We all respond to cannabis differently
At the end of the day just because your budtender got a great sleep from using a strain, doesn’t mean you will too. What makes cannabis so unique from other medicines we use, is how it interacts with our Endocannabinoid System. We are all uniquely different beings who respond to life differently - cannabis does the same thing. You may have to try a few things before finding what is right.
Ever heard of cannabis allergies
Probably not. And not every budtender will know this either. But think about this - could your doctor tell you your allergies outside of the office? So how can a budtender know your allergies? Did you know if you have allergies to tomatoes, dust among other things you may have allergies to cannabis too? Allergies can be sneezing, watery eyes to name a few. Your budtender can’t be responsible for knowing your allergies - you have to tell them so they can make the right product or strain information.
Terpenes have effects
Terpenes do more than have beautiful fragrances (or sometimes not) they also have medicinal properties which may impact how cannabis can affect a person. Did you know cannabis brands may add those exact herbs to their edibles, tinctures, or even salves? Why? because it has the potential to change your experience with cannabis while potentially enhancing the medicinal effects of cannabis. Terpenes will also affect you if you have allergies. Not all dispensaries and hemp shops are great at providing this information. Leafly provides a great starting point for information but unfortunately because the cannabis industry has been so unregulated for so long - who really knows if the information is right for your specific strain. Ask your budtender for help and don’t be afraid to make a suggestion to the manager to make it better for everyone.
Source: Photo by Elsa Olofsson on Unsplash
Cannabinoids make a difference too
Most people don’t realize that mixing THC with one of the cannabinoids like CBD, CBN, CBC, or CBG can alter how THC interacts with your body, which may cause a different cannabis experience. In addition to mixing cannabinoids, pay attention to the top terpenes in your strains or products to see if they make any difference too. This is called the Entourage Effect and I highly encourage every cannabis user to find their mix.
Cannabis is more DIY than you might think
Shopping at dispensaries or hemp shops can get expensive. Unless you have deep pockets this may not be an issue. I believe in knowledge. The more knowledge you have about cannabis - the more you can do at home to potentially save money. We use to buy salves, pre-made tinctures, edibles now I make all of those things at home with flower. I have started to share some recipes but work in the kitchen is limited unless I have help.
Conclusion
Budtenders need cannabis education but I believe if you are a user of cannabis, it’s more important for you to have access to cannabis education because you are using the cannabis plant. And if there is one promise I can make about the cannabis plant - it responds to everyone differently.
Cannabis has too many moving components within itself to only empower budtenders with cannabis education. I believe as a responsible cannabis user you should know the plant you are choosing to put in your body. I didn’t in the beginning and I wish I did.
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