A recent Politico article discussed the issue of non medically trained "Budtenders" recommending specific strains of cannabis and cannabis products vs doctors, pharmacists, and other medically trained professionals making those recommendations. I actually think on average a Budtender is going to be a better fit for patients; please continue reading for my complete opinion on the matter.

In my opinion, Cannabis, including both Marijuana and Hemp should be viewed more like a supplement than a drug. Formulations of supplements vary, as do strains of cannabis, and humans response to both vary greatly. A medical professional says try this supplement, it may help, gives them a list of precautions, and then patient then starts the journey of figuring out if it works and what works best for them by speaking to friends and looking on the internet, potentially trying multiple products before settling on if it works and which one works best. I see no problem with this being exactly the same for cannabis, and to the contrary, I even see it as a necessity, more so than for most other supplements due to the vast variety of cannabis plants and product formulations..

Cannabis isn't a one size fits all solution and probably never will be, and though we should strive for consistency in specific products and their labeling, a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, nor a budtender know exactly how each patient will react to a specific product until the patient tries it. That doesn't mean they don't have insight into what will work because they do based on the vast amount of user reviews and reports for each specific strain as well as the general classification of each strain as indica, sativa, and hybrid.

Bud tenders are there to get people started by getting them familiar and comfortable with the terminology and getting them some options to try. Patients should be researching the strains available to them to see what other users say about those strains, particularly in relation to the issues they are trying to address. Patients should try a variety of strains and the bud tenders simply give them a starting point, and later perhaps further direction based on their feedback.

For those who haven't been to a dispensary, bud tenders are not telling people, you have this condition so this product will cure it. They give you a general idea of how their products are being used by other patients, how it affects them(the budtender) personally, and what you could try first. For the most part that system is working well as it has been for years. I've found that a pharmacist or medical professional is often the worst person to be making strain recommendations for two primary reasons, first they lack the experience and second hand knowledge that other users and budtenders have, and second their opinion(and that's all they can give) is taken with too much authority by the patient while the bud tender's recommendation is viewed by patients as more of an opinion with the idea it may take some time to find the best solution.

If my pharmacist hasn't used at least 100 different types of cannabis themself, then I don't really think they have enough of an understanding of cannabis to be recommending anything more than the local bud tender with no medical background but who has read user reports from the products they sell. A budtender who has sampled over 100 different types of cannabis and socializes with others who have also, will have a better understanding of the uniqueness of both the variety of plants and the individuals responses to them. Pharmacists and doctors give specific answers to specific questions and most patients take those answers as law, but that's not how cannabis works, a good bud tender will assist people on their journey of finding the best answer for them which will be specific and personal to each patient.
 

This article is In Responce to:

The budtender will see you now

"There's a lack of scientific evidence right now for anyone to be able to state exactly how much dosage an individual needs," said Dominick Zurlo, who directs New Mexico's Medical Cannabis Program. Given barriers to robust science, he said, it's the people working in the medical marijuana field and acquiring experience who "are going to be the people who have the best information."