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What’s the biggest challenge facing the cannabis industry right now, and how are you and/or your company addressing it?
One of the biggest challenges facing the cannabis industry today is the widening gap between regulation and access. On one side, we’re seeing overregulation, high taxes, and complex compliance requirements that make it incredibly challenging for small businesses and legacy operators to survive. On the other, patients and everyday consumers are still struggling with affordability and accessibility—particularly when it comes to compassionate use programs. It’s actually shameful that those who paved the way are getting left behind.
Through The Canna Boss Babes, I get to connect entrepreneurs, brands, and consumers with the resources they need to collaborate and grow. A major focus is sharing the stories and curating spaces that help build trust in brands and strengthen community connections. By sharing stories and building relationships, I’m committed to keeping this industry people-centered—not just profit-driven.
Where do you see the most exciting opportunity for growth and innovation in cannabis?
One of the biggest opportunities for growth in cannabis is helping businesses adapt and operate sustainably under this industry’s intense pressures. A lot of license holders came in without traditional business backgrounds, and now they’re navigating high taxes, late payments, and strict compliance requirements—all with limited resources. That makes real growth difficult, and it makes it even harder to give back.
I think that’s why we see so many compassionate care programs fading—not because people don’t care, but because the structure just isn’t sustainable. Brands often can’t afford to donate product if they haven’t been paid by the shops, and dispensaries are so heavily taxed that they don’t really have the income or staffing to organize and run these programs.
What inspires me most—and keeps me going—is remembering people like Brownie Mary. She didn’t wait for the system to be perfect. She saw suffering and responded with compassion. That spirit is still alive in this industry, but it needs support.
What’s one piece of advice you would give to someone looking to break into the cannabis industry?
Ask yourself why you want to enter the industry and what you are willing to give up to do it.
It can’t be for money, I have seen many come and go who came for that. This is something you do when you are willing to give your life to it, it will test all of who you were before. You choose this because it changed you and you want that for others. You choose this because you realize it’s bigger than a plant and that what we work for may not even be for us now, but for all those who are yet to come.
When I entered the space I looked at it as the railroad and we are building tracks, at times the builders became one with them in order for future generations to ride on them. That’s what you do this for.
What is the most important thing you have learned from your experiences in the cannabis industry?
How important compassion is. Not just for the patients but with each other and for ourselves. I often say 80% of disabilities are invisible and this plant is a medicine. I try to be mindful that we all are here for different reasons and to have a little extra grace for what I don’t know.
What do you want your legacy to be as it relates to the cannabis industry?
Building bridges. Helping businesses and communities grow. Inspiring entrepreneurship. Supporting patients and prisoners. Being a safe space and platform for who needs it.