The Hotbox with Lance Asher

April 30, 2026
By Dustin Hoxworth

The Hotbox with Dustin Hoxworth isn’t your polished PR interview. It’s me getting stoned and asking people the questions they probably aren’t ready for. These aren’t cold reads or copy-paste Q&As; I sit with my guests, usually multiple times, and I’ve likely met them in person, which gives me a window to learn who they really are before I ever send the questions. By the time the words hit the page, it’s smoke-thick honesty, not surface-level bullshit. These are cannabis conversations that showcase the voices, stories, and truths that won’t show up in the boardroom.

Founder & CEO | Green Elevator Cannabis | Innovator in Infused Beverages and Edibles

This week in The Hotbox, we sit down with my friend Lance Asher, the Founder and CEO of Green Elevator Cannabis. Based in Minneapolis, Lance has built a reputation for creativity, partnership, and authenticity, bringing his vision to life through infused beverages, edibles, and experiences that feel as genuine as the man himself. Before starting Green Elevator, Lance honed his craft in media and festivals, focusing on sales, partnerships, and community-building in the beverage and media space. That foundation has carried directly into cannabis, where he is emerging as one of the Midwest’s standout voices.

Green Elevator Cannabis is on a mission; the brand produces fresh, organic gummies with ingredients sourced from local Minnesota farmers and offers both infused beverages and edibles designed for flavor, function, and consistency. Their gummies are scored for easy dosing, and their infused beverages are balanced to deliver both taste and effect. The Lemontini is my personal favorite beverage on the market, and Lance’s gummies are not only delicious but also some of the most aromatic I have ever had.

What makes Lance special is not just what he builds, but how he builds it, with heart, with flavor, and with care. He has more charisma and ice-breaking energy in his pinky finger than most of us have combined, and when you get a chance to hang out with him, you feel it right away. On top of all that, Lance has shown up for people personally, even helping me get a close friend to stop drinking by sending over his infused beverages earlier this year. That is who he is: a builder, a connector, and someone whose impact is as personal as it is professional.

Hotbox Q&A: 5 Questions with Lance Asher

You have built your career around creating community through beverages and experiences. How did that path lead you into cannabis and ultimately to founding Green Elevator?

Drinking through the wine world 25 years ago, to old world beer, craft beer, and now cannabis beverages – I saw an opportunity to take everything I have learned about hospitality and flavor and apply it to a space that was often missing that personal, intentional touch. With Green Elevator, I wanted to create products like our Lemontini that aren’t just about the “high” or the active ingredient. It’s about the whole ritual and the quality of what’s in the glass.

Green Elevator already has standout products like your infused Lemontini and aromatic gummies, along with scored dosing and Mary Jay tasting parties. What is your philosophy for designing products and experiences that balance flavor, function, and education?

I believe that if you lead with high-quality ingredients and focus on flavor first and then function, the rest comes organically. Smell your gummies, we usually don’t because they don’t taste very good and leave an unpleasant taste for many minutes, unless we wash them down. I want people to feel in control of their experience. That’s why we use scored dosing on our gummies, making it easy for everyone from beginners to pros to find their perfect level. Easy to bite in half when at the campfire or on that late-night run without the anxiousness of ‘how is this going to make you feel’. Events like our Mary Jay tasting parties are where it all comes together. They allow us to share the story behind the products and educate people on how to incorporate cannabis into their lifestyle in a social, sophisticated way. People can trust and enjoy, moving the conversation beyond just the “active ingredient” and toward a complete, elevated experience.

Coming from hospitality, media, and events, how have those sectors shaped your perspective on branding, partnerships, and customer engagement within the cannabis space?

Hospitality, media, and events taught me that branding isn’t just about a logo; it’s about the feeling you create when someone interacts with your product. Engaging customers through authentic experiences, where we focus on storytelling and education rather than just a transaction. I view every partnership as an extension of that same care and intentionality.

Minnesota and the United States remain in a stage of legal development and public evolution for cannabis. What major challenges and opportunities do you see for cannabis companies, and how do you plan to navigate them?

One day at a time. When you enter this space, you need to expect for the rug to be pulled out from underneath you. I still choose to look for all of the great things that fly at you sideways as a small business owner. Our Senators, Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, stood with the industry at a press conference on 11/24/25. We’re seeing movement on rescheduling (not all of the way to what we want), descheduling, and releasing those imprisoned for the plant. Minnesota’s Office of Cannabis Management presents the most challenging thought processes in making rules without fully understanding the effect it has on businesses. Our leaders say that they are ‘for small businesses,’ but have allowed an agency to implement rules that don’t seem to consider costs or challenges to small businesses. Several of the rule changes have impacted operations for some small businesses to the extent that their entire model has had to change.

On a deep personal level, your products and friendship have impacted people in our circle. What does it mean to you to know your work can influence lives, heal habits, and bring people toward something better?

The opportunity to influence lives and help people heal habits is incredibly humbling. For me, cannabis has always been more than just a product. It’s culture, connection, and transformation. To see that impact firsthand within our own circle reinforces why I chose this path. I strive to weave together taste, education, and intention in everything we create. Knowing these products bring people toward “something better” is the ultimate validation that we are carving out a lane defined by authenticity and care. Every story shared over a sample, and every small business hurdle we navigate, is worth it if it helps someone on their personal journey.

Lance Asher is proof that cannabis is more than a product. It can be culture, connection, and transformation. Through Green Elevator Cannabis, he is building more than edibles and drinks. He is weaving together taste, trust, education, and intention. From Minneapolis to the wider world, Lance is carving out a lane defined by authenticity, creativity, and care.

For me, Lance is not just a founder or CEO. He is a friend, a builder, and a creator of products that I truly love. His Lemontini is still my favorite infused beverage, and his gummies are some of the best I’ve ever had. Spend five minutes with the dude and you will know exactly what I mean – because he’ll always have samples for you to try and stories to share.