High Country: Want a career in cannabis? Let this just-published report be your guide

As the legal cannabis industry grows, the rate at which women are entering the industry is now declining.

Women held 37% of executive-level roles in 2017, when Marijuana Business Daily released “Women & Minorities in the Marijuana Industry.” Today, the percentage of women holding those top positions has dropped to 22%. That’s despite the findings in a recent white paper from The Arcview Group and the National Cannabis Industry Association concluding companies with women in leadership roles are actually more profitable and produce more than twice the revenue per dollar invested than those without them.

Since MJBiz shared its findings five years ago, there had yet to be global, quantitative research available on women working in cannabis. Enter the Women in Cannabis Study (WICS), which beginning in 2019, has compiled rigorous data from qualitative interviews and surveys of more than 1,500 women and nonbinary participants.

It may be able to able to answer why more women aren’t leading in cannabis and may inspire changes to create a more equitable industry. It’s worth noting, too, that organizations like Arcview’s Women’s Inclusion Network, How to Do the Pot, Cannaclusive, Cannabis Doing Good, Women Grow and more have long done important work in the space.

Founded and led by Jennifer Whetzel, who’s also principal of Ladyjane Branding, the study’s end goal is to advance diversity in the industry while continually supporting businesses, consumers and policy advocates. With funding from supporters, WICS plans to field future studies and publish additional reports. Its first edition also includes personal testimonials and profiles from cannabis professionals that bring the facts and figures to life.

Click here to read the full story in Forbes.

Katie Shapiro can be reached at katie@katieshapiromedia.com and followed on Twitter @bykatieshapiro.