A Certified Ganjier is trained to serve customers as a sommelier of cannabis. PHOTO COURTESY OF GANJIER.
The legalization of marijuana has led to a seismic shift in the cannabis marketplace for millions of consumers in states with legal pot. Gone are the days of waiting on “your guy,” who, when finally available, was likely to have only one or at most a few varieties of cannabis to choose from. Today, shoppers in states with liberalized marijuana laws can be overwhelmed by the options available, including dozens of strains of cannabis flower with a healthy selection of marijuana edibles, topicals, tinctures and more thrown into the mix.
The liaison between customer and cannabis in dispensaries is commonly referred to as a budtender, many of whom are top-notch connoisseurs able to guide their clients to just the right varietal or method of ingestion for the desired effects, medicinal or otherwise. But training and experience from one budtender to the next can be spotty at best, leaving customers to wonder just how knowledgeable the person on the other side of the counter is. Now filling that gap in expertise is the Ganjier, a new certified cannabis professional trained to serve customers as the sommelier of cannabis.
The Ganjier training program was developed by a group of 18 professionals in the cannabis industry including legacy growers, scientists, breeders, hash makers and executives, all of them connoisseurs of the plant in their own right. Known as the Ganjier Council, the group of experts has designed the Ganjier curriculum and certification in partnership with cannabis education company Green Flower. Derek Gilman, managing director of the program, says that certified Ganjiers can serve a vital role in the quickly growing world of legal marijuana.
“While the wine industry has sommeliers, the cigar industry has catadors, the coffee industry has cuppers, until the Ganjier program was launched, no such expert existed in cannabis,” Gilman explains in an email. “The Ganjier is equal parts cannabis aficionado and interpretive liaison—schooled in intricacies like taste, terpenes, and finish—serving as a conduit between cannabis and consumer, navigating its complexities and optimizing user experience.”
To Read The Rest Of This Article By A.J. Herrington on Forbes
Published: March 03, 2022
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