Ashley “Anita Blunt” Jones wears a lot of hats.
She’s a former roller derby player, a kickass mom, 2024 and 2025 Cannifest Headstash Bowl judge and purchaser at the world’s first public hashery.
You’ve no doubt seen her smiling from behind the counter at Heritage Mendocino in Ukiah or talking with the people out at events like Hall of Flowers, Cannifest and Puffcon.
A big part of the Northern California Cannabis community, Blunt actually started her budtending journey in 2012 as a trimmer up in Oregon. After a few years of traveling down the coast to help California brands with events like The Emerald Cup, she moved to Ukiah and started working at Heritage Mendocino in 2022.
She said budtending is that Venn diagram sweet spot between her love of people and her passion for the plant. Her advice to anyone looking to get into budtending: “It’s all about the customer. Treating everyone who walks through the door like they’re the most important person.” This advice and her naturally welcoming personality have allowed her to advance in only four years to the position of Heritage Mendocino’s retail manager and purchaser.
When asked what it’s like to be part of such a unique spot, Blunt described the last few years working with Heritage as having been a privilege and an honor. “There’s so much knowledge, love for the plant and experience in our team, and what they are doing really represents that,” she said.
Blunt has been a fan of the bong since she got into pot as a high schooler. She said that, despite working around hash all day, she still prefers packing some fragrant flower in a bong most of all and loves the drops from MOCA Humboldt.
With such intricate behind-the-scenes knowledge, we wanted to know what her favorite release from the hash lab has been lately, and she pointed to Heritage Hash Co.’s more traditional offerings: “The Sour Diesel bubble hash is one of my all-time favorites.”
The interview closed on a point that reflects not just Blunt’s time at Heritage but in the Cannabis scene as a whole. “We’ve got something really special and such a beautiful space. I’m really blessed to be part of it,” she concluded.
