Cannabis Store Employees Care Less About THC Levels Than Their Customers Do | Research

The takeaway

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.

Cannabis regulators, retail training programs, public health researchers studying cannabis market dynamics.

Cannabis store employees valued terpene profiles over THC concentration when purchasing

What the researchers 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.

Why it 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 numbers in context

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 the study worked

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.

What this study cannot 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.

How to read the evidence

Preliminary: Small convenience sample (437) from a single state with self-reported purchasing preferences.

When this study was published

Published in 2025.

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.

Questions still open

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?

Common 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 the original research

What Influences Cannabis Purchasing Decisions? Perspectives from Cannabis Retail Employees and Customers in Washington State.

Cannabis and cannabinoid research

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

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