AFROPUNK partnership
Rob Tankson is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, and Co-Founder and COO of PrestoDoctor, a leading telemedicine company that connects patients seeking medical cannabis cards with compassionate, licensed doctors across the U.S.
Destigmatizing and decriminalizing, PrestoDoctor is an advocate for legalized cannabis usage for all. With over 100,000 happy patients across 7 states (and counting!), Tankson aims to change the narrative about Black and BiPOC and the war on drugs. Prestodoctor makes telemedicine accessible, safe, non-judgmental, and private for marginalized communities that may not otherwise feel protected. He also actively works to re-educate people that cannabis is medicine and inclusive while protecting those who use cannabis as medicine.
What's your current theme song? If you have a reason, please share.
Pharrell Williams - Entrepreneur ft. JAY-Z
What are you working on?
PrestoDoctor was a pioneer, being the first company to offer medical cannabis evaluations via telemedicine. In layman's terms we help people get their medical marijuana or weed card online. We founded the company in 2015 and currently have over 100K patients across 7 states. I'm currently working on expanding cannabis access to cannabis via telemedicine across the country and also excited to announce the expansion of our services into new telemedicine verticals.
PrestoDoctor is rated the #1 online medical marijuana doctor by tens of thousands of medical cannabis patients who have received fully qualified medical marijuana recommendations. Founded in 2015, PrestoDoctor services are available in legal medical marijuana states: California, Missouri, New York, Nevada, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Illinois with further planned expansion. A HIPAA and HITECH compliant telemedicine company, PrestoDoctor is a member of the American Telemedicine Association (ATA). www.prestodoctor.com
Tell me about your journey to now. What impactful moments led you to your work?
I grew up in the Chicagoland area and moved to San Francisco for college where I studied psychology and played division I basketball. During college, I found a love for investing and options trading and took an internship on wall street. After school, I met some pretty influential people that became friends. These friends took the leap start companies and a few were successful. This, along with support from my family, gave me the courage to take the same sort of risk when co-founding PrestoDoctor.
Who and/or what motivates your passion each day?
Helping people motivates me daily. Anything from being there for my family to understanding the impact PrestoDoctor has on our patients. When people let you know how much of a positive impact that cannabis has had on their quality of life it motivates me to help more people.
How do you define Radical Self Care?
Doing whatever it takes to take care of yourself. No matter how unorthodox. Research and trial and error are key to understand what works for you.
What rituals do you have to help maintain homeostasis of mind, body, and spirit?
I use cannabis medically to feed my body's endocannabinoid system. I medicate when I'm stressed when I have trouble sleeping and before workouts.
How do you incorporate plants into your well being routine? How is the cannabis (THC, CBD, CBN, etc) a part of your plant ritual?
The cannabis plant is an important part of my well being routine and I consume it in some form daily. I start my mornings with tincture and use the plant medicinally to treat stress, insomnia, and fatigue.
Who would you like to experience an altered state (dream elevation + discussion) with and how would you achieve this flow state?
I'm a creative person and that creativity flows more vividly at times in an altered state. I achieve this flow state by either vaping or consuming edibles in gummy form. I'm a fan of micro-dosing for optimal results.
I’d love to experience this altered state and have a deep and unfiltered conversation with my late father, Robert Tankson Jr. whom I lost in February 2019.
Love the phrase "slow down to speed up", what does that mean to you personally and within the present global pause?
To me, it's a reminder to pay attention to what's around you and truly live in the moment. The current global pandemic has overnight transformed what we once knew as normal, exposed ugly truths, and given us time to self-reflect. I pray that we come out better on the other side.
What is the gift you bring community?
I'm a nurturer by nature, working in the medical cannabis field to bring equal and legal patient access to both knowledgeable physicians and access to state-mandated dispensaries and delivery companies.
What has been the most challenging for you during this time?
Remaining focused with so much going on in the world.
What made you become an advocate in the space and for the plant?
The patient calls and feedback at PrestoDoctor and the positive effects that the cannabis plant has in my life both medicinally and economically.