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
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 […]
June 15, 2026
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 […]
