Women’s history in the United States is rich with milestone moments that reshaped expectations. Nearly everyone remembers when Sally Ride became the first American woman in space — a breakthrough that symbolized not just achievement, but also possibility.
Today, women lead some of the most influential corporations in the world. Executives like Mary Barra of General Motors, Corie Barry of Best Buy, and Michelle Gass of Levi Strauss & Co. demonstrate the immense influence of women across industries.
But it wasn’t always this way. Women have fought for decades to secure executive roles in American businesses. In fact, it wasn’t until 1972 that a woman led a Fortune 500 company. That’s the year Katharine Graham became chief executive officer of The Washington Post Company. Since then, progress has been incremental and often hard-won.
The cannabis industry, despite its counterculture roots, largely has been a “cannabis bro” environment, with a reputation for male-dominated boardrooms, cultivation rooms, and capital stacks. According to one industry report, in 2021 only 22 percent of executive roles were held by women. But in recent years, something has shifted: By 2023, though women owned only 16 percent of cannabis businesses, they filled 39 percent of the executive suite. If that trend holds, 2026 just might prove to be a milestone year.
A leadership shift with real business weight
Women are no longer a niche presence in cannabis; instead, they are a dominant force. According to data from Statista, women now represent more than half of all cannabis consumers. They are driving demand for wellness-forward categories like topicals, low-dose edibles, tinctures, and therapeutic formulations.
At the same time, women more frequently occupy pivotal roles in cultivation science, compliance, operations, and executive leadership. As regulatory frameworks mature, the industry is creating more structured pathways, reducing some of the informal gatekeeping that historically limited women’s access.
Women have always been here
Many women in cannabis share origin stories that mirror those of their male counterparts. My own introduction to the plant happened at age 14, behind a high school, de-seeding brown, seed-heavy flower on a Rolling Stones double album. The experience was far from glamorous, but it was formative — and my story is not unique.
Fellow cannabis-industry CEO Jasmine Johnson of GŪD Essence recalled a similar story from her background: “I began consuming in my early teens, and I recognized even then how [the plant] sparked creativity, balance, and clarity for me. It was not just recreational; it was grounding. As I grew older, I began to understand the plant through the broader lens of wellness, entrepreneurship, access, and representation.”
Women have always been here. What’s changing is recognition and influence.
Why this leadership style fits cannabis
Across industries, women often lead with a transformational, empathetic, and collaborative style rather than a hierarchical “command-and-control” approach. In a space defined by nuance, regulation, and rapid evolution, these traits are particularly powerful.
“There’s a calm authority many women bring with them,” Johnson explained. “We think long-term, we consider impact, and we lead with both data and intuition. That balance is incredibly valuable in a highly regulated and rapidly evolving industry like cannabis.”
Women leaders frequently integrate creativity, social connection, and ethical considerations into their strategies. They emphasize inclusive decision-making and long-term relationship-building. In a heavily regulated environment where trust and transparency are currency, those qualities matter and are increasingly being rewarded.
Competence over bravado
In cannabis, confidence does not come from bravado. It comes from mastery. Women who rise into leadership roles often do so because they have put in the work across cultivation rooms, compliance audits, retail floors, and strategy meetings. As Johnson noted, “Women understand confidence in this space must be anchored in competence. Preparation isn’t optional. It’s necessary.”
In an intensely regulated industry, earned competence translates into steady leadership and operational precision. Just as important is how women build within the industry. Rather than approaching cannabis as purely competitive, many lean into collaboration.
“Women in cannabis are not just competitors; we’re ecosystem builders,” Johnson said. “When we share information, mentor intentionally, and create spaces for one another, we strengthen the entire industry.”
But nurturing energy is often misunderstood. In cultivation, nurturing translates into patience, observation, and respect for process. In operations, it shows up as team development, training, and culture-building. In retail and product development, it means designing experiences that consider patient comfort, dosing clarity, and safety. In cannabis, nurturing is operational excellence.
Competence builds credibility. Collaboration builds longevity. Together, those strengths are quietly reshaping cannabis leadership.
How women build credibility and influence
Women still often feel the need to prove themselves in cannabis. Every time a woman structures a deal thoughtfully, masters compliance, or builds a sustainable operation, she makes it easier for the next woman to do the same. According to Johnson, three key principles matter:
- Know compliance deeply. Cannabis is not just culture. It is also contracts, capital, and regulation. In this industry, compliance is strategy.
- Gain operational fluency. Spend time in cultivation rooms, on retail floors, in inventory audits, and in financial reviews. This industry rewards ecosystem understanding.
- Protect your equity. Structure deals carefully. Seek strong counsel. Ownership determines long-term impact.
The next frontier is power, policy, and staying power
When Johnson talks about the future, she doesn’t start with market share or valuations. She starts with space.
She imagines a dedicated gathering. Not another trade show floor or rushed networking reception, but a cannabis women’s retreat. A place where operators, cultivators, founders, and executives can step away from the daily grind and have honest conversations about what leadership truly requires.
“We need a cannabis women’s retreat to share knowledge, focus on wellness, and build strategy together,” she said. “An environment where women can talk candidly about capital, leadership, burnout, and growth while reconnecting with the plant in a grounded, responsible way.”
That vision is about more than community. It’s about sustainability. An industry as complex as cannabis demands leaders who are not only ambitious but also supported. And the work does not stop at retreats or roundtables. The next frontier is policy. We need more women shaping regulatory frameworks, influencing compliance strategy, and guiding legislative evolution.
The history of the cannabis industry is still being written in real time, and the person who holds the pen matters.
Jane Sandelman is co-founder and chief executive officer of VT Dry & Cure Technologies, the makers of Cannatrol, which provides technology that improves post-harvest processing while boosting efficiency and product quality for operators worldwide. A veteran corporate marketer and entrepreneur, Jane led Cannatrol to triple-digit growth in 2023. Her background in consumer-packaged-goods product development and marketing includes senior management roles with multinational firms Reckitt Benckiser, Block Drug, and The Mennen Company. She also served as director of consumer insights for market research company IRI Worldwide and led the Pfizer Consumer Healthcare product team.
