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
Three events we’ve been flagging as “coming up” for the last few weeks all land the same weekend. September 18-19 is a busy one: NECANN’s New Jersey Cannabis Convention and Cup Awards in Atlantic City, the 37th Annual Boston Freedom Rally, and Revelry Buyers’ Club NYC at Pier 36. If you’re planning travel or booth […]
September 14, 2026
Cannabis WARN Act compliance sounds like a formality until you run the calendar on a real closure. The Cannabist Company filed a WARN notice on July 14, 2026 for the closure of two cultivation and manufacturing facilities in Vineland, New Jersey. That cuts 86 jobs, effective October 11, 2026. Count the days between those two […]
September 11, 2026
Most budtender onboarding is tribal knowledge. Someone shows the new hire the POS system. They walk them through the sales floor. They hand them a state compliance packet to “look over,” and call it training. It mostly works, until it doesn’t: a missed badging deadline, an ID check nobody actually verified, a purchase-limit mistake that […]
September 9, 2026
This is the cannabis events September 7, 2026 roundup. The calendar itself is a genuine mix: a finance conference in DC, a cannabis cup in Pittsburgh, smaller pop-ups around New England. But the biggest story of the week isn’t on any calendar. Aurora Cannabis’s board just told Curaleaf no. Aurora’s Board Unanimously Rejects Curaleaf’s Hostile […]
September 7, 2026
Four years. That’s how long it took workers at a Springfield, Missouri dispensary to get a ratified union contract after they voted to unionize, and the reason for the wait has nothing to do with the union and everything to do with who owned the building. This is a cannabis union contract delay story, and it’s a due diligence story for anyone buying a unionized cannabis business.
September 4, 2026
This post is informational only. Massachusetts’s cannabis social equity program eligibility, deadlines, and requirements are set by the Cannabis Control Commission and can change. Confirm current details directly with the CCC before advising a client or candidate on eligibility. Most operators read “cannabis social equity program” and think licensing. That’s only half of what Massachusetts […]
September 1, 2026
Not every week on the cannabis events calendar has a flagship conference. This is one of those weeks. This is the cannabis events August 31 2026 roundup, and the calendar itself is light. The bigger story for cannabis employers isn’t a trade show. It’s a state agency and a stack of court dockets. Massachusetts’s cannabis […]
August 31, 2026
This post is informational and reflects patterns we have observed across cannabis operator engagements. It is not legal, tax, or hiring compliance advice. Consult licensed employment counsel and your state cannabis control commission for specific guidance on badging timelines and hiring compliance in your operating states. Labor Day is two to three weeks away. If […]
August 29, 2026
Cannabis M&A HR Playbook 2026: 6 Things Cross-Border Deals Get Wrong
