The cannabis world has its flags at half mast today, as we say goodbye to legendary member of the cannabis community, Peggy Noonan.
Peggy Noonan was best known as CEO and founder of Copia, formerly known as Cornucopia Health and Wellness, an Arizona-based edibles company that helped pave the way for legal cannabis and high-quality products in her home state. She passed away on April 10 following four years of coping with a leukemia diagnosis.
For the past 10 years, Noonan has been focused on helping build Copia, a company that can boast the first scratch-made edibles kitchen in Arizona and famous for their wittily named and tasty products like OGeez! Gummies, K.I.N.D. concentrates, Weedish Fish, German chocolate brownies, and a line of Tommy Chong cannabis. Noonan left her mark on the cannabis industry with the creative and prolific work she did.
“For those who knew my mother, it goes without saying that she loved this company and the Arizona community, and bringing the passion she put into the company to others,” said Bran Noonan, who will step into Peggy’s former role in the company, according to a press release. “My mother possessed an unmatched entrepreneurial spirit, and as the company moves through 2021 and beyond, we will do so in her honor and by continuing to build upon her legacy.”
Bran will bring over a decade of industry experience to the table, as well as unique skills he developed in his history as a commercial and business lawyer.
Peggy Noonan first went public with her acute myeloid leukemia diagnosis in 2017, and since then, has been fighting the debilitating disease.
Peggy Noonan: From Drug Runner To CEO
While Noonan’s obituary for the most part reads like most successful cannabis folks gone too soon, there’s a definite twist of rebellion. Before cannabis became legal in Arizona, she was a drug dealer, running drugs between the U.S. and Mexico. This illegal business venture landed her behind bars in Mexico and then on federal probation back in Arizona. However, she left that life behind eagerly to join the legal industry and make an honest living through gummies, brownies, and tinctures.
“It was pretty wild, life coming full circle,” Noonan said regarding her history in the industry and how it contrasts with where she ended up.
In 2017, the same year she was diagnosed with cancer, Noonan changed the name of the company from Cornucopia Health and Wellness to Copia, a rebrand that will help her organization stay current and her name to live on.
“I especially want to acknowledge and thank everyone in the MMJ Community for your care, kind texts, and support—and particularly, your creation of Team Peggy with T-shirts,” she said in her thank-you letter the community. “You have been extraordinary, and It has made a profound difference in my fight against cancer. You have all been part of the tremendous success of my ongoing treatment and recovery.
“My health and business have been inspired by this fast, furious and mind-blowing experience. And what I chose to put in the Universe from the moment of diagnosis and moving forward is to be Magic and Miracles, Health, Love and Light.”
Peggy Noonan will be missed in the wonderful world of legal weed, but she will not be forgotten, as her contributions from before cannabis became legal up through the successful company she started will continue to live on.
