Celebrate 4/20 With These Inclusive Local Cannabis Products

Shayda, Sydney, and Nika Torabi of Restart CBD (Courtesy of Restart CBD)

While the draconian, Republican-led Texas governing body is sittin' pretty as one of the slowest states to legalize, cannabis consumers are green with envy about the April 1 rec sales in New Mexico. (We see you crossing the border to stand in line, Lubbock!) And a majority of those folks – and consumers across the country – identify as female.

Bethany Gomez, managing director at Brightfield Group (a leading cannabis market and consumer research firm), says, "We believe the future of cannabis is female, as our data shows women make up 59% of new cannabis consumers. During the pandemic, women, specifically in Gen Z, had the fastest growth [in] year-over-year sales for legal cannabis. This can be attributed to the industry's shift in public attitudes as well as the designs and packaging being more sophisticated and appealing to women." Even more, their research found that specifically regarding 4/20, "the majority of consumers using more cannabis than usual to celebrate are in fact female. With increasing cannabis use nationwide, the launch of new markets, and new states legalizing, consumers are itching to celebrate cannabis this year."

Here in Austin, Restart CBD (restartcbd.com) is a sister-owned and -operated business, and co-founders Shayda, Sydney, and Nika Torabi have been using CBD since 2015: "Our family built this business from the ground up in this primarily male-dominated industry to help educate, advocate, and destigmatize cannabis in hopes that our journey can inspire other women to see cannabis [and its] beautiful and healing properties." Restart CBD works with hemp-farming communities, local educators, other industry leaders, and manufacturers to improve cannabis conversations and opportunities, and Shayda sits on the Texas Hemp Coalition and runs a cannabis podcast. Products available online and in their brick-and-mortar (2521 Rutland Dr. Ste. 150-A) include certified organic tinctures, vegan gummies, Delta-8 brownie bites, taffy, lemonade, flower, vapes, capsules, and more. Seriously, they've got it all.

The MaryJae cannabis dispensary (shopmaryjae.com) is "LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and women-owned, with an unapologetic and heart-centered approach to cannabis," and they have been serving the Austin area since 2017. Owners Jae and Francis have really created a "modern cannabis experience" with curated product lines organized by feel (uplift, focus, relief, rest, etc.) and by lifestyle (herb, concentrate, dope merch), and their FAQ page is full of up-to-date approachable info. The Downtown shop (2110 S. Lamar) is brimming with good vibes and the wonderful staff is trained to help everyone from first-timers to lifetime devotees find the best high-quality products in a chill, judgment-free zone. As all cannabis zones should be.