Justice

Whoopi Goldberg Is About to Make Marijuana History

March 30th 2016

The marijuana universe has a new set of matrons: Whoopi Goldberg, the Academy Award-winning actress and entertainer, is joining one of the leading women of the edibles industry, Maya Elisabeth.

The ladies are launching a line of cannabis-infused balms, salves, and edibles they believe will help reduce menstrual cramp pain, when that time of the month rolls around. The move adds them to a growing group of new female entrepreneurs in the weed business, and the products are expected to be available in California by April — just in time for a special holiday — or whenever the pain strikes.

"This was all inspired by my own experience from a lifetime of difficult periods and the fact that cannabis was literally the only thing that gave me relief," Goldberg said in a statement released to ATTN:.

Goldberg and Elisabeth's company, Whoopi & Maya, is based out of Northern California. The two explained in a statement just how the legalization movement, particularly in California, is greatly changing the climate for marijuana business. As Goldberg describes, for half the population — that is, women — there is an alternative type of medicine she and other people recommend to try to reduce the pain associated with menstruation.

Here's what's on the menu, ladies.

Whoopi & Maya cannabis productsMichael Osborne

  • Raw chocolate infused with either CBD or THC that can be mixed in liquids such as warm milk or eaten
  • THC-infused tincture for serious discomfort
  • THC-infused bath soak
  • Topical rub for aches, pain

Goldberg has admired the medical marijuana movement in the past.

She penned a love story to her vape pen in the weed enthusiast publication, Cannabist. She described in the past how marijuana helps her, and many others, deal with pain every day. She counts on weed for her glaucoma and dubbed her vape "one of the more important figures in my day to day."Here's an excerpt of her words:

"The vape pen has changed my life. No, I’m not exaggerating. In fact, her name is Sippy. Yes, she’s a she. And yes, I named her Sippy because I take tiny, little sips — sassy sips, even — from her. And with each sip comes relief — from pressure, pain, stress, discomfort. But I’m getting ahead of myself.​"

Goldberg said she first was interested in creating alternative menstrual pain-relieving products when she couldn't pronounce the ingredients in her medications. That led her to want to try cannabis-infused products instead and venture into new, "thereuptic" options for health, she said.

"We have given ourselves a mandate to not only provide a quality therapeutic product, but also to educate the public and support social reform,” Goldberg said in a statement. 

Her partner in her latest venture, Maya Elisabeth, is ready to offer women an alternative to what's in stores and online, she told ATTN:. 

"Whoopi was really inspired by Queen Victoria using a tincture and so she reached out to me and it was a match made in heaven," Elisabeth told ATTN:. "I look up to this woman so much, I’m a huge fan. I’m not the type to be starstruck, I don’t even own a TV, but she’s someone I look up to as a woman."

Whoopi Goldberg launches female marijuana productsTimothy White Copyright 2016

For Elisabeth, she was tired of hearing painful stories from her friends whose cramps often force them to take days off.

"I think there’s a lot that we can do that involves small acts of care, taking time to rub your back or belly with the topical, or sit down and enjoy the chocolate and feel what it does to your body. I think there’s a huge need for women to have alternatives," Elisabeth told ATTN:. Now that the products are launched, Elisabeth and Goldberg are looking at ways to make the products available for women throughout the country.

As the marijuana business and entire industry grows, so does the game for women and women's products. And as Beverly Hills Cannabis Club founder Cheryl Shuman said in an interview with ATTN:'s Kyle Jaeger, "women are the most powerful influence in marijuana... We're on our way and there's no stopping the momentum."

Here's why weed might be a good option on your period.

Cannabis can have major benefits for PMS, a stage in the menstrual cycle that is, for most women, characterized by painful cramping. In July, Fusion's Taryn Hillin reported on the growing enthusiasm for marijuana as a remedy for period pain.

"Marijuana has been shown to generally relieve pain, and tetrahydrocannabinol (or THC), one of the active ingredients in cannabis, can decrease anxiety and nausea—all of which may temper the cramps, headaches, depression, and anxiety associated PMS and PMDD.

"The medical marijuana researchers we spoke with said they weren’t surprised that some physicians were recommending the drug. “I’ve heard many anecdotal reports from women that marijuana helps with cramps and menstrual pain,” said Mike Aldrich, a historian who has been studying cannabis since the 1960s."

Marijuana has also been shown to heighten senses and help achieve orgasms. Writer Cheri Sicard describes this as physiological experiences in her book "Mary Jane: The Complete Marijuana Handbook for Women." Being high and having an orgasm are remarkably similar physiological experiences in their effects on the brain and hormones.

To learn more about the history of marijuana, check out this ATTN: video.

 

[Editor's Note: This story was updated at 11:55 a.m. to include an interview with Maya Elisabeth.]

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