The Power To Accelerate Action: Breaking Barriers in Cannabis

Narmin Jarrous is the Chief Development Officer, Exclusive Brands.

By Narmin Jarrous

I’ve never been someone capable of complacency - whether that’s because I live in chronic pain and refuse to tolerate one iota more of discomfort is yet to be determined. What I do know is that complacency has no place in my life, career, or the cannabis industry. 

When I first entered this space, I saw far too much stagnation. Licensing regulations that didn’t make sense, social equity plans that rang hollow, and marketing strategies that catered to one very particular type of man. Today’s cannabis industry wasn’t built for people like me; women, especially women of color, weren’t considered. That needed to change. 

My cannabis and CBD brand, Neno’s Naturals, was born out of necessity - my necessity. After spending ten years in relentless pain, I couldn’t accept another decade of suffering. I needed real, effective relief, and I knew others felt the same. That urgency fueled me to push for better policies, better products, and a more inclusive industry. 

This year, International Women’s Day’s theme is Accelerate Action. This, to me, means refusing to accept things as they are. It means working tirelessly, as I have with Michigan’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA), to ensure that regulations serve both large and small businesses. It means recognizing that social justice doesn’t exist in a bubble. We can’t only lift up the women who look like us, act like us or share our experiences. True progress demands intersectionality if we want to keep moving forward.

Stagnation is death in business and in life. The only way Exclusive Brands survived as a new company in an emerging industry during COVID was through constant adaptation. The same is true for women in leadership. We have to pivot, push forward, and accelerate action. Because if we don’t, who will?

Narmin Jarrous is the Chief Development Officer, Exclusive Brands. https://www.linkedin.com/in/narmin-jarrous/ ; https://exclusivebrands.com .