Let’s start at the beginning — what’s the origin story of SWAY?
SWAY is the result of decades of activism, friendship, and a shared belief that cannabis equity is essential. Long before opening our doors, Edie Moore was already leading the fight for cannabis reform as a co-founder of Chicago NORML and the Illinois Minority Cannabis Business Association. Meanwhile, Art Johnston and José “Pepe” Peña spent decades building inclusive spaces at Sidetrack, one of the country’s most iconic queer bars, while advancing LGBTQ+ rights across Illinois.

Together, we saw an opportunity to create something that didn’t yet exist: a dispensary rooted in representation, built by and for the communities most impacted by the war on drugs and systemic exclusion. SWAY is queer-owned, Black- and Latino-owned, veteran-owned, and unapologetically committed to equity.

April marked SWAY’s first birthday — congrats! How would you reflect on your first year in business, and what are your goals for Year Two?
Year one has been bold, beautiful, and full of lessons. We built a space that reflects the joy and resilience of our communities — from our curated product mix to our gallery wall honoring LGBTQ+ and BIPOC cannabis pioneers. We’ve welcomed thousands of customers, hosted unforgettable events, and proven that equity-driven businesses can thrive with heart and intention.

Looking ahead, Year Two is about expanding access. We’re preparing our South Shore location, which will be the first Black-owned dispensary in a predominantly Black Chicago neighborhood. We’re deepening partnerships with minority-owned brands, building out our exclusive product line, and continuing to create safe spaces where everyone feels seen, respected, and celebrated.

As Illinois’ first queer-and BIPOC-owned dispensary, what does Pride Month mean to you? Do you have any plans to celebrate or commemorate it?
Every month is Pride around here! The cannabis legalization movement wouldn’t exist without queer activists who fought for safe access during the AIDS epidemic. And black and brown trans women led the charge for queer rights. Pride is a reminder that our business exists because people like us refused to wait for permission to be free. Pride is a protest and is how we realize our power.

This year, we’re celebrating Pride the SWAY way: with community events, partnerships with queer-owned brands, consumption nights, and collaborations that center joy, equity, and unapologetic representation. And of course, we’ve launched FROZÉ edibles inspired by Sidetrack’s legendary slushies.

Let’s not forget that Juneteenth celebrations also happen in June. Freedom was delayed. Recognition was too. But we’re still here. We honor Juneteenth AND Pride Month by continuing the fight. In this current political climate, that is important to remember.

What sets SWAY apart in Illinois’ cannabis landscape?
We’re independent. We’re intentional. And we grew directly out of the communities we serve. SWAY was designed from day one to reflect the people historically excluded from ownership and access. Our product selection prioritizes small-batch, minority-owned, women-owned, and queer-owned brands. Our staff reflects our community—knowledgeable, diverse, and welcoming.  We’re not trying to be everything to everyone—we’re building a dispensary that feels like home, like our communities have always done.

If you could share one message with policymakers about Illinois’ cannabis industry, what would it be?
Social equity can’t survive on good intentions or one law alone. To live up to its promise and potential, we need real structural support: access to capital, competitive taxation, protections for independent operators, and streamlined licensing processes that allow diverse entrepreneurs to compete and grow. We’ve proven what’s possible—but without sustained investment in equity applicants, the promise of this industry risks becoming performative. We need policymakers to match intention with action.

Is there anything else you’d like to share about SWAY—your team, your mission, your vision, or what’s next?
We’re incredibly proud of what SWAY represents. Our team shows up every day to create joyful, stigma-free access to cannabis while honoring the activists and organizers who made this industry possible. We hope to be a model for what true representation can feel like.
And we’re just getting started.

Can you tell us about BCC’s new Illinois location
We had our grand opening on March 9, and our location is magnificent! We were awarded that region in the lottery and landed on East Dubuque for two main reasons: 1) it borders two states, one of which is not currently recreational, and 2) the town wanted us there. It’s much easier to get work done when you don’t have people and entities working against you. As my late Uncle Billy would say, “I go with who likes me because it’s easier.” He may have been talking about women, but I’ve found it to be true in business too.

What differentiates BCC from your competitors in the cannabis space?
I believe our leadership’s years of experience operating mom and pop type dispensaries in a more saturated market helps us tremendously. We’ve lowered our learning curve by having firsthand knowledge of small yet impactful things like picking a POS system, hiring, staffing, gauging the customer base, etc. Although we’re technically an MSO, we’re not a big conglomerate. We don’t take a cookie cutter approach; we look at the area and create a culture that fits into the existing DNA.

Tell us about your company
We started I Got The Munchies (IGTM) in 2015 after visiting Denver to see how the legal industry functioned. After attending some cannabis training classes in Las Vegas later that year, we decided to get into the cannabis business and wanted to help others get into the industry as well. Over the next five years, we traveled the country gathering information and building a hands-on network.
IGTM developed recipes and methods that we structured classes around to teach people how to infuse their own products at home or on a small business level. We initially started with a plant-based infusion method and then went on to develop methods to infuse food products with a clean BHO infusion method. With this method there is no plant by-product in your food item.
On Jan. 20, 2025, IGTM released our first products —lollipops — to the Illinois market. They can currently be found in 33 dispensaries in Illinois. Our lollipops come in 12 flavors and each package comes with four individually wrapped lollipops. We have the sweet spot for dosage, with our suckers dosed at 25 mg a piece – not too high, not too low. Last, but not least, we currently have the only licensed lollipop in the state of Illinois.

What motivated you to get involved in the cannabis space?
I was attracted to the cannabis space because it had a ground level entry point to get into the business through Illinois’ social equity program. I saw a lot of missed opportunities in the past, such as the internet boom, social media, crypto currency, and real estate. I knew that Illinois’ cannabis industry would be a multi-billion-dollar business, and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to get involved in the space.

What excites you about the industry?
Many things excite me about the industry, one of them being the opportunity that cannabis has created. Being involved in the cannabis industry has allowed me to employ and create opportunities for others in the space and to help minorities attain licensing in the state of Illinois. The other thing that excites me is the growth of our state’s cannabis industry. Despite COVID and downward trends in other industries, Illinois’ cannabis industry has defied the odds and continues to grow.

What are the biggest challenges facing Illinois’ cannabis industry?
The regulation cost is huge. It costs a lot of money to get into the cannabis industry, as well as to maintain and thrive in the space.

What do you want policymakers to know?
There are a lot of opportunities available, but we need some adjustments to the current model. Home delivery and marketing rules need to be much more relaxed, and the consumption lounge issues need to be resolved for the entire cannabis model to work in Illinois.

What advice would you give new or aspiring cannabis operators?
Partnering is KEY. No one can do this alone; you literally will need a team of 10 or more people. If you can’t work with multiple people, then being an operator might not be for you.