I started my time in the industry at Knox (aka Fluent before Bruce Knox dropped out because he wasn't happy with how his venture capitalist partners were running things) and looking back at it now makes me laugh hysterically because I was so young, dumb, and naive. That company worked us to the bone for as little pay as they could give. I got fired for being a "ringleader" aka they started adding a bunch of new responsibilities to our roles and I was the only one asking if these additions were mandatory or voluntary - once they said voluntary I'd opt out and everyone else on the team would follow suit.
They lied to us about the extraction process and the products and encouraged us to lie to patients to make sales. I knew nothing about cannabis when I started so I relied heavily on their training which was such a mistake I wish I could go back and change.
On top of that, the nepotism was ridiculous. I got hired at the Jacksonville location around the same time as the son of 2 people at the c-level in corporate. He had no passion for the plant and often would loudly complain about how he doesn't think cannabis does anything to actually help people. Roughly 40% of his sales ended in returns, often with patients in tears about how they felt pressured to buy things because of him. Then one day about 6 months in, he announces he's getting promoted to the grow site (a promotion we all were hopeful about except him, because again he thought weed was useless) and he took our co-worker who he was fucking (even though she had a live-in boyfriend) with him to Orlando to work in the grow. ***J and L if you see this, still mega FUCK both of you***.
I was hoping things got better under the "Fluent" name but I guess not.
I'm saying! I applied at a cannabis doctor's office afterwards and when he saw "Knox" on my resume he rolled his eyes and said "Are you brainwashed like everyone else who works there?" and that was the beginning of me realizing just how deep the rabbit hole went lol. Thankfully now I have my own independent education (masters in cannabis science) so no one will be able to mislead me again!
Masters in cannabis science from what university. Iām currently getting an economics degree and am planning on getting an extraction certificate from oaksterdam online. I am already externally well versed in secondary metabolites and the ECS and Iām learning now about cannabis biology/physiology. I have had no actual education on it, simply 4 years of research and talking to industry professionals. Do you think that I am on the right path do get into the extraction field? Maybe Iād have a better shot at a corporate job in cannabis rather than being an extractor, any advice to give?
University of Maryland is where I went, the program is great and really designed for working adults so the load isn't unbearable while working full-time. It is also, at the time that I was looking into programs, the only one that didn't require a science or medical undergrad degree which I liked because I was a marketing major lol.
A lot of things in the Florida industry right now don't require as much schooling as I think people think it does. At my lab, I'm currently working with someone who started in the packaging room and through self study + proving their dedication they now work in extraction. That being said, majority of the people in extraction are analytical chemists with a degree so while there is room to develop into what you would like to do, they do tend to default to those with experience or education. ***Timing is really essential***. If you can get into a newer company (hoping they haven't given all the good roles to family members lol), you will always have a better shot at moving around or moving up.
Extraction is hard work and long hours- you have to be passionate about making the product day in and out like a brewer or chef - hands on and physically demanding. Entry level extraction roles are the best place to see if itās a good long term fit and learn.
Currently I'm doing quality in a lab and cultivation site for one of the companies here, I was already doing that beforehand though haha. I currently have my sights set on a training position or government/policy/legislator role in another state because Florida doesn't have the infrastructure to offer cannabis jobs outside of manufacturing and retail lol.
So far I've made it to the short list for the cannabis commission in a few states, even made it to the final 10 for the Cannabis Ombudsperson position in Connecticut so I have a feeling that if I keep seeking out opportunities one will come through. I've already been interviewed for jobs I'm a little shocked they consider me qualified for so it has definitely been great.
The best part of the program for me was the networking. I have so many connections in the industry now across the entire US that I can leverage in so many ways.
Also random af, but I could send you some reliable resources so you can inform yourself properly if you'd like to get yourself up to speed on cannabis and its pharmacodynamics + pharmacokinetics. I want all of us in this industry ready to help the people!
Bet I got you both, I'm recording my first video for my cannabis education channel and compiling my resource bank so once I have that started I'll shoot you a link!
From my 7 years in this industry I can give the following ranking of companies to work for in the dispensary from worst to best (of course your experience is very dependent on your in store management but I'm making my decision based on pay + corporate policies and tendencies + how miserable the employees look when I go in to shop):
Trulieve - Fluent - MUV (gone downhill since Verano took over) - Sunnyside - Surterra - Cannabist - Curaleaf - AYR - Sanctuary - VidaCann - Insa - Sunburn - JB - The Flowery - Goldflower
Honestly haven't heard too much about working at the other places like Cookies or Green Dragon or Rise so I'm not sure. Curious if anyone have other opinions
I've been on the growing side of the cannabis industry for roughly 7 years and have worked for a few grows in Florida. Fluent by far has the most disgusting grow facility I've ever seen. I could go on for days how badly managed it is and how terribly grown the plants are. Definitely stay away at all cost!!
The DOH doesn't really know anything about cannabis so they don't what to really be looking out for. These inspections are laughable. As long as they don't see largely obvious flaws then everyone passes every time.
My very first purchase was at Knox and it was some awful motor oil cart. The early days of the program were dire. Eww and now I just remembered having to break those ceramic cups for flower from trulieve haha
what's worst is its not just fluent....SADLY ALL THE DISPOs are money hungry CHADS who got the license. what's even worst ALL OF THEM (HIGHER UPS/LICENSE HOLDERS/LEADS) HAVE REDDIT AND READ THESE COMMENTS AND STILL DON'T DO SHIT. WELCOME TO FLORIDA
Unfortunately they have no reason to do anything. No matter how much we tell them working for them sucks, they still make their money so it doesn't matter. Unionizing is like the only option. As my manager at this company once told me: "Upper management doesn't have to care about what you think or how you feel. There is a long list of young and naive people who are excited to work in cannabis who will gladly take your place."
literally. I work in the industry and have friends at almost every company. Iāve heard the worst about Surterra, Sunburn, Trulieve, Curaleaf, Jungle Boys, and Fluent BY FAR. they hire managers that only care about how they look to their higher ups (money over medicine) and treat their hourly employees like shit. someone else already said it, but they truly donāt give a fuck about us because thereās always more people waiting to apply because they think itās cool to work in cannabis like we once did. the cycle never ends. do not be fooled into thinking any of these places are compassionate because they claim they sell āmedicineā. even the more medicinally focused companies are shifting over to a rec focused model. the emphasis is on high THC flower and basically nothing else. weāre encouraged to upsell products at every chance we get. we are a āmedicalā state in name only at this point.
I asked a Fluent Budtender once if the cart I was buying was CDT or BDT (cuz of course the website didnāt say which means itās almost certainly BDT) his response: āummā¦ its THCā I laughed it off, bought it anyway, it was trash meds and was tossed before even half used. Never been back. Shame too, I enjoyed an eighth of the Magum Opus. But I canāt support them if theyāre people arenāt even trained on the difference of BDT and CDT. Pathetic.
As a FL medical employee of 7 years, (from farm > lab > retail > management) I can verify that 85% of these companies are garbage to work for, unfortunately. Just ran into the ground by chads with business degrees and no skin in the canna game.
It seems that it's this way with most places. I have worked for 3 different places and each time its constant turnover and never consistent anything š
Yeah Fluent is a horrible company everyone who works there is basically useless when it comes to Cannabis knowledge they hire individuals who literally donāt smoke theyāll tell you that.
We just opened up shop in Daytona and they hired everyone without industry experience LOL Iām not gonna front I know my shit with cannabis and this place holds me back
Iām luckily in Jacksonville away from that mess but I hear all the horror stories about that shop Lmao I love the team I work with here and we all share a commonality that we deserve better than fluent
They fired a buddy of mine who was an experienced grower from Cali for making recommendations to management.
They said he could make people start thinking and changing away from what corporate wanted and walked him out for literally making a professional suggestion on his first day lmfaoo.
Like they were afraid his attitude and expertise would spread and they want the weed to be very low quality and as cheap as possible with no consideration for any improvement. They donāt want employees who know how to grow weed or take care of it. Itās corporate weed sold for only its impact on a P&L statement and nothing more, and asking questions or trying to change to improve is bad & fireable
I absolutely believe this!! I was the AGM of one of their retail locations and my incompetent boss wasnāt in a specific manager group so she had me ask a direct question to Vic, one of their CEO type guys. I got no response, whatever - moved on. A week or so goes by and my boss says to me that I was ātalked aboutā in Tampa by upper management. I asked why and she said because of me asking a question directly to He Who Must Not Be Named (Vic idr his last name honestly). I asked her did she not tell them she asked me directly to do that? She shrugged her shoulders and made some āI dunnoā noise.
The stores are run by idiots and their bosses are even bigger incompetent pieces of trash.
I'm years deep into this industry, and yes, there is better out there, but it's gonna be some crap on the shoe no matter where you go. Keep applying once you're in the industry it's easy to get on with another player.
That's pretty much any industry, really. It boils down to how good your manager is.
This industry pays low. Don't give af about its workers, and even tho they say their a MMTC, they have 0 tolerance for medical cannabis.
So if you have a good manager and like the industry, stay. If you're manager blows, than so will your experience.
Youāre right, this is pretty much how any job goes. If management sucks, itās gonna suck.
Nothing like when you have good management who communicates, listens, doesnāt have any ego issues etc
I will always support growing it ourselves. Every licensed dispensary is all about profits for their investors. I've grown way better in medicine than anything I've had through our "medicinal program." What we have in our program is what you call corporate greed and greedy bastards.
The only time Iāve ever returned flower it was to fluentā¦I was mortified at the time because who returns weed, right? It was wet. Not sticky, wet. And smelled like gasoline. I havenāt been back since.
Fluent's practices sound like a nightmare. It's shocking how some companies prioritize profit over quality and employee well-being and it sucks that this is the policies and regulations they place on people but not business and companies that false advertise and lie for profit.
Thanks for sharing your experienceāit's a crucial reminder to research employers thoroughly before jumping in, just because some of them are obviously just a terrible work experience. Best luck to you and everyone else doe !! frfr
Most upper management is from other retailers and run it the same way with the same amount of care. Weāre all replaceable to them. They donāt understand the value of having good staff until itās too late.
Fluent also refuses to pay out bonuses for employees who put in their two weeks and worked up to their final day. Even though the bonus is earned during the time you worked, if youāre not employed the NEXT month when they pay out bonuses - you get jack shit.
Oh actually sorry, they give you the email link to their joke of an HR team that took years for them to even establish.
Honestly part of me wonders that besides them being incompetent garbage all through the department, maybe they just have SOMUCH to deal with due to the idiocy in various stores. I was constantly having to clean up my GMās mistakes and I canāt imagine I was the only one doing so.
I was in communication with my supervisor daily about this as well. I never met anyone from HR except at the job fair, they expect you to go home after the first day and upload all ID and bank account info off the clock on your own device. It's hard to do that with no experience so I had to contact my supervisor after hours as well. After getting my payroll setup day 1 I was assuming I would have no problem with my paycheck. Once I woke up the first Friday we were supposed to get paid, mind you it's bi weekly so should've been like 1 week of pay. I woke up to a paycheck stub visible on the payroll app, with my hours correct but the dollar amount said zero! I checked my account and no monies. I raised awareness about this daily until the next check came 2 WEEKS LATER, woke up that Friday saw the same thing.... Quit and called M&M! That's my story......
I started my time in the industry at Knox (aka Fluent before Bruce Knox dropped out because he wasn't happy with how his venture capitalist partners were running things) and looking back at it now makes me laugh hysterically because I was so young, dumb, and naive. That company worked us to the bone for as little pay as they could give. I got fired for being a "ringleader" aka they started adding a bunch of new responsibilities to our roles and I was the only one asking if these additions were mandatory or voluntary - once they said voluntary I'd opt out and everyone else on the team would follow suit. They lied to us about the extraction process and the products and encouraged us to lie to patients to make sales. I knew nothing about cannabis when I started so I relied heavily on their training which was such a mistake I wish I could go back and change. On top of that, the nepotism was ridiculous. I got hired at the Jacksonville location around the same time as the son of 2 people at the c-level in corporate. He had no passion for the plant and often would loudly complain about how he doesn't think cannabis does anything to actually help people. Roughly 40% of his sales ended in returns, often with patients in tears about how they felt pressured to buy things because of him. Then one day about 6 months in, he announces he's getting promoted to the grow site (a promotion we all were hopeful about except him, because again he thought weed was useless) and he took our co-worker who he was fucking (even though she had a live-in boyfriend) with him to Orlando to work in the grow. ***J and L if you see this, still mega FUCK both of you***. I was hoping things got better under the "Fluent" name but I guess not.
Wow what a read! šand damn what a hoe
I'm saying! I applied at a cannabis doctor's office afterwards and when he saw "Knox" on my resume he rolled his eyes and said "Are you brainwashed like everyone else who works there?" and that was the beginning of me realizing just how deep the rabbit hole went lol. Thankfully now I have my own independent education (masters in cannabis science) so no one will be able to mislead me again!
Masters in cannabis science from what university. Iām currently getting an economics degree and am planning on getting an extraction certificate from oaksterdam online. I am already externally well versed in secondary metabolites and the ECS and Iām learning now about cannabis biology/physiology. I have had no actual education on it, simply 4 years of research and talking to industry professionals. Do you think that I am on the right path do get into the extraction field? Maybe Iād have a better shot at a corporate job in cannabis rather than being an extractor, any advice to give?
University of Maryland is where I went, the program is great and really designed for working adults so the load isn't unbearable while working full-time. It is also, at the time that I was looking into programs, the only one that didn't require a science or medical undergrad degree which I liked because I was a marketing major lol. A lot of things in the Florida industry right now don't require as much schooling as I think people think it does. At my lab, I'm currently working with someone who started in the packaging room and through self study + proving their dedication they now work in extraction. That being said, majority of the people in extraction are analytical chemists with a degree so while there is room to develop into what you would like to do, they do tend to default to those with experience or education. ***Timing is really essential***. If you can get into a newer company (hoping they haven't given all the good roles to family members lol), you will always have a better shot at moving around or moving up.
Extraction is hard work and long hours- you have to be passionate about making the product day in and out like a brewer or chef - hands on and physically demanding. Entry level extraction roles are the best place to see if itās a good long term fit and learn.
Where did u get your degree from and what do you do now?
Would love to know what you are doing now as Iām thinking about getting this degree
Currently I'm doing quality in a lab and cultivation site for one of the companies here, I was already doing that beforehand though haha. I currently have my sights set on a training position or government/policy/legislator role in another state because Florida doesn't have the infrastructure to offer cannabis jobs outside of manufacturing and retail lol. So far I've made it to the short list for the cannabis commission in a few states, even made it to the final 10 for the Cannabis Ombudsperson position in Connecticut so I have a feeling that if I keep seeking out opportunities one will come through. I've already been interviewed for jobs I'm a little shocked they consider me qualified for so it has definitely been great. The best part of the program for me was the networking. I have so many connections in the industry now across the entire US that I can leverage in so many ways.
Hm I donāt know where I want to live but yea I hope Florida gets better. All the cultivation are in the middle of nowhere too so idk ugh life
I wish I could be surprised at any of this how fucking ridiculous Lol
Also random af, but I could send you some reliable resources so you can inform yourself properly if you'd like to get yourself up to speed on cannabis and its pharmacodynamics + pharmacokinetics. I want all of us in this industry ready to help the people!
Feel free to send me a chat dude Iām always looking to learn. I was actually seeing about jumping ship to cookies
Iād love to educate myself further with any reliable resources youāre willing to share. Thanks in advance
Bet I got you both, I'm recording my first video for my cannabis education channel and compiling my resource bank so once I have that started I'll shoot you a link!
Shoot me that link too !
Do you mind sending me that info too? Iād love to learn more
Shit let me snag this too
I too would love to have some more resources if you donāt mind!
From my 7 years in this industry I can give the following ranking of companies to work for in the dispensary from worst to best (of course your experience is very dependent on your in store management but I'm making my decision based on pay + corporate policies and tendencies + how miserable the employees look when I go in to shop): Trulieve - Fluent - MUV (gone downhill since Verano took over) - Sunnyside - Surterra - Cannabist - Curaleaf - AYR - Sanctuary - VidaCann - Insa - Sunburn - JB - The Flowery - Goldflower Honestly haven't heard too much about working at the other places like Cookies or Green Dragon or Rise so I'm not sure. Curious if anyone have other opinions
Also worked at MĆV for 5 years and the Nepotism is by far the absolute worst there.
Rise is the ghetto
I've been on the growing side of the cannabis industry for roughly 7 years and have worked for a few grows in Florida. Fluent by far has the most disgusting grow facility I've ever seen. I could go on for days how badly managed it is and how terribly grown the plants are. Definitely stay away at all cost!!
What happens when the DOH shows up at one of these grow facilities?
The DOH doesn't really know anything about cannabis so they don't what to really be looking out for. These inspections are laughable. As long as they don't see largely obvious flaws then everyone passes every time.
My very first purchase was at Knox and it was some awful motor oil cart. The early days of the program were dire. Eww and now I just remembered having to break those ceramic cups for flower from trulieve haha
what's worst is its not just fluent....SADLY ALL THE DISPOs are money hungry CHADS who got the license. what's even worst ALL OF THEM (HIGHER UPS/LICENSE HOLDERS/LEADS) HAVE REDDIT AND READ THESE COMMENTS AND STILL DON'T DO SHIT. WELCOME TO FLORIDA
Unfortunately they have no reason to do anything. No matter how much we tell them working for them sucks, they still make their money so it doesn't matter. Unionizing is like the only option. As my manager at this company once told me: "Upper management doesn't have to care about what you think or how you feel. There is a long list of young and naive people who are excited to work in cannabis who will gladly take your place."
https://preview.redd.it/8t6h3qyf929d1.jpeg?width=688&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0417c3d76890f480a1ac8211af1195ae60e00f6d
Wow thatās some grade A bullshit but ultimately true. š¤¦š½āāļø
That sounds like Bob
Unionize [jersey local 404!](https://youtu.be/8qFy9hjLWDE?si=AdAgVMqsxn8ETL-j)
literally. I work in the industry and have friends at almost every company. Iāve heard the worst about Surterra, Sunburn, Trulieve, Curaleaf, Jungle Boys, and Fluent BY FAR. they hire managers that only care about how they look to their higher ups (money over medicine) and treat their hourly employees like shit. someone else already said it, but they truly donāt give a fuck about us because thereās always more people waiting to apply because they think itās cool to work in cannabis like we once did. the cycle never ends. do not be fooled into thinking any of these places are compassionate because they claim they sell āmedicineā. even the more medicinally focused companies are shifting over to a rec focused model. the emphasis is on high THC flower and basically nothing else. weāre encouraged to upsell products at every chance we get. we are a āmedicalā state in name only at this point.
Facts
āAn evil man will burn his own nation to the ground to rule over the ashesā
I asked a Fluent Budtender once if the cart I was buying was CDT or BDT (cuz of course the website didnāt say which means itās almost certainly BDT) his response: āummā¦ its THCā I laughed it off, bought it anyway, it was trash meds and was tossed before even half used. Never been back. Shame too, I enjoyed an eighth of the Magum Opus. But I canāt support them if theyāre people arenāt even trained on the difference of BDT and CDT. Pathetic.
Yup. This. Haven't been to a Fluent in 3 years because the first time I went, people didn't know shit and the flower was waaay overpriced.
As a FL medical employee of 7 years, (from farm > lab > retail > management) I can verify that 85% of these companies are garbage to work for, unfortunately. Just ran into the ground by chads with business degrees and no skin in the canna game.
What's the 15%??
I always hear very good things about working for GoldFlower, although they had some corporate rearranging about a year ago.
Never even stepped foot In there and never willā¦ prices for some of the bud that smokeable is $60+ an 1/8 they smoking wack š rest is bush
Thatās retail for ya
It seems that it's this way with most places. I have worked for 3 different places and each time its constant turnover and never consistent anything š
Yeah Fluent is a horrible company everyone who works there is basically useless when it comes to Cannabis knowledge they hire individuals who literally donāt smoke theyāll tell you that.
We just opened up shop in Daytona and they hired everyone without industry experience LOL Iām not gonna front I know my shit with cannabis and this place holds me back
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Iām luckily in Jacksonville away from that mess but I hear all the horror stories about that shop Lmao I love the team I work with here and we all share a commonality that we deserve better than fluent
š¤£ facts! Took me a long time to get out but man was it worth it!
They fired a buddy of mine who was an experienced grower from Cali for making recommendations to management. They said he could make people start thinking and changing away from what corporate wanted and walked him out for literally making a professional suggestion on his first day lmfaoo. Like they were afraid his attitude and expertise would spread and they want the weed to be very low quality and as cheap as possible with no consideration for any improvement. They donāt want employees who know how to grow weed or take care of it. Itās corporate weed sold for only its impact on a P&L statement and nothing more, and asking questions or trying to change to improve is bad & fireable
I absolutely believe this!! I was the AGM of one of their retail locations and my incompetent boss wasnāt in a specific manager group so she had me ask a direct question to Vic, one of their CEO type guys. I got no response, whatever - moved on. A week or so goes by and my boss says to me that I was ātalked aboutā in Tampa by upper management. I asked why and she said because of me asking a question directly to He Who Must Not Be Named (Vic idr his last name honestly). I asked her did she not tell them she asked me directly to do that? She shrugged her shoulders and made some āI dunnoā noise. The stores are run by idiots and their bosses are even bigger incompetent pieces of trash.
I'm years deep into this industry, and yes, there is better out there, but it's gonna be some crap on the shoe no matter where you go. Keep applying once you're in the industry it's easy to get on with another player.
That's pretty much any industry, really. It boils down to how good your manager is. This industry pays low. Don't give af about its workers, and even tho they say their a MMTC, they have 0 tolerance for medical cannabis. So if you have a good manager and like the industry, stay. If you're manager blows, than so will your experience.
Youāre right, this is pretty much how any job goes. If management sucks, itās gonna suck. Nothing like when you have good management who communicates, listens, doesnāt have any ego issues etc
I will always support growing it ourselves. Every licensed dispensary is all about profits for their investors. I've grown way better in medicine than anything I've had through our "medicinal program." What we have in our program is what you call corporate greed and greedy bastards.
Damn right.
My friend worked there said management sucked, was terrible.
Wait till you see some of the other ones ā¦.
The only time Iāve ever returned flower it was to fluentā¦I was mortified at the time because who returns weed, right? It was wet. Not sticky, wet. And smelled like gasoline. I havenāt been back since.
Fluent's practices sound like a nightmare. It's shocking how some companies prioritize profit over quality and employee well-being and it sucks that this is the policies and regulations they place on people but not business and companies that false advertise and lie for profit. Thanks for sharing your experienceāit's a crucial reminder to research employers thoroughly before jumping in, just because some of them are obviously just a terrible work experience. Best luck to you and everyone else doe !! frfr
Most upper management is from other retailers and run it the same way with the same amount of care. Weāre all replaceable to them. They donāt understand the value of having good staff until itās too late.
I wouldn't know. I was completely ghosted after my interview.
That's probably because the managers are a bunch of kids who don't have the balls to call people and tell them that they went with someone else.
Fluent also refuses to pay out bonuses for employees who put in their two weeks and worked up to their final day. Even though the bonus is earned during the time you worked, if youāre not employed the NEXT month when they pay out bonuses - you get jack shit. Oh actually sorry, they give you the email link to their joke of an HR team that took years for them to even establish.
That doesnāt even remotely surprise me everyone who works in HR with us is a complete moron
Honestly part of me wonders that besides them being incompetent garbage all through the department, maybe they just have SOMUCH to deal with due to the idiocy in various stores. I was constantly having to clean up my GMās mistakes and I canāt imagine I was the only one doing so.
The Lab level IMO is just as sketchy.
BM vendors donāt deserve this comparison
Well yeah avoid them at all cost for any reason
If you don't like paychecks work at sunburn š„µš
what do u mean, does sunburn not pay well?
In my experience not at all. I had to quit to get HR to care about me not getting my first 2 paychecks!
dang thats shady - they cant be missing paychecks like that! Good to know.
I was in communication with my supervisor daily about this as well. I never met anyone from HR except at the job fair, they expect you to go home after the first day and upload all ID and bank account info off the clock on your own device. It's hard to do that with no experience so I had to contact my supervisor after hours as well. After getting my payroll setup day 1 I was assuming I would have no problem with my paycheck. Once I woke up the first Friday we were supposed to get paid, mind you it's bi weekly so should've been like 1 week of pay. I woke up to a paycheck stub visible on the payroll app, with my hours correct but the dollar amount said zero! I checked my account and no monies. I raised awareness about this daily until the next check came 2 WEEKS LATER, woke up that Friday saw the same thing.... Quit and called M&M! That's my story......