6 Funny Reactions People Have Made When They Learned That A Woman They Know Sells Legal Cannabis

Enjoy!

Cannabis is currently legal in some form (either for recreational or medicinal purposes) in at least 33 states. Yet of course the stigma behind its sale or use is extremely prevalent. I spoke with 6 successful women leaders in the cannabis industry and asked them if they could share a funny story about how someone they knew reacted when they first heard she was getting into the cannabis industry.

Here are the reactions. I hope you enjoy.

They had been calling me a drug dealer already because I had come from pharma sales

My parents’ reaction was that I was going to be an illegal drug dealer! They had been calling me a drug dealer already because I had come from pharma sales. Their reaction was, “Great, now you will be an illegal drug dealer.” - Shauna Blanch

We went around the room saying something about ourselves

I had been working my “real” job as an IT project manager and during a department meeting, we went around the room saying something about ourselves that most people in the room didn’t know. When it got to me I said: “ My husband and I grow hemp and make CBD oil from it!” For a second it was all still — you could have heard a pin drop and my heart sank — finally, one of my subordinates snickered “Rae’s growin’ weed!” and the whole room collapsed in laughter. I corrected that statement after we all had a good belly laugh about it, but to this day, I think they believe I’m growing more than hemp! - Rae Edmiston

Eyes opened pretty quickly

People’s eyes tend to glaze over when you talk about payments, but when you start talking about cannabis they open them pretty quickly! I know our New Zealand employees have family and friends that are shocked when they start discussing their work on cannabis payments as it is not legal for personal use there. In New Zealand cannabis is only legal for terminally ill patients who are able to lawfully consume cannabis for medicinal purposes, however in 2020 a non-binding referendum will be held at the 2020 New Zealand general election on the question of whether to legalise the personal use of cannabis. - Tammy Camp

She asked me if I was going to be safe

Yes and it involves my mom. She’s always championed my career. When I told her about ehemp she sat silent on the phone for a while and then asked me if I was going to be safe. She thought that hemp and marijuana were the same and I’d be somehow in the throws of drug dealers. After explaining the differences, she felt better and was excited for me. But it highlights the challenges industrial hemp has with getting mistaken for its cousin and there are stigmas to overcome. - Jessica Lesesky

My mom was mortified!

My mom was mortified! It speaks to a lot of the reasons as to why we wanted to approach my company in the way we wanted, putting education first. My mom is so misinformed about this industry. She was mortified that I was going to provide a product into the marketplace trying to get people high. We spent many hours and tears over what the real goal was. She now happily wears our sheet mask once a week as part of her care routine, which is a long way from where we started. - Kara Harrison

What will I write in the Christmas card

The first time I told one of my grandmothers her initial reaction was, “What will I write in the Christmas card?”. Besides that, it’s been very positive feedback; as a mother I get nervous telling my kids teachers, pediatricians, caregivers, friends parents, etc., but I’ve found the stigma around cannabis and motherhood is becoming less of a thing and instead you get bucketed in the “cool mom” category. - Cambria Benson-Noecker