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Women of Influence: Angela Pih Is Walking the Walk

September 18, 2023 Published by

One of Angela Pih’s favorite aspects of the cannabis industry is its velocity. What she’s referring to is the “incredibly exciting” speed of bringing new products to market within months. With extensive experience across retail, consumer packaged goods and cannabis, Pih is head of marketing for StateHouse Holdings, a vertically integrated California-based cannabis enterprise. From the moment she engages you in conversation, it’s quite evident the woman knows what she’s talking about.

One industry trajectory Pih isn’t a fan of is the dramatic decrease in the number of women in the C-Suite holding leadership positions. Over the last year, she says, many women have either been pushed out or simply burned out. 

“Everybody’s struggling right now,” Pih says, naming the challenges of over-taxation and overregulation as particularly responsible for the woeful decline in women executives. “As companies become leaner, many women are trying to weather the storm.” 

With fewer women in leadership roles, Pih is eager to support other women and nurture the next generation of female executives and leaders in cannabis.  “What are we doing to cultivate that level of expertise so that they can sustain the challenges and growth within this industry?” Pih asks. “We all talk about it, but are we doing anything about it? Actions speak louder than words.”

Pih says she feels lucky when it comes to her own experience as a leader, as she’s been widely respected and supported. However, she acknowledges that if women aren’t in the founder role or in the CEO’s office, it can be “very challenging for women to keep within the decision-making roles of a company.”

For other women wanting to move into cannabis, Pih says it’s important to be confident and to know your worth.

“People get very excited about joining a cannabis company because it’s exciting and they allow themselves to accept roles that are maybe below what their expertise is—and maybe below the kind of compensation they should have,” Pih says. “Historically, women aren’t as good at negotiating as men, especially when it comes to their salary compensation. I always say to women to know what they’re worth. You’re going to bring something to the table and it’s important to stand up for that.”

Legacy growers and small farmers play an important role at StateHouse Holdings. Pih spearheaded an initiative that ensures shelf space for small craft sungrown farmers in StateHouse-owned dispensaries, including history-making Urbn Leaf West Hollywood—the first adult-use dispensary to open in Los Angeles’ fabled Sunset Strip.

“There are fewer and fewer legacy farmers and craft growers because they’ve been unable to operate,” says Pih, who reveals she wants to “support these farmers, preserve their expertise and preserve strain diversity during these very early stages of our industry’s development.”

Pih is also determined to band together for a unified cannabis industry. She says she sees it as a requirement for more favorable taxation laws. “We’re not able to do anything about it as individual companies; we have to come together as an industry, regain trust for one another and find ways to be effective as a collective.” 

As the proverb says, unity is strength. Exactly.

This story was originally published in issue 48 of the print edition of Cannabis Now. Read it now on the Cannabis Now iTunes app.

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Women & Weed: A Story as Old as Time

September 11, 2023 Published by

While Bob Dylan’s 1964 release of “The Times They Are A Changin’” became an anthem among frustrated youth, many of whom would go on to call themselves “hippies,” the lyrics ring ever true today. Some six decades later, our society is facing different challenges, different battles. But despite the hard times, progress has been made. Cannabis is becoming ever more normalized—not just for flower children or gangsters or those high school surfing stoners whose name might as well be Spicoli (Google it, kids). No, the culture has evolved and continues to look different with each passing day. And this couldn’t be more true when it comes to the presence of women in cannabis.

Cannabis culture and the legalizing industry springing up from it (or alongside it, depending on whom you ask) is often touted as one that’s male-dominated. On the surface, this is demonstrably true. Just walk into any smoke sesh, dispensary, conference or these days, a board room, and most of the faces you see are indeed male. 

Empirical analysis corroborates this. Take 2022’s Women in Cannabis Study which surveyed 1,500 women in the cannabis industry and found that only 11 percent of respondents “considered the industry equitable.” Furthermore, reporting in Marijuana Business Daily shows that women held 37 percent of executive roles in cannabis in 2019; by 2022, that number dropped to 23 percent (many states have legalized in that time, making the pool wider and larger). Yet, the same study shows that 78 percent of women currently working in the cannabis industry entered between 2014 and 2019. This is undoubtedly due to legalization. 

While smoking is generally considered in popular parlance to be a masculine activity, especially smoking intoxicants, that’s not the whole reason women have been historically sidelined in cannabis. As child-bearers, there were real and significant risks in being professionally involved with the plant—risks that were relieved only once legalization began accelerating beyond the medical realm.

Women & Weed: Who’s ready to run the world?

Change, particularly concerning gender parity, takes a long time to foment. Still, despite the clear challenges, it’s undeniable that women have come a long way in cannabis culture and the industry itself. Where once a woman’s domain was in a support role—keeping the home while the grower did his duties (which included sometimes going to jail for cultivating and selling); trimming; organizing caregiver networks; manning the dispensary counter; or occasionally taking up the grower reins herself, today she’s taking more managerial roles. That includes starting or becoming CEO of cannabis companies or pioneering ancillary avenues, such as public relations, advocacy, law, consulting or finance. More women growers are finally coming out of the shadows, too, revealing decades-long expertise they had to work hard to cultivate (pun entirely intended). 

On the consumer side, women are gaining more market share than ever. Statistics compiled by Flowhub, a cannabis tech company, report that from early 2020 to late 2021, cannabis sales to women customers increased by 55 percent. As for new customers, 48 percent were women in 2021. That’s a not insignificant ten percent increase from 2018 when the study first ran.

Today, as society and the law become more accepting, women who’ve been in the business for the long haul are finally getting recognized for their achievements, ushering cannabis into the future from its difficult past. There’s the Dank Duchess, a protégé of the legendary late hashishin Frenchy Cannoli and whose own work is already cemented in hash and cannabis lore. Brownie Mary risked it all to ensure that patients had access to her potent medicine, and she was instrumental in helping San Francisco’s Proposition P and California’s Proposition 215 pass. There’s anthropologist Margaret Mead, who gave an impassioned speech denigrating cannabis’ illegality in front of Congress in 1969; and, yes, even Hatshepsut, one of the few women pharaohs in ancient Egypt, who was said to use hemp to ease menstrual symptoms. 

See? Women and weed have been in the same sentence for as long as time has been recorded. We’ve always been here, now it’s our turn to burn a little bit more brightly. Who’s ready to run the world?

This story was originally published in issue 48 of the print edition of Cannabis Now. Read it now on the Cannabis Now iTunes app.

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Women of Influence: Laganja Estranja

September 6, 2023 Published by

Jay Jackson, who’s also known as Laganja Estranja, rose to fame as the undeniable breakout star on season six of the Emmy-winning RuPaul’s Drag Race. The world-renowned choreographer and artist is a fierce cannabis and LGBTQ+ advocate who champions diversity and representation for the cannabis industry’s queer community. Estranja came out as transgender in 2021 and says she’s using her platform to educate the industry.

“The reason we have medical marijuana is because of the queer community,” Estranja says. “I felt a lineage—like my ancestors called me to do this work.”

Estranja started using cannabis medicinally in high school to help unblock her creativity while working on a dance piece that would land her a spot on the prestigious list of US Presidential Scholars in the Arts, one of the highest honors a young artist can receive. “I couldn’t figure out a part of the choreography, so my friend suggested I try cannabis,” she says. “It allowed me to be more creative and freed my mind.”

Later, in college, an accident during dance rehearsal led her to see a chiropractor who suggested using cannabis for pain management. It was a pivotal moment in her affinity with the plant. “I realized then that this wasn’t only medicine; I could also use it recreationally or creatively,” she says. “That’s when I developed a much stronger relationship with cannabis and decided to create Laganja Estranja and spread that knowledge.”

While Estranja acknowledges gender bias in the industry has improved in the past decade, she also says she believes “sexism and misogyny are still very much alive in the cannabis industry” and that women must fight harder for equality.

She especially would like to see more sisterhood support among women in the business.
“A lot of times, women have to fight so hard to get into the industry that there’s not always camaraderie among us,” Estranja says. “As women, we’ve got to come together and support one another. When we’re in positions of power, hire other women.”

She offers sage advice for other women looking to enter the industry: “Do your research, be educated on the plant and be prepared to come with guns blazing. Ultimately, you must be brave—it takes a lot of bravery to be a cannabis activist—especially as a queer woman.”

This story was originally published in issue 48 of the print edition of Cannabis Now. Read it now on the Cannabis Now iTunes app.

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Tina Gordon

August 30, 2023 Published by

Tina Gordon is a cannabis cultivator, founder and owner of Moon Made Farms in Northern California’s Humboldt County. Once a drummer with various musical outfits in the San Francisco Bay Area and later a documentary filmmaker, Gordon moved to Humboldt in 2007, establishing herself on the 40-acre plot that would become Moon Made Farms. 

Specializing in sungrown organic cannabis that’s cultivated in alignment with the lunar calendar and regenerative cultivation methods, Moon Made Farms has won a reputation for pioneering an ecologically sustainable model for the cannabis industry. Gordon serves on the boards of the International Cannabis Farmers Association and Sun + Earth Certified, which has developed standards and a certification process for socially and ecologically responsible cannabis.

“The most powerful plant on the planet expresses itself in the female form. Cannabis is femininity embodied in a plant.” 

This story was originally published in issue 48 of the print edition of Cannabis Now. Read it now on the Cannabis Now iTunes app.

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Women of Influence: Kim Rivers

August 28, 2023 Published by

Arguably the most important woman in the cannabis industry, holding the position of chief executive officer at Florida-based cannabis behemoth Trulieve Cannabis Corp., a nationwide multi-state operator currently valued at $1.14B, Kim Rivers joined Trulieve at its inception and has since played a pivotal role in advancing the company’s customer-centric strategy, strong growth, strategic development and market-beating profitability. 

To assure quality, operational integrity and financial success, Rivers insists on supervising every step of the cannabis production process, from seed to sale. Before joining Trulieve, Rivers worked as an attorney in private practice specializing in mergers, acquisitions and securities for multi-million-dollar corporations. She’s also founded and operated numerous profitable enterprises, ranging from real estate to finance.

“Lean into your power, take your seat at the table and use your voice.” 

This story was originally published in issue 48 of the print edition of Cannabis Now. Read it now on the Cannabis Now iTunes app.

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Black Girl Magic Aims High

August 25, 2023 Published by

Josephine & Billie’s is the first dispensary in South Los Angeles focused on being made-for-and-run by women of color. The store is named in honor of entertainment legends Josephine Baker and Billie Holiday, two outspoken Black cannabis enthusiasts in the early 20th century. Baker and Holiday were ostracized for their use of cannabis and became unintentional advocates before their time. The celebrated performers used their respective talents to bend the rules and open the door for future rule-defying women.

Whitney Beatty and Ebony Andersen joined forces to open Josephine & Billie’s in 2021. Thoughtfully designed as a throwback, the dispensary is based on a teapad—the Black version of a speakeasy—where patrons smoked cannabis, drank and socialized in the 1920s and 1930s. The destination dispensary carries everything from tinctures to lotions to sex oils to flower and focuses on education, experience, inclusivity and community-building, with an eye for social justice and reform.

By creating safe spaces for cannabis education, Beatty and Andersen are encouraging women of color to let go of the stigma of cannabis. “We hear it all the time that they don’t feel comfortable, safe or heard,” Beatty says. 

The Directors Guild of America’s (DGA) award-winning reality television director and executive who’s now working in the cannabis space, Beatty advanced from an assistant all the way to a senior executive over the course of her dynamic 15-year career. Breaking boundaries is her jam.

Beatty wants to share her experiences and lessons learned with women of color who are also passionate about paving a path for future generations of women. “I never want to see someone have to work so hard to get to where I am,” she says. “If I can be a steppingstone—if they can take the lessons that I’ve learned and apply them and make their lives easier and be able to streamline their processes, any of
those things—that’s a win.

A calm force to be reckoned with, Andersen enjoyed a highly successful 17-year career as a land use specialist in Southern California, a position that gave her immense insight into how she could assist the newly legal cannabis industry. Andersen’s pivot from urban planner to cannabis consultant allowed her to manage several large-scale cannabis projects, including huge cultivation facilities, expansive manufacturing plants and Josephine and Billie’s dispensaries in four states. 

Andersen recounts times she faced discrimination as a woman in the workplace. “There was a lot of sexism,” she says. “But then I saw the blatant racism on top of it, right? It was rough. I call it career trauma. I had to learn as a woman, you literally have to take up space. You have to be assertive. You have to make your voice heard.” Andersen advises other women to live and work unapologetically—precisely like Josephine Baker and Billie Holiday did in their day. In fact, the very name of the dispensary harks back to the larger-than-life entertainers and role models.

Whitney Beatty and Ebony Andersen are building new inroads for LA’s 1.3 million residents who are women of color. 

The stage is set: It’s time for the show.  

This story was originally published in issue 48 of the print edition of Cannabis Now. Read it now on the Cannabis Now iTunes app.

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Jamie Pearson: Wonder Woman

August 21, 2023 Published by

Few leaders in the cannabis industry are as highly respected and influential as Jamie Pearson. Period. 

After spending more than three decades in global real estate investment, Pearson took a new direction, embarking on a career in cannabis—an industry she admits to not embracing when she was younger. Pearson spent seven years with Bhang Inc., one of the world’s most recognized edible brands and known for its gourmet chocolate bars. For three of those years, she led the company’s diverse executive team, managed the “expansion through licensing” plan, ran the capital markets division and became the face of the brand that was catapulted globally before she departed in 2022. 

Utilizing her extensive experience, Pearson recently founded the New Holland Group, a global consulting firm serving international cannabis clients with expertise in operations, brand licensing, strategic planning, effective capital raising, executive coaching, celebrity partnerships, M&A deal structuring and financial turnarounds. Most of her clients deal with international expansion or licensing. 

Pearson is widely known as a popular and engaging speaker at industry events. She implores industry leaders to share access, reject the plant’s stigma and promote cannabis and hemp as gateways to wellness for not only physical health, but also communities and the planet. 

Despite her late entry into cannabis, Pearson’s exposure to the plant began at an early age. Her father has been growing cannabis for well more than half a century in her home state of Montana. It took music producer DJ Muggs, founder of the legendary hip-hop group Cypress Hill—and her first cousin—to change Pearson’s trajectory. About a decade ago, Muggs, who had been investing in real estate with Pearson, asked her to help the band find a weed deal. 

“He was comfortable doing business with me, and it led to me finding Bhang, and Cypress Hill then did a deal with Bhang,” she says. “One thing led to another, and the company asked me if I’d stay on.” 

After Bhang went public in July 2019, the board asked Pearson to come in as the interim CEO where she ended up serving from October 2019 to August 2022. “The unique part of my story was that I was a high school and college athlete and played basketball and was more interested in sports and education and bought into the whole War on Drugs and wasn’t a fan of my dad growing and using cannabis,” Pearson says. “When I started working for Bhang, I realized how many desperate people there were in pain and who couldn’t sleep. They were using our products, and it was making them feel better. It was a big wake-up call for me that the stigma was just garbage.” 

Pearson says she started examining her belief system even though she grew up around cannabis and knew it made her dad feel better after Vietnam. “I witnessed that, and it was part of my life, but the stigma was so powerful,” she says. “My dad was a root, and I was a suit. I worked as a middle school English teacher and taught German at the University of Oregon and had all kinds of professional jobs before I became a real estate investor. I then used my real estate investing tools to become successful in cannabis.”

Before entering the industry, Pearson hadn’t tried cannabis. What she says is that alcohol is poison and that much of the younger generation is rejecting it in favor of plant medicine. “I became evangelistic about it, working two to three years in the industry,” Pearson says. “Originally when I bought into it, it was about curiosity and out of a desire to do something with Muggs. Now, I can’t imagine doing anything else.” 

Pearson worked for Bhang for seven years and thinks no one should read anything into her departure last year. She says she never contemplated being the CEO of a public company, and once she took on the role, there was no path for her to leave until she forged one. Pearson dispels any notion her exit was abrupt and says she gave the board notice long before it came out publicly and there was a plan for succession. 

“Being a CEO of a public company for three years was enough,” Pearson says. “I didn’t leave Bhang to start the New Holland Group. That wasn’t the plan. I wanted to take a break and travel with my kids, and I had people coming out of the woodwork asking me what I was doing now.” 

Pearson refers to her time with Bhang as a wonderful experience, emphasizing how lucky she was to reinvent herself and learn a new skill in her 50s—what she calls an MBA by fire. As she puts it, “it’s about being thrown in the deep end of the pool and either sinking or swimming.”  

Despite her best efforts to “take a break,” Pearson says people kept asking her to work on their projects, and she gained consulting clients because she was available. She now sees how successfully taking Bhang across seven state lines, nine European countries and into Canada has positioned herself as one of the industry’s most sought-after speakers and advisors. “I became a popular speaker because I was in the trenches at the deepest level,” Pearson says. “I wasn’t just running a public company, but a cannabis company and brand that was doing well everywhere we existed because the products were good.”

Pearson says women aren’t committing unforced errors in the cannabis industry any more than men do and admits women are held to a double standard.

“I don’t think women are out there making a lot of mistakes,” she says. “I think women are responsible for 85 percent of all of the purchasing decisions in the household. The fact that there aren’t enough women at the table is a mistake all companies are making. There should be more women in leadership and the C-suites. That also holds true for people of color. When you look at the statistics of who uses cannabis, there’s absolutely no difference between white people and people of color.”

According to Pearson, during her tenure, Bhang’s board and management team were diverse across race, gender and sexual orientations. She sought out conversations with people who didn’t look like her or think like her because, according to Pearson, getting better meant welcoming many different viewpoints. 

“What’s wrong with America today is that social media and algorithms are putting more of what you know, like and are comfortable with in front of your face and it’s this confirmation bias,” Pearson says. “We need less of that.”

Pearson says she has a far greater inclination to fund female-owned businesses because by looking at the statistics, women-founded businesses operate at a higher rate of profitability and are run more efficiently.

“Women need to know they have the skills to be out there and do big things. They just need to have confidence in themselves and trust they can go and actually do it because we don’t have a lot of role models,” Pearson says. “That was certainly true for me when I was running this company. I had run a much larger real estate company. I had more employees and managed much more money in dollar value in assets in my real estate business. I started from the ground up, and everything I wanted to do I was allowed to do. In cannabis, you can’t bank and go get lines of credit and buy ad words. There are so many things you can’t do that you have to learn guerilla marketing and find workarounds. The cannabis industry required a tremendous ability to problem solve and stay within the guardrails of what was compliant and allowed.”

While Pearson clearly has a strong, highly valuable skillset, she says her love and acceptance of all people is what makes her truly stand out. Holding a belief that the world is abundant, Pearson proudly calls herself “approachable.” 

“Maybe it’s because I’m from Montana, and we don’t have six degrees of separation,” she says.

When it comes to her legacy in the male-dominated cannabis industry, Pearson wants to be known for making the journey easier for every person she encounters. 

“When I meet somebody new, I always ask them, ‘What can I do for you?’” Pearson says. “If they answer with something I can do, I do it; and I think that’s another part of my legacy. If I tell you I’m going to do something, you can take that to the bank. I’ll always do it.”

Pearson says she’s fortunate to have the support and friendship of a strong group of women in the cannabis industry who have made her own journey easier because she felt heard and didn’t have to do it alone. “I’m giving them a shoutout and letting them know they’ve really made a difference in my life,” a deadly serious Pearson says. “For women reading my words right now, in the actual moments you want to isolate yourself because you’re genuinely struggling, those are the precise moments you really need
to reach out and get the support you need.” 

This story was originally published in issue 48 of the print edition of Cannabis Now. Read it now on the Cannabis Now iTunes app.

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Perfect to a Tee

August 16, 2023 Published by

Historically speaking, the golf course has been a place for men. After all, it’s an easy excuse for leaving a chaotic household or the office for half the day. Not many sports provide four hours of uninterrupted play where one can develop close connections with friends and business colleagues. One of the most mentally challenging games, golf tests one’s ability to think strategically and get out of challenging situations. 

Now, more women than ever are picking up the clubs and falling in love with the lifelong sport as they find peace on the course and embark on that endless search for the perfect swing. Female entrepreneurs are also realizing that playing a solid round of golf is a critical business tool to have in their back pocket. If you want to be successful in golf or in business, having a strong mental game is a must. 

Recognizing that business and golf go hand-in-hand, Lemonhaze Executive Golf Classics bring together C-Suite executives in the cannabis space, so the industry’s most influential people can build meaningful relationships and make significant deals. These events are open to men and women, but Lemonhaze wants to ensure women feel equally empowered as they tee up. Their inaugural Executive Women’s Golf Classic, which took place February 20 at the Indian Wells Golf Resort in Palm Springs, CA, did just that. More than 60 women from around the US took to the course, including representatives from companies such as Boveda, E1011 Labs, CannaCoverage and Buckeye Relief. 

who run the world Excitement was high at the first Lemonhaze Women’s Executive Golf Classic in Palm Springs, CA.

“Let’s all break that grass ceiling and set the standard for how business should be done,” says Lemonhaze COO Penny Cook, who hosted the event.

The tournament welcomed women of all golfing skill levels. Attendees could choose to spend the day taking lessons and playing games with a pro while networking; playing for the trophy in the four-person scramble; or participating in the scramble with the help of a pro, which would surely land your team a few birdies, or even an eagle. 

Sarah Falvo, who’s now spent six years in the cannabis industry, says her North Star has always been about uplifting women and providing them with the tools and resources to succeed, as well as facilitating connections that make sense. Falvo, who formerly ran the Women’s Inclusion Network at the Arcview Group, arrived in the California desert representing her own Ensemble Brands and showed up to deepen her community while strengthening existing ties in the cannabis industry. 

Lemonhaze Executive Golf Classics
Attendee lists are curated so that players can make valuable relationships and impactful business deals.

“Being with your [golf] foursome for that long really creates a space for deeper connections and conversations that are beyond the exchange of a handshake,” Falvo says. “I love the aspect of having some sort of activity because it gets people’s guards down and allows you to have fun; and when you have fun with someone, it creates a different kind of connection.”

The Lemonhaze Executive Women’s Golf Classic marked Falvo’s first time playing in a golf tournament with anyone other than friends. A low-pressure way to get acquainted with the sport, she says the event helped her feel more prepared and confident for when she does enter a co-ed tournament, going toe-to-toe with many of the male decision makers in cannabis. 

“Trying new things in a comfortable environment leads to women being able to feel OK being in those spaces alongside men, including on the golf course,” Falvo says. “I’m not the best golfer, so I appreciated trying it in a low-pressure environment with women who were understanding, and getting those one-on-one hours with women I didn’t know that well. It was a good primer to get me more interested in doing more golf events.”

The tournament welcomed women of all golfing skill levels.

Falvo, who has extensive experience helping female entrepreneurs raise money and coaches them on pitching their wares, says one of her biggest things she tells women in the cannabis industry is to ask for what they need: “Whether that’s money, help, a connection or guidance, just put yourself out there and ask.”

Lemonhaze Executive Golf Classics take place all over the US and are open to both male and female C-suite executives, VPs and Directors who are the leaders and decision makers from regional cannabis brands and MSOs. Attendee lists are curated so that players can make valuable relationships and impactful business deals. In the words of CEO Brian Yauger, “It’s a place where the industry can grow together.”

This story was originally published in issue 48 of the print edition of Cannabis Now. Read it now on the Cannabis Now iTunes app.

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The Pioneer

August 7, 2023 Published by

As one of the most profoundly accomplished female entrepreneurs in cannabis, Wanda James is simultaneously shattering the glass and grass ceilings. The founder and CEO of the Denver-based dispensary, Simply Pure, is blazing a trail for not only women of color, but for women in general. 

James is the first legally licensed African American dispensary owner in the US. She attributes that to her strong work ethic; a willingness to trust her intuition; a readiness to pivot when necessary; and the influence of her “remarkable” father, who raised James and her brother alone.

“My dad used to always tell me, ‘If you’re ever walking down the street and something tells you to turn left, but you need to keep going straight, follow your gut: Turn left,’” James says. “He always told me not to let someone talk you out of not feeling that instinct.” 

James learned to trust her gut and listen to her intuition—an ability that helped her form a strong sense of self and build a successful career as an adult. She says she never felt that growing up without a mother changed who she was or who she could become. Being part of a family without traditional gender roles helped form her expectations of the future: As she saw it, anything was possible. 

After graduating from the Naval ROTC program as the first Black female in 1986, James admits she didn’t understand the significance of many of her accomplishments until years later. She found discipline and structure within the military, something James admits she needed at the time. So, James didn’t realize that it was uncommon for her to be the only Black woman in ROTC, or the only female officer or one of very few Black executives in corporate America. She says she didn’t realize she was America’s first Black dispensary owner either. 

“I didn’t even know that until I think it was MSNBC that brought it up, because I didn’t know it was unusual,” she says. “The more I’m experiencing and looking back, I’m now saying, ‘Well, dang, I was the only woman. I was like, ‘Go me!’”

Her work as a Fortune 500 Executive, a small business owner and a leading advocate in the cannabis industry led James to work with government leaders including President Obama, Vice President Harris, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Rep. Barbara Lee and Colorado Governor Jared Polis. She says she focuses on social equity, justice and ending the War on Drugs. She ran for election to the University of Colorado Board of Regents representing District 1 and won in Colorado’s general election on November 8, 2022. With yet another achievement, James is a first-generation graduate of CU Boulder. Combined with the fact that there hasn’t been a Black woman on the Board of Regents since the 1980s, it’s another remarkable accolade in her career.

James admits that some of her life’s most significant decisions weren’t planned. 

“When the universe presents something to you in a moment—whatever that is—your ‘spidey’ senses, your gut, all of a sudden, it all comes together and it’s like, that’s what you’re doing,” she says. “And so, I wish I could tell you—even with everything with cannabis, even with going to college and joining the military—all of those decisions were things that the universe presented me with at a time when that wasn’t what I was looking for. But it all said, ‘Say yes.’”

Wanda James with Vice President Kamala Harris.

But the road hasn’t always been easy. James says it’s these tougher experiences—learning how to overcome hardships—that have provided her with many of the skills necessary to succeed. James made this clear while speaking to a political science class at CU Boulder. A student asked about her many career highlights, so she started running through her triumphs, but then, she suddenly stopped and said, “I need you to all understand that all of this happened because other things didn’t go right.”

Even in the competitive landscape that Denver dispensaries operate, she says her shop’s superpower is that they’ve remained small and have yet to take on any debt. Also, James says their ultimate success is because of the people behind the work.

“We’re like The Little Engine That Could,” she starts. “Nobody has been greedy. My investors have held on even when they don’t always get dividends. But we’ve all looked at it as if we’re almost at the point of legalization. It’s been the people who work there as well as what we believe about the plant. And it shows. We take time to explain things to customers; we’re not trying to rush them in and out. We’re doing the antithesis of what every consultant says you should be doing in a retail operation.”

When it comes to counseling women trying to break into the industry, James isn’t all sunshine and roses—not even close.  

“Whenever I’m asked about advice I’d give to women about entering the cannabis industry, I’m always torn between wanting to give the uplifting answer that I know somebody in my position should deliver to folks,” she says. “It should be something like, ‘Hey, believe in your dreams, and yes, your cake can be on the shelf of every dispensary out there.’ But, sadly, that’s not the case at all. I’ve always been about entrepreneurism. I love being an entrepreneur. I’m wired that way. Not everybody is wired to be an entrepreneur.”

James emphasizes the importance of understanding what you’re getting yourself into. While some people may have their heart set on starting and growing a business, others may be better suited working alongside a team of passionate employees. 

“There are incredible careers and high-paying jobs in the cannabis space,” she says. “If you’ve never run a business, if you don’t understand mass distribution, if you’re not looking at scaling your product line the same way Coca-Cola scales, then in that case, you’re in the wrong business. If you’re not looking to build that kind of business, sitting in front of a computer most days, having countless meetings with people you may not like very much and who don’t understand your passion and don’t speak your language, cannabis may not be your calling.” 

Luckily for James, cannabis was the siren call she never knew she needed to answer. After a lifetime of groundbreaking firsts—in cannabis and in business—this dynamic force of nature is determined to keep following her gut and continue making her father proud.   

This story was originally published in issue 48 of the print edition of Cannabis Now. Read it now on the Cannabis Now iTunes app.

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International Women’s Day: Celebrating Tech Cannabis Leaders

March 8, 2023 Published by

Let’s hear it for the girls!

International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global celebration of women’s cultural, social, political and economic achievements. And as it happens to fall in March, which is also Women’s History Month, the love is compounded. The theme for IWD 2023 is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality,” which, according to the United Nations, “recognizes and celebrates the women and girls who are championing the advancement of transformative technology and digital education.” Additionally, the theme of IWD 2023 offers an opportunity to examine how growing economic and social disparities are impacted by the digital gender gap and spotlight the importance of protecting the rights of women and girls in the digital realm.

Since the dawn of the digital age in the mid-20th century, women have made untold unsung contributions to the development of our increasingly digital world. Grace Hopper was an esteemed computer scientist and one of the first computer programmers to work on the general-purpose electromechanical computer, Harvard Mark I; Radia Perlman, nicknamed the “Mother of the Internet” designed the algorithm behind the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) and was instrumental in making today’s internet possible; Katherine Johnson, the NASA mathematician whose trajectory analysis was crucial to the success of the first-ever US space flight.

While women make up only 22% of artificial intelligence workers globally, digital technology is creating new opportunities for the global emancipation of women, girls and other marginalized groups, according to the United Nations. The digital age offers an unparalleled chance to eradicate all types of inequity and inequality, from gender-responsive digital learning to tech-facilitated sexual and reproductive healthcare. 

Women in Weed

In the cannabis industry, women hold significant roles as entrepreneurs, breeders, producers, marketers, researchers and more. Women have also developed innovative technological solutions and programs to help move the sector forward. However, despite the progress being made, there’s still work to be done to achieve gender parity in the industry. According to the report “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the Cannabis Industry” by MJBizDaily, both cannabis company ownership and the percentage of women in executive-level roles have both shown stagnant growth from 2020-21, with both categories sitting around 1-2%.

The importance of showcasing and supporting women in historically male-dominated industries cannot be understated. According to psychologist Penelope Lockwood, women need to see female role models more than men need to see male role models.

“Outstanding women can function as inspirational examples of success, illustrating the kinds of achievements that are possible for women around them, says Lockwood. “They demonstrate that it’s possible to overcome traditional gender barriers, indicating to other women that high levels of success are indeed attainable.”

To celebrate our sinsemilla sisters, three women who are challenging gender bias and inequality share their thoughts on the intersect of women, cannabis and technology.

Photo courtesy of Aubrey Amatelli 

Aubrey Amatelli 

Founder, PayRio, Inc.

PayRio is a female-founded payments company that offers specialized payment solutions in the CBD, high-risk and health and wellness sectors. Founder and self-described “highly driven, long-term payments geek” Aubrey Amatelli has a background in payment processing, honing her craft at corporate giants including JP Morgan. 

“80% of our business directly supports dispensary growth through card payments,” Amatelli says. “It’s our mission to normalize payments in the cannabis industry and we’re off to a great start.” 

Amatelli says she has a lot of respect for cannabis and regularly uses the plant therapeutically. She says that her “love for the plant” led her to found PayRio with the goal to “bring feminine energy to the technology payments space, in an industry bursting at the seams with potential feminine power” and her goal is to “help that feminine power breakthrough and thrive.” 

“The cannabis flower we all love and support comes from the female plant, which is restorative and receptive by nature; this same energy has a significant impact on technology,” says Amatelli. “Women in tech are also tied directly to increased revenue and innovation. Women contribute superior problem-solving and help close the skills gap. As the relationship between women, cannabis and tech grows, so will the cannabis industry—a common mission for us all.” 

Amatelli believes that to positively impact gender equality in cannabis, it’s important to “spread the love and support for women-owned cannabis businesses.” Following women-owned businesses and vendors on social media platforms and purchasing products from their companies is a great way to show your support. But, she says, one of the most beneficial ways to impact gender equality in cannabis is to hire women and promote them from within. “Create flexible job requisitions and part-time roles that are conducive to women with children,” she says. “We can do this!”

Photo courtesy of Jill Ellsworth

Jill Ellsworth 

Founder & CEO, Willow Industries

Willow Industries is the industry leader in cannabis kill step and post-harvest microbial decontamination technology using organic, ozone-based technology that reduces or eliminates contaminants from cannabis while protecting the plant’s medicinal properties. The Denver-based company has been named one of Inc. 5000’s fastest-growing private companies in America two years in a row and was recognized in the top 50 on the 2022 Financial Times’ list of The Americas’ fastest-growing companies. Fueled by her passion for innovation and dedication to health, founder Jill Ellsworth has made a career of creating solutions for better living.

For years, cannabis has helped Ellsworth “level out the emotional swings of being a CEO, without feeding into it, unlike alcohol.” When she needs to feel “Zen” but still function, Ellsworth reaches for low-level THC products.

Ellsworth founded Willow in 2015 and says back then, there were “very few women in the industry representing technology—especially hardware.” But she believes that this gave her a “competitive advantage” at the time. 

“As time moved on, it has been really encouraging to see more women step into this industry as leaders and founders of tech companies and I know we will see less of a gender disparity as the industry matures,” Ellsworth says. “However, it takes women stepping into their light and being confident they can permeate a male-dominated industry. No one is going to give you that confidence. Have the strength and fortitude to put yourself out there and if that confidence radiates, people will follow.” 

Ellsworth says she believes to see more progress in overcoming gender bias, women “need to continue championing for themselves” and that “no one will see your great accomplishments if you don’t promote yourself. Women-founded companies only exist if women seize the opportunity and continually persevere. Don’t give up and don’t give in. If you have a great idea and there is a product/market fit, make it happen,” Ellsworth says. 

Ellsworth says we’ll continue to see a “dynamic shift” as more companies bring women into leadership roles. “Gone are the days when only white men make up executive suites and board rooms,” she says. “I feel confident that companies will start prioritizing women candidates for executive roles, so put yourself out there.”

Photo courtesy of Tracee McAfee

Tracee McAfee

Principal and CEO, Cryo Cure

Cryo Cure is changing traditional cannabis drying and curing techniques. Revolutionary freeze-dried technology removes the water content from harvested flower to preserve fragile trichomes and terpene potency at an optimal moisture level. The system dries and cures cannabis in as little as 13 hours, drastically cutting processing time from weeks to days. Before founding Cryo Cure, founder Tracee McAfee spent three decades building multi-million-dollar brands in the consumer products sector. McAfee’s diverse business background across new market sectors offers her a unique perspective to build and thrive in the cannabis industry.

“Cannabis doesn’t care about your gender and it shouldn’t matter to others, either,” McAfee says, who “adores all aspects of the cannabis plant” and microdoses flower to treat her PTSD and overall well-being.

McAfee says that she has been “very fortunate not to have experienced gender or age discrimination” in the cannabis industry. It saddens her when she “hears about other women that have had bad experiences in our space.” She acknowledges the hard-working women who are making big waves in this space and believes that if you share your “passion, experience and research with others and they see know what you’re talking about, respect comes no matter your gender.” 

McAfee recommends using sensitivity and awareness because some women entering this space “may have been through a rough time in their past careers. Give everyone the fresh start and respect they deserve.”

Above all else, McAfee says she loves paving the way for other women to enter this exciting industry. “To be a tech leader—and in cannabis—is an honor I carry proudly,” she says.

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