Bruce Kennedy ~ WeedWorthy ~
A growing number of women, especially those with degrees in STEM fields, are finding unique opportunities in the legal marijuana sector.
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Legal cannabis is making headlines as one of the fastest-growing business sectors in the U.S., but it also is making history when it comes to the sheer number of women involved in the industry as top-level managers and leaders.
“I think it helps, because it is a new industry,” Lori Glauser, president and COO of Las Vegas-based Signal Bay Inc., a research analysis and consulting firm, told WeedWorthy while attending the Cannabis Business Summit & Expo in Denver.
Glauser is also the founding chair of the Las Vegas chapter of Women Grow, a professional network with representation in over 30 cities in the U.S. and Canada. The organization’s web site says it “supports female leaders in all segments of the cannabis industry.”
One of the aspects of the cannabis industry that’s attracting women, Glauser says, are the opportunities its presents for women to advance much faster and further than they would in many traditional professions.
“I’m a mechanical engineer myself, so I came from a background of being the only woman in the room, or one of very few women in the room,” she says.
Glauser also noted that many women with education in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)-related fields of study appear to be gravitating towards cannabis-related jobs.
“There is a lot of science and technology in this business,” she says, “whether it’s the architecture, engineering and building of the facilities themselves, or the finances. I’m biased, because I think people with that kind of background are really well-prepared to work in a variety of areas of (the cannabis) business.”
That being said, Glauser says a lot of people are also attracted to the legal cannabis industry because of its tolerance to people coming from a wide spectrum of backgrounds
“I think for young women who want to get into the industry, it’s about understanding that there is more than just budtending and trimming and cultivation,” she says.
“It is about science, it’s genetics, it’s extractions, it’s understanding horticulture at a deep level. So my recommendation would be, of course, to go and study those particular topics," Glauser adds. "And if you don’t want to go to college to…study those topics at least go Oaksterdam University or one of the…many cannabis training companies out there that can really get people started, get their foot in the door and understand the technical aspects of the plant.”
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