Sarah Strickler (Courtesy photo)
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You hear a lot of talk about “culture” in the cannabis industry these days.
You hear about culture in mission statements, on dispensary walls and in onboarding decks.
But in my experience, culture is not what you say. It’s what you do when no one is watching.
As cannabis markets shift quickly and margins compress just as fast, culture’s definition is tested every day. But it lives in small decisions. The habits. The way people show up for each other when things are not going well.
That’s where cannabis culture becomes real.
What is ‘cannabis culture’ in a commodified industry?
Before cannabis firms had offices, before my company operated across the country, our headquarters was my kitchen table.
There were four of us building something from scratch. It was not polished or perfect, but it was real.
I remember thinking I wanted to build a team I would invite into my home. Not as a metaphor, but literally. If I could not trust someone at my table, I could not trust them to help build a company.
That idea stayed with me. It still shapes how we hire and how we work.
Over time, I have learned that culture is built in repetition. The way you communicate. The way you handle problems. The way you respond under pressure.
Those behaviors add up and become who you are as a company.
The difference between authentic and manufactured culture
A lot of organizations try to define culture with words. Values. Statements. Slides and presentations, speeches and pep talks.
But culture is not a speech. It is lived experience.
It shows up in whether someone shares knowledge with a teammate without being asked. Whether problems get addressed early or avoided until they grow. Whether people take ownership or wait for direction.
You can feel the difference.
We have always tried to keep things simple. Internally, one of our principles is no drama. That does not mean avoiding hard conversations. It means not overcomplicating them.
Say what needs to be said. Work through it. Move forward. When that becomes the norm, trust builds. And trust is what allows teams to execute consistently when conditions are not.
When culture is not aligned, you see it quickly. Communication breaks down. Small issues turn into bigger ones. People stop sharing information. You do not need a report to tell you something is off. You can feel it. Culture is always showing, especially under pressure.
The difference between cannabis culture and a good operation
In good markets, a lot of companies look the same. Growth can hide problems, but when conditions tighten, differences become clear. That is when culture shows up.
In those moments, you fall back on habits. I have seen that firsthand.
When things get overwhelming, the answer is not always a big strategic move. Often it is simpler. Talk to your team. Focus on the next thing you can control, then the next. That discipline builds confidence. Over time, it builds resilience.
Another lesson we learned early is that you cannot be everything to everyone. In this industry, trying to be everything usually means doing nothing well. You have to know what you are good at and stay focused on it.
For us, that meant stripping everything back to our core and building from there. That decision was not just strategic. It was cultural. It required discipline and saying no. Culture shows up in what you choose not to do as much as what you do.
How a cannabis company can create authentic culture
Leadership matters here, but not in the way people think. Culture is not created by what leaders say. It is created by what they do day after day.
If you want open communication, you have to be open. If you want accountability, you have to be accountable. If you want trust, you have to give it first.
As we have grown, one of the most important things we have worked to build is an environment where people can do their best work without being overmanaged. Give them the tools, give them clarity, and then, trust them.
That balance is not easy. We are still learning it, but when people feel ownership, everything changes. They take pride in the work. They help the people around them improve. They push for better without being asked. That is when culture starts to compound.
Company culture in cannabis is essential – and it’s fragile
At the end of the day, culture is not something you install. It is something you practice. It is built in the conversations you have, the standards you hold and the way you show up when things get hard.
It takes time to build, and it can be lost much faster than people think.
So the question is not whether your company has a culture. Every company does. The real question is what your team does when no one is watching, because that is what shows up when the market gets hard.
Sarah Strickler is co-founder and chief community officer of Grown Rogue International Inc., a publicly traded, flower-focused cannabis company headquartered in Oregon.
