Raise your hand if you’ve ever been to a provisioning center (dispo). Did you raise your hand? Good.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve wanted to work in a provisioning center since the first second I stepped foot into one. The smell, the displays, the people, the vibes…I loved it all. I wanted to be the one posting the photos with the big bags of nugz. I wanted to be the one weighing ounces and walking away with a paycheck after a solid 40 hours a week. I wanted it to be my life. Well, after working in the industry for a year, (just getting my feet wet y’all), I can tell you that it’s both EXACTLY what I expected, and nothing like what I expected all at once…everyday ...and I couldn’t be happier.
The number of people that I’ve met in that short timeframe that I’m nearly constantly thinking about now is mind blowing. I wonder how Ella’s neuropathy is faring with the topical she got? How are Nick and the wife doing since their car accident? Has Jessie’s surgery gone alright? Nora has been looking so full of light these days.
Sure, I’ve gotten to take photos with the big bags of nugz…
…and sure I’ve gotten to weigh ounces, but I’ve also gotten to take photos with people who credited me with helping them through their painful moments. I’ve gotten to weigh up discount grams for the woman who doesn’t have much money to spare, but still gets up and smiles through the pain. After working for an establishment that didn’t have great wheelchair access, it was incredible to witness the way an older woman’s face just lit up when she was able to comfortably wheel herself into the establishment I work for currently. It’s the little moments like that that remind me why this industry is so important, and why clean and safe access is so important.
As a budtender, my favorite part of the day isn’t that first sip of coffee in the morning, and it’s not the moment when I kick my shoes off at night. Rather, it’s the 30 minutes I got to spend with that gentleman earlier today, helping him find just the right thing to work for him. It was that hour I got to spend in consultation with the mother of four who was so nervous until she started to learn more, and her eyes grew wide with excited curiosity. Hell, my eyes water just thinking about these experiences and how much they meant to me.
This job is so much more than just “selling a bag of weed”, and more than the pretty displays you see it in. It’s so much more than bags of nugz, and weighing ounces. This job is a passion. It’s a representation of the possibilities that this industry can provide. If you’ve ever been curious as to what it could be like, then do yourself a favor - apply for a job in the industry.
*Names/sex changed to protect identity*
