Cannabis Store Employees Care Less About THC Levels Than Their Customers Do
In a Washington State survey, cannabis retail employees rated THC concentration as less important than customers did, while placing more value on terpene profiles, production methods, and product appearance.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Cannabis retail employees rated THC concentration as less important and terpene profiles, production methods, and product appearance as more important compared to non-employee customers. More frequent cannabis users placed greater importance on strain name, production method, perceived positive effects, and product appearance.
Key Numbers
437 respondents; 137 retail employees; 10 purchasing attributes assessed; employees rated THC less important (beta=-1.67, p significant) and terpene profile more important (beta=1.30, p significant).
How They Did This
Online survey of 437 cannabis consumers in Washington State, including 137 cannabis retail employees. Linear regressions predicted the importance of 10 purchasing attributes by gender, age, cannabis use patterns, and employee status.
Why This Research Matters
If retail employees could redirect customer attention from THC concentration toward other product attributes like terpene profiles, this could help reduce demand for high-THC products, which have been linked to greater health risks.
The Bigger Picture
The cannabis market has been driven toward ever-higher THC concentrations. This study suggests that industry insiders (retail employees) value different product characteristics than their customers, presenting an opportunity for education-based market interventions.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Small convenience sample recruited through in-store flyers. Washington State only. Cannot determine whether employee recommendations actually change customer behavior. Cross-sectional design.
Questions This Raises
- ?Would training retail employees to emphasize non-THC attributes reduce high-THC product sales?
- ?Do purchasing patterns differ in other legal states?
- ?How do online cannabis purchases differ from in-store decisions?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Cannabis store employees valued terpene profiles over THC concentration when purchasing
- Evidence Grade:
- Preliminary: Small convenience sample (437) from a single state with self-reported purchasing preferences.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2025.
- Original Title:
- What Influences Cannabis Purchasing Decisions? Perspectives from Cannabis Retail Employees and Customers in Washington State.
- Published In:
- Cannabis and cannabinoid research (2025)
- Authors:
- Okey, Sarah A(2), Arias, Jordan M, Watson, Tyler D, Riggs, Sally L, McQuay, Brian D, Glodosky, Nicholas C, Haley, Kristen N, Meline, Nikki B, Segawa, Mary B
- Database ID:
- RTHC-07273
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Why does it matter what retail employees think?
Cannabis retail employees ("budtenders") are a primary source of product information for customers. If they prioritize attributes other than THC, they could potentially guide customers toward products that are not solely defined by high THC content.
What are terpenes?
Terpenes are aromatic compounds in cannabis that contribute to flavor and aroma. Growing evidence suggests they may influence the overall effects of cannabis products, and some cannabis professionals consider them more important than THC alone for predicting user experience.
Read More on RethinkTHC
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-07273APA
Okey, Sarah A; Arias, Jordan M; Watson, Tyler D; Riggs, Sally L; McQuay, Brian D; Glodosky, Nicholas C; Haley, Kristen N; Meline, Nikki B; Segawa, Mary B. (2025). What Influences Cannabis Purchasing Decisions? Perspectives from Cannabis Retail Employees and Customers in Washington State.. Cannabis and cannabinoid research. https://doi.org/10.1177/25785125251361926
MLA
Okey, Sarah A, et al. "What Influences Cannabis Purchasing Decisions? Perspectives from Cannabis Retail Employees and Customers in Washington State.." Cannabis and cannabinoid research, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1177/25785125251361926
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "What Influences Cannabis Purchasing Decisions? Perspectives ..." RTHC-07273. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/okey-2025-what-influences-cannabis-purchasing
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.