Johnny is a confident connoisseur, who doesn’t mince words when he says that “Cannabis saved his life.” Starting out as a recreational user and then moving toward a medicinal approach, he has immersed himself in Cannabis knowledge and culture. He is a wealth of information and loyal to his patients, always sensitive to their needs. Be sure to ask for him when stopping by True Wellness in Laurel for a high-class dispensary experience.
Where does the nickname Johnny Joestar come from?
There’s actually an anime called JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and the main characters are all ‘Joestars.’ So, I like anime and made myself a Joestar. My favorite anime so far would be Hunter x Hunter, Seven Deadly Sins, and One Punch Man is hilarious.
You’re from North Carolina – what was the Cannabis culture like over there?
I wasn’t really a part of the Cannabis culture there. I moved from there when I was 16, so most of the time I had seen it around older adults. As far as quality goes, our quality of Cannabis shits on theirs. Amongst the adults there was Cannabis use, but since it was a big no-no down there, the culture was not very good surrounding it.
Tell us about your passion for hiking.
For me, it was being outside a lot as a kid, having a way to de-stress and cut the world off in a way – just getting out and connecting with nature and getting a good workout. Nothing like smoking a joint on a mountain, man. Some of my favorite hiking spots in Maryland are Great Falls and Billy Goat Trail. My favorite hike of all time is Old Rag Mountain in Virginia.
What are your favorite video games?
I mainly play Destiny 2 – I’m not too big into shooters, but I love Destiny. I play a lot of sports games, a lot of MOBAs (multiplayer online battle arena) and RPGs (role playing games). I’m playing on Xbox right now, but I’m trying to convert to PC. One of my friends paid $1,100 for the new Xbox Series X and I’d rather wait.
What do you like about being a budtender?
One of my favorite things is the interaction with patients. Patients come in – some have pain, some have anxiety and things like that – and I love being able to help them get past that. My favorite is when they come in a day or a week later and tell me that what I suggested really helped them.
What products are consistently in your headstash?
I try to always keep around some Peanut Butter Breath flower. Also some concentrates, I prefer sativa concentrates and when I see some good terps I go for it. For some reason lately, I’ve been smoking a lot of terpinolene heavy strains, due to the fact that it leaves me relaxed but still able to function. Also, I need to keep topicals around to combat the joint pain after long hikes.
How does being a connoisseur help you out when budtending?
Everyone is always looking for ‘that shit’ for lack of better words, like THAT product. The premium stuff is usually along the lines of what connoisseurs are looking for, so being able to know good products and explain the potential effects helps out a lot. Who best to get advice from than me?
How has Cannabis helped you personally?
My quality of life is much better since I started using Cannabis. Before 2016, we would just smoke to get high and have fun. Around 2016 I had a really serious bout with depression and anxiety, and began to use it medically. Learning my regimen was a big part of the process, which is kind of a 2:1 CBD to THC ratio. Also, actually learning about the medicine and what ways it can be utilized for different things, has helped to treat my anxiety.
