The lady stoner has been enjoying a cultural moment of late.
Women are louder and prouder about their weed-smoking habits than ever, even though getting stoned has been dubbed a traditionally male pursuit.
But while popular culture might make you think it’s never been cooler to smoke weed while having a vagina, there’s still a huge stoner gender gap.Almost twice as many men smoke weed than women, even though there are legitimate health benefits for women who partake in the occasional (or more than occasional) toke.
So ladies, crank up the Sublime because here are nine reasons why you should be smoking more weed.
Smoking weed can help alleviate the symptoms of PMS.
Having a menstrual cycle is one of the best parts of being a woman, if you enjoy feeling like someone is grabbing your uterus and slowly and methodically wringing it like a wet dish towel. Fortunately, there’s a more natural alternative to Midol for alleviating horrific period cramps: Tetrahydrocannibol (THC), the main compound in marijuana, has been found to alleviate nausea, bloating and headaches, all symptoms associated with premenstrual pain.
It alleviates anxiety.
According to data from the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, women are twice as likely to suffer from generalized anxiety disorder as men. So it makes sense that women would be self-medicating to treat their anxiety by smoking weed. In fact, a 2013 study in Trends in Pharmalogical Sciences showed that the most common self-reported reason for using cannabis is “rooted in its ability to reduce feelings of stress, tension, and anxiety.”
It’s easier for women to get stoned than men. 
According to a study from Washington State University that examined the effects of marijuana on female versus male rats, women are much more sensitive to the effects of THC than men, particularly while they’re ovulating. “What we’re finding with THC is that you get a very clear spike in drug sensitivity right when the females are ovulating – right when their estrogen levels have peaked and are coming down,” lead researcher Rebecca Craft said in a press release.
The chemical compounds in marijuana can help treat breast cancer.
Some studies have suggested that people who smoke a lot of weed are at increased risk for developing lung cancer. But when it comes to breast cancer, a 2007 study from Molecular Oncology suggested that the opposite might be true: According to the study, cannabinoids, or the compounds found in the cannabis plant, can slow the growth of breast cancer cells, preventing the spread of breast cancer cells throughout the body.
It can help manage weight.
One study has shown that people who smoke weed are actually less likely to develop conditions associated with weight gain and obesity, such as diabetes, than people who have never smoked marijuana.
It just generally gives you more chill.
With all the social and cultural pressures women face balancing their “work selves” with their “life mes,” it’s often difficult for us to take a few minutes out of our busy schedules to just chill the eff out. The rise of the lady stoner probably has a lot to do with a desire to do what dudes in Judd Apatow movies have been doing for years: ignoring our responsibilities and taking a break from the harsh pressures of reality for a few minutes a day.
“A lot of girls or women think they need to be negative … and obsessed with beauty or self-image,” Amanda, 24, told Mic of the rise of the female stoner. “I think weed takes you out of that. [It] keeps you calm and not caring about the frivolous and material items and helps you to focus on the positive.”