Women have been central to the cannabis world for centuries as healers, activists, scientists and entrepreneurs. With Women’s History Month behind us and National Cannabis Day coming up, it’s the perfect time to celebrate women in weed.
We’ve gathered a list of ancient to contemporary women in this post, but it’s certainly not an exhaustive list. Drop us a line with some of your favorite women in weed (even if it’s yourself!).
Cannabis and Women’s Health: A Match Made in (Ancient) History
Around 2300 BCE, followers of the Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar would burn the herb Sim.Ishara in her honor. The herb is thought to have been cannabis. Ishtar was the first documented deity and a powerful female figure who celebrated women as healers, spiritual guides and mothers.
Fast forward 750 years to 1550 BCE, when Egyptian women used herbal remedies, including cannabis, as part of women’s health practices. According to the Ebers Papyrus, women administered cannabis for menstrual pains and as an anesthetic during childbirth.
Cannabis as pain relief continued on in the ancient world. When the Princess of Ukok was found mummified in the Altai Mountains in Russia, archeologists also discovered cannabis. The princess, who lived around 500 BCE, appeared to have been suffering from breast cancer and was likely using cannabis as a pain reliever.
Moving into the common era, In 1000, the Old English herbarium describes a cannabis lard mixture to relieve swollen breasts.
In the 1100s, German Benedictine abbess Hildegard von Bingen (Saint Hildegard) was renowned for her healing powers, especially through tinctures and herbs. She grew cannabis in her garden and prescribed it for nausea. Her book Physica has an entire chapter dedicated to the medicinal uses of cannabis.
“Hemp is warm and grows where the air is neither very hot nor very cold, just as its nature is. Its seed is sound, and it is healthy for healthy people to eat it. It is openly gentle and useful in their stomach since it somewhat takes away the mucus. It is able to be digested easily; it diminishes the bad humors and makes the good humors strong. … Let whoever has a cold stomach cook hemp in water, squeeze out the water, wrap it in a cloth, and then place the hot cloth often over the stomach. This comforts the person and restores that place. … Also, the cloth made from the hemp heals ulcers and weeping wounds because the heat in the hemp has been tempered.” —Hildegard von Bingen in Physica
Queen Victoria, who sat on the British throne from 1837 to 1901, famously used medicinal cannabis to relieve menstrual pains.
Mary Jane Rathburn was a staunch advocate for the use of cannabis to alleviate pain and she put her belief into action. In the 1980s, she baked thousands of pot-infused brownies for AIDS patients at San Francisco General Hospital, earning her the nickname Brownie Mary. Rathburn’s efforts were instrumental in legalizing medical marijuana in California in 1996.
21st Century Women in Cannabis: Health, Activism and Enterprise
While the 20th century brought restrictions and stigmas around cannabis use, including for medicinal purposes, the times, as they say, are changing. Today, women are leading the charge as researchers, entrepreneurs and activists.
Psychiatrist Dr. Suzanne Sisley is a leader in the world of cannabis science. Her research includes medical application of cannabis and its potential use to treat PTSD. She’s passionately advocated to push cannabis flowers through the FDA drug development process, opening up insurance-covered options for medicinal marijuana.
Dr. June Chin, an integrative health specialist and author of the book Cannabis and CBD for Health and Wellness, uses her background in biochemistry and osteopathic medicine to advocate for the use of cannabis as medicine. She’s the founder of seven integrative cannabis clinics and serves on the board of the Association for Cannabis Health Equity and Medicine.
The Pot Book by Dr. Julie Holland includes more than 50 contributions from MD and PhD specialists on the power of cannabis across the medical spectrum. In writing the book, Holland became convinced of cannabis’ medicinal usefulness in everything from autoimmune diseases to diabetes.
Dr. Ester Fride has dedicated her career to understanding the endocannabinoid system and how cannabis works in the human body.
Women Shaping Cannabis Progress and Policy
Of course, medicinal marijuana is only one piece of the cannabis pie. Women have been on the front lines of legalization, policy reform and industry innovation for decades.
Wanda James is the first Black woman to own a legal dispensary in the U.S. She has been a leading voice for social equity in the industry. James fought for criminal justice reform and, as part of Colorado’s Amendment 64 Task Force, contributed to the legislation that legalized cannabis in the state in 2012.
Former executive director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy Betty Aldworth is an advocate for national legalization and policy reform around cannabis. In 2012, Betty was the spokesperson and advocacy director for Colorado’s Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, the first to make marijuana legal for adult use.
Lawyer Allison Margolin was one of the first attorneys to specialize in cannabis law. Her firm focuses on medical marijuana, business law and criminal defense law. Margolin is author of Just Dope, a memoir detailing the political history of the war on drugs.
As executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, Kassandra Frederique leads campaigns around policing, overdose and marijuana legalization. Frederique is a passionate voice to end the war on drugs and advocates for cities to rethink their approach to drug policy. She was the architect of the campaign that helped cut New York City marijuana arrest by 99% in the 2010s.
Women Growing the Cannabis Industry
Women have also carved out their own spaces in the cannabis industry through innovative brands, booming businesses and collaborative efforts that focus on lifting up others in the field.
Jane West and Jazmin Hupp are co-founders of Women Grow, a global network for women entrepreneurs in cannabis. The Women Grow mission is to educate, connect and inspire future leaders in the space. The organization is now in 60 cities and connects over 75,000 entrepreneurs.
Cindy Capobianco was an early entrepreneur in CBD products, captilizating on the health benefits and building the successful luxury CBD brand Lord Jones. She’s thrown parties for the likes of Kim Kardashian and has been a pioneer in the high-end CBD space.
Tech and cannabis leader Jessica Billingsley is CEO of Akerna, a cutting-edge enterprise software company geared toward the cannabis industry. Akerna provides plant analysis and tracking from “seed to sale,” operationalizing the supply chain and allowing businesses to track and monitor their product. Akerna was the first cannabis software company to be listed on the Nasdaq.
Madeline Martinez, former Oregon NORML Executive Director, founded The Cannabis Café in 2009, creating a private space for medical marijuana patients to consume legally and connect with the community. Though it closed in 2016 due to state law changes, Oregon lawmakers are now reconsidering cannabis cafés
4 Women-Run Cannabis Brands to Watch
- Miss Grass. A lifestyle brand focused on education, equity and high-quality products.
- Barbari. Herbal cannabis blends designed for mindful consumption.
- House of Puff. Chic smoking accessories and microdosed edibles.
- Garden Society. Focused on low-dose, high-quality edibles and pre-rolls.
The Future of Women In Weed
As the cannabis industry continues to evolve, women are sure to be at the center of medical research, product innovation and advocacy. The influence of women in cannabis stretches back thousands of years and will continue to shape the industry in generations to come.