As cannabis continues to be legalized across the United States, more opportunities to join the industry are becoming available. Some decide to join the dispensary side as a budtender while others like to get in the weeds, literally. If you ever wondered how to become a grower for a dispensary, this will be your guide of what you need to know to become a certified marijuana grower. While it can be a long journey to becoming a grower, if you do it the right way you will reap the benefits in more ways than one!
What does a marijuana grower do?
As you can imagine, a marijuana grower oversees the cannabis crops from the planting phase to its harvesting. A marijuana grower also has other responsibilities that pertain to growing cannabis, like budgeting and determining how many people to hire. In the cannabis industry, marijuana growers are known as grow masters. Most experienced marijuana growers have a Masters degree and other certifications involving horticulture so when trying to figure out how to become a grower for a dispensary, it is not a short-term goal to achieve if first starting out as a beginner.
It is important to note that becoming a grower for a dispensary involves certain licensing requirements and the cannabis industry in general has so many regulations that change constantly so being up to date with the business side of growing is essential.
How to become a cannabis grower
So you still want to know how to become a grower for a dispensary? There are a few routes one can take to become a certified grower for a dispensary and making sure you are properly qualified will help you get on the fast track to landing a growing position!
Apply for a cannabis cultivation license
First things first, you will have to apply and obtain a cannabis cultivation license in the state you wish to work in. Being licensed helps you not only become an official grower but will also help you get noticed by other dispensaries with an advantage compared to those that do not have a cultivation license yet.
If you are not able to obtain a cultivation license, looking to work for a cultivation company when first starting out is also an option because it will get you hands-on experience! Instead of trying to navigate life as a grower on your own, real life work experience is definitely helpful to have when trying to get noticed by a dispensary to go into business with them.
Apply for a marijuana grower’s license
While there are state-level regulations and each differ from state to state, applying for a marijuana grower’s license certifies you to grow for a cannabis company or dispensary and obviously necessary to have. Again, being certified in the cannabis business is required and even more so a necessity to keep up with constantly changing regulations. Even though stoners are under the assumption of being chill and not worrying about too much, the cannabis industry is so regulated it is impossible to successfully work in a dispensary without knowing everything you need to know.
Learn, learn, learn
Becoming a licensed grower isn’t just about getting the right certifications. The best way to actually become a grower for a dispensary is to be open to learning and possibly obtaining an apprenticeship to gain more knowledge from experienced growers. There are many things to learn when it comes to growing marijuana and dispensaries won’t work with just anyone when it comes to growing cannabis. With constant regulations changing you’ll want to get an understanding of how the process works for growing while abiding regulations on the growing and selling side through a dispensary. It might take a few to several years before becoming an experienced grower but the time you put in is up to you and is well worth it when you land yourself a sweet gig growing the weed of your dreams through a local dispensary. This also might involve working for several growers to gain different perspectives of the growing process and how each place conducts business. Similar to shopping for an agency to work for in real estate, you’ll want to shop around for dispensaries that are a best fit for you once you have the necessary skills and learn how to become a grower for a dispensary.
Should I become a grower for a dispensary?
If you are interested in becoming a grower for a dispensary, investing in schooling along with the proper certifications will put you on the right path to becoming a grower. Learning and practicing under licensed growers will get you the best experience to know the process and ins and outs of growing in a weed dispensary. Experience in the field is worth much more than any degree, however when it comes to growing marijuana there’s a lot to uncover so you’ll want to have a bit of both in the works if you plan to become a grower for a dispensary. In the meantime, grab some cool bongs for sale to get your head right and on to becoming a master grower!