Danielle Fox boasts many titles aside from manager at Tacoma’s Green Collar Cannabis. She’s also the winner of Miss High Times 2015, prominent industry educator, activist, producer of Budstars, and mother of two. Her empire has risen in many ways due her work in the cannabis industry as a speaker/educator, as well as social media manager. With a keen eye for cultivating brands in the social media space, she’s also traveled all over to spread the good word of cannabis.
It’s been an interesting journey that has led Danielle to where she is now with Green Collar Cannabis. Her life has taken a few twists and turns that ultimately got her in her current role. For a minute she was even going to be a nurse. She’s been able to undertake all of her endeavors in cannabis while still being a full-time mother of two (now teens) kids.
I had the chance to have a chat over the phone with Danielle Fox between one of her many jobs. She gave me the full perspective on how she’s gotten to where she’s at today in the world of weed. We went over points such as the current future state of legal cannabis, traveling, Budstars, as well as broaching the topic of weed with her kids.
Danielle Fox Exclusive Interview
How Did You Get Into The Cannabis Industry?
Danielle began to spin me a yarn about when she came into the cannabis industry in 2012. She first went to work for several brands as the social media manager, as well as volunteering at events. Through her work educating people at events she was able to get her name out there substantially. She took this opportunity to travel extensively, and educate people about the positive benefits of cannabis.
The beginnings of her career in cannabis align largely with Dabstars, a cannabis lifestyle and marketing brand that’s seen insane growth since 2013. Dani told me that she pretty much worked with Dabstars from the ground up, beginning work there when the company was founded. They’ve since become a top media source, organically reaching over seven million people each week via their social media platforms. Dani parted ways with Dabstars back in 2017 to play around with different career paths.
What Made You End Up Managing Green Collar Cannabis?
After Dani left Dabstars, she said she went to nursing school to try a completely different path in life. It was not long before Jeremiah from Green Collar got in contact with her and put the management job up for grabs. She told me that she really enjoys management because it has made her more well-rounded in this industry.
This is where Dani has truly found a home the last few years, even helping create their live weekly smoke-sesh under the name Budstars. Budstars has since ran up millions of plays on their Facebook page, that’s also boasting a following of over 29k. Budstars will be at this year’s Hempfest in Seattle and will be recording a live session of their show.
How Do You Feel About Legal Cannabis Going Corporate?
Dani and I had a pretty thorough conversation on the current state of legal cannabis. She said the “cannabis community members share an intimate bond and I don’t want to ruin that with corporate entities entering the space.” She said she doesn’t want them coming in “acting like they’re the same as us.” Dani made the comment that “the bigger chains opening are very cold and dry, and you can tell, this is corporate weed.”
Danielle went on to say that “it’s kind of already getting a corporate feel. Legal states are going straight to selling low quality weed in bulk.” Furthermore, she said, “Ma and Pa owners are going to have to make the decision of whether or not to sell out.”
How Did You Win Miss High Times 2015?
When Dani was working with Dabstars she was traveling to nearly every High Times Cannabis Cup imaginable. She said it took “almost two years of volunteering” to stand a chance at winning an award that would cease existing after she was the first mother to win. After the 10th Miss High Times the award went away, but Dani still got to go on a crazy trip to Jamaica to see how they grow cannabis.
How Have You Educated Your Two Kids On Cannabis?
Tackling this shaky industry is no easy task, especially with two growing, impressionable children. Dani told me she has a 14-year-old daughter, and a 12-year-old son, and that they’ve always known about her relationship with Mary Jane. She said they’re her main hype team when she’s getting ready for an event. She told me, “I first taught them it as medicine, but that it’s also for recreational.”
“I have let them know [about cannabis] since their youngest age. Parents who bash on other parents who smoke are just uneducated. I don’t smoke in front of them, but they know what mom does for a living.” She went on to say that “it’s important for parents to feel OK to educate their kids.” Concluding, she said, “I feel better as a parent with them being educated and knowing what weed is.”
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