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
Managed HR services for dispensaries is a category cannabis operators shop more often than they admit. Some are coming off a bad PEO experience. Others are scaling past the point where the founder can run HR out of an inbox. A few had a compliance scare and need help now. This guide covers what managed […]
June 12, 2026
Cannabis HR services are not a luxury. After working with more than fifty cannabis operators across MA, NY, NJ, CO, CA, and beyond, we see the same pattern. Operators wait too long to bring in real HR support, and the cost of waiting is always higher than the cost of acting. This guide covers the […]
June 9, 2026
Cannabis PEOs promise to take HR off your plate. After working with 50+ cannabis operators across MA, NY, NJ, CO, CA, and beyond, we have never recommended one. Not once. This cannabis PEO guide covers what an operator should actually know before signing: the legitimate upsides, the structural problems unique to cannabis, the hidden costs, […]
June 8, 2026
Cannabis events June 2026 is a stacked month. Trade shows, policy meetings, retreats, and networking nights are landing across the Northeast and beyond. However, most operators do not need to attend everything. Time is the most expensive thing you spend at events. So we curated eight cannabis events June 2026 that are actually worth that […]
June 4, 2026
The cannabis Schedule III move is the biggest federal policy shift the legal cannabis industry has seen since states started legalizing. Specifically, the April 23 federal order rescheduled FDA-approved cannabis products and state-licensed medical cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III. The 60-day registration window for medical operators to file with DEA closes June 22. […]
June 1, 2026
Cannabis moves fast. Furthermore, the first week of June 2026 packs more activity into seven days than most months of the cannabis calendar. Specifically, Cannabis Means Business returns to the Javits Center for its tenth annual run. The DEA Schedule III registration deadline lands June 22, 25 days out. State markets in New York, New […]
May 28, 2026
Cannabis hiring in 2026 is harder than it has ever been. Furthermore, the labor pool is smaller than the operator base needs. Multi-state competition for skilled cultivators is intense. Budtender turnover routinely tops 60 percent annually. Meanwhile, the talent pool itself remains constrained by state licensing requirements, background check restrictions, and the simple reality that […]
May 26, 2026
Cannabis HR outsourcing has become a category most operators buy without fully understanding what they’re getting. Vendor pitches sound similar. Contract terms are not. Risks vary wildly. Specifically, what one provider calls a full service offering is sometimes 80% payroll with a thin HR overlay. Another provider in the same space delivers comprehensive people operations […]
May 25, 2026
Your cannabis employee handbook is the single most important document in your operation that is not a license. It tells your team how things work. It tells regulators you have your act together. And when something goes wrong, it tells a judge whether you did the right thing or you got lazy. However, most cannabis […]
