Whoopi Goldberg Starts Medical Marijuana Company For Women

Whoopi Goldberg, comedian and host of The View, has announced her own official medical marijuana version catered towards women. She will be partnering with Om Edibles (which has won several High Times Cannabis Cup awards) maker, Maya Elisabeth to make “Whoopi & Maya.”

“I want to go nice and slow with this,” Goldberg told USA Today. “I don’t want this to be a joke to people. It’s not a joke to women.”

The company that she will serve as chairwoman for will start with four products: a balm, a tincture, sipping chocolate and a bath soak. All the products will be infused with marijuana with the intention of reducing pain and cramps from periods.

Elisabeth cited that women have always been herbal healers, and that the company’s marijuana products will appeal to that.

Goldberg has said that smoking or drinking marijuana has helped control her own cramps and other pain. She noted that she uses a vape pen with marijuana oil to combat glaucoma headaches.

“For me, I feel like if you don’t want to get high high, this is a product specifically just to get rid of discomfort,” she says. “Smoking a joint is fine, but most people can’t smoke a joint and go to work.”

Elisabeth and Goldberg also noted that with their company they would like to break the “grass-ceiling” in the cannabis industry, as the marketplace has limited inclusion of both minorities and women in the forefront.

“A lot of people I spoke to happened to be guys,” said Goldberg to Newsweek, “And they said, ‘You know, it’s kind of a niche market.’ I got tired of hearing that. This niche is half the population. Most of the growers I know are dudes.”

Elisabeth said that because marijuana remains illegal at the federal level, some would-be entrepreneurs are unwilling to take the risk, especially as prosecutors have historically disproportionally targeted minorities in drug use.

Goldberg is one of many celebrities who have jumped into one of the country’s fastest growing industries (annually increasing 31% with a national market of $5.7 billion). Bob Marley’s family is producing Marley Natural products, and Snoop Dogg is working on Leafs by Snoop.

Goldberg’s products will only be available in California to those with medical marijuana cards. California, though, is one of the world’s largest marijuana marketplaces. California produced $2.7 billion in sales last year, according to New Frontier and ArcView Market Research. It is expected that California voters will legalize recreational marijuana in the fall.

“I’m excited for people to feel comfortable using cannabis,” said Elisabeth.

Goldberg has said that she is not interested in selling cannabis for recreational use. She doesn’t want people to use her products just to get high.