BUDTENDER Q&A

KDPRITCHETT

Oregon Leaf Budtender of the Month

KANOPY 7

1252 W MCANDREWS RD #2 MEDFORD, OR KANOPY7.COM | @KANOPY7DISPENSARY (541) 499-0080 | OPEN 10AM-10PM DAILY

FULFILLING A LIFELONG DREAM OF “WORKING WITH WEED,” KD PRITCHETT IS EQUAL PARTS CARE-GIVER AND CANNABIS-LOVER IN HER WORK BUDTENDING AT KANOPY 7 IN MEDFORD. FOLLOW HER ON IG @HALFBAKEDBARBIE HOW DID YOU FIRST GET YOUR START IN THE INDUSTRY? I grew up with my dad being Head Nurse in the Valley, I remember going to work with him as a kid. That is what ignited my passion to help people. Before I was in the industry, I worked in an assisted care facility for seven years as the lead med tech and caregiver … seeing all the pills being prescribed and watching all the side effects that followed. It made me sad that no one ever talked to them about medicating with Cannabis, and I knew that one day that’s what I would like to help with. Once it became recreational, I was able to have those conversations with them. I eventually became the activities director and even got to drive my residents to dispensaries! When I was 18, I was in a car accident – which led to me getting my medical card, because I wanted to grow my own medicine. My mom has quite a green thumb and showed me how to shower my plants with love, encourage them to grow, and tend to them with care. Cannabis has truly shaped who I am – I wouldn’t be myself without it.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT COMING TO WORK DAILY? There are so many reasons why I love coming to work every day. One being, I literally get to work with weed. I love the shop I work in and the people I work with, we really are like a family. If I would’ve told my younger self what I would do for a living now, she would’ve laughed at me and told me to give her a heads up. … Working with weed was what I knew I always wanted to do, but I didn’t know how much that really was going to become a reality. I’m blessed to work with so many likeminded people who share the same passion about this as I do. It’s such a cool thing to watch so many people working together for the greater good. We really feel like we get to make a difference in people’s lives.

WHY DO YOU FIND THAT BEING PASSIONATE ABOUT WHAT YOU DO HELPS FIND THE RIGHT PRODUCT FOR EACH CUSTOMER? This is what I love to do, and want to do for the rest of my life. The question I ask my customers the most is: Do you want to feel free? It opens the conversation to more than the generic template of indica/sativa, percentages, etc. It is much more complex than that if you were truly trying to medicate, and that’s why I’m trying to promote it as a wellness product. I invite people to be more mindful when they’re consuming. When you realize how much power this plant has, the more I can help. When I smoke, I try to pick up on every feeling and effect that is involved. Being able to provide the customer with specific details and information gives them confidence that I stand behind what I’m saying.

“WORKING WITH WEED WAS WHAT I KNEW I ALWAYS WANTED TO DO, BUT I DIDN’T KNOW HOW MUCH THAT REALLY WAS GOING TO BECOME A REALITY.”

PHOTO BY @SONDERFELTLLC FOR LEAF NATION

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