March is Women’s History Month, so what could be a better way to celebrate that than looking at some of the cannabis industry’s most successful marijuana entrepreneurs!
It’s easy to believe that the typical ‘stoner‘ type is a guy in his 30s or 40s with long hair and a scruffy build. Imagine the main roles in movies like Pineapple Express, Harold and Kumar, Bill and Ted, or Cheech and Chong. Despite the stereotype that Hollywood presents in movies and television shows, there’s a growing number of smart, young, and extremely motivated women entering the cannabis market.
If you have been looking for some premium cannabis to smoke while you relax and read this article, then Mission Cannabis Club in San Francisco would be a great place to start! In the following article, we’re going to check out some of the women leading the way in the cannabis industry in conjunction with Women’s History Month, so sit back, blaze up and relax.
Women in Weed: Cannabis Trailblazers
1. Olivia Alexander – Olivia Alexander is the CEO and founder of Kush Queen, a Los Angeles-based company specializing in cannabis lifestyle and wellness brands. Kush Queen features various cannabis products, both CBD and THC, including pain relief lotions, edibles, bath bombs, and much more. Olivia started in the cannabis industry working in a dispensary at the age of 18. Her first foray into the industry was with vape company Crystal Cult before segueing into a marketing and advertising company Third Eye Agency. “Women have a special power in cannabis,” she says. Alexander adds CBD helps “to balance my mood, relieve anxiety and sleep better.“
2. Faun Chapin and M Paradise – Wife team Faun Chapin and M Paradise are the Californian company owners, Sonder. Both women are proud supporters of the LGBTQIA+ Pride movement, using their business as a platform to raise awareness and funds for Pride month. Despite COVID-19 wreaking havoc across the United States, Sonder is soon to launch an exciting new cannabis product, Sonder Space Crystals which are like cannabis-infused pop-rocks.
3. Roxanne Dennant – Roxanne Dennant is the CEO and co-founder of Fruit Slabs which specializes in non-GMO, all-natural, fruit leather rolls that have been infused with high-quality THC. Based in Los Angeles, Roxanne’s experience with cannabis products began after she was struggling with anxiety, “It was the light that brought me out of the dark, allowed me to breathe easier, relax and feel calmer and ten years later, it still does,” she says.
4. Hildi Gerhart – Hildi Gerhart is the owner of Fire Flower Farm and learned the art of cultivating cannabis on a 100% woman-owned cannabis operation and hasn’t taken a backward step since. Gerhart recently teamed up with Lowell Herb, creating a range of premium pre-rolls and high-quality flower products that buyers are falling in love with. “I credit a lot of who I am today to those first formative growing seasons,” Gerhart said.
5. Mary Bailey and Sarah Gersten – Both Sarah and Mary are longtime cannabis activists and an integral part of the Last Prisoner Project, a not-for-profit organization responsible for freeing prisoners still incarcerated because of US drug laws. Many states have moved forward with cannabis legalization and decriminalization. However, many of the people incarcerated before these new laws and regulations remain behind bars serving excessive sentences.
6. Bridget Hennessey – Bridget is the VP of Government Relations for Weedmaps. Still, she didn’t start out aiming for a position in the cannabis industry. Since graduating from Fairfield University twenty years ago, Hennessey has worked in government relations, campaign management, and policy strategy and development. As an expert in marijuana regulation, Hennessey now works to ensure that minorities have the opportunity to work in the legal cannabis industry and help those who are unlawfully incarcerated for drug-related charges. “I came to realize that technology plays an important role in this effort,” she says. “When the world’s largest tech firm in the cannabis space called, I felt like we found each other.“
7. Anna Duckworth and Kate Miller – Miller and Duckworth are business partners and co-founders of Miss Grass’s cannabis company. Together, the pair have raised over four million dollars to launch their own successful cannabis brand, ‘the Goop of Cannabis.‘ Like many cannabis entrepreneurs, Miller began her career working in a cannabis dispensary and used cannabis to help her treat psoriasis, a skin condition that affects millions of people worldwide. Miss Grass’s goal is to shift the perception of cannabis while educating consumers and making it accessible to everyone who desires it. Both Duckworth and Miller are also passionate about CBD education, “Unfortunately, many have hitched their wagon to CBD due to its popularity, but lack the knowledge and expertise around this plant, which ultimately results in brands taking advantage of a vulnerable consumer.“
8. Imelda Walavalkar – Imelda is the CEO and one of the three co-founders of Pure Beauty, a pre-roll company that targets female cannabis enthusiasts. “It’s the culmination of everything I care about most — alternative/plant medicine, botany, social justice, and mind expansion.” Describing her experience of using cannabis as “both profound and therapeutic,” Pure Beauty has a strong focus on producing eco-friendly cannabis products that are packaged in environmentally friendly packaging.
Women in Weed: Cannabis Trailblazers – Conclusion
As you can see from our list above, women in weed are making much more than just a small impression on the cannabis industry. They’re making some big waves and showing the cannabis that they are definitely a force to be reckoned with.
