Mujjahid Huq on the Social Side of Cannabis: Why Community Matters More Than Marketing

In the rush to capture market share in New York’s emerging cannabis industry, many retailers are betting on the power of celebrity endorsements, slick branding, and curated lifestyle aesthetics. Storefronts are opening with neon signage, high-gloss interiors, and Instagram-ready walls designed to lure younger consumers.

But Mujjahid Huq, a licensed pharmacist and entrepreneur, is offering a very different vision. For him, the future of cannabis retail is not about hype—it’s about humanity.

“People today are savvy,” Huq says. “They know when marketing is fake. If I were to build a cannabis business, I’d want it rooted in humility, transparency, and service—values I can stand behind as a healthcare professional and as a person of faith.”

Beyond the Instagram Aesthetic

The cannabis market has grown rapidly since legalization in New York, but much of the industry’s energy has been focused on younger demographics—glamorizing cannabis through music, celebrity tie-ins, and lifestyle branding.

That approach overlooks a growing segment of consumers: older adults. According to recent industry research, cannabis use among Americans aged 55 and older has surged in recent years. For many, cannabis offers relief from chronic pain, sleep disturbances, or anxiety—issues for which conventional pharmaceuticals often fall short.

Yet for many in this demographic, walking into a typical dispensary can be intimidating. A brightly lit boutique blasting music might be exciting to a 25-year-old, but alienating for a grandmother who has never set foot inside a cannabis shop.

“Imagine that grandmother,” Huq reflects. “She’s holding her prescription bottles, maybe tired of side effects and looking for an alternative. What she needs isn’t another lifestyle brand—she needs a trusted guide. She needs someone to sit with her, listen, and treat her with compassion.”

A Pharmacist’s Perspective

Huq’s perspective is shaped by his decades of work in healthcare. As a pharmacist, he’s counseled patients overwhelmed by complicated medication regimens. That experience taught him that listening is as critical as prescribing.

His community work reinforces that lesson. Through his leadership at the An-Noor initiative, he has helped build a hospital, an orphanage, and educational programs that serve vulnerable populations in both the U.S. and Bangladesh.

These experiences inform his belief that cannabis retail can and should be more than a business. “We’re opening our doors to people who have tried everything else and still suffer,” he explains. “If we can provide care with honesty and compassion, we’ll not only help people heal—we’ll build something enduring.”

Trust as the New Currency

Consumer research supports this perspective. Edelman’s 2024 Trust Barometer found that 71% of global consumers say they lose trust in a brand when they believe profit comes before people. In a still-stigmatized industry like cannabis, trust isn’t a marketing tactic—it’s survival.

For Huq, trust is earned through transparency and consistency. He is candid about the fact that he does not personally consume cannabis. But he doesn’t see that as a contradiction. “I don’t use it myself, but I understand its medicinal value. My role is to provide guidance—not hype. I want people to know they can rely on me, the way my patients always have.”

Cannabis as a Community Space

Huq envisions cannabis shops that resemble community wellness centers more than lifestyle boutiques. Think open, welcoming spaces where education is as important as sales, and where staff are trained healthcare professionals rather than hype-driven influencers.

Such a model, he argues, would help break down the stigma that still keeps many older adults—and their families—at arm’s length from cannabis. It would also align the industry with a broader cultural shift toward values-driven commerce, in which brands succeed not only because of their products but because of the trust and relationships they build with the communities they serve.

The Bigger Picture

For Mujjahid Huq, cannabis is just one part of a broader mission. Whether serving patients in a Brooklyn pharmacy, establishing healthcare and education projects abroad, or now exploring a dispensary under the Premium Management Group / Green Leaf Herbalists banner, his focus has been consistent: building institutions that care for people, especially those often overlooked.

That mission extends to the cannabis space. While others chase fleeting trends, Huq believes the real opportunity lies in creating something much more durable.

“We may not be in the limelight,” he says. “But no one will outdo us in dispensing our products with love.”