CULTIVATORS CORNER
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When It Comes to Women and Minorities in the Cannabis Business
Saydee Tschanen Shines
and when you have confidence and hold humility in yourself , you can accomplish anything .
How would you advise other women or minorities trying to follow in your footsteps ?
Well , first , I would say , love “ Yourself ” and always stay humble . Do not look for confirmation from others that you are worthy of anything . Keep the family and friends that genuinely support you close because this world is hard , and you will need them . In this life , we make our own paths . Take it . Run with it , DO NOT let anyone stand in your way . Realize and accept your faults as just another part of you , not a hindrance . Move on when you need to , do not look back . If you are not strong now , make yourself strong , and surround yourself with other strong people . They say , “ You are the company you keep ,” so stay among good people , intelligent and kind people . Treat them well and maintain yourself . And never forget that we as women , especially minority women , have been through so much and survived so much . Most importantly , never forget that as you allow your own light to shine , you will unconsciously give others permission to do the same .
What do you think needs to happen within the cannabis industry to create more opportunities and leadership roles for others like yourself ?
Well , it kind of circles back to what I said before ; the judgment that we put on a woman is like putting your foot on her neck . Some women will push past it , throw that foot right off ! But that gets tiring after a while ! For anyone ! I will tell a story from my past to provide an example . When I was 18 years old , I enlisted in the Army National Guard . And when I was in basic training , there were a couple of women Drill Sergeants that led our squad . One day , early on , there were a few females in the squad that quit pretty quickly on a task given to them and needed the males to help . The female Drill Sergeants were frustrated . They explained to the entire group of females later that they themselves had to work incredibly hard to get the respect that they have today . And they are not alone ; all females do . And every time we , as women , quit when it gets tougher , crying for help or not completing the task to the fullest . We ’ ll need to work three-to-four times harder just to dig ourselves out of the judgment hole we just created . Even if that female had already proved to be strong , as soon as a fellow female quits , we all must work harder to restore the respect . As I have moved on with life , I realized that the Army itself had nothing to do with that issue ; it is in our culture as a society . I have worked in several male dominant industries since then . I was actually told once by a man in another workplace that he was surprised that I knew so much about various sciences ; he said he did not know “ my people ” were taught those kinds of things . I would
hear a man say something silly , and everyone laughed like he was just funny . But when a woman says it , well , now , she is just an idiot . Does not know what she is talking about is per usual for a woman — they think . That is all so wrong . I have seen women make these judgments on other women , too , which is even worse ! If a woman struggles to lift something , we take it from her and assume she will always be weak instead of helping her build strength .
What needs to change in the cannabis industry is the way we see each other and provide more opportunities . Truly , don ’ t just say it , or slap a discrimination policy up to prove something , actually treat every person equally . Help each other out . If you hear a woman struggling with terminology or a certain skill , help her out like you would for anyone ! Do not label her ! Believe in her . It is 2022 , people ; we can do better at educating ourselves and each other , working with each other — not against . Will every single person you teach retain it ? Maybe not ; that ’ s life . We cannot all be good at everything ; however , the point is that you tried your best and are still providing the opportunity . No labels , no judgment , teach , believe , and provide the opportunities to every individual equally is how we change those aforementioned statistics .
What has been the biggest challenge you have faced in your cannabis cultivator journey ?
The biggest challenge would be trying to figure out how to make a hydroponic grow the same quality as growing outdoors . And part of that challenge was combating russet mites and disease once . I have learned that almost all hydrogrows in their early stages fight those two things . And because we are still federally illegal , we can ’ t just swoop up an agricultural scientist to help us out ! So , finding ways that are compliant within state regulations and really non-existent to us in this newer industry , to overcome those two things was pretty difficult and took some time , but we got it !
What has been your biggest accomplishment or fondest memory in your cultivation journey ?
Well , overcoming and completely eradicating russet mites was a big thing for me , especially because I found a regimen that was per state regulations , per department of agriculture regulations , and was safe enough to use on your own food . And we did not have to kill our whole crop and start from scratch . Also , discovering the power of water and how it can impact your crop . Water can carry many things that a reverse osmosis system cannot remove . So , getting creative with my coworkers and implementing good operating procedures and seeing the progression of technology and equipment to create a healthier water supply was pretty cool .