“I grew up in New Mexico, surrounded by the Latinx culture in every way. As a Persian American, people saw my brown complexion and thought or assumed I was of Latin American descent, but I am not Latinx by blood, I just celebrate the culture I was immersed in growing up.”

New Mexico is where I first discovered my love for cannabis. I was one of the first in New Mexico to get my medical marijuana card back when I was in college. It definitely shaped my opinion of cannabis. 

Years later, as a young mother, I relocated to Arizona. Because of my prior experience with medical marijuana, I had some knowledge of the benefits and was interested in finding out of it could better treat my daughter’s severe health challenges. We eventually sought out cannabis to help ease the pain and discomfort brought on by her chronic illness. 

“My daughter Yazy, now uses medical marijuana instead of the harmful prescription opioids that permanently damaged her Gastro Intestinal system. “

My daughter Yazy, now uses medical marijuana instead of the harmful prescription opioids that permanently damaged her Gastro Intestinal system. She has been in palliative care with no cure for her Gastroparesis for 4 years now, but cannabis makes her more comfortable and has opened up a whole new world for her, including opportunities like filming a Youtube series about medical marijuana called “The Alice & Bill Show”. Finding alternative treatments for my daughter is what ignited my interest in being an entrepreneur in the cannabis industry, including my events and marketing company The Marijuana Momma and my work with Women Grow.

“Seeing our community grow and flourish and having the chance to truly help and impact so many lives has been an invaluable experience.”

I first met Kathy Inman of Mom Force who introduced me to my local cannabis community in Arizona. From there I connected with Marvina Thomas of 420skincare (my current mentor) at a local Women Grow meeting in Phoenix then became acquainted with Sara Gullickson, Laura Bianchi and Kim Prince. Women Grow was a huge resource for me to continually connect with empowering Women in the space. 

SIDE SESSION:
What is an issue on drug policy that means a lot to you personally and why?  

Seeing how disproportionately our brown and black communities are  being impacted by out-dated cannabis laws and incarcerated is personally frustrating. I feel it is my duty as someone legally working in the field to fight for those whom don't have a voice. 

My proudest moments have been the continued recognition from folks I have been able to personally help through my passionate work with Women Grow. Not only were Marvina and I able to grow our Phoenix market (as the former market leaders) but we turned it into the largest monthly convening of women in cannabis in the United States, with hundreds of guests attending each meeting. Seeing our community grow and flourish and having the chance to truly help and impact so many lives has been an invaluable experience.

“The advice given and would give to others is to trust your gut. Do your due diligence, listen more, and research people’s past business relationships and how they treat others - it’s a great indicator of what you may face as well.”

My work as a mother and an entrepreneur is challenging, but I don’t have any regrets. Although I’ve made errors in judgement, trusting and collaborating with individuals who were less-than-ethical in their business practices, I’m grateful for all of my experiences I because I learned important lessons. So no regrets, just lessons learned. The advice I’ve been given and would give to others is to trust your gut. Do your due diligence, listen more, and research people’s past business relationships and how they treat others - it’s a great indicator of what you may face as well.

About Parisa Rad:
Born in Moscow, Idaho and raised in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Parisa Rad graduated honors from New Mexico State University where her studies focused around business and marketing. She became highly involved in her community working on a congressional race prior to graduating. During her time in New Mexico, she devoted much of her time raising thousands of dollars for various none profit organizations such as March of Dimes and One Small Voice.

As President of Haven on Earth, her student organization helped implement first time ever curb side recycling program in Las Cruces. Parisa moved to the Phoenix Valley in 2012 with her family to pursue better healthcare opportunities for her visually impaired, special needs daughter Yazy, who is now 17 years old. Since then, Parisa has honed her skills in marketing and branding and, prior to joining the BEAM Team, she was a marketing executive at a major health insurance benefits provider organization. During that time, she continued to perform pro-bono work for nonprofits while also immersing herself in seeking alternative medical treatments for her daughter. Her charitable work and ongoing exploration of alternative medical treatments for her daughter led to her more recent discovery of medicinal cannabis and new passion for advocacy. She is active in the Phoenix chapter of Woman Grow and founder of Marijuana Mommas.