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I love a good quote… A heartfelt thought from someone I admire or consider smarter than me? *Chefs Kiss* Love it.

People look to quotes like these for inspiration. When they are feeling down, when they want to know someone else has felt the same way. We look for quotes about things like life, survival, family, parenthood, love… The list goes on… And, of course, my list would include quotes about Cannabis! With March being Women’s History Month, PayRio Founder Aubrey Amatelli and I thought it would be fun to compile a list of our favorite quotes by a few historical CannaWomen that we respect. 

Brownie Mary: “I’m not a criminal. I did nothing wrong. I was helping my kids. We desperately need medical marijuana in this country.”

Brownie Mary is one of my favorite historical CannaWomen. I’ve spoken a little about her in previous blogs, but basically, she was a little old lady who adopted the sick and dying community in San Francisco during the 70’s, up until the day the world lost her. Living in the city, she saw the LGBTQ+ community fighting AIDS, and suffering horribly. So Mary started baking brownies, and distributing them to the sick patients. 

She was arrested on multiple occasions, once with 18 lbs and 54 dozen pot-brownies in her home. As I said in my other blog covering her: “Mary was known for being brash, honest, sweet, empathetic, and having a mouth like a sailor… My personal favorite story: (WARNING: it has foul language… But they are Marys exact words, and I think she would say “…Get over it.”) About a month after her 3rd arrest, she went to a rally in front of San Francisco City Hall, and spoke. Standing proud, with her “Grandma” curls and glasses, she yelled: ‘If the narcs think I’m gonna stop baking brownies for my kids with AIDS, they can go f**k themselves in Macy’s window!'” (If you know me, you can see why I love Brownie Mary so very much…)

Melissa Etheridge: “Instead of taking five or six of the prescriptions, I decided to go the natural route and smoke marijuana.”

Melissa Etheridge is an American musician, songwriter, singer and guitarist that started reaching popularity in the 1980s. She’s known for many songs, such as “Come to My Window” and “I’m the Only One“, and she is also an outspoken Cannabis advocate. I’ve loved her music since I was a little girl, and I love her even more now that I know we share a passion for my favorite plant. After being diagnosed with Breast Cancer in October of 2004, she consulted with friends who had been through Cancer battles, and discovered that Cannabis was an effective medicine for everyone she spoke with, particularly close friend David Crosby. 

Since then, Etheridge has reached remission and hasn’t stopped speaking up for plant medicine, specifically Cannabis. She told Yahoo Entertainment that it was a “Wake up call” for her. “When I used it as medicine, it became so clear to me that it has been maligned and misunderstood, and I really wanted to help people who are suffering. I mean, going through chemotherapy is suffering… and cannabis helps so many parts of just that. That’s just the beginning of what it does medicinally.”

Maya Angelou: “From a natural stiffness, I melted into a grinning tolerance. Walking on the streets became a high adventure, eating my mother’s huge dinners, an opulent entertainment, and playing with my son was side-cracking hilarity. For the first time, life amused me.”

Last, but never least, Ms. Maya Angelou. American Author, Poet, Civil Rights Activist… a truly amazing woman. Maya Angelou wrote books, poetry, screenplays, songs… She danced, sang, acted, taught at universities, had over 50 honorary Degrees… Fun Fact: She was also the first African American Street Car Operator. Maya Angelou was one of a kind, and one of my favorite things about her was how open she was about her Cannabis use. 

In the 2nd installment of her Autobiography series “Gather Together in My Name“, she speaks of her experiences with Cannabis. After she smoked and was over her inevitable bout with “the giggles”, she found Cannabis to help her creatively, and helped her relax. “I learned new postures and developed new dreams.” Using Cannabis to get “high” and connect to ones higher self has been done for thousands of years, and Maya is a prime example of how its responsible use is definitely NOT a hindrance.

Supporting Women in Cannabis is Always a Good Thing… And You Can Quote Me on That!

Whittling this list down to only 3 was quite a feat, so be on the lookout for more For:20 Minutes pieces honoring amazing CannaWomen in the future! And speaking of honoring Women in Cannabis, let’s not forget that the Woman’s Cannabis Awards are this month! A fitting way to end Women’s History Month, the WCA’s are being held on March 30th 2024 at the beautiful EK Art Gallery in Los Angeles California. This show is incredible for 2 big reasons: 

Reason #1: They are raising money to benefit an AMAZING organization, Saving Sophie. Saving Sophie helps families with Children fighting cancer, and is doing important research to save these kids (and that research also includes using Cannabis in the fight!). This organization means so much to me, because I lost my sister to Cancer when she was 10, and my own son was diagnosed with Leukemia at 3 years old. The National Cancer Institute does very little in the way of research specifically for Childhood Cancers, (4% of their funding goes to Childhood Cancer, its absurd…) so organizations like Saving Sophie are stepping up and doing the work these kids deserve. Every penny we raise is truly making a difference in lives of kids fighting multiple different forms of Childhood Cancer. 

Reason #2: The WCAs are putting Women in Cannabis at the forefront, and doing what they can to get their products on dispensary shelves. WCA Founder Manndie Tingler and her team have been pounding the pavement, and have gotten 40+ dispensary Buyers from across the state of California to agree to meet with the WCA 1st Place Winners! That is a HUGE deal, because getting on the shelves in dispensaries can be incredibly difficult. A lot of times, just getting a meeting with a dispensary Buyer can be damn near impossible unless you know someone… The amazing team at the Womens Canna Awards are utilizing their industry connections and doing everything they can to make sure more Women get their products onto dispensary shelves, and in front of California Cannabis customers. 

I have been lucky enough to work on the Event Committee for the WCAs this year, and it has truly been an honor. Collaborating with this incredible group of women, who share a passion for Cannabis, and for lifting other women in Cannabis up however we can, has been a wonderful experience. Fueled by the feminine energy of our beautiful Cannabis buds, the group at the Womens Canna Awards is making sure this event will not only be a fantastic evening with good food, good people, and good Cannabis, but it will also genuinely improve the lives of others. What more could you ask for in an awards show???

So GET YOUR TICKETS NOW and show your support for Saving Sophie and the Womens Canna Awards!