How did you get your start as a budtender?
I came from Chicago in 2016, and I wanted to learn how to grow weed. I found myself a cool growth job, only to realize it was really hard on my body. I have a retail background, so I thought, ‘What about throwing the love of the plant into retail?’ I tried, and I started as a budtender. I actually got yoinked from Cheba Hut while on shift. The manager came over and asked me if I wanted a budtending gig. I started doing that, and then I’ve been budtending and managing dispensaries since 2017.
What’s your favorite thing about cannabis?
Its medicinal purposes. I’ve been a medical patient since I moved here in 2016, and it helps me with my pain. It helps me with my anxiety. At the end of the day, I need to relax and do nothing. I don’t want to drink alcohol or anything else. I’d rather just smoke a little bit or eat a little edible, and it just relaxes me. Takes me out of my brain.
What do you love about working for Happy Haze?
I love Happy Haze. This is my favorite dispensary I’ve worked in. Happy Haze is a mom-and-pop shop. We’re very small, woman-owned. She’s a cute little older lady who’s a pothead, and she just has a love for the plant, too. It’s cool working with somebody like that.
Happy Haze has definitely shown me my managerial skills. I’ve managed this place since the opening, and, being in a mom and pop in a state of corporate cannabis, it’s hard, but it’s so fulfilling. We have actual medical patients, people who love the plant and want to learn more, instead of just going and grabbing a bag at Cookies or some place that pre-packs it.
What’s your dream blunt rotation?
I was just talking to my partner about this the other night. I said it would be Nikki Glaser, the comedian. She’s hilarious. Britney Spears because she’s my idol. I love her. Wiz Khalifa’s obviously in that mix. Mac Miller. RIP.
What’s your favorite way to consume?
I’m a flower girl. I like to pack my own joints, just because I know what’s going in it. Then, I did just get my first Puffco this year, so I’ve been dabbing a lot. I’m a little bit of a baby weight on edibles. They just hit me differently.
Favorite munchie?
Taco Bell, or I’m obsessed with Salt and Vinegar chips right now. I do love Miss Vicky’s, and Spicy Dill Pickle flavor. Anything that is a vessel to a dip, I think. From Taco Bell, I like the Beefy Potato Loaded Grillers right now. And a Black Bean Crunchwrap with potatoes.
Do you have any advice for people who are new to cannabis?
Yeah, education. Education behind the science of it. And I’m talking all the minor cannabinoids, like CBD, CVN, CBG. They all have a purpose in our brain, and it’s a pretty cool fucking science.
How has cannabis played a role in your personal life and identity?
Cannabis has kind of always been a part of my life. I started pretty young, and it definitely took me out of my anxious, introverted side and brought me to new groups of people, as crazy as that sounds. It’s made me open my mind to how many different types of people there are. In terms of my relationship, we met at Cheba Hut, and we all used to smoke there after our shifts. That’s how I found my best friend and my partner. So cannabis was kind of a little leeway. It’s definitely medicinal-based, but I still like to have fun
with it.
Do you think there is a relationship between cannabis and sexuality?
There are a lot of studies that say some plants and strains are aphrodisiacs. I think that everything has a place and a time. I’m sure it’s helped people find each other; I have so many love stories at my dispensaries where budtenders have fallen in love.
I definitely think that if you share a love and a hobby with somebody, it helps. My partner and I like to pick out stuff together, then smoke it together, and I feel like it definitely strengthens our connection.
Do you feel comfortable discussing cannabis in the context of intimacy and sexual wellness with customers?
I personally love those questions, because that means they were thinking that it already helped. I used to have a couple, and they were probably in their mid-70s. They’d been together forever, and they used to come in looking specifically for Lamb’s Breath or Sour Diesel. Those are two very strong sativas, known to have very little dry mouth, no appetite, and also have those terpenes that may be aphrodisiacs. And the first time that I heard it, I was kind of giddy. Because, first of all, they’re older, and they need some help. Second of all, they felt comfortable enough to come into a dispensary to ask for it.
Overall, I think it depends on the type of person. I’m very open. I’m an open book, sexually, everything. I feel comfortable, whoever it is, if it’s a freshly 21-year-old or a 99-year-old. But I think that it’s brave to come into a dispensary and ask. So I think it’s awesome.
