The Daily Camera is reporting that the medical marijuana industry has created not only controversy, but a new job title: budtender.

That would be the person helping a medical marijuana patient select the proper strain to treat his or her ailment. It’s a job that requires a mix of mundane skills such using a cash register and making change, a little science nerdism to talk about the brain’s cannabinoid receptors and the like, a familiarity with terms such as “couch lock” (since stoner descriptives can creep into a serious medical discussion), a passing knowledge of agronomy to explain hybrid strains, empathy, good communications skills, and generally — assuming the budtender has a medical marijuana card — some firsthand knowledge.

Perhaps not surprisingly, given the latter continuing education aspect, it’s a job much in demand.

March 2010