Featured Budtender Series: A Farewell to Chris Kelleher

Guest post by Herb Green

I recently paid a visit to Canna West, my favorite pot shop in West Seattle and was greeted by a cheerful dude that goes by the name of Chris, and who would not look out of place in Norway or Sweden, especially in the wintertime. His beard is very blonde and very big, as is his knowledge of all things cannabis related. And art, but more on that later.

I didn’t need to tell Chris what I was looking for that day. Perhaps it was the twinkle in my eye, but he just said, “hang on. I’ve got some ideas for you.”

He returned with a barrage of stuff, most of it from Raven Grass, my favorite of all Washington-based cannabis brands. Why is it my favorite? From its sustainable packaging to the purity of its flower and grow processes, not to mention its creative strains and wildly creative pre-roll infusions and combinations, Raven Grass stands tall in a field of otherwise weeds.

And as Chris knows, since he is my personal budtender of the year, everything I buy revolves around this:

Raven Grass’ Jack Herer flower. Anyone can grow Jack Herer, but Raven Grass’ rendition reminds me of the JH I smoked in Amsterdam with my wife ten years ago. Each time I open a jar of Raven Grass’ Jack, I’m taken back to that lunch on that sunny patio in the Central District, my beautiful bride-to-be giggling in her salad.

Now Chris throws an assortment of creative pre-rolls at me – with the winner being the Mr. Blue Sky Blend, a tame, but effective and stony mix of ACDC & Jack Herer that is a 1:1 CBD/THC mix. Can you say perfect for skiing or snowboarding? Even though it is stony and makes you a bit goofy, the focus power via the cbd is alarmingly powerful. During a recent test with Mr. Blue Sky on a bluebird day at White Mountain, I skied like that previous decade hadn’t passed.

Cave of Wonders by Chris Kelleher

Chris knows I don’t smoke weed that is over 20% in strength. My sweet spot is 17%. Jack. He never pushes anything that he senses I wouldn’t find interesting. His discipline is amazing.

Maybe that is because he is also an artist whose works’ require ridiculous amounts of detail, even though the majority of it is created in public and in front of others, and is improvisational? Like this painting, titled, ‘The Cave of Wonders’, which just blows my Jack Herer-addled mind:

You can view Chris’ work online here, or view some of his select works in person at Canna West Seattle’s Culture Shop, located directly across the street from its dispensary, where you can meet the man himself. But only for a short while longer. Chris and his beautiful wife are moving to Oregon in March in order to chase their life’s dreams.