Leafly Budtenders' Choice Awards
An annual Leafly poll that hands the microphone to the people behind the dispensary counter, naming a favorite strain and brand in each legal US state.
- 73results on record
- 2023–2025years in our data
- 3editions
- 0matched to strains
- United Stateslatest location
01How it began
The Leafly Budtenders' Choice Awards are a project of Leafly, the cannabis information site. The idea is simple: survey budtenders about which strains and brands deserve the top spot in each state where cannabis is legal1. The earliest edition documented in our sources ran in fall 2023, with results presented in December 2023 from more than 900 budtenders around the United States1. Anything earlier, including how the idea was first conceived, is not documented in the material we found.
Leafly's stated motive was to let local retail experts guide readers instead of leaning only on the site's own picks1. To encourage participation, it offered a prize draw with three chances at a $1,000 check1. The 2023 write-up covers winning strains and brands in 19 states1.
02The story so far
The 2023 round had a plot twist worth noting. Permanent Marker was named best strain in so many states that Leafly says the result helped it choose Permanent Marker as its Strain of the Year 20231. Other 2023 state strain winners included Blu Froot in Colorado, Gator Breath in Florida and Super Runtz in New York1. The round also had a gap: Mississippi's medical program was judged too new to produce a strain award that year1.
A second edition followed in 2024, with awards handed out in 18 states2. The brand category was presented as a best flower brand award2. Permanent Marker reappeared among the winners, taking the best-strain title in both California and Arizona2. Leafly said it would announce each state's winning strain and brand on 9 December 20243.
03Culture and character
Leafly frames the poll with a Japanese idea, omakase, where you leave the choice to the expert3. Its argument is that budtenders are the link between cannabis producers and the shoppers who buy from them, which is why their votes carry weight3. The 2024 survey was kept short, by Leafly's account taking under a minute3. The tone of the coverage is relaxed and sometimes cheeky; the 2023 piece compares Maine's way with cannabis to its way with lobster rolls1.
The prize draw came with its own date: Leafly said the three $1,000 checks would be handed out on International Budtender Day, 20 October3. Budtenders were also asked to tag social posts with #LeaflyBudtendersChoice3. The winners' own stories add color: Arizona brand winner Alien Labs is said to have its founder travel regularly to meet budtenders in person2, California brand winner Cannabiotix says its name combines the words cannabis and antibiotics2, and Illinois brand winner IC Collective says its initials stand for Integrity Code2.
04Where things stand
The most recent edition documented in our sources is 2024, and its results page was last updated on 8 January 20252. The 2023 results page was last updated on 12 September 20241. We found no evidence of a 2025 or later edition, but that absence only reflects the material gathered, not a confirmed pause.
On the rules side, the 2024 prize draw was open to US residents aged at least 213. All of the sources are Leafly's own pages, so this account reflects the organiser's description rather than outside commentary.
05What comes next
No announced plans for future editions were found in the sources, which cover only the 2023 and 2024 rounds. Whether the awards return, change categories or cover more states is not documented.
The results, in our data
CannaLib holds 73 results from this cup across 3 years (2023 to 2025), 0 of them matched to a strain in the catalogue.
Editions on record
- 2023 · United States (online survey; 19 states)
- 2024 · United States (online survey; 18 states)
Sources
- American budtenders' best strains of 2023 | Leafly
- American budtenders' best strains of 2024 | Leafly
- Leafly's Budtenders' Choice 2024 survey is live | Leafly
Written from the sources above and checked on 2026-10-29. Spot an error? Tell us on the contact page.