Founder WeedHead™ & Company brings talks, workshops, storytelling and community activations to cannabis markets throughout the Northeast and beyond
NEW YORK, NY — Dasheeda Dawson, renowned national cannabis strategist, former government regulator, molecular biologist, best-selling author and founder of The WeedHead™ & Company, recently announced the launch of The State (of) Flower Tour, a first of its kind in multiple states, traveling to 20 of the largest legal cannabis markets.
Launching alongside the long-awaited fourth edition of Dawson’s best-selling book, How to Succeed in the Cannabis Industrythe tour will bring together policymakers, entrepreneurs, students, educators, workers, media, advocates and community members through conversations, workshops, cultural events, workforce development programming and storytelling activations designed to connect the many parts of the cannabis industry that often operate separately.
The tour kicks off in New York before traveling through New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia, with additional stops planned in Florida and Nevada. The final stop will be in Philadelphia in partnership with Black Cannabis Week 2026.
“After more than a decade working in cannabis policy, business, science and community development, I’ve seen the same model work in every market,” Dawson said. “We didn’t just build an industry. We built it in pieces. This tour is about putting those pieces together by creating real pathways for education, entrepreneurship, workforce development and community connection.”
Each stop on the tour will feature programming tailored to the local market, including fireside chats, educational workshops, facility tours, networking events, She Blaze Podcast activations, job fairs and community-centered cultural experiences.
The tour comes at a critical time for the cannabis industry as states continue to navigate legalization, workforce development, equity enforcement and the broader implications of federal reform. While legal markets continue to expand, many aspiring entrepreneurs, workers, students and communities most affected by the ban still face barriers to access, information, visibility and opportunity.
The Flower State(s) Tour is being held in conjunction with Veronica “Vee” Castillo, known internationally as Vee, the Traveling Cannabis Writer, a globally respected cannabis author, advocate and journalist whose reporting on cannabis culture and equity has appeared in more than 25 publications. Castillo is partnering with Fame Neal, Exhale Social PRO co-founder and event producer, to develop the New Jersey tour programming.
“Storytelling has always been one of the most powerful tools we have in this industry, and I’m excited to kick off the tour in New Jersey alongside Dasheeda and Fame,” said Castillo. “This tour creates space to document the people, communities and culture that shape cannabis across the country.”
In addition to live events, the tour will generate original digital content through podcast conversations, mini-documentary episodes, written features and behind-the-scenes stories distributed across social platforms, podcast networks, email campaigns and partner media.
The fourth edition of How to Succeed in the Cannabis Industry expands on Dawson’s best-selling workbook with more than 100 pages of new content, including insights into the post-reprogramming era, a new chapter on cannabis regulation, and an expanded section focused on cannabis access, justice and health equity.
Pre-orders are now available at TheWeedHead.com.
Additional tour dates, programming announcements and partner collaborations will be released in the coming weeks.
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ABOUT DASHEEDA DAWSON
Dasheeda Dawson, also known as The WeedHead™, is a cannabis strategist, entrepreneur, educator, speaker and former government regulator working at the intersection of business, science, policy, culture and community impact. She has spent more than a decade helping shape the legal cannabis industry through leadership in public policy, media, entrepreneurship and advocacy.
Dawson previously led the cannabis regulatory offices in both New York City and Portland, Oregon, and currently serves as co-founder and board chair of the Cannabis Regulators of Color Coalition (CRCC). She is also the Founder of The WeedHead™ & Company and co-founder and CEO of Wave Holistic Health, a licensed medical cannabis company in New York.
ABOUT THE COMPANY AND WEEDHEAD™
WeedHead™ & Company is a cannabis education, media and strategy platform focused on business, policy, science, culture, wellness and the empowerment of the cannabis community through content, experiences, products and strategic initiatives.
