In the past, men outnumbered women when it came to cannabis use—despite women historically using cannabis for conditions like menstrual pain for thousands of years.
In more recent history, social expectations and the history of stigma regarding women using cannabis are just a few of the reasons women may not have tried or used cannabis despite it becoming legal in their home state. That is until a recent study showed that the tables have finally turned.
Now, women are the dominant target market when it comes to cannabis users.
In this article, you’ll discover why women outrank men for the first time for cannabis use, why women are using cannabis, historical stigmas surrounding women’s use of cannabis, and how some states are beginning to add women-specific conditions for treatment using medical cannabis.
Cannabis use has historically been significantly more prevalent among men than women.
However, in 2023, the gender that consumed more cannabis changed for the first time in recorded history, which began in 1975.
The latest Monitoring the Future survey data conducted by the University of Michigan shows that women between the ages of 19 and 30 are now the ones who consume the most cannabis. The cannabis app Jointly also indicates that more than half of its account users (55%) are women.
Cannabis brands knew this meant a change in their marketing strategies, so they invested heavily in products that are proven to be more popular with women specifically.
The shift in gender reversal for cannabis consumption could also be linked to a wider variety of cannabis product forms on the market.
According to internal Veriheal data, some of the cannabis products women have shown to prefer most frequently are:
Considering the types of products women prefer, it’s likely more women began trying cannabis not only due to it being available in more states but that these types of products intrigued them more than what had previously been on the market.
As more new and innovative cannabis products continue to come out, along with new states legalizing them every year, the number of women using cannabis may continue to rise.
Unfortunately, there has been a stigma for quite some time regarding the typical stereotypes of cannabis and those who consume it. One of those stereotypes involves women consuming cannabis.
Thanks to the change in the stigma surrounding cannabis, women are having more conversations and reporting their use of cannabis without feeling ashamed.
An Australian author, Melanie Wentzel, wrote a book called Cannabis QueensTM, which delved deep into the roots of why there’s such a stigma surrounding women’s consumption of marijuana.
In history, there have been numerous events and periods that have shaped this stigma, such as the sexualization of women depicted in ‘Reefer Madness’ propaganda.
During the writing of her Cannabis Queens book, Wentzel also surveyed 75 women about their legal cannabis experiences. What she found was that 57% of those women experienced gender-based discrimination, further showing a lingering stigma surrounding women using cannabis today.
This image problem may have stuck around for most of this century, but it seems women are feeling more and more empowered to try and continue using this incredible plant.
In January 2025, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) approved four new women-specific medical conditions to the list of conditions that can be treated with medical cannabis.
These four conditions are:
“Medical cannabis has been shown to offer an effective means of relief from a variety of debilitating medical conditions and symptoms,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra about the newly added conditions.
Hopefully, the IDPH will set a new trend for more states to add similar women-specific conditions so more women can find relief using cannabis for these issues.
Men and women have biological differences, meaning that in some ways, their bodies and minds will have a different set of needs and potential conditions.
Women are even significantly more likely to be impacted by common issues like anxiety, pain, and sleep deprivation—or all three. Fortunately, these are all common things that cannabinoids can help with.
Here are some of the top reasons women are now turning to cannabis, according to research.
Women generally tend to experience and be impacted by stress and anxiety more often than men.
Some of the statistics about women being impacted by stress and anxiety are:
This means women are also more likely to be looking for a way to relax and relieve their stress and anxiety. Women tend to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders and are hard on themselves—typically more so than men.
Cannabis allows women to stop, slow down, and take a breath. This regulation and balancing of a woman’s mental state means feeling less frantic and being more likely to feel joy.
According to a nationally representative survey by YouGov, about 12% of women said aiding in relaxation would make them more likely to try cannabis products or use them more frequently.,
Yet, by the time women apply for medical cannabis cards with Veriheal, sign-up data shows that about 72% of female respondents want to feel “relaxed”, and 47% indicate they want to feel “mellow/chill”.
Furthermore, a poll conducted by 150 members of a female networking group called EmpowHER Cannabis Society showed an overwhelming response from women, stating that the top reason they consume cannabis was to cope with everyday stressors or to unwind.
EmpowHER was originally founded to provide women in the cannabis industry with an empowered but safe space while resisting outdated social and cultural norms surrounding cannabis.
The Sleep Foundation reports that studies show that although women spend more time in deep sleep than men, they also experience more fragmented or worse sleep quality.
Research cited by the Sleep Foundation concludes this is likely because women typically:
Since issues with sleeping are more likely in women than men, it’s no surprise that a YouGov analysis shows improved sleep is the number one reason women would try using cannabis as a solution.
This was also the second most common reason for consuming cannabis, according to the EmpowHER Cannabis Society poll.
Pain relief is the most common reason for both women and men to use cannabis.
According to the Pew Research Center, 70% of women are mothers who also work outside the home. Juggling work and childcare responsibilities means women typically experience high levels of physical pain from all this multitasking. In addition, women have numerous gender-specific health conditions that have painful side effects.
Women seem to be discovering more and more just how effective cannabis can be as a natural alternative to other drug-based pain relievers. According to the same YouGov survey, about 14% of women say it’s the top reason they would try cannabis.
Pain relief is one of the most common reasons women consume cannabis, according to the EmpowHER Cannabis Society poll.
Part of why women might be using cannabis more is to find relief from conditions that are women-specific and recur frequently—like that time of the month.
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) occurs in people with uteruses in the days before menstruation begins and a few days after menstruation starts.
PMS symptoms can last up to about a week, which is why cannabis has become increasingly popular among women to relieve common PMS symptoms like:
Notably, ancient civilizations in China, India, and Egypt have been using cannabis for period pain for over 4,000 years before the common era (B.C.E.).
Even the historical British monarch Queen Victoria was prescribed cannabis for her menstrual pain in the 1890s, according to her physician, who wrote extensively about using cannabis for dysmenorrhea. It’s believed she was reliant on using cannabis tinctures to help manage this monthly pain.
Some of the best and most popular cannabis strains for PMS symptoms today include:
Women also have other gender-specific conditions that can cause pain along with other side effects, further showing why women are turning to cannabis more than men in recent years.
Some of these common women-specific conditions include:
As the landscape of cannabis use evolves, women have emerged as the dominant consumers, reshaping both industry trends and societal perceptions.
Once hindered by stigma, more women are now turning to cannabis for relaxation, improved sleep, pain relief, and the management of gender-specific conditions. The availability of diverse product options, coupled with changing social attitudes, has fueled this shift.
With states like Illinois pioneering the inclusion of women’s health conditions in medical cannabis programs, the future of cannabis use appears increasingly female-focused. As research and legislation continue to evolve, the growing recognition of cannabis as a viable wellness tool for women is likely to continue expanding even further.
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