Women in Cannabis | Mary Carniglia

Like many women who enter the cannabis space, Mary Carniglia strives to reverse the negative stigma associated with the plant, and as Patient Educator and Administrative Coordinator for a cannabis evaluation clinic in Denver CO, she gets plenty of opportunity to do exactly this. But her motivations have even deeper roots.

One day, Mary learned through a cousin that her great-great uncle Harry Anslinger had taken a major role in cannabis prohibition. “All I could say was, WHAT?!” Mary says. “At that point, I felt an obligation to be a part of un-screwing-up what he screwed up.”

Mary’s first experiences with cannabis came suddenly, and with some unexpected sideeffects. While waiting for a friend to arrive home, she was offered a gravity bong hit by her friend’s husband. “I fell asleep before

my friend came home,” Mary

muses. “At that point, I began to unravel what I had been told about cannabis vs. what it was really like.”

Over the next several years, Mary began exploring cannabis more actively and found her life enriched more and more. From the long, dynamic conversations she had with her boyfriend shared while on medicated walks, to the nausea relief she experienced during occasional migraines— cannabis was becoming an important and positive part of

Mary’s life. She was eager to speak out about how it was helping her and others around the world, until her voice was stifled by an unsettling experience.

After being pulled over for having out-of-date plates, Mary was illegally searched by a police officer who found a leftover joint in her purse. The officer forced her into the back of his police car, took $80 out of her wallet, and threatened to assault her if he ever caught her again. Mary walked away from the experience physically unharmed but frightened for her rights and well-being.

“After that, I clammed up. I was terrified of letting anyone know I consumed or supported. It was unsafe on a completely different level than I had ever imagined,” Mary says. “So, I decided to bide my time.”

When laws in her home state didn’t gain as much traction as she hoped, Mary decided that she needed to take a more active role in the movement. And so, move she did – to Denver, CO.

“My main focus when I relocated was to have a safe place to be loud,” says Mary. “To be loud about updating wording on laws – to be loud about helping to unroll and end prohibition and give language to other states to help legalization efforts – and to openly learn and educate about the science behind the plant.”

This passion ultimately landed Mary a position as Volunteer Coordinator for a large medical cannabis conference in Denver.

“It was my first job in the industry and provided me a huge education on the science behind cannabis, what studies were happening, and where the industry was as a whole,” says Mary. Today, Mary spends her days in a dynamic role at the clinic answering patient inquiries on cannabinoid education, cannabis law, and other varied topics while scheduling patients.

“Sometimes they are calling from out of town, sometimes they are flying in for an evaluation, and sometimes they are in other states and want to

know what to do and how. Those can turn into lengthy conversations, but I give them the best and as much info as I can,” Mary says.

When she has a chance, she heads to the capitol to help provide testimony on behalf of the clinic for bills involving qualifying conditions, patient rights, and other topics designed to provide ease to the patient population. She also gathers with local doctors and members of the community for Cannabis Clinician Colorado’s monthly meeting, where presentations and lectures are offered to provide updates on recent research and legislative changes that may affect doctors writing cannabis recommendations.

Mary’s tireless advocacy and bubbly passion for patient care is admirable, but at the end of the day, she just loves weed.

“Can I say that?!” Mary laughs, “Because I do! It makes everything better. It makes life in general more comfortable. I’m bummed that people have such poor misconceptions due to a fear of the unknown. Cannabis is not something that takes away, but enhances, your life.”