Cannabis: A girl’s best friend? That’s how it’s looking in the cannabis marketing landscape right now.

As the industry heats up, canna-businesses are targeting women and moms like we’ve never seen before – because as it turns out, there’s a big gap here. A Vanderpop survey of 1,530 women in North America found that 90% are down to try cannabis for medicinal purposes, but 78% are looking for more information, and 62% can’t find a trusted source for it. Hence the opportunity.

Further, beyond just the segment of women who don’t yet use pot but want to learn more about it, the women who do use it reported in majority (66%) that they feel the need to hide their usage for fear of being judged or having their intelligence questioned. So, not only do we want reliable information about cannabis, but we also need community. Increasingly they’re going hand in hand.

This need has been rumbling below the surface for a while. Not long after a piece in High Times called out the lack of national support for moms who smoke (which we were v. happy about) we started seeing and hearing more from the new crop of women-founded brands with creative offerings for women and moms – 48North Cannabis Corp, HighTea, Allume, Miss Grass to name a few. These brands are injecting a much-needed female voice into the new era of canna-business in Canada and, yes, please.

We are starting to see women-focused cannabis brands ramp up, and there’s certainly a lot of hope for the future with these aforementioned gems, but we do still have a lot of work to do.

Specifically, women also reported wanting a better cannabis retail experience (68%), cannabis-infused skincare products and information (60%), cannabis-infused sex-life products (6.4 million), opportunities to attend an infused dinner (65% – we can help in THAT department), and, opportunities to get involved in the cannabis industry (32%). So, there’s much we’re wanting but still not seeing available yet.

Businesses that want to make an impact with women have to be ready to think outside the box now, (the pot-leaf plastered paraphernalia of old just won’t cut it anymore), and brands like HighTea et all are getting noticed because they’re truly raising the bar with unique, curated offerings and a brand voice that speaks to women, not at.  

Wellness solutions are a big part of women’s wants in this area (Vanderpop reported 75% of women who do use it in North America do so for health and wellness, including pain management, reducing anxiety and as a sleep aid), so trust is huge here – a key part of what consumers are ultimately seeking in a brand must be trust. We want to know that providers get it, that they care what goes into their product and how its made and marketed to us as much as we care what we put in our bodies. 

It’s as simple as that – and, as deeply complex as that.

We’re excited to see who joins the next wave of brands serving women in this industry… because it won’t be just anyone. The bar has been set, and we have nothing less than a vast playing field of opportunities to impress this hungry and discerning segment. Learning opportunities abound. And you can bet we’ll be watching closely… through the good, bad, ugly.