Ultimate Guide to How To Become a Budtender

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If you are looking to build a career in legal marijuana, here is the ultimate budtender guide for beginners to get you started and show you how to become a budtender. 

The marijuana industry is thriving in the US currently. By the end of 2019, the marijuana industry had created 211,000 full-time jobs.  In 2020, there may be 3,000 similar opportunities to cash into. There is no better time to get into this industry as a budtender.

Who Is A Budtender?

Budtender is a term that’s exclusive to the cannabis industry. It also happens to be one of the most important jobs in the industry

In layman terms, a budtender is a person who mans the aisles of a weed dispensary. This is the point of interaction between the cannabis business and the customers. Therefore the budtender is the face of the business. 

A budtender is a tour guide of sorts; they should be able to engage customers in everything cannabis. Their JD is not restricted to product information but also 420 lifestyles, culture, history, news, and much more. A budtender plays a big part in ensuring the success of the cannabis business. 

What Are Budtender Requirements?

For the most part, the budtender job requires knowledge on the science of cannabis therefore a background in science/ chemistry/ botany comes in handy. However, this is never mandatory.  Enrolling in a top-rated cannabis school will bring you to speed and help you quality for a budtender job. 

Since this is a customer-facing job customer relations training is also important. You will also need strong communication and organizational skills. 

Budtender Job Description

Budtender schools/ programs will organize their budtender program differently. However, at the end of it all, the budtender is expected to be competent in the following skills:

  • Extensive Product Knowledge

There is almost nothing as frustrating as a budtender who doesn’t understand weed. As a budtender, you must know the different strains of weed, different types of cannabinoids and terpenes in weed, and other properties of cannabis. A budtender should be familiar with how different strains of weed look and smell like and what effects they cause in the body.

The budtender should be able to advise customers on suitable products for their needs. 

  • Marijuana vocabulary

This is an important part of budtender training. A budtender should be comfortable with cannabis lingo and be able to interact easily with all types of customers

A budtender should know the different ways to consume cannabis and be in a place to advice customers on the same. The budtender should also know how the different methods of consumption affect the bioavailability of cannabis. 

  •  The prices of different weed products

A budtender should be able to compare the different prices of weed products in the dispensary. They should be aware of the factors that determine price and be able to explain to customers the differences in pricing

  • Best hygiene practices

Working in a weed dispensary is similar to working in a pharmacy; this means that the budtender should always ensure strict hygiene. 

how to become a budtender in a dispensary

A budtender should have basic knowledge of how cannabis is cultivated. As much as this may not be directly essential for their job, it’s an added advantage for the budtender.

  • Best customer service practices

A budtender should be a skilled customer service representative. They should be able to wear a smile as they welcome customers, converse with the customers easily to build rapport and ultimately be able to close sales. Customers do not buy the product but the person selling the product; this makes the budtender the most important of the business. 

Cannabis laws vary from state to state. The budtender should be able to advise customers on cannabis laws such as how much to buy, where to consume, how much to carry etc

  • Compliance

Marijuana dispensaries are highly regulated; the budtender should be aware of all the regulations and how to apply them. This includes things such as age verification, purchase limits of different cannabis products, how marijuana dispensaries should operate, and packaging laws among others.

  • Passionate about cannabis

Being a budtender is not an easy job unless the person doing it is passionate about the job. Customers can easily pick out a budtender who is passionate and one who is merely working for the paycheck. Before signing up for a budtender cannabis career, ask yourself if you have enough passion to sustain you through the hard days of the job. 

If you get called for a budtender interview, the requirements above should guide you on how to prepare. Most cannabis dispensaries will be looking at the factors above, or something related, during a budtender job interview. 

Apart from the 10 requirements, here are four qualities that are essential for a budtender. They are more like the soft skills required for the trade. 

Important Budtender Qualities To Have

1.   Patience and politeness

This is a soft skill that’s required of all customer-facing jobs. Customers don’t always come “happy and excited to see you.” On several occasions, budtenders encounter rude and entitled customers. Other customers may be overbearing, asking “dumb” questions over and over. The budtender should remain polite and hold their calm despite the pressure to lose their cool. 

2.    Humility

There are times when the budtender will encounter customers who know so much more about weed than the budtender. Instead of pretending to know-it-all, take the chance to admit your ignorance and allow the customer to educate you. 

3.   Sensitivity

Some customers who will walk into a cannabis dispensary will be suffering from severe or life-threatening diseases. Other customers on the hand will be merely looking for euphoria from the latest strain. The budtender needs to quickly determine which group a customer fits into and know how to treat them accordingly. 

4.   Being aware of marijuana trends

This is not a requirement but it helps when the budtender can identify personally with the 420 culture. This means going the extra mile surprise customers with some interesting facts or insightful perspective on marijuana trends. 

Budtender Jobs Near Me

Once you are trained as a budtender, the next thing will be to find a job. When looking for one, consider the following factors:

-Proximity to where you live/ desire to live

-Remuneration

-Growth opportunities

-Work culture

-Work hours

Budtender jobs can be accessed online from sites such as Indeed.com, Simply Hired, Cannabis Training University, and Glassdoor. Another way to find budtender jobs is through networking. You can use social platforms such as LinkedIn or Instagram to reach out to potential employers. Attending 420 events in your area will also expose you to budtender jobs.

Budtender Certification Online

For Budtender certification online and to begin a cannabis job as a Budtender the best place to start is at CTU. Get all your budtender training done online and become the best dispensary agent there is. Learn all areas needed to land a budtender job and increase your chances of beginning the cannabis career you have been looking for. The best budtender certification without question is offered from Cannabis Training University.

Budtender Reddit Jobs

Lastly, you can use Reddit to find budtender jobs.

Congratulations on going through the ultimate budtender guide for beginners. 

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