The Dealer's Diary is where we share the work. Cannabis HR insights, retention math, compliance gaps, and the operational decisions that actually move the needle for cannabis dispensaries, cultivators, processors, and multi-state operators.
We write for the founder losing sleep over turnover. The GM weighing a PEO against fractional HR. The compliance lead who just got blindsided by a state inspector. The cultivator scaling from one license to three.
Every post is real work with real cannabis operators. The math is real. The advice is what we'd say in a discovery call, written down so you can read it before you call us.
Dealer's
Diary
Here is what we found for cannabis events October 12-18, along with the Massachusetts news that shapes how operators should treat every one of them. Voters decide Ballot Question 8 on Tuesday, Nov 3, 2026. A yes vote would repeal adult-use sales while keeping medical marijuana. With that vote three weeks away, a conference ticket […]
October 12, 2026
Every staffing guide on this site so far has been about the sales floor. That’s not an accident. Most cannabis HR content anywhere is retail-focused, because retail is the part of the industry most people see. But a cultivation site, an extraction lab, or a production and packaging line runs on a completely different HR […]
October 9, 2026
This isn’t a new topic. KayaPush has a piece on people-management tips for multi-location dispensaries, built around their own scheduling and payroll software. Cova has a staffing guide covering how to identify roles, recruit, and onboard. Both are worth reading if you’re comparing platforms. Neither is what this article is. This is the practitioner version […]
October 7, 2026
This week has far more going on than a quick glance suggests, and it isn’t a Massachusetts-only story. Massachusetts has a fresh poll and a public regulatory meeting on the calendar. A California capital conference and a Long Beach community night both land in this window too. A full slate of regional meetups and festivals […]
October 5, 2026
A dispensary staffing plan is the method for answering one question: how many employees does a dispensary need? There’s no single number. Anyone who gives you one without asking about your hours, your traffic, or your state’s rules is guessing. What you actually need is a dispensary staffing plan built from your own numbers. Figure […]
October 2, 2026
A cannabis HR tech stack is the full set of systems an operator uses to manage employees. That includes payroll and scheduling. It also covers employee records, hiring and onboarding, benefits, training and compliance documentation, badge and license tracking, and reporting. Most operators build this stack piece by piece as they grow. Most of what’s […]
September 30, 2026
If you work in New York cannabis, you’ve probably heard people talk about “Revelry” like it’s a can’t-miss reunion. There’s a reason for that. Revelry Buyers Club is On The Revel’s flagship event platform. In 2026 it marked ten years of running cannabis community events. It celebrated by hosting two of them: one in Hudson […]
September 29, 2026
Cannabis events September 2026 are quiet this week (September 28 to October 4). No big multi-city expo, no marquee cup. What isn’t quiet is the news. A Massachusetts ballot question would eliminate the state’s recreational cannabis market. It broke this week, and it’s the kind of story every MA operator and their team should have […]
September 28, 2026
In late August, cultivation and processing workers at New England Treatment Access (NETA) in Franklin, Massachusetts ratified a new one-year contract with UFCW Local 1445. The agreement covers eighteen workers in cultivation, harvest, cure, and pest management roles. It raises wages across the board, adds a one-time $700 ratification bonus, and improves holiday pay, overtime […]
