Growing A New Generation: Jesce Horton
Cannabis growers can be compared a lot to wine growers. Those working in wine fields will tell you they take great pride in every grape that’s grown and what that grape goes on to be. Cannabis growers are the same. They take pride in anything they put in the ground and what emerges.
When you discuss cannabis and growing, there is no way that you can leave out the name Jesce Horton.
Jesce Horton, a master grower, entrepreneur, and pioneer, is a true plant lover. His work, from seed to sprout, has not only made him a legendary name in cannabis.
Thanks to his work behind the scenes with his cannabis production company, the LOWD has become a household name. Some of his current work involves helping NBA legend Carmelo Anthony create his cannabis brand, Stayme7o.
We spoke to Jesce about his love of growing, how being bad at his corporate job led him into cannabis, the Minority Cannabis Business Association, how he found himself working with an NBA legend and launching Grand National, black growers, and what he wants his legacy to be known for.
CashColorCannabis: When did you first find out that you had a love for growing cannabis?
Jesce Horton: I started growing in my basement. It started outside first, but I was growing in my basement when I moved to Portland, Oregon. I just really enjoyed it. I have always been a cannabis consumer. I’ve been smoking since I was a teenager. Being able to grow what I was smoking was just something that I trained pretty early after moving to Portland.
CCC: Do you remember the first strain you grew?
JH: I do! The first strain was black cherry cheesecake—a lot of us cultivators like to take credit for growing cannabis. But really, a lot of it has to do with genetics. It was a plant that was easy to grow. It has vibrant colors. Just beautiful. It was what the market loved at that time. I don't grow it anymore, though, unfortunately.
CCC: Why did you stop growing that?
JH: The potency wasn't really where it needed to be. In this number-chasing game in the cannabis industry, we've lost so many genetics because it's just not feasible or profitable for cultivators to grow in the legal recreational market. We've lost several genetics similar to black cherry with great profiles and effects but didn't entirely pass the numbers test in a competitive market.
CCC: Now that you are into the legal side of the business, when did you decide it would be time for you to transition from growing on your own to trying to start your own legal business?
JH: I never even thought about it. Even when I had my little cultivation in my basement, I didn't know that I would move into the legal side. It wasn't until I started to become bad at my job. And I knew, at some point, that I would get fired. I needed to think of my escape plan from corporate, so I thought of a few different options, but ultimately landed on cannabis, probably about a year and a half after I started growing my first plant.
CCC: That is hilarious! Good to know you had a transition plan ready to go.
JH: I'm one of those people who can't get fired. I can leave on my own accord. But getting fired almost feels disgraceful. So, I figured out how to get out of there before that happened.
CCC: Your name came across my radar when I started working on “The Color Green.” I was searching for Black people in cannabis on Google, and your name and the Minority Cannabis Business Association came up. That was back in 2015. Talk to us about your time at the MCBA when it got off the ground.
JH: Yeah, that's interesting. Around the time I started growing. I ran into a friend of mine from college. Her name is Tiffany Bowden.
She was starting a consulting and education business. We talked about how we've benefited so much from the corporate side of things, which was all about mentorship, African American affinity groups, and all that stuff. We benefited so much from that, but we realized there was nothing like that in the cannabis industry. This was back in 2014. At the end of that year, we decided to start the Minority Cannabis Business Association.
Initially, we formed it with just us. Later, we brought in amazing people like Shalene Title, Wanda James, and Charlo Green.
We all just wanted to focus our efforts on creating pillars that could move our community forward in the cannabis industry because we saw so much opportunity.
It was cool. I got the chance to work with some great people. I did a lot of work that became the foundation of many social equity movements nationwide.
CCC: Now, we are in the LOWD era. Talk to us about growing this brand.
JH: It was evolution. We transitioned from medical to recreational when we decided to look at a rebrand and consider where we were in the industry, what we represented, and what meant something to us. That's when we came up with LOWD. We wanted it to be a representation of Pacific Northwestern culture but through the lens of black cannabis, consumers, entrepreneurs, and everyone who kind of identifies with that culture.
So, that's when we formed the company. As you mentioned, we focus on small-batch, premium genetics. We do our own breeding and pheno hunting now, and we also have dope collaborations with people like Carmelo Anthony.
CCC: When I first saw on social media that Carmelo Anthony was launching a cannabis brand, I was shocked. Then I discovered that you and your company were helping him launch it. How did you two get introduced?
JH: Carmelo is a natural guiding light for black entrepreneurship, and I think many people who know him know that. But those who don't are learning more about that. I met Melo when he was playing for the Blazers. He came to play along with Damian Lillard and gave the team a big spark going into the bubble. He was so instrumental in bringing a lot of that fire back to the city of Portland.
So when he came in, I connected with them through mutual friends. We talked a lot about the industry. He discussed not just how he could get into the industry but also how he could use his influence to make a difference. It was essential for him to work with a black cultivator like me. That's something that very few celebrities with that influence do. Either they can't find one that's not important to them. Melo made a big statement by working with a smaller operator like me, who was very much connected to the authentic culture of cannabis.
He said I want to work with you and see how we can join together to make a difference in this new market. I appreciate him working with me and ultimately making that statement that you and I have been making in the market for a long time. This is an opportunity for us to change the culture and the industry.
CCC: How hands-on is Melo with everything?
JH: Very hands-on man. From looking at the packaging, the brand's colors, the logos, the partners we work with, and the strains we select. He's very involved. We've been breeding together and talking about what strains to cross.
You'll see many of those exclusive Stayme7o genetics that we're dropping. He's been involved in every single aspect of the business, all the way to our forming our own company, along with my cousin Brandon Pierce, that will focus on this next stage of the industry and how we can help not only our companies grow and scale with the growth of the industry but also help others do the same and provide a service and a benefit to the market.
I look forward to using the microphone and megaphone to discuss our work with Grand National.
CCC: We don’t see many growers like yourself highlighted. There are some fantastic Black growers, primarily on the underground side, but we don't see a lot in it on the legal side. I see you as one who can spark a movement to see more black growers.
JH: When we first started, there were a lot of dope black growers who were underground. Guys that taught me stuff and shared genetics with me. Many of them are in California, and some are still going up.
A lot of those guys who have been around and have been seasoned. Some are very cautious about being out in the legal industry.
Most growers want to be in the cultivation facility. They want to be with the plants and don't necessarily want to be out talking about them.
It’s about educating some of these dope cultivators to know this opportunity is out here. And that's what MCBA started doing.
That's one aspect. The most crucial element, undoubtedly, is that owning a cultivation facility is expensive. We talk a lot about retail and, depending on what type of processing you're doing. It is risky. It is as cost-intensive as it is capital-intensive. Building a cultivation facility, especially indoors. That plays on the access to capital that many Black people don't have, especially black people who've been in the market for a while. That plays on the ability to get a license. So, many of us are not experienced in all those things: education, money, and navigating the political climate.
CCC: What would you want your legacy to be known for?
JH: Oh, wow, man, that's so hard to think about, man, to be honest. First and foremost, I want to be remembered for growing great weed. That's why I got into the industry. It wasn't to be successful. It wasn't to be known. I got into the industry because I wanted to grow fire weed.
But I want people to look at my legacy as someone who helped to open doors for others. That's it. You know, I came in and did my thing, but I also used my success to open doors for other people. And if other people can say that, it'd be a success.