From Unproductive to Invaluable
By Sarah Schuette, CPSS
Have you ever wondered why the cannabis plant brings us such joy and euphoria? Or where do its uniquely pungent aromas come from? The magic behind its effects and scent draws many parallels to the value placed on single, childless, and elderly women in our society.
Imagine the cannabis plant as a single, childless woman - fertile and full of potential. As she matures, she becomes more potent with cannabinoids and terpenes, the highly valued compounds produced by the female cannabis flower. The marketable product we cherish from her unfertilized floral booms (buds), harvested when she’s past her reproductive prime, thriving in solitude.
Cannabis sativa L. is a dioecious plant, “Two Houses,” meaning the males and females are completely separate plants. While most flowering plants are monoecious “One House,” housing both male and female parts on the same plant—cannabis requires distinct plants for reproduction. The flowers we enjoy are the ripe, single females living alone in their own houses, rich in tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and aromatic properties. Male plants, which produce pollen, are often removed to prevent pollination, allowing females to focus their energy on creating more potent, flavorful flowers rather than allocating their energy to bearing offspring. This ripe and ready, unfertilized female is intentionally kept from reproducing by removing male plants from the vicinity of the female plants. This allows them to produce higher concentrations of cannabinoids and terpenes that lead to the delightful pungent smell and physiological effects enjoyed by its consumers. Ironically, the desirable traits of the cannabis flower mirror the “undesirable” traits society often assigns to women—highly sexual, elderly, and without children.
Like cannabis, childless women are often undervalued, ridiculed, or ignored in a patriarchal society, yet their contributions can be profound. Like the Cannabis plant, if we are not fertilized and bearing children, we can allocate our time, money, and energy to other important societal matters, As we are not tied up in the highly intensive job of bearing and rearing children.
I am a childless single woman in her 40s, with nearly 30 nieces and nephews to keep me busy. Since I do not have children of my own, I play a very critical supportive role as an “Auntie.” I can support my siblings and participate in their children’s lives in a very special and valuable way. I’m also a professional and a business owner, and the gifts and service I bring to the community (and the world at large) would otherwise have to be allocated to keeping a “roof over our heads.”
While I have the utmost respect for women who go through the process of growing, birthing, and rearing humans onto this planet, we need not undervalue the childless woman in turn. At some point in my life, I learned that every choice we make brings gifts to our lives, even if it means forgoing the other version of the story. All of us are valuable for whatever it is that we bring to the world, and I believe cannabis is a lovely example underscoring that potential around making contributions. After all, we need the medicine (and the support) the unfertilized female cannabis brings to our lives just as much as we need the seeds to grow and breed the next generation.
Cannabis sativa L. is one of only two Schedule I substances in the U.S. that are plants that produce a high concentration of psychoactive compounds in their whole plant form. Schedule I substances are defined by the DEA as “drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse,” and Catha edulis (Khat), another plant that produces psychoactive compounds in its young, unfertilized leaf tissue, is the second. Khat is “typically chewed like tobacco, then retained in the cheek and chewed intermittently to release the active drug, which produces a stimulant-like effect.” This classification reflects societal fears of plants, female potency, sexuality, and independence. As we witness cannabis gaining acceptance, we see a corresponding movement toward recognizing the rights and value of women, particularly the elderly and childless. The blossoming nature of cannabis encourages us to reconsider our perceptions, highlighting how childless and older women can enrich society.
So, the next time you enjoy an edible, a joint, or an infused mocktail, remember the journey of that unfertilized female flower—a symbol of pleasure, resilience, and the inherent value society is beginning to appreciate.
