Leading by Example: Arkansas Women in the Cannabis C-Suite
The cannabis industry is trailblazing a new standard for women in positions of power.
By Isabella Wisinger
Photography by Brian Chilson
Pictured: Women in Arkansas Cannabis, Meagan Chris, owner, CannaChris Consulting; Megan Raines, partner at Flatland Financial; Amanda Strickland, CEO, The Source Cannabis Dispensary and Amy Dailey, VP of Marketing, Good Day Farm; at the August 2024 Cannabis and Wellness Expo.
The cannabis industry has one of the highest percentages of female leadership at the executive level. Data shows that women only hold 11.8% of C-suite positions across the board in the U.S., but in the cannabis industry, women make up an incredible 36% of the executive workforce. There’s plenty of speculation as to why women have a greater foothold in the weed sector: it could be that cannabis culture has always been rooted in activism, creating a more egalitarian space for women to flourish; or that the industry itself is relatively new following the wake of major legalization efforts, meaning women haven’t had to battle gender biases as fiercely as their predecessors from previous generations. Or, according to Lindsey Corum, the CEO of Cannabombz, it could be that weed is inherently feminine: “The sex of the plant that you’re growing is female.”
Ideally, the cannabis industry is led by a demographic that reflects its consumers to create the best supply-and-demand situation possible. Women make up 52.6% of medical marijuana cardholders in the state of Arkansas, but according to Scott Hardin of the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, only 41.37% of the cannabis workforce in the state is female. That’s over a 10% discrepancy in representation. To fully maximize the potential of the state’s MMJ market, growers and sellers alike must prioritize equal representation of the sexes in their operations at every level.
That being said, Arkansas women do have a strong presence in the cannabis C-suite. There are women at the top of the food chain at both growing and selling establishments across the state. Several of Arkansas’ female executives were speakers at the Arkansas Times Cannabis and Wellness Expo of August 2024 and will be featured in the upcoming Issue #3 of the Arkansas Cannabis Times.
