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
This post is informational and reflects patterns we have seen across the 50+ cannabis operators we work with. It is not legal or tax advice. Cannabis payroll rules vary by state and change often. Consult licensed counsel and a cannabis-specialized CPA before signing a payroll contract or restructuring 280E labor allocation. A Massachusetts dispensary operator […]
July 6, 2026
On the Monday after 710 in 2025, we got the same call from three different cannabis operators in three different states. All three opened with some version of: “I do not know what happened on Friday. The line never stopped. We sold out of three SKUs by 2pm. Two budtenders quit on Saturday. And I […]
July 1, 2026
July is when the cannabis calendar gets loud. The second week of the month carries more events than any other stretch of the year. If your operator calendar still has white space between June 25 and July 12, you are about to miss the easiest hiring, partnership, and budtender training month of the summer. This […]
June 29, 2026
Multi-state cannabis HR is the moment most operators discover that everything they built in state one breaks in state two. Badging works differently. Training rules shift. Wage thresholds reset. Leave laws change. Payroll filings multiply. Pay transparency rules appear out of nowhere. Most operators lose six months and several expensive mistakes on their second state […]
June 26, 2026
Most dispensary employee handbook documents we see were downloaded as templates somewhere around 2022, edited once, and never touched again. Those handbooks do not survive a state inspection. They do not survive a wrongful termination claim. And they definitely do not survive the actual day-to-day of running a cannabis retail floor. After working with more […]
June 23, 2026
The DEA Schedule III deadline closed Monday, June 22, 2026. If you operate a state-licensed medical cannabis business and you filed within the 60-day window, you can keep operating under your existing state license while the DEA reviews your application. If you did not file, the path forward is more complicated, and your operation is […]
June 22, 2026
Cannabis payroll is one of the most expensive things an operator can get wrong. Most vendors do not understand IRS Section 280E guidance. Some vanish when something breaks at month-end. Others bill for cannabis support and then deliver standard small-business service. After working with more than fifty cannabis operators across MA, NY, NJ, CO, CA, […]
June 18, 2026
Flower Expo MA 2026 is the unofficial summer kickoff for cannabis in the Northeast. Mark the date. Wednesday, June 17, 2026, in Northampton, Massachusetts. I have been to a lot of cannabis events, and this one hits different every year. If you operate, brand, or work in this industry anywhere within driving distance of Western […]
June 16, 2026
The Massachusetts cultivator moratorium goes into effect on June 16, 2026. If you are a prospective marijuana cultivator applicant in Massachusetts, you have a small window to act. On April 16, 2026, the Cannabis Control Commission voted to pause new Indoor and Outdoor cultivator license applications, then reaffirmed that vote at the June 11, 2026 […]
