Maryland Leaf Budtender of the Month and GOLDLEAF Dispensary Employee of the Year Stephen Debes is ecstatic to be part of the Cannabis industry. As a parent, he brings his A-game to the dispensary, helping smash the stigma surrounding Cannabis dads. He wants to give people a comfortable environment to purchase Cannabis and a consistent, friendly face to enhance that feeling. If you’re someone Stephen knows from the store, he’ll even give you a personal heads-up when a product you’ve been chasing comes in. Be sure to pop into GOLDLEAF and ask for Stephen the next time you’re in Annapolis!
How are you feeling about the Orioles this year?
Good! I was born right after Camden Yards was built, so I remember as early as Cal Ripken Jr. retiring. Growing up we had some rough years, but it’s good to see the Orioles as real contenders in the league today. I have a 5-year-old, so I like being able to take him to games now. A coworker and I are taking our children to Kids’ Opening Day so they get to run the bases and everything.
Any tips for fellow parents who consume Cannabis?
I get this question a lot when new Cannabis consumers come in. The older generation has a lot of concerns about the stigmas of Cannabis and being a parent. When people come in and see medical patients bringing their kids into the store, it helps to break that stigma. Growing up, every once in a while my parents would bring me to the liquor store with them, so how is this any different? GOLDLEAF does a wonderful job of keeping an open platform for questions surrounding these types of topics.
How did you come to be the 2024 Employee of the Year at GOLDLEAF?
I believe it was a vote between the employees and higher-ups here at the dispensary. It was a decision of all of the Employees of the Month from the previous year, and I didn’t expect it. A lot of the people I work with are extremely nice and friendly, especially since I came from the hotel industry. The comfortability of being able to talk to these types of people makes social situations easy in this industry. You can offer advice to overwhelmed people and steer them in the right direction, helping them to make their own decisions about products in the future.
How is the Cannabis industry similar to the hotel industry?
So it is very similar in the aspect of dealing with people from all walks of life. It’s ironic because a lot of the people coming through our doors are on the older side of what you’d expect. I see 70-plus-year-old customers who are taking 40mg edibles and loving it. You never know who you’re going to be talking to, and the shared experience we all have brings us together.
Did you ever see your role in the Cannabis industry lasting as long as it has?
No, I was actually furloughed with Hilton Baltimore, so I technically had a job with them. A lot of people were trying to figure out if they wanted to move to different Hilton locations, but we didn’t have a time frame for coming back to work. I had to figure out what I was going to do, and it was honestly a blessing in disguise. The year I had in between industries allowed me to experience a lot of my son’s milestones. I had a medical card, and my buddy in Annapolis recommended I work at GOLDLEAF, and I found it to be really nice.
What impact do you want to leave on the customers that visit you here?
Normalizing Cannabis use and impacting the stigma are some of my major goals. I’m trying to get people to not feel like they’re doing something wrong, while educating them and empowering them to educate themselves. There are so many possibilities for what people can use Cannabis for, and enlightening them to the different areas of wellness is important to me. If I’m not the most well-versed about a specific product or topic, I pass people off to my team members who can make sure someone has all the information they need. Doing this can help get their friends and family off the fence about whether or not they want to try Cannabis products.
