Our Story

My name is Jesse Stallknecht, founder of NobleBuds, and I am honored by you who reads this for your time is precious.

I joined the United States Army right after high school in the year 2000. For me, the decision was based on a few important factors. One, I did not know what I really wanted to do in college. Two, I loved traveling and the idea of living in another country felt like an amazing life-changing experience. Three, I grew up doing martial arts developing a strong passion for it and its beliefs, especially honor and integrity. Four, I wanted to be fully independent of my parents. Five, I wanted to test myself and learn who I really am. So, I joined the United States Army Infantry, my score on the military AZVAB was high enough to get me any job in any branch. The air force recruiters thought I was crazy, but the ARMY gave me duty station of choice and Europe was that choice. They gave me MOS of choice and the 11Bravo (Infantry) gave me one of the best environments to really test myself and help me better learn who I am.  

After basic training, I was stationed in Germany for two years and it was a life-changing experience, one I will never forget. While there I met some of the most amazing people and through them learned a lot about my own very German name and heritage. I learned what really good beer was and had some of the most delicious food of my life. The experience of other cultures enriched my own and opened my mind to other ideas and possibilities.

Unfortunately, on the morning of September 11, 2001 while on leave at my parents’ house in California I was awoken by my mother telling me we were under attack. I did not really believe her, but when I came out to see the news, I soon witnessed on live television the second plane fly into the other world trade tower and I knew right away she was right. She turned to me with worry in her eyes and asked me what this means. I immediately told her this means I’m going to war. Being in Germany after that was no longer the same.

In December of 2002, I was reassigned to Fort Carson Colorado with no idea what was in store for me. Everything was secret. When I arrived, I was immediately told that in two weeks we were shipping off to invade Iraq. All my belongings other than what I carried on the plane was to remain in storage till I got back. I was quickly assigned to 1-12 Infantry battalion headquarters as the Lt Colonels Bradley driver, I had no experience nor desire driving the Bradly. I always felt better on my feet and I was a Grunt who wanted to be on the front. After explaining this I was happily reassigned to a heavy weapons squad in Alpha company. Here I met and fought with some of the best men I have ever known.

The invasion of Iraq was an experience unlike anything I could possibly imagine, horrible, exhilarating, and one I would never take back. All my stories, pictures, and lessons learned from being over there for a whole year is so much that I will have to share that in the book I’m currently writing.

After I came back from Iraq in 2004, I soon separated from the Army and decided to immediately enroll myself in an automotive and diesel tech school in Denver Colorado. While in the Army I excelled at everything I did and this carried over in school, but I soon realized I was having problems in civilian life. For the first year I could not sleep well if I did not have my weapon with me and I felt high levels of anxiety if I was not carrying my handgun. I would find myself awake at odd times in the night and completely drenched, even the mattress would be soaked. I found myself becoming overly angry at the littlest things such as being cut off on the road and would soon be lost in a combat scenario playing out in my mind. The adrenalin dump from small situations was becoming very taxing on me and in 2005 I went to the VA to see what was going on. They diagnosed me with PTSD and put me on Prozac, Ambient, and some counseling. The Prozac I took for over a year but decided to quit because it made me feel numb, yes, I no longer cared about the person cutting me off but I also no longer cared about the good things in life. I felt like a robot just going through the motions.

I tried other antidepressants, SSRIs, and sleep aids, but the one thing that seemed to help me the most with the least side effects was Cannabis. The only problem now that I experienced was the illegality of the plant and how different types or same types grown by different people affected me differently. This lead me down a long road of growing my own and learning everything I could about cannabis. After many years I have come to a point where I realized how much of a tool cannabis is and how little we know on how to best use this tool. I became fixated on sharing this with my fellow people, especially us combat veterans. Thus, starting a company where I can share what I have learned, promote cannabis use as an alternative medicine, and help change the stigma.

 What I found is that for me Cannabis reduces my aggression while helping pull me out of being lost in combat-related scenarios. It helps me sleep and awaken feeling rested, unlike other sleep aids. It helped me with self-reflection and awareness leading to a more purposeful life. It gave me an alternative to alcohol and other substances promoting a healthier state of being of mind, body, and spirit.

Cannabis is an amazing plant that is grossly misunderstood and greatly underestimated on so many levels. Prohibition does not work, but freedom does, especially when those who are free are educated. My mission is for NobleBuds to help push back on this veil of ignorance about Cannabis so all lives are improved. For veterans, especially combat veterans, the fight never stops. I believe that If veterans really unite under one purpose and can be freed of judgment about their use of cannabis then they can make a huge difference for the better in America and the world.