Women Turn to Cannabis in California, Home to Tech Giants Dominated by Men

The computer boom in the 70s and 80s, and the subsequent technological revolution following the rise of the Internet, have turned gazes around the world to the area around San Francisco Bay, especially south of it, where the cities making up Silicon Valley are located.

The nouveau rich spawned by these startups, mostly men, have taken over the region, giving rise to a gentrification phenomenon that, according to the objections of those affected, is driving out longstanding citizens and the humbler classes, who cannot afford the rising cost of living in this corner of California.

Neither are women very well represented in the tech mecca. Both startups and multinational exhibit an alarming gender gap, with very low female employment rates, especially in managerial positions.

Thus, a multimillion-dollar industry in which women are well represented in the region is big news. Such is the case with cannabis in California, where the plant’s medical use is legal.

"There are not many industries featuring female leadership," observes Jasmine Hupp, the founder of Women Grow. “In the foundation of this new multimillion dollar industry we have recognised an opportunity for women to lead.” She heads up an organisation that "connects, educates and empowers women in the legal marijuana industry." Founded in Colorado less than two years ago, it already lists 35 groups, between the United States and Canada.

Women Grow, which has become the USA's largest network of cannabis professionals, estimates that about 40% of the executives at companies dedicated to the plant are women – a percentage that far exceeds that in the neighbouring technology industry.

In fact, a good number of women are moving from the financial sector over to marijuana. "I have an MBA and I've worked for Moody's," says Andrea Unsworth, the founder of the Stashtwist delivery service. "My professional experience is in Finance." Now, despite having three children, she spends 13 or 14 hours per day working on her cannabis startup. She is living proof that balancing work and family life is possible.

California is one of multiple US states that have opened the door to a new multimillion-dollar industry. Medical marijuana is now legal in 13 states and the District of Columbia, the nation's capital. And recreational use has already been approved in Alaska, Colorado, Washington and Oregon, with a vote on it seeming imminent in California.

The women around San Francisco Bay, however, do not intend to wait until the ballot boxes are set up in November. With experts estimating that the legal marijuana industry will be worth 8 billion dollars in two years, they want to be the stars (and leaders) behind this boom.