Wow. This week I’m really painting myself out to be a stoner! Alas, I can’t do anything productive with a buzz on, but I’m a recreational user. I am not an advocate, nor do I judge! 

When I found out that Deena Rich — we went to high school together — started working as a budtender and driver at age 48 for a cannabis dispensary called Sessions, I was completely jealous knew I needed to hear more! To check out all of Sessions’s beautiful dispensaries and locations (more than 40 of them) click here.

RE:BOOKS: You decided, mid-life, to work/manage cannabis dispensaries. What propelled this career change?

DEENA: I’d been trying to get a job with the OCS back in 2018 before recreational cannabis became legal. I was on my way, until the Ford government got elected and made the industry private. Ever since then, I was trying to get into a privately owned — either legal or illegal to be honest — dispensary as a driver to start. It wasn’t until in-store shopping re-opened in June that I actually entered Sessions and knew I wanted to work there.

RE:BOOKS: What were you doing before? 

DEENA: I was an event Photographer and “do anything I can to make money” person. 

RE:BOOKS: How did you get hired? Did you have to take a course? Did you graduate from the Budtender program? (If so, what did that experience entail?) 

DEENA: I had been ordering delivery and curb-side pick-up from Sessions for a few weeks in the spring, as everything was still closed for the third wave of COVID. Mid-June, I walked up to the store to place my order and was welcomed in, as their doors had finally opened to the public. The second I walked in, I was amazed! I hadn’t been in a legal cannabis store yet (I had actually only been to two dispensaries at that point, which are now closed) and loved the updated and open feel, as well as the beautifully displayed products and accessories. 

I declared to the “kid” that offered me help, “I want to work here.” As it turned out, the “kid” that was helping me was the assistant manager, and when I paid for my purchase, I asked him if I could apply for a job the old-school way. Later that day, I emailed Dan (the “kid”) with my resume. I got a phone call interview three days later, met with the area supervisor/manager two days after that, and three days after that, I started. :)  

I didn’t take any courses. My history, personal knowledge, and personality is what I believe helped me get the job; my age and experience working in the real world also helped. I did have to take the CanSell certification. Everyone working in a legal cannabis shop needs to have it — just like SmartServe for restaurants.

RE:BOOKS: How do females and males differ in what they buy from your dispensaries? (In other words, what do men tend to buy more of, and what do women tend to buy more of?) 

DEENA: As a driver first and bud-tender second, I tend to be out of store for at least 50% of my shifts on most days, but the time I am in store, I thoroughly enjoy interacting with the “older” clients/customers. We just get each other. I find that most of the men will stick with their old trusted high THC flower, or concentrates like hash. Women tend to lean towards the pre-roll options, edibles, and higher CBD options. The younger generation generally go for vaporizers and concentrates, like shatter and resins.

RE:BOOKS: For women, mid-life and older, what exactly are they buying, and what are the top reasons (anxiety/sleep issues/medical issues…)?

DEENA: They are buying more edibles such as gummies, oils and capsules. And the biggest reason I get is assistance with sleep and anxiety. Older women are also buying a lot of topicals or wellness products with THC infused in them, for assistance with pain. I also meet women going through treatment for cancer buying cannabis in all forms to help with nausea, etc.

RE:BOOKS: What are the busiest hours/days? 

DEENA: Friday is definitely the busiest day of the week! I only work days, so I can’t really speak about the evenings. I would say Sunday is the second busiest day, as it’s our “Lazy Sunday,” which means 10% off all pre-rolls and vaporizers. Busiest day for middle-aged women would be “Wellness Wednesday,” which is 10% off all topicals, oils, and capsules.

RE:BOOKS: I imagine it’s like working in any other retail store, but with cannabis. But are the customers more “chill?” (Personally, I've never had a bad experience at a dispensary, unlike other retail stores!) 

DEENA: 100 percent! Why do you think I wanted to go back into retail? Of course, we still get certain types who want to school us in how cheap it is somewhere else, or want discounts when there’s no reason for it. The best is doing deliveries. Everyone is always happy when I arrive, even if I’m a bit late because of traffic.

RE:BOOKS: Right now, what is the most popular offering for women? What is trendy right now? 

DEENA: I want to say CBD products. Women our age (45+) are becoming more knowledgeable about the benefits of cannabis other than just getting high. A lot of us are, or were, smokers, so for those that still enjoy it, there is weed that benefits you without getting you high. After that, I'd say edibles would be next, including CBD, CBN, and THC.

RE:BOOKS: If someone has never tried cannabis but wants to, what would you suggest they first start out with/try/what dose/strain? 

DEENA: It all depends what they’re looking for. If it’s just to get high, I would start them off with a lower strain hybrid because they won’t know how a sativa or indica would affect them. If they’re looking for healing properties, anxiety relief, or help falling asleep, I would recommend any CBD products.

RE:BOOKS: Do you think there is still a stigma around cannabis — especially, let’s say, if you’re a mother or hold a high-power job? 

DEENA: Unfortunately, I do. 

RE:BOOKS: How does your family (parents/kids) feel about you working in the world of cannabis? 

DEENA: My parents are just happy that I have a full-time job that I’m happy to go to! My siblings are thrilled, of course. And my kids don’t really care one way or another. My daughter tells me that she and her friends think I’m the coolest! But I was also the coolest when I was the camp photographer too…so, who knows. I’m just super cool?

RE:BOOKS: What is the reaction from your friends, or strangers, who ask you what you do? Any funny experiences you can share? 

DEENA: So far, the reaction from everyone has been amazing. No one really expected this from me, but when I tell them, they all say it’s a perfect fit and are super happy for me. The funniest thing is that many different people from the past that I haven’t seen in a while come into the store, and I always recognize their eyes (the photographer in me)! I say, “Hey, I know you!” And when they realize it’s me, it’s another amazing reunion based around buying pot, which is something we never thought we’d be able to do in this capacity.

RE:BOOKS: What, if you don't mind sharing, do you use and why? 

DEENA: I am now taking 30mg CBD in capsule form daily in place of the anti-depressants I was on for 10 years, and I smoke indica at night to help me sleep…and because I love it.

RE:BOOKS: Do you smell like pot at the end of the day? Do you have to shower when you get home? 

DEENA: Never. Working in a legal cannabis shop, all products come from the OCS and are sealed. Only the vault smells a bit on the day we get our big order. 

RE:BOOKS: Are employees allowed to work buzzed? Or is that a no-no? 

DEENA: Absolutely not…but of course, some do if they can get away with it.

RE:BOOKS: Any tips for us women who get the “munchies” and have gained weight because we order Mcdonalds at 11:00 p.m.? 

DEENA: Smoke Indica and go to bed without ordering McD’s, lol. But really, I couldn’t help you with that one! Everyone is different…I don’t even get the munchies anymore. And, at this point in our lives, who cares about a little weight gain? As long as you’re happy and high.

RE:BOOKS: Any celebrities or well-known personalities come in? 

DEENA: Not yet, unless you include almost everyone we knew and went to high school with…

RE:BOOKS: Strangest request you've had from a customer? 

DEENA: I’ve had a few requests for gummies that are way over the legal limit, like 200mg. Legally, gummies are sold in 10mg packages. I’ve had to tell the customer they’ll have to order from an illegal dispensary, or just buy 20 packs from us!

RE:BOOKS: Are there a lot of women working in dispensaries, or is it still male-dominated? Is it slowly changing? 

DEENA: Our store has had more women than men working until recently. I believe we’re now even! Our area supervisor and store manager are both women.

RE:BOOKS: What’s the most fun part of your job?

DEENA: Interacting with the people, both co-workers and customers. I mean really, is there anything better to talk about than weed? The least fun aspect is dealing with cheap people and bad co-workers. It’s all about the human experience for me, so if you’re not going to be positive, I don’t want to deal with you.

RE:BOOKS: Anything else you’d like to add? (Funny experiences? Reactions?) 

DEENA: I have to say, the weirdest thing about working there at this age is just the fact that I never would’ve thought I would be working selling weed at 48. We never thought the day would come that we could go into a store and pick from a variety of different products, strains, and accessories legally in our lifetime. As well, I’m at least a decade or two older than my co-workers. Where I have life experience and knowledge above them, I’m way behind in knowledge of all-things cannabis. The next generation is going to benefit from this in so many ways. I’m happy for them and thrilled for all of us that this time has finally come!

RE:BOOKS: I guess, since this is a newsletter about books, I should ask: Are you reading anything?

DEENA: Right now I’m reading The StoryTeller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl. Before that, I read Untamed, by Glennon Doyle. It’s the book that got me reading again at the start of Covid.