Women cultivating change: the feminine soul of the cannabis industry

March invites us to look back with gratitude and forward with determination. To acknowledge the history we have built as women and reaffirm the place we occupy and will continue to occupy in every space where ideas are sown, decisions are made, and the future is transformed. The cannabis industry is one of those spaces, and its evolution cannot be told without us.

From my first steps in this sector, when there was hardly any understanding of what we now know as a regulated industry, I knew that women wouldn't just participate, but would redefine its very essence. We understood the plant from its perspective of care, well-being, and medicine. We knew that cannabis had the power to soothe, connect, and transform entire communities.

Today, the data confirms a trend that inspires us to continue pushing boundaries. In the United States, women now represent nearly 40% of executive positions in cannabis companies, a remarkable advance from years when this figure hovered around only 12% in male-dominated sectors.

However, this growth has not been linear or without challenges. Although nearly 40% of the cannabis workforce is female, access to capital, mentorship networks, and high-level leadership remains unequal. Less than 3% of total industry funding goes to women-led businesses, a barrier that limits the potential of many visionaries.

As a leader I've followed for years says:

“Diversity drives innovation, and innovation is at the heart of cannabis.” — Lynn Gefen, executive in the cannabis industry.

In the context of Puerto Rico, an island of resilience, our women have paved a path that blends professionalism with a unique sensitivity to social impact. Here, women not only manage businesses; they educate patients, build bridges with communities, and champion models that prioritize public health, social justice, and inclusion. Our presence has been essential in ensuring that medicinal cannabis is seen not just as a product, but as a tool for human well-being.

Global statistics show that while the cannabis industry is more inclusive than other traditional sectors, there is still much work to be done. Compared to the average in other industries, where women hold fewer executive positions, cannabis has made progress, but significant gaps persist in ownership and access to financial resources.

This March, as we celebrate International Women's Day, let us remember that our participation goes beyond numbers: we are storytellers of profound change. We have transformed spaces of stigma into opportunities for dialogue, we have replaced exclusion with mentorship, and we have made our presence an invitation to rethink leadership itself.

Because at the end of the day, the future of cannabis isn't defined solely by regulations or sales; it's defined by those who dream it, build it, and sustain it. And if there's one thing I can say with conviction after twenty years on this path, it's that when women lead with purpose, the industry flourishes—with ethics, empathy, and a community-oriented vision.

May this month of March find us not only celebrating what we have achieved, but also sowing the seeds of what is to come: a fairer, more diverse and humane industry, in Puerto Rico and around the world.

Patricia del Mar

ART DIRECTOR & ADVERTISING

Sens Culture Magazine

@patricia_delmar