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Rebecca Rutenberg is a VP of Northeast Markets and Business Intelligence at Vicente, LLP, a top-ranked national cannabis law firm. In the newest entry of “NY’s women in cannabis,” Rutenberg talks about outdated stereotypes, barriers to female leadership and the two main women who inspired her jump into a cannabis-focused career.
Women are vastly underrepresented in cannabis, and not just in New York. From 2019 to 2022, executive-level females have seen their industry wide status drop from 37% to 23%. Yet the MRTA makes things very clear: women-owned businesses are a key component of the state’s social and economic equity plan.
NY Cannabis Insider is seeking to elevate women in cannabis through a hyper-focus on female story sourcing and balanced representation in articles.
This series will last for as long as submissions come in.
Why did you launch your career in the cannabis industry? Were there any women who inspired you to do so? How did you do it?
I previously served as the chief operating officer of a boutique public affairs firm that specialized in emerging industries.
After Massachusetts legalized medical marijuana in 2012, it became clear that the needs of prospective medical marijuana businesses matched the services our firm offered – strategic communications, campaign development, regulatory analysis, and project management – and my day-to-day practice rapidly shifted to a mostly cannabis portfolio.
Despite this focus, I didn’t make the jump to cannabis full time until 2018 when I joined Vicente LLP, the first nationwide cannabis law firm. I was inspired to make this jump by two women:
1. My mom, who passed away in 2008 after almost a decade-long fight with breast cancer. I learned years after she passed that marijuana was one of the most effective tools she used for palliative care. I was surprised that she kept this under wraps – she was an outspoken, open-minded advocate for many other sorts of alternative care, which I think speaks to the stigmas that existed then, and continue to exist, against marijuana use as a legitimate treatment method.
2. Jen Flanagan, who was one of the inaugural commissioners appointed to Massachusetts’ Cannabis Control Commission by Gov. Charlie Baker after decades of leadership as an elected official. Jen has been a longtime friend and I admired the perspective she brought to regulating a nascent industry. While we didn’t always agree on the answers, she took a pragmatic approach and was willing to listen to all sides of an issue.
What do you think is the most significant barrier to women leadership? Are the barriers different in cannabis than any other industry?
I can’t speak to any experience but my own, but as a new mom I can attest that pervasive and outdated stereotypes about work-life balance and women’s roles are alive and well – not just from the antiquated perspective of “a woman’s place is in the home,” but also unrealistic “boss babe” tropes that push the concept that women can do everything at once while in a full face of makeup and stilettos. As a society, we would do well to normalize having balance.
Why do you think women are so underrepresented in leadership roles in cannabis?
Like any complex challenge, there are a number of contributing factors that lead to underrepresentation of women in leadership roles – and they manifest in different ways depending on the situation at hand. As participants in an emerging industry, all cannabis businesses are start-ups, which brings its own set of challenges and opportunities.
Oftentimes, the start-up hustle and focus on building something from the ground up takes priority over formalized policies and procedures which likely come at a disservice to women and their ability to grow and thrive in an organization. Additionally, women-led startups receive just a fraction of venture funding.
What are some ways in which companies can support gender diversity at senior levels?
Find the highest-performing women within all levels of your organization. Ask them what tools you can provide that would amplify their success or promote their growth. Listen and take proactive steps to implement their ideas in a meaningful way. Repeat.
Shout out your other favorite women-owned or women-led businesses in the industry.
So hard to just pick a few! The team at Nuestra, a women-owned and women-led team who are opening up gorgeous retail stores in New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts have a special place in my heart. Dr. Marion McNabb is a trailblazer who is doing incredible cannabis research at the Cannabis Center of Excellence exploring how cannabis can be used as a palliative care treatment for the veteran population. Mattio Communications and Beth Waterfall are dynamite communications specialists. I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a shout-out to my own firm, Vicente LLP, which boasts a partnership team comprised of 45% women, including attorneys Jenn Cabrera and Michelle Bodian, who are leading the way for licensees in New York and the TriState Region.
Who/what are your favorite tools and resources in the industry?
Not a sexy answer, but YOUR STATE REGULATIONS. In the cannabis industry, the regulations are the foundation on which you grow your business and need to be considered individually from state to state. If you build without them, your castle will crumble.
What advice would you give your 25-year-old self?What advice would you give to the next generation of women leaders?
My 25 year old self: 1. Trust your intuition. 2. You can buy the shoes … but not all of the shoes.
My advice to others: I’m going to paraphrase something I saw on TikTok – if you aren’t used to being confident, confidence will feel like arrogance. If you don’t usually speak up, making your voice heard will feel like being pushy. Outside of your comfort zone is where the magic happens, and the only way out of it is to push your own boundaries.