When a conversation is not enough

Actions speak louder than words

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The Scenario

A dispensary sales agent has a cash shortage discrepancy at the end of the day. Management has located and reviewed the sales security footage. It was determined the agent gave a customer too much change during a sales transaction.

What steps need to be taken next to appropriately address the situation?

The Solution

The security footage determines there is a cash loss not due to theft or fraud but cash mishandling therefore law enforcement does not need to be notified. However, an incident report should be completed (following company policy) as the next step. Simply acknowledging the error at a meeting or having a one off conversation with the agent is not adequate.

An incident report is a written record addressing the behavior that deviates from the organization’s SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures). It can help minimize the likelihood of recurrence by improving the agent’s performance and increasing confidence in future cash transactions, creating a stronger culture of accuracy and safety.

Incident reporting allows for the organization to determine if the SOPs need to be revised or drafted. The process of writing the incident report provides a record that can help mitigate risks faced by an operation. Mitigation often takes the form of controls, or processes and procedures, that regulate and guide the organization’s daily practice.

An example of questions and information that can be requested on an incident report include but are not limited to the following:

• Date
• Time
• Location
• Description of Incident
• Is the reported incident resolved? If so, how?
• Do you have supporting documents for the report?
• Time and date of camera footage
• Was this incident discussed with the agent involved?
• Did the incident involve a product?
• Product ID
• Product Lot number
• Was a vendor involved or responsible?

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BOGO not NoGo – Importance of Origin to Destination

The Scenario

It is buy one get one free day at the dispensary! The store is gearing up for a busy day. There will be many purchases involving multiple products and it is easy to get distracted by conversation, cash handling, and product tracking.

The buy one get one free sale is great news for the client and they want to purchase two of each item they have chosen from the menu. The customer says they are in a hurry and asks the budtender if they have to scan each item of the large order.

When the agent completes the sale, do they only need to scan one of the two products since the dispensary is only charging for one?

The Solution

Each product has its own seed to sale tracking information and needs to be accounted for at time of sale. Therefore, every item sold needs to be scanned regardless of discounts and promotions.

Individualized scanning provides the state with required real-time inventory information. The law requires that all cannabis be tracked from origin to destination. This system utilizes a unique-plant identification and unique-batch identification. It will also be able to track agents’ and licensees’ involvement with the cannabis product.

• Seed-to-Sale = Origin to Destination.
• Seed > Plant > Harvest > Manufacture > Testing > Packaging > Transport > Dispensary
• Budtender + Customer= Final Destination

The final transaction between the agent and the consumer represents the final “seed to sale” destination. Thus, the budtender can acknowledge this customer’s request to cut a few corners or speed up the transaction by offering the information that the sales process may involve a few more steps than the consumer might want to deal with but each step is included for a reason and is required by law. This data is, in turn, sent in real-time to the state compliance systems to generate the reports you need to send to the government to stay compliant. This helps manufacturers track their inventory and manage production, all while staying legally compliant.

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Hold the THC (or) Sometimes Less is More

The Scenario

A 30 year old female flight attendant is experiencing anxiety and pain in her joints. She tells you her Doctor has suggested trying a cannabis tincture to try to alleviate the symptoms she is experiencing.

She is open to trying CBD and THC but states she cannot test positive for THC as a flight attendant. She’s heard that high CBD content will negate the psychoactive effects of THC so she asks if that means using products with high CBD content would reduce the possibility of testing positive for THC.

She’s also heard there are benefits to using a whole plant extract, but says she’s sensitive to the taste of cannabis infused products.

Available products on the menu at your location are as follows:

• Option 1 – 1:1 CBD/THC spray
• Option 2 – 10:1 CBD/THC full spectrum tincture
• Option 3 – 100mg Water Soluble CBD Isolate tincture
• Option 4 – 100mg Full Spectrum CBD MCT oil based tincture

Which is the best product to recommend for this patient?

The Solution

Even though the customer is open to trying THC, the budtender must take caution to avoid putting her at risk of a positive test result that could jeopardize her occupation. Explain to her that regardless of the ratio of CBD to THC in combined products, THC will still be present in the body.

This is a good time to introduce her to the difference between a whole plant extract versus an isolate. Options 1 and 2 are not products she can use because of the THC content.

Option 4 is listed as a Full Spectrum product which includes the whole plant profile including THC. This is not a suitable choice then because it will likely have a stronger cannabis taste, which she dislikes, and it’s a Full Spectrum product, which means it includes the whole plant profile including the THC that could lead to a positive test result at work.

Since the customer expressed that she is sensitive to the taste of plant-based products, a water soluble tincture is ideal because it will allow her to mix this product in a drink of her choice as recommended by the manufacturer. While many tinctures are oil or alcohol based solutions that are administered as sublingual products under the tongue, the water soluble product can be mixed in a beverage, which can help the customer tolerate the infused cannabis flavor.

Therefore, option 3 is the correct item to discuss with this patient. It does not contain THC and it’s less potent in cannabis flavor since it’s a water soluble product. This opens up a teaching opportunity to discuss water soluble products and their ability to provide better bioavailability of the cannabinoids. This means water soluble products may be processed in a way that it can be absorbed by the body more quickly.

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