Under The Lights: Kevin Johnson Jr., Peake ReLeaf
For the first installment in our new series, Under the Lights, we speak with Kevin Johnson Jr. Kevin is the head of marketing for Rockville, Maryland–based retail shop, Peake ReLeaf. Today, we get into how Kevin found himself working with Peake ReLeaf, what makes their store different, what rescheduling means to him, and more.
Read our full Q&A below.
CashColorCannabis: Thank you for sitting down with us today. For those who don’t know, please tell us what you do.
Kevin Johnson Jr.: I’m Kevin Johnson Jr., and I operate as the Director of Marketing for the Peake ReLeaf ecosystem. That means I oversee the brand strategy and creative direction for our flagship dispensary in Rockville and any potential expansions. My job is essentially to be the bridge between our business goals and our community, governing everything from high-level financial strategy and community relationships to social media, the website, digital signage, and the content we produce for our Inside the Industry platform.
CCC: Before getting involved with Peake ReLeaf, how were you using your talents?
KJJr.: I’ve lived a few different lives before cannabis. My background is actually in IT and managed services, as well as marketing. I worked on government contracts doing requirements gathering, project management, and programming. When I first started, I was building websites and working on content strategy for clients.
That experience turned out to be a massive advantage when I transitioned into this industry. Back when the Maryland market was just opening up, there were a lot of tech vendors trying to shoehorn solutions from other industries into cannabis without understanding our operational reality. Because of my background, I was able to vet those platforms and ensure Peake ReLeaf didn’t become “beta testers” for immature software while we were trying to run a compliant business.
CCC: How did you find yourself involved with Peake ReLeaf?
KJJr.: It was really about relationships. I actually knew Tracy’s brother from my previous job at the IT firm. We reconnected years later, and he mentioned that his sister, her husband Nate, and their business partner Warren were coming back from Colorado to help establish the Maryland market.
They needed marketing support, so I came on board as a contractor before the Rockville building was even finished. I helped them build the initial brand story and web presence, and eventually it made sense to come aboard full-time to guide the strategy. I’ve been here ever since, literally since before the doors opened.
CCC: What do you think makes Peake ReLeaf different from other retail shops?
KJJr.: We aren’t transactional. A lot of retail spots view the customer as just a data point. We view them as neighbors. Because we aren’t vertically integrated, we had to differentiate ourselves by engaging with the community where they are, not just where we want them to be.
I know that can feel like the type of thing every business says, a lot of buzzwords about community. But I’m very transparent about our efforts and how and where we invest in the community.
We show up in spaces other dispensaries ignore because we understand that people who consume cannabis have other interests, and we want to support those interests too.
CCC: The store has partnered with Last Prisoner Project, M4MM, and other organizations over the years. What has been the motivation behind working with organizations like that?
KJJr.: If you are going to set up a business in a predominantly Black or Brown community, or really any community impacted by the War on Drugs, prohibition, or unlawful incarceration, and you aren’t actively working to right those wrongs, you shouldn’t be in business there.
People are smart. They can smell inauthenticity a mile away. If our only goal were to extract profit without reinvesting in expungement clinics or education, the community would rightfully reject us. In my opinion, partnering with groups like Last Prisoner Project is a moral requirement for operating in this industry.
CCC: You spoke to me before about how important it is for Peake ReLeaf to be not just in the community but part of it. Speak to us about what that looks like.
KJJr.: It looks like showing up when there’s no immediate ROI. You can’t just buy a billboard and call it community engagement. Being part of the community means our team is physically present at events like HBCUCon or senior centers, building relationships face-to-face.
It also means listening. When we get feedback from the community, whether it’s about the products they want or the events they care about, we pivot. We don’t dictate to the community what they should like. We let them tell us how we can support them.
CCC: Rescheduling is likely soon. How optimistic are you about it, and how could it impact a business like Peake ReLeaf?
KJJr.: From a business perspective, the biggest immediate impact would likely be on the tax side. If that pressure is alleviated, it frees up resources that we can reinvest into our staff, our facility, and our community programs.
Beyond the financials, it’s a step toward normalization. We’re already seeing a lot of innovation in the Maryland market, with new micro-licenses and product types coming online this year. Rescheduling could accelerate that, allowing us to operate more like a traditional business and less like we have one hand tied behind our back.
That being said, I’m more for descheduling.
Rescheduling falls short of addressing the human cost of prohibition. We’re still playing within a framework that historically weaponized this plant against marginalized people. You can’t have a genuine conversation about social equity while people are still sitting in prison for the exact same flower we are legally ringing up at our registers.
The War on Drugs intentionally decimated Black and Brown neighborhoods, and rescheduling doesn’t fix that. It doesn’t automatically clear records, and it doesn’t dismantle the systemic barriers that prohibition built.
CCC: What are you most proud of when it comes to working at Peake ReLeaf?
KJJr.: I’m most proud of the team we’ve built. For a long time, the “marketing department” was just me. I was doing the strategy, the execution, the events, everything.
Now, seeing people like Melissa, our Community Engagement Coordinator, Kevin, our Marketing and Production Associate, and the rest of the crew take ownership of their roles is incredible. I’m also proud that we’ve maintained our soul. We’ve been here seven or eight years, and we haven’t lost that connection to the people who helped us get here.
That longevity, built on authenticity, is the biggest win.
