Students for Sensible Drug Policy
Women in Leadership Reform Roles on the Rise By Frances Fu Although the balance is slowly changing, traditional gender roles within the illicit world of cannabis use and distribution have, unsurprisingly, largely carried over to the new legal environment. The drug policy reform movement and cannabis industry tend to be “‘a bit of a guy’s club,’” wrote Wendy Chapkis (quoting Freedom Leaf Editor Steve Bloom) in her 2013 essay “The Trouble with Mary Jane’s Gender,” with Ethan Nadelmann of the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA), Allen St. Pierre of NORML, Rob Kampia of the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) and Rick Doblin of the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) all in leadership positions. At the time, the only woman in a leadership role in a major reform organization was Steph Sherer of Americans for Safe Access (ASA) (see interview on page 48). That’s since changed to include Betty Aldworth of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) and Jane West and Jazmin Hupp of Women Grow. The preponderance of men in the world of cannabis can largely be explained by gender roles. Men, in general, are expected to take more risks, and thus have traditionally been more prominent in the cannabis world. For women, gender expectations largely explain both their absence and their immersion in that world. “I became a mother when I was 37,” longtime Bay Area medical marijuana activist Debby Goldsberry told High Times in 2011. “I waited that long because I was a frontline reform activist. It was scary, because kids were being taken from their parents who were arrested for simple possession. After I became a stronger advocate and wanted to be a mother, my voice needed to be loud so I could get extra protection.” However, female gender expectations also explain why women are increasingly coming out of the “cannabis closet.” From “marijuana moms,” who contend that their
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(From left to right) SSDP’s Lauren Mendelsohn, Betty Aldworth and Stacia Cosner.
marijuana use has genuinely made them better mothers, to the fact that more cannabis organizations today are being led by women, the role of women as caregivers remains consistent. As a female-led organization, SSDP is an exception to the rule. Our four most important positions are filled by women: Aldworth at the top, followed by Deputy Director Stacia Cosner, C hair of the Board of Directors Amanda Muller and Vice Chair Lauren Mendelsohn. That these roles are filled by women represents the power and potential of SSDP—not just as a drug policy reform organization, but one that nurtures and develops the female leaders of tomorrow. Women’s support for and participation in cannabis policy reform is integral to the movement’s continued success. Organizations including the NORML Women’s Alliance, Mothers Against Misuse and Abuse, Moms for Marijuana and Women Grow encourage women to get involved. According to the Women’s Alliance, “There is no doubt that once women, especially mothers, become educated about the social and economic costs of marijuana prohibition… the scope of the national, mainstream conversation will be changed for good.” Frances Fu is SSDP’s Pacific Region Outreach Coordinator.
december 2015