The Downtown Dispensary is a state licensed medical marijuana dispensary located off the intersection of Sixth Street and Sixth Avenue. It has been offering services to patients since it opened in August 2013. 

The dispensary was named Best Marijuana Dispensary in the Tucson Weekly’s Best of Tucson in 2015. The Daily Wildcat sat down with general manager Adriana Tysenn to learn about what it’s like working at the dispensary.

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Daily Wildcat: What’s your favorite part about working here?

Adriana Tysenn: My favorite part about working here is getting to see the transformation from day one to the following week or the following month for our new patients. 

When someone comes in with a debilitating ailment and needs our assistance on what to purchase and how to use it, it can be a really intimidating experience. 

Knowing that we’re helping ease their anxiety by walking them through the entire process makes me feel like we’re truly doing our job by helping them. When they come back a week later, a month later, with their lives truly back in their hands, I know that we’re doing something right.

DW: Is there a lot of patient care and interaction here?

AT: Absolutely. I think that we are one of the leading dispensaries as far as patient care and making sure we are walking our patients through the entire transaction. We know that they’re leaving here confident with whatever they’re purchasing and knowing how to use it. 

With dispensaries, sometimes you’ll go in and you won’t have the same feeling that you’ll have here, as far as the educational process and making sure that they’re truly understanding everything that they need to. 

This is a medicine and it needs to be looked at that way as far as dosing goes and what’s being used for each individual. It’s all going to be different depending on what that person needs.

DW: What kind of edibles are sold here?

AT: Right now, we carry 12 different lines of edibles. It ranges anywhere from gummy bears to hard candies, chocolate bars, brownies, pop corn, it could go on and on, juice, soda. So, lots of options.

DW: Are there any strains that are grown at the dispensary?

AT: We do have our own cultivation facility. Right now we have about 25 strains, and out of those 25, 10 of them are ours. We are hoping to expand into a bigger facility.

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DW: How does one become an employee at the dispensary?

AT: We look for knowledgeable and passionate people who want to help others. It’s important to us that our staff members understand the different ways to medicate and can assist our patients with proper dosing. 

We’re just looking for someone who is well versed with marijuana and can explain types of strains, the different effects, terpenes, cannabinoids. 

There is a fine science behind this and I think our dispensary genuinely cares about sharing that with patients. We’re going over test results and explaining to them why they’re going to feel sleepier from one strain. and more energized and euphoric from another strain.

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