I want to share my full experience with Slaphappy Hemporium and its owner, John Grady. When the shop first opened, I was hopeful. Rosebud is my hometown, and I thought it would be great to have a new business in the area, especially one focused on hemp. Unfortunately, my interactions with John and his store have been disappointing from the very beginning — and in the end, downright hostile.
About a month after they opened, I decided to stop by and see what Slaphappy Hemporium had to offer. When I walked in, John was busy chatting with some younger local girls and didn’t acknowledge me at all. Sitting at a table nearby was an older woman with red hair — I assumed she was a customer, but later found out she was his wife. Neither of them said a word to me.
Only after the girls left did I start asking John some questions. He showed me some Willie’s Reserve THCA cigarettes — the only product he really had on hand at the time. He bragged about his love of Delta products and explained that he planned to require anyone who wanted to use his outdoor porch area to first buy two $5 drinks.
I shared some of my own ideas, but he dismissed everything I said. The interaction left me with a bad impression.
On July 23, 2025, I gave him another chance. I called his business number, which turned out to be a free Google Voice line. He answered and told me, “Come on down, we’re all here watching the new South Park.”
When I arrived, I expected a group of people. Instead, it was just John and his wife. Still, I tried to be supportive. He gave me one of the Willie’s Reserve hemp cigarettes to try. I was excited at first — curious to see what Willie Nelson’s brand would be like — but it tasted stale and gave me a splitting headache.
When I looked at the other items he carried, they were the same generic products I’d already seen at vape shops and bait shops, only priced higher. Not wanting to waste money, I ended up buying an overpriced cold coffee and gave him $10. He didn’t even treat it as a purchase — he said he would just take it as a tip.
Because he was local, I still tried to keep things friendly. We exchanged text messages on July 25 and July 27. He told me about a $40 tin of full-spectrum hemp, and I offered to host his website for $20 a month if he ever wanted to save money. He politely declined, saying he was happy with his provider.
I encouraged him, saying I thought he’d do well in the cannabis industry, and even sent him a lead — letting him know that Smoker’s Express in Owensville had stopped carrying CBD and THCA, so they might send customers his way.
But his replies were always short and dismissive: “Sounds good.” “Okay thank you.” “We appreciate your input.” It felt like he didn’t care.
Later, I finished a website project for a new dispensary brand that was 100% legitimate, fully compliant, and just getting off the ground. They had their first batch of labels from the printer and were making pre-rolls on a new machine. To celebrate, they decided to make John a welcome basket. I personally thought a couple of pre-rolls would have been enough, but they went all out.
When I delivered the basket, John barely had time for me. He was distracted, more interested in a TikTok livestream than in accepting the gift. He was dismissive and rude, and I left feeling unappreciated. I expected at least a thank-you message later, but nothing ever came.
Around the same time, I watched a YouTube livestream called “Hemp: What You Hurd Ep. 8 – Hemp Products A to Z with John Grady,” streamed on July 18, 2025. In it, John painted a glowing picture of his business:
For a store branding itself as a local Missouri hemp hub, that undercut the entire message. He even complained about tariffs — saying yoga mats “should have been $85 but came in at $125.” That just confirmed what I had already felt: his prices were inflated and not worth it.
After about a month of being sick and staying home, I finally felt better one morning and decided to run some errands. On my way, I thought I’d stop in to see if John had enjoyed the welcome gift.
When I walked in, he glared at me angrily. I asked if he’d enjoyed the basket. Instead of gratitude, he told me he never even tried the products. He said the packaging looked “unprofessional,” that he gave it all away, and even went so far as to call it a scam. Then he launched into a rant about putting “fake places” out of business.
I tried to tell him that his prices were too high, but that only made him angrier. He snapped, “How dare you come into my store.” I shot back, “How dare you be such an asshole in my town.” Rosebud is where I was born and raised, a place where people used to wave hello and treat each other kindly. His hostility was the opposite of that.
At that point, he threatened to call the sheriff on me. That was the final straw. I told him exactly what I thought of his attitude, made it clear I would never spend a dime there again, and walked out.
But he didn’t stop there — he actually followed me out onto the sidewalk. By then I was furious, and I let him have it: “FU, FU, FU.” I told him I didn’t care about anything he had to say and that I was done. I turned on my dashcam and told him he was on camera. He kept muttering “whatever” as if trying to drag the situation out, but I refused to stay and argue. I got in my car and left, determined never to set foot in that place again.
Later, I learned that he posted about the incident on the Slaphappy Hemp Company Facebook page. In his version, he claimed someone dropped off “homemade products with mismatched paperwork” and that when they “politely refused,” the person went “ballistic,” slammed their hands on the counter, screamed, and tried to intimidate. He said he filed a police report and framed himself as the defender of safe, tested hemp.
The problem is, that’s not what happened. The products were legitimate, with all the correct labeling and compliance. He never “politely refused” anything — he insulted the gift and me. And his accusation that I slammed my hands on the counter doesn’t hold up. I have gout and arthritis in my hands, and I had literally stopped at the doctor that same morning before going to his store. That kind of aggressive gesture is not something I could physically do.
What really happened is that I brought him a gift, he dismissed it as a scam, and when I pushed back on his prices and attitude, he lost his temper — following me outside, provoking me, and then trying to spin the whole thing online.
From the moment I first walked into Slaphappy Hemporium, I felt ignored and dismissed. Each visit left me with a worse impression than the last. I gave him chances, offered support, even brought him referrals and a welcome basket — and was met with rudeness, dismissal, inflated prices, and finally open hostility.
On video, John paints himself as a passionate advocate leading a local hemp hub. In reality, my experience was a stale preroll, overpriced imports, and an owner who treated me like an inconvenience in my own hometown — then followed me outside shouting when I decided I’d had enough.
I’m done with Slaphappy Hemporium. Rosebud deserves better.