If you are looking to get a job at a dispensary, whether in St. Croix, St. Thomas, or St. John, you are going to need experience and education.
Please read our guide on Careers in Cannabis before diving into our detailed look into jobs dispensing medical marijuana. There are requirements that will make you eligible to work in the medical cannabis industry.
Dispensing
How hard can it be to sell some weed? Hard, very hard. Working in a dispensary puts you in direct contact with medical cannabis patients. Some of these patients may have never consumed marijuana. Therefore you must be able to educate patients on everything cannabis.
Customer service skills and cannabis knowledge will be the backbone to any dispensary. With few Cannabis patients in the territory predicted, dispensaries need return visitors. Those with the best customer experience will thrive!
Dispensary Cashier
Cashier will be an entry level position at a dispensary. Customer service skills will be the main trait in hiring of cashiers. As the last interaction within the dispensary, the cashier leaves the final impression. A bad last impression can lead to a cannabis patient’s decision not to return.
Hourly wage will start at USVI minimum wage $10.50/hr.
Recommended Cashier Training
- Cannabis Fundamentals (Brochure) – Recommended
Budtending
Besides being named similarly to Bartender, that is where the comparison ends. A budtender would more be comparable to a mix of a pharmacist and a wine sommelier.
From VIBE HIGH’s USVI Careers in Cannabis Guide
Budtenders help patients select cannabis to help them best treat their ailments.
Training in cannabis is essential for this position. Ranging from a fundamental class, all the way to a medical certification, and specialty certification on the Endocannabinoid system.
First time patients would consult with the most experienced budtenders. Who would recommending strains, dosing, and delivery methods of cannabis for the patient. Therefore developing a strong one on one relationship with the patient. Simply recommending the highest THC strain or your favorite strain will not work in medical cannabis.
Refilling established patients medicine will be for less experienced budtenders. Including introducing new and similar strains to help with their aliments.
Experience and certification’s will determine pay scale. With a starting hourly wage of $12-$15 nationally. Qualified budtenders may fetch even higher hourly wages.
Recommended Budtender Training
- Cannabis Fundamentals (Brochure) – Required
- Patient Care (Brochure) – Optional
- Sell Smart Certification (Brochure) – Optional
Dispensary Manager
In charge of general operations of the dispensary. Typical managerial roles, scheduling, and opening / closing.
Being a manager at a cannabis dispensary also brings in new responsibilities. Loss management and product storage are big tasks.
All cannabis in the US Virgin Islands is “seed-to-sale”. Marijuana is tracked from growing to final sale. The Office of Cannabis Regulations (OCR) require detailed records of sales and inventory. Inventory must be checked for accuracy. Loss of product, through theft or improper storage, must be reported to the OCR.
Proper storage and care of cannabis is a very important task for managers. Cannabis needs certain humidity levels to keep it’s shelf-life. Too humid and you risk mold forming, and too dry you risk stale, harsh cannabis. Inspection is important to identify any issues before they arise.
Dispensary Manager should be the most highly trained in all fields of cannabis. The manager should be able to step into any other role for any other worker.
Recommended Manager Training
- Cannabis Fundamentals (Brochure) – Required
- Patient Care (Brochure) – Required
- Sell Smart Certification (Brochure) – Required
- Cultivation (Brochure) – Optional