By: Lelehnia DuBois
As a young girl, Lelehnia DuBois moved to northern California with her mother and settled in the heart of the Emerald Triangle. It was here, in the Emerald Triangle, that cannabis was considered a community resource and later became a constant part of Lelehnia’s life.
At an early age, Lelehnia’s mother and sister were involved in a fatal car accident that took the life of her sister and caused sever damage to her mother’s back. Soon after the accident Lelehnia began to see her mother benefitting from the medicinal qualities of cannabis. In 1999 Lelehnia was struggling with a spine injury of her own. She realized Western medicine was not going to heal her so she began to work with Cannabis to embark on healing herself. In this special Nectar News interview, FLOBEL Advisor Lelehnia DuBois shares her latest projects, career goals and impactful journey with Cannabis as a medicinal drug.
GH: What sparked your interest in working with cannabis?
LDB: Survival. It was never a choice. I can’t remember any other kind of life but being involved and apart of the Cannabis industry. I didn’t understand that until I was quite older. I grew up in a very unique situation, in a very unique community that made Cannabis a very large part of my life. When I was injured I was able to fully embrace its medicinal qualities and stopped looking at it as a drug surrounded by war. As First Chair and President of California Voice Humbolt, I was able to advocate for that sentiment. My role was to encourage the cannabis Farmers to come out and use their voice and help mold the CA market.
GH: Can you tell me more about Sensi Magazine and Sensi Media?
LDB: Sensi Media is a company that I have been with for about two years now. We are a community lifestyle magazines that distribute in legal cannabis communities across the United States. Although we are a cannabis focused company we don’t focus on cannabis alone, we are building the new normal. We bring all parts of the community together through this publication and our special events, where we create a space for networking between our clients and their networks. We really use media and marketing as a way to help build our cannabis communities.
GH: Could you tell us more about the importance of women’s empowerment groups like Women Empowered in Cannabis: Supply Chain?
LDB: The Women Empowered in Cannabis: Supply Chain is so important! The supply chain in this business has never been built before. It is the first industry in our lifetime that we must jump into. Unfortunately, there are no building blocks. This is our chance to build it our way!
GH: What has been your greatest career challenge so far?
LDB: Securing funding and being a woman. Those have been my two greatest challenges. I really believe if I were a man, I wouldn’t have 75% of the challenges I experience daily in this industry.
GH: What upcoming projects are you excited for?
LDB: I’m really excited to bring the diverse communities I’ve been cultivating, together for progressive work. Right now I’m working on a project where I bring leadership together to talk about hard issues, find common ground and help each other find new solutions. I also get to do that work as a Human Rights Commissioner. I am proud to be the chair of our Human Trafficking committee and I wrote and manage the corresponding fund. This year we are empowering programs that help our community create safe spaces for victims. I was also just appointed Chair of the County’s Hate Speech and Bullying Committee. I am excited to create some new awareness with that role! I am also in the middle of a project that is helping bring our farmers together through good business practices. My magazine has also been asked to create the first cannabis education lounge at our county fair!! I’m extremely excited about all of my upcoming projects.
GH: What are your business goals for the rest of this year?
LDB: I would like to see my magazine get to 20,000 readers on the ground. We are currently at 10,000. I’m also looking forward to launching the brand and beauty line I’ve been working on, but my biggest goal and what drives me most is seeing my vision for this cannabis community come to fruition. I see legalization as an opportunity for my community to heal and lead in cannabis innovation. I have some BIG plans to help us get there!
