Breawna Lewis is a budtender at the iconic Cookies Melrose dispensary in the heart of Los Angeles, where her passion for cannabis and its healing properties shine. For Lewis, working at a dispensary isn’t just about recommending products; it’s about fostering genuine connections with consumers, empowering other women, and helping everyone find the relief they deserve.
We spoke with Lewis about her journey, her insight about what female consumers look for when they walk through a dispensary’s doors, and the powerful lessons she’s learned during her plant-based career.
What’s the most common question customers ask?
Because I work at Cookies, they always ask me if Berner’s in the back. What celebrities have come in? Who do you see, who do you get to be around? Do you get to try all the strains in here? Do you get to take samples home every day? They really assume I’m floating in weed when I get home, or that Berner’s right there with me rolling a joint. Don’t get me wrong, the perks have definitely happened, but it’s not a daily thing.
In your experience, what do female consumers want?
They want to feel light, airy, happy, and euphoric. They want to vibe out. There’s a range to what that looks like but, ultimately, they want something to help them get through their day, whether that means running errands, being a mom, or working a lot of hours. They might reach for sativa if they want to be more productive; at night, they’re more likely to look for something to wind down with.
A lot of women also use topicals on the belly for cramps, or they want to try out balms, soaps, or suppositories. I think they’re more open to a wider variety of products, and I love helping women for that reason. They’re so curious, and they’re like sponges with the information I have to share.
How do you educate women seeking their first experience?
I try to ease them into it and narrow things down as much as I can to help them figure out what they need. I truly believe there is something for everyone and everything, so I like to question them as much as I can to completely understand what they’re looking for. They might need some CBD to wind down—or maybe they type a lot, so a topical for their hands is the best move. We get to figure that out together, and I love the process.
What are some ways in which you have used cannabis to feel empowered?
I have anxiety, and consuming cannabis helps me feel more comfortable when it comes to being social, being myself, and ultimately being my best self. Other people feed off that energy, so I think it helps all of us in the long run, especially when I’m helping someone discover their connection to the plant. I think it helps my customers trust me more, as well, knowing I have my own relationship with the plant. Cannabis makes me feel empowered because I know it helps me.
What has your job as a budtender taught you about yourself?
I’ve noticed that having people skills is so important. Community is everything, and it’s essential that I’m always relatable, genuine, and never just trying to up-sell people. I know I don’t want to go into a dispensary and feel like they’re selling me whatever is on sale. My mission is to have everything be entirely organic and real for the customer, because it’s what they deserve.
What has being a budtender taught you about the world?
That we’re all one in the same. We all need help.
Cannabis can be so uniting. I’ve met so many different people in my role as a budtender, but what I’ve realized is that we’re all here in the same place trying to do the same thing: feel better. We are all the same—we just look different and have different stories to tell. But I’ve felt so much community in my career, from meeting older people to younger people to elites and celebrities to your average neighbor.
It’s made me realize you bleed where I bleed, and I should never judge people or make them feel different based on their looks or age. I want to be able to see you as a person when you come into the store and not make any assumptions.
What advice would you give to your younger self about being unapologetically you?
I would tell myself to be me 100 percent of the time and not care about anything else. I would tell my younger self, “You will be loved and accepted way more by just being who you are.”
I wish I’d known that at an earlier age—that the best thing I have to offer is me. No one else is me, and no one can replicate me. Once I realized that was my strength, it truly started to shine through. People recognize it when they meet me. Customers come back not because I’m selling them products but because I’m genuine in what I do. That resonates with people. That’s what I always want to be to my customers.
What myth about being a woman in the cannabis industry would you most like to bust?
That we have it easier because of how we look or because we’re “girls.” No, it’s because I know what I’m doing, and I’ve worked hard to get here. I’ve gone home at night and studied; I’ve put in that extra effort. On top of that, I still wake up earlier to make sure I look good, but what makes me stand out has nothing to do with being a female or how I look. I’m going into my ninth year in the industry, and if my experience doesn’t show when you talk to me, then I’m doing something wrong.
How has being an unapologetic advocate for the plant impacted your role?
Every once in a while, a difficult customer will come in with an old-school bias against cannabis, but their family member brought them in because they know they need it. That family member looks at me like, “Please say the right thing. I need you to give them knowledge and make them feel comfortable.” Those are the toughest moments, but I love them.
Being able to change someone’s perception of cannabis after they’ve had a negative view of it for so long, and then to have them return to the store and say, “It works! You did it!” That is everything for me.
I have this one patient who came in as a recovering alcoholic, and he didn’t have much longer to live. He wanted to try cannabis. I told him that I’d never helped someone with such a trying to make a transition like that, but I did mythe best with the knowledge I haved. Today, he has dramatically improved the way he looks, feels, and speaks. He’s like a different person. And he looks for me every time he comes in. He carries a notebook with him with all of these notes of products that helped or symptoms he experienced, and he’s so excited about this new phase in his life. It’s so incredible to see.
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