JJ Walker got his start in event promotions as a student.
“I learned that I really enjoyed promoting parties, but of course, in high school you have to deal with angry parents, cops and rowdy teenagers,” said Walker, a native of Colorado who has a degree in marketing and public relations from Colorado State University.
“Once I entered college, my hobby of throwing parties transformed into a career.”
In 2009, with just a $10,000 investment, Walker co-founded a medical marijuana dispensary in Colorado. He sold his shares in the venture in 2012 and founded My 420 Tours, one of the world’s first successful cannabis tourism companies.
“I never expected to live anywhere else until the legalization of recreational marijuana in Nevada brought me to Las Vegas in September 2017 to open Cannabition Cannabis Museum,” said Walker, who serves as CEO. The immersive downtown attraction extols cannabis culture from seed to celebration.
“I am actively involved in the legal and political process of expanding the recreational cannabis industry into mainstream tourism, particularly providing places for tourists and locals to consume in a public setting,” said Walker, who supports research for Lyme disease. “We hope by this summer, Cannabition becomes one of the first (legal, public) experiences in the world where people can have a good time smoking cannabis with friends.”