Women have been central to cannabis culture, medicine and advocacy from ancient healers to modern CEOs. Here is the complete story of women in cannabis — including those who have been invisible in the official history.
The history of women in cannabis is largely an invisible history. The ancient Chinese pharmacopoeia and Ayurvedic texts documenting cannabis medicine were almost certainly applied primarily by female healers — midwives, herbalists and folk medicine practitioners who used cannabis preparations for childbirth pain, menstrual cramps and anxiety before these uses were documented by male physicians. The Ebers Papyrus’s documented cannabis use for childbirth in ancient Egypt (1550 BCE) implies female medical practitioners administering it. Medieval European herbalism, practised largely by women, incorporated cannabis into preparations for women’s health. These practices were suppressed during the European witch trials that specifically targeted female healers — women who used herbs including cannabis for medicine were among those prosecuted as witches. The 19th-century cannabis pharmaceutical industry sold tinctures marketed specifically for menstrual cramps, insomnia and nervous conditions — primarily women’s complaints. Women were the largest consumer segment for pharmaceutical cannabis before prohibition. This historical context makes the exclusion of women from cannabis business leadership in the legal era particularly notable. Read the broader history in our cannabis history guide.
Women have been prominent in cannabis advocacy from NORML’s early decades through the medical cannabis movement. Valerie Corral co-founded the Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana (WAMM) in 1993, providing cannabis to terminally ill patients in Santa Cruz, California. WAMM was raided by the DEA in 2002 in a case that became a landmark in medical cannabis advocacy — federal agents removing cannabis from terminally ill patients generated significant public sympathy and media coverage. Corral was one of the most morally compelling figures in cannabis reform. Lynette Shaw pioneered the first cannabis dispensary in Marin County, California in 1996 immediately following Prop 215. Joy Beckerman (formerly Joy Rikala) became one of the most influential figures in hemp industry advocacy through her work on the 2018 Farm Bill and subsequent hemp CBD regulatory framework. These women built the legal and cultural infrastructure for the industry that followed without receiving the recognition accorded to their male counterparts. Explore the equity dimensions in our social equity guide.
Despite women making up approximately 37% of cannabis industry executives (2019 Marijuana Business Daily survey — higher than most male-dominated industries), the legal cannabis industry has significant gender equity gaps at the most senior levels. Cannabis companies that go public are disproportionately led by men. Venture capital in cannabis, as in technology, flows disproportionately to male-founded companies. The “canna-bros” phenomenon — male cannabis entrepreneurs whose personal branding centres on cannabis culture aesthetics — has received attention as representing a particular form of gendered leadership that dominates public cannabis discourse. Women-focused cannabis organisations including Women Grow (founded 2014 by Jane West and Jazmin Hupp) and the Cannabis Regulators of Color Coalition have worked to address structural barriers. Some US states have included gender equity in social equity licensing programmes, acknowledging that the drug war enforcement which social equity programmes address was not gender-neutral — though Black men were the primary targets of cannabis enforcement, women were also disproportionately affected. The BIPOC cannabis equity guide addresses intersecting dimensions of this issue.
The cannabis wellness market targeting women has grown substantially since legalisation. Products marketed for menstrual pain (using the same application documented in the Ebers Papyrus 3,500 years ago), sexual wellness, sleep, anxiety and menopause have proliferated. Brands including Foria (cannabis lubricants and suppositories for menstrual pain), Whoopi and Maya (menstrual products, co-founded by Whoopi Goldberg), and numerous CBD beauty and wellness brands have built substantial markets. The clinical evidence base for many specific women’s health applications is limited by the research prohibition that suppressed cannabis science through the 20th century, but the consumer demand is clear and the anecdotal evidence from clinical practitioners is encouraging. CBD and low-THC products have found the broadest acceptance among women’s wellness consumers concerned about psychoactivity. See our CBD guide for the evidence base and relaxation effects for what the science shows.
Women hold approximately 37% of cannabis industry executive positions, which exceeds most male-dominated industries. However, CEO and founder roles, public company leadership and venture capital access remain male-dominated. The gap at the very top mirrors wider business inequality.
Products include cannabis suppositories and topicals for menstrual pain, CBD supplements for anxiety and sleep, cannabis lubricants for sexual wellness, CBD beauty products, and cannabis edibles positioned as alcohol alternatives for women's social occasions.
Valerie Corral (WAMM founder), Joy Beckerman (hemp policy advocate), Jane West (Women Grow), Amy Margolis (cannabis attorney and investor), and Sherri Lee Robbins (social equity advocate) are among the most consistently cited influential women in cannabis.
Yes extensively. Ancient Egyptian records document cannabis for childbirth (1550 BCE). Ayurvedic texts record women's health applications. European herbalists used cannabis for menstrual conditions. 19th-century pharmaceutical cannabis was marketed primarily for women's health complaints. Women were the largest consumer segment before prohibition.
Women Grow is a professional network and advocacy organization founded in 2014 to connect and support women in the cannabis industry. It hosts networking events, mentorship programmes and advocacy campaigns addressing gender equity in cannabis business.