Maha Haq is the Founder of Cannaclub, a collegiate organization focusing on cannabis education, advocacy, and opportunities for the next generation. Their mission is to empower students and scholars interested in the cannabis industry while making a positive social impact through academia and activism. Under Maha’s leadership, Cannaclub expanded to 20+ universities across the nation with over 5,500 members since starting at her alma mater UCLA, where she also served as a researcher at the UCLA Cannabis Research Initiative. Her undergrad was in Mathematics and Sociology. Maha has her M.S. in pharmacological sciences, concentrating on Medical Cannabis Sciences & Therapeutics at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, the nation’s first graduate program dedicated to studying cannabis.
Maha is President of The Highspitality Group (THG), an LA-based cannabis consumption lounge operations and biz dev firm, bringing together the two worlds of hospitality and cannabis. With clients in 10 cities, she is slated to assist in lounge openings in California and Michigan. Maha is currently consulting on marketing and community plans for Green Thumb Industries, specifically for their first California dispensary, Essence – Pasadena. She also sits on the board as Director of Education for the Los Angeles chapter of NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws). She is a Program Director at the American Botanical Drug Association, a team of international peer reviewers and drug development experts. She has made guidance resources and workshops on the process of botanical drug research and development. In addition, Maha is an instructor for science classes at the cannabis vocational school, Oaksterdam University in Oakland.
Maha started her work in cannabis at Los Angeles medical dispensaries in 2012 where she focused on management and operations. She later developed legal cannabis businesses in several states and countries through a Denver based consulting firm. She then conducted cannabis research and specialized in business development and marketing at the first ISO-accredited analytical cannabis testing lab. Maha has dedicated nearly a decade in the cannabis space and plans to continue working and researching the plant and other drugs.