Laganja Estranja’s first cannabis line drops May 16 at SWAY Dispensary in Chicago. The launch comes a decade after her first attempt to break into the industry, in partnership with Illinois’ first queer and Black-owned recreational dispensary, cultivated by two-time Cannabis Cup winner nuEra Cannabis. The whole package lands just in time for Pride Month.
Laganja Estranja has been trying to launch a cannabis brand for ten years. This is the one that finally landed.
The drag artist, choreographer and longtime cannabis advocate is releasing her first official cannabis line on May 16, 2026, in partnership with Chicago’s SWAY Dispensary. The line is called Laganja: Her Bold Sativa Blend, available in two SKUs: 3.5-gram whole flower eighths and 3.5-gram pre-roll 5-packs. Cultivated by nuEra Cannabis, the brand drops first at SWAY on May 16, then expands statewide to all nuEra dispensaries and select Illinois retailers on June 1, kicking off Pride Month.
The choice of partner is the story underneath the story.
Why SWAY
SWAY Dispensary opened in April 2024 as Illinois’ first queer and Black-owned recreational cannabis dispensary, located in Chicago’s Northalsted neighborhood. It was co-founded by Edie Moore, Art Johnston and Pepe Peña under the state’s social equity licensing program. A second SWAY location is in development for South Shore.
For Laganja, partnering with SWAY made the decade of failed attempts make sense in retrospect. The deal isn’t with a multi-state operator using her as a marketing asset. It’s with the dispensary that mirrors her own positioning in the industry.
“After a decade of trying and more failed attempts than I’d like to admit, I’m finally launching my own seed-to-flower cannabis brand. As a trans woman, it’s empowering to do this with SWAY, a queer and Black-owned dispensary in a city that has fought so …
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Author: Javier Hasse / High Times
