Holly grew up in Cecil County, where Cannabis did not have a culture during her formative years. As a prime example of a vibrant and productive stoner, she hates the stigma of laziness that clouds the conservation around the plant. And there’s certainly no “Blank Space” when it comes to this self-proclaimed “Swifty” and her relationship with her cavalier poodle mix named Hazy, who keeps her busy when she’s not serving up Maryland’s finest Cannabis at Nature’s Care and Wellness. Be sure to stop by and say “high” if you find yourself in Perryville!
What did you do before budtending?
I went to Cecil School of Technology when I was 17 to become a certified nursing assistant. I started working at nursing homes in Pennsylvania, and it wasn’t really for me. I did learn a lot from it though, and I care about people. I saw a lot of senior citizens on dozens of medications, and working here I get to see a different side of that with people getting off a lot of medicines.
What skills did you gain in nursing that transferred to this industry?
They both are forms of healthcare, and my background in healthcare helps me understand some of the problems that people are having. When I started to learn more about Cannabis and different strains and cannabinoids, I connected the dots between some of the things I knew and how I could use them in my current job.
Do you see a lot of adult-use customers or mostly patients?
The majority of customers coming into the store now are for adult use. Believe it or not, this is not a bad thing for medical patients – who still get priority in the line. Some people want to come in now just to get high, which is also cool. It has taken some adjustment from working in a strictly-medical mindset, to handling all types of customers.
Do you still see an existing stigma around Cannabis?
Absolutely, sometimes you can tell that there is a bit of separation between medical patients and adult-use consumers. At the same time, they are all happy about it being legal both ways – due to the positive light it sheds on Cannabis. Also, people are feeling more comfortable checking things out and spending time in the store, because it is more accepted and the stigma is breaking.
Where is your bucket list travel destination?
Amsterdam. I’ve seen it in movies … a while back a patient told me about the coffeeshops and I didn’t even know that was a thing. I’m sure that eventually things will be similar here, but I also need to make my way over there before long.
