Budtenders Club
Have you ever been to a dispensary and just been disappointed? Not with the wait time, products, or even service, but with the knowledge your budtender has about the medicine they are dispensing to you. Maybe there’s something new or you have a question about what benefit and effects a new strain may carry, or what terpene profile it may have. So you hear the names but start to ask questions and for some reason can’t really get a beneficial answer. I feel that when a patient enters a dispensary, not only are they expecting to speak to an industry professional, they’re relying on it.
The patients rely on these industry professionals known as budtenders, not only to dispense these medicines to them, but to educate and help them choose which types of medicines will help their specific ailments. Even if a patient is knowledgeable, there will still be questions asked about new strains or products that hit the shelves. If a budtender has no knowledge of new or even existing products, that may be understandable if they’re new or in training. Hey, we all started somewhere right. But when a patient asks about the medicinal benefits that a certain strain or type of medication may have and what effects they may carry, it’s very important that they receive the correct information, because not all cannabis and cannabis products are equal and not everyone has the same reason for medicating.
Photo courtesy of Budtenders Club
Well, I learned there was a whole group in the industry that felt the exact same way as I did and were going to be holding an educational meeting at Dommlife at the end of February. This group of dispensary agents and managers is known as The Budtenders Club. Their purpose is to help Arizona budtenders and dispensary managers learn, network, stay informed and prosper. They are dedicated to developing and promoting practices among Arizona budtenders and dispensary managers that benefit themselves as well as the patients and the dispensaries. I heard about the event they were Holding and reached out and spoke with Brian from Vapen who invited me to attend the event and learn about this new club and all the great things they are doing.
I arrived at Dommlife, entering through the back where the outside area is and where most of the event was being held. There was a great variety of music being spun by DJ Teen. Denise from The Pink Reef had a nice table set up selling some real cool mermaid and sea themed products. The Pink Reef team was also there cooking up some amazing Tacos and quesadillas. Vapen of course was the sponsor for the two dab bars where we got to sample some of their newer products. The Snake Eyes they gave me really stood out very smooth and sweet. Vapen also provided some of their delicious syrup for mixologist Emily Burris to make some absolutely phenomenal fresh fruit drinks. All of this was leading up to the presentation from Leafly, so after some dabs, tacos and drinks it was time to head inside.
Photo courtesy of Budtenders Club
After being seated inside, Maria Sharp from Leafly Introduced herself and began the presentation. The point of this meeting was educational and this presentation of Leafly’s new visualization system for cannabis was pretty informative. Their new system is more visual based to help a patient see what compounds and terpene profile each strain carries instead of it just being labeled indica, sativa or hybrid. Because let’s be honest we have all gotten sativa effects from indicas and vice versa. And let’s face it, after all this crossbreeding most strains are hybrids. So it really is more important to pay attention to the terpene profile and what benefits each terpene carries. When the presentation was finished, Jose from Gpen raffled away a Gpen Connect, a portable e-nail that will attach to the glass you already have to eliminate the necessity of a torch for your dabbing experience. Then it was back outside to do some more dabs before calling it a night.
Not long after heading outside, taking some more dabs and eating some more tacos, it was time to wrap it up. All in all, it was a great event, very informative. Amazing food, drinks and meds, it was nice to be invited to and attend an event with like minded people who just want to learn more to be able to do a better job to help themselves as well as the patients. Unfortunately due to this Covid-19 pandemic, the March meeting was cancelled, but hope to see all DAs at the April meeting where Vapen will be giving away a year’s worth of free meds! Get one free Vapen concentrate or edible per week for 52 weeks. Prize winners can pick up one month at a time. To be eligible to win all you need to do is have a valid Med and DA card and be on The Budtenders Club mailing list by April 27th 2020. You don’t even have to be present to win but if you are you get an extra 4 grams. So go sign up, attend the event learn a thing or two and maybe win a year of free meds!!
Photo courtesy of Budtenders Club
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