Colorado Cannabis Community Mourns Loss of Jason Margolies

Nearly a year ago, cannabis industry executive Jason Margolies went public regarding his fight with stage-four colon cancer, and the hundreds of friends and peers in the cannabis industry who had his back.

Now that fight is over: Margolies passed away on August 6 at the age of 43.

Known throughout the cannabis industry and beyond for his jovial personality and sense of humor, Margolies kept his spirits up after he was diagnosed with cancer in January 2018. Because he already suffered from an autoimmune disorder, doctors told Margolies there was only a 25 percent chance that his cancer would go into remission. But he remained upbeat, as did his friends.

Last October, the cannabis community organized a golf tournament to raise money for Margolies's treatment, while a crowdfunding campaign raised over $14,000 in several months.

"I'm tired all the time, so I can't do everything, but I'm not trying to let this take me down," Margolies said in a 2018 interview. "That's why it has been really tough to agree to these things people have been doing for me, because I've been working for myself my entire life."

And he didn't stop working: Margolies remained a full-time employee with cannabis extractor Green Dot Labs during his cancer treatment, and the company helped pay for some of that treatment.

In a statement sent to Westword, Green Dot Labs CEO Alana Malone described Margolies's impact on the workplace and cannabis industry as a whole.

"Jason is remembered and forever honored for his brilliant spirit, boundless love for friends and family, vivacious, relentless character, huge grin and loud laugh," Malone says. "So many people have been touched by his generosity and genuine interest in connecting people through weed. So many people call him a best friend, a brother, a loved one. He was an important part of the Green Dot Labs family and the cannabis community as a whole. He will be deeply missed."

Described by his friends in the industry as a man "who would give you the shirt off his own back" and who could always "see the humor and logic in things," Margolies won't be forgotten. The golf tournament held in his honor is now an annual event, dubbed Kickin' Cancer's Ass Jason Margolies Golf Tournament. The next round will take place at the Meridian Golf Club in Englewood on October 14.