Social Equity, Minority-Owned Cannabis Businesses to Be Showcased at New Jersey’s Largest Legal Cannabis Conference
Updated October 6, 2023
NJ Cannabis Insider partnered with Holistic Solutions Dispensary to spotlight social equity and minority-owned cannabis businesses during its Oct. 12 conference in Newark.
The conference aimed to highlight entrepreneurs and operators helping shape New Jersey’s emerging cannabis industry while emphasizing the importance of equity and inclusion within the legal market.
Spotlight on Social Equity Businesses
The event’s Social Equity Discovery Area, presented by Holistic Solutions, featured several social equity and minority-owned cannabis companies from across New Jersey.
Featured companies included:
Roll Up Life — East Orange delivery company founded by Tiyahnn Bryant and Precious Osagie-Erese
Prolific Growhouse — Mount Holly recreational cannabis cultivation company founded by David Nicolas
AC Leef — Atlantic City dispensary founded by Miguel Lugo and Chris Aponte
Spark 9 — Burlington County dispensary founded by Al Kamara
Yerrr — West Orange micro-cultivation company founded by James Jackson
Essence Wellness — Elizabeth dispensary founded by Michael Rojas and Ashbel Soto
Noiré Dispensary — Maplewood dispensary founded by Sharquana and Giovanni Paul
URB’N Dispensary — Newark dispensary founded by Ramez “Max” Maxemous
Holistic Solutions founder and CEO Suzan Nickelson emphasized the importance of supporting entrepreneurs impacted by cannabis prohibition.
“Social equity is very important to me, and I’m proud to sponsor the Social Equity Discovery Area,” Nickelson said. “I want to see the business people who were hurt by the drug war thrive in New Jersey’s cannabis marketplace.”
About the Conference
The NJ Cannabis Insider conference was held at the DoubleTree Hotel near Newark Airport and positioned itself as New Jersey’s premier B2B cannabis networking and business event.
The all-day event featured:
Educational “CannaTalks”
Industry panels
Nearly 30 speakers
More than 40 vendors
Speed networking sessions
An official afterparty
Conference topics covered licensing, cultivation, municipal approvals, compliance, security, capital raising, manufacturing, distribution and state policy.
Industry Leaders and Featured Speakers
The conference included speakers and panelists from across New Jersey’s cannabis ecosystem, including regulators, attorneys, cultivators, dispensary operators and advocacy leaders.
Featured organizations and speakers included:
New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission
New Jersey Economic Development Authority
Simply Pure
Wanda James
Bill Caruso
Tahir Johnson
The conference also featured extensive networking opportunities intended to connect operators, service providers and entrepreneurs across the industry.
Building a More Inclusive Cannabis Industry
The event underscored the growing role social equity businesses continue to play within New Jersey’s cannabis market.
From cultivation and retail to delivery and advocacy, the conference highlighted entrepreneurs working to build businesses while creating opportunities for communities disproportionately impacted by cannabis criminalization.