Lab tech at Cannabis testing lab

[penguini]

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Hey guys,

I got a job offer for a Cannabis testing facility as a lab tech and was wondering if I should take it or not. I'm currently on a gap year before applying this upcoming cycle and was wondering if having a position associated with "cannabis" would hinder my chances. The reason I was interested in the position was because I wanted to gain industry experience using their equipment for mass spec, HPLC, qPCR, etc.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[viralhiker]

Is the company a more reputable pharm or biotech company of which you'll be specialized in testing cannabis products? Or would you have to write "Technician at Ganja 420 Industries" on your AMCAS app?

 

[penguini]

Is the company a more reputable pharm or biotech company of which you'll be specialized in testing cannabis products? Or would you have to write "Technician at Ganja 420 Industries" on your AMCAS app?

Haha that was the thing. It actually has "Cannabis" in the company name. But it's a legit place. I took a tour of their facility and they have all the latest equipment. I got really excited to try them out. They're fully licensed, ISO certified, and are tightly regulated by the Bureau of Cannabis Control. I had my reservations about working here too. But I figured it'd be a really great opportunity to get some entry-level industry experience. The pay is decent, it's not too far from where I live, and their working schedule fits with mine.

 

[penguini]

Is the company a more reputable pharm or biotech company of which you'll be specialized in testing cannabis products? Or would you have to write "Technician at Ganja 420 Industries" on your AMCAS app?

also forgot to mention- yes, they are specialized in this testing of cannabis products for potency, heavy metals, microbes, etc. I never thought of using mass spec and qPCR for testing Cannabis tbh but here we are haha.

 

[YCAGA]

Cannabis is federally illegal. You can’t use weed as a doctor. Medicine is a conservative profession. I could go on but I think you get the point.

This is a bad idea. You definitely shouldn’t put a job like this on AMCAS. If you did the job anyways and left it off AMCAS, you almost certainly would be asked what you did during the gap year, and you can’t lie.

Doesn’t seem worth it.

 

[LizzyM]

Cannabis is federally illegal. You can’t use weed as a doctor. Medicine is a conservative profession. I could go on but I think you get the point.

This is a bad idea. You definitely shouldn’t put a job like this on AMCAS. If you did the job anyways and left it off AMCAS, you almost certainly would be asked what you did during the gap year, and you can’t lie.

Doesn’t seem worth it.

On the other hand, in some states, physicians write prescriptions for medical marijuana. I wouldn't find it to be an inappropriate gap year job.

 

[YCAGA]

On the other hand, in some states, physicians write prescriptions for medical marijuana. I wouldn't find it to be an inappropriate gap year job.

This brings up an interesting point. It is illegal for a physician to prescribe marijuana. It is Schedule 1 in the Controlled Substances Act so in the eyes of the federal government, marijuana has no possible medical use and therefore is illegal to prescribe. Of course, there is a way around this…doctors “recommend” cannabis to their patients, but it’s an important nuance.

Marijuana is at best tolerated by medicine as a whole. I might be showing my regional bias by saying that, but almost no one can limit their applications to only marijuana friendly states. And even in those states, adcoms might not be as accepting as you @LizzyM

 

[LizzyM]

This brings up an interesting point. It is illegal for a physician to prescribe marijuana. It is Schedule 1 in the Controlled Substances Act so in the eyes of the federal government, marijuana has no possible medical use and therefore is illegal to prescribe. Of course, there is a way around this…doctors “recommend” cannabis to their patients, but it’s an important nuance.

Marijuana is at best tolerated by medicine as a whole. I might be showing my regional bias by saying that, but almost no one can limit their applications to only marijuana friendly states. And even in those states, adcoms might not be as accepting as you @LizzyM

point taken. I was not familiar with the law in the state where someone I know practices. Turns out the clinician will provide information stating that the patient has a qualifying condition. The patient then uses that information to obtain a medical marijuana ID card and can purchase limited amounts of marijuana for personal use. Funny thing: because of the taxes on medical marijuana, and the prices charged by dispensaries, many patients with medical marijuana cards, buy on the black market because it is cheaper.

 

[YCAGA]

point taken. I was not familiar with the law in the state where someone I know practices. Turns out the clinician will provide information stating that the patient has a qualifying condition. The patient then uses that information to obtain a medical marijuana ID card and can purchase limited amounts of marijuana for personal use. Funny thing: because of the taxes on medical marijuana, and the prices charged by dispensaries, many patients with medical marijuana cards, buy on the black market because it is cheaper.

Some of my friends in Western states have said that too! Well now it is becoming many states, not just California and Washington haha

If it was up to me, I would say this is a cool job for OP…Science is science when it comes to lab technology. It also sounds like it has an aspect of consumer protection which is of course important in medicine. But I’m not an adcom 😬

 

[fluorescent colors]

Many cancer patients get referred from their oncologists to clinics that will assist patients in getting a medical marijuana card. Then patients go to the dispensaries to obtain cannibis. Now, anyone can go to stores (Vim & Vigor, Whole Foods, Down to Earth that supply cannibis products.

This may sound weird: You could ask your PCP for his/her opinion especially if your PCP is connected with the school that you are applying to.

 

[YCAGA]

Many cancer patients get referred from their oncologists to clinics that will assist patients in getting a medical marijuana card. Then patients go to the dispensaries to obtain cannibis. Now, anyone can go to stores (Vim & Vigor, Whole Foods, Down to Earth that supply cannibis products.

This may sound weird: You could ask your PCP for his/her opinion especially if your PCP is connected with the school that you are applying to.

You gotta apply to at least 20+ schools though. The chance that all of them will be cool with this job is unlikely. Asking one school doesn’t do much. Acceptance rates at a single school are often single digit percentages.