Ask a Stoner: Does Managing a Dispensary Have a Future?

Dear Stoner: I’ve been killing it as a budtender, but only approached it as a job to pay bills during school. Now our VP wants me to become a manager, which looks like a stressful job. Is that a position with a future? I don’t have many friends in the industry to ask.
Mandy

Dear Mandy: A Reddit thread on a local cannabis page dove into this topic a few weeks ago, and most of the respondents said they made around $40,000 to $50,000 for similar jobs, which sounded like very demanding work. Most market reports have the same numbers – but the most important part here is your future.

The cannabis industry is filled with awesome people and greedy shysters, so it’s important to have a good feel for the company and its ownership before committing for the long term, especially if the move means sacrificing schoolwork. No disrespect to dispensary managers, but aim higher while you still can. Legal cannabis is suffering a recession right now, and you can always return to the industry if retail is that easy for you.

Send questions to marijuana@westword.com.