Empowering Women in Cannabis Through the Journey of Unity Marguerite

This year we decided to go back to our roots and feature women in cannabis with various roles. Unity has incredible insights and we're honoured to share her full story.

I’m Unity Marguerite Whittaker, owner-operator of Small Town Pot Shop in Parksville Downtown on Vancouver Island, BC, and my path here has been rooted in cannabis education, brand-building, and stigma reduction for the past decade. I began working in cannabis in 2016 as the Creative Director for BlyssCloud, a brand focused on professional women—especially mothers around 40—where I spent three years helping normalize cannabis consumption for a demographic that was often overlooked in the industry. From there, I went on to work with Village Bloomery and licensed producers, including Pistol and Paris, before eventually making my way to Vancouver Island, where I became the owner of Small Town Pot Shop. I’ve now been here for four years. During the pandemic, I pivoted from focusing on the national and international cannabis community-building to becoming deeply involved in my own small town. In Parksville Downtown, I’ve hosted women-only events called Better Daze, and I’m now starting my fourth year on the board of the Parksville Downtown Business Association. I also volunteer on the committee for Imagine Parksville, where we help plan the future of the town. These roles have given me the opportunity to spend time with the mayor and city councillors and advocate for the role cannabis can play in a healthy, thriving community. In many ways, the ethos I started with at BlyssCloud—education, normalization, and connection—has stayed with me, and continues to guide my work 10 years later.

What unique strengths do women bring to the cannabis industry?

Women bring a powerful combination of commercial intelligence, emotional intelligence, and community intelligence to the cannabis industry.

One of the biggest strengths is that many women naturally lead with education, trust-building, and relationship-based communication — which is incredibly important in cannabis, where so many consumers are still navigating stigma, misinformation, or uncertainty. Women often create spaces where people feel safe asking questions, which leads to better customer experiences and more informed consumption.

Women also bring strong systems thinking and operational discipline. In retail, brand-building, and leadership, that can look like consistency, team development, compliance awareness, long-term planning, and the ability to balance people and performance at the same time. Those strengths help businesses become sustainable, not just trendy.

I also think women have played a major role in helping shift cannabis culture from a one-dimensional conversation into a more inclusive one — one that includes wellness, caregiving, aging, mental health, lifestyle, and everyday functionality. That has expanded the industry and made it more reflective of real life.

Ultimately, women bring perspective, empathy, resilience, and leadership that help the cannabis industry mature.

What’s something about women in cannabis that still goes unseen?

What still goes unseen about women in cannabis is the value of our perspective when it doesn’t look like the dominant model. I own a business built with female capital and female leadership, which is still incredibly rare in cannabis. And like many women in this industry, I’ve had no shortage of men tell me I should do it differently — what I should display, which accessory brands I should carry, how products should be merchandised, how the store should “look,” and what kind of retail model I should follow. What often gets missed is that I’m not building from inexperience — I’m building from deep experience. I bring 25 years of retail experience, including working for businesses like Lululemon and Chapters Indigo; and I studied Fashion Merchandising at Blanche Macdonald. I bring a retail lens shaped by customer experience, visual storytelling, merchandising, and human behaviour — but because that perspective is different from the standard cannabis playbook, it can be undervalued.

Small Town Pot Shop is not modelled after an Apple Store, a liquor store, or a convenience store. It’s built from lived experience, professional retail expertise, and a perspective that has historically been underestimated in this industry. I believe that’s what still goes unseen: women in cannabis are not just bringing “a different touch” — we are bringing real strategic value, and in many cases, building businesses that succeed precisely because we chose not to copy what already existed.

What advice would you give to women or gender-diverse people looking to enter the cannabis space?

Trust your own history. If your background is in retail, administration, hospitality, or agriculture, those are the exact high standards this industry is starving for. Don’t feel pressured to mimic the corporate culture of Bay Street boardrooms, the potency-obsessed echo chambers, or the performative gatekeeping that has historically dominated this space. We don’t need more of the same boys-club insular noise or "suit-and-tie" disruption; we need neighbourly care and grounded, professional standards. Bring your existing expertise with you and refuse to leave your values at the door to fit in. Practice radical accountability, stop blaming others for your results. Blaming others hinders our ability to achieve more because it allows us to avoid the real-life lessons that are meant to propel us forward. Instead, choose to learn from your losses and grievances, incorporating them into a foundation that makes you stronger and more efficient so you can consistently achieve results that leave you feeling whole and good. Prepare for the fact that the playing field isn't level in cannabis, or in life. The human experience is inherently challenging, and we all have attributes that can make the journey feel like a steeper climb. I’ve learned resistance is what truly makes it harder. Acknowledge this work is gruelling, remove the resistance, and move forward anyway. Wasting time complaining is a luxury that only slows you down.

In this industry, competency is the only true currency. Since we’re building this industry from scratch a fierce entrepreneurial spirit is a requirement for survival and to thrive. If you wait to be delegated to, or if you're slow to deliver, you are inadvertently sabotaging your own growth. Success belongs to those who commit to the job, complete their tasks on time without reminders, and use their hands-on experience to actually improve the way we work. Building a career in a federally regulated space requires the cultivation of excellent habits. Success is a result of your commitment to learning and a willingness to work.

This is real life; you don’t get a participation ribbon for showing up. You must be willing to sink your teeth into your work and get it done.

• Master the Business, Not Just the Plant: Knowing cannabis is only one piece of the puzzle. You must also be goal-oriented and master time management. Learn how to be both a decisive leader and a reliable team player.

• Stay Engaged: Education is a lifelong experience. Take the courses, read the books, listen to the podcasts, attend conferences, and volunteer.

• Be Present: Don’t just work in the industry; be an active part of your community. This work isn't easy, yet it’s deeply rewarding when you stop waiting for the path to be cleared for you. Focus on building a work ethic so undeniable that you become a trusted anchor in your own right.

What’s one rule you’re breaking or rewriting in this industry?

I’m rewriting the rule that a cannabis retail store has to be a high-tech, male-centric space focused on a younger demographic or the singular goal of "getting stoned." We’re moving away from the "everything for everyone" model to build an anchor business that operates on the belief that the good life can be easy. By delivering neighbourly care and supporting our local farmers, we’re proving that a cannabis retail store can be a vital part of a small-town economy. I’m breaking this rule because the "sterile cannabis store" and "bro-culture" models ignore the heartbeat of our communities.

For too long, the industry has overlooked mothers, women and seniors who aren't seeking an escape, they’re looking for a simple staple for a balanced life. This improves the industry and user experience by humanizing the transaction. When we prioritize neighbourly care over high-tech engagement, we lower the barrier for people who might otherwise feel intimidated or judged. It transforms "buying cannabis" into a comfortable, local errand. It shifts the focus back to the local community and ensures we don’t lose the craft and soul of this plant to mass-market homogenization. This perspective wasn't born overnight; it’s the result of 30 years in boutique retail where I learned that the best businesses aren't built on trends, but on trust. My decade in cannabis began with a focus on normalizing consumption for mothers and professional women, voices that were often ignored. However, the pandemic provided a final, clarifying reflection: I realized I could be far more effective as a "stigma-smasher" by pouring my energy into a specific, local community rather than chasing a national or international stage. I chose to create my home in a small town close to the beach and I learned the "Good Life" is most authentic when it’s shared with your neighbours.