How the Weed Industry Fails Disabled Women

Despite the booming growth of the cannabis industry, disabled women face significant barriers and limited job opportunities. From inaccessible shopping to inflexible schedules, it's time for change.

Next month, it’ll be the twelfth anniversary of triggering my lupus. That means my lupus has completed one cycle of the Chinese zodiac and would be the sign of the rabbit if it were a person.

This also happens to be the first in twelve years that I feel really healthy.

My pain levels are closer to a 3.5 on average, instead of hovering around 6-8 on the pain scale. I have energy to do things. Not a lot of energy, but enough that I can accomplish a significant portion of my to-do list without feeling wiped out afterward. This past week, I’ve struggled to stay asleep all night long, but when I wake up I feel energized and ready to approach the day. Maybe this is my body’s way of saying it no longer requires 9ish hours of sleep each night? For the past couple of years, my lupus symptoms have been minimal, and it’s been even longer since I was hospitalized for any reason. On top of all that, my mental health is better than it has ever been in my entire life.

There are many things that have contributed to my good health. My doctors and specialists over the years have all worked hard to help me treat my lupus and all the other health problems I’ve been diagnosed with since. I focused my energy on things I could control—taking my medication every day, fixing my sleep schedule and getting enough sleep, learning exercises for chronic pain and joint pain, removing stressors from my life, giving up caffeine, drinking more water, and so forth.

The greatest influence on my health, however, has been cannabis.

Weed. Marijuana. Dope. Ganja. Mary Jane. Grass. Call it whatever, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that it’s a miracle drug for me and many others.

What do I mean by miracle drug?

Consider for a moment the way most pharmaceutical drugs work. A drug will typically target a single organ system, although you get the occasional medication that targets more than one.

Cannabis has a long list of systems it targets in comparison with the average pharmaceutical, which is why it’s so useful for such a long list of health problems. We’re talking it can help treat chronic pain, nausea (which includes chemo-induced nausea), glaucoma, tinnitus, anxiety, epilepsy, IBS, multiple sclerosis, PTSD, sleep problems, menopause, PMS, and more. Let’s say for a moment that you have chronic pain, PTSD, sleep problems (painsomnia, anyone?), and anxiety. You would need at least 4 different medications to treat these problems, and you’d have to contend with each medication’s side effects, some of which may interact with each other. For example, many pain meds are hard on the stomach, kidneys and liver, and long-term use can cause serious health problems down the line.

Cannabis isn’t perfect. There are health issues associated with inhaling your cannabis, side effects like dry mouth and dizziness that can make the experience unpleasant, and so forth. And, like anything, you can be allergic to it. While cannabis has been almost like a panacea for me, it is not for everyone.

But for me, weed was a game changer. My first experience with any medical marijuana product was a massage oil with a rollerball on top that you use to massage the medicated oil into your skin. It was shocking how quickly and effectively it worked for me. It was faster and more effective than the ridiculous dosage of Ibuprofen I had been prescribed, and the only side effect of using it was most of my pain went away—and stayed away for the same length of time as my prescribed medication.

Eventually, I tried consuming weed in various forms. I discovered that the effects of consuming weed lasted far longer than my pain medication or using the topical massage oil. I also discovered that it helped with my anxiety and C-PTSD, my sleep problems, and my endometriosis pain. Reducing the amount of medication I was taking was a priority because of all the negative side effects from the medications, and I was able to do so a little bit at a time. Using various medical marijuana products, I was gradually able to rebuild my health until I got where I am today. And I am so grateful.

The Weed Industry

The cannabis industry in the United States is a multi-billion dollar industry, with the medical market far exceeding the recreational and industrial markets. Stigma surrounding usage of cannabis has decreased over recent years with legalization, but we haven’t begun seeing normalization of cannabis use in our culture.

Women are increasingly using cannabis, and they tend to use it to treat chronic pain and a variety of other health problems, more so than their male counterparts. Would it surprise you to learn that the industry is failing these women?

How the Weed Industry Is Failing Disabled Women

Disabled people tend to get the short end of the stick anywhere they go, even if it's somewhere that should be accessible—like a doctor's office. The weed industry is no different. From tiny dispensaries that aren't accessible for all types of wheelchairs to the lack of representation in leadership, disabled women are routinely being ignored, looked over, and undervalued.

Disabled women make up one of the largest demographics in the weed industry. Women experience chronic pain more frequently than men do and the intensity of their symptoms are often more severe than for men.

“Overall, women have more than twice higher prevalence in painful disorders compared to men,” says Inna Belfer in her review, Pain in Women.

While men are more likely to use cannabis than women, in 2021, 48% of new customers were female and female consumption of cannabis spend was 32.6% of the total consumption in the United States.

Yet, disabled women’s needs are routinely ignored by businesses in the cannabis industry.

Dispensaries, Products, and Accessibility

A couple of months ago, I had menstrual cramps that were so violently painful that I projectile vomited all over my bathroom.

It was disgusting.

Nothing worked. Nothing.

I needed something that would target the pain.

What I needed was a suppository. It’s a medication application method that helps deliver localized pain relief. It’s not the most glamorous of weed products, but it gets the job done. Unfortunately, none of the dispensaries in my area carried any brand of suppository. Instead, I had to manage my pain with less effective topical cream.

This is a common experience disabled women face. Especially in places where recreational marijuana is legalized, it can be difficult to find dispensaries that carry the products needed to treat some of the most common health problems. If you are able to find the product you’re looking for, it’s typically more expensive for a small supply compared to many other products. This can make it cost prohibitive to get needed medication, and health insurance doesn’t cover the cost of cannabis consumption despite the fact that a study by Daniel Kruger of the U-M Institute for Social research has found that 42% of people were able to stop taking a pharmaceutical drug, while 38% used less of a pharmaceutical drug after using medical cannabis.

On top of the limited supply of products disabled women need, the dispensaries themselves are not always accessible, or as accessible as they could/should be.

I can’t tell you how many dispensaries I’ve been to that haven’t left adequate space for wheelchairs—powerchairs in particular, to navigate their store. But that's not the only form of accessibility out there. There are people with sensory issues who find the bright lights and the sometimes-crowded, noisy environment unbearable. They either need to have their cannabis delivered, which adds to the cost, or forego using cannabis as medication.

Or, dispensaries could have special hours where the lights are dimmed and the music is turned off and the budtenders are instructed to speak softly, giving more people the opportunity to see—and sometimes smell—the product before they buy, and ask any questions they might have about the product.

Dispensaries are also not designed with d/Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing folks or people with social anxiety in mind. For many dispensaries, the only way to contact them is over the phone. Many dispensaries rely on sounds to indicate when a person is called back if there's a limit on how many people can shop at a time, when adding a visual indicator would make the experience better for many people, including those listening to music through their headphones.

There are many other things dispensaries can do to improve the experience of disabled women, making it easier and more pleasant to shop. All they have to do is start talking to disabled people about their needs and then act on what they learn.

Lack of Medical Expertise

Budtenders are not medically trained, so they are not able to offer medical advice on which products would be best to use for various chronic health problems. They can only offer solutions based on the anecdotes of other users.

Many doctors still have a stigma against cannabis use, which means they aren’t providing medical advice either.

There is also still stigma in the scientific community doing research on marijuana and other cannabis derivatives. Many studies approach the topic from the angle that cannabis use causes harm to people and society. Too many studies are being done on the health risks of cannabis use; not enough studies are being conducted on how cannabis can be better used medicinally, nor are any looking at potential harm reduction for people who need to use cannabis medicinally.

Also, not enough studies address women’s health issues. Like most medical research, studies tend to ignore women’s unique needs, instead focusing on “gender neutral” research, which means we are not getting a clear picture on how cannabis effects all humans.

Another thing we aren’t seeing in the research is studies that focus on how cannabis effects transgender people. During my research, I found an old study (I can no longer find it) that had discovered there were differences between the prevalence of painful disorders in both genders, and that trans women experienced painful disorders at rates similar to cis women, while trans men experienced rates of painful disorders similar to what cis men experience. I strongly suspect that there are more discoveries to be made if studies would not ignore the existence of trans individuals.

Limited Job Opportunities in the Industry

Disabled women face significant barriers when it comes to employment opportunities. Many dispensaries and cannabis businesses are inaccessible for disabled people, whether it's due to physical barriers or a lack of accommodation for various disabilities. This not only limits the pool of potential employees, but it creates a disadvantage for those who are unable to access or work in these types of environments, and also disadvantages consumers.

On top of that, the industry's often-inflexible schedules, or schedules that are constantly changing, can be particularly challenging for disabled women. Many disabilities require a consistent routine or specific accommodations, which can be hard to get in an industry that may require employees to work long hours or irregular shifts.

While some employers may be willing to make more than the bare minimum of accommodations, many others are not, leaving disabled women with limited job opportunities and little chance for advancement within the industry. It's clear that more needs to be done to make the cannabis industry more inclusive and accessible to everyone.

If you're a disabled woman looking for work in the marijuana industry, you better hope you have some serious physical stamina! Many jobs in the industry, from the demanding physical labor required for harvesting to the endless standing required for budtenders, can be a real challenge if you’re disabled. And let's not forget about the lack of accessibility in all areas of the industry, whether it's due to inaccessible buildings or a lack of accommodations for various disabilities.

Final Thoughts

There are many other ways the industry is failing disabled women, but honestly, I’m running out of stamina. It’s currently 3:17am the morning this is supposed to go live, and I need to just let this post go. It’s long enough as it is.

The weed industry does not have to fail disabled women, and it would even financially benefit business’ to make their corner of the industry more accessible. The first step is to start asking questions and just listen.