Colorado’s cannabis space probably had more downs than ups in 2025, with declining dispensary sales, record-low flower prices and other worrisome trends from 2024 leaking into this year. But enough with the doom and gloom. Hard times breed bright minds and tenacious leaders, and Colorado still has plenty of those. From bold business owners to political movers and shakers, here are five people to watch in 2026 on the Colorado cannabis scene.

Colorado’s cannabis space is struggling to stay afloat as dispensary sales sink. If we ever want to find an equilibrium of affordable weed prices and decent quality, we need people who are willing to invest in talent and time to right the ship. We need people like Bo Scaife. A former NFL player and high school all-American from Denver, Scaife has been paying it forward to his home and the plant he came to love as a football player. He founded All Pro Farms, a southern Colorado cannabis cultivation, in 2023. Right before 2025 ended, Scaife opened a flagship dispensary in south Denver, All Pro Cannabis.

“I’ve dealt with ACL injuries, stress, depression, and I was already using cannabis for that stuff back then. It just wasn’t as defined,” Scaife told Westword before opening his new store. “Looking back on the last twenty or so years, I see evolution and purpose. Being All Pro, it’s a heightened performance…it’s about getting shit done. It’s an extension of who you are.”

“All-Pro Bo” has a nice ring to it. Here’s to his All-Pro buds.

Legal weed isn’t as sexy as it used to be in the eyes of many, but don’t tell Malek Noueiry that. The founder of Malek’s Premium Cannabis and Malek’s Melts extraction has been spicing things up for dispensaries and cannabis shoppers for years now. Malek’s was one of the first to bring rosin thumbprints to Colorado in 2024 with its Geodes and collaborations with Lazercat, and Noueiry followed that up in 2025 with a new Private Headstash line of flower and three-gram infused Donut joints. 

When longtime grower Verde Natural shut down over the summer, it was Noueiry who procured Verde’s popular, timeless cut of Hazelnut Cream, making sure we can still enjoy that funky, sweet goodness. Yet even with classics like Hazelnut Cream and Sour Diesel in his belt, Noueiry still chases new and trend-setting cuts, from his beloved Texas Shoreline to Puro Loco, a tropical mind-bending mix of Papaya and Moonbow #15.

He’s soft-spoken but intensely passionate about the plant, and competitive yet collaborative at the same time. These qualities have helped Noueiry push cannabis boundaries with new, modern products that retain old-school characteristics. Something tells us he won’t be slowing down in 2026.

Newsflash: not everyone was onboard with Colorado’s move to legalize recreational cannabis and retail pot sales. And although the toothpaste is already out, Henny Lasley has been trying to push it back in the tube for years. The founder of One Chance to Grow Up (formerly Smart Colorado), knows that a full reversal probably won’t happen, but she’s become pragmatic enough to get results at the state level in recent years, and she’s more than motivated enough to keep going. Lasley started advocating against commercial cannabis over a decade ago to protect children, and she’s attracted plenty to her cause.

In recent years, Lasley and One Chance have been integral parts of successful political pushes for statewide dispensary and cannabis audits, limits on medical marijuana and cannabis concentrate sales and the stripping-down of several cannabis industry bills. One Chance has become more media savvy, as well, as it aims for THC potency limits in commercial cannabis and safeguards to Colorado’s new psychedelic framework, and Lasley continues to maintain a significant presence during cannabis industry rulemaking sessions and bill hearings. Whether you agree with Lasley’s mission or not, she’s not scared of a long-term fight, and Colorado’s pro-cannabis lobby has never been weaker since legalization began, so you better get used to her

Just because the pot lobby isn’t as flush as its heyday, doesn’t mean it’s gone away. Colorado Leads CEO Chuck Smith is still very active at the Colorado State Capitol and Washington, D.C, in pursuing what he views are fair rules for cannabis growers, dispensaries and other plant-touching businesses. With the Marijuana Industry Group dissolving in 2025, Colorado Leads is the state’s lone notable cannabis-first business lobby. Smith, a longtime cannabis business owner and industry executive in Colorado, hasn’t let the shrinking party end the fun, either.

In 2025, Smith and Colorado Leads pushed for a bill that would have doubled the daily recreational purchasing limit to two ounces and loosened sampling rules at dispensaries. Although the bill was stripped of both provisions, the measure still loosened some industry rules for business owners, including restrictions surrounding research and development. As 2026 brings the likely reclassification on cannabis, from Schedule I to Schedule III, Smith will be at the forefront of Colorado’s business interests, and he’ll likely be back fighting for the industry at the State Capitol in 2026.

The plant has been legal in Colorado for thirteen years now, yet Denver’s cannabis hospitality space is still laughably dry. Except on East Colfax, ever since Arend Richard brought the clouds in. The cannabis social media personality, first known for co-founding Weed Tube, spent well over two years leading the effort to build out an upscale cannabis-friendly lounge, Cirrus Social Club, in the Congress Park neighborhood. After opening on 4/20 weekend in 2025, Cirrus has remained packed with regulars and quickly sells out special performances, from burlesque and drag nights to live holiday music. Denver needed a cannabis-friendly venue to include on your date night. Now we have one.