We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Francisco Lalama a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Francisco, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
From the moment I entered the cannabis industry, my mission has been clear: to provide alternative medicine to the public. Before cannabis was even legal in New Jersey, I was working as a patient care specialist at Rise in Bloomfield. It was there that I truly understood the importance of offering alternative healing options to our community.
Growing up in a Latino household, the very thought of smoking was considered sinful—let alone building a career around the plant. Stepping into this role meant proving not only to my parents, but to the broader public, that cannabis is medicine. Just months after I was hired, the market transitioned to recreational use, which began breaking down the stigma surrounding the plant’s healing properties.
Despite the shift to recreational, many New Jersey residents remained opposed to legalization. That’s where professionals like us come in—we’re here to educate the public and bring awareness to the wonders and healing that cannabis can provide. If we can normalize having a beer with friends at a barbecue, we can certainly change perspectives about smoking a joint without shame.
After two years at Rise, I joined Curaleaf as a brand ambassador, traveling throughout the state to educate consumers about products and how specific terpenes can address various ailments and symptoms. We’ve normalized consuming over-the-counter medications and prescriptions to manage symptoms, even when they often provide only placebo effects in both the short and long term. I’m not advocating for anyone to completely replace their medications with cannabis, but I’m here to show that there’s an alternative path—one that could eventually reduce dependence on traditional pharmaceuticals.
Following my time at Curaleaf, I became an account manager at Sun Extractions, where we prioritized bringing the highest quality products and high-terpene concentrates to the public. This is exactly what educated consumers are seeking—premium products that deliver real therapeutic benefits.
My journey has been about more than just a career change; it’s been about breaking barriers, educating communities, and proving that cannabis deserves its place in the conversation about wellness and healing.
Francisco, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’m a public health specialist turned cannabis entrepreneur who’s been navigating this industry for over three years, watching it evolve from the ground up here in New Jersey. My journey started at Green Thumb Industries during one of the most exciting times in NJ cannabis – helping transition one of the first dispensaries from medical-only to recreational use. That experience taught me the technical side: mastering compliance systems like METRC, understanding inventory flow, and most importantly, how to educate patients about alternative medicine benefits.
From there, I moved into sales at Curaleaf where I consistently hit $5-6 million quarterly targets while opening 30+ new dispensary accounts across central and northern New Jersey. But numbers only tell part of the story – what I’m really doing is building bridges between premium cannabis products and the communities that need them.
Now as a Business Development Specialist at Sun Extractions, I focus on high-quality concentrates, educating clients about authentic extraction methods and why we never compromise with distillate. What sets me apart is my trilingual ability and public health background – I can break down complex product science for a dispensary owner in the morning, then explain cannabis benefits to a concerned Latino family in Spanish that afternoon.
I also serve on Hudson County College’s Cannabis Advisory Board, helping shape education in this space because I believe knowledge-sharing elevates the entire industry.
What I’m most proud of? Helping normalize cannabis as legitimate medicine while maintaining the highest standards for quality and education. I solve the problem of trust – clients know when I recommend a product or strategy, it’s backed by both scientific understanding and real market experience.
I want people to know that I’m not just selling cannabis – I’m advocating for responsible, educated use that benefits both individuals and communities
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Honestly, it’s been a combination of deep industry knowledge and staying authentically myself. My hands-on experience – from mastering compliance systems to hitting multi-million dollar sales targets – definitely established my credibility. Clients trust that when I speak about extraction methods or market trends, I’m not just reading from a script.
But what really amplified my reach was embracing my creative side. I create music and maintain a social media presence that shows who I am beyond the dispensary floor. This might sound unconventional, but it’s opened doors I never expected. When a client discovers I’m also an artist, suddenly we’re not just talking business – we’re connecting on creativity, passion, and the cultural aspects of cannabis.
Being trilingual already helped me connect with diverse communities, but adding that artistic element created even deeper relationships. Dispensary owners and clients see that I understand cannabis culture from multiple angles – the science, the business, and the lifestyle. They trust someone who’s genuinely passionate about what they do, not just professionally but personally.
Social media became this natural extension where I could educate about products while showcasing the authentic person behind the pitch. People want to work with real humans, not corporate robots. When I post about a new concentrate or share industry insights, it comes from someone they’ve seen creating music or engaging authentically online.
It’s taught me that in cannabis, relationships matter more than anything. Technical knowledge gets you in the room, but genuine connections – whether through shared creativity, culture, or just being real – that’s what builds lasting business relationships and a solid reputation.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
Two books have absolutely shaped how I approach both management and entrepreneurship: The Celestine Prophecy and The Energy Bus.
The Celestine Prophecy completely shifted my perspective on business relationships and energy dynamics. It taught me to pay attention to the subtle energies in every interaction – whether I’m walking into a dispensary for the first time or presenting to a potential client. Understanding that every conversation has an energy exchange helped me become more intuitive about when to push forward with a pitch versus when to step back and build rapport first. In cannabis, where trust is everything, being able to read those energy cues has been invaluable.
The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon became my roadmap for maintaining positivity in a challenging industry. Cannabis faces constant regulatory changes, market pressures, and stigma – it’s easy to get dragged down. But that book taught me that as a leader, I’m essentially the driver of my team’s energy bus. If I’m negative, everyone around me feels it. If I stay positive and focused on solutions, that energy spreads to clients, colleagues, and even competitors.
Both books reinforced something crucial: business isn’t just about products or numbers, it’s about human connection and the energy you bring to every situation. Whether I’m educating a new dispensary about our concentrates or creating music, I approach it with intentional positive energy.
These philosophies have helped me build deeper client relationships because people can feel when you’re genuinely invested in their success, not just your commission. In an industry that’s still fighting for legitimacy, bringing that authentic, positive energy has been a game-changer for my reputation and results.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com › ciscofresco
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com › in › francisco-lalama-318858ab
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com › channel › UCoG9iP9wZmXPMbCOz5Zkn7g › channels
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ciscofresco
- Other: https://music.apple.com › us › artist › cisco-fresco › 1561835015
https://open.spotify.com › artist › 0PZsjQ7nEX3KNocuVCi7JO
Image Credits
Credits to me