Lilach Mazor Power has always been a trailblazer.

“I was one of the first to apply for an Arizona Cannabis Business License back in 2011,” she says. “I got my license back then, I started growing at the end of 2012 and opened the first store in 2013.”

Today, the mother of two is the founder and CEO of Mazor Collective — the only woman majority-owned Arizona cannabis company. The Collective includes Arizona-based Giving Tree Dispensary and product lines Kindred, Sneakers and Revelry — a cannabis-for-menopause brand.  In 2021, Giving Tree Dispensary was named to the Inc. 5000 List of America’s fastest-growing private companies.

READ ALSO: Here’s why Arizona cannabis sales are expected to blossom

Az Business talks with Mazor Power about the smoking-hot cannabis business in Arizona.

Az Business: How has the cannabis industry changed since recreational use was legalized in 2020?

Lilach Mazor Power: The big difference that I see is the change in stigma. The fact that more people understand that cannabis is not this gateway drug to heroin. It’s really a lifestyle that could empower your well-being. It helps people. It helps moms sleep and helps veterans recover. There are so many benefits to it — even if it’s just using it to relax instead of drinking a glass wine. So the stigma has been the biggest shift that I see.

AB: What qualities do you have that have helped you succeed in a male-dominated industry?

LMP: I have always seen opportunities more than I see risks, sometimes to the point that it’s probably unhealthy. I see opportunity in everything and I get excited very quickly. When I first got into this industry, my husband was like, “There’s still a risk to go to prison for this,” and I was like, “Yes, but look at all the opportunities and how great it’s going to be.” It’s a very risky industry and the ground is always shaking and you have to be comfortable living in a very agile, risky environment.

AB: What gave you that risk-taking attitude?

LMP: I was born and raised in Israel and I think the fact that I’m Israeli helps. I grew up in a country where men and women are equal and we both serve in the military. It’s expensive, so there are not a lot of opportunities to stay home and women and men develop their careers almost equally. And the fact that Israel has always been under a war makes you feel like every day could be the last day. We take risks and we live every day like it could be the last day. I think living like that is our natural habitat.

AB: Where do you see your industry going?

LMP: What I tell my team is that we all need to focus on one thing: How do we get on the Amazon truck in five years? I want our products to be on the shelves at every store and on every Amazon truck to get our products into customers’ homes so they can explore cannabis to see if it’s beneficial for them.