BUDTENDER Q&A

MARYLAND LEAF BUDTENDER OF THE MONTH CHRISTIAN HENSLER

WITH A CLOSE EYE to the patient experience, Christian Hensler weaves the budtending and caregiving aspects of his work into meaningful interactions with everyone he comes in contact with. So if you’re looking for top shelf Cannabis and compassion, look no further than the wonderful work being done at Pure Life Wellness in Baltimore – this Budtender of the Month most definitely has your back.

WHAT IS ONE OF THE FIRST QUESTIONS YOU WILL ASK A NOVICE PATIENT? Right off the bat, I ask them what their experience with Cannabis is. Have they smoked? Have they consumed edibles? What are their expectations? Once I get their experience level, I ask them how they want to feel. Whether they’re looking to deal with anxiety issues or whatever it is, I can recommend a starting product.

WHAT’S IT LIKE BEING A CAREGIVER AND A BUDTENDER? I always had my caregiver license even before working at this dispensary, in case a patient needed it and couldn’t come into the store. For example, I had a patient who recently had surgery and needed someone to bring them their medicine. During the pandemic it really took off, when some of our older patients didn’t want to come in for safety reasons. WHAT TYPE OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO? I listen to a lot of bluegrass and jam band stuff, a lot of String Cheese Incident, the Del Mccourys and the Travelin Mccourys. I have met a lot of people on that journey and traveled across the country meeting interesting people. It is interesting to see how less stigmatized Cannabis is at shows. People used to get pulled over and have their weekend ruined because of Cannabis.

“I ALWAYS HAD MY CAREGIVER LICENSE EVEN BEFORE WORKING AT THIS DISPENSARY, IN CASE A PATIENT NEEDED IT AND COULDN’T COME INTO THE STORE.”

DO CANNABIS AND DANK FOOD GO HAND IN HAND? Everything tastes better when you are under the influence of Cannabis, and it definitely helps to boost creativity when in the kitchen.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SPORT AND TEAM? Baseball and the Phillies! Unfortunately, the baseball world is a little sad right now. But you have seen with a lot of sports – it’s pretty cool that they’re taking out the criminalization of Cannabis and not punishing people and risking their careers for it. The MLB doesn’t test for Cannabis anymore.

WHY DO YOU GO ABOVE AND BEYOND FOR PATIENTS? With my individual path with Cannabis, I always felt a stigma around it. Cannabis could have helped with the side effects of ADHD medication, which I still take. To calm my brain down and fall asleep at night, I use Cannabis. Now I am able to use that knowledge and experience to help guide my patients in the right direction, and it doesn’t feel stigmatized anymore.

PURE LIFE WELLNESS

35 E CROSS ST, BALTIMORE, MD @PURELIFE_WELLNESS_BMORE PURELIFEBALTIMORE.COM OPEN 11AM-7PM TUES-FRI 11AM-5PM SAT | 11AM-4PM SUN CLOSED MONDAY

TRULIEVE

MODERN FLOWER

Sunset Sherbet Bellos Vape

As an indica strain with a strong pinene concentration (over 4%), this vape provided me with relaxation and clarity before bed. The flavor is sweet and reminiscent of freshly mixed berries, with a nice Cannabis essence to accompany it. The Bellos pod system used by Modern Flower vibrates when it’s working, so patients know they are getting a hit without having to blow out vapor to check. 86.98% TOTAL

CANNABINOIDS AND 10.57% TOTAL TERPENES | MODERNFLOWER.COM @MODERNFLOWERCANNABIS

TRULIEVE

1526 YORK RD, LUTHERVILLE TIMONIUM, MD MON-SAT 9AM-9PM SUN 10AM-6PM (410) 970-4666 TRULIEVE.COM @TRULIEVE_

“THIS SHOP HAS AN OUTSTANDING SELECTION WITH NEARLY EVERY GROWER IN MARYLAND FOUND HERE.”

SETTING & VIBE

The staff here have created a place where Cannabis patients can feel comfortable disclosing their ailments. The sales floor has beautiful display cases and installations showing products and packaging – both of which get you very excited to see what’s on the menu. The employees even walk around the dispensary with smiles on their faces at all times, making for a very inclusive atmosphere and welcoming vibe.

FLOWER

This shop has an outstanding selection with nearly every grower in Maryland found here with multiple strains from each – making it a one-stop shop for flower. The only flower company not on the menu during our visit was District Cannabis, but Trulieve is hoping to get them on the shelves for patients soon.

CONCENTRATES

Any form of concentrate you can think of can be found on the menu here on a regular basis. I was excited to see Evermore’s cold cured live hash rosin on the menu, alongside bubble hash from Nature’s Heritage. Live resins, badders, shatters, RSOs, vapes, and the list goes on … just ask for the shift supervisor Pyrate if you need help choosing.

Driving along York Road in Timonium is like the “green mile” of dispensaries, but you can’t miss out on Trulieve. Their truly medical approach to Cannabis focuses on putting knowledge in the hands of patients and guiding them in the right direction when needed. They have developed a loyal patient base who keep coming back not only for the deals, but the budtenders and staff. A safe space for Cannabis patients to feel at home, Trulieve has a little bit of something for everyone.

EDIBLES

Edibles come in many forms in Maryland and Trulieve seems to have nearly everything on the market. The sour mango gummies from Wana had my mouth watering just looking at them. Whether you’re looking to add a Dixie Elixir to a mocktail or swirl a piece of minty dark chocolate into a hot cocoa, you can get both here. They also have a wide range of cannabinoid levels in different products, making it easy for patients to find that sweet spot.