8 Buffalo Business Autumn 2021
Back in 2014, Daniel Humiston, CEL '93, was already a
successful entrepreneur. He had started and sold a soware
company, and owned a chain of tanning salons with more than
500 employees. He was once named Entrepreneur of the Year
by EY, and even ran for Congress.
Outside of work, Humiston was a triathlete who didn't
smoke or drink alcohol. So, people were more than a little
surprised when he told them he was moving into a new
industry—cannabis.
"I had been in a bad bicycle crash and had to lie in my
bed for four months," he recalls. "I was stressed because the
tanning industry was on the decline, and saw a '60 Minutes'
episode about this opportunity."
Washington and Colorado became the first states to legal-
ize recreational cannabis in 2012, and by the end of 2013, 19
states and Washington, D.C., had legalized it for medical use.
New York approved its medical program the following year.
But public opinion was mixed, at best. When Gallup
first conducted a poll on cannabis legalization in 1969, only
12% supported it. More than 40 years later, support for wide-
spread legalization finally cracked 50%—but that belied signif-
icant gaps in sentiment based on geography, politics, age and
religious attendance.
Still, Humiston saw business opportunities in an emerg-
ing industry. In 2014, he launched the Cannabis World
Congress & Business Expo with events in Las Vegas and New
York. Now, he also is CEO of podCONX, a series of cannabis-
related podcasts on everything from women in the industry
to medical marvels to job opportunities.
"When I first started, I was also a ski instructor, and a
lot of parents questioned whether they felt comfortable with
me as their kid's coach," he says. "There was a general feel-
ing among my friends and family, like, 'Wait a minute—this
is crazy.' Fast forward eight years and the same people who
GROWING
LIKE A WEED
As more states unwind their restrictions
on cannabis, businesses find opportunities
and challenges in an emerging industry
By Matthew Biddle
