Original Article from Higher Living Jess. Available at https://www.higherlivingjess.ca/post/legacy-to-legal
The evolution of Cannabis in Canada has been something to marvel and ponder at. Many people in the cannabis industry have faced a shift in how cannabis operates in Canada, while others have embraced the changes and gone on to embrace the new world of legal cannabis in Canada. Shifting from the legacy market to the legal market can be an interesting change.
If you ever shopped at a legacy market storefront you’ll know the difference many people experience. The Canada Cannabis Act has strict regulations in place that prevent more authentic conversations about the plant within legal recreational stores. This is put in place to protect the workers and customers. The budtenders in your local recreational stores are fellow cannabis enthusiasts just like you and I but they can help you navigate the vast world of legal cannabis. In Canada we have a plethora of options and it can be overwhelming. In each and every province/territory, Budtenders are expected to complete & pass tailored courses that prepare them to sell legal cannabis.
This is where Cheyienne and her team come in to save the day! Cheyienne truly embraces her job and cares about her customers and employees. Her upbeat attitude and positive vibes are radiant and her energy infectious. You can visit the whole crew at The Higher Path, Lumby.
Q: How has the shift been from legacy to the legal cannabis market?
A: At first it was very awkward I guess for a lack of better words.
Although there are definite similarities in the markets. The legacy market operated on medicinal cannabis only. The more cannabis knowledge you had back then made you an asset. I’ve spent hours researching things like the endocannabinoid system and how certain terpenes can react differently to it. It blew my mind that different tastes and smells could actually have different medicinal values attached to them, and nowadays I can’t talk about it. But I also don’t risk imprisonment with my employment anymore either.
The recreational cannabis industry has honestly changed my life and I’ve waited for so long to be here. It is the absolute funnest job, I have so much fun making cannabis content and meeting new people daily. It is so exciting watching all these new products come to the market and seeing all these prices come down.
We have 100$ ounces in the shop now and because of that I truly feel like we are finally starting to take over the black market. I am proud to be back in the industry representing The Higher Path and our small town Lumby. Every day new customers are coming in and trying legal cannabis and it feels great to be able to serve them legally. For only being 2 years into a brand new industry I can’t wait to see what the future holds.
Despite the regulations Health Canada has in place are you able to help provide adequate enough information to the customers? I know wording can be tricky.
It all depends on how you would like to look at it I guess. I mean we definitely can not give out any medical advice in the shop which can be frustrating for myself and the customer at times. Especially when it comes to things like dosage. However, mainly since legalization, it has become very easy to access prescriptions to consume medical cannabis. Once you have that prescription you are able to sign up through any medical LP of your choosing. You can even sign up with licensed producers like Broken Coast through their medical program and purchase their true craft quality cannabis for cheaper. You get a higher carry limit. And can even right off up to $2000 worth of your yearly cannabis purchases. There are tons of benefits.
For now cannabis shops have been legalized for recreational usage only.
If you are coming into the shop looking to find a nice terpy indica grown here in BC I can definitely recommend you some nice something that will rock you. If you are looking for some super tasty shatter let’s talk terpenes. You want to grab a couple edibles for your movie munchie night tonight? I got you. So with all that being said I definitely think I am able to provide my recreationage usage customer with adequate information.
For people looking to work in the legal recreational market as budtenders, what’s your best advice?
As someone who is in charge of hiring for my shop I think the best thing you could do for yourself before even applying to a cannabis shop is to get your cannabis clearance and Cann Sell. Here in B.C. we call it Selling It Right. Selling It Right is B.C.s mandatory responsibility training course for retail recreational cannabis. There are a lot of people always applying in the shop but not very often does someone walk through the door ready to start that day. It can take anywhere from two days to two months to have your cannabis clearance pass and it can be hard on smaller shops especially to wait for your clearance to start your employment.
Besides that, the most important advice I could give to a new budtender would be to learn your terpene profiles!
Since we are very limited on what we are allowed to say in the shop. Taste and smell profiles are one of the only actual ways we can recommend products in the shop these days. Your customers most likely won’t understand terpenes, we aren’t there just yet.
A lot of people are still stuck on the Indica / Sativa distinguishers and don’t realize that it is actually the terpene profiles that give the Sativa and Indica the characteristics they enjoy and are looking for. It should be our job as budtenders to know the flavours accociated with the terpene profiles so in shop we can start helping people buy cannabis that is more effective for them instead of just looking for the highest THC for the cheapest amount possible.
Q: What are your favorite products on the market?
A: That’s probably the hardest question to ask a budtender as we try so many different things. For bud I am all about the Indicas! And I love my BC grown craft cannabis.
It just hits different. It is unlike anything else you will ever smoke. I almost don’t even know how to explain the terpene profile. It has a super skunky, almost cheesy smell to it and a sedative high.
Another beautiful smoke! The dense and pungent buds have almost an earthy terpene that is unlike no other. With flower that sticks to your fingers it definitely has great bag appeal and a strong nose to it
Q: What’s one product you want to try but isn’t available yet in your province?
Caramel Cannabis!
I am all about that super terpy craft quality cannabis. I keep seeing all these amazing reviews online of their products. The buds always seem to have great bag appeal. They have rare strains with names like Animal Face and Garlic Breath which seem to always have a higher terpene content. Plus I just love the packaging!