Inspired by 4/20 and the groundswell of social activism in the cannabis industry, a group of cannabis advertising, marketing and communication professionals is developing a series of downloadable guides designed to inform on key issues while providing fundraising opportunities for nonprofits.
Calling themselves the “Cannabis Creative Movement,” the group will use its collective talents to research, write and design a series of downloadable pamphlets, each focused on a particular pressing cannabis issue. In addition, each pamphlet will feature information from a specific nonprofit organization working to combat the issue, helping to raise awareness on ways individuals can get involved. Pamphlets will become available monthly, with the first issue, “The CannaCurious Woman’s Guide” launching today.
“Women often face increased stigmas where cannabis use is concerned, even as legalization grows in acceptance. This can keep some women from pursuing cannabis medicine solutions or from enjoying cannabis recreationally. Even worse, it can create shame or embarrassment where there should be none,” said John Shute, CEO and Founder of PufCreativ, which is helping drive the effort. “This is just one of the issues we see as critical for our industry to attack, and we think it is important to get as many people involved as possible.”
Produced in collaboration with CannaCurious Magazine, the CannaCurious Women’s Guide” is co-sponsored by Lupus Howse Foundation, a nonprofit that provides educational resources for women struggling to live with lupus. Cannabis use has been found to help common lupus symptoms such as, chronic pain, anxiety, exercise recovery, stress relief, fatigue, inflammation, insomnia, and more. The guide can be viewed and downloaded here.
“Women living with lupus are in a constant battle to find relief when symptoms are present. It can be very difficult to know what treatments are available and what might work for you and your specific challenges,” said Kimberly Howse, who founded Lupus Howse Foundation in response to her own diagnosis with the illness in 2005. “Many women in our community have found that cannabis treatment can be very beneficial, so we are thrilled to be involved in this project.”
According to Shute, each month’s guide will provide information on an important issue in the cannabis community, as well as offer access to a nonprofit working to serve those most impacted by that issue. The hope is to draw attention to issues that can be difficult to discuss and as a result, often go undisclosed or ignored. All guides will be free downloads available at the Cannabis Creative Movement website. Future guidebooks in the series will include:
- Sexual Assault Support Guide [April, to benefit the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault]
- Anti-Racism Guide [May, to benefit the Cannabis Impact Fund ]
- Opioid Awareness Guide [June, to benefit Leaf 411]
- Stoner Survival Guide [July, to benefit Wilderness On Wheels]
- Suicide Support Guide [August, to benefit The Wake Up Project]
“When it comes to these concerns, you can never be too informed,” said Wes Donahoe, Chief Marketing Officer for The 9th Block, a founding partner of the Cannabis Creative Movement. “Very often, people are reluctant to ask about or discuss these issues. Our hope is that these guidebooks can provide an introduction on these important topics in a way that is not intrusive while generating awareness of organizations working to improve them.”
View and download the CannaCurious Woman’s Guide.
