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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?
The biggest challenge facing the cannabis industry right now is sustainability—financially, culturally, and ethically. Many small and legacy operators are being squeezed out by high operating costs, extreme taxes, punitive overregulation and consolidation, while the people who built this industry are often undervalued or excluded from decision-making. With every small farmer wiped out by corporate interests goes another piece of the the moral integrety we have built into this industry.
I am addressing this by focusing on relationship-driven work: supporting small operators, legacy families, and community-rooted businesses through connection, visibility, and collaboration. I feel it is important to prioritize long-term partnerships over quick wins, and look for ways to strengthen the human infrastructure of the industry, not just the commercial side.
Where do you see the most exciting opportunity for growth and innovation in cannabis?
The most exciting opportunity for growth is in authenticity-driven brands and community-based innovation. The Emerald Triangle, with its long history, has developed the best cannabis. Consumers are becoming more educated and are actively seeking products made with care, transparency, and real stories behind them.
There is huge potential in elevating legacy knowledge, ethical production, and creative crossover— whether that’s wellness, education, events, or culturally rooted products. Innovation doesn’t have to mean bigger or faster; it can mean being intentional, more honest, and more connected to the history, the people and places, that have nurtured the cannabis industry.
What’s one piece of advice you would give to someone looking to break into the cannabis industry?
Build real relationships and learn the ecosystem before chasing titles or trends. Cannabis is still very much a relationship-based industry. Trust and integrity matter more than hype. It’s important to be humble, listen to people who’ve been doing this long before it was legal, and understand that this work requires patience and resilience. If you’re entering cannabis only for profit, you’ll burn out fast, but if you show up with integrity and curiosity, there’s room to grow.
What is the most important thing you have learned from your experiences in the cannabis industry?
The most important thing I’ve learned is that culture, dedication, and hard work are the foundation of this industry, not regulations, not capital, not branding. When culture is ignored, everything else becomes fragile. The cannabis industry works best when people are valued for their knowledge, lived experience, and care for the plant. When those voices are sidelined, the industry loses its soul and its stability. Protecting culture and integrity isn’t just ethical, it’s practical.
What do you want your legacy to be as it relates to the cannabis industry?
I want my legacy to be one of connection, respect, and as someone who has been a part of the preservation of a plant that has been beneficial to so many. I would like to have helped bridge the gaps between legacy and legal, small and large, culture and commerce. If I’ve done my job right, I will have helped to amplify voices that deserved to be heard, supported businesses that operate with heart, and contributed to an industry that remembers where it came from, and that continues to be valued while still moving forward.