We recently connected with Alican Simone and have shared our conversation below.

Alican, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?

Absolutely! People commonly think that working in cannabis means that all you do is sit around and get stoned all day. It encompasses so much more! I study different strains and their effects, derivatives of cannabis, effects on the endocannabinoid system, etc.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Alican, your favorite online friend and High Homegirl! I started using cannabis in 2018 and noticed that it helped me tremendously with my anxiety and focus. (I didn’t find out about my generalized anxiety disorder or AuDHD until 2020!) After getting my diagnosis, I started to look more into cannabis and its medicinal effects. In late 2020, I started working for a cannabis tech company, and that helped me open my eyes to cannabis being a space that I could fit into. I continued studying on my own, and am currently studying to become a Certified Cannabis Educator to teach other neurodivergent people how cannabis can help in their everyday lives.

The thing I’m most proud of is that my audience sees me as a safe space and resource. I get tons of DMs asking my what strains or products would be good for a specific ailment (stomach, sleep, anxiety), how safe cannabis is when taking certain medications, and sometimes simply what strains hit the hardest. I’m always happy to answer every question I get to the best of my ability!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is working on things I love every single day. I’m not beholden to anyone else’s vision. I can explore my own passions, all of them, and truly feel them out without outside pressures. I’m able to align my work with my own values and interests, which I could never do in any of my previous jobs. I realized recently that I never had a “career” goal, my goals have always been to create. And I’m grateful to be living in that.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

There are not many people in the cannabis space who look like me. Historically, Black people are 3.6x more likely to be arrested for a cannabis offense. I know this has led to significant underrepresentation of Black people in the cannabis space. I want to help increase representation and help create more inclusivity within the cannabis industry.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alicansimone/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@alicansimone