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'It's a dream job': Meet the man who makes $50 an hour to smoke pot

Jose Dominguez (AHLOT)
Jose Dominguez (AHLOT)

For professional cannabis connoisseur Jose Dominguez, a day at work often begins with a draw from his vaporizer. Then maybe a joint. Then he might go fishing, or take a relaxing walk outside.

“If I test indica, I like to be at home and in a more relaxed environment. Sativa would get me more active and imaginative,” Dominguez told Yahoo Finance Canada. “I always try to increase the experience.”

The award-winning pot farmer from Sherbrooke, Que. is settling into his new $50-per-hour gig working for Toronto-based AHLOT. He’s lending his expert lungs to help the company come up with new curated cannabis collections to guide consumers through the vast array of newly-legal products and exotic-sounding strains.

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He’s one of eight successful applicants to AHLOT’s “cannabis curation committee.” It’s a diverse team of men and women chosen from about 25,000 applicants from across Canada after the company announced plans to hire a team of paid pot aficionados last fall.

The eight committee members can earn a maximum of $1,000 each per month during the year-long contract. Dominguez is also the director of a cannabis consulting business called CannaCopeia.

His new job involves consuming pot and scoring strains in much the same way judges would at the High Times Cannabis Cup. AHLOT will use the data to gauge the smells, sensations and flavours.

“It’s quite a disciplined process,” AHLOT chief creative officer Martin Strazovec told Yahoo Finance Canada. “The core role is to evaluate strains for inclusion in future theme packs.”

The company currently sells its Discovery Series Vol. 1 online in Ontario through the government-run Ontario Cannabis Store, where the five-pack of purple jars, each containing one gram of different types of pot from a different licensed producer, is currently out of stock. The same five-pack is available through the BC Cannabis Stores website, as well as brick-and-mortar retail locations in that province.

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‘Just like wine’

When Dominguez gets a new strain, he starts with a vaporizer hit to get a feel for the aroma and flavours. A joint is usually next to see how it burns. He said the process is about pinpointing the overall effect more than simply testing the strength.

“I’ll be writing down the dominant flavours. Then the under-flavours. You will have different after tastes, just like in wine,” Dominguez said. “Great cannabis starts with a great look, to a great smell, to a great experience.”

A medical cannabis user for several years with a cultivation background and expertise in plant genetics, AHLOT is counting on Dominguez’s reviews to differ from his seven peers.

Amanda Bladon, who also won a coveted spot on the committee, uses cannabis to boost creativity and help with anxiety. She may have a different take than Dominguez, for example.

Strazovec is betting that nuanced product assessments from eight trusted sources will be key to helping consumers get their hands on the cannabis they like best.

“We're the only company in Canada doing that. We curated that first pack to discover some of the broad categories in terms of cannabis strains,” he said. “Because of the branding and promotional restrictions, the average customer is somewhat lost in the market right now.”

Dominguez notes that pot preferences can vary significantly among men or women, casual or heavy users, and even certain regions. That, he said, presents an opportunity to present the product in “infinite ways” through curated, theme-based offerings.

“To pass on my experience and be able to say, 'Hey, this is the cannabis that made it to the best of the best,' I think it is an incredible opportunity,” Dominguez said. “It's a dream job.”

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