Breaking Barriers with Kush Queen Chief Science Officer, Arian Roman

Roman, above, photo courtesy of Kush Queen

In honor of Black History Month, we sat down with Kush Queen Chief Science Officer and founder of Alysida Health, Arian Roman. 

An MIT graduate and fellow legacy cannabis operator, we met years back during California's Proposition 215 days working in the medical cannabis field. Since then, Roman has worked in all sides of the cannabis industry, building labs, making products, and cultivating the plant. 

Source: Kush Queen

Find Arian Roman at the intersection of cannabis and health care.

In 2019, Roman founded Alysida Health, a next-generation supply chain platform providing personalized health and resource management using blockchain. Alysida Health serves supply chains across nutraceuticals, biopharmaceuticals, and public health. Streamlining the consumer experience, eliminating the cannabis stigma, and educating users on the next generation of supply chain demands are all a part of the Alysida Health mission.  

Kush Queen is very excited to be participating in Alysida Health’s beta product testing group, where people and products will come to life for the first time through Roman's blockchain technology. In this phase of the project, product effectiveness via efficacy data points will be captured on an individual level by whoop bands. 

The expected results are exciting for two reasons. This technology will aid manufacturers (like Kush Queen) by receiving detailed reports on specific products. Improvements in bioavailability, daily use experiences, and understanding how products work differently for different bodies are additional benefits to this technology. By using genomic data (think 23 & me), consumers will get real-time feedback on what products work with their bodies and needs. 

Source: Kush Queen

When The Community Speaks, In Cannabis, We Listen.

One interesting fact about working with cannabis is getting to see how differently people view and treat this plant. Trust us when we say it is not the same. Thankfully, our friend Arian thinks of cannabis with a lens similar to how we think about cannabis at Kush Queen and remains in the pursuit of its greatest expression. Roman hasn't only spent years working at Kush Queen; he also plays an important role for several other cannabis companies like The Doctors Knox. For years Roman has been building the next generation of health and wellness technology. Roman's also passionate about women's health and health equity. He's made an invaluable impact on Kush Queen behind the scenes for years and even appeared in our Pride 2020 campaign. 

Source: Kush Queen

We sat down with Arian to chat about being Black in the cannabis industry, his health legacy, and what's next for his future. 

On being Black in Cannabis

Olivia Alexander: Since we’ve known each other since before Prop 64, I’ve witnessed a good bit of your cannabis journey. When you hear the phrase or question 'What’s it like being black in cannabis?’ What comes to mind? 

Arian Roman: I’ve always felt both empowered and stigmatized by my heritage. This duality has driven me to blur these boundaries by applying my cultural heritage and my identity as a scientist to cannabis innovation. 

On Health Legacy 

OA: You speak a lot on the concept of health legacy. Can you tell me more about what that means to you?

AR: Our wellness and our legacies are the same. To truly reach mental, biological, and financial wellness, we must understand how sustainable plant medicines can combat brute force medicine while bridging the health equity gap.

Moving forward...

Roman shares, “Alysida Health was born out of the inherent necessity to empower citizen scientists who are putting billions of dollars of cash and data into the commercial plant medicine supply chain and heritage markets. It (Alysida Health) was meant to empower the fast-growing demographic of humans, womxn who are searching for solutions to the most overlooked, underfunded, and disruptive health conditions facing hundreds of millions.”

Roman makes an astute observation about the state of womxn's healthcare in our society. Even in the 21st century, womxn's health is still massively under-researched and underfunded. Not to mention the major discrepancy between recent societal shifts and the current academic initiatives. This type of systemic discrimination extends deeper and further into BIPOC communities. 

At Kush Queen, we understand the importance of representation and the unique value everyone brings with their lived experience. As we continue to learn from our beautiful KQ community, we look forward to developing products with even more intention and integrity.

Follow us on IG for new product drops and to watch our progress with Alysida Health.