From Pearl Papers to Cannabase: Justin Buck
CashColorCannabis sat down with longtime friend and innovator Justin Buck — entrepreneur, educator, and general manager of Atlanta’s Bookstore Gallery — to talk about his journey from inventing Pearl Papers at Morehouse to building Cannabase, a groundbreaking cannabis research and law database.
CashColorcannabis: Justin, my guy. You’ve been on the show plenty of times, but for new readers, give a quick intro.
Justin Buck: Absolutely. My name is Justin Buck. I’m a Morehouse College grad and also earned my master’s in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in 2022.
While in school, I created Pearl Rolling Papers — a patented design with pre-booted ends that make rolling easier. The tagline is “a simpler way to roll.” We even added QR codes on the packs that link to tutorial videos.
Alongside that, I co-founded Cannabase with my partner Michael Lawson Jr. It’s a medical cannabis database housing over 8,000 research studies, plus cannabis laws from every U.S. state and around the globe. And now, I also serve as general manager at Bookstore Gallery in Atlanta, which is part dispensary, part smoking lounge, part coworking space, and an event hub.
CCC: That’s a lot of hats, man. Let’s start with Pearl Papers. Where did the idea spark?
JB: Honestly, I was new to smoking in college. I realized I liked papers, but they were tough to roll — thin, tricky, and if you messed up, everybody noticed. I wanted something that looked good and worked better.
I started experimenting with ways to seal the paper so it had a built-in handle. Friends loved the idea, and that’s when I thought, “Why not make this real?” I applied for a patent in 2017 and it was approved in 2020. That moment made me realize this could be an actual company, not just a college hack.
CCC: The innovation part is wild, but you didn’t stop there. How did Cannabase come about?
JB: During my master’s, I had access to university databases filled with cannabis research — thousands of gold-standard studies. But once you graduate and lose access, it’s tough to find that info. You have to dig through PubMed, DOIs, multiple sites… it’s a mess.
Michael and I are nerds, so we thought, “Why not aggregate all this into one platform?” That became Cannabase. Later, we added cannabis laws so users could also track legal landscapes state by state and country by country.
On top of that, the master’s program was designed for students to go out and teach what we learned. So we started at my alma mater, Morehouse. We launched a medical cannabis course there in 2022, just months after I graduated.
CCC: Teaching cannabis at Morehouse — that couldn’t have been an easy pitch. How did you pull it off?
JB: It wasn’t easy. At first, there was red tape. The turning point was letting them know about the accredited cannabis science program at the University of Maryland and Morehouse School of Medicine exploring similar ground.
We offered to teach the first three semesters for free. That’s how we showed Morehouse we were serious. We also hosted education conferences, including one you emceed, Mecca. Eventually, the school contracted us officially.
Sometimes you’ve got to sacrifice upfront to prove the value of what you’re building — especially with a subject as sensitive as cannabis.
CCC: Morehouse might not know it, but y’all are turning into Cannabis College. Between you, Mike, Dr. Hodge, Omari, and Kyle, it’s like an incubator of Black cannabis leaders.
JB: [laughs] Yeah, we joke about that too. We’re all in different lanes, but the energy is there. Morehouse breeds leaders, so it was inevitable some of us would bring that into the cannabis industry. And being based in Atlanta makes it even more powerful.
CCC: Looking ahead, do you see Cannabase expanding beyond Morehouse?
JB: Definitely. Morehouse was just the start. We’re in talks with other universities now. The goal is to scale through online courses and make Cannabase a full learning platform, not just a database. That way, students across the country — maybe across the world — can access reliable, evidence-based cannabis education.
CCC: And while all this is happening, you’re also running Bookstore Gallery. How did that role come about?
JB: Funny enough, my second interview with you back in 2022 was actually at Bookstore Gallery. I’d been a patron for years, partnered with Kyle on Pearl events, and loved the vibe. When the opportunity came up to manage the space, it just felt like a natural fit.
Now, I get to combine everything I’ve learned — community-building, event organizing, cannabis education — in one place. Bookstore Gallery is more than a business. It’s culture, it’s community, and it’s Atlanta.
CCC: Man, you’ve built something special across Pearl, Cannabase, Morehouse, and Bookstore Gallery. Appreciate you sitting down with us again.JB: Appreciate you, Mehka. Always good talking with you.
