We keep hearing the cannabis industry is poised to be North America’s first blllion-dollar industry dominated by women, who make up 36 percent of executive positions. Not too shabby, really: women make up just 14.6 percent of executives in the U.S. overall. But that doesn’t mean the nascent industry doesn’t present some unique challenges for women.

Jazmin Hupp, 32, Founder & CEO of Women Grow, has been featured in Forbes and dubbed a “genius entrepreneur” by Fortune Magazine. Women Grow hosts educational events and online resources to unite and educate people in the cannabis industry.

While women are well-represented in her organization, Hupp tells Civilized, “There are heavy challenges that women face starting any business. We want to make sure that the script was different for the cannabis industry – for women, people of color, for veterans. Since cannabis serves a wide audience, we need a wide selection of people to represent that audience.”

The workplace should be diverse, inclusive

At Women Grow, the culture is focused toward promoting diversity and workplace inclusion, taking a cue from the needs of the women it employs.

“All of our staff have a flexible, remote working schedule,” says Hupp, “so that they can go have lunch with their kids on their birthday, let’s say. Little changes make a huge difference.”

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