Latinas in Cannabis to host 3rd Annual Summit to break down industry stigmas

Latinas in Cannabis is hosting their third annual Summit this Saturday, September 27, dedicated to bringing together a diverse community of Latina advocates, entrepreneurs, creators and professionals.

This year, the one-day event will be taking place at The River LA in Frogtown, and is intentionally curated for personal and professional development, relationship-building and opportunities for career advancement. 

The summit not only features panels with trailblazing Latinas in the cannabis industry, but also creates a safe space for open dialogue around advocacy, community stigma, cannabis and motherhood, and cultural celebration perfectly timed with Hispanic Heritage Month.

Founded in 2020, Latinas in Cannabis works to connect, empower and celebrate Latinas who work, or aspire to work, in the cannabis industry through its online community, in-person events and resources to dismantle cultural and gender stigmas that create barriers to professional success. 

“When I founded Latinas in Cannabis, my mission was to create spaces where Latinas could feel seen, celebrated and empowered. Three years later, this Summit has become more than a gathering, it’s a movement that proves our community is essential to the future of cannabis,” said Susie Plascencia, founder and CEO of Latinas in Cannabis.

CALÓ NEWS spoke with Mexican Colombian American Sabrina Guerrero who is well known on social media platforms as “WhoLetMeBeAMom.” Guerrero is a leader in the Cannabis Mom community and a powerful voice helping to break down cannabis stigma among Latinas and moms.

The content creator grew up with the plant being normalized in her family. Guerrero said that her father was the “weed man,” in her neighborhood so she didn’t feel like there was a stigma until her parents divorced. When her mother met her stepdad, that’s when she realized that he was the complete opposite of her father. Not only did he have different cultural views but he saw cannabis as a drug and being a bad influence.

Guerrero recalls being in school and hearing her teachers talk about cannabis as being a bad thing in someone's life. “They tell you in school that people that are into cannabis make you lose interest in the people that you love and in the things that you like to do. But I didn't see that in my dad,” she said. “My dad was just such an involved parent, and he always made sure that we were having fun. And so I didn't see him as that stereotypical, pothead stereotype that everyone talked about and so I didn't believe in it.”

Some of Guerrero's family members always believed that smoking for her was just a phase and that she would stop doing it after becoming a mother. During her pregnancy, she didn’t crave cannabis at all so she stopped smoking and consuming. She also thought that her mindset would change after giving birth but that was not the case.

“After I had my son, a couple weeks had passed, and I thought, oh, I think I'm ready to smoke again, and then I was just back to where I was. But this time it was different because I realized that I was no longer smoking out of boredom, or out of habit, or just something to do with your friends. This time it was more with intention and being mindful, I was no longer smoking to check out, I was smoking to tune in” Guerrero said.

She also shared that she struggles with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and anxiety. And so she feels like cannabis helps her concentrate and get things done around the house whether cleaning or cooking or being more present with her kids while they play.

“I feel like people assume that we're smoking to get high and stuck, but I'm just smoking enough to feel regulated and for my thoughts to slow down and to not feel overwhelmed with my to-do list anymore,” she said.

Now a cannabis mom, Guerrero struggled to find like-minded mothers who shared her lifestyle. “I didn’t want to go to the club. I didn’t want to go to the bar. I didn’t want to hang out at someone’s house. I didn’t have a wine night,” she explained. So, she launched a blog called Who Let Me Be a Mom?, which became a space to connect with other moms and openly share her journey as a cannabis mother.

Guerrero believes the cannabis industry still has a long way to go in supporting mothers who use the plant. As an influencer and event host creating cannabis-friendly spaces for moms, she often encounters stigma from the very brands she engages with. “There are times when cannabis companies tell me they don’t want to be involved because moms who smoke weed ‘don’t look good,’” she shared, highlighting the persistent bias even within the industry itself and further feeding the stigma.

She also emphasized that the cannabis industry should consider changing their marketing groups towards more parents or the older generation instead of individuals who are in their early twenties. “Like they got it all wrong. I feel like it's a little backwards and it's like maybe you should market to the people who are grown and have grown-people money,” she explained.

In order to break-down the stigma around cannabis, Guerrero said that people need to shift their mindset. “I think that a lot of people still see cannabis as a party thing, where a lot of other people see it more as a herb, as a plant, and they respect the plant, and they know its medicinal properties and they are aware of how it could benefit others,” she said.

She also told CALÓ News that there’s not enough education or awareness about cannabis to break the stigma and in order for that to happen is for more advocacy to take place from those who actually use the plant, sharing their own personal stories and how it has helped them in their daily lives.

“In my bio, I say, doing my part to end the stigma, instead of saying ending the stigma, because it takes more than one person. I'm doing my part, but it's also gonna take the other cannabis moms to do their part,” Guerrero said.

Without the collaboration with EAZE the third summit would not be possible. Founded in 2014, EAZE is California’s largest cannabis delivery marketplace, connecting cannabis enthusiasts with the top brands in the market. Through its direct-to-consumer platform, EAZE has fulfilled over 12 millions cannabis deliveries all over California, from inception to now.

Eaze Inc. also operates four dispensaries in California, in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego and San Francisco, and owns and operates Green Dragon in Colorado with 16 dispensaries and 39 medical dispensaries in Florida.

“EAZE is proud to support the Latinas in Cannabis Summit. For three years, this event has created authentic spaces for connections and opportunity, and we’re honored to celebrate the incredible contributions Latinas are making in cannabis,” stated the Eaze company.

To purchase tickets to the Latinas in Cannabis Summit, click here.