Addiction comes in many forms—alcoholism, drugs, eating disorders, gambling, food—and though people of all walks of life can experience substance abuse, women are particularly predisposed to become addicts. Cannabis is an increasingly common form of addiction for women. Some of them wake up from a cloud of mind-altering smoke, which addiction medicine calls “cannabis induced delusions or confusion” Only to ask themselves how their cannabis dependence got this far.

There are specific environmental and social conditions which significantly affect women, who are BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA+, leading to the predisposition for addiction.  Addiction is symptom of the betrayal of self and a disassociation to self and relationships to others.A disassociation that is learned behavior usually due to the fact that the reality and pain and circumstances of ones relationships and life experiences are difficult to endure. Racism, sexism, sexual abuse, misogyny, homophobia, bi-phobia and lesbian phobia, gender discrimination, and many more.Women throughout the globe find ourselves at a disadvantage in a socially stratified world.

As we recover from cannabis, many of us women are also healing from complex underlying issues which lead to our dependence and addiction to cannabis.

Many of these issues are social, economical, racial, ethnic, and sexual inequalities which are embedded and systemic in the dominant patriarchal racism which our Anglo-American society presents. These same demographics evidently make up the majority of substance abuse treatment programs—both professional and self help. 

People who have been raised and socialized as girls and women grow up with specific gendered expectations and demands. Collectively, have experienced various forms of trauma which can lead to the manifestations of addiction. 

Gendered racism (1) is a form of oppression that occurs due to race and gender. It is perpetuated by the prevalence of false perceptions, stereotypes, and images of certain groups. "Racism" is defined as the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race. Racism functions as a way to distinguish races as inferior or superior to one another. "Sexism" is defined as prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination on the basis of sex. Gendered racism differs in that it pertains specifically to racial and ethnic understandings of masculinity and femininity, as well as gendered forms of race and ethnic discrimination.

Julie Wilson reported the five top gender inequalities in a blog for ‘As You Sow’ is the nation’s non-profit leader in shareholder advocacy: on February 25, 2019

1. Unequal pay: On average, American women are more educated than men. For decades, women have earned more bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and doctorate degrees than men. Yet women in the U.S. workforce still earn less than their male counterparts. How much less? While some statistics show that women earn 80 percent of what men are paid, new data published in November 2018 suggests the pay gap between men and women may even be greater.  According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, women earn 49 cents compared to every $1 men earn. Unlike other research, the new data considers part-time workers and women who have taken time off from work to shoulder the demands of having and raising children or other family obligations. More than half of women leave the workforce for at least a year, which is twice the rate of men.

2. Sexual harassment: An obstacle that many women face in the workforce is sexual harassment. While the #MeToo movement has helped to shed light on the issue, little had been known, until now, about how many women are subjected to this type of mistreatment.  A survey conducted in January 2018 by the nonprofit Stop Street Harassment found 38 percent of women have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace, and 81 percent reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment in their lifetime, including verbal or physical assault. Data also links work-related factors to an increased risk of sexual harassment or assault in the workplace. Women restaurant workers who rely on tips for their main source of income are twice as likely to experience sexual harassment. Women lacking legal immigration status or having only a temporary work visa are also at an increased risk of sexual harassment or assault.

3. Racism: Unfortunately, race seems to play a major role in how women are treated and compensated in the workplace. The pay a woman receives may vary depending on her race and ethnicity. Data from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research found that Asian/Pacific Islander women have the highest median annual earnings and are compensated $46,000. White women follow at $40,000, while Native American and Hispanic women have the lowest pay, earning $31,000 and $28,000 per year. Earnings also vary by race when compared to what men are compensated.

4. Women are promoted less often than men: Despite being more educated than men and constituting nearly half of the workforce, women are promoted at work far less often than men. We know this because women make up less than 5 percent of CEOs and less than 10 percent of women are top earners in the S&P 500. Women of color are even worse off, as they are nearly invisible on both S&P 500 boards and Fortune 500 boards.  https://www.asyousow.org/blog/gender-equality-workplace-issues 

Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to stereotypes and gender roles and may include the belief that one sex or gender is intrinsically superior to another.  Women are socialized to think of themselves as inferior and les hi s valued within a patriarchal society. This is more complex and profound for BIPOC due to racism and discrimination within the Anglo society at large. LGBTQIA+ women’s self esteem and self image are affected by the dominant heteronormative society. Despite the benefits of the women’s movement and the strides women have taken in the last 25 to 100 years, women are still taught that being a wife and mother are the ideal while career and academic pursuits are less significant.

Sexual abuse and violence against women

1 out of 3 women have been raped or sexually violated before the age of 16. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience physical violence by their intimate partner at some point during their lifetimes. About 1 in 3 women, and nearly 1 in 6 men, experience some form of sexual violence during their lifetimes. (3)

Nearly half of all female homicide victims are killed by a current or former dating partner, according to a 2017 study by the CDC. Black women in the US are twice as likely as white women to be fatally shot by an intimate partner, gun control advocates say, and young black women are almost three times more likely to be shot and killed by an intimate partner than white women in the same age group. Amid the inaction, advocates say an estimated average of three women every day will continue to be killed by intimate partners. (4)

Physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health effects have been linked with intimate partner violence including adolescent pregnancy, unintended pregnancy in general, miscarriage, stillbirth, intrauterine hemorrhage, nutritional deficiency, abdominal pain and other gastrointestinal problems, neurological disorders, chronic pain, disability, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as noncommunicable diseases such as hypertension, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. Victims of domestic violence are also at higher risk for developing addictions to alcohol, tobacco, or drugs, according to  The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV). (5)

Gender discrimination may encompass sexism and is discrimination toward people based on their gender identity or their gender or sex differences. It may arise from social or cultural customs and norms. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people sometimes experience violence directed toward their sexuality or gender identity.[1][2] This violence may be enacted by the state, as in laws prescribing punishment for homosexual acts, or by individuals. It may be psychological or physical and motivated by biphobia, gayphobia, homophobia, lesbophobia, and transphobia. Influencing factors may be cultural, religious, or political mores and biases. (6

One out of three Women have been abused sexually by the time they are 16 years old. Therefore women seeking recovery can have complex and chronic history of trauma. Some have survived childhood abuse, sexual abuse and/or domestic violence, or other trauma. Some are adult children of alcoholics or chemically dependent parents, and some have been coupled to partners who are chemically dependent.

These social issues have contributed to higher levels of depression, low self-esteem/self-worth, anxiety, PTSD, racial and ethnic trauma, learning differences, and/or particular medical issues and/or disabilities they may have. The disparities for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ women can cause them to be outcast by society, their own families, and often within their own recovery communities. It is common for women in cannabis recovery to discover that they have been medicating themselves with cannabis for a variety of reasons listed above.

These interlocking inequalities that define gender, sexuality, race, and abilities are profoundly affecting women’s opportunities to access so much in the dominant patriarchal world. This is also the case with accessing substance abuse treatments and recovery as well as innovative and effective professional trauma therapy. Because of this double jeopardy, women belonging to minority races or ethnic groups often live in virtual invisibility; add LGBTQIA+ to this and it’s a triple challenge.