Change MakeHERS: Spotlighting Dr. Jenna Valleriani from the OCS
Why Women in Cannabis Matter
As the cannabis industry continues its rapid expansion, an increasing number of dynamic women are emerging as influential leaders within the field. These women not only shape the trajectory of their businesses but also pave the way for future generations of female leaders. At White Ash Group, we believe in celebrating the triumphs of women in the cannabis sector by highlighting their accomplishments. That's why we initiated the Change MakeHERs series – a collection of interviews and spotlight articles where women who embody strength, integrity, and hard work share their insights and advice on navigating the cannabis landscape.
Dr. Jenna Valleriani, Senior Manager, Social Responsibility, OCS
Explore this month's Change MakeHER featuring Dr. Jenna Valleriani, Senior Manager, Social Responsibility for the OCS, overseeing social impact and education initiatives across environmental sustainability, diversity and inclusion, and cannabis education.
Previously, as the Director of Social Impact & Advocacy at Canopy Growth, Valleriani pioneered purpose-driven partnerships and contributed to one of the first comprehensive ESG reports in North America's cannabis sector. Her diverse background includes roles as the CEO of the National Institute for Cannabis Health and Education, Executive Director of Hope for Health, and research positions focused on cannabis policy, public health, and drug use at institutions such as BCCSU and UBC. Jenna holds a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto and has been a trailblazer in shaping Canada's cannabis landscape.
About Ontario Cannabis Store
The Ontario Cannabis Store is a Crown agency solely owned by the Province of Ontario and reporting to the Ministry of Finance. The OCS provides safe, responsible access to legal recreational cannabis for adults 19 and older. They are Ontario’s sole wholesaler to more than 1,600 Authorized Cannabis Stores. The OCS also operates OCS.ca, the Province’s online cannabis retailer which delivers to consumers in every corner of Ontario.
Direct Advice For Women In Cannabis
Q: How do you think cannabis culture has evolved over the years, and what positive changes have you observed?
I’ve been a part of the cannabis sector for the last 13 years – first as a researcher and policy expert working with not-for-profits focused on cannabis-related initiatives. When I started my research, before the proliferation of “medical cannabis dispensaries” in Canada, there were only about 12 of these types of organizations in Toronto where I was based. They operated almost invisibly and required a doctor’s signature or statements of diagnosis for membership. Compare that to where we are today and so much has changed. Canada has fully reformed its cannabis laws to provide access to legal and tested products, making cannabis education more accessible and non-judgemental.
Since legalization in 2018, the most positive change I have seen is that the implementation of the Cannabis Act led to a significant reduction (up to 83 per cent) in cannabis-related offences. It always shocked me that under cannabis prohibition in Canada, young people ages 18 to 25 were the most likely to be arrested for cannabis-related offences, followed by youth 12 to 17 years of age. We still have a long way to go towards righting the wrongs of cannabis prohibition, including supporting a diverse, equitable and inclusive cannabis industry, but that in and of itself is very significant.
Q: In your opinion, how can the cannabis industry promote diversity and inclusion, particularly for women?
It’s important that anyone entering this industry understands the history of cannabis prohibition – it over-criminalized Black and Indigenous Canadians across the country, which created a lasting legacy that continues to impact equal opportunity both within and outside the sector. Even understanding the Canadian history tied to cannabis access, involving a lot of grassroots advocacy and legal battles, helps to paint a more complete picture of how we got to the legalization of cannabis.
When it comes to diversity and inclusion in the cannabis industry, a good place to start is where we work. Important questions to ask are: what does diversity look like at the leadership level? What about across your entire company? How does your company support employees from equity-deserving groups?
The Cannabis Act was generally void of any effective social justice measures when it was introduced, which is a missed opportunity. There are a lot of policy levers that could have been (and still can) be pulled to increase the participation of equity-deserving groups – including women – in the legal cannabis space. We see some of these ideas implemented in varying jurisdictions globally, and there is some data to suggest that alternative business models – such as co-ops and not-for-profit structures – can help increase diversity and inclusion in the sector.
At OCS, promoting a diverse and inclusive industry is one of our key pillars of social responsibility and we look forward to continuing important efforts to enable a vibrant cannabis marketplace that is reflective of our diversity here in Ontario and beyond.
Q: Do you find that there's a growing community of women supporting each other in the cannabis industry? Are there any specific initiatives that stand out to you?
In the earlier days, I helped to cofound the WomenGrow Toronto chapter, one of the first chapters in Canada, and I felt that was a powerful way to bring women in the sector together, and celebrate their accomplishments. I still hold many of those relationships with women across Canada who are doing amazing work in the business and research worlds and have made significant contributions to the sector.
I also follow “Canadian Women in Cannabis (CWIC),” who fought to have a seat at the table in policy discussions and advocacy. This group has continued to do important work, including a strong submission to the most recent Cannabis Act legislative review focused on the inclusion and advancement of women in the sector. I also really love the work going on at Broccoli magazine founded by Anja Charbonneau, who is Canadian and features diverse voices and topics on issues tied to drugs and drug policy. The Buy Weed From Women apparel brand, created by Jasmine Mans, advocates for supporting women entrepreneurs, prison reform and the liberalization of cannabis laws.
Generally, what stands out to me is a shift in how we feature and talk about women in the cannabis sector. It’s no longer about having one panel at a multi-day event focused on “women in the industry,” but rather ensuring women and other equity-deserving groups are weaved throughout the whole program. We don’t need one panel dedicated to women, we need representation and recognition that women are experts and can speak to a range of topics across marketing, branding, investing, policy and more.
Q: What changes, if any, would you like to see in how society views and discusses cannabis use, especially in relation to women?
We’ve made a lot of progress as it relates to cannabis and stigma, but there is still a lot of stigma tied to the plant. There has been some degree of cultural accommodation surrounding cannabis, but it remains very tied to our social privileges, including race. Women still face a lot more stigma for their use, which is often tied to how we think about traditional gendered roles as a mother and caretakers, leaving a lot of women to hide their use of cannabis despite it now being a legal substance.
We’re challenging 100 years of misinformation and prohibition, but this isn’t disconnected from wider intersections between culture, race and gender. How we view people and their cannabis use is infused with wider social, economic and cultural considerations.
What I find fascinating is, not unlike wider health research, we have very little research specific to women and cannabis use. Although there is increasing popularity of cannabis and a narrowing gap in prevalence of use between men and women, we’re only recently asking larger questions around sex-dependent effects either related to health risks or even therapeutic efficacy. I would suggest we need to start there, coupled with broader efforts to make education and responsible use more accessible to everyone.
Q: Tell us more about current projects you support and how they promote social responsibility in cannabis.
I’ve been working at the OCS for about a year and a half now, and in that time we’ve made significant progress activating our Social Responsibility Strategy, which is focused on supporting and promoting a diversity and inclusive industry, advancing cannabis knowledge and responsible use, and establishing a foundation for environmental sustainability.
We recently launched OCS’s Good All Around social impact platform, which houses all our social responsibility work in one convenient location. Two of our bigger social responsibility initiatives include:
Cannabis Made Clear: OCS’s evidence-informed, expert-reviewed online cannabis education hub. Cannabis Made Clear provides non-age-gated education and information related to responsible use, health effects, harm reduction and more.
We produced our first big public education campaign for Cannabis Made Clear, which launched in July 2023 and is back in market for the 2023 holiday season in high impact places such as Dundas Square, Union Station, on billboards, and in movie theatres. While also providing access to non-judgemental education, it’s cool to be part of something that can also indirectly serve to destigmatize cannabis in a socially responsible way. Cannabis Made Clear is exciting to work on because the evidence around cannabis is moving very quickly, so part of our job is ensuring Ontarians understand the benefits of legal cannabis and how to access it, and have the information they need to make informed decisions.
Social Impact Fund: On November 28, 2023, OCS announced the first partner projects selected to receive funding as part of our inaugural Social Impact Fund, including the S.E.E.D. Initiative – an entity that will offer not-for-profit mentorship and education focused on elevating Black, Indigenous and persons of colour participation in the cannabis sector.
In this pilot year, we allocated $500,000 to support programs, services and research by incorporated not-for-profits, registered charitable organizations and research institutions that contribute positively to the Ontario public and legal cannabis industry.
It's amazing work and sometimes I have to stop and think about how far we’ve come and how much further we have to go. The OCS is not only committed to championing a socially responsible cannabis industry but also enabling a vibrant cannabis marketplace. I’m thankful to be part of OCS’s mission-driven social responsibility work and to be making an impact here in Ontario and across the Canadian cannabis sector.
