March is National Women’s History Month ! As the coolest women-led business you know, it’s only right that our first blog ever be in March and about amazing women doing amazing things in the cannabis industry.
BEYONCE SAID WE RUN THE WORLD
We’re not exactly as cool as Auntie Yonce but when she said she ain’t never seen a glass ceiling in her whole life, WE FELT THAT. Throughout the last 5 years, both medical and recreational marijuana has slowly been legalized in states across the country. Despite men still thinking it’s their world, women have had a huge impact with nearly 37% taking executive levels in the industry. Some may say we still have a long way for equality in this arena but it looks to me like we’re already more than halfway there !
WOMEN’S HISTORY IN BIZ
Here’s a wild realization; Only since October 25, 1988 were women federally allowed to own a business. We have come a long way in the last 30 years. As of 2018, according to American Express, women hold a solid 40% stake in all business endeavors. Still, we can’t ignore the fact that as of 2020, men are taking over Fortune 500 companies as CEOs at a 13 to 1 ratio. This is pretty much the pattern we see in the cannabis industry too. The higher up you go in rank, the fewer women you see. Reminds me of that Jay Z lyric in Murder to Excellence, just replace Blacks with women.
WOMEN’S HISTORY IN CANNABIS
One organization that really stands out as a monster in this area is Haus of Jane. This company focuses on supporting and empowering women led businesses in the cannabis industry when the government and other private industries won’t. They lead WEIC (Women Empowered In Cannabis) which is a sort of support group for said women. They focus on the shared experience as a community of ironing sharpening iron. This way women can pull together their expertise and leverage each others resources while searching for the cash schmoney they need.
It’s More Than Just Selling Weed
Let’s also talk about the beautiful Mary Pryor of Cannaclusive. It’s an agency with the goal of erasing the stigma associating Black people who use cannabis merely as drug users. One initiative was a stock photo project to normalize images of Black people using weed while going about their normal healthy lives.
In one interview Pryor said, “We were tired of going to events and being asked why we were there and how we found out about it. It’s almost like the industry became a white, male paradise with no consideration for the people [who] have been damaged by it, and full of microaggressions.” One way she’s helping fight back is by keeping and publishing a database of over 550 cannabis related businesses in what are considered underrepresented communities.
But We Do Sell Weed Too
Last but not least we MUST talk about Royal Highness because royal recognize royal. Kevyah and Kiyah King opened this high-end dispensary boutique in 2019 down in Palm Springs. It’s in the El Paseo district surrounded by other luxe stores like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Aveda etc. They even offer expert consulting so that you can curate your high.
We’re making history in this arena every day. Even here at Stoned Queen, we’re focusing on giving women, men and our non-binary friends a luxury cannabis experience while balling on a budget. We’re helping destigmatize that image, that negative connotation that weed smoking is only for low lives. We’re making history in our own way.
Stay Royal, Queens
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