The Sisterhood of Cannabis
Women are making an amazing impact on the cannabis industry.
I recently connected with Joyce of Pro Cannabis Media and we shared our mutual passion for promoting the role of women in the cannabis industry. We have both personally witnessed how women in cannabis are “lifting each other up”; in fact, Joyce refers to this as the “sisterhood of cannabis”.
Joyce and I decided to harness our shared passion and partner to create/share content highlighting how women are working together in the cannabis industry. We recorded a related podcast interview together, and then I have written a 3-part series of blog posts to be featured on Pro Cannabis Media. See below for the full 3-part series.
Women in Cannabis: Supporting Higher Achievement
After spending the last eight months writing about the cannabis revolution, I have been able to pick up on various culture trends within this growing industry. And one of my favorite aspects of the industry right now is that, more often than not, women in cannabis are committed to lifting each other up.
I have already benefited from this phenomenon first-hand. Since January, I have joined the ranks of Tokeativity, the global cannabis community for women, and have also joined many female-forward online groups that were created to provide connections between women in cannabis. Both outlets have provided me with new connections through which I have gained advice, wisdom, and help researching various cannabis subtopics. Without fail, whenever I have requested support from women in Tokeativity or the various online groups I am apart of, I have received thoughtful responses or a nudge in the right direction.
To learn more about how women are interacting within the cannabis space, I recently connected with Shannon Klick, Global Sales Manager for Boveda, Inc. As a woman working in the cannabis industry, she has gained insight into how women are driving for mutually beneficial solutions and promoting each others’ success.
Shannon’s experience within cannabis is that she has been embraced on all levels, particularly among the women that she has met in person. She recognizes that most women in cannabis have a common goal of maintaining what is truly great about the industry. In the face of big business coming into the cannabis sector with the goal of making as much profit as possible, women in the industry are typically focused on 1) celebrating the cannabis activists who came before and contributed to the emergence of cannabis legalization and 2) maintaining an inclusive space for all within the cannabis marketplace.
Shannon noted that this shift of women supporting other women in cannabis is notable, particularly in comparison to how women have traditionally treated one another in the workplace. Historically, she says, women have often been overly critical toward one another.
Society puts a lot of expectations on women, expectations that women internalize from a young age. As a result, women have often been prone to viewing other women through a disparaging lens. Regarding this former paradigm, Shannon says, “having these really high expectations of ourselves can permeate into the work environment… we assume that if we’re not able to do all these things and still look beautiful… that we’re no longer winning at being a woman”. And sometimes, we apply this same, judgemental thinking to other women.
However, Shannon noted that the subjugation of other women, by women, is starting to shift. Now, she has seen the growing trend of women lifting each other up - both within the cannabis industry and beyond. Women are becoming more vocal and open about their struggles in cannabis and as a result, we are learning about the value of providing mutual support and understanding rather than piling on more critique or judgment.
Collectively, women are coming together and realizing that after all this time, some of the aspects about being a woman that used to be seen as weaknesses, such as our ability to demonstrate vulnerability and leverage emotion, have been business strengths all along.
Women in cannabis need to continue to foster mutually beneficial partnerships because we are up against extraordinary challenges. In the face of these challenges, it is becoming clear that helping one woman succeed is akin to helping every woman succeed.
In an April 2019 Webinar entitled Trailblazing Women Changing the Face of Cannabis: Start-ups & Entrepreneurship, two influential women in cannabis shared some of the challenges that women face in the industry:
Adelia Carrillo, the founder of Direct Cannabis Network, shared that from her experience, women typically have to work “10 times harder” than men for the same amount of capital investment. Adelia may have even underestimated the challenges women face when it comes to obtaining capital from investors; according to the Green Market Report, it was reported that in 2016, $58 billion in funding was awarded to male entrepreneurs while female entrepreneurs received $1.46 billion, approximately 2.5% of what the male entrepreneurs received. Moving forward, it will be imperative for women-led groups to hold investors accountable to equal consideration for both male and female entrepreneurs; without this, female-driven startups are put at a disadvantage in a capitalistic system where money certainly talks.
Lisa Snyder, founder of the Tokeativity Women’s Cannabis Network, highlighted that even well-meaning business partners have downplayed her efforts due to the fact that she is a woman. She recalls that when she was a web design consultant, helping companies and individuals to achieve their business goals, many clients would simply refer to her as their “web gal”. Even without mal-intent, the language people used to describe her contributions was impacted by the fact that she is a woman, and this type of language is a subtle way of dismissing female contributions in cannabis.
These two examples only scratch the surface with regard to the obstacles that women in cannabis face every day. In this environment, it is imperative that women in cannabis continue to foster communities or groups in which we can continue to promote either others’ dreams and goals. I am enthusiastic to follow the momentum and honored to be a part of this movement because, when women collaborate, we can achieve great things.
Why Women are Attracted to the Cannabis Industry
The legal cannabis industry is still in its early stages, but there is no question that it is growing into a massive marketplace. Market research firm BDS Analytics reported that legal cannabis products accounted for $12.2 billion in global sales in 2018, so it is no wonder that so many professionals are taking interest in the industry.
And it is not only men who are joining the cannabis industry, no; many women are joining the so-called “green rush”, as well.
In fact, when it comes to the percentage of female executives across industries, the numbers for cannabis look promising. According to Marijuana Business Daily’s 2019 Women and Minorities In the Cannabis Industry report, the percentage of female executives in the cannabis industry has reached 36.8% in 2019 (up from 26.9% in 2017). For comparison, the national average for female executives across all other US businesses is 21.0%.
While women have greater representation in cannabis than in many other industries, there is still work to be done in order to achieve equal female representation in cannabis. Luckily, companies in the cannabis space are actively working to increase the number of women among their ranks.
In a recent conversation with Shannon Klick, global sales manager for Boveda Inc., I gained some insight into why many companies are keen on hiring diverse teams and ensuring that they have female representation.
“Women in cannabis”, she said, “We give a different perspective. Whether it’s by gender, by race, by background, by religion… when you bring diverse people together and everyone shares their perspective, as an organization, you become stronger because you are relating to the masses and not just one segment”.
Shannon summed up this topic by saying, “If you’re sitting at a table, and you don’t have women sitting at that table with you, you’re losing. You’re losing a huge demographic and a huge perspective.”
So, cannabis companies are seeking to hire women. But why are women, specifically, seeking to work in the cannabis industry?
Women’s Work
The nature of the cannabis plant itself, with its innate healing properties, yields to a more compassionate workforce. Many cannabis professionals are drawn to the industry because they have witnessed, first-hand, the healing that cannabis can provide to people struggling with chronic pain or mental illness.
I believe that many women are drawn to the cannabis industry because of this compassionate element of the cannabis plant; women see working in cannabis as an opportunity to perpetuate the common good.
Women are undoubtedly the caretakers of our society. They are mothers, sisters, aunts, and dedicated spouses. They often run the day-to-day logistics of their household (not to mention the meal plan!). Even in a professional setting, I have observed that women tend to care for the well-being of others around them, extending an almost maternal air of mutual support and respect into the workplace.
Women have always played an important role in shaping the morality of our society. Women impact how we treat one another and have historically led social improvements such as progressive reforms to institutional and labor practices at the turn of the century.
Women also have a track record for standing together to change to society’s relationship with certain substances that have an impact on health and culture. Consider that women drove the Temperance Movement that eventually culminated in alcohol prohibition and the 18th Amendment. Many women, including the infamous Carrie A. Nation, literally walked into bars and saloons only to destroy them with hatchets. Women took this emboldened approach because they viewed alcohol as a substance that was causing suffering. On behalf of all of the women and children that were being either physically abused or abandoned due to rising rates of alcoholism, women came together to drive the change they needed to see.
In the current era of the cannabis revolution, women’s relationship to prohibition is different. Women are advocating for the end of cannabis prohibition, but for the same reason they advocated for the prohibition of alcohol: because this change will contribute to the greater good.
In general, the women entering the cannabis space understand that cannabis counters stress and anxiety, alleviates pain, and generally helps people to feel healthier and happier. Women promote cannabis because they have foresight into the fact that cannabis can contribute to the healing of our society.
Advice to Women Entering the Cannabis Industry
Women are lifting each other up within the cannabis industry.
From female-oriented cannabis events to Facebook Groups dedicated to women in cannabis, there are many platforms through which women are communicating and helping each other to be successful in the cannabis space.
As a woman who is new to the cannabis industry, I have found this welcoming attitude from other women to be extremely advantageous. Through connections I have made with other women in the industry, I have been able to gain new writing opportunities, exposure, and insight into what other women are experiencing in the cannabis marketplace. When I ask, I receive. It is an incredible community.
Within this inclusive and supportive environment, women seeking advice can gain higher understanding from their peers who have more formal experience in the cannabis industry.
I recently spoke with Shannon Klick, global sales manager of Boveda Inc., and she shared her advice to other women who are entering the cannabis space.
Get a mentor. Choose someone who can be honest and provide constructive criticism (and won’t sugarcoat feedback). If you don’t have a mentor in mind, reach out to someone who you admire and want to emulate.
Be vulnerable. It’s hard to be confident without being vulnerable; without putting yourself out there, you are never going to find success. Remember that failure provides the greatest lessons and everyone has experienced failures in the past; failure is part of success.
Make sure that you are always providing solutions. Regardless of your role within the industry, make sure that you are providing value. Whether you are a budtender, grower, or in cannabis marketing, be the best that you can be.
Be persistent. Just because something does not work out the first time, do not give up. Find another avenue or option and keep going.
Find other individuals in the industry to connect with. Both men and women in the industry are willing to share stories about their wins and losses to help you along your journey. Also, it can be very flattering to a seasoned professional when an up-and-coming individual seeks their expertise and advice.
Pay it forward. It is imperative that all women in cannabis, and business in general, look for opportunities to help and support the women around them.
Shannon highlighted that this last piece of advice, paying it forward, is imperative to maintaining the commitment to collective success within the cannabis industry. “One of the things that people need to remember, she says, “is that we are all responsible for that duplication [of support]. When someone extends support to you, you need to extend to other people. We have to pay it forward… we have to allow people in… it needs to be all-inclusive or nobody wins.”
“In cannabis”, she says, “we all win together. This industry right now - it’s not a pie. There are not only so many slices for us to be successful; it’s an infinite string. And if we can all keep building it as such, we can all win together. And I know that this [mentality] is difficult to maintain because business sometimes erodes this, but if we hold people in this industry to the mindset that there’s space for all of us, it’s going to be a really fun ride.”