Diversity in Cannabis Survey: Women Hold Majority Ownership in 57% of Cannabis Businesses

October 31, 2017

What We Have Learned: The cannabis industry has not only broken gender barriers, but shattered them compared to other mature industries in the United States.

New Frontier Data, the cannabis Big Data and analytics authority, in partnership with Women Grow, the leading organization for the empowerment of women in the cannabis industry, has released Diversity in Cannabis: Perspectives on Gender, Race, and Inclusion in Legal Cannabis. This report looks at a broad range of perspectives on issues ranging from reasons for joining the cannabis industry to experiences with gender and racial discrimination. One of the most interesting findings of the survey was that 30% of all respondents reported that women occupied all positions of ownership at their companies and 57% reported working for companies where at least half the ownership were women.

“Our latest report on gender and diversity issues in cannabis substantiates that the industry has not only broken gender barriers, but has shattered them compared to other mature industries in the United States. While the large share of female owned businesses in the industry is impressive, the same can however not be said for minority owned enterprises. The data and research we present in this latest report sheds light on areas where the industry is exceling as well as highlights those areas where improvement can be made,” said New Frontier Data Founder & CEO Giadha Aguirre de Carcer.

“It has been a pleasure working with New Frontier Data to bring this report to market. I am proud of the work we are able to contribute to this space and was deeply impressed by the response from our community. The industry has spoken and this report represents its feedback. As business leaders, we have a unique opportunity to create better business environments by changing the narrative. As a new industry, we can make serious inroads by creating new standards. It is imperative we evolve in order for us to be inclusively successful,” said Kristina Garcia, CEO Women Grow. The Diversity in Cannabis Report surveyed over 1,700 stakeholders in the cannabis industry from 28 states and the District of Columbia. It covers a range of diversity topics across various areas:

• Diversity in Upper Management
• Cannabis Usage
• Compensation & Benefits
• Gender & Racial Discrimination
• Sexual Harassment
• Diversity & Inclusion in Business Strategy

“The New Frontier Data team greatly enjoyed working with the Women Grow team and is honored to be a partner with others who are thoroughly engaged in better understanding gender and diversity issues through data to make a more informed industry,” said Aguirre de Carcer.

If you are a member of the press and interested in a free copy of the Diversity in Cannabis: Perspectives on Gender, Race, and Inclusion in Legal Cannabis, go to https://newfrontierdata.com/ or contact our PR team: NFD@PReturn.com.

About New Frontier Data:

New Frontier Data provides objective, rigorous and comprehensive analysis and reporting for the nascent and underserved cannabis industry. New Frontier’s data and reports have been cited in over 45 countries around the world to inform industry leaders. New Frontier, the premiere Big Data shop in the sector looks beyond the plant cultivation and distribution, to raise the industry bar and improve visibility into what will inevitably soon be a mature and more complex industry. Founded in 2014, New Frontier is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and has additional offices in Denver.

New Frontier Data does not take a position on the merits of cannabis legalization. Rather, its mission and mandate is to inform cannabis – related policy and business decisions through rigorous, issue-neutral and comprehensive analysis of the legal cannabis industry. For more information or media inquiries, please visit www.newfrontierdata.com or contact our PR team: NFD@PReturn.com.

About Women Grow:

Women Grow was created to connect, educate, inspire and empower the next generation of cannabis industry leaders by creating programs, community and events for aspiring and current business executives. Founded in 2014 in Denver, Women Grow is a for-profit entity that serves as a catalyst for women to influence and succeed in the cannabis industry as the end of marijuana prohibition occurs on a national scale. For more information or media inquiries for Women Grow, please contact gia@womengrow.com and 718-913-2990