She’s a concert photographer, a music journalist, writer, activist, vegan, traveler, TikToker, dreadlocked cannabis influencer and entrepreneur.
Jessica Golich wears a lot of hats, so to speak. She’s become something of an internet celebrity among the Detroit cannabis scene — and for that matter, in cannabis scenes throughout the US. She uses her social media platforms to promote causes and movements like Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ rights and Breaking Code Silence. She’s an advocate for voting and promotes healthy living through her online presence; she’s a badass, a creative and she’s stylish as hell.
Scroll through Jessica Golich’s Instagram profile and you’ll see what I mean: it’s a tasteful mix of activist oriented posts, cannabis product and promotional shots and colorful artsy modeling photos. Her TikTok and Facebook are much the same.
On top of all that, Golich is about to write a book cataloguing her personal experiences in the entertainment industry and cannabis industry; weaving in stories and wisdoms she’s gathered along the way.
Is there anything this girl isn’t capable of?
We connected over the phone to talk about Detroit’s cannabis scene, social media, the causes she cares about, and of course, dreadlocks.
Tell me a little bit about yourself and how you got into the world of cannabis…
So, I started off in the entertainment business beginning in 2016 and I sporadically applied to be a music journalist. I had no journalism experience whatsoever, but I was able to utilize my skill set with writing to push it forward and I was able to get a job and I took that company pretty far. And through doing so, I was able to build my own company and add a branch with cannabis.
Now I'm at the point where cannabis is the main branch — cannabis is where my heart is and all of my creative endeavors. I'm so happy that this avenue has been able to be built out.
Was there a moment that your relationship with cannabis shifted from a personal hobby to a professional pursuit?
Yeah, I noticed my mental health really aligning in a positive way through cannabis use over time. I struggled with mental health problems for a very long time and I was taking pharmaceuticals that didn't suit my brain chemistry whatsoever. So, turning to cannabis led me to that discovery.
How do you think social media has affected the perception of cannabis among the public?
I think it has positively and negatively. I think positively in the sense, that we are still able to advertise cannabis and utilize the platforms to our best ability, to push forward our brands and push towards our mission. Which is the thing that affects me personally: it's so much more than just the plant … what cannabis companies are doing is so much more than just selling cannabis these days. We're really advocating for LGBTQ equality, for social justice rights, against racism — there's so many different avenues.
Ensuring that that's at the forefront, is what's going to keep cannabis advertising stable and accessible over the next few years.
That’s obviously something you try to keep at the forefront. Your content blends cannabis, marketing, activism, art and education all into a single profile. It seems very intentional…
Yeah, I think it's so important to have that balance and blend throughout the cannabis industry — making sure that there are artists involved, that there are serious creatives involved. Because, you can't just put the message out there showcasing the plant. You got to show the people behind it, the people that love it — because that's going to make a lot more people buy in to what our future is.
Of all industries, it seems like cannabis and the people who populate the industry all have similarly aligned values and are interested in engaging in activism…
And you don't really see that in many other industries these days. That's what's really pushed me toward to being such a devoted member of the cannabis industry, is that I realized that my time in the music industry didn't carry out any of those branches — with philanthropy or philanthropic endeavors and just representation. In the cannabis industry, you kind of have that opportunity to explore that avenue, and it's really unique.
@jessicagolich Stay safe ✈️ but fr I can’t wait to travel hella again. ##quizz ##lesbians ##fyp ##traveltheworld ##memories ##detroit ##jessicagolich ##lgbtq
Do you do you have a favorite platform to use?
Yeah: TikTok is hands down my platform. TikTok is my baby and I'm obsessed with it. I advocate for it all the time. I look forward to when there comes a time in which it will be a lot more lenient when it comes to cannabis.
@jessicagolich Anyone else create content in ANY weather? ##contentcreator ##fyp ##lesbians ##lesbiansoftiktok ##jessicagolich ##michigan ##puremichigan ##detroit
I'm not familiar with TikTok’s stance on cannabis…
So TikTok has a ways to go in regards to cannabis. Even if they see somebody smoking weed, it can ring the alarm and your content could get pulled.
But the algorithm on TikTok and the ability to reach people around the world in such a quick way through short video content is unlike anything we've ever seen. And there's so much to learn on it. I think there's so many different ways to convey a point or teach something. And there hasn't been a social platform that's been as accessible in that regard, ever, really.
What specific movements are you trying to support through your business and through your social media presence? Or are you working with a few of them?
I’m exclusively partnered with Skymint Cannabis, which I'm really proud about, because over time I've learned that the company’s ethos is really cohesively aligned with mine. They really focus on LGBTQ equality and proper representation throughout the company; whether it's at the store fronts or all the way up to executive level, there's always opportunity for growth no matter who you are.
And it goes beyond the plant. It's world class cannabis. I’ve smoked a lot of cannabis throughout California and Michigan now in the legal market and to me, there's really nothing like [Skymint]. It's grown with such care and such precision towards the organic process of it that it really led me to be extremely bonded with Skymint.
How have you enjoyed being involved in Detroit's cannabis scene?
Oh, it's crazy in Detroit right now! And it's only getting better. I think that, as the different areas of Michigan and particularly in Detroit, allow a lot more opportunities for shops to pop up and to be built out, then then it will become a lot more mainstream in Michigan. But it's still heavy up and coming. You go to the outskirts like Hazle Park, or you go to Ann Arbor, you go to Lansing, you go to Grand Rapids and you'll see a rapidly developing cannabis industry as you're driving down the street.
And I think having that visual appeal is also going to lead different people that were interested in cannabis before into like a sense of intrigue as to what they can get out of the plant. There's billboards everywhere you drive. And I think it's important for cannabis companies to continue to invest, whether it's digital or marketing in that way, because it's going to show our industry more and legitimize it along the way.
The dreads are awesome. How long have you had them for?
Oh, it's been almost ten years. I cut like six inches off recently over the past two years because they were so heavy, like literally hurting my neck. *Laughs*
But it's been ten years and I love them.
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