Our Story

In the Spring of 2010,

a young woman drove across the country in search of a new life in the mountains – her dog in tow – exact destination unknown.

14 days and hundreds of pit stops later, the breathtaking beauty of the Rocky Mountain Front near Glacier National Park stopped her in her tracks. She sized up the local ski hill, ensured a solid fallback plan and decided this was home. Little did she know, spirited Montana would test her mettle in more ways than one. Her secret weapons? Intelligence, grit and heroism. Armed for all Montana had to offer, this young woman mounted her draft horse and led a trip of tourists into the wilderness. With not a moment’s notice, a Grizzly bear came barreling their direction, focused on a 7-year-old boy. Hopeful to call its bluff and save the boy, she had no choice but to charge back at the bear. After three charging attempts, the young woman and her horse courageously warded off the bear, saving the boy. Just as the notoriety of her heroic act began to fade, the young woman directed all of her attention to a new mission: end cannabis prohibition in Montana and provide statewide access to safe, effective medicine.

True to the Wild West, Montana’s ruggedness would test her once again. Met with much opposition from lawmakers and three attempts to shut down the state’s medical program, the young woman charged back in the same victorious fashion of which she warded off the Grizzly. She wielded her weapons and fought for a comfortable, safe medical cannabis community for all Montanans, with hopes to destigmatize the plant altogether and eventually join the recreational cannabis market. Today, we celebrate the official end of cannabis prohibition in Montana …and a successful standoff with that 750-pound Grizzly.

Tamarack Cannabis is a woman owned and operated dispensary, founded in 2009, and is one of the longest standing seed-to-sale medical dispensaries in the Flathead Valley. Tamarack Cannabis operates under core values of quality, loyalty, innovation and inclusion.

Dedicated to providing the highest quality cannabis and cannabis related products, Tamarack Cannabis carries 30+ strain varieties, concentrates, edibles and topicals, and happily welcomed all adults to shop in the recreational market on January 1, 2022.

Tamarack Cannabis Staff

The Tamarack Cannabis staff is professional, resourceful, and knowledgeable about the products we carry. We are devoted to personalizing each experience, taking the time to thoroughly explain and answer your cannabis-related questions or concerns.

Erin Bolster

Erin Bolster began working at Tamarack Cannabis as the Head of Cultivation in 2011. With a background in mathematics and business, she enabled a scientific approach to refine growing techniques and improve the quality of the dispensary’s products. She quickly took over more management tasks at the company and soon purchased Tamarack from her friend and business partner, as he left for love in London. Along her journey in the cannabis industry and ownership, Erin dedicated much of her time to fight for her patients and their rights at the state level. She also had to fight off a Grizzly bear once…

Read about Erin’s Involvement in Montana cannabis politics.

Jason

Founder & Post Harvest Manager

Jason founded Tamarack in 2009 and eventually followed a girl to London… they’re married and he’s back! We couldn’t be happier to have him as part of the fam again.

Hometown: Lawrence, KS

Fav Tam Product: Jungle Cookies Flower

Mary

Store Manager

She’s been fighting for marijuana rights since 2014. Once a trimmer, now running the Front-of-House Show Mary has been with Tamarack for more than a decade!

Hometown: Black Hawk, CO

Fav Tam Product: Energy Vape Cartridge

Mike

Lab Director

Mike met a girl who casually warded off a Grizzly bear and fell in love. Thank goodness he’s wicked smart, too! 

Hometown: Austin, TX

Fav Tam Product: Any strain of Diamonds & Sauce

James

Head of Cultivation

James is in charge of all of our mothers! An admitted perfectionist, he truly enjoys care-taking for all of our happy, healthy plants and getting to work alongside his wife Leslye.

Hometown: Fairbanks, AK, but I’ve lived here for over a decade

Fav Tam Product: Right now, Three Sisters Flower, but my all-time is Do-Si-Dos Flower

Leslye

Jill-of-all-Trades

Leslye first started at Tamarack as a trimmer in 2013, and is now proud to engage in all aspects of the business, from working alongside her husband, James, in cultivation to helping out at the storefront.

Hometown: Dexter, KS

Fav Tam Product: Milk Chocolate Bars

Lesley

Jill-of-all-Trades

Lesley has been here since the very beginning, folks! Everyone knows her from the store, but she’s also working in the grow and the lab and the kitchen and the… well, you get it.

Hometown: Bedford, IN

Fav Tam Product: INSPO Drink Mix

Molly

Marketing Director 

Hometown: Plymouth, MN

Fav Tam Product: Grape Stank Flower

Nataya

Metric Specialist & Supply Manager

Hometown: Kalispell, MT

Fav Tam Product: Snow Ghost Flower

Erika

Retail Promotions Supervisor & Budtender 

Hometown: Lolo, MT

Fav Tam Product: Jungle Cookies Flower

Alyssa

Inventory Manager & Lead Budtender 

Hometown: Kalispell, MT

Fav Tam Product: All of the live sugars!

Autumn

Budtender 

Hometown: Robbinston, ME

Fav Tam Product: Any strain of terp sugar!

Jake

Retail Flower Manager & Lead Budtender 

Hometown: North Olmsted, OH

Fav Tam Product: Montana Silvertip Flower

Daniel

Budtender

Hometown: Choteau, MT

Fav Tam Product: Jungle Cookies Flower & Mimosa Flower

Maria

Budtender

Hometown: Kalispell, MT

Fav Tam Product: Infused Pre-Rolls

Danzig

Lead Budtender

Hometown: Seattle, WA

Fav Tam Product: Montana Silvertip Flower

Sky

Budtender 

Hometown: Kalispell, MT

Fav Tam Product: Live Sugar Cartridges

Tobias

Budtender

Hometown: Mackay, ID

Fav Tam Product: Purple Kush Breath Flower

Isaiah

Budtender

Hometown: Raleigh, NC

Fav Tam Product: Live Rosin in the Kush Mints strain if we have it!

Ayana

Budtender & Packaging Assistant

Hometown: Kalispell, MT

Fav Tam Product: Jungle Cookies Flower

Kyle

Extraction Technician

Hometown: Whitefish, MT

Fav Tam Product: Mimosa Flower

Tristan

Grower 

Hometown: Glendive, MT

Fav Tam Product: Grape Stank Live Sugar

Jason

Grower

Hometown: Columbia Falls, MT

Fav Tam Product: Any strain of Diamonds & Sauce

Korrghen

Grower

Hometown: Kalispell, MT

Fav Tam Product: Runtz Flower

Emily

Kitchen Manager & Lead Baker

Hometown: Whitefish, MT

Fav Tam Product: Jungle Cookies Flower

Lorell

Kitchen Assistant

Hometown: Choteau, MT (a fourth generation Montanan)

Fav Tam Product: Gary Payton Flower

Tanner

Lead Trimmer 

Hometown: Whitefish, MT

Fav Tam Product: Gary Payton Flower

Reid

Trimmer

Hometown: Whitefish, MT

Fav Tam Product: Afgoo Flower

Max

Trimmer

Hometown: Columbia Falls, MT

Fav Tam Product: Three Sisters Flower

Team Accolades

Did you know that our team won Best Marijuana Dispensary and Best Customer Service (among all businesses) in the state of Montana in 2023? We’ve also consistently won Best Dispensary in Whitefish & the Flathead!

Join our Team!

Interested in joining the Tamarack Cannabis team? Stop by either our Kalispell or Whitefish location and drop off your resume. It always helps to have your information already on file!

We Look Forward to Meeting You

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