Why More Women Are Turning to Cannabis For Relief
From managing chronic pain to navigating menopause, women are turning to cannabis at record rates. But as acceptance grows, so does the need for caution.
Black News 
Now that edible gummies, pre-rolled joints and CBD oils are legal in some states, many women of all ages are rethinking how marijuana fits into their lives. For some, “Mom’s Night Out” cocktails are being replaced by cannabis. This shift is getting more attention around 4/20, the unofficial holiday for recreational cannabis use.
CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s documentary “Weed 8: Women and Weed” examines how women are using the substance to manage conditions after traditional medicine failed. Dr. Staci Gruber, a Harvard researcher interviewed by Gupta, pointed out how perception has changed. “There is a universal, or seemingly almost universal, acceptance at this point that cannabis or cannabinoid-based approaches to medicine and therapy are alternatives for folks, where we didn’t use to think of them as options before.”
Changing Attitudes
More than 19 million girls and women 12 and older reported using marijuana in a single month in 2024, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). This trend included Black women, whose past-month use rose by more than 258 percent between 2002 and 2021, based on research in Scientific Reports. The actual number may be even higher, since the documentary pointed out that many women use cannabis in secret.
Addressing Chronic Pain
In the documentary, women report using the subtance to relieve pain from chronic conditions such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease, as well as gynecologic pain. Gupta estimated that gynecologic conditions alone affect about one billion people worldwide. The documentary featured Oklahoma doula Ebony Jones, who used cannabis after becoming dependent on painkillers for menstrual cramps and trauma. She credited cannabis with improving her life.
Others reported that cannabis eased perimenopause and menopause symptoms, including mood changes, sleep disruption, hot flashes and joint pain. Sexual wellness was another area of concern for women, as 78 percent of women have reported sexual dysfunction during perimenopause, according to a Medicina report. Nearly 16 million people in the country had medical cannabis registrations in 2023, but recreational use was preferred by 60 percent of women in one study published in Mental Health Science.
Risks, Realities and Informed Choices
Despite growing use, Gupta warned that “even small doses can cause anxiety, dysphoria and memory loss.” Additionally, increased acceptance does not translate to relaxed legal consequences. Even though usage rates are similar across racial groups, Black Americans are arrested for marijuana possession at nearly four times the rate of white Americans, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
Research from Wayne State University found that 26 percent of pregnant mothers in Detroit reported using cannabis — a stat that came as one researcher cautioned that cannabis can cross the placenta. There is also concern that it affects brain development around age 10. Dr. Jannester Wilson King, a board-certified OB-GYN who has occassionally prescribed cannabis, told Gupta, “There cannot be conclusive proof of safety for a developing fetus.”
Women have historically been left out of studies regarding the long-term effects of cannabis during hormonal changes. As women increasingly seek alternatives to traditional medications, it is essential to engage in informed decision-making, particularly during vulnerable life stages.
