Each franchise roster has four spots:

• 3 budtenders employed at licensed Mississippi dispensaries
• 1 representative from the owning cultivator or processor company

Your company representative competes alongside the budtenders in all team events. This is not a sponsorship seat. Your person is on the floor competing with the best budtenders in the state.

Yes. Your company representative spot is yours to fill. You choose who from your team steps onto the floor and competes under your franchise banner.

No. Franchise Owners can draft budtenders from any licensed dispensary across Mississippi. You are building the most competitive team available, regardless of where they work.

Franchises may substitute players using their designated alternate or through approved league procedures. You will not be left with an incomplete team.

You get direct relationships with the most engaged budtenders in the state. These are the people patients trust and listen to on the floor every day. When your franchise drafts them, you are building a working relationship with the people recommending products to patients. That connection has real value inside those dispensaries.

The Mississippi Budtender Awards has generated over 5,000 patient nominations in a single year. Patients are not passive observers. They actively support the budtenders they trust.

Once drafted, budtenders receive a merchandise packet they bring into their dispensary. Patients see their budtender representing a team, follow that team, and root for them all season. Your franchise becomes part of that loyalty from draft night to championship weekend.

Yes. The budtenders you draft guide patient decisions on the floor every day. Building a relationship with them through the season creates organic recognition for your brand inside the dispensaries where your products are sold.

The first 10 franchise owners help shape the future of the competition, the draft, and the league going forward. From team identity to draft strategy, founding owners have a voice in how this league is built. That opportunity does not exist in later seasons.

Budtenders may officially enter the MBA Draft beginning June 1st. Throughout June and July, prospects build their visibility through educational content, scouting videos, networking, and competition prep before the live draft in August.

Yes. The inaugural MBA Draft is a hybrid live event in August 2026. Franchise Owners gather in person while the draft streams live on Facebook and Instagram. As each pick is announced, drafted players are brought into the stream in real time to officially join their franchise.

Yes, and this is encouraged. Prospects may create content expressing interest in specific franchises, giving owners early insight into potential picks and helping build fan support before draft night begins.

Competition is built around the skills that define an excellent cannabis professional:

• Product knowledge and education
• Communication and patient interaction
• Teamwork and strategy
• Live challenge elements

Competition begins earlier in the day before the Mississippi Budtender Awards show. Teams compete through preliminary rounds, and the final three franchises advance to a live championship round on stage during the awards ceremony.

Franchise Owners are promoted year-round across all league content and platforms:

• Franchise announcement and team reveal content
• Draft night coverage and picks
• Social media features throughout the season
• Team merchandise worn inside dispensaries by drafted budtenders
• Competition and championship weekend content
• League promotional campaigns reaching budtenders, patients, and the industry

The MBA platform reaches budtenders, patients, dispensary operators, and industry supporters across Mississippi year-round. The draft and season format extend that reach into an ongoing conversation about the teams, the players, and the companies behind them. Your franchise is part of that conversation all season long.

Includes all season branding, naming rights, merchandise input, draft participation, championship weekend recognition, and year-round visibility across league content and platforms.

Yes. Founding franchise owners receive priority renewal opportunities before spots open to new applicants each year.

Yes. Franchise Owners receive naming rights and input on team identity and merchandise. You are building something that represents your company and culture within the league.