Women in the Cannabis Industry

The legalization of cannabis in various parts of the world has introduced some very positive sales numbers for those looking to invest.
Right now the presence of women in certain aspects of our society, especially those involving high positions in the industrial sector, isn’t exactly equitable with the presence of men, and even less so in the world of cannabis. However, more and more women are taking their place in this sector of the industry, especially in professional, scientific and therapeutic areas.

Many people are happy with this growth being had in the world of cannabis, which many more enterprising women are beginning to join. After critiques made by magazines and newspapers dealing with the sexist behavior of this sector, the world of cannabis (which previously seemed to be purely a men’s world) has turned a new leaf and now seems to be promoting the image of the working woman rather than using her for sexist “advertisements”.

Over the last few years leading women have been supported in the world of cannabis and many other sectors; the inspiring women you can find in this sector today are Julie Dooley, creator os a company that deals in healthy products based on marijuana, Jessica Billingsley and Amy Poinsett, pushing a company to develop many different kinds of software to do with the cannabis sector. There are even cannabis activists like Diane Förnbacher, a writer for the Ladybud magazine, or Mary Jane Gibson, cultural editor at High Times. It’s clear that prejudice towards males in positions of power isn’t nearly as prevalent as it is in other sectors. Women represent 36% of the executive positions on the cannabis market, which is much higher than women in other sectors which come in at an average of 22% according to Marijuana Business Daily.

We’re not entirely sure how many business women are involved in the cannabis sector, and although the industry is still pretty male-dominated, women’s influence is slowly expanding as they’re slowly but surely acquiring more important roles in this industry like doctors, shop assistants, businesswoman like Emily Paxhia, and executive directors like Laura Harris (executive director in Colorado’s cannabis commerce). There are also important lawyers in the industry like Rachel K Gillette, chemists, chefs like the famous Andrea Drummer, professors and investigators like Amanda Reiman, who’s been investigating cannabis’s pain relief methods for years and its effect as a substitute for addictive substances like opiates; Amanda firmly believes that cannabis investigation is a woman’s world. Of course, these are just some examples of exemplary women working in this sector.

Women are bringing their knowledge and experience to the cannabis industry and they’re triumphing; in fact, up and coming cannabis companies are perfect for older women that have had a long professional history.
In Europe, some of the most successful cannabis related companies were created and are directed by women. In the US, Women Grow was founded, an association of women that was created to educate, help, and serve as inspiration for those just starting their journey in the cannabis industry. It was founded in Denver in 2014 by 2 women, Jazmin Hupp and Jane West. Right now they have offices in 45 cities in the United States. Their objective is to be supportive of women so that they can influence the cannabis industry and succeed; this is especially relevant due to the growing amount of places that are legalizing cannabis in the United States.

Meanwhile, you’ve probably noticed that in recent fairs like Cannafest and Expogrow, there are more women than ever. The best and most important thing is that their present isn’t just for publicity or sexist like it has been in the past; these women are high ranking business women in their respective companies.
What seems clear to me is that this increase in the cannabis industry isn’t just something men have done, women have contributed and they’re coming in hot.