Equity

4 Women-Owned Cannabis Brands to Big Up for Women's History Month

By Jerico Mandybur
Photo by Stocksy

Everyone knows about International Women’s Day. It’s on March 8 every year, it’s an opportunity to celebrate everything we love about women and femmes, and it's a chance to reflect on what we need to do better, in order to support and amplify their voices—especially the more marginalized among us.

But the thing about days like this (and even Women’s History Month in general), is that they don’t mean anything if we don’t turn sentiment into action. One of the most powerful ways to do that? Putting our money where our mouth is.

And in the world of cannabis, there’s no lack of women-owned businesses that could do with a big up. In fact, while the budding (sorry) cannabis industry sees more women at the executive level than the national average, one survey found that number has actually declined in the last couple of years—from 36 percent in 2016, to 26.9 percent.

Quim 

Cyo Nystrom and Rachel Washtien believe in self-care. Specifically, self-care for people with vaginas. Founded in the Bay area, this brand gets rave reviews on the regular (guilty!) and not just because of the inclusive and nuanced convos they’re starting around vaginal health, which began when Nystrom herself was dealing with UTIs and yeast infections. Their Happy Clam Everyday Oil is an all-natural, certified game-changer. Nystrom puts it best: “You can apply it after bathing, before bed, after sex, when you’re PMSing or have your period, postpartum, or anytime your quim is in need of some tender loving care.” Take a look.

quim happy clamQuim Happy Clam Everyday Oil, $48

Vertly

Claudia Mata is the co-founder of Vertly, but in a previous life, she was the NYC-based accessories and jewelry director at W Magazine (no biggie.) But sensing a big opportunity in the world of cannabis and beauty (before everyone else did), she and her husband headed west, and now run Vertly from Northern California. The result? Food-grade, unisex, CBD-infused lip and skin balms—they're like butter—as well as calming bath salts and a restorative relief lotion known around Miss Grass HQ for its citrus and lavender yum-ness. Shop them all.

Vertly CBD Lip ButterVertly CBD Lip Butter, $24

2Rise Naturals

Kendra Marks of 2Rise Naturals is arguably the best formulator in the business. She’s obsessed with alternative medicine, including nutrition, herbology, product formulation, genetics, and even biohacking—and started 2Rise naturals from own her own Sedona kitchen, testing formulations by hand for over year before releasing her first product. The brand’s turmeric and CBD-infused tincture happens to be a fave around here, so you know it’s a legit crowd favorite. Drop it under your tongue and go! Try it.

Frigg

Back when Kimberley Dillon was the chief marketing officer at Papa & Barkley, she was working long hours and experiencing a lot of stress. So, she did what any of us might do: she booked a long vacation at a jungle retreat. But, of course, the airline lost her luggage. " The only thing I had was a bottle of CBD at the bottom of my purse, left over from a trade show. And that little bottle became my hair oil, my face oil, my rub on insect bites, my take-at-night-to-help-me-sleep oil," she explains. It turned out to be a fortuitous discovery. "Three weeks later I noticed that my skin was smooth, like really smooth." Inspired by the improvements, she decided to create Frigg, which takes an internal-external approach to wellness by offering topicals and teas that balance homeostasis from the inside out. 

By Jerico Mandybur
March 06, 2019
Jerico Mandybur is Miss Grass’ resident Weed Witch. The best-selling author, modern spiritual guide, and former editorial director of Miss Grass, is our go-to source for all things tarot, magic, and witch-related.