Episode Transcript
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Speaker 6 (01:36):
Welcome to Just Saying No where we shine a light
on cannabis with clarity, curiosity, and a commitment to credible conversation.
I'm your host, Maria Calibreys, and you're listening live on
KCA Radio ten fifty AM, one O six point five FM,
or wherever you get your podcasts. Today's episode is part
(01:57):
one of a two part series exploring the evolving role
of women in cannabis, a topic near and dear to
my heart and so essential, so layered that I felt
that deserved more than just one show. We'll be drawing
from one of the earliest and most insightful panels held
just after adult legalization in California, a conversation led by Mahahuck,
(02:23):
who was co founder of UCLA Canna Club, the very
first student led organization in the country. Now, this discussion
was recorded during the early days of legalization in California.
It featured powerful voices who helped shape this industry from
the ground up and who are still pushing for the respect, equity,
(02:46):
and inclusion women deserve. And part one we'll explore the
personal side of the story what it was like to
work in cannabis as a woman before legalization. Now, back
in twenty fifteen, before California officially legalized cannabis for adult use,
the industry was being hailed as a once in a
(03:07):
generation opportunity for women to lead a multi billion dollar movement.
Women made up over a third of cannabis executives, outpacing
the national average. But fast forward today and the numbers
tell us a more complicated story, one of progress but setbacks, reinvention, resilience,
(03:33):
and because while women have made undeniable strides, we're still
navigating real challenges from lack of access to capital and
under representation and leadership to outdated stereotypes, harassment and being
tokenized into equity conversations. You know, women continue to face
barriers to licensing, exclusion from insider networks, and a shortage
(03:57):
of mentorship pipelines, especially in science, tech and cultivation. Now
let me be clear, please, this isn't about male bashing.
Women need men and men need women. Although Gloria Steinem
used to say women need men like a fish need
(04:18):
a bicycle, But I disagree. I disagree. We need allies, collaborators,
co creators, because when women rise, we lift communities, families,
and industries. Or, as I like to repeat the famous
saying Ginger Rogers did everything Fredisterre did right, except backwards
(04:43):
and in high heels. So today We're giving space to
the stories the two often go unheard, and shining a
spotlight on the voices that are leading this industry forward
with both strength and grace, which by the way, can coexist.
That's that where the real power lies, combining strength and grace.
(05:06):
We're going to talk about how far we've come, what
still needs to change, and how stigma lingers not only
in society but even in our family conversations. Later in
the show, i'll spotlight the award winning documentary Mary Janes
The Women of Weed, share practical consumer tips on how
to support equity driven cannabis brands, and feature a special
(05:29):
GBLTV Quickit video celebrating the feminine power of the plant herself. Plus,
I'll share key legal updates, and finally, we'll hear from
panel audience members sharing their reactions and thoughts to this
important conversation. Remember be sure to join me next week
(05:50):
for Part two, where we'll take the conversation further into
the systemic issues of gender and racial equity, Why representation
in cannabis science and some research is critical for women,
and how we can build an industry that truly reflects
the values of inclusion, wellness and justice. So whether you're
(06:12):
can of curious and advocate of patient, a policymaker, just
someone who wants they here's smart conversations with some of
the boldest women in the industry. This one's for you.
So sit back, relax, and let's get smarter together with
some of the smartest and strongest minds in the industry.
Speaker 8 (06:37):
By twenty twenty, Bank of America and Merrill Lynch estimate
that will grow to thirty five billion dollars, and many
experts believe it could eventually reach two hundred billion dollars
each and every year.
Speaker 9 (07:08):
I can see so much fun young mo loser, you loser.
Speaker 5 (07:24):
I'm a butterfly who is going to be gone.
Speaker 10 (07:27):
Taking me a while to get it.
Speaker 6 (07:30):
Had to live and.
Speaker 5 (07:30):
Cry to appreciate life and what you give his words.
When you're holding me here, when you hold me so close,
someone further and under your skin, I want to leave
a MiG so that I can be sure that you
remember what man.
Speaker 6 (07:50):
Before we dive into today's discussion on women in cannabis,
I want to take a moment to highlight one of
the most inspiring grassroots efforts to normalized cannabis education and
empower the next generation of leaders in the space.
Speaker 11 (08:05):
You know.
Speaker 6 (08:06):
Back in the early days of California legalization, a group
of forward thinking students at UCLA came together to launch Cannaclub,
the first student led cannabis organization in the country. Their
mission to educate fellow students about the real career opportunities
emerging in the cannabis industry, from science and research to business, law, advocacy,
(08:32):
and public health. They wanted a destigmatized cannabis by replacing
myths with information and help students have informed, meaningful conversations,
even the tough ones, with their families and future employers.
Speaker 11 (08:48):
You know.
Speaker 6 (08:48):
At the helm of this groundbreaking initiative was Mahahuk who
brought together a dynamic group of panelists who we're going
to hear from todaycluting Ophelia Chung. Now, Ophelia is the
founder of pot stock Images. Yep, we have pot stock images.
(09:09):
And why is this important? Well, because Ophelia has worked
to dismantle the one dimensional and often harmful portrayals of
women in cannabis culture, pushing for authentic, diverse representation. Think back,
I'll tell you why this isn't important. Do you remember
the days of green crosses on the storefronts and the
(09:30):
bikini clad women on Venice Beach waving people into doctors'
offices to get their medical cards. Women were often used
as props, hypersexualized, gimmicky representations meant to attract male customers.
What else is new? So cannabis is no different than
many other brands. But let's stick with cannabis so important
(09:54):
to destigmatize it and crush these stereotypes and to represent
it properly. So because the these images, they reinforced the
idea that cannabis was a party drug, not a plant
with medical, therapeutic or any cultural value, and certainly not
a space for professional women. By launching potstock images, Ophelia
(10:17):
created a much needed alternative, a stock photo library featuring
real people of diverse backgrounds, ages, body types, and identities.
Her goal was to give media marketers a way to
portray cannabis users authentically, not through outdated or objectifying stereotypes.
(10:38):
It serves no one. And then we'll be hearing from
doctor Brandy Cross, who's also on the panel. Doctor Cross
is the founder of the pot Lab. She's going to
speak to the urgent need for more women, especially women
of color, in stem and cannabinoid science and cannabis research.
(11:00):
She'll speak more in depth of that and part two
of next week's episode, but we'll be hearing from her
today and Felicia Carba Hall Now. Felicia is a longtime
community organizer and founder of High Felicia. Felicia grounds the
conversation in the lived reality of the War on drugs
and what criminalization meant for women before legalization, And of
(11:24):
course our moderator Mahahuck, who after founding the UCLA Canic Club,
she has gone on to become a respected independent consultant
for retailers, consumption lounges, brands, and events. Maha has led
successful projects with multi state operators and high profile cannabis companies.
(11:44):
She currently sits on the boards of the Los Angeles
chapters of Normal and the Cannabis Chamber of Commerce, and
teaches cannabis science at Oakster Dam University in Oakland, California. Now,
each one of these panelists is shaping the narrative of
what women in weed really look like, reflecting on the
(12:05):
role of women in cannabis and how far we've come
in creating respectable, meaningful roles for women in dispensaries and beyond.
So let's have a look and a listen. One of
your major goals and objectives for this evening's panel, what
(12:28):
you would love to see happened?
Speaker 10 (12:31):
Oh wow, a lot.
Speaker 12 (12:33):
Really, my major goal for the student group was to
highlight women, and now we're finally doing it. So this
is a goal in the making, happening right now. But
what I want is other girls to feel more empowered,
student females to be more empowered about this whole industry,
about these women and someone to look up to.
Speaker 6 (12:50):
And these women are great, great contributors, very inspirational, very empowering,
and it all begins with education. And you are doing
beyond your part to spark the conversation.
Speaker 13 (13:02):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 12 (13:03):
I really hope it does start some conversations, some dialogues
within the students. I anticipate it will, and that's the goal.
Speaker 6 (13:10):
It's the start conversation change in a better world. All right, Thanks, Well,
we look forward to talking to you after the panel.
Speaker 12 (13:18):
Of course, I am so very honored to introduce y'all
to three amazing individuals. We've got Ophelia Chang, doctor Brandy Cross,
and Felicia Carbajal. So yeah, so, without further Ado. I
(13:42):
want to talk about my first experience walking into a
dispensary fresh out of high school, got my medical card,
I go to this kind of swanky, sketchy looking dispensary.
I walk in, I'm greeted by two very nice, nice girls,
but scantily clad. You know, no judgment on what they're wearing,
(14:05):
but they were wearing the exact same thing, and they
looked visibly uncomfortable, so you know, kind of made me think,
should I go back to my high school weed dealer
or should I, you know, stay in this dispensary and
get something. There was a manager that popped up.
Speaker 13 (14:21):
And rather telling.
Speaker 12 (14:23):
The girls to fix around the dispensary, like the buds
and stuff, he was telling them to fix their clothes
and show more cleavage. So that gate that left a
bad taste in my mouth and prompted me to work
at a dispensary and maybe change things, because all these
dispensaries were just female butttenders, and that was the perception
(14:45):
of women five six years ago in the canvas industry.
When I first started, that's all we could do was
be butttenders. And since then, you know, it's evolved, thankfully,
but not completely.
Speaker 13 (14:59):
So my r for any of y'all. Anyone can chime in.
Speaker 12 (15:02):
How has the cannabis industry evolved from the time you
guys started, and how was it for women back then?
Speaker 7 (15:11):
So I think maybe because I might have the oldest
experience with this plant and the relationship, maybe I'll start
nineteen ninety five, the Bay Area, Oakland, Berkeley, San Francisco
in terms of how was it, I mean, the first
thing when you were explaining your story, I always like,
(15:32):
I haven't shared this, but I've been going dealing with
a lot of like just trauma just surrounding the War
on drugs, and like how I'm processing all this stuff.
So I'm like, oh shit, I should share with you
guys one of my experiences. So nineteen ninety six, I
don't know, I'm twenty years old. I get picked up
at Oakland International Airport with somebody with a gun. So,
(15:55):
you know, for me, like.
Speaker 10 (15:56):
My experience has always been this.
Speaker 7 (16:01):
Interesting one because that's my first experience as a young person.
And then you know, as I was an adult, I
got to work with doctor Allen Frankel. I got to
see medicine, so I got to get c CBD before
it became hip chic whatever we're calling it now in
terms of it being everywhere, and Whole Foods is getting
(16:22):
ready to have it. So, I mean, I've seen just
the a very colorful experience with this plant. So my
first story is always just interesting when I think about
all of the experience I've had. But in nineteen ninety five,
I was sitting at a friend's apartment. They threw a
big sack of weed down and asked me if I
(16:43):
would take it into the city because I was headed
into the city, and I said yes, And so I
mean that.
Speaker 10 (16:51):
Is my experience.
Speaker 7 (16:52):
So for me, it's always been this interesting one in
terms of how do we get people access, how do
we share information, how do we create this y change,
how do we break down these institutions that we currently have.
Speaker 14 (17:06):
So I'm actually one of the children that grew up
on pot. I was one of the miners that was
able to convince my parents to get a prescription for
me in nineteen ninety six.
Speaker 10 (17:21):
I was a high performing student. I was in AP.
Speaker 14 (17:23):
Biology, AP law, AP English, but I never went to
school and I got straight a's because I just showed
up for the tests. Once I started smoking cannabis, I
started making my way in the world. I started community
college in nineteen ninety five. Who I'm dating myself and
I was sixteen.
Speaker 10 (17:43):
I know right, we already did.
Speaker 14 (17:46):
And I'm living proof that cannabis does not make children stupid,
it does not slow development because I went straight from
there to kel State Northridge on a scholarship through the
Department of Defense in science. I got my bachelor's degree
from season, working on actually the endocannabinoids system under doctor Cohen.
Speaker 7 (18:06):
There.
Speaker 14 (18:06):
I got my master's degree there and I went to
Johns Hopkins School in Medicine five years after working in
pharmaceutical industry here at UCLA and even a startup that
now I'm collaborating with here at UCLA.
Speaker 10 (18:21):
Cannabis enhanced my life. It gave me direction.
Speaker 14 (18:25):
And back when I was leaving for Hopkins, I didn't
know I was going to be a pioneer in Baltimore.
I didn't know I was going to be doing something different.
When I left, I was all hype. I was like,
I got into my top school. I've got to John's
Hopkins Medical School.
Speaker 10 (18:39):
I like told everybody in Panorama City.
Speaker 14 (18:40):
Everybody knew all the way to van Ey's probably all
the way here, I was screaming, and I was one
of two season's students, or actually two students from Los Angeles,
and we both went to SEASID. It was weird that
got in that year. When I moved to Baltimore, I
didn't realize I wouldn't.
Speaker 10 (18:58):
Have access to medicine.
Speaker 14 (18:59):
I know, stupid, like, whoops, I forgot something, So I
drove across two pounds.
Speaker 10 (19:05):
I don't think they can convict me for that anymore
right now.
Speaker 14 (19:08):
And soon I started finding myself going up to you know,
the outskirts of New York, newar Canada and getting pounds
for myself, but also starting to toy around with things.
Speaker 10 (19:19):
And actually the Potlab was.
Speaker 14 (19:21):
Like established like ten years ago now, just to medicate myself.
I was going down trips to Jamaica with my really
hot girlfriend at the time and learning how to make
medicine from indigenous people, indigenous black people who brought the
seed from Africa to that land and still keep their
strains there.
Speaker 10 (19:38):
It was powerful.
Speaker 14 (19:39):
I learned how to make bud rum, and I learned
that that's not actually psychoactive because it's full of THHCA,
And there goes my thesis. So when I graduated and
had this underground pot club in my apartment for like
three years, and the best Hopkins edibles you could get
was that cannabis was probably a vegetable. So I started
(20:00):
the pot lab officially to study the natural rock chemicals
in cannabis and have plants and hopefully establish nutritional guidelines
for rock cannabinoids. So it's changed a lot. Now I
see people getting into this industry like money signs in
their eyes, when it used to be people with tears
(20:23):
in their eyes saying this is all it works for me.
I will die without this, like people like me who
cried at night with pain without it, people who needed
access to this other thing. And I think without stepping
up and preserving those boundaries and those limits around at
least medical cannabis, we're gon we're gonna lose the health
(20:46):
benefits forever.
Speaker 12 (20:47):
How is it being a woman in the cannabis industry
from the time you started, and a little background on
what you do too.
Speaker 15 (20:55):
My name is Affilia Trump and I'm not related to
so as a woman, I'm speaking from the point as
being a mother, right, So I became a mother who
was like, what the hell are you doing to.
Speaker 16 (21:12):
The apples there's holes.
Speaker 15 (21:13):
In them, to like, this is the best thing ever.
And so another part of that too, both my daughter
and I are both sober. She doesn't partake anymore at
all right now because she's still early in a process,
but I have not had alcohol.
Speaker 16 (21:29):
In fifteen years.
Speaker 15 (21:30):
So actually being in cannabis.
Speaker 16 (21:32):
Was a really big think if.
Speaker 15 (21:35):
I'm not tempted anymore by Margarita. So being in cannabis
was a big decision for me, and it was because
my sister was dying and so I needed to change
what cannabis looked like. So I started the largest stock
agency in the world that especialized in cannabis, were in Adobe.
So as a woman, I started because I was a
mother who was against it, to a mother who was
for it, to a sister who insulted her sister for
(22:00):
using cannabis. And that's why I'm here. So as being
a woman, that's why I'm here. So I went through
all these stages.
Speaker 12 (22:06):
Nice well to kind of piggyback off that Ophelia. You
advocate for cannabis education through your group Asian Americans for
Cannabis Education. So some of us, some of us students
were kind of scared to talk about even being part
of this group, and you know, we're scared of what
(22:26):
our parents will think. As a mother, how do you
bring cannabis advocacy in your own home? How do we
introduce our parents our families to accept that we are
either involved in the cannabis industry or medicate with cannabis
or just use it recreationally. And especially as an Asian
American myself, I had that struggle with my family and
(22:49):
they kind of had their reservations, but you know, I
sat them down. I'm an only child. I'm like, hey,
you got to listen to me. This stuff is cool
and it also helps. Yeah, it also helps. You know,
I've got I've got a single parent mom. She she
works in cancer, so she was very open to learning
more about cannabis on a medical level. But what what
(23:11):
advice do you have for some of the students How
we can talk about cannabis with our parents.
Speaker 15 (23:16):
Pretty easy for Asian Americans. About money, most of the
Asian Americans are ancillary. We produce all your vapes, your packaging,
your boxes, your paper, hangtags, everything, So we're heavily invested
in ancillary and so that's how you talk about it,
(23:37):
So just talk about it and talk about it in
monetary terms, about what you can do so research advocacy
and bring more of the other facets of cannabis into
it other than what they think it is awesome.
Speaker 12 (23:51):
So I want to loud back to the to the
story I told you guys in the beginning, just seeing
spots with just female only but tenders and just seeing
females being disrespected in the cannabs space in general. So
how how are some ways we can address the issues
that many young women are dealing with and have dealt
(24:14):
with in the past when it comes to.
Speaker 13 (24:16):
Working in the cannabis industry.
Speaker 12 (24:17):
Because there's still illegal dispensary operators out there that are
still just hiring females and giving them a certain uniform
that they might not be comfortable with. So this is
still going on. You can go on weed maps and
find these dispensaries because like they're still.
Speaker 13 (24:35):
They're still running. You know, they're not They're not all
shut down.
Speaker 12 (24:37):
What advice do any of y'all have for these young
women and for even women like me who have experienced
this but who are just getting out and finally working
more corporate but still experiencing the same type of dynamic
from men that we are below.
Speaker 13 (24:56):
Them in some way just because we're female.
Speaker 10 (24:59):
What you'll have call them out?
Speaker 15 (25:05):
Yeah, god damn, it happened before.
Speaker 14 (25:16):
Other people will tell you to shut up, just talk louder.
I mean, I've had other black.
Speaker 10 (25:20):
People in the industry tell me, don't call.
Speaker 13 (25:22):
That person racist, and I'm like, but they called me
the N words.
Speaker 14 (25:25):
So yes, we're gonna screenshot this and everyone's gonna see it.
Speaker 10 (25:28):
So you know, people.
Speaker 14 (25:29):
Will tell you there's no future, like they'll threaten you,
but just like shake it off, get your brothers.
Speaker 12 (25:35):
Like, harassment and assault is still very prevalent, and it's
something that I hear from other girls like, Hey, I'm
working at a dispensary this and this happen.
Speaker 13 (25:45):
How do I address it?
Speaker 12 (25:46):
And a lot of these girls they don't They don't
have access to like an HR department or anything.
Speaker 7 (25:50):
They need to. They need to remember there's there's supposed
to be a labor peace agreement, So number one, if
you're going to work in a shop that's not regulated, don't. Yeah,
there's no point, like, there's no future in any of that,
even if they pay you well, Like what happens if
there's a raid.
Speaker 10 (26:06):
Nobody gives a shit.
Speaker 7 (26:07):
You're gonna be the one dealing with the consequences surrounding that.
Speaker 10 (26:11):
So that's like my first thing is like, don't work
in a shop that's illegal.
Speaker 7 (26:16):
And when I say, like, tell like sometimes you probably
should reach out to the union.
Speaker 13 (26:21):
It's not just telling the workplace.
Speaker 7 (26:24):
There are other people that everybody you work with are
held accountable to.
Speaker 10 (26:28):
We haven't been able to.
Speaker 7 (26:29):
I mean I would say, like, message the Board of
Cannabis Control, but I can guarantee you in the city
of Los Angeles, if you were to email cat Backer
and tell her something like this, because she regulates everybody
who's licensed, something will happen.
Speaker 10 (26:44):
Something will happen.
Speaker 13 (26:45):
Well like that.
Speaker 12 (26:46):
That's something we could definitely start with. Is not supporting
companies that are just not put like just not respecting women.
That's definitely a step that we could take.
Speaker 13 (26:56):
And thank you guys so much.
Speaker 12 (26:58):
Thank you everyone for showing I'm not for supporting. It's
been a wild ride with this cannabis student group. This
is something I've always wanted to do. I'm so glad
you guys are all a part of it. And thank
you so much to these amazing panelists, Alicia, doctor Brandy, Ophelia.
Speaker 13 (27:17):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 6 (27:20):
Maha huck, Oh my god, what an amazing that was
the most empowering panel.
Speaker 13 (27:27):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 6 (27:30):
How long did it take you to get a prestigious
university UCLA to agree to having a canic.
Speaker 12 (27:37):
Club About a year And that's pretty long for students
because students graduate, and I'm about to graduate soon, so
I needed to make this happen right before I graduated.
Speaker 13 (27:48):
So it happened.
Speaker 6 (27:49):
And was this a dream of yours for more than
a year?
Speaker 12 (27:52):
Definitely, Back in community college, I try to make a
panel like this happen, and this was three years ago
and I finally got to do it.
Speaker 13 (28:00):
So three years in the making.
Speaker 6 (28:01):
Wow, there was three years of resistance. And when you
say a panel like this, tell viewers a little bit
about the panel that people were not boards of universities
were not permitting.
Speaker 12 (28:13):
Women in cannabis panel. That's really what it is, just
women in cannabis.
Speaker 6 (28:17):
And some of the esteemed panelists you had.
Speaker 12 (28:20):
Felicia Carbahal from California cannabis advocates, doctor Brandy Cross from
Smart Farm Research Group.
Speaker 6 (28:26):
And Push Magazine. She's an entrepreneur. She created stop pod images.
Speaker 12 (28:34):
So we try to cover all different sectors of cannabis
with this panel, not only on a physical diversity diversity level,
but also with their careers, just to kind of showcase
students what else is out there for them.
Speaker 6 (28:47):
It's a multifaceted plant. It ranges from careers in law
of policy, to rules to regulations, to science to research
to medicine.
Speaker 12 (28:57):
Definitely, and that's what a lot of these students are
wonder about where they can fit into the cannabis industry,
and hopefully this panel gave some insight on that for
not just a female students, but all of the students
who came through.
Speaker 6 (29:09):
Well, it was well attended and by both genders. Kudos
to the students.
Speaker 13 (29:13):
Oh yeah, definitely.
Speaker 12 (29:14):
It was all the support from the Canna Club student members.
Couldn't have made this happen if we didn't have such
a large student membership. I'm very happy that this is
all coming together and we're all doing this together.
Speaker 6 (29:25):
We were talking about media and that's something that why
we were just thrilled that you invited us to cover
it and the way that marijuana and cannabis has been
represented it and even still is represented the smoke coming
out of the back of the van. There's an audience
for that, there's a lot, but the audience is so
(29:45):
much larger.
Speaker 12 (29:47):
Yeah, No, things are definitely changing now. Social media, YouTube,
all these video platforms like they need to start putting
on better content for cannabis.
Speaker 13 (29:57):
And that's what you guys do.
Speaker 6 (29:59):
Oh thank thank you, thank you.
Speaker 9 (30:01):
Well.
Speaker 6 (30:01):
You provide the forum and you put the panel together
and organize. It's going to take education, it's going to
take organization, and it's going to take outreach. And outreach
is limited because the audience that's not being talked to
is also the audience that's a little scared to be
chatting about it on social media. We have to provide
content to inspire and empower conversation, and then we have
(30:24):
to find distribution that's brave and not looking for shock value.
The numbers will be there. If you build it, they
will come definitely.
Speaker 12 (30:32):
That's what we're trying to do at Canna Club and
with your guys's help at Greenbee Life, that's how we're
achieving it.
Speaker 6 (30:38):
Well, it's not a plant to be marginalized. It was misrepresented.
It was it was it was persecuted and it just
there's so much and there's such a need for research
so that we can There is data out there too.
The National Health Institute has a Common Implementary Medicine area
(31:01):
that has data. But how to get the data to
the patients, to the doctors, to the hospital.
Speaker 12 (31:07):
Educate, educate, educate, educate, talk about it, open up a
dialogue and bring on some professionals, healthcare professionals, researchers who
are actually researching on this very content. Students need to
be more exposed, not to students everyone else, they just
need to be more exposed. And that's just something we're
(31:27):
trying to do here and you are trying.
Speaker 13 (31:29):
To do the same as well.
Speaker 12 (31:31):
And with combined efforts we can get we can get
further than we are now.
Speaker 6 (31:36):
And you are helping that to go along. So describing
today in a word, what would you say?
Speaker 13 (31:45):
Beautiful?
Speaker 10 (31:46):
Beautiful, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 6 (31:56):
And that's only part one. It's a powerful, powerful, powerful
pam to hear firsthand what it meant to be a
woman in cannabis before the industry started to gain legitimacy,
and how even now there's still work to do from
fighting for dignity and dispensary jobs to navigating family conversations.
(32:19):
These stories are more than anecdotes, they're road maps for
the next generation. This is what breaking the grass ceiling
really looks like. It's not just about leadership titles, which
are nice, but it's about reclaiming our place and reshaping
how this industry sees, hears, and values women. Which leads
(32:46):
me to this week's product spotlight. Speaking of women and
Mary Jane's and Mary Jane Moguls, I want to highlight
a documentary in this week's Product Spotlight that truly captures
the spirit of today's discussion. Mary jates The Women of Weed.
(33:08):
If you haven't seen it, you need to put it
on your list. It is a must see. It's an
empowering film. It was directed by Wendy Boorman Now. She
profiles a dynamic group of female entrepreneurs affectionately called puff Rajets,
who are reshaping the cannabis industry. Featuring influential voices like
(33:33):
Melissa Etheridge, the documentary explores how women are not only
participating in the space, but they're leading transformational change. I
have the good fortune to attend the film's world premiere
at the first ever Cannabis Film Festival in Palm Spring Springs,
and it cannot be overstated how well done and important
(33:56):
this documentary is. When we come back from a quick brick,
I'd like to share an exclusive greenby Life interview with
the film's writer, director, and producer, my favorite Mary Jane
mogul Well one of them, Wendy Boorman, that I promise
you are not going to want to miss.
Speaker 5 (34:19):
Did you know TC and CBD are just two of
more than one hundred cannabinoids.
Speaker 4 (34:25):
At greenbe Life, you can watch gbl TV with an
evolving slate of original programming.
Speaker 10 (34:32):
I'm going up, up, up.
Speaker 4 (34:34):
From a diverse group of on air personalities.
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Where we cover everything from pets, it's wellness, compliance, social equity, culinary.
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Arts, sustainability, and much much more. You can learn from
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go for carefully curated, high quality products for a conscious lifestyle.
Speaker 10 (35:06):
Watch learn shop green Bee Life, Changing the way the world.
Speaker 13 (35:14):
He's green.
Speaker 6 (35:21):
Welcome back. You're listening to Just Say No on KCAA
Radio ten fifty am one O six point five FM.
I'm your host, Maria Calabres, and today we're discussing the
evolving role of women in cannabis that is rife with
as many challenges as possibilities. Up next is my exclusive
interview with Wendy Boorman one of my all time favorite
(35:44):
puffer jets, Mary Jane Moguls, producer, writer, director of the
award winning documentary Mary Jans The Women of Weed. All right,
let's have a look.
Speaker 18 (35:58):
Cannabis is the intersection of a couple of core values.
So it's social justice, sustainability and gender parity.
Speaker 11 (36:10):
Hey, guys, Emily please act here from Greenbee Life alongside
Maria Calabrese and our wonderful guest Wendy Borman, who is
a wonderful filmmaker here that we're gonna be able to
see her film tonight here at the first ever Cannabis
Film Festival here in Palm Springs.
Speaker 6 (36:27):
Yeah, so, Windy, tell us a little about the puff
frigette movement.
Speaker 18 (36:31):
There's lots of cute terms out there, I mean, like
Mary Jane's and Women of Weed and Gonja Girls and
all of these different things.
Speaker 16 (36:38):
But I just didn't feel like anything did their work justice.
Speaker 18 (36:42):
So we decided to make up a word. So we
blended pot plus suffragette and we created puffrigette strong.
Speaker 16 (36:53):
Thank you, and we have an image to go along
with that. So that's the that's the puffrigette tattoo.
Speaker 18 (36:58):
Yes, yes, yes, these are temporary tattoos, so everybody can
get one who comes to the screen.
Speaker 6 (37:03):
AG that's nice enough to have as a permanent Can
you give us a little sneak peak of some of
the women covered in the movie.
Speaker 18 (37:10):
Well, the fabulous problem I had is there are so
many women in cannabis today and it was a difficult
task to try to narrow it down. So what I
tried to do was create a really great cross section
of all the types.
Speaker 16 (37:23):
Of women involved in the industry.
Speaker 18 (37:25):
So you looked at ages, ethnicities, sexual orientation, geographical distribution,
what segment of the industry.
Speaker 16 (37:32):
So we have forty women.
Speaker 18 (37:34):
Represented in the film from ten different states, and I
felt that as a filmmaker, you know, we have a
social responsibility to show that it's possible for women to
come into the space. So Gina Davis says, if you
can see it, you can be it, and I.
Speaker 16 (37:50):
Took that to heart.
Speaker 18 (37:51):
So some of the amazing women we have in the
film include Wanda James, the first African American dispensary owner
and actually the entire us. Betty Aldworth, she's the executive
director for Students for Sensible Drug Policy.
Speaker 6 (38:04):
There's many Mary Jane mobiles out there that the exciting
thing about the end of prohibition is no glass sailing,
and it looks like women are rising to the.
Speaker 18 (38:14):
Top, definitely, And that's actually what got me interested in cannabis.
I was not a cannabis user when I decided to
do a film about women in the cannabis industry. So
what peaked my interest was hearing that thirty six percent
of senior leadership in the cannabis industry was women, and
the national average is twenty two percent. So back in
(38:35):
twenty fifteen, there was something about cannabis that was attracting
more women. And I realized when I talked over one
hundred of them that there were two reasons women were
coming to cannabis.
Speaker 16 (38:47):
So the first is women are.
Speaker 13 (38:49):
Smart, right shocker.
Speaker 18 (38:52):
We see the same opportunity that everybody else sees in cannabis,
and part of that for us means we can create
the company and be the CEO, be the founder. We
don't have to be the senior vice president of something.
And all these dudes are promoted above us. So that's
the first opportunity, and then the second opportunity for women
is they get to create products that fit into their lifestyle.
(39:14):
You know, we're not necessarily interested in the tallest bong, ever,
builts or the most thc So you can just sit
on a couch for three days and not do anything, Like,
We've got shit to do in our lives and our
communities and our families. So who better than women to
create products for other women?
Speaker 16 (39:35):
And that's what we're seeing.
Speaker 18 (39:36):
We have women in East Coast and California who helped
draft the legislation that those states got to vote on
in twenty sixteen.
Speaker 11 (39:46):
You're gonna ask, because you said women from ten states,
how many states are actually legalized to have cannabis.
Speaker 16 (39:53):
Where are these women coming from?
Speaker 11 (39:55):
Are they coming from states where it's still under wraps
and they don't really I know, you know, when it's
going to be legalized.
Speaker 18 (40:03):
Well, we filmed in twenty sixteen, and so part of
what we were doing was following some of these key elections,
So we actually filmed on election night in Massachusetts and California.
Funny story, we actually had a different trajectory for the film.
We initially thought we were going to have the first
female president, women are leading the first billion dollar industry.
(40:23):
Sky's the limit, girl power, go get it right, And
so on election night everyone went yay cannabis, and then
the country.
Speaker 13 (40:31):
Fell off a cliff, so.
Speaker 16 (40:33):
People were crying.
Speaker 18 (40:36):
We couldn't use that footage like That's no, you can't
end a movie on a down note like that, right,
So we went back to the drawing board and we
realized that it really came down to these three core
values that we talk about in the film. So that's
gender parity, social justice, and environmental sustainability. And that became
the structure for how we put almost chapters together in
(40:59):
the film to kind of lead the audience on this journey.
Speaker 16 (41:03):
And with that, I had to become an on camera narraider.
Speaker 18 (41:06):
So I needed to guide the audience on this journey,
and that meant I needed to get really authentic and
vulnerable about my family's history of addiction and how that
had kept me from ever trying cannabis. So I started
out as a skeptic, and sorry to give away some
of the ending, but you actually see me try cannabis
(41:29):
for the first time ever, and that's the end.
Speaker 13 (41:31):
Of the movie and.
Speaker 16 (41:32):
It's not been a gateway to skid row. It appears
I'm still here.
Speaker 18 (41:37):
I've not moved on to harder drugs like hopefully I'm
a testament to new Gateway drug.
Speaker 10 (41:43):
Yeah, you look alert.
Speaker 6 (41:45):
I think it's apropos that you quoted Jeena Davis because
you have her gorgeous eyes. I beg your resembler a
little bit.
Speaker 16 (41:51):
Thank you.
Speaker 18 (41:51):
I really appreciate that compliment. I'm just not going to
drive off a cliff tonight.
Speaker 6 (41:55):
I ah, and this evening, I believe you're getting ready
for a meet and greet before the screening, and you
have a wonderful sponsor for the meet and greet this evening.
Speaker 16 (42:05):
Our sponsor tonight is Elemental Woman.
Speaker 3 (42:07):
And is that Karen?
Speaker 16 (42:08):
Can do you want to come in and tell us, Oh,
I got pinned last night.
Speaker 15 (42:13):
I'm officially a puffer, Joshua, Thank you so much.
Speaker 16 (42:17):
Yes, yes, So.
Speaker 15 (42:19):
Elementa is a national women's cannabis conversation with over twenty
five chapters.
Speaker 6 (42:24):
Now fantastic. Well, I have to say we need more
filmmakers like Wendy and people like you who support those filmmakers,
because I think what Wendy's going to prove is that
you're producing content that says something doesn't just make noise.
And I think you're going to show that that's also
entertaining and marketable right at the same time.
Speaker 18 (42:44):
Absolutely, and I really, I really appreciate that. You know,
we're an indie film, so we fundraise, we did distribution,
like all of that is on us, right and so
word of mouth marketing is so important.
Speaker 16 (42:58):
You guys are the mouths.
Speaker 18 (43:02):
So if you like this conversation about women leaning cannabis,
please tell your friends, please support the film. We're atmryjane'sfilm
dot com and at Mary Jane's film on Facebook, Twitter,
and Instagram. So we're on this grassroots screening tour right now.
So check out our website and see for coming to
a town near you.
Speaker 6 (43:23):
This is the type of content that Greenbee Life likes
the distribute and bring to discerning audiences. I can't wait
to see in the movie the effect it has on
you when you took that first puff.
Speaker 16 (43:35):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 18 (43:37):
Please come join the film tonight and we'll see you
on social media.
Speaker 16 (43:40):
Thanks.
Speaker 13 (43:42):
You should care.
Speaker 15 (43:42):
Because it's going to bridge a gap between cannabis commerce
and the community.
Speaker 6 (43:48):
This is industry that was born of a movement, but.
Speaker 19 (43:50):
With that not surprised when it comes responsibility and accountability.
Speaker 14 (43:54):
Like any other industry, the greatest harm that's associated with
marijuana is actually the prohibition of marijuana laws that have
been created around it.
Speaker 15 (44:02):
We're having legitimate conversations about the failure of the War
on drugs.
Speaker 5 (44:06):
It is the door that you take your foot and
you bust it down.
Speaker 13 (44:10):
So we're a movement, an industry and consumers that are.
Speaker 7 (44:12):
All working together.
Speaker 10 (44:13):
I realized I wasn't just starting a business. I was
like joining a revolution.
Speaker 5 (44:18):
We got the power.
Speaker 17 (44:22):
I believe walking the walk is the most powerful thing
I can do.
Speaker 7 (44:27):
I feel like I have more questions now the way
I started.
Speaker 6 (44:51):
Brilliant filmmaker. Oh gosh, that is a powerful, powerful film
and it just shows the faces of women in cannabis.
Three core values. Wendy talked about gender parity, social justice,
and environmental sustainability. So take that schedule one, Boloney phony, Boloney, crazy,
(45:16):
warn drug stuff anyway. You can stream Mary Jane's The
Women of Weed on multiple platforms, including Canopy Now. Cannoby
is accessible through many public and university library systems. It's
also available to run or buy. I strongly recommend buying it.
You're gonna want to share it, You're going to want
to watch it attracts time. We'll see how this industry
(45:39):
grows and evolves. You can render buy it on Amazon,
Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Voodoo, and even to
b where you can watch it for free with ads.
I highly highly recommend checking it out. It's an eye
opening film that's as educational as it is entertaining, and
it's empowering. Okay, like subscribe Wendy. Wendy continues to produce
(46:03):
some amazing content and live events for thought leaders that entertain, empower,
and engage their audiences to create global change. She has
a purpose driven mission. Her films have screened at Sundance
the United Nations. They've garnered best Documentary and Visionary awards
(46:25):
on festival circuits. In fact, she won the Best Documentary
at the first ever Cannabis Film Festival that I attended.
And she's been featured in variety of The Associated Pressed,
The New York Times, Washington POS, Forbes, ABC, and even
our very own NBC, to name just a few. Hey,
if you want to get in touch with Wendy, she's
(46:47):
at Wendyborman dot com, Wendyborman dot com, wyn Dy b
orm An dot com, and Wendy, if you're out there,
I look forward to having you on our show. I
really look forward to having her on our show. So
(47:08):
I'm going to pivot now to today's consumer tips and insights.
I want to talk about one of the most impactful
ways we could all support gender equity in cannabis with
our dollars, with our wallets. When you choose to support
women owned and gender equity focused brands, you're doing more
than making a purchase. You're investing. You're investing in an
(47:31):
industry that reflects the values of inclusion, wellness, and empowerment.
Your values. So how can you tell if a cannabis
brand is walking the talk. Well, here's a few tips.
Do a little research. Look for brands that are transparent
about their leadership teams and company values. Many will probably
(47:53):
list their founders and highlight their equity commitments right on
their websites or their packaging. Check for certificates our partnerships.
Certifications are partnerships.
Speaker 10 (48:03):
You know some brands.
Speaker 6 (48:04):
They participate in social equity programs. There are members of
organizations like Supernova Women, Supernova, Women Women Grow or the
National Cannabis Industry Association's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. That's
the ncia's Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee. So or if
(48:27):
they're certified by BIPOK or women focused Business Networks. Ask
at your local dispensary. Don't be afraid to ask your
bud tender which products are made by women or equity
driven companies or women led companies. The more customers ask,
(48:48):
the more retailers pay attention. Follow and share support isn't
just financial. Following these brands on social media, sharing their
content and leaving reviews, it helps amplify their visibility, especially
in a space still dominated by the larger players. Vote
(49:09):
with your wallet. If you have a choice between two
brands and one is women or BIPOP owned, consider choosing
the one that reinvests in equity and community. That's how
we change the industry from the ground up. Guys, from
the ground up. So, whether you're shopping for wellness, for
fine or for pain relief like myself, know that your
(49:30):
choices matter, and when you support equity minded brands, you're
helping grow an industry that's more fair, more diverse, and
more reflective of all of us right, and sometimes the
most powerful insights don't just come from the panelists, but
from the people listening, learning and inspired to take action.
(49:52):
After the UCLA Candiclub panel wrapped, I have the chance
to speak with two audience members who were so deep
moved by what they heard, and one of our GBL
TV hosts was able to catch them on their way out.
I want to share a clip with you. They reflected
on the importance of supporting women led and equity focused
(50:14):
brands and how the conversation reshaped their understanding of cannabis.
It's not just a product, but a platform for change.
But I have a feeling they already kind of understood
that before they went in, So let's have let's have
a look and a listen.
Speaker 11 (50:31):
Hey guys, I'm Emily an Please from greenbe Life, the
host of Buzzcasts, and we're here at UCLA at a
wonderful panel of women in cannabis, and I have two
amazing women here who are destigmatizing the plant one step
at a time. I've got Chella and I've got Kimberly,
who wants to go first. So Shella, tell me a
(50:53):
little bit about your news show that you do with
your husband, and a little bit about your feature that
you guys are working on.
Speaker 20 (51:01):
So Dave and I do a news chat show from
our place in Mount Washington called Reefer Revolution Live on
Sunday afternoons at four twenty. We do Yeah, we do
blunt commentary on cannabis news and the politics of pot.
We do actions and things that you can do to
health the stigmatize the plant.
Speaker 9 (51:21):
Nice. Nice.
Speaker 11 (51:22):
Now, can really tell me a little bit about what
your company does?
Speaker 19 (51:25):
Okay? I actually I set up for the people with
the license who want to be manufactured the oil.
Speaker 13 (51:35):
This is to the oil.
Speaker 19 (51:36):
So we know the technique, we got the knowledge, we
get the mussinine. We set up for them from A
to Z and you know, run it and make the oil.
Speaker 15 (51:45):
Nice.
Speaker 11 (51:45):
So you're basically, for lack of a better word, a
consulting company on how how oil and the proper way
to manufacture cannabis.
Speaker 19 (51:56):
Yes, from the trim until you got the real oil,
the golden oil come out.
Speaker 11 (52:01):
Yes, awesome, Awesome. Now, what is the biggest obstacle that
you think women today facing cannabis as coming from media,
is coming from manufacturing. What is the biggest obstacle that
you think we as women face. There's so many obstacles
that we face outside of the cannabis industry. But within
the cannabis industry, what do you think patriarchy?
Speaker 13 (52:23):
It's the same thing everywhere.
Speaker 6 (52:24):
It's patriarchy.
Speaker 4 (52:25):
It is.
Speaker 20 (52:26):
Yeah, so we have to deconstruct patriarchy.
Speaker 6 (52:28):
But it's a female plant. So why not.
Speaker 11 (52:30):
It is a female plant. We're a nurturing spirit. We're
nurturing sex, just like the plant. We're a nurturing plant. Right.
Speaker 19 (52:37):
I think we should talk with women to invoid this
industry more because first because this needed a lot of time.
And I've been studying school for the whole year and
I've been like internship there and then you know, like
for the whole year, I've just met three women. Wow,
(52:58):
and the thing because this of time. And then woman,
we've got family children, do you know that thing?
Speaker 11 (53:07):
But hey, why can't the man do that role? Yeah,
let's switch roles a little.
Speaker 20 (53:13):
Yeah, the same in media, absolutely, women and minorities had
to sue in nineteen seventy seven to get into the
IATZI and women are still severely underrepresented in the crafts definitely,
And so now at the beginning of the cannabis industry.
I think it's important to press for equity within the
(53:33):
entire space.
Speaker 11 (53:34):
Definitely, definitely, And what do you think is one way
that both men and women need to what's the first
step that we need to take in order to work
together rather than butting heads. You know, we say the
patriarchy is a bit against us, but they're also going
to be the ones that's going to be helping us
get up there, because sadly, most of the men in
this country are the ones who have the money that
(53:56):
are investing into these companies.
Speaker 6 (53:57):
Money.
Speaker 20 (53:58):
It's the money money, money talks. Spend spend where you
want to see your dollars being spent. So seek out
dispensaries that.
Speaker 13 (54:06):
Talking to you.
Speaker 11 (54:07):
We're talking to you investors in capitals.
Speaker 20 (54:09):
And everyday consumers. Spend your money the right way. Look
where where follow the money, find female dispensaries. Fight use
the products that are made by female companies or at
least equity based companies. You know, it doesn't have to be,
you know, all women all the time, but that would
(54:31):
never actually be the case because women only own about
twenty five twenty six percent of the companies anyway, So.
Speaker 11 (54:36):
We need to see that percentage go up. Kimberly, you
run your own company, so that's amazing that you know,
you're the head of a company.
Speaker 19 (54:43):
I'm so happy to be here today because I would
see from the UCA made from usc from all the
canvas we had the roof of the woman like today,
we're getting there.
Speaker 16 (54:53):
We believe it.
Speaker 19 (54:54):
We're getting there in the next cup year, you know,
And I'm so happy that women to invoid.
Speaker 6 (54:59):
We need to get some REX.
Speaker 11 (55:00):
Back, I know, seriously, because as much as you're going
to respect a woman, you got to respect the female plant.
Speaker 13 (55:08):
That's what cannabis is.
Speaker 11 (55:10):
Well, thank you so much for everything that you guys
are doing in the cannabis space, in the community, for
your company. Now, for people who want to get in
touch with you guys, where can they go to?
Speaker 20 (55:20):
They should go to a refer Revolution live on YouTube
and all the socials.
Speaker 13 (55:24):
Awesome check them out.
Speaker 11 (55:25):
And for Kimberly, where can they get in touch for
your with your company?
Speaker 19 (55:28):
Oh, I have the phone number and like, do you
know maybe later.
Speaker 11 (55:34):
Okay, we'll make sure we get that information you If
you want to get in touch with Kimberly, just let
us know what Greenbee Life awesome with women empowerment.
Speaker 13 (55:43):
We got this ladies.
Speaker 10 (55:49):
Awesome.
Speaker 6 (55:52):
Ah, They're just fantastic, fantastic. Yeah, we just have to
uh stick together, do this together. We can. I always
say we can fail individually or we can succeed collectively.
And that's women with women and women with men, men
(56:14):
with men, men with women. That's it just got to
all work together. So as we continue to spotlight the evolving,
it's evolving role of women in cannabis, it's important to
take a look at where we stand legally when it
comes to gender equity in the space and where the
law is still falling short. While some states have implemented
(56:38):
social equity programs aimed at supporting women and bipoc entrepreneurs,
progress is it's inconsistent. In California, for example, several municipalities
have launched equity licensing initiatives, but many of those programs
facing delays, funding gaps, and limited access to capital. At
(56:58):
the federal level, cannabis remains illegal, which that just further
restricts access to banking and business resources, especially for marginalized groups.
Advocates are continuing to push for policies that prioritize equitable
access to licenses, grants, and education, and while some progress
(57:20):
has been made, there's no sweeping legislation to report at
the state or federal level that specifically protects or promotes
women in cannabis. Instead, we've seen a patchwork of well
intentioned programs, some helpful, others not so much, underfunded, delayed,
(57:41):
are not designed with women's unique challenges in mind. Here
in California, we've made some strides the California Cannabis Equity
Act that established funding and support for communities disproportionately impacted
by the War on Drugs and Assembly Bill one one
that passed in twenty twenty one. They created the Department
(58:02):
of Cannabis Control and included a new Deputy Director of
Equity and Inclusion to integrate equity efforts across state programs.
Cities like Los Angeles have extended deadlines for social equity applicants,
aiming to give more time and access to qualified individuals,
many of them women people of color, to enter the
(58:24):
legal market. But despite these efforts, gender specific barriers persist.
Most equity programs don't directly address the lack of access
to capital for women entrepreneurs, and they often overlook the
need for mentorship, child care support, or the financial literacy
tools women need to move from passion to profitability. You know,
(58:47):
recent studies show that women now hold about thirty proofs
about thirty seven percent of senior level positions at cannabis.
That's down from earlier highs and still fall are from
true parity, and for women of color, the numbers are
even more stark. You know, Advocates are calling for solutions
(59:08):
like decriminalizing cannabis at the federal level to unlock banking
access for women led businesses, conducting cannabis equity assessments to
evaluate the impact of current programs, offering tailored business support
for women in LGBTQ plus founders, and mandating diversity and
inclusion training across the entire ecosystem. Organizations that deserve a
(59:33):
shout out and to be supported, like the Minority Cannabis
Business Association and Oaksterdam University are doing the grass roots
work providing education, advocacy, and technical support where policy still
lags behind the bottom line, Good intentions aren't enough. If
we want a truly equitable cannabis industry, we need legalization
(59:55):
and programs that are not just inclusive in theory, but
in design, in funding and in execution. So if you
want a support a change, pay attention to local policy meetings,
equity program updates, and consider supp
The FM K two ninety three c F Burrito.
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The truth you can't handle, the true.
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Radio, the station that leaves no ranter behind nine O
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Speaker 6 (01:36):
Welcome to Just Saying No where we shine a light
on cannabis with clarity, curiosity, and a commitment to credible conversation.
I'm your host, Maria Calibreys, and you're listening live on
KCA Radio ten fifty AM, one O six point five FM,
or wherever you get your podcasts. Today's episode is part
(01:57):
one of a two part series exploring the evolving role
of women in cannabis, a topic near and dear to
my heart and so essential, so layered that I felt
that deserved more than just one show. We'll be drawing
from one of the earliest and most insightful panels held
just after adult legalization in California, a conversation led by Mahahuck,
(02:23):
who was co founder of UCLA Canna Club, the very
first student led organization in the country. Now, this discussion
was recorded during the early days of legalization in California.
It featured powerful voices who helped shape this industry from
the ground up and who are still pushing for the respect, equity,
(02:46):
and inclusion women deserve. And part one we'll explore the
personal side of the story what it was like to
work in cannabis as a woman before legalization. Now, back
in twenty fifteen, before California officially legalized cannabis for adult use,
the industry was being hailed as a once in a
(03:07):
generation opportunity for women to lead a multi billion dollar movement.
Women made up over a third of cannabis executives, outpacing
the national average. But fast forward today and the numbers
tell us a more complicated story, one of progress but setbacks, reinvention, resilience,
(03:33):
and because while women have made undeniable strides, we're still
navigating real challenges from lack of access to capital and
under representation and leadership to outdated stereotypes, harassment and being
tokenized into equity conversations. You know, women continue to face
barriers to licensing, exclusion from insider networks, and a shortage
(03:57):
of mentorship pipelines, especially in science, tech and cultivation. Now
let me be clear, please, this isn't about male bashing.
Women need men and men need women. Although Gloria Steinem
used to say women need men like a fish need
(04:18):
a bicycle, But I disagree. I disagree. We need allies, collaborators,
co creators, because when women rise, we lift communities, families,
and industries. Or, as I like to repeat the famous
saying Ginger Rogers did everything Fredisterre did right, except backwards
(04:43):
and in high heels. So today We're giving space to
the stories the two often go unheard, and shining a
spotlight on the voices that are leading this industry forward
with both strength and grace, which by the way, can coexist.
That's that where the real power lies, combining strength and grace.
(05:06):
We're going to talk about how far we've come, what
still needs to change, and how stigma lingers not only
in society but even in our family conversations. Later in
the show, i'll spotlight the award winning documentary Mary Janes
The Women of Weed, share practical consumer tips on how
to support equity driven cannabis brands, and feature a special
(05:29):
GBLTV Quickit video celebrating the feminine power of the plant herself. Plus,
I'll share key legal updates, and finally, we'll hear from
panel audience members sharing their reactions and thoughts to this
important conversation. Remember be sure to join me next week
(05:50):
for Part two, where we'll take the conversation further into
the systemic issues of gender and racial equity, Why representation
in cannabis science and some research is critical for women,
and how we can build an industry that truly reflects
the values of inclusion, wellness and justice. So whether you're
(06:12):
can of curious and advocate of patient, a policymaker, just
someone who wants they here's smart conversations with some of
the boldest women in the industry. This one's for you.
So sit back, relax, and let's get smarter together with
some of the smartest and strongest minds in the industry.
Speaker 8 (06:37):
By twenty twenty, Bank of America and Merrill Lynch estimate
that will grow to thirty five billion dollars, and many
experts believe it could eventually reach two hundred billion dollars
each and every year.
Speaker 9 (07:08):
I can see so much fun young mo loser, you loser.
Speaker 5 (07:24):
I'm a butterfly who is going to be gone.
Speaker 10 (07:27):
Taking me a while to get it.
Speaker 6 (07:30):
Had to live and.
Speaker 5 (07:30):
Cry to appreciate life and what you give his words.
When you're holding me here, when you hold me so close,
someone further and under your skin, I want to leave
a MiG so that I can be sure that you
remember what man.
Speaker 6 (07:50):
Before we dive into today's discussion on women in cannabis,
I want to take a moment to highlight one of
the most inspiring grassroots efforts to normalized cannabis education and
empower the next generation of leaders in the space.
Speaker 11 (08:05):
You know.
Speaker 6 (08:06):
Back in the early days of California legalization, a group
of forward thinking students at UCLA came together to launch Cannaclub,
the first student led cannabis organization in the country. Their
mission to educate fellow students about the real career opportunities
emerging in the cannabis industry, from science and research to business, law, advocacy,
(08:32):
and public health. They wanted a destigmatized cannabis by replacing
myths with information and help students have informed, meaningful conversations,
even the tough ones, with their families and future employers.
Speaker 11 (08:48):
You know.
Speaker 6 (08:48):
At the helm of this groundbreaking initiative was Mahahuk who
brought together a dynamic group of panelists who we're going
to hear from todaycluting Ophelia Chung. Now, Ophelia is the
founder of pot stock Images. Yep, we have pot stock images.
(09:09):
And why is this important? Well, because Ophelia has worked
to dismantle the one dimensional and often harmful portrayals of
women in cannabis culture, pushing for authentic, diverse representation. Think back,
I'll tell you why this isn't important. Do you remember
the days of green crosses on the storefronts and the
(09:30):
bikini clad women on Venice Beach waving people into doctors'
offices to get their medical cards. Women were often used
as props, hypersexualized, gimmicky representations meant to attract male customers.
What else is new? So cannabis is no different than
many other brands. But let's stick with cannabis so important
(09:54):
to destigmatize it and crush these stereotypes and to represent
it properly. So because the these images, they reinforced the
idea that cannabis was a party drug, not a plant
with medical, therapeutic or any cultural value, and certainly not
a space for professional women. By launching potstock images, Ophelia
(10:17):
created a much needed alternative, a stock photo library featuring
real people of diverse backgrounds, ages, body types, and identities.
Her goal was to give media marketers a way to
portray cannabis users authentically, not through outdated or objectifying stereotypes.
(10:38):
It serves no one. And then we'll be hearing from
doctor Brandy Cross, who's also on the panel. Doctor Cross
is the founder of the pot Lab. She's going to
speak to the urgent need for more women, especially women
of color, in stem and cannabinoid science and cannabis research.
(11:00):
She'll speak more in depth of that and part two
of next week's episode, but we'll be hearing from her
today and Felicia Carba Hall Now. Felicia is a longtime
community organizer and founder of High Felicia. Felicia grounds the
conversation in the lived reality of the War on drugs
and what criminalization meant for women before legalization, And of
(11:24):
course our moderator Mahahuck, who after founding the UCLA Canic Club,
she has gone on to become a respected independent consultant
for retailers, consumption lounges, brands, and events. Maha has led
successful projects with multi state operators and high profile cannabis companies.
(11:44):
She currently sits on the boards of the Los Angeles
chapters of Normal and the Cannabis Chamber of Commerce, and
teaches cannabis science at Oakster Dam University in Oakland, California. Now,
each one of these panelists is shaping the narrative of
what women in weed really look like, reflecting on the
(12:05):
role of women in cannabis and how far we've come
in creating respectable, meaningful roles for women in dispensaries and beyond.
So let's have a look and a listen. One of
your major goals and objectives for this evening's panel, what
(12:28):
you would love to see happened?
Speaker 10 (12:31):
Oh wow, a lot.
Speaker 12 (12:33):
Really, my major goal for the student group was to
highlight women, and now we're finally doing it. So this
is a goal in the making, happening right now. But
what I want is other girls to feel more empowered,
student females to be more empowered about this whole industry,
about these women and someone to look up to.
Speaker 6 (12:50):
And these women are great, great contributors, very inspirational, very empowering,
and it all begins with education. And you are doing
beyond your part to spark the conversation.
Speaker 13 (13:02):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 12 (13:03):
I really hope it does start some conversations, some dialogues
within the students. I anticipate it will, and that's the goal.
Speaker 6 (13:10):
It's the start conversation change in a better world. All right, Thanks, Well,
we look forward to talking to you after the panel.
Speaker 12 (13:18):
Of course, I am so very honored to introduce y'all
to three amazing individuals. We've got Ophelia Chang, doctor Brandy Cross,
and Felicia Carbajal. So yeah, so, without further Ado. I
(13:42):
want to talk about my first experience walking into a
dispensary fresh out of high school, got my medical card,
I go to this kind of swanky, sketchy looking dispensary.
I walk in, I'm greeted by two very nice, nice girls,
but scantily clad. You know, no judgment on what they're wearing,
(14:05):
but they were wearing the exact same thing, and they
looked visibly uncomfortable, so you know, kind of made me think,
should I go back to my high school weed dealer
or should I, you know, stay in this dispensary and
get something. There was a manager that popped up.
Speaker 13 (14:21):
And rather telling.
Speaker 12 (14:23):
The girls to fix around the dispensary, like the buds
and stuff, he was telling them to fix their clothes
and show more cleavage. So that gate that left a
bad taste in my mouth and prompted me to work
at a dispensary and maybe change things, because all these
dispensaries were just female butttenders, and that was the perception
(14:45):
of women five six years ago in the canvas industry.
When I first started, that's all we could do was
be butttenders. And since then, you know, it's evolved, thankfully,
but not completely.
Speaker 13 (14:59):
So my r for any of y'all. Anyone can chime in.
Speaker 12 (15:02):
How has the cannabis industry evolved from the time you
guys started, and how was it for women back then?
Speaker 7 (15:11):
So I think maybe because I might have the oldest
experience with this plant and the relationship, maybe I'll start
nineteen ninety five, the Bay Area, Oakland, Berkeley, San Francisco
in terms of how was it, I mean, the first
thing when you were explaining your story, I always like,
(15:32):
I haven't shared this, but I've been going dealing with
a lot of like just trauma just surrounding the War
on drugs, and like how I'm processing all this stuff.
So I'm like, oh shit, I should share with you
guys one of my experiences. So nineteen ninety six, I
don't know, I'm twenty years old. I get picked up
at Oakland International Airport with somebody with a gun. So,
(15:55):
you know, for me, like.
Speaker 10 (15:56):
My experience has always been this.
Speaker 7 (16:01):
Interesting one because that's my first experience as a young person.
And then you know, as I was an adult, I
got to work with doctor Allen Frankel. I got to
see medicine, so I got to get c CBD before
it became hip chic whatever we're calling it now in
terms of it being everywhere, and Whole Foods is getting
(16:22):
ready to have it. So, I mean, I've seen just
the a very colorful experience with this plant. So my
first story is always just interesting when I think about
all of the experience I've had. But in nineteen ninety five,
I was sitting at a friend's apartment. They threw a
big sack of weed down and asked me if I
(16:43):
would take it into the city because I was headed
into the city, and I said yes, And so I
mean that.
Speaker 10 (16:51):
Is my experience.
Speaker 7 (16:52):
So for me, it's always been this interesting one in
terms of how do we get people access, how do
we share information, how do we create this y change,
how do we break down these institutions that we currently have.
Speaker 14 (17:06):
So I'm actually one of the children that grew up
on pot. I was one of the miners that was
able to convince my parents to get a prescription for
me in nineteen ninety six.
Speaker 10 (17:21):
I was a high performing student. I was in AP.
Speaker 14 (17:23):
Biology, AP law, AP English, but I never went to
school and I got straight a's because I just showed
up for the tests. Once I started smoking cannabis, I
started making my way in the world. I started community
college in nineteen ninety five. Who I'm dating myself and
I was sixteen.
Speaker 10 (17:43):
I know right, we already did.
Speaker 14 (17:46):
And I'm living proof that cannabis does not make children stupid,
it does not slow development because I went straight from
there to kel State Northridge on a scholarship through the
Department of Defense in science. I got my bachelor's degree
from season, working on actually the endocannabinoids system under doctor Cohen.
Speaker 7 (18:06):
There.
Speaker 14 (18:06):
I got my master's degree there and I went to
Johns Hopkins School in Medicine five years after working in
pharmaceutical industry here at UCLA and even a startup that
now I'm collaborating with here at UCLA.
Speaker 10 (18:21):
Cannabis enhanced my life. It gave me direction.
Speaker 14 (18:25):
And back when I was leaving for Hopkins, I didn't
know I was going to be a pioneer in Baltimore.
I didn't know I was going to be doing something different.
When I left, I was all hype. I was like,
I got into my top school. I've got to John's
Hopkins Medical School.
Speaker 10 (18:39):
I like told everybody in Panorama City.
Speaker 14 (18:40):
Everybody knew all the way to van Ey's probably all
the way here, I was screaming, and I was one
of two season's students, or actually two students from Los Angeles,
and we both went to SEASID. It was weird that
got in that year. When I moved to Baltimore, I
didn't realize I wouldn't.
Speaker 10 (18:58):
Have access to medicine.
Speaker 14 (18:59):
I know, stupid, like, whoops, I forgot something, So I
drove across two pounds.
Speaker 10 (19:05):
I don't think they can convict me for that anymore
right now.
Speaker 14 (19:08):
And soon I started finding myself going up to you know,
the outskirts of New York, newar Canada and getting pounds
for myself, but also starting to toy around with things.
Speaker 10 (19:19):
And actually the Potlab was.
Speaker 14 (19:21):
Like established like ten years ago now, just to medicate myself.
I was going down trips to Jamaica with my really
hot girlfriend at the time and learning how to make
medicine from indigenous people, indigenous black people who brought the
seed from Africa to that land and still keep their
strains there.
Speaker 10 (19:38):
It was powerful.
Speaker 14 (19:39):
I learned how to make bud rum, and I learned
that that's not actually psychoactive because it's full of THHCA,
And there goes my thesis. So when I graduated and
had this underground pot club in my apartment for like
three years, and the best Hopkins edibles you could get
was that cannabis was probably a vegetable. So I started
(20:00):
the pot lab officially to study the natural rock chemicals
in cannabis and have plants and hopefully establish nutritional guidelines
for rock cannabinoids. So it's changed a lot. Now I
see people getting into this industry like money signs in
their eyes, when it used to be people with tears
(20:23):
in their eyes saying this is all it works for me.
I will die without this, like people like me who
cried at night with pain without it, people who needed
access to this other thing. And I think without stepping
up and preserving those boundaries and those limits around at
least medical cannabis, we're gon we're gonna lose the health
(20:46):
benefits forever.
Speaker 12 (20:47):
How is it being a woman in the cannabis industry
from the time you started, and a little background on
what you do too.
Speaker 15 (20:55):
My name is Affilia Trump and I'm not related to
so as a woman, I'm speaking from the point as
being a mother, right, So I became a mother who
was like, what the hell are you doing to.
Speaker 16 (21:12):
The apples there's holes.
Speaker 15 (21:13):
In them, to like, this is the best thing ever.
And so another part of that too, both my daughter
and I are both sober. She doesn't partake anymore at
all right now because she's still early in a process,
but I have not had alcohol.
Speaker 16 (21:29):
In fifteen years.
Speaker 15 (21:30):
So actually being in cannabis.
Speaker 16 (21:32):
Was a really big think if.
Speaker 15 (21:35):
I'm not tempted anymore by Margarita. So being in cannabis
was a big decision for me, and it was because
my sister was dying and so I needed to change
what cannabis looked like. So I started the largest stock
agency in the world that especialized in cannabis, were in Adobe.
So as a woman, I started because I was a
mother who was against it, to a mother who was
for it, to a sister who insulted her sister for
(22:00):
using cannabis. And that's why I'm here. So as being
a woman, that's why I'm here. So I went through
all these stages.
Speaker 12 (22:06):
Nice well to kind of piggyback off that Ophelia. You
advocate for cannabis education through your group Asian Americans for
Cannabis Education. So some of us, some of us students
were kind of scared to talk about even being part
of this group, and you know, we're scared of what
(22:26):
our parents will think. As a mother, how do you
bring cannabis advocacy in your own home? How do we
introduce our parents our families to accept that we are
either involved in the cannabis industry or medicate with cannabis
or just use it recreationally. And especially as an Asian
American myself, I had that struggle with my family and
(22:49):
they kind of had their reservations, but you know, I
sat them down. I'm an only child. I'm like, hey,
you got to listen to me. This stuff is cool
and it also helps. Yeah, it also helps. You know,
I've got I've got a single parent mom. She she
works in cancer, so she was very open to learning
more about cannabis on a medical level. But what what
(23:11):
advice do you have for some of the students How
we can talk about cannabis with our parents.
Speaker 15 (23:16):
Pretty easy for Asian Americans. About money, most of the
Asian Americans are ancillary. We produce all your vapes, your packaging,
your boxes, your paper, hangtags, everything, So we're heavily invested
in ancillary and so that's how you talk about it,
(23:37):
So just talk about it and talk about it in
monetary terms, about what you can do so research advocacy
and bring more of the other facets of cannabis into
it other than what they think it is awesome.
Speaker 12 (23:51):
So I want to loud back to the to the
story I told you guys in the beginning, just seeing
spots with just female only but tenders and just seeing
females being disrespected in the cannabs space in general. So
how how are some ways we can address the issues
that many young women are dealing with and have dealt
(24:14):
with in the past when it comes to.
Speaker 13 (24:16):
Working in the cannabis industry.
Speaker 12 (24:17):
Because there's still illegal dispensary operators out there that are
still just hiring females and giving them a certain uniform
that they might not be comfortable with. So this is
still going on. You can go on weed maps and
find these dispensaries because like they're still.
Speaker 13 (24:35):
They're still running. You know, they're not They're not all
shut down.
Speaker 12 (24:37):
What advice do any of y'all have for these young
women and for even women like me who have experienced
this but who are just getting out and finally working
more corporate but still experiencing the same type of dynamic
from men that we are below.
Speaker 13 (24:56):
Them in some way just because we're female.
Speaker 10 (24:59):
What you'll have call them out?
Speaker 15 (25:05):
Yeah, god damn, it happened before.
Speaker 14 (25:16):
Other people will tell you to shut up, just talk louder.
I mean, I've had other black.
Speaker 10 (25:20):
People in the industry tell me, don't call.
Speaker 13 (25:22):
That person racist, and I'm like, but they called me
the N words.
Speaker 14 (25:25):
So yes, we're gonna screenshot this and everyone's gonna see it.
Speaker 10 (25:28):
So you know, people.
Speaker 14 (25:29):
Will tell you there's no future, like they'll threaten you,
but just like shake it off, get your brothers.
Speaker 12 (25:35):
Like, harassment and assault is still very prevalent, and it's
something that I hear from other girls like, Hey, I'm
working at a dispensary this and this happen.
Speaker 13 (25:45):
How do I address it?
Speaker 12 (25:46):
And a lot of these girls they don't They don't
have access to like an HR department or anything.
Speaker 7 (25:50):
They need to. They need to remember there's there's supposed
to be a labor peace agreement, So number one, if
you're going to work in a shop that's not regulated, don't. Yeah,
there's no point, like, there's no future in any of that,
even if they pay you well, Like what happens if
there's a raid.
Speaker 10 (26:06):
Nobody gives a shit.
Speaker 7 (26:07):
You're gonna be the one dealing with the consequences surrounding that.
Speaker 10 (26:11):
So that's like my first thing is like, don't work
in a shop that's illegal.
Speaker 7 (26:16):
And when I say, like, tell like sometimes you probably
should reach out to the union.
Speaker 13 (26:21):
It's not just telling the workplace.
Speaker 7 (26:24):
There are other people that everybody you work with are
held accountable to.
Speaker 10 (26:28):
We haven't been able to.
Speaker 7 (26:29):
I mean I would say, like, message the Board of
Cannabis Control, but I can guarantee you in the city
of Los Angeles, if you were to email cat Backer
and tell her something like this, because she regulates everybody
who's licensed, something will happen.
Speaker 10 (26:44):
Something will happen.
Speaker 13 (26:45):
Well like that.
Speaker 12 (26:46):
That's something we could definitely start with. Is not supporting
companies that are just not put like just not respecting women.
That's definitely a step that we could take.
Speaker 13 (26:56):
And thank you guys so much.
Speaker 12 (26:58):
Thank you everyone for showing I'm not for supporting. It's
been a wild ride with this cannabis student group. This
is something I've always wanted to do. I'm so glad
you guys are all a part of it. And thank
you so much to these amazing panelists, Alicia, doctor Brandy, Ophelia.
Speaker 13 (27:17):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 6 (27:20):
Maha huck, Oh my god, what an amazing that was
the most empowering panel.
Speaker 13 (27:27):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 6 (27:30):
How long did it take you to get a prestigious
university UCLA to agree to having a canic.
Speaker 12 (27:37):
Club About a year And that's pretty long for students
because students graduate, and I'm about to graduate soon, so
I needed to make this happen right before I graduated.
Speaker 13 (27:48):
So it happened.
Speaker 6 (27:49):
And was this a dream of yours for more than
a year?
Speaker 12 (27:52):
Definitely, Back in community college, I try to make a
panel like this happen, and this was three years ago
and I finally got to do it.
Speaker 13 (28:00):
So three years in the making.
Speaker 6 (28:01):
Wow, there was three years of resistance. And when you
say a panel like this, tell viewers a little bit
about the panel that people were not boards of universities
were not permitting.
Speaker 12 (28:13):
Women in cannabis panel. That's really what it is, just
women in cannabis.
Speaker 6 (28:17):
And some of the esteemed panelists you had.
Speaker 12 (28:20):
Felicia Carbahal from California cannabis advocates, doctor Brandy Cross from
Smart Farm Research Group.
Speaker 6 (28:26):
And Push Magazine. She's an entrepreneur. She created stop pod images.
Speaker 12 (28:34):
So we try to cover all different sectors of cannabis
with this panel, not only on a physical diversity diversity level,
but also with their careers, just to kind of showcase
students what else is out there for them.
Speaker 6 (28:47):
It's a multifaceted plant. It ranges from careers in law
of policy, to rules to regulations, to science to research
to medicine.
Speaker 12 (28:57):
Definitely, and that's what a lot of these students are
wonder about where they can fit into the cannabis industry,
and hopefully this panel gave some insight on that for
not just a female students, but all of the students
who came through.
Speaker 6 (29:09):
Well, it was well attended and by both genders. Kudos
to the students.
Speaker 13 (29:13):
Oh yeah, definitely.
Speaker 12 (29:14):
It was all the support from the Canna Club student members.
Couldn't have made this happen if we didn't have such
a large student membership. I'm very happy that this is
all coming together and we're all doing this together.
Speaker 6 (29:25):
We were talking about media and that's something that why
we were just thrilled that you invited us to cover
it and the way that marijuana and cannabis has been
represented it and even still is represented the smoke coming
out of the back of the van. There's an audience
for that, there's a lot, but the audience is so
(29:45):
much larger.
Speaker 12 (29:47):
Yeah, No, things are definitely changing now. Social media, YouTube,
all these video platforms like they need to start putting
on better content for cannabis.
Speaker 13 (29:57):
And that's what you guys do.
Speaker 6 (29:59):
Oh thank thank you, thank you.
Speaker 9 (30:01):
Well.
Speaker 6 (30:01):
You provide the forum and you put the panel together
and organize. It's going to take education, it's going to
take organization, and it's going to take outreach. And outreach
is limited because the audience that's not being talked to
is also the audience that's a little scared to be
chatting about it on social media. We have to provide
content to inspire and empower conversation, and then we have
(30:24):
to find distribution that's brave and not looking for shock value.
The numbers will be there. If you build it, they
will come definitely.
Speaker 12 (30:32):
That's what we're trying to do at Canna Club and
with your guys's help at Greenbee Life, that's how we're
achieving it.
Speaker 6 (30:38):
Well, it's not a plant to be marginalized. It was misrepresented.
It was it was it was persecuted and it just
there's so much and there's such a need for research
so that we can There is data out there too.
The National Health Institute has a Common Implementary Medicine area
(31:01):
that has data. But how to get the data to
the patients, to the doctors, to the hospital.
Speaker 12 (31:07):
Educate, educate, educate, educate, talk about it, open up a
dialogue and bring on some professionals, healthcare professionals, researchers who
are actually researching on this very content. Students need to
be more exposed, not to students everyone else, they just
need to be more exposed. And that's just something we're
(31:27):
trying to do here and you are trying.
Speaker 13 (31:29):
To do the same as well.
Speaker 12 (31:31):
And with combined efforts we can get we can get
further than we are now.
Speaker 6 (31:36):
And you are helping that to go along. So describing
today in a word, what would you say?
Speaker 13 (31:45):
Beautiful?
Speaker 10 (31:46):
Beautiful, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 6 (31:56):
And that's only part one. It's a powerful, powerful, powerful
pam to hear firsthand what it meant to be a
woman in cannabis before the industry started to gain legitimacy,
and how even now there's still work to do from
fighting for dignity and dispensary jobs to navigating family conversations.
(32:19):
These stories are more than anecdotes, they're road maps for
the next generation. This is what breaking the grass ceiling
really looks like. It's not just about leadership titles, which
are nice, but it's about reclaiming our place and reshaping
how this industry sees, hears, and values women. Which leads
(32:46):
me to this week's product spotlight. Speaking of women and
Mary Jane's and Mary Jane Moguls, I want to highlight
a documentary in this week's Product Spotlight that truly captures
the spirit of today's discussion. Mary jates The Women of Weed.
(33:08):
If you haven't seen it, you need to put it
on your list. It is a must see. It's an
empowering film. It was directed by Wendy Boorman Now. She
profiles a dynamic group of female entrepreneurs affectionately called puff Rajets,
who are reshaping the cannabis industry. Featuring influential voices like
(33:33):
Melissa Etheridge, the documentary explores how women are not only
participating in the space, but they're leading transformational change. I
have the good fortune to attend the film's world premiere
at the first ever Cannabis Film Festival in Palm Spring Springs,
and it cannot be overstated how well done and important
(33:56):
this documentary is. When we come back from a quick brick,
I'd like to share an exclusive greenby Life interview with
the film's writer, director, and producer, my favorite Mary Jane
mogul Well one of them, Wendy Boorman, that I promise
you are not going to want to miss.
Speaker 5 (34:19):
Did you know TC and CBD are just two of
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Speaker 4 (34:25):
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From a diverse group of on air personalities.
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Where we cover everything from pets, it's wellness, compliance, social equity, culinary.
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go for carefully curated, high quality products for a conscious lifestyle.
Speaker 10 (35:06):
Watch learn shop green Bee Life, Changing the way the world.
Speaker 13 (35:14):
He's green.
Speaker 6 (35:21):
Welcome back. You're listening to Just Say No on KCAA
Radio ten fifty am one O six point five FM.
I'm your host, Maria Calabres, and today we're discussing the
evolving role of women in cannabis that is rife with
as many challenges as possibilities. Up next is my exclusive
interview with Wendy Boorman one of my all time favorite
(35:44):
puffer jets, Mary Jane Moguls, producer, writer, director of the
award winning documentary Mary Jans The Women of Weed. All right,
let's have a look.
Speaker 18 (35:58):
Cannabis is the intersection of a couple of core values.
So it's social justice, sustainability and gender parity.
Speaker 11 (36:10):
Hey, guys, Emily please act here from Greenbee Life alongside
Maria Calabrese and our wonderful guest Wendy Borman, who is
a wonderful filmmaker here that we're gonna be able to
see her film tonight here at the first ever Cannabis
Film Festival here in Palm Springs.
Speaker 6 (36:27):
Yeah, so, Windy, tell us a little about the puff
frigette movement.
Speaker 18 (36:31):
There's lots of cute terms out there, I mean, like
Mary Jane's and Women of Weed and Gonja Girls and
all of these different things.
Speaker 16 (36:38):
But I just didn't feel like anything did their work justice.
Speaker 18 (36:42):
So we decided to make up a word. So we
blended pot plus suffragette and we created puffrigette strong.
Speaker 16 (36:53):
Thank you, and we have an image to go along
with that. So that's the that's the puffrigette tattoo.
Speaker 18 (36:58):
Yes, yes, yes, these are temporary tattoos, so everybody can
get one who comes to the screen.
Speaker 6 (37:03):
AG that's nice enough to have as a permanent Can
you give us a little sneak peak of some of
the women covered in the movie.
Speaker 18 (37:10):
Well, the fabulous problem I had is there are so
many women in cannabis today and it was a difficult
task to try to narrow it down. So what I
tried to do was create a really great cross section
of all the types.
Speaker 16 (37:23):
Of women involved in the industry.
Speaker 18 (37:25):
So you looked at ages, ethnicities, sexual orientation, geographical distribution,
what segment of the industry.
Speaker 16 (37:32):
So we have forty women.
Speaker 18 (37:34):
Represented in the film from ten different states, and I
felt that as a filmmaker, you know, we have a
social responsibility to show that it's possible for women to
come into the space. So Gina Davis says, if you
can see it, you can be it, and I.
Speaker 16 (37:50):
Took that to heart.
Speaker 18 (37:51):
So some of the amazing women we have in the
film include Wanda James, the first African American dispensary owner
and actually the entire us. Betty Aldworth, she's the executive
director for Students for Sensible Drug Policy.
Speaker 6 (38:04):
There's many Mary Jane mobiles out there that the exciting
thing about the end of prohibition is no glass sailing,
and it looks like women are rising to the.
Speaker 18 (38:14):
Top, definitely, And that's actually what got me interested in cannabis.
I was not a cannabis user when I decided to
do a film about women in the cannabis industry. So
what peaked my interest was hearing that thirty six percent
of senior leadership in the cannabis industry was women, and
the national average is twenty two percent. So back in
(38:35):
twenty fifteen, there was something about cannabis that was attracting
more women. And I realized when I talked over one
hundred of them that there were two reasons women were
coming to cannabis.
Speaker 16 (38:47):
So the first is women are.
Speaker 13 (38:49):
Smart, right shocker.
Speaker 18 (38:52):
We see the same opportunity that everybody else sees in cannabis,
and part of that for us means we can create
the company and be the CEO, be the founder. We
don't have to be the senior vice president of something.
And all these dudes are promoted above us. So that's
the first opportunity, and then the second opportunity for women
is they get to create products that fit into their lifestyle.
(39:14):
You know, we're not necessarily interested in the tallest bong, ever,
builts or the most thc So you can just sit
on a couch for three days and not do anything, Like,
We've got shit to do in our lives and our
communities and our families. So who better than women to
create products for other women?
Speaker 16 (39:35):
And that's what we're seeing.
Speaker 18 (39:36):
We have women in East Coast and California who helped
draft the legislation that those states got to vote on
in twenty sixteen.
Speaker 11 (39:46):
You're gonna ask, because you said women from ten states,
how many states are actually legalized to have cannabis.
Speaker 16 (39:53):
Where are these women coming from?
Speaker 11 (39:55):
Are they coming from states where it's still under wraps
and they don't really I know, you know, when it's
going to be legalized.
Speaker 18 (40:03):
Well, we filmed in twenty sixteen, and so part of
what we were doing was following some of these key elections,
So we actually filmed on election night in Massachusetts and California.
Funny story, we actually had a different trajectory for the film.
We initially thought we were going to have the first
female president, women are leading the first billion dollar industry.
(40:23):
Sky's the limit, girl power, go get it right, And
so on election night everyone went yay cannabis, and then
the country.
Speaker 13 (40:31):
Fell off a cliff, so.
Speaker 16 (40:33):
People were crying.
Speaker 18 (40:36):
We couldn't use that footage like That's no, you can't
end a movie on a down note like that, right,
So we went back to the drawing board and we
realized that it really came down to these three core
values that we talk about in the film. So that's
gender parity, social justice, and environmental sustainability. And that became
the structure for how we put almost chapters together in
(40:59):
the film to kind of lead the audience on this journey.
Speaker 16 (41:03):
And with that, I had to become an on camera narraider.
Speaker 18 (41:06):
So I needed to guide the audience on this journey,
and that meant I needed to get really authentic and
vulnerable about my family's history of addiction and how that
had kept me from ever trying cannabis. So I started
out as a skeptic, and sorry to give away some
of the ending, but you actually see me try cannabis
(41:29):
for the first time ever, and that's the end.
Speaker 13 (41:31):
Of the movie and.
Speaker 16 (41:32):
It's not been a gateway to skid row. It appears
I'm still here.
Speaker 18 (41:37):
I've not moved on to harder drugs like hopefully I'm
a testament to new Gateway drug.
Speaker 10 (41:43):
Yeah, you look alert.
Speaker 6 (41:45):
I think it's apropos that you quoted Jeena Davis because
you have her gorgeous eyes. I beg your resembler a
little bit.
Speaker 16 (41:51):
Thank you.
Speaker 18 (41:51):
I really appreciate that compliment. I'm just not going to
drive off a cliff tonight.
Speaker 6 (41:55):
I ah, and this evening, I believe you're getting ready
for a meet and greet before the screening, and you
have a wonderful sponsor for the meet and greet this evening.
Speaker 16 (42:05):
Our sponsor tonight is Elemental Woman.
Speaker 3 (42:07):
And is that Karen?
Speaker 16 (42:08):
Can do you want to come in and tell us, Oh,
I got pinned last night.
Speaker 15 (42:13):
I'm officially a puffer, Joshua, Thank you so much.
Speaker 16 (42:17):
Yes, yes, So.
Speaker 15 (42:19):
Elementa is a national women's cannabis conversation with over twenty
five chapters.
Speaker 6 (42:24):
Now fantastic. Well, I have to say we need more
filmmakers like Wendy and people like you who support those filmmakers,
because I think what Wendy's going to prove is that
you're producing content that says something doesn't just make noise.
And I think you're going to show that that's also
entertaining and marketable right at the same time.
Speaker 18 (42:44):
Absolutely, and I really, I really appreciate that. You know,
we're an indie film, so we fundraise, we did distribution,
like all of that is on us, right and so
word of mouth marketing is so important.
Speaker 16 (42:58):
You guys are the mouths.
Speaker 18 (43:02):
So if you like this conversation about women leaning cannabis,
please tell your friends, please support the film. We're atmryjane'sfilm
dot com and at Mary Jane's film on Facebook, Twitter,
and Instagram. So we're on this grassroots screening tour right now.
So check out our website and see for coming to
a town near you.
Speaker 6 (43:23):
This is the type of content that Greenbee Life likes
the distribute and bring to discerning audiences. I can't wait
to see in the movie the effect it has on
you when you took that first puff.
Speaker 16 (43:35):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 18 (43:37):
Please come join the film tonight and we'll see you
on social media.
Speaker 16 (43:40):
Thanks.
Speaker 13 (43:42):
You should care.
Speaker 15 (43:42):
Because it's going to bridge a gap between cannabis commerce
and the community.
Speaker 6 (43:48):
This is industry that was born of a movement, but.
Speaker 19 (43:50):
With that not surprised when it comes responsibility and accountability.
Speaker 14 (43:54):
Like any other industry, the greatest harm that's associated with
marijuana is actually the prohibition of marijuana laws that have
been created around it.
Speaker 15 (44:02):
We're having legitimate conversations about the failure of the War
on drugs.
Speaker 5 (44:06):
It is the door that you take your foot and
you bust it down.
Speaker 13 (44:10):
So we're a movement, an industry and consumers that are.
Speaker 7 (44:12):
All working together.
Speaker 10 (44:13):
I realized I wasn't just starting a business. I was
like joining a revolution.
Speaker 5 (44:18):
We got the power.
Speaker 17 (44:22):
I believe walking the walk is the most powerful thing
I can do.
Speaker 7 (44:27):
I feel like I have more questions now the way
I started.
Speaker 6 (44:51):
Brilliant filmmaker. Oh gosh, that is a powerful, powerful film
and it just shows the faces of women in cannabis.
Three core values. Wendy talked about gender parity, social justice,
and environmental sustainability. So take that schedule one, Boloney phony, Boloney, crazy,
(45:16):
warn drug stuff anyway. You can stream Mary Jane's The
Women of Weed on multiple platforms, including Canopy Now. Cannoby
is accessible through many public and university library systems. It's
also available to run or buy. I strongly recommend buying it.
You're gonna want to share it, You're going to want
to watch it attracts time. We'll see how this industry
(45:39):
grows and evolves. You can render buy it on Amazon,
Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Voodoo, and even to
b where you can watch it for free with ads.
I highly highly recommend checking it out. It's an eye
opening film that's as educational as it is entertaining, and
it's empowering. Okay, like subscribe Wendy. Wendy continues to produce
(46:03):
some amazing content and live events for thought leaders that entertain, empower,
and engage their audiences to create global change. She has
a purpose driven mission. Her films have screened at Sundance
the United Nations. They've garnered best Documentary and Visionary awards
(46:25):
on festival circuits. In fact, she won the Best Documentary
at the first ever Cannabis Film Festival that I attended.
And she's been featured in variety of The Associated Pressed,
The New York Times, Washington POS, Forbes, ABC, and even
our very own NBC, to name just a few. Hey,
if you want to get in touch with Wendy, she's
(46:47):
at Wendyborman dot com, Wendyborman dot com, wyn Dy b
orm An dot com, and Wendy, if you're out there,
I look forward to having you on our show. I
really look forward to having her on our show. So
(47:08):
I'm going to pivot now to today's consumer tips and insights.
I want to talk about one of the most impactful
ways we could all support gender equity in cannabis with
our dollars, with our wallets. When you choose to support
women owned and gender equity focused brands, you're doing more
than making a purchase. You're investing. You're investing in an
(47:31):
industry that reflects the values of inclusion, wellness, and empowerment.
Your values. So how can you tell if a cannabis
brand is walking the talk. Well, here's a few tips.
Do a little research. Look for brands that are transparent
about their leadership teams and company values. Many will probably
(47:53):
list their founders and highlight their equity commitments right on
their websites or their packaging. Check for certificates our partnerships.
Certifications are partnerships.
Speaker 10 (48:03):
You know some brands.
Speaker 6 (48:04):
They participate in social equity programs. There are members of
organizations like Supernova Women, Supernova, Women Women Grow or the
National Cannabis Industry Association's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. That's
the ncia's Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee. So or if
(48:27):
they're certified by BIPOK or women focused Business Networks. Ask
at your local dispensary. Don't be afraid to ask your
bud tender which products are made by women or equity
driven companies or women led companies. The more customers ask,
(48:48):
the more retailers pay attention. Follow and share support isn't
just financial. Following these brands on social media, sharing their
content and leaving reviews, it helps amplify their visibility, especially
in a space still dominated by the larger players. Vote
(49:09):
with your wallet. If you have a choice between two
brands and one is women or BIPOP owned, consider choosing
the one that reinvests in equity and community. That's how
we change the industry from the ground up. Guys, from
the ground up. So, whether you're shopping for wellness, for
fine or for pain relief like myself, know that your
(49:30):
choices matter, and when you support equity minded brands, you're
helping grow an industry that's more fair, more diverse, and
more reflective of all of us right, and sometimes the
most powerful insights don't just come from the panelists, but
from the people listening, learning and inspired to take action.
(49:52):
After the UCLA Candiclub panel wrapped, I have the chance
to speak with two audience members who were so deep
moved by what they heard, and one of our GBL
TV hosts was able to catch them on their way out.
I want to share a clip with you. They reflected
on the importance of supporting women led and equity focused
(50:14):
brands and how the conversation reshaped their understanding of cannabis.
It's not just a product, but a platform for change.
But I have a feeling they already kind of understood
that before they went in, So let's have let's have
a look and a listen.
Speaker 11 (50:31):
Hey guys, I'm Emily an Please from greenbe Life, the
host of Buzzcasts, and we're here at UCLA at a
wonderful panel of women in cannabis, and I have two
amazing women here who are destigmatizing the plant one step
at a time. I've got Chella and I've got Kimberly,
who wants to go first. So Shella, tell me a
(50:53):
little bit about your news show that you do with
your husband, and a little bit about your feature that
you guys are working on.
Speaker 20 (51:01):
So Dave and I do a news chat show from
our place in Mount Washington called Reefer Revolution Live on
Sunday afternoons at four twenty. We do Yeah, we do
blunt commentary on cannabis news and the politics of pot.
We do actions and things that you can do to
health the stigmatize the plant.
Speaker 9 (51:21):
Nice. Nice.
Speaker 11 (51:22):
Now, can really tell me a little bit about what
your company does?
Speaker 19 (51:25):
Okay? I actually I set up for the people with
the license who want to be manufactured the oil.
Speaker 13 (51:35):
This is to the oil.
Speaker 19 (51:36):
So we know the technique, we got the knowledge, we
get the mussinine. We set up for them from A
to Z and you know, run it and make the oil.
Speaker 15 (51:45):
Nice.
Speaker 11 (51:45):
So you're basically, for lack of a better word, a
consulting company on how how oil and the proper way
to manufacture cannabis.
Speaker 19 (51:56):
Yes, from the trim until you got the real oil,
the golden oil come out.
Speaker 11 (52:01):
Yes, awesome, Awesome. Now, what is the biggest obstacle that
you think women today facing cannabis as coming from media,
is coming from manufacturing. What is the biggest obstacle that
you think we as women face. There's so many obstacles
that we face outside of the cannabis industry. But within
the cannabis industry, what do you think patriarchy?
Speaker 13 (52:23):
It's the same thing everywhere.
Speaker 6 (52:24):
It's patriarchy.
Speaker 4 (52:25):
It is.
Speaker 20 (52:26):
Yeah, so we have to deconstruct patriarchy.
Speaker 6 (52:28):
But it's a female plant. So why not.
Speaker 11 (52:30):
It is a female plant. We're a nurturing spirit. We're
nurturing sex, just like the plant. We're a nurturing plant. Right.
Speaker 19 (52:37):
I think we should talk with women to invoid this
industry more because first because this needed a lot of time.
And I've been studying school for the whole year and
I've been like internship there and then you know, like
for the whole year, I've just met three women. Wow,
(52:58):
and the thing because this of time. And then woman,
we've got family children, do you know that thing?
Speaker 11 (53:07):
But hey, why can't the man do that role? Yeah,
let's switch roles a little.
Speaker 20 (53:13):
Yeah, the same in media, absolutely, women and minorities had
to sue in nineteen seventy seven to get into the
IATZI and women are still severely underrepresented in the crafts definitely,
And so now at the beginning of the cannabis industry.
I think it's important to press for equity within the
(53:33):
entire space.
Speaker 11 (53:34):
Definitely, definitely, And what do you think is one way
that both men and women need to what's the first
step that we need to take in order to work
together rather than butting heads. You know, we say the
patriarchy is a bit against us, but they're also going
to be the ones that's going to be helping us
get up there, because sadly, most of the men in
this country are the ones who have the money that
(53:56):
are investing into these companies.
Speaker 6 (53:57):
Money.
Speaker 20 (53:58):
It's the money money, money talks. Spend spend where you
want to see your dollars being spent. So seek out
dispensaries that.
Speaker 13 (54:06):
Talking to you.
Speaker 11 (54:07):
We're talking to you investors in capitals.
Speaker 20 (54:09):
And everyday consumers. Spend your money the right way. Look
where where follow the money, find female dispensaries. Fight use
the products that are made by female companies or at
least equity based companies. You know, it doesn't have to be,
you know, all women all the time, but that would
(54:31):
never actually be the case because women only own about
twenty five twenty six percent of the companies anyway, So.
Speaker 11 (54:36):
We need to see that percentage go up. Kimberly, you
run your own company, so that's amazing that you know,
you're the head of a company.
Speaker 19 (54:43):
I'm so happy to be here today because I would
see from the UCA made from usc from all the
canvas we had the roof of the woman like today,
we're getting there.
Speaker 16 (54:53):
We believe it.
Speaker 19 (54:54):
We're getting there in the next cup year, you know,
And I'm so happy that women to invoid.
Speaker 6 (54:59):
We need to get some REX.
Speaker 11 (55:00):
Back, I know, seriously, because as much as you're going
to respect a woman, you got to respect the female plant.
Speaker 13 (55:08):
That's what cannabis is.
Speaker 11 (55:10):
Well, thank you so much for everything that you guys
are doing in the cannabis space, in the community, for
your company. Now, for people who want to get in
touch with you guys, where can they go to?
Speaker 20 (55:20):
They should go to a refer Revolution live on YouTube
and all the socials.
Speaker 13 (55:24):
Awesome check them out.
Speaker 11 (55:25):
And for Kimberly, where can they get in touch for
your with your company?
Speaker 19 (55:28):
Oh, I have the phone number and like, do you
know maybe later.
Speaker 11 (55:34):
Okay, we'll make sure we get that information you If
you want to get in touch with Kimberly, just let
us know what Greenbee Life awesome with women empowerment.
Speaker 13 (55:43):
We got this ladies.
Speaker 10 (55:49):
Awesome.
Speaker 6 (55:52):
Ah, They're just fantastic, fantastic. Yeah, we just have to
uh stick together, do this together. We can. I always
say we can fail individually or we can succeed collectively.
And that's women with women and women with men, men
(56:14):
with men, men with women. That's it just got to
all work together. So as we continue to spotlight the evolving,
it's evolving role of women in cannabis, it's important to
take a look at where we stand legally when it
comes to gender equity in the space and where the
law is still falling short. While some states have implemented
(56:38):
social equity programs aimed at supporting women and bipoc entrepreneurs,
progress is it's inconsistent. In California, for example, several municipalities
have launched equity licensing initiatives, but many of those programs
facing delays, funding gaps, and limited access to capital. At
(56:58):
the federal level, cannabis remains illegal, which that just further
restricts access to banking and business resources, especially for marginalized groups.
Advocates are continuing to push for policies that prioritize equitable
access to licenses, grants, and education, and while some progress
(57:20):
has been made, there's no sweeping legislation to report at
the state or federal level that specifically protects or promotes
women in cannabis. Instead, we've seen a patchwork of well
intentioned programs, some helpful, others not so much, underfunded, delayed,
(57:41):
are not designed with women's unique challenges in mind. Here
in California, we've made some strides the California Cannabis Equity
Act that established funding and support for communities disproportionately impacted
by the War on Drugs and Assembly Bill one one
that passed in twenty twenty one. They created the Department
(58:02):
of Cannabis Control and included a new Deputy Director of
Equity and Inclusion to integrate equity efforts across state programs.
Cities like Los Angeles have extended deadlines for social equity applicants,
aiming to give more time and access to qualified individuals,
many of them women people of color, to enter the
(58:24):
legal market. But despite these efforts, gender specific barriers persist.
Most equity programs don't directly address the lack of access
to capital for women entrepreneurs, and they often overlook the
need for mentorship, child care support, or the financial literacy
tools women need to move from passion to profitability. You know,
(58:47):
recent studies show that women now hold about thirty proofs
about thirty seven percent of senior level positions at cannabis.
That's down from earlier highs and still fall are from
true parity, and for women of color, the numbers are
even more stark. You know, Advocates are calling for solutions
(59:08):
like decriminalizing cannabis at the federal level to unlock banking
access for women led businesses, conducting cannabis equity assessments to
evaluate the impact of current programs, offering tailored business support
for women in LGBTQ plus founders, and mandating diversity and
inclusion training across the entire ecosystem. Organizations that deserve a
(59:33):
shout out and to be supported, like the Minority Cannabis
Business Association and Oaksterdam University are doing the grass roots
work providing education, advocacy, and technical support where policy still
lags behind the bottom line, Good intentions aren't enough. If
we want a truly equitable cannabis industry, we need legalization
(59:55):
and programs that are not just inclusive in theory, but
in design, in funding and in execution. So if you
want a support a change, pay attention to local policy meetings,
equity program updates, and consider supp
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