National Women’s Month is the perfect time to spotlight the women who have reshaped our understanding of human sexuality, cannabis, and the combination of the two. These women have taken the forefront on a better understanding of these important topics and empowered many others to embrace a greater knowledge of both sex and cannabis.
Historical Women in Sex Research
Sue Johansen
Starting her career as a nurse in the 1950s, Sue Johansen later became one of the most notable sex educators and paved the way for sex educators today. In 1970, Sue opened one of Canada’s first birth control clinics to make contraception more widely and easily accessible. Sue transitioned her career into media with her successful radio and TV show “Sunday Night Sex Show”. Sue was known for being straightforward and humorous, yet provided sex education to millions of people. Sue Johansen empowered individuals through education and created open dialogue towards sex and pleasure, making her a prominent influential figure in modern sex education.
Virginia Johnson
You may have heard of Masters & Johnson, but did you know Johnson was a woman? Starting as a research assistant, Virginia Johnson soon became partners (professionally and later, romantically) with William Masters. Together, they established the stages of the sexual response cycle and discovered various sexual dysfunctions by conducting laboratory studies that involved observing research participants having sex. Much of what we know today about the physiological changes in sex is from the research that Masters and Johnson conducted. Virginia was crucial for this research as she assisted in the study design, conducted experiments while collecting crucial data, and directly worked with the research participants.
Shere Hite
Shere Hite is recognized as a sexologist, feminist, and a pioneer in sex research for her work exclusively focusing on the female perspective of sex and sexuality. Her research (and book, “The Hite Report”) is based on the personal narratives of women’s experiences through analysis of 3,000 self-reported answers from women of all ages. This newly expanded knowledge of women’s sexual thoughts, feelings, and preferences redefined conversations about female sexuality through a more open, honest dialogue about sexual pleasure and desire.
Leading Women in the Cannabis Industry
Wanda James
Wanda James is a veteran, elected official, and the owner of the first Black-owned dispensary, cultivation facility, and edible company, making her the first African-American woman to own a dispensary in the United States. Her edible company, Simply Pure Medicated Edibles, first opened in 2010 and has since become the largest medical cannabis edible company in Colorado. Wanda is a notable cannabis advocate and is known for challenging social equity and justice within the cannabis industry through political campaigns.
Rowshan Reordan
Rowshan Reordan has been a licensed attorney since 2006. Reordan opened Green Leaf Lab in Oregon a few years later and it became the first woman-owned and operated accredited cannabis testing laboratory. Reordan is changing the cannabis industry by creating innovative products to extensively test cannabis for safety, potency, and quality. Rowshan has also been instrumental in policy changes surrounding the cannabis industry’s regulatory standards for the benefit of the consumer and the industry alike.
Notable Women in Sex & Cannabis
Amanda Moser (Hi, it’s me!)
EngErotic’s sexologist is also known for conducting pioneering research on how cannabis influences one’s sexual functioning and satisfaction. Prior to this research, cannabis and sex has not been vastly researched; so this research was able to update the current literature and establish how cannabis influences one’s sexual functioning and satisfaction (for instance, sexual desire, orgasm, sexual satisfaction, etc.).
Inside scoop: this research used the framework that was created by Masters & Johnson (shoutout to Virginia!)
Learn more about cannabis and sex research in our previous blog: https://www.engerotics.com/education/cannabis-sex/
Suzanne Mulvehill
Dr. Suzanne Mulvehill is a Clinical Sexologist who is also a researcher focusing on how cannabis affects one’s sex. However, Mulvehill’s research focuses on cannabis and orgasms, specifically, such as orgasm frequency, ease of orgasm, satisfaction of orgasm, and how cannabis may alleviate orgasm difficulties, especially for those with Female Orgasm Disorder/Difficulty.
Suzanne is now using this research to change the laws surrounding medical marijuana. She leads the Women’s Cannabis Project dedicated to add Female Orgasm Difficulty as an eligible condition of treatment with medical cannabis. As of today, Illinois and Connecticut have added Female Orgasm Difficulty to their list of qualifying conditions for medical cannabis!
Check your state’s laws regarding eligible conditions for the use of medical marijuana, you may be able to legally use cannabis to help you orgasm!
In Conclusion
As we celebrate National Women’s Month, it’s important to acknowledge the tremendous impact that these women have had in these industries that have historically seen limited female representation. Their contributions have opened doors, sparked conversations, and even changed policies along the way. By highlighting their work, we not only honor their achievements but also inspire the next generation to continue exploring and expanding our collective understanding.
References
https://scholar.valpo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1061&context=psych_fac_pub
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1746-1561.1979.tb03845.x
https://jcannabisresearch.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42238-022-00169-2
