Meet Jacquie Cohen Roth, Ms

 

We recently connected with Jacquie Cohen Roth, Ms and have shared our conversation below.

Jacquie, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

My resilience comes from a few sources. Firstly, from my female ancestors, including my mother, who each survived a variety of traumas as well as challenges common to generations of women before me. My paternal grandmother literally ran for her life from religious persecution. When faced with challenges, I often consider if she could survive a program (Originating as attacks on Jewish people in the 19th and 20th century, a program is a violent riot that targets minority group.) at age 15 and emigrate to the U.S. as part of her survival and life journey, I can manage anything. Another resilience source is my father, who was a World War II Purple Heart Veteran who enlisted in the army to bring his family out of poverty to fight religious persecution. Lastly, a critical resource for my resilience is myself. I know that having faced a variety of personal losses, including the death of an adult daughter, I’ve faced them all head-on. I have not only survived but also thrived.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

As founder/CEO of CannabizMD and The Tea Pad Foundation LTD, I work to advance cannabis science and policy education while promoting industry equity. CannabizMD educates and inspires stakeholders to optimize patient and product outcomes, while Tea Pad empowers equitable industry participation through education and professional development. Both organizations embody the Hebrew principle of “tikkun olam” (repair of the world). CannabizMD is also a grantee for workforce development in the cannabis industry, the first for the nation.

What’s most exciting right now is CannabizMD’s expansion into artificial intelligence. We’re leveraging AI to establish ourselves as global leaders in cannabis education, making quality information more accessible to diverse stakeholders.

We’re also launching innovative educational programs and expanding our reach to serve more communities harmed by the War on Drugs and professionals looking to shift their careers to the cannabis industry.

All of these initiatives directly support my mission of building an inclusive, knowledge-driven cannabis industry.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

My career journey is defined by resilience and perseverance, which have enabled me to pivot into medical cannabis in my 50s post-divorce, founding my second startup as a single woman with limited funding. This resilience continues to serve me as I navigate building a business while processing personal grief. My strategic thinking allows me to recognize and seize opportunities, whether through comprehensive industry involvement or making calculated decisions while maintaining momentum. Perhaps most importantly, I’ve developed the courage to challenge my imposter syndrome and complete graduate studies with honors at age 61. This courage empowers me to stand firm in my convictions and lead authentically in the male-dominated cannabis industry while pioneering educational initiatives and advocating for industry equity. These combined qualities enable me to effectively guide organizations focused on cannabis education and equity through complex industry challenges.

What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?

I believe in balancing strengths while strategically addressing critical weaknesses. Drawing from my experience launching multiple ventures, including CannabizMD, I’ve learned to leverage my core competencies while building strong teams to complement areas where I need support. When pivoting from conventional healthcare to cannabis in 2017, I recognized my strengths in healthcare communications, policy, law, and stakeholder education while acknowledging gaps in cannabis-specific expertise. Rather than trying to become an expert in everything, I focused on developing critical industry knowledge while partnering with established experts in areas like IT and creative direction – professionals I’d collaborated with for decades. This balanced approach has allowed me to build CannabizMD into a credible resource for cannabis science and policy education while maintaining operational excellence through strategic partnerships. Success comes from knowing when to deepen existing strengths and when to bring in complementary expertise.

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Image Credits

Images courtesy of CannabizMD, LLC and The Tea Pad Foundation LTD

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