Missouri voters legalized it; now cannabis paraphernalia can cleanse a newly destigmatized market
A Kansas City cannabis lifestyle brand hopes this month’s legalization of recreational marijuana sales in Missouri will spark new interest in its products designed for cannabis users on the go, said Mohamed Dia.
Gopack Station bills itself as “fashion meets cannabis,” said Dia, founder of the up-and-coming brand. It’s anchored by a flagship product, the Gopack Rolling Station, an odor-proof travel case that contains all the materials you need to roll easily and safely from anywhere.
“I can sit on my lap, I can be in a car, I can be in a park, I can be on the beach, and it’s just a perfect kind of thing that provides ease of access and convenience,” Dia said.
The Laminating Station, which is now also available in a miniature size, features an odor-resistant exterior, large storage pockets, custom roll-up storage, roll holders and lockable zippers.
All features were hand-picked, Dia said, with the aim of “making people’s lives a little easier.”
Gopack Station recently launched a partnership with Fresh Karma, a dispensary with three locations in the Kansas City area, Dia said.
The licensing deal allowed Fresh Karma to create branded Gopack rolling stations in the dispensary’s colors that are now available for purchase in their stores.
“It has been a really great partnership to serve their customer base and expose the Gopack brand to the Kansas City cannabis market,” said Dia. “By having your product in a dispensary, you can see how things are taken more seriously.”
Wrapping up its development
Dia, whose family immigrated to Kansas City from Senegal, identified the need for a stylish, portable case while completing his engineering degree at Wichita State University, where he was first introduced to the culture of cannabis.
“I noticed there was a problem in [cannabis] community,” Dia said. “You’d spend all this money on a good flower, but you’d be rolling it up on a dirty car manual in the back seat or smashing it on the kitchen table.”
Initially, Dia visited smoke shops and searched various online retailers looking for a product that suited her needs. Her market research, however, uncovered only options that were “clunky” and served purely for archival purposes.
Dissatisfied, Dia decided to put his engineering skills to good use during his final two years of college, spending hours in the campus engineering building conducting research and using laminating and screen printing skills to create a prototype.
“So now, whenever I got together with my friends, I could roll up my flower, zip it up, and be done,” Dia said. “Everyone’s like, ‘Dang, he hasn’t moved an inch. He just finished, he closed everything. He had every piece of material he needed—from his wrappers to his flower to his scissors to his tray—in one small, convenient little bag, and he was able to store it as if he weren’t there.’”
After sorting out the legal and financial aspects of the business, Gopack Station began selling products online in the spring of 2021, just before Dia graduated and moved to Kansas City, he said.
“I was really adamant about taking my time and making sure I could deliver quality over quantity, not just trying to get something out there, but creating something that would last a long time and something that people will really appreciate,” Dia said.
Rooted in KC, shipped beyond
Now that Gopack Station has broken into the Kansas City dispensary market, Dia wants to capitalize on that momentum and add to the company’s product line.
Gopack Station already offers apparel and accessories such as stem-cutting scissors and packing sticks, he said, with plans to add rolled paper dispensers soon.
The brand will also be geared towards art and community events, Dia added, noting that Gopack Station has plans to collaborate with local artists in Kansas City and showcase new designs.
“There are a few different things that we’re trying to do, but all in all, just trying to make sure people have ways to express themselves in whatever they’re doing and wherever they’re going,” Dia said.
Though the company’s roots are firmly rooted in Kansas City, Gopack Station does most of its e-commerce business outside the region, according to Dia, who said it has shipped travel cases to customers in at least 46 states. different.
Gopack Station has also partnered with Luxury Leaf, Missouri’s first black and woman-owned dispensary, to sell Gopack rolling stations at its St. Louis location.
Closer to home, Dia feels the buzz generated by upcoming events like the NFL Draft in April and the 2026 World Cup will take Kansas City — and small businesses like Gopack Station — to another level.
“There are a ton of different creative and unique cannabis-related businesses coming to Kansas City, and I feel like it will continue to grow with all the events we have coming to the city and being able to actually showcase what Kansas City is like to the rest of the world,” said Dia.”I want to hopefully be a part of telling the story of cannabis in Kansas City.”
