We don’t talk nearly enough about the significant contribution of women in the long-fought battle for cannabis legalization. Women have taken huge risks, sacrificing their livelihood to bring marijuana to people who desperately need it. In the 1940s, women like Billie Holiday began to openly use and talk about marijuana, a dangerous (and inevitably deadly) thing to do as a woman of color. In the 1980s, women like Mary Jane Rathbun risked jail time to bring medical marijuana relief to people suffering from AIDS. Today, women like Wanda James put a face on the future of cannabis through female-owned legal dispensaries.

Women advocate, care-take, and drive this billion-dollar industry that will be the first not dominated by men. As it should be since only female plants produce the cannabinoid-rich plants we love.

– Read the entire article at Benzinga.