Cannabis Industry Who’s Who: Goldleaf Founder Charles McElroy

I think it is the sense of community. Everyone who is in the industry, or simply an advocate for that matter, has something in common—something that has a colorful history of being both oppressed and celebrated. This industry seems to be very open and welcoming to all walks of life, all languages, races and cultures, and that is incredibly refreshing. The shared experience of working with cannabis means that everyone is aware of the polarization of the subject, everyone probably felt some sort of oppression around cannabis whether it is incarceration, social stigma or professional challenges, and everyone is aware that pushing for progress is a worthy fight. Certainly, some have come into the industry for financial gains alone, but in my experience, even those folks are self-aware and understand the weight that is collectively on the industry shoulders to keep fighting and making progress. I could still be a little naive about that, but overall, that sense of fraternity is pretty amazing.