3 Women in the Marijuana Industry That You Should Absolutely Know

Tuesday March 8, 2016

420 Culture

When it comes to marijuana, it really is all about the ladies. Growers prize their female plants, fans affectionately refer to cannabis as “Mary Jane,” and advocates target women as the key to successful reform. Nowhere is this appreciation more obvious than in the midst of the cannabis industry, which boasts more female leaders than any other.

Because the industry is so young, there is room for those with successful business startups (or individuals with no more than an idea and a passion) to move in and prosper. This has paved the way for many women who are eager to lead, inspire and otherwise dominate their corner of the industry. With no glass ceiling in place, women are owning their perspective fields and controlling their success within cannabis.

MzJill

mzJill

As the only publicly-recognized female cannabis breeder, MzJill and husband Subcool have teamed up to create one of the most successful cannabis seed banks in America, TGA Genetics. TGA is responsible for popular strains like Jilly Bean and Agent Orange, and is hailed as one of the most consistent seed bank companies in the world. TGA seeds are distributed in many US states, as well as Europe and Canada.

TGA Genetics is a family company, and MzJill is careful about the reputation their business upholds. As a mother of four and advocate for reform, MzJill works hard to maintain a strong company image that relies on quality seeds (rather than scantily-clad women) to promote their business. She believes that as more women and families become involved in the industry, the old “stupid stoner” stereotype will fade away. Hear, hear, MzJill. Hear, hear!

Mieko Hester Perez

Mieko and Joey

Mieko is a mother of an autistic child named Joey. Joey was diagnosed with autism, a Pervasive Developmental Disorders that had all but taken his life by the age of 9. Weighing only 46 pounds and prone to self-destructive behaviors, doctors gave Joey only a few more months to live because his 13 different medicines simply were not working.

Desperate to save her son, Mieko began researching medical marijuana and decided to give it a try. Within only a few hours after giving Joey a small dose of a marijuana-infused edible, Mieko noticed a miraculous difference in her son’s demeanor: he was calm, happy and, for the first time in a very long time, he was hungry.

Today, Joey is thriving and Mieko couldn’t be happier. Mieko has gone on to start The Unconventional Foundation for Autism, a foundation through which she promotes the use of cannabis to treat symptoms of autism and advocates for research pertaining to marijuana and autism.

Brooke Gehring

Brooke is one of the founding members of Women Grow, a female-focused group that aims to connect, educate and empower leaders within the cannabis industry. Because the majority of her past experiences were in finance and banking, she was able to translate her skill sets to cannabis and consult with clients through her company, Live Green Cannabis Consulting. Now, she also co-owns four dispensaries and two grow facilities in Colorado (including Patients Choice of Colorado and Live Green Cannabis), which bring in over $10 million a year. Needless to say, she’s a large advocate for the cause and is an example of female entrepreneurship at its finest.

A woman’s place in the marijuana market is necessary in order to promote change and encourage equality in the business. These women, and many others like them, are paving the way for future generations to get into the game by being bold, beautiful, badass leaders in the field.