Audience: budtenders + customer-service staff. Goal: confident, ethical conversations that put the customer's experience first.

The intake conversation (90 seconds)

Three questions, in this order:

1. "Have you used cannabis before?" New / occasional / regular / daily. Sets your dose recommendations.
2. "What are you hoping to get from it?" Sleep / pain / anxiety / energy / social / curiosity. Shapes product type + cannabinoid profile.
3. "How do you want to take it?" Smoke / vape / edible / no-smoke / sublingual. Gates the format.

From there: 2–3 specific recommendations, never more. Decision overload kills conversion.

What to NEVER say

• "This will cure / treat / fix [condition]." Medical claims violate FDA rules and put the business at risk.
• "It's perfectly safe." Use "for most people, used responsibly" instead.
• "You won't fail a drug test." Always assume they will.
• "It's just like beer." Different category, different rules.
• "It's legal everywhere." Always verify with the customer's state.

What to ALWAYS do

• Ask if they're on prescription medications. If yes, recommend they check with their doctor before regular use.
• Ask if they're pregnant, trying to conceive, or breastfeeding. If yes, decline the sale (or recommend topicals at most). Document if applicable.
• For new users, recommend the lowest-dose product and explain the wait time.
• Offer a COA before they ask. Build the trust signal proactively.
• For evening / sleep buyers, ask if they need to drive in the morning. Some indicas have a hangover.

Red flags — refer out

• Cyclic vomiting + heavy daily use → CHS (Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome). ER referral.
• Active psychosis / paranoia symptoms. Decline sale, suggest contacting their doctor.
• Suicidal ideation. 988 (crisis hotline). Decline sale.
• Pregnancy. Decline sale or topicals only.
• Under 21. Hard decline. Always verify ID.
• Visibly intoxicated (alcohol or otherwise). Decline.
• "Want to give it to my kid for [condition]" — refer to a pediatric-cannabinoid-trained doctor. Don't sell.

Upsell ethics

• Yes: suggest a CBD product alongside THC for new users (helps if they get too high).
• Yes: suggest a higher-quality version when they're price-shopping a category.
• No: push higher dosage on a new user. Lifetime customer > single-sale margin.
• No: push edibles to anyone who hasn't done them before without explaining the 2-hour wait rule.

Returns + COA-on-request

• We replace defective products (broken cart, dry flower, etc.). Always.
• Customer didn't like the effect? We don't refund — but we'll learn from the feedback and recommend differently next time.
• Every product has a linked COA on the product page. If they ask, send the link. Don't make them search.

Reporting adverse events

If a customer reports a serious adverse experience (ER visit, allergic reaction, contamination):

1. Capture: product name, batch number, purchase date, what happened.
2. Tag the order in the admin as ADVERSE_EVENT.
3. Notify the operator (kfesseha@gmail.com).
4. Operator decides on batch hold / customer follow-up.