WOMEN OF COMPASSION

It's surprisingly-and refreshingly-not a man's world when it comes to
Sacramento's medical-cannabis community

In 1966, "Godfather of Soul" James Brown sang, "It's a man's world."
(Since I get paid by the word, he actually said, "It's a man's man's
man's world.") A lot has changed since the late legend recorded this
classic-or has it?

The hippie era was full of sexist males who treated their old ladies
just like their short-haired fathers did. It is no wonder that our
current youth culture refer to women as "bitches" without batting an
eye. I grew up in a family of strong women, and that word was not to
be used, unless you enjoyed having seven women curse at you.

The medical-cannabis industry often seems like a man's world, too,
but best estimates put it at a surprising 30 percent female.

"Personally," explained Jeanne Larsson, director of A Therapeutic
Alternative, "I have been treated with nothing but respect from my
fellow male dispensary operators, some of whom I consider friends."

Thousands of cars a day drive by Larsson's A Therapeutic Alternative,
and most people would never know that it is a dispensary. Located in
a handsome bungalow just a block away from McKinley Park at 3015 H
Street, A Therapeutic Alternative is a female-operated dispensary.

"We are not what people expect," said Larsson. "We are run as a
medical facility, we know our strains and we have a lot of knowledge
of the different ailments that cannabis is helpful with. We are more
nurturing, more comfortable and more trustworthy because we are
middle-aged women."

Dispensaries can sometimes be an uncomfortable place, but ATA feels
more like a friend's home than a club, which makes sense because the
structure is itself a home. The sunny waiting room was once the
living room. Larsson is an easygoing, middle-aged mother of four
boys. Her husband is a welder. She lives in a man's world.

"More women are starting to provide their own medicine, and I think
that is fantastic," she said. "In the beginning, male growers would
send somebody's girlfriend with their high heels, tight little shirt
and Victoria's Secret pop-up bra to come in to vend, because it is a
male-dominated business. When they walk in and ask for the manager,
they'd get me. They'd be like, "Ahh!"

Veteran cannabis advocate Bobby Zawkiewicz operates new collective
The Farmers Market deep in the neutral zone between Sacramento and
Rancho Cordova. But if you visit the dispensary, don't ask for
"Bobby" and expect a man, because Bobby is a feisty, 5-foot-2-inch
blond female. A longtime politico, Zawkiewicz is the co-founder of
Sacramento County Patients Collective alliance and is currently the
treasurer of Sacramento's American's for Safe Access chapter.

Located at 3791 Bradview Drive, just off Old Placerville Road and
near the vast runways of the old Mather Air Force Base, The Farmers
Market offers a lofty selection of organic and connoisseur cannabis,
hash, edibles and balms. It also has a variety of popular and rare clones.

"Some of the males feel that they have the upper hand out there,"
said Zawkiewicz, when asked about sexism in the industry. "But
overall it is becoming more acceptable, because they are finding that
there are a lot of women who have a lot of knowledge, and they are
beginning to respect that."

Respect is Zawkiewicz's mantra. From the growers to her staff and
especially toward her patients. "I make sure that when patients come
in, they are treated as a medical patient," said Zawkiewicz. "I treat
the farmers and the cultivators with a lot of respect, and I don't
see that happening at some of the other collectives."

This goes against the tradition of the red-eyed male budtender,
employed by too many dispensaries around the Sacramento area. Or the
stoney manager, who, on the phone, often engages in the old Cheech
and Chong routine of "Dave not being there."

"I believe that females are more nurturing toward the patients," she
argued. "I think that it is just nature. We have true compassion. I
think that the females put more into the patient services area and
the males put more into the products side of it."

If Iggy Pop is the Godfather of Punk, and Elvis and Buddy Holly are
the Cain and Abel of rock 'n' roll, then Aundre Speciale is the Queen
of California dispensaries.

Speciale runs three medical-marijuana dispensaries, one in Berkeley
and two, Abatin Wellness Center at 2100 29th Street and Capitol
Wellness Collective at 2400 14th Street, in Sacramento.

Speciale is a product of California's foster-children system and
spent her teenage years as a SoCal punk-rock anarchist. The Long
Beach native learned the ropes of cannabis politics from the
legendary marijuana activist Jack Herer. She counted the late
comedians Rodney Dangerfield and Sam Kinison as friends. For two
decades, Speciale has been on the front line of the cannabis activism
and has seen her fair share of sexism.

"I got comments about being a mother, and especially [about being] a
single mother, doing what I do," said Speciale, with a hint of
irritation. "Everything from 'Is it a good example for your
childrenUKP' to 'You are taking a risk at losing your children.' But
I am not ashamed of what I do. I believe that what I do is very
legal, extremely moral and the right thing to do."

Speciale, like Zawkiewicz and Larsson, believe in providing a
female-friendly service. She reminisced about how, in the early days
of Sacramento medical-cannabis dispensaries, "It was hard ... to find
a dispensary that fit my needs as a woman and a mother."

She remembers it being like a bar or nightclub atmosphere. "I wanted
to have a place that felt more comfortable, homier, specifically
female-friendly for mothers and grandmothers," she explained.

Speciale's Abatin Wellness Center sets a high bar for other
medical-cannabis dispensaries, as it provides mandatory counseling
with every visit. Abatin Wellness Center got a huge publicity boost
when talk-show host, medical-marijuana activist and retired
lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy Montel Williams revealed that
he was a consultant for the collective.

And, indeed, Abatin is not your typical dispensary, nor does it look
like one. The counselors are not there to scold you on your marijuana
use, but are there to help adjust your medicine to the proper dosage
that works for you. Or just to talk, if you want. Truly a
compassionate place for people suffering from debilitating diseases
and conditions.

"Almost half of the relief that patients are looking for is
compassion, a friend, someone to talk to," Speciale explained. "So
many patients are ill, disfigured or don't feel OK, and they sit alone."

One thing these three women have in common is that they're strong,
passionate and their hearts are truly in the right place. They are
kindhearted and serious about their mission. Speciale put it in a nutshell.

"Being a mom," she began, "I really want to help people and make it a
better place. I believe in starting right where you are and helping
the person beside you."