We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Elizabeth Feder-Hosey a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Elizabeth thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

After a decade of dedicating my practice to child advocacy, investigating abuse, acting as an arm of the Court, I took the leap towards medical cannabis advocacy. I had too much work and a steady stream of income. Financially I was growing, but my personal trauma was being compounded by the trauma of my work. My mental and physical health was deteriorating. I found a place in medical cannabis because it was helping me so much with my health. In 2024 I announced my intent to depart from my role as a court-appointed child advocate and went all in on cannabis advocacy.

My time as a child advocate taught me a lot about trauma, PTSD, and people in general. That knowledge and experience is the foundation of my medical cannabis advocacy because so much of it involves identifying trauma and being able to meet people where they are without judgment. I invested in cannabis healthcare education through Green Flower and studied our medical cannabis statutes and regulations. So far the risk is paying off in huge ways. The emotional weight of my work is no longer killing me. I’ve helped enroll thousands of patients and shaped the future of our entire program through patient-centered advocacy.

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

I grew up in Mississippi without the traditional conservative foundation. I always had to find my own path here, but I love the natural beauty, slow pace, and ease of living. Our family is here too. My husband and I met in 2005. We have two wonderful children. I’ve been involved in politics and activism for as long as I can remember. I love it. I also love cannabis. Always have. Being able to combine cannabis and politics is a dream come true.

I developed my first cannabis brand when I joined our medical program in 2023. I posted anonymous reviews and insights into how cannabis was helping me personally. That brand is Mississippi Microdose. Unfortunately my social media presence was eliminated and now operates under Entourage House Mississippi, another concept I developed. Entourage House an educational and social platform. I created Mississippi Patient Voices, a political action committee, at the end of 2024. Since then we have collected data, implemented a state-wide patient drive campaign, political calls to action, etc. The patient count blew up. Legislators supported our bills. Our program has momentum after year of stagnation.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Being able to pivot is the most important entrepreneurial skill you can have. The market, demand for your product might not be ripe. Save that idea for later or develop the market yourself. Don’t be afraid to walk away from an idea. Nothing is permanent. You can always circle back. Don’t let judgment of outsiders influence your pivot. Just go with it. Ego is a creativity killer.

When I tried to launch Entourage House, the City absolutely discriminated against me by refusing business licensure. I jumped through every hoop. When I realized that this was more about their stigma against patients than the actual rules and regulations of the City, I had to decide…do I blow up my spot trying to put the City in its place or do I move on to something that will have a bigger impact??? I weighed the situation and decided that pivoting towards focus on the political action committee was necessary. I had to change the culture before I can launch a concept like Entourage House.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I am not a tourist. I’ve been on cannabis since I was a teenager. I had a job in high school and college to pay for my own supply. I didn’t know why, but I needed it. It helped me with severe social anxiety and living in my dysregulated body. Unfortunately, in the 90’s, cannabis was not easily accessible, and the stigma was still so pervasive. Adults encouraged me to drink alcohol instead. What a disaster! Hard drugs, prescription pills, and alcohol have killed too many of my friends and peers. Good people had felon status because of a cannabis charge. Cannabis people know the real struggles of stigma and have earned that badge of honor. We are the real ones.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mspatientvoices.org/
• Instagram: @entouragehouse_mississippi
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565075400464

Image Credits

Mississippi Free Press owns one of the images I submitted. I own the other images loaded.