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MEDMEN TRAIN ASPIRING 'BUD TENDERS' IN ANTICIPATION OF INDUSTRY GROWTH

Now medical marijuana is legal in Arizona and some other states, there are lots of opportunities for job growth.  However, because it's a developing industry there is a lot of learning and training that needs to take place.  That's where the MedMen come in.

MedMen is a consulting and marketing group geared toward the medical marijuana industry.  The group offers training courses for "bud tenders," people at the dispensaries who work with patients to determine their needs and will host its first training courses in Arizona this weekend.

"We have years of experience hiring and training bud tenders and with the rapid extension of medical marijuana, we feel there is a really big need for these bud tending opportunities," said company president Adam Bierman.

Previously, MedMen trained people in one-on-one environments, but because many bud tending opportunities will open in Arizona soon, the group expects a high demand for these classes, which have 400 available seats.

"There are 126 licenses that Arizona made available," Bierman said.  "Those dispensaries are going to be opening up for the first time - you're talking about potentially thousands of jobs and there has to be some kind of foundation for people to do the job."

Bierman thinks learning to become a bud tender is easy because the people who will apply for the job are already interested in the field and mostly have to learn customer service and how to work at a dispensary.

"I feel like [with] bartending school, you may or may not be interested in alcohol; you could just be trying to make some money," Bierman said.  "The people who want to be bud tenders are for the most part passionate about medical cannabis.  It's easier to learn about something you're passionate about."

While the classes will teach people how to become a bud tender, Bierman recommends that anyone involved in the medical marijuana business attend, including dispensary operators and medical marijuana patients.

While bud tending is not necessarily viable as a career path, Bierman said the medical marijuana industry is.

"Working as a bud tender is like someone working in professional sports starting as a part-time scout for a baseball team," Bierman said.  "If you want to be a manager, you have to start somewhere.  It's just a great way to learn this industry from the ground up."

Bierman said he isn't concerned about people not taking him seriously due to medical marijuana stereotypes.

"The people we care about taking us seriously are the people that don't have those stereotypes," Bierman said.  "I really [couldn't] care less if a group of people who are anti this industry take us seriously or not.  That doesn't affect me one bit."

MedMen is the only organization that provides a full turn key service for dispensaries, which means an owner will hire MedMen to train its staff and set up shop so an owner just has to show up, take the keys and open shop.

Tempe Mission Palms Hotel, 60 E.  Fifth Street, Tempe, themedmen.com, Saturday, October 6, and Sunday, October 7, 10 a.m.  to 1 p.m.  and 2 to 5 p.m., $99 adv, $119 dos