Tokin Woman: 2021 Tokey Awards

Tokin' Woman of the Year: Sha'Carri Richardson

The world showed unprecedented support for a pot smoker (especially among women) when, after winning the 100m Olympic Trials on June 19 on Eugene, Oregon with a time of 10.86 seconds, sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson was disqualified after testing positive for marijuana.

Congresswomen Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and Barbara Lee were among the Congressmembers asking WADA and USADA to reconsider their decision. AOC tweeted, "Not to mention, marijuana is legal in Oregon where Ms. Richardson was when she used it," and, "Major league baseball, hockey and football all have removed penalties for marijuana use. It's time for the IOC and @usantidoping to do the same. #LetShaCarriRun." Following public outcry, the World Anti-Doping Agency announced it would review their marijuana ban for athletes.

In an interview on NBC, Richardson said she was "blinded by emotions" after she found out that her biological mother had died when a reporter asked her about it days before her trial, and turned to marijuana to cope from the "triggering" and "nerve-shocking" news. "Who are you or who am I to tell you how to cope when you're dealing with a pain you never experienced before?" she asked.

At the Olympics in Tokyo, three Jamaican women swept the 100m medals, and US gymnastics star Simone Biles removed herself from competition due to stress saying, "I have to focus on my mental health." Meanwhile, a study from cannabis tech company dutchie found cannabis consumers in the US and Canada are predominantly female, "especially as conversations about women’s health expand to include using cannabis for relief from things like menstrual pain and to help with sleep or stress."

Richardson says she'll be blessed if her suspension for THC ultimately helps other athletes. Let's hope she'll also help all who are discriminated against on their jobs for using cannabis.

Top Activist

Amy Schumer Joins NAPW's Brief In Support of Arizona Mother's Use of Medical Marijuana to Treat HG

Ziggy Marley Blasts Singapore Gov’t Over Marijuana-Related Death Penalty

Donna Hudnell files a lawsuit against Jefferson University in Philadelphia after she was fired for using state-legal medical marijuana

Supernova Women Takes the Lead on Jobs Program

Politician of the Year

Keisha Lance Bottoms

Atlanta's Mayor signed an order ending drug testing for marijuana for city employees, making it part of her equity package.

Nancy Mace, the Republican Congresswoman from South Carolina who introduced a federal marijuana legalization bill, spoke about how she used it to deal with the trauma of being raped as a teenager.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul Says Marijuana Legalization Will Create ‘Thousands’ Of Jobs And Touts Regulatory Appointments

NIDA's Nora Volkow Says There's "No Evidence" That Occasional Marijuana Use is Harmful for Adults

Worst Politician

Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema, who is seeking to ban tourists from visiting the city's cannabis coffeeshops.

North Carolina Rep. Virginia Foxx, who has spent her career blocking marijuana legalization, and is now investing in cannabis stocks

Best Political Moment

Chelsea Handler includes cannabis products in inauguration celebration kits

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) says marijuana is only a performance-enhancing drug in hot dog eating contests, adding said that if the U.S. can get out of the lengthy Afghanistan war, it can exit the war on drugs too.

Best Activist Prank

Perhaps inspired by the Guerilla Girls or Bill Hicks, as well as "2001: A Space Odyssey," a group of activists erected an eight-foot monolith and protested wearing ape costumes in front of DEA headquarters, calling on the agency to evolve on its policies on marijuana and other controlled substances.

Human Rights Quote of the Year

Beth Galetti, Senior VP of HR at Amazon, who said: "Pre-employment marijuana testing has disproportionately affected communities of color by stalling job placement and, by extension, economic growth, and we believe this inequitable treatment is unacceptable."

Best Musical Performance

Brittany Howard - "Stay High" at Lollapalooza

Best Musical Performance - Runners Up

"One Toke Over The Line" performed by Kyla Young in The Marijuana Conspiracy

Karoline Lotti playing Jason Isbell's "If It Takes a Lifetime"

Madonna Smokes Blunt in Snoop Video

Best Artwork

Koffee Kush for Preserving the Plant.

Best Political Joke

Jimmy Kimmel: The urine test was the only bathroom break they got at Amazon.

Bill Maher: Giving his "Old Mullarkey" speech, Biden "thought AOC was the active ingredient in weed."

Jimmy Fallon: I think New York's ready for legal weed. Our most famous symbol is green, wearing a bathrobe, and holding up a lighter.

Best Cartoon

Avi Steinerg, The New Yorker

Best Book

The Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion with No Name by Brian Muraresku

Asa’s Medicine by Ashley Wynn-Grimes

Breathing Fire: Female Inmate Firefighters of the Front Lines of California's Wildfires by Jamie Lowe

The Fascination of What's Difficult: A Life of Maud Gonne by Kim Bendheim

Best Documentary

Lady Buds

Cannabicas

Best TV Series

Dopesick

Best Movie

Mama Weed

The US vs. Billie Holiday

Don't Look Up

Funniest Movie/TV Moment

Coming2America: Leslie Jones gets Eddie Murphy stoned on "ceremonial herbs."

SNL: Regina King playing a policewoman / hostage negotiator who just overdosed on weed gummies

Actress and comedienne Aubrey Plaza chats with Conan O'Brien about her fondness for "jazz cigarettes" and weed gummies with which you can "fly right high into the sky"

Rachel Bitecofer saying she’d now smoke a post-COVID joint with Bill Maher on HBO's Real Time

Loretta Devine to Ellen Burstyn (shown) in QueenBees: "You've got to live every day. Do you want to get baked?"

Top Studies

A Bibliometric Analysis of the Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Literature
A total of 29,802 peer-reviewed studies on the topic of cannabis and cannabinoid research have been published in 5474 journals, with a steep increase in the past 20 years. Of these, 12,420 were from the US. Yet, politicos continue to take "the research dodge," claiming we need more research before we can fix policy.

More women dealing with menopause symptoms turning to cannabis

Cannabis Inhalation Reduces Symptoms of Hyperemesis Gravidarum

Fewer Patients with Pelvic Pain Taking Opioids Following Cannabis Legalization

Marijuana Legalization Doesn’t Lead To Increased Youth Use, American Medical Association Study Finds

Most Splendid Surveys

Survey: Young Women Surpass Men in Lifetime Marijuana Use

Americans Want To Live Where Marijuana Is Legal, Real Estate Survey Finds

According to other surveys:

• Women spend more than men on cannabis beverages, capsules, tinctures, topicals and, in some states, vape pens.

• 46% of cannabis consumers say they want to patronize women-owned cannabis retailers, and 44% would like to give business to minority- or veteran-owned cannabis establishments

• 62% of women believe that the 420 holiday is no longer only for “stoners” or heavy cannabis consumers.