South Dakota lawmakers approved the majority of regulations for the state’s medical cannabis program Sept. 13, while rejecting a handful of rules proposed Gov. Kristi Noem’s administration, according to an AP News report.
The Legislature’s Rules Review Committee, which approve the proposed regulations, told the Department of Health it must revise several of its proposals, the news outlet reported.
While lawmakers signed off on most of the Department of Health’s 124 pages of draft rules, which covered topics ranging from the fees for medical cannabis cardholders to the required height of fences around cultivation facilities, they rejected proposals such as a limit on the amount of high-potency cannabis that patients can possess, as well as a defined list of qualifying conditions, AP News reported.
The approved regulations set a $75 application fee for medical cannabis cards, according to the news outlet, and offer a $20 discount for low-income patients. They also establish a $5,000 state licensing fee for medical cannabis businesses.
The Department of Health held public town halls and meetings with industry groups throughout the summer, AP News reported, and Secretary of Health Kim Malsam-Rysdon told the news outlet that the department adjusted its regulations based on 42% of comments submitted by industry groups and individuals. She said the rest of the suggested changes were rejected due to conflicts with existing state law and impacts on health and safety, or they were deemed unnecessary.
The Department of Health must now decide whether to rework the rejected rules and resubmit them to the Legislature, AP News reported. South Dakota’s medical cannabis law requires the regulations to take effect by Oct. 29 and patient ID cards must be ready to issue by Nov. 18.
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Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission Hires Director, Unveils Plans to Begin Cultivation Next Year
State Treasurer John McMillan will be appointed executive director of the newly created agency, which will license and oversee the industry.
The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission has appointed its executive director and unveiled plans to begin cultivation next year.
AL.com reported that the 14-member commission selected State Treasurer John McMillan in a unanimous voice vote to lead the newly created agency, which will license and oversee Alabama’s medical cannabis industry.
McMillan served 14 years on the State Personnel Board and is also a former commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, according to AL.com. Alabama voters twice elected him as commissioner of the state Department of Agriculture and Industries in 2010 and 2014, and he was elected state treasurer in 2018.
McMillan plans to accept the role and resign as state treasurer, AL.com reported, which would prompt Gov. Kay Ivey to appoint a replacement to complete McMillan’s term.
“More than anything it’s just the challenge of being able to start a significant state agency that I think stands to really help a lot of people that need it as we move forward,” McMillan told the news outlet when asked why he wants the executive director role. “We’ve had some good research going on and there’s been interest in this for a number of years. It just appeals to me with my experience in state government and government agencies, you might say fixing some of them, that this is an opportunity to start something from scratch and get it right and see it bloom.”
Medical Cannabis Commission Chair Dr. Steven Stokes told AL.com that he hopes McMillan can assume his new role by Oct. 1.
The commission now plans to ask state lawmakers to revise Alabama’s medical cannabis law to allow for cultivation to begin at an earlier date than is outlined in the current statute, according to AL.com.
The current law requires the state to begin accepting business license applications by Sept. 1, 2022, but Medical Cannabis Commission Vice Chair Rex Vaughn told the news outlet that he is in discussions with legislators to allow cultivators to be licensed sooner, in early 2022.
The Alabama Legislature is expected to meet in a special session later this year to approve new congressional and legislative district boundaries based on the 2020 Census, and lawmakers may meet in another special session to work on a prison construction bill. Industry stakeholders are optimistic that lawmakers could change the date for medical cannabis cultivation licenses during on of these upcoming sessions, AL.com reported.
As their primary role is to assist customers and patients, budtenders are likely the people consumers interact with the most, inevitably making them the face of the business.
Budtenders help patients navigate the world of cannabis consumption by advising them of which products to use based on their specific needs or providing them with a comprehensive knowledge of cannabis, different products, dosing and much more.
Joseph Hendrix, chief financial officer of Resonant Cultivation and Mosaic+, an Oklahoma City medical cannabis dispensary, described budtenders as the "most direct connection that your organization has with its patients and customers," making it essential that dispensaries implement proper budtender training to ensure customers have a safe and enjoyable experience.
Cannabis Dispensary spoke with two industry professionals to explore the importance of budtender training and the best practices and techniques their dispensaries use in their training programs.
It Starts With the Patient
Corey Rimmel, operations manager at Feel State, a Missouri-based medical cannabis dispensary business, said one of the main things Feel State focuses on in its budtender training is the patient experience and how to offer excellent customer service.
"[We discuss] how to greet someone, how to sell an item, how to recognize social cues when talking with someone, and how to really get to know someone, learn something about them and make them feel welcome," Rimmel said.
One of Feel State's goals is for budtenders to have more extended conversations with customers and answer their questions. And the dispensary works to provide budtenders with the proper knowledge to have those in-depth conversations with customers, he said.
Hendrix also expressed Mosaic+'s passion for ensuring patients have a great in-store experience.
"The goal for us is [to create] that trusted experience, where a patient knows when they set foot in Mosaic+, they're going to walk out of there with a good experience [and] with quality products that they want and desire," Hendrix said. "And [our goal] is to have a fully trained team who really excels at delivering that experience to our customers."
Mosaic+ does "mock transactions," where one team member will play the role of different patients, while new hires act as the budtender, Hendrix said. The idea is to prepare new team members on how to handle and approach patients differently.
"Maybe it's a patient who is new to cannabis or is reconnecting with cannabis, so they don't really know what they are looking for yet,” he said. “Or maybe it's somebody who is very familiar with cannabis and a true connoisseur and may, to a certain extent, know certain parts of the plant better than our team. So, how do we handle that approach? Or maybe it's dealing with a customer who's not pleased with something; how do we handle that?"
From there, the new hires observe and monitor "shift leads," or the "frontline trainers," who are assigned to be the first line of help at Mosaic+ for any questions that that one might have, Hendrix said.
Hendrix and Rimmel noted that while customer satisfaction is of the utmost importance to them, employees also need to be trained on various education topics to ensure they can properly meet patient's and customer's needs, answer their questions and educate them.
Education Training is Key
"I think it's the duty of the dispensary to be able to provide patients with education," Rimmel said. He explained that Feel State prioritizes cannabis education and science in its budtender training.
"We really try to give the employees as much information related to science and the products as they want," Rimmel said. "We have unlimited content, videos, tests, documents and people to talk to. So, we spend a lot of time on that."
Feel State budtenders go through a mix of online and in-person training, Rimmel said.
The dispensary puts its budtenders through a 10- to 12-chapter in-depth scientific course put together by one of its leading consultants, Emma Chasen, a cannabis educator and consultant at Eminent Consulting.
Courtesy of Feel State
Feel State Budtender Training
"We have a lot of that content that she put together, and then a lot of other documents that we've written internally that kind of go over a lot of that," he said. "So, someone will read it, and then we'll discuss amongst the whole team. [Then] we'll ask, 'Are there any questions?' to make sure everyone's on the same page.
"Some stuff with the online training that's done at home, or while they're slow to shift. And then the reading and discussion part, that was all done at the store with all the employees in a circle or at a table."
While Feel State's budtender training typically only takes two to three weeks, Rimmel said, "it's a lifelong journey of learning cannabis.” The dispensary offers ongoing training, such as hosting Q & A's with senior-level employees, to allow budtenders to ask questions and refresh their memory as they pick up experience in the store.
And aside from general cannabis education, Hendrix said budtenders must understand the regulatory requirements related to their job and the industry.
"There are so many different parts of the knowledge base that everybody has to have," Hendrix said. "I think being in a highly regulated industry, compliance is going to be the first topic for everybody to understand, [such as] knowing the daily limits that one can purchase or possess at any given time or packaging requirements. So, having budtenders as kind of the eye on the ground too on the whole compliance side or having an education on that [is important]."
Enhance Product Knowledge
One of the most prominent things budtenders do is help customers and patients find products that best suit their needs.
Hendrix said Mosaic+ hosts bi-weekly or monthly product education sessions, where vendors come in for 30 minutes to an hour and discuss their company's product, mission, what makes their products different and more.
While it's not required, Mosaic+ encourages team members to come to meet the vendors and learn about their products more in-depth.
"It's an opportunity for you as a team member to learn from this patch maker or this edible company or this company that makes topicals to understand what's different about that product," he said. "That way, when we're giving our patients options, they know what to say and why that product may be different, or why this product may be better over that one."
Rimmel said Feel State puts cheat sheets and guides on each product to help budtenders learn about each one, but he believes product knowledge comes with time.
"I just think it takes a lot of interactions over and over again to experience the products and to really learn them," Rimmel said. "We are big on not so much choosing a product for a patient, but more telling them, 'Hey, you know, cannabis is something you need to experiment with."
And part of product knowledge is also understanding dosing.
"For a new customer, it's our responsibility for the patient and also for the industry, that the patient understands that sometimes when you start with an edible, tincture, flower, hash or whatever it might be, less is more," Hendrix said. "We advise patients to start small [because] you can always increase your dosages, and that's something that's really part of our curriculum."
Hendrix said Mosaic+ also trains its budtenders to ask several questions to understand how familiar a customer is with cannabis so they can appropriately guide them.
Rimmel expressed that Feel State uses a similar approach, where budtenders direct customers to start small by micro-dosing or experimenting with multiple products and different THC and CBD ratios. Then, the budtenders advise customers to use a consumption journal to write down how they feel after each time consuming a product.
"We try to get people to bring that consumption journal back in, so then we can kind of guide them through the experience," Rimmel said. "And that whole process is what we really try to train on because new products are coming in all the time."
"This plant has been a stigma for many years, and a lot of people don't believe in its medical benefits, and if they do, a lot of people have had bad experiences with the edible or getting too high," Rimmel added. "There are just so many misconstrued misconceptions about cannabis out there. I think the more your staff is trained, the better that experience the patient has, the better overall it is for the industry."
B Real’s Dr. Greenthumb’s Cannabis Dispensary to Open Sixth Location in La Mesa
The celebrity-owned dispensary celebrates expansion into San Diego County with a grand opening.
Cypress Hill rapper and cannabis activist B Real will open his sixth Dr. Greenthumb's dispensary in La Mesa, Calif.
LA MESA, Calif., Sept. 14, 2021 – PRESS RELEASE – Dr. Greenthumb’s, one of California’s most recognized dispensary chains, announced the opening of its sixth location. The dispensary is located in La Mesa, Calif., and will be hosting a grand opening celebration on Oct. 2.
Dr. Greenthumb’s dispensaries were founded by legendary Cypress Hill rapper and cannabis activist B Real in 2018. Dr. Greenthumb’s is known for its extensive menu of top-shelf cannabis including Insane, Alien Labs, CAM, Cannabiotix and Wonderbrett. Since the first Dr. Greenthumb’s location opened in Sylmar, the dispensary’s popularity has exploded, prompting its expansion into additional locations throughout California including: Cathedral City, downtown Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento and a just signed, but not yet open, location near LAX. The La Mesa dispensary is Dr. Greenthumb’s first in San Diego County.
Honoring the community that helped build Dr. Greenthumb’s into one of the state’s most highly reputed retailers, Dr. Greenthumb’s will be hosting a daylong grand opening celebration at the La Mesa dispensary. Patrons can expect to find a variety of activations, guest appearances, cannabis vendors, food trucks, murals painted on-site by notable graffiti artists Strive One and MEX, giveaways and more. B Real will be making a special appearance.
“I’m so excited to bring the Dr. Greenthumb’s experience to San Diego,” B Real said. “The community here loves high-quality cannabis and I feel honored not only to be able to deliver top-shelf product, but to celebrate the community that has shaped who I am as an artist, entrepreneur, activist and person.”
The grand opening will have a distinct Latin theme, paying homage to B Real’s Mexican and Cuban heritage. There will be local Latin street artists creating murals on-site, lowriders showcased in the dispensary parking lot and food trucks boasting Latin American cuisine, including George Lopez’s Chingon Bakery, which will be providing Pan Dulce and Tamales and cannabis edible brand Big Pete’s, who will be baking unmedicated churros on-site. All adults 21 and older are welcome to join the grand opening celebrations.
“After all of the uncertainty of last year and the terrible effects it had on the community, I want to bring everyone together safely for a day of celebration, not just to celebrate how far Dr. Greenthumb’s has come, but the community in general,” B Real said. “This grand opening marks a new era for La Mesa and all of San Diego metro.”
The Dr. Greenthumb’s grand opening celebration will be from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 2 with B Real scheduled to appear from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Dr. Greenthumb’s La Mesa is located at 8760 Campo Rd., La Mesa, CA 91941.
Photo courtesy of Pur IsoLabs
Pur IsoLabs Offers Public Tours of Its Vertically Integrated Hemp Facility in Texas
The tours aim to educate the public on the plant and its compounds.
Hemp has been a hot topic ever since the 2018 Farm Bill federally legalized its production and sale in the United States, and Pur IsoLabs’ Taylor Mason said the company wants to educate the public on the plant and its compounds by offering tours of its vertically integrated hemp facility just outside of San Antonio, Texas.
“It was all about education,” Mason told Hemp Grower. “There is a lot of conflicting information when it comes to … cannabis in general just because of political issues, social issues, lots of different issues that people have had with the plant itself. So, we’ve just been trying to help educate people and get them the facts about … these plants and what potential they have [to] potentially help them.”
Pur IsoLabs cultivates and processes hemp, sells its biomass and extracts wholesale and offers finished products, such as flower, salves, tinctures and disposable vape cartridges in its on-site dispensary, which is situated by a patio surrounded by oak trees and decorative hemp plants. Customers are invited to enjoy the patio to consume the company’s products, and it’s also the starting point for Pur IsoLabs’ public tours.
Part of the company’s facility is what Mason calls an “educational hemp farm,” where Pur IsoLabs cultivates its yearly supply of flower and where the tours are conducted. During the tours, staff members discuss the endocannabinoid system, as well as how the company grows its hemp and creates the finished products in the dispensary.
“We take people through the whole process of how the plant interacts with your body, how we grow it, all the way to how we turn it into these finished products that you’re buying,” Mason said.
All of Pur IsoLabs’ products are derived from CBD and Delta-8 THC, which is currently legal under Texas law.
Photo courtesy of Pur IsoLabs
Part of Pur IsoLabs' facility an “educational hemp farm,” where the company cultivates its yearly supply of flower and where the tours are conducted.
The tours launched last year and are offered Tuesday through Saturday at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Guests are encouraged to register online for the tours, which last about an hour. Those arriving for tours can gather in the dispensary or on the nearby patio to receive a sample of Pur IsoLabs’ infused punch, which is included with their $10 ticket for the tour. The $10 ticket fee can then be applied to any in-store purchase at Pur IsoLabs’ dispensary.
Guests are also welcome to purchase and consume smokeable flower, edibles or other products before the tour, which usually kicks off with the tour guide gauging everyone’s base knowledge about hemp.
“[Make] sure you get to know the people you’re taking on a tour,” Mason said. “Are they really knowledgeable about cannabis? If that’s so, they don’t need to know the basic facts that you’d be telling people who have no idea what cannabis is at all.”
Pur IsoLabs welcomes people from all over the country for its tours, she added. “We have tons of people coming in, [from] people who have never tried cannabis before to people who have lived in Colorado, California and Oregon who have moved down to Texas and are curious to see what Texas has to offer.”
As the tour makes its way to the hemp field, the guide leads a discussion about the endocannabinoid system. Guests are then invited to touch and smell a sample of biomass before visiting the field, where they learn about Pur IsoLabs’ cultivation process.
The company grew its hemp in the ground this year, Mason said, versus last year when it grew the crop in pots.
While on the tour, guests can pick yellow leaves off the plants, and sometimes the guide will hold contests, where whoever collects the most yellow leaves wins a free product in the dispensary.
The tour ends in the retail space, where guests can ask any last-minute questions before shopping Pur IsoLabs’ selection of products.
The tour bypasses areas that could pose risks to guests, such as the extraction lab, and the company plans to implement waivers soon for on-site consumption.
“We’re going to go ahead … and get some waivers so people can fully know what they’re getting themselves into with some of these stronger compounds,” Mason said. “But for the most part, there are no issues. People can come out here and just hang out and walk around.”
Looking ahead, Pur IsoLabs will continue formulating new products with different cannabinoids, such as THCP, CBG and CBN.
The company has two main brands—the Pur IsoLabs brand contains medical-leaning products, such as tinctures, salves and capsules, while the Buddy brand contains more psychoactive compounds, such as Delta-8 THC and THCP, for recreational consumers.
“I will say that when it comes to hemp and cannabinoids, we have all of the newest and exciting ones that are coming out right now,” Mason said. “If people are interested in that, we’d love to have them out and talk about it."
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Melissa Schiller
Andriana Ruscitto
Posted by Tony Lange
