Meet Jacquelyn McTighe, one of Leafly’s Budtenders of the Year
Jacquelyn McTighe, 27, is having a great week. In addition to being one of the 2022 Leaflys Budtender of the Year winners, she has also been promoted to Inventory Manager at her Curaleaf dispensary in Youngtown, Arizona.
We caught up with Jacquelyn to find out more about what brought her to cannabis and where she hopes to go from here.
She chose the budtender life
“I’ve always had a positive attitude towards cannabis,” she told Leafly. “I feel like it was very normal where I come from, in my family and in my community. Growing up on the beach in Southern California meant you could walk down the street and smell it, see it every day.”
It wasn’t until she moved to rural Arizona a few years ago that she realized that not everyone saw cannabis as a benign, let alone medicinal plant. This was back in Arizona’s medical days, and there was a mom-and-pop pharmacy in her town. So she got her medical card and started walking. How she finally made it to the other side of the bar was more of a coincidence.
“I just showed my face. I went there every week and after a year they came up to me and said, ‘Hey, you seem like you’re really good here if you want the position.’ So I put my two weeks into my job and started at this tiny little pharmacy. There were literally only four budtenders, including me. It was very personable; I knew everyone by their first names. That made me really get involved and invest in the cannabis industry.”
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That was 2018 and life was good. The store eventually closed during the pandemic, but Jacquelyn knew this was the industry for her. After moving, applying and persisting, she landed her current job at Curaleaf.
As a recreational and medical pharmacy, their day consists of keeping a clean store, helping people manage symptoms, and supporting the inventory team.
One of her favorite lessons for customers is teaching buyers to think beyond a “THC-rich” approach when purchasing products and instead think of cannabis as a whole plant
“Learning about terpenes and cannabinoids and more than just the percentage on the jar has really transformed cannabis for me. You can see a variety with 11% [THC] stomp on it and you say, “I’m not going to smoke that.” But this could be the best and most life-changing strain you’ve ever had. People want something that actually solves their specific problem.”
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When she’s not working, Jacquelyn loves to relax at home with a bong of good bud. She enjoys cooking new recipes and video games. Now that fall has arrived, she’s in horror movie mode, her favorite genre.
Advice for aspiring budtenders
As much as Jacquelyn loves her current job, she knows the budtend isn’t forever. She’s still adjusting to her promotion, but hopes to one day run and even own her own pharmacy. The beauty of cannabis, she says, is that the sky’s the limit.
For new budtenders and those hoping for a career change, her advice is simple. Love what you do and don’t let an initial “no” stop you.
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“Keep going and don’t stop – you’ll eventually get a ‘yes’. And for someone just starting out in the industry, you should really engage with your customers. If you’re personable and caring about what they’re going through and what they’re looking for, you can build really good relationships with people who keep coming back to you.”
Jacquelyn’s manager nominated her for Budtender of the Year because she sees every day as an opportunity to help people and, even after four years in the industry, is open to learning new things.
While budding isn’t for everyone, it has changed Jacquelyn’s life path for the better.
“It’s rewarding for them to get the right medication, and it’s hugely rewarding for you because you’re helping them improve their quality of life. I definitely love what I do. I love the cannabis industry and want to keep growing.”
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