Why the future of cannabis is female and why that’s a good thing!

The future of cannabis is female – why it matters!

Data shows that women use significantly more cannabis than men.

It’s no wonder when you consider that women today are faced with a lot more stress: parenting in general, being a breadwinner, running the household, pregnancy, raising children, professional development and much more. In addition, women also suffer from anxiety, as well as gender-related conditions such as endometriosis, dysmenorrhea, menopause and more – which cannabis has been shown to help with.

Market research firm Brightfield Group released data from 2021 showing that women account for 59% of new cannabis users. The data also showed that women tend to be younger and consume more than men. Meanwhile, they also found that women’s market share continued to increase successively in 2020.

“The future of cannabis is female,” says Bethany Gomez, CEO of Brightfield Group. “An order of magnitude or more.” Gomez explains that changing public attitudes, along with more sophisticated packaging and designs, are increasingly attracting women to cannabis. “It’s packaged more acceptably, compactly and femininely,” she said.

But why aren’t more women working IN cannabis?

The cannabis industry has a reputation for being progressive, although there’s no doubt that it’s still heavily run by white males. However, you will find many strong women in the cannabis space who are excellent examples of entrepreneurship and leadership combined.

Inequalities abound

Back in 2017, Marijuana Business Daily published a report entitled “Women & Minorities in the Marijuana Industry”. It states that at the time, 37% of those in leadership positions in the industry were women. The sad news is that number has dropped to 22%. While these numbers similarly reflect what’s going on in other industries, many have been disappointed that the cannabis industry isn’t faring better.

According to MJBiz, one of the reasons women (and minorities) are declining in the higher ranks is because white men came into the picture, offering “established access to capital” so businesses could grow faster. Additionally, mainstream industry executives also chose to join the cannabis industry, resulting in the white man coming to power faster.

“Social justice initiatives and cannabis legalization are now intertwined, but there’s still no magic bullet to improve the landscape,” says Jenel Stelton-Holtmeier, MJBizDaily’s report editor. “However, it is encouraging to see that new markets are looking to improve the programs that came before, and older markets are trying to fill in the gaps that still exist.”

“Few states provide robust data on property demographics, and those that do provide data based on different classifications. As a result, MJBizDaily’s data team extracted a sample of data from select markets to create a snapshot of the entire industry,” the report reads.

Stelton-Holtmeier said there have been some notable improvements since the first report in 2017, such as people with previous drug convictions no longer being punished; In the past, this has been a major barrier to her owning a cannabis business.

It’s obvious that more women need to be in the rooms where big decisions are made in the cannabis business. Yet women still face criticism and stigma for focusing on their careers, and the stigma is compounded when women choose to prioritize a business, which is still a Schedule 1 substance in the United States. Women have to have thick skins to navigate a male-run industry and have to listen to ruthless comments about the career path they’ve chosen while trying to get their foot in the door.

Because of this, many women are reluctant to associate themselves with THC products and you will find many women into CBD instead. But that doesn’t mean the options are limited – you just have to know how to find them and break the glass ceiling.

Women have been able to enter the cannabis industry through a variety of channels, particularly in dispensary, wellness, cultivation, cooking, and writing. But that’s not all, but women still need the support of other women and peace of mind that there is a decent deal for everyone in the room.

The good news is that while there is room for improvement, things are changing in this aspect.

closing the gender gap

It is vital that the cannabis industry is inclusive, diverse and equal.

Every cannabis company should have a plan to ensure diversity from leadership to product. In every industry, women constantly have to get the job done and fight for equality while having family time at the end of the day. No one has time for everything, but women need to prioritize what’s important to them.

With any cannabis company selling a product or service, keep in mind that all kinds of variety should be available. Everyone you sell to needs to be represented – businesses should avoid forcing diversity for aesthetics.

The gender gap can be closed in many aspects within the cannabis industry, particularly when it comes to access to capital, board representation, C-suite representation, stock ownership and, of course, equal pay. In all of these areas, there is still a lot of room for improvement for both business owners and employees looking to further their cannabis careers.

We can start putting more money into research to track changes in gender parity. It is also crucial for women at all levels to have increased access to mentoring. These are just a few of the many changes that can be made at all levels to improve equality and access for women in the cannabis industry.

It’s important because women can represent tremendous value to the cannabis industry. It’s no secret that women improve company culture thanks to their intuition, intelligence, empathy and communication skills. Putting women leaders in cannabis companies can only do more good.

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