Growing up in both the United States and Pakistan, as well as traveling throughout Europe, Mohammad has experienced first hand the vast cultural differences of the world. But when it comes to Cannabis, not even the coffeeshops of Amsterdam can compare to “that gas” we have in America. Find him at Nirvana Center in Baltimore for fire strain recommendations – including some he named himself – where one day he hopes “an eighth of Mo” will be on the menu.
Where did you live overseas and what was it like?
So I was born in New Jersey but I lived in Pakistan for almost two years, and it was a huge culture shock. I was younger so I wasn’t into smoking at the time, but Cannabis is taboo and basically forbidden in Pakistan. There still is a Cannabis culture there though, and I indulged when I went back when I was older. They have hash there, and they empty out cigarettes and refill them with hash and smoke them. I tried it, and went through all different kinds of highs. My whole family is over there, so that aspect was great – but as far as the schooling, I was ready to come back to the States.
Do you have a favorite art medium?
Music and fashion. When it comes to fashion, at younger ages you can’t always have the clothing you want – but I always wanted to look good. First impressions are everything and you have to look good to make one. I listen to rap mostly – the usuals like Drake and Future – as well as the oldies like Nas and New York rappers like Max B.
Where is your favorite place you have smoked Cannabis?
I actually went to Europe and smoked in Belgium and Amsterdam. Belgium had some of the greenest and prettiest flower I’ve seen overseas. Amsterdam weed was kind of hype – it was cool to smoke in Amsterdam, but compared to America, we have that gas here. We went to coffee shops, walked out and saw people smoking and were amazed at how accepted it was. They don’t smoke Backwoods out there so I had to compromise – most people were smoking spliffs out there.
What is it like working at Nirvana?
I love it bro, it’s so great. I’ve grown a lot personally and professionally since I started working here. It was a great way to step into the industry when I started here, and everyone has been friendly and helpful. It helped me perfect my customer service skills and focus on the best ways to talk to people. I come up with fire names for strains, and one day I’d like for people to be paying for my name. I want people to come in the dispensary and say, ‘Let me get an eighth of Mo.’
Did you know you have the most popular name in the world?
Yeah, ‘Superbad’ taught me that!
How do you feel about Cannabis becoming legal for adult use?
It has opened a lot of doors for me. It is interesting to see the prices going up, but overall this is a step in the right direction. I also feel like it was rushed in the way it was rolled out – for example, we could have had guidelines way sooner so we could be more prepared for the way things would work in the adult-use market. Information is changing every day as far as regulations and guidelines, so it has been hard to give patients and adult-use customers consistent information.
