By: Kimberly Delarosa    10/4/2021

Working, or striving for success, has always been predominately masculine. But throughout American history, things started to shift. During the Great Depression in the 1920s, women joined the workforce in big numbers. By helping men who’ve gone to war, women got a taste of what it meant to roll up their sleeves and get to work. According to recent data, the number of women in the workforce rose from 18 million in 1950 to 66 million by 2000. Cut to the year 2020, the percentage of women working rated at 57 percent.

Yet through these momentous steps towards equality, the working world remains male-dominated. Women face multiple issues in the workforce such as equal gap, adequate maternity leave, sexism, and sexual harassment. Unfortunately, this is seen within the cannabis industry as well. Studies indicate that only 9 percent of female trimmers report sexual harassment. But that’s about to change.

As the cannabis industry is still at the beginning stage of fitting into the market, more women have created companies, labs, and communities to create the balance of women creating careers in cannabis which begs the question:

One of them is Brooke Morgan Westlake, the founder and owner of the Women in Cannabis Expo. Twenty years ago, Westlake worked in healthcare.

Westlake organized trade shows and sold medical equipment to various places from the general doctor offices to prisons. But in 2018, she decided to forge a new path and opened a cannabis testing lab. “I didn’t know anything about cannabis,” Westlake admits. “I started doing research and thought to myself this is a viable business.”

Since cannabis isn’t federally legal, cannabis testing labs are on the rise in states that legalized medical and recreational use.

With this newfound inspiration, Westlake started attending expos to network and noticed something was lacking. “I was a woman going into the cannabis business with a testing lab and the majority of the business owners were predominantly male with women running the show,” recalled Westlake. “I wanted to go to some expos that had more women. Women in the industry, who run businesses, and I couldn’t find anything.”

She saw a need within the industry and decided if no one was going to address and fix this, might as well be her. Westlake fronted the money herself and created the Women in Cannabis Expo. For three days, women can come together to network with other female business owners, vendors, speakers, and sponsors. The Women in Cannabis Expo features many diverse women who are working in the cannabis industry.

As more women inch their way in this booming industry through avenues like cultivation, cooking, dispensaries, wellness products, scientific analysis, and writing — Westlake sees significant room for multiple opportunities for women. “This is what women need. Women need to feel supported by other women and to know that there’s enough business to go around. We can all uplift each other,” she said.

This year, the Women in Cannabis Expo was held in person from Monday, September 27 to Wednesday, September 29, 2021, at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, in Reno, Nevada.

The idea of making the cannabis industry a more balanced workplace is the ultimate intention — and it’s growing year after year. According to a survey by Vangst, the largest women-led staffing company in cannabis, 38.5 percent out of 166 cannabis businesses in 17 states identified as female. There are still issues within the cannabis industry that need to be addressed. However, women carving out their way in this growing industry has been skyrocketing.

In a way, it feels like paying homage to the women accused of witchcraft and murdered in America’s history. It’s a reclaiming of healing and femininity. It’s also an indication that women will never stop fighting for freedom, equality, and taking a seat at the table.

In the words of legendary cannabis activist Jude Nagle before her passing: “cannabis is the divine feminine energy, and isn’t it interesting that it’s coming back at the time when we need this balance?” As a female cannabis advocate myself, I say: Yes, the time has come.

By: High Society Mama 10/07/2021

 Last week was the first Women in Cannabis Expo! This expo provides a place for women to come together to network to their fullest potential in the cannabis industry. 

There are many women entrepreneurs working diligently in the cannabis space. Every single one of these women needs to be honored for their ability to succeed in an industry that is still dominated by men, today however, we want to move that spotlight to the CEO and founder of Society’s Plant, Bianca Snyder (also known for her work on @highsocietymama & @highsocietybnb. 

 Bianca is the 2021 winner of the “Best Woman Entrepreneur of the Year” Award!! To say we are not all that surprised is an understatement, we knew that Bianca’s hard work and consistency were obvious and worthy of an award. Bianca started Society’s Plant in 2019 with the intention to get high quality plant medicine out to society, by bringing whole plant, CBD dominant hemp flower that is grown with care and intention, to market. She also works simultaneously on High Society Mama to give other mothers the confidence to use cannabis freely & without judgment. This has been accomplished through dedicating herself to fulfill on her life's passions doing work that she loves. Of course this comes complete with some of Bianca's favorite dance moves!  

 Why Society’s Plant? Because Bianca and her partner in life & business, Tad from @highsocietypapa, believe that ALL of society should have the ability to access the healing benefits of the cannabis plant.  

One of the key ways that Bianca has made her vision a reality is by leveraging the power of social media, specifically Instagram. At High Society Mama, she inspires moms to be confident in their choice to use cannabis. Doing this kind of work takes passion, consistency & drive. She shows up every day for the Canna-Mom community with her contagious spunk, because she knows it is making a difference in destigmatizing cannabis use in motherhood, which is a key component for normalizing it for all of society.

As a key panel speaker Bianca WOW’ed the crowd with her feature topic of Leveraging Social Media for Cannabis Business. If you are struggling with  building your own inspirational platform on Instagram then this talk is for you! Bianca gives her insights on how to work smarter, how to be friends with the algorithm, and creating a one-of-a-kind community. 

You can watch her Social Media Talk here! 

One last picture for the road! 

Thank you, to the Women in Cannabis Expo for recognizing that hard work this woman puts in for the Cannabis Community. 

March 30, 2022 By: Dom Hart

A Women In Cannabis

See the entire article here: https://veetravelingvegcannawriter.com/a-woman-in-cannabis/

A colleague of mine recently asked me to speak on how being a woman in cannabis has impacted me, and how I may have impacted other women in the cannabis industry. I was surprised by the request because I never thought of myself as a “woman in cannabis” before. Though the ideas of public cannabis advocacy, consumption and business ventures no longer require much discretion, sometimes it feels like I’m still not “allowed” to.  Affirmations have helped tremendously on this journey. So here I go…(Say these with me). 

"I am a woman who works in cannabis.”   “Cannabis is a welcomed healing agent in my life.”   “Consuming cannabis helps me to find more balance.”  “I deserved to enjoy consuming cannabis in any way that is helpful to me.”  “It is good and well to profit from the work I do in the cannabis industry.”  “I am actively working with other phenomenal women in the cannabis industry.”

See the entire article here: https://veetravelingvegcannawriter.com/a-woman-in-cannabis/

Saying these things to myself makes my body believe it too. Dare I say, my high increases and my mind expands to the possibilities of what cannabis can really do?!  Since the inception of my open journey with our sacred herb, I have met and been inspired by some of the most amazing people! From Veronica Castillo’s digital tap on my shoulder that led to me fulfilling my writing dreams, to the 10-day East Coast Canna Tour with Sunflower’s Space Cakes and a host of extraordinary Black women business owners that I consider family; being a woman in cannabis is DOPE (pun intended).   I currently use my gifts of writing, herbal healing, and cooking to share the holistic power of cannabis with other people that I experience, especially women. It was a woman that first showed me how to harness the power of cannabis to heal myself. Though it is a daily journey, I’m grateful to be a part of the interconnected tribe that can recognize each other by the sweet perfume of our sacred herb, the lowness of our eyes and the peace in our aura when influenced by Mama Cannabis. As we learn together, we build a bigger space and a wider bridge for our sisters to get over.   We are all connected The industry is not without its challenges. Social equity is a term we hear and read about often; however, recent reports over the last two months from organizations such as the Minority Cannabis Business Association have exposed the ever-present discrepancies between policy and practice. But the women of cannabis industry are proof that anything can be done (while we consume the sacred herb, of course). We are constantly pushing past the barriers and intentionally taking up space while also making room for others to join and share their gifts with the cannabis community.  The message is repetitive, and vital. Making connections is what truly drives the success of the cannabis business. Some women play a bigger role than others in being connectors because that is the gift they possess on this timeline. We are grateful for their efforts and strive to pass the torch to the next generation of cannabis business women. 

Conferences such as the Women In Cannabis Expo, launched in 2020 by Brook Westlake, are dynamic examples of network building in the cannabis community. By utilizing their unique gifts and social media platforms to levy engagement with the desired audience, women in the cannabis industry are growing exponentially together.   The Women In Cannabis Expo is a traveling network phenomenon, currently hosted in San Francisco, California; Denver, Colorado; Las Vegas, Nevada; and the newest location to join the roster, Atlantic City, New Jersey. The intention to “connect, inspire and learn together” is one that Brook has carried out by sharing her story, resources and platform with open arms and ears.   When I called to speak about a press pass, Brook was as genuine, bubbly, and eager to help as her aura suggests on camera! However, it was the ingenuity and dedication I heard in her voice that increased my excitement. It takes pure magic to build something like WICE and Brook is clear that working with other amazing women is the key to sustaining it!

Participants in the expo have access to cannabis business wisdom and like minded network building time at this 12-hour day event. For the New Jersey expo, taking place on Thursday, May 26, there are an estimated 30 to 40 vendor spaces. The possibilities of wonder that will be on display are endless! The east coast is picking up speed with cost of living and expenses, thankfully the cannabis industry is an open avenue. WICE will be a welcome shift in favor of women cannabis entrepreneurs, educators and enthusiasts.     Those interested in investing in the expo and being participants can become sponsors and/or offer scholarship booth spaces. This event is the perfect opportunity for a large number of women to have a space where they are celebrated amongst each other; to highlight what may be little known, and have it spread like fire amongst colleagues with very similar interests, even beyond money.   Brook also mentioned the Women In Cannabis society chapters that have formed and how the request for more chapters in different cities is growing! It’s exciting to see movements in such a fast-paced industry that still require a sense of community. The cannabis industry can sometimes feel bull horned by the business side of things. Once again, the importance of connection comes to mind; but it’s about much more than who you know out here.  Lest we forget that cannabis is sacred and spiritual before it is enterprising. How appropriate that women should lead the cause in reminding us all about this.   Tap into the Women In Cannabis Expo on the website and instagram; follow Brooke on LinkedIn to keep up with her powerful movements in cannabis and politics!   Acknowledgements   A special thanks to Brook Westlake for her time and energy! WICE is sure to be amazing, if not more than it has been before.   Major recognition to the women that came before these present generations of women in cannabis. Mothers, grandmothers, aunties, shamans, teachers…that saw cannabis for its healing properties and passed the information along so that cannabis could be a major catalyst in healing the world.   Thank you Mother Gaia for your generous sustenance. May we always honor you.