Pride and Plant Medicine: How the LGBTQ+ Movement Shaped the Cannabis Industry

Pride Month: A Legacy of Love, Resistance, and Healing – Every June, Pride Month honors the Stonewall Uprising of 1969, a watershed moment in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights that ignited a global movement. Just one year later, the first Pride parade took place in June 1970, solidifying a tradition of annual celebration. In 1999, the U.S. government officially recognized June as Pride Month, cementing it as a time to celebrate love, equality, and progress.

The concept of “Pride” has been redefined through the LGBTQ+ movement. Once associated with shame and stigma, it has become a symbol of self-acceptance, empowerment, and unity. It represents a profound cultural shift—from internalizing societal negativity to boldly celebrating identity and advocating for equality. Today, Pride is a testament to resilience, progress, and the ongoing pursuit of justice. Pride celebrations and parades typically take place in June, though some cities and states continue the festivities into July. (Awareness Days, 2025)

But what’s love got to do with cannabis advocacy? Everything. Love is the unifying force behind two movements often seen as separate: LGBTQ+ Pride and cannabis advocacy. Both are rooted in the love for human dignity, the right to heal, and the freedom to live authentically. Love for community. Love as resistance. Love that refuses to be silenced.

“Hope will never be silent,” Harvey Milk once declared—a timeless reminder that advocacy is rooted in visibility and voice. Hope is not felt as a passive emotion, but as a transformative force in health, justice, and healing. Milk’s words challenge us to speak up—not only for LGBTQ+ rights, but also for compassionate, equitable healthcare that includes access to plant medicine. Silence, especially in the face of systemic injustice, perpetuates stigma. Whether we’re advocating for end-of-life dignity, cannabinoid therapies, or affirming care for queer youth, hope becomes activism when it is shared aloud. Milk’s legacy lives on every time a nurse, patient, or healer dares to say, “We deserve better”—and works to make it so. (Milk Foundation).

Love as Defiance: Cannabis and the AIDS Crisis – In the early days of the AIDS epidemic, long before cannabis became a wellness trend or billion-dollar industry, it was a lifeline. In cities like San Francisco, where the virus hit hardest, gay activists and caregivers defied laws and societal stigma to ease suffering. Cannabis was one of the few effective treatments available, helping alleviate wasting syndrome, pain, nausea, and anxiety. But what fueled this defiance wasn’t just necessity—it was love. Love that broke the law to save lives. Love that refused to let friends suffer in silence.

Dennis Peron, a gay Vietnam veteran, emerged as one of the early pioneers in the fight for medical cannabis. In 1990, he faced the devastating loss of his partner, Jonathan West, to AIDS—a tragedy that ignited his lifelong mission. By 1991, Peron co-founded the San Francisco Cannabis Buyers Club, providing a lifeline for those in need, and went on to co-author California’s Proposition 215 in 1996. Known as the Compassionate Use Act, this landmark legislation became the first to legalize medical cannabis in the United States. (Peron, 2018; “1996 California Proposition 215,” 2025)

Another trailblazer was Mary “Brownie Mary” Rathbun, a retired waitress turned cannabis advocate. She baked thousands of medicated brownies for AIDS patients at San Francisco General Hospital, often risking arrest. Her motto? “I bake the world a better place, one brownie at a time.” Together, she and Peron turned love into action, transforming grassroots care into legislative change. (Rathbun, 1922–1999)

What made this achievement extraordinary was its grassroots origin. It wasn’t the result of corporate lobbying but the collective efforts of queer activists, nurses, caregivers, and community members. Armed with petitions, homemade brownies, and relentless compassion, they turned grief into action and forever changed the landscape of medical care.

Pride and Plant Medicine: Shared Roots of Resistance – The ties between Pride and cannabis advocacy run deeper than they might seem. Both movements are rooted in resistance and the fight to reclaim autonomy over bodies and lives. In 1969, the Stonewall Riots—led by trailblazing trans and queer activists like Marsha P. Johnson and Stormé DeLarverie—became a defining moment for LGBTQ+ liberation. That same year, the Nixon administration enacted the Controlled Substances Act, launching decades of cannabis prohibition. Both events underscore shared battles against systemic oppression and the struggle for the right to exist free from persecution.

Today, cannabis remains an essential tool for many in the LGBTQ+ community. LGBTQ+ individuals face health disparities at disproportionate rates, including mental health challenges, chronic pain, trauma, and hormonal dysregulation— particularly among trans and BIPOC communities. When traditional healthcare systems fail to meet their needs, many turn to cannabis as a natural, self-directed form of healing.

The statistics speak volumes about the ongoing disparities in the cannabis industry. As of 2024, nearly 1 in 5 cannabis consumers identify as LGBTQ+, a figure that reflects the strong cultural and historical ties between queer communities and cannabis use. Despite this significant consumer presence, less than 5% of cannabis businesses are LGBTQ+-owned, with even fewer led by queer women, people of color, or nurses—underscoring the need for more inclusive economic opportunities within the industry. (Cannabis and LGBT culture; Women in the cannabis industry, 2025) This lack of representation is not just symbolic; it reveals systemic inequities that must be addressed through policy, investment, and community empowerment.

Love as Legacy – Both Pride and cannabis advocacy share a history of love as resistance—love that heals, empowers, and transforms. From the Stonewall Riots to the Compassionate Use Act, these movements remind us that progress is only possible when communities come together in support of one another.

As we celebrate Pride, let’s honor the love that fuels these movements and recommit to building a future rooted in compassion, equity, and justice for all.

2 Similariities between Pride & Cannabis

As the cannabis industry becomes increasingly dominated by corporate interests, it’s essential to remember that legalization wasn’t born in boardrooms—it was fought for by marginalized communities. Queer individuals, activists, patients, and caregivers championed cannabis not just as medicine but as a fundamental human right. This Pride Month, let’s honor that legacy and recommit to the principles that paved the way:

Support LGBTQ-owned and inclusive cannabis businesses
Advocate for equity in licensing, funding, and policy reform.
Demand the expungement of cannabis-related convictions.
Prioritize access for communities still excluded from the legal market.

Whether you’re a patient, provider, activist, or simply someone who believes in the right to thrive, know this:

? Progress grows from protest.

? Healing thrives in inclusive spaces.

❤️ And love—love is the force that brought us here, and it’s what will carry us forward.

Advocacy in Action – The Green Nurse Podcast Living Your Best Life and Clinical Conversations with Nurses Sherri and Elisabeth Mack on their Youtube Channel

Love has played a pivotal role in the evolving story of cannabis. In this compelling episode of The Green Nurse Clinical Conversation series, Nurses Sherri and Elisabeth explore the powerful intersection of Pride and cannabis, shedding light on its profound significance and impact.

Holistic Caring and The Green Nurse host a webinar exploring the connection between LGBTQ, Pride, and cannabis, focusing on awareness, growth, and becoming our best selves.

Discover the impact of compassion in care through this webinar, exploring the compassionate use movement during the 1980s AIDS crisis, the role of cannabinoids in the LGBTQ+ community, Charlotte’s Web’s influence on CBD, and the significance of Ryan’s Law.

Sherri Mack, The Green Nurse, expresses heartfelt gratitude to the Massachusetts Legacy Cannabis Community for their guidance and support in her journey as a cannabis nurse. This HempFest 2021 video highlights her appreciation for the underground medical communities that shaped her understanding and practice of cannabis, all fueled by love.!

With You on the Journey,

Ask The Green Nurse with Sherri Mack BSN, RN & Elisabeth Mack MBA, BSN, RN

Ask The Green Nurse content on the Cannigma is brought to you by Holistic Caring & The Green Nurse and Bloom Hemp CBD. Both companies are stepping up to meet the growing demand for inclusive education, 1:1 coaching support, and holistic wellness. Founded by Elisabeth and Sherri Mack, these women-owned, nurse-led, LGBTQ-run companies are driven by a mission of healing and social equity. By combining clinically-informed cannabinoid therapies with trauma-sensitive education and nurse advocacy, Holistic Caring & The Green Nurse and Bloom Hemp CBD are reshaping the landscape of inclusive, plant-based medicine. Their work pays tribute to the vital legacy of queer caregivers, making healing more accessible, compassionate, and grounded in quality, personalized, and evidence-based practices.

Holistic Caring & The Green Nurse – Comprehensive cannabis education for patients and healthcare providers, including CEUs for nurses, along with expert coaching and consulting services.
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References

Awareness Days. (2025). Pride Month 2025. AwarenessDays.com.
Cannabis and LGBT culture. Wikipedia.
1996 California Proposition 215. (2025, May). Wikipedia.
LGBTQ demographics of the United States. (2024). Wikipedia.
Milk Foundation. Hope will never be silent. Harvey Milk Foundation.
Peron, D. R. (2018, January 28). Dennis Peron: American marijuana activist [Biography]. Wikipedia
Rathbun, M. J. [Brownie Mary]. (1922–1999). Wikipedia.
Volz, A. (2020, February 28). Dennis Peron: The father of medical marijuana. National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).
Women in the cannabis industry. (2025, May). Wikipedia.