Women Are Changing The Way Cannabis Is Viewed, Consumed, And Understood

In a blip in time, marijuana’s image has been rebranded from sketchy to consumer-friendly, largely thanks to female executives disassociating the plant’s positive attributes from its historically bad rap. Women dominate from a consumer standpoint, too—from Apothecanna’s ganja-infused moisturizers to Whoopi & Maya’s THC-laced bath soaks, it seems there are no lucrative opportunities left unturned. In the midst of this canna-commodity boom, one company is gaining an edge by taking marijuana a little farther south than it’s used to.

Leading the charge in this seismic shift toward canna-acceptance is Brittany Confer, a community leader and public relations expert for Foria Pleasure, a company that peddles impeccably designed, cannabis-packed products for women. Whether you’re looking to enhance sexual pleasure with THC-saturated personal lubricants, ease menstrual cramps with vaginal suppositories, or even intensify anal sex with Foria's newest creation, Foria Explore, they’ve got you covered. But beyond expanding consumers’ sex lives, Foria is the kind of company, Confer believes, that “will play catalyst to future cannabis legalization in other states.”

Brittany Confer

With the exception of one delicate, gold marijuana leaf embossed on the label, nothing about the products’ packaging would suggest its primary component is weed. When absorbed vaginally, the 2.5mg of THC in each spray of Foria Pleasure and 60mg of THC and 10mg of CBD in each Foria Relief suppository relax pelvic muscles and increase blood flow without initiating a psychotropic high or a serious case of the munchies. “Because we focus mainly on products that produce little to no psychoactivity (when used as intended),” says Confer, “it is easier for people to view cannabis less as a recreational 'drug' and more as a therapeutic medicine.” Though, like any THC-infused edible, the effects can sometimes take up to an hour to kick in, depending on the user’s body chemistry.

[quote position="full" is_quote="true"]It is easier for people to view cannabis less as a recreational “drug” and more as a therapeutic medicine.[/quote]

Currently available in Colorado and to California residents with a physician’s recommendation letter, the widespread sale of Foria products hinges on the federal legalization of marijuana. When and if that happens, these not-so-dinner-conversation friendly items will have a leg up in the mainstream market thanks to the refreshingly sophisticated packaging and Confer's own hard work evangelizing women's sexuality.

Realizing she wanted to support a company with more purpose than a bathing suit or nail polish brand, Confer jumped at the chance to work with Foria cofounder Mathew Gerson. On the decision to lead the brand’s marketing efforts, she says,

“I saw it as an opportunity to empower women, to encourage women to take control of their own pleasure experience, to facilitate sexual equality, to educate people on the therapeutic benefits of cannabis and to support my personal desires as a long time cannabis legalization advocate. For me it was the perfect fit of powerful movements.”

Since she started at her new position, Confer says she’s been inspired daily by the positive feedback she’s received via “touching patient testimonials.” One woman, for example, reached out after Foria Relief put an end to her decade-long battle with endometriosis. Not only did the product ease her pain sans pharmaceuticals, it helped strengthen her relationship with her partner as well. “I feel like a super hero when I hear that,” says Confer.

With plans to expand internationally, Foria hopes to expose people all over the world to the medicinal benefits of cannabis and offer alternatives to pharmaceuticals. If Foria’s success and Confer’s tenacity are any indication, women will dictate the cultural reimagining of a socially active and sexually liberated stoner. As Confer echoes, “The possibilities are endless.”