We were lucky to catch up with Emily McCune recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Emily thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with the decision of whether to donate a percentage of sales to an organization or cause – we’d love to hear the backstory of how you thought through this.

One of the core tenets of my business is giving back to the community. We are in a burgeoning industry in the state of Minnesota (and one that will generate a lot of new revenue) and my dispensary was the first to open in Fergus Falls (August, 2022). Given my personal backstory and the role/influence cannabis has made on my mental and physical health and recovery from addiction/substance abuse, I knew the first thing I wanted to do was give back to the community that gave me so much during my transition to recovery.

We donate to a lot of mental health organizations/initiatives but also to entities like local school lunch funds for the underserved, the Humane Society, various silent auctions for those suffering health ailments (cancer, etc.), and more.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

In 2017, I was diagnosed with PTSD after a traumatic domestic altercation occurred in my home. I had always struggled with substance abuse throughout my adult life, but for the 1.5 years that followed the incident in 2017 I really spiraled to a point of no return. In March 2019, I put myself into outpatient treatment and have been clean and sober ever since, using only cannabis to medicate for my mental health issues and diagnoses. My diagnosing doctor referred me to medical cannabis in 2019 for my PTSD and I have been a patient/regular user ever since. Being vocal about my journey on platforms like Facebook opened doors for me that I never would have anticipated opening and, before I knew it, I was getting phone calls and referrals left and right from people looking for information on how cannabis might help them in the way it was helping me. I’ve always harbored an entrepreneurial spirit and had run a few businesses of my own before, but this ignited a drive I knew would change the course of my career. I knew I wanted to have the credentials behind my name before proceeding with business ownership, so I enrolled in a Cannabis Medicine and Healthcare program with The University of Wisconsin and graduated in February, 2022. I then felt ready to seek out consulting services and resources from a local economic development organization called Greater Fergus Falls in March, 2022, and in August we opened our doors to Sugar High Cannabis Consulting and Dispensary, offering retail products as well as private/direct consulting services for community members regarding medicinal cannabis use. I use my degree and my lived experiences to help individuals with everything from becoming registered medical marijuana patients (if that’s the route they are seeking) to which products/cannabinoids would work best for their particular ailments and everything in between. This consulting work is offered in free 30-minute consultations either in-office or over the phone. As well, I have an entire staff of Certified Cannabis Caregivers who assist dozens of customers during business hours on a daily basis. I put a lot of effort, resources, and attention to detail in this part of my business prior to opening, as I knew it was going to be something edgy that set us apart from others in the industry; as well, proper and responsible use of cannabis is incredibly important to me and my team in our effort to eliminate the negative stigma associated with it.

In the early summer of 2023, we announced plans to expand into manufacturing our own branded cannabis edibles, due to be launched this fall! We are beginning with caramels, chocolate bars, and gummies with hemp-derived THC until state regulations are handed down and the framework is laid out for marijuana integration in Minnesota post-legalization. The plan then is to distribute statewide and put Fergus Falls on the map for production of some of the best, most delicious and most sustainably-produced cannabis edibles in the state, sourcing as many local ingredients as possible for our products.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

In May, 2022, after early dispensary plans were underway I was approached by a local business owner, Jasmine Sonmor, who had been following my journey on social media for years. She shared with me her appreciation for my openness and vulnerability and was interested in hearing more about the cannabis industry (as well as how cannabis had helped me personally). We met for coffee and she opened my eyes and ears to the possibility of partnership, which was something that I hadn’t yet considered. In June, we drafted a partnership to form an LLC and it was the best business decision I’ve ever made. While I remain the “face” of Sugar High and manage the dispensary, the staff, and the consulting services, she helps control and regulate the “back end” and financials of business ownership, owning and operating an incredibly successful business of her own full-time. I remain majority owner, but would not be able to do it without her assistance. Her patience, her experience, her expertise, her calm when I feel overwhelmed by the parts of business ownership that are so new and daunting and confusing to me. I am so used to doing everything on my own, and having her at my side has been critical to our success. We are a 100% women-owned business.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I began the process of starting this business, there were no other dedicated cannabis retailers in my rural community (save for a couple of gas stations/“smoke shops” selling a few CBD/THC products). I had already been involved in the industry for a couple years as a cottage cannabis baker (2020-2021) and felt I had an extremely good pulse and a handle on the needs of my community, which was something that propelled my confidence and enthusiasm to pursue dispensary operations. A few months after we opened our doors, a new dispensary announced their doors were opening just two blocks down from our own. I knew this would eventually happen, but I did not expect it to happen so soon. Poised for unique/one-of-a-kind services offered and the promise of the most affordable prices in town calmed my “new business owner nerves” but did not prepare me for how cutthroat this industry truly can be and how much work really was cut out for me right from the get-go. Coupled with a local city council that is not exactly in favor of the cannabis industry, I feel I have been steadily fighting from day one, both locally and statewide. It is incredibly taxing and exhausting and I’m really looking forward to HF 100 state regulatory framework to begin regulating the industry in 2025, which limits the ability of local government interference. It will be nice to feel I don’t have to incessantly “watch my back” and follow the antics of our local City Council and city administration to learn the newest way in which they are trying to limit the functionality and success of my business and the industry, overall.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sugarhighconsulting.com
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/elevatedbaker
• Other: Store phone number: 218-998-4367 Address: 123 E. Lincoln Avenue, Fergus Falls, MN 56537