Introduction to the 4Ps
Women are increasingly making their presence known in the cannabis industry, but that’s not to say there isn’t a long road ahead. While recent studies show promising growth for women in cannabis, we ask that you look beyond the headlines and examine the many persisting issues that remain. In doing so, we hope to inspire you to join our mission in advocating for better pay, promotions, partnerships and protection for women in cannabis.

Gender Gap & Inequality
Legislative changes and cannabis legalization suggest a slow narrowing of the gender gap within some sectors of the cannabis industry. In a recent multinational cannabis study, women were found to be more likely to cultivate cannabis in legal regions when compared to men. Women were also found to earn a higher proportion of income from cannabis, participate in collaborative cultivation and supply cannabis to others for medicinal use rather than recreational use (Meisel et. al, 2025).

Still, the cannabis industry, including cultivation,  suffers gravely from a deeply ingrained patriarchal system, which is seen in persisting structural sexism in earnings and executive positioning (Meisel et. al, 2025).

A 2025 workforce report conducted by UCLA Labor Center found that nearly 43% of women working in California cannabis struggled to pay for food and groceries within the last year. Furthermore, nearly 63% of California cannabis workers reported wage theft in the form of late pay, interrupted meal breaks and working outside of paid hours. Only 32% felt they received adequate training prior to entering the cannabis workforce. These findings highlight the ongoing disparity within the cannabis industry and a dire need for workplace reform and equality.

Perhaps the most devastating statistic is the scarce number of women and racial minorities among C-suite executives. As of 2023, women held 39% of executive positions, racial minorities held only 24.3% (MJBizDaily, 2023), and only 8% held the title of CEO (Benzinga, 2022). As for entrepreneurial positions, only 16.4% of cannabis business owners were women, and 18.7% were racial minorities, a considerable decrease from 2021 and 2022 statistics (MJBizDaily, 2023).

Historically, businesses have prioritized placing white men in executive leadership positions, partly because they are more likely to receive funding. Research from 2024-2025 backs this claim, showing that only 2.3% of Venture Capital went to female-only founding teams, while a whopping 83.6% went to male-only teams.

While generally speaking, legalization has seemingly improved economic opportunities for women and minorities in cannabis, the system at large remains widely problematic. The 4Ps (Pay, Promote, Partner, Protect) are ways for those working in the cannabis industry to provide better living and working conditions for women in cannabis.

By signing this pledge, you acknowledge the roadblocks and conditions women face working in cannabis and commit to implementing these changes in your business and career to help reverse this trend.  

These steps are small yet conscious actions we can all take to further the presence of women in the cannabis industry and provide a better workplace environment and living conditions for all.

THE 4Ps

1. PAY
In order to shift the gender inequality within the cannabis industry and encourage women to join and remain in the cannabis industry, we must strive to pay them fair wages and provide timely and adequate funding.

I PLEDGE TO PAY WOMEN
I pledge to the following:
I. To pay women equal to men for the same work.
II. To pay women what they are worth.
III. To pay women what I owe (when bills are due).
IV. To invest in women-owned companies.
V. To include women in my search for services (professional & personal). 
VI. To buy & request products made by women.

2. PROMOTE
Women are no less deserving or capable of executing high-level executive positions and responsibilities. By promoting, mentoring and educating women in the cannabis industry whenever possible, we further reduce the pervasive gender gaps within the industry.

I PLEDGE TO PROMOTE WOMEN
I pledge to the following:
I. To nurture the women who work for me and make it possible for women to move up the chain of command from entry level or higher into management and executive positions.
II. To review my C-Suite and boards and add women when representation is lacking and opportunities arise.
III. To foster women's career growth through education, advice and promotion
IV. To promote the works and acts of women to others by sharing their accomplishments publicly and privately.
V. To foster a culture where women are seen as pioneers and successful leaders by openly celebrating their successes.
VI. Recommend women for jobs that will move them up the career ladder.

3. PARTNER
Women are excellent managers by nature.  They are collaborators and community leaders who bring uniquely feminine traits to business and enable others to embrace differing perspectives. Through collaboration, we can achieve greater reach and success while leaning into a less competitive and more cooperative business culture in cannabis.

I PLEDGE TO PARTNER WITH WOMEN
I pledge to the following:
I. To collaborate and partner with other women, to support their endeavors as well as my own.
II. To create partnerships that are authentic, transparent and established as a win-win for everyone involved.
III. To bring my best self to the relationship, knowing I'm also setting an example for others and the industry of how women work together.
IV. To respect, honor and be kind to our partners if things don't work out.
V. To not view my partner as an enemy when things go wrong but as another woman who is dealing with life as best she can.

4. PROTECT
A common reason women leave the cannabis industry is that they are experiencing sexual or verbal harassment at work. If we don't work to create safer environments for women, we will further perpetuate inequality within cannabis. As women working in cannabis, there are ways that we can protect each other and form tighter bonds as a community. Defend women, stand up for women, have the backs of women you know and don’t know, and even women you may not like. It is imperative that we look out for each other in a way that strengthens the power of women in cannabis and beyond. If we act as an impenetrable force, we will move toward a more just and equitable cannabis industry where women can thrive.

I PLEDGE TO PROTECT WOMEN
I pledge to protect women from stress, shame or public doxxing in the following ways:
I. I will stand up for women who are being unfairly attacked in public or private.
II. I will not engage in negative or judgmental discourse about other women in the cannabis community in public.
III. I will not publish disparaging content or comments that attack other women in the cannabis community.
IV. I will not publicly shame, judge, denigrate or disparage another woman whom I have worked with or personally been involved with if our relationship doesn't work out.
V. I will not spread information that is unflattering or unkind about another woman in cannabis.
VI. I will institute anti-harassment policies in my company and ensure they are enforced.

Anit-Racism
While it is critical that we take steps to secure a place for women in cannabis, we must also lead with anti-racist policies to ensure that women racial minorities are not left behind or left out of this movement. To learn more about how to advocate for racial minority groups in cannabis, visit Cannabis Doing Good.

LGBTQ+ Inclusivity
We also believe in providing support and inclusion for equal pay, promotion, partnerships and protection of those in the LGBTQ+ community. While studies show that the cannabis industry workforce includes more LGBTQ+ individuals than the general population, their presence in executive and ownership positions remains underrepresented.

Let’s Build the Industry Equitably
Thank you for taking the pledge to PAY, PROMOTE, PARTNER & PROTECT women in cannabis. We appreciate your support and look forward to building a just, equitable and fair industry where the doors of opportunity and access are open to all who want it and work for it.