Proud of her Native American culture, artwork is something that has always spoken to her soul when crafting beadwork and listening to music. She’s also a hands-on ‘Sports Mom’ who you’ll see running and cheering along the sidelines at her son’s games … when not belting out laughter at a comedy show (@jleaygibson).
You’re a parent, how do you approach the subject of Cannabis with your child?
He’s almost 16 now and I’m very open about it with him because I don’t want his curiosity to get him in trouble. So it’s important to me that he knows the benefits, because I don’t believe that it is a gateway drug.
You have Native American heritage. Do you teach him about where he comes from, too?
Oh yeah, we’re big on that. We stay connected to our culture anywhere we go. Every year we go back to the reservation in South Dakota – where we moved from eight years ago when he was a boy – to do powwows and connect with relatives and friends. It’s the Oglala Sioux tribe in Pine Ridge.
How do you apply your parenting skills to your craft of suggesting products when you’re budtending?
That’s a fun one. So, when I’m selling a good sativa and I have to clean, do laundry and go-go-go, I’ll think about terpenes that I’m familiar with that get me motivated. And the same goes for a time when I want to relax and watch a movie with my son, and I need a strain that won’t make me fall asleep. It’s really about recognizing what information is available about the particular terpenes … I’ll suggest them according to the experiences I’ve had with them. Then there are cannabinoids … I love my CBD and CBG products also.
If you could conjure anyone who’s passed on to smoke with, who would that be?
My grandma. She wasn’t a Cannabis consumer, but when she was alive I felt like she always knew when I was gonna smoke weed because she would often call when it was happening. My best friend and I would go into the bathroom to be alone and turn on the colorful lights, and coincidentally my grandma would call – so we would put her on speaker and talk to her, having a blast chatting it up.
Do you think she would approve of you working in the Cannabis industry?
Yes. I’ve been here for over seven years and she was alive when I started. Once I sat down and talked to her about the benefits of the plant, she understood and approved. She was never judgmental. She said, ‘If you’re happy and helping people, then I know you’re happy – that’s what I want for you.’
