Jessica Assaf, co-founder of CBD beauty brand Prima, begins by sharing with us her thoughts about the potential of cannabis to be a women-led industry: “This is really first time in history that women have the opportunity to design, build, and lead an industry from scratch, with no glass ceiling…cannabis is the opportunity to redefine feminism.” She also discusses the different views toward cannabis in California versus New York, the benefits of having seasoned business people in the industry, and the necessity of having the right protocol and safety standards. Assaf notes that CBD has the potential to fix some of our biggest problems, like stress and chronic pain.
Seth Adler:
Jessica Assaf joins us. Welcome to Cannabis Economy. I'm your host, Seth Adler. Download episodes on canneconomy.com, or wherever you currently get your podcasts. First, a word from our supporter, and then Jessica Assaf.
Speaker 2:
I've known the family behind Medicine Man for the past eight years. Pioneers in Colorado, the family business helped set the path for global adult use cannabis. MG Magazine has voted them top 50 cannabis companies to work for, two consecutive years running. Check out their website at medicinemandenver.com, or visit one of their locations in Denver, Aurora, Thornton, or Longmont the next time you're in Colorado to understand how one family has helped chart the course for the next great American industry.
Seth Adler:
Okay, so we've got Jessica Assaf, right, for Prima. We'll get to Prima. But Jess, thanks for giving us a few minutes, a little bit of time.
Jessica Assaf:
Thanks for having me.
Seth Adler:
Yeah, absolutely. Quickly, did I pronounce the last name correctly, at least correctly enough?
Jessica Assaf:
You did, yes.
Seth Adler:
Okay, great. And as far as Jessica or Jess, do we care?
Jessica Assaf:
No.
Seth Adler:
We don't?
Jessica Assaf:
We don't.
Seth Adler:
I've shared with you before we started recording this, in a previous conversation, that this is the same name as my sister, so we already have that connection.
Jessica Assaf:
Yes.
Seth Adler:
But we also have another connection, which is that I had a conversation with two of your old friends, way back when. This is now at least a couple, few years ago. What am I talking about?
Jessica Assaf:
You're talking about my long, rich history with cannabis.
Seth Adler:
Right.
Jessica Assaf:
And my previous venture, which was Cannabis Feminist, which led me here. But I have a long, long history with the plant, and it's taken many forms and shapes.
Seth Adler:
Got it. And so, just to remind folks, not that you are doing that now, but so that we have kind of a good sense of where your head space was and how it's evolved, describe Cannabis Feminist, and what we might have heard in that other interview with your two old colleagues.
Jessica Assaf:
Yes. So in 2016, I had just gotten my MBA from Harvard, and I finally felt confident enough to come back to California, I'm from California, and really pursue the cannabis industry professionally, not just personally, which I had been for over a decade. I read a statistic that really changed my life. This was in 2016. And the statistic was that across all U.S. industries, the cannabis industry has the highest percentage of female executives. And this really-
Seth Adler:
Did have.
Jessica Assaf:
Yes. It spoke to me because what it told me is that cannabis could be the first billion dollar industry run by women. It's a female plant. And this is really first time in history that women have the opportunity to design, build, and lead an industry from scratch, with no glass ceiling, or grass ceiling, as we like to say. So this inspired an initiative by me. I kind of thought that cannabis is the opportunity to redefine feminism.
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