About The Author: Elana Frankel is the founding Editor-in-Chief of the magazine Women and Weed as well as the author of Women & Weed: How the Green Rush Is Changing Our Lives.

She founded IndigoandHaze.com, a plant-based marketplace for health, wellness and living, that provides access (to quality products), education (to learn the truth and unlearn the disinformation) and inspiration. Most recently, she created her own seed genetics–a cultivar with a balanced cannabinoid profile because discerning consumers know that there is more to cannabis than just THC + CBD.

Elana took a moment to chat with Etain about her experiences in the cannabis industry and her book Women & Weed available at the Etain NYC Midtown Manhattan Legal Medical Cannabis Dispensary.

How did you start in the cannabis industry?

I have been working underground for years (shhhhhhh!), but started to work above ground after I suffered a traumatic brain injury and cannabis saved me.

What was the inspiration for writing the book?

First the magazine, and then the book. I wanted to give women…all women…a voice in the community as it transitions to an industry. Once outlaws, now pioneers, women have always been working with the plant. These women activists, entrepreneurs and healers were known for heading out into uncharted territory with superhuman dedication. Today, women are starting businesses (plant-touching and ancillary), growing and extracting, working in real estate and the medical community. The power of personal narratives brings a better understanding to complex cannabis issues. I wanted to create a place where women can share their own stories within the context of the industry, make connections between their own biographies and the industry, and happily pass on that knowledge.

Since starting in the cannabis industry, what’s been the biggest lesson you’ve learned as a women owned business?

TRUST is more valuable than money.

You’ve recently started painting watercolors - tell us about that process and how you started.

I have always been a big believer in the direct correlation between cannabis and creativity. The shutdown provided an opportunity for me to test the right dosage. I found the sweet spot and unusual and original thoughts formed. I just started painting what I was thinking–everything from what people looked like from the waist down on Zoom to friends and family that I hadn’t seen or hugged in a year.

How do you Take A Moment?

Forest bathing. Eco therapy, an eco antidote to the world, is how I reset and re-calibrate. The sites and sounds, smells and wildlife bring me comfort. You probably will even catch me hugging a tree. A tree's vibrational patterns has a healing effect, which helps me feel more grounded and joyful (especially with the right dosage).

Shop Elana’s book Women & Weed at the Etain NYC Midtown Manhattan Legal Medical Cannabis Dispensary in New York