![\""Nick](\"http:\/\/pdxpeople.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Nick-Liedels-normal-face.jpg\")
<\/a>I\u2019m just going to come out and say it: Nick Liedel smokes marijuana. And do you know what that means? A big fat nothing because a whole bunch of you reading this right now also ingest marijuana in some way, shape or form. After all, it\u2019s legal.<\/span><\/p>\n Except Nick Liedel never thought that he would one day find himself working in a marijuana shop selling legal weed to happy and sometimes nervous customers. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t say I ever thought I would be doing this,\u201d he says with a short laugh. \u201cAt least once a week I have to pinch myself because I simply can\u2019t believe I\u2019m getting paid to do this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n He goes on to talk about how smoking pot was always a guilty pleasure or a hobby. \u201cWhen I was young I didn\u2019t care much about what pot was like,\u201d he says. \u201cNow there\u2019s anywhere from fifteen to fifty strains to choose from depending on where you go.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n And yet Nick\u2019s road to a career in cannabis was far from straight and narrow. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI was born in Lake Oswego, but as soon as I was old enough to take the bus into Downtown, it felt like my home,\u201d he explains. \u201cSo, I ended up going to PSU and have lived in Portland full-time for twenty-nine years.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The story about how he ended up in bud tending is one that begins the same way for oh, so many Millennials.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI got a BA in Sociology in twenty-twelve,\u201d he says before continuing in a dry monotone, \u201cand I\u2019ve always worked in retail.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Wow. Someone not really using the degree they paid hard-earned money for. Imagine that. Still, Nick puts his sociology studies to good use by analyzing his clientele.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI find it funny how paranoid out-of-state buyers are,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen you ask for an out-of-state ID, they say something like, \u2018Ah, I don\u2019t know about that, I\u2019m a teacher.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Nick goes on to explain that the information inputted into their system is merely to keep track of how much marijuana they are selling, not who they are selling it to. \u201cNone of that information goes to the government or anyone outside the store,\u201d he assures us. <\/span><\/p>\n Having worked in a medical dispensary for a year before full legalization, Nick initially felt the weight of a new bureaucracy, but understands the need for a regulatory framework. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe transition was difficult,\u201d he begins, \u201cbut now that I\u2019m on the other side of it, I am thankful for it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n As an example, Nick talks about an online database set up by the state to track sales. \u201cAt first it seemed to overly complicate things, but now it\u2019s simpler because the product is already in the system. Vendors bring it in and we all check a box and it\u2019s done,\u201d he explains.<\/span><\/p>\n Yet despite all this, surely Nick finds fun in other hobbies. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI love to cook,\u201d he pauses, then continues, \u201cYou know, as corny as it sounds, my main passion is my job.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Not corny at all, Nick. Surely, more than one person reading this article might find themselves indulging the same passion were they in your position. We\u2019re glad the \u2018budding\u2019 (pun intended) marijuana industry has <\/span>PDX people<\/span><\/a> like you at the helm.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n William Bessette<\/strong> \u2013 PDX People Contributor<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Follow William on: <\/strong> Facebook<\/u><\/a>\u00a0, Twitter<\/u><\/a>\u00a0 Connect with William on:<\/strong> LinkedIn<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>William Bessette is a journalist and freelance writer who has been covering politics, entertainment, culture and travel for over thirteen years. When he\u2019s not profiling Portland-area restaurants and residents, you can find him reporting on national and international travel and eco-tourism through his travel brand, <\/em><\/strong>Floppy Hat Adventures<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
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