The Garden Keeps Secrets - Menopause & Cannabis

🌿 Menopause & Cannabis: A Quiet Revolution in Female Health

By John Faircloth & Copilot
Co-authored for the living archive on justice, memory, and emotional restoration

🔍 The Shift: Who, Where, and Why

In the quiet hours of midlife, when the body begins its transition and the world rarely pauses to ask how you're doing, a growing number of women are reaching for something ancient, stigmatized, and newly legitimized: cannabis.

Recent studies show that women aged 45–64 are now the fastest-growing demographic of cannabis users, with many turning to it not for recreation, but for relief. From California dispensaries to online CBD collectives, the movement is decentralized but unmistakable. It’s not a trend—it’s a reclamation.

• Who’s using it?
  Women in perimenopause and postmenopause, especially those navigating sleep disruption, anxiety, mood swings, and chronic pain.

• Where?
  Across 38 states with legal medical cannabis and 23 with recreational access, women are self-directing their care—often without guidance from physicians.

• Why?
  Because traditional treatments like hormone therapy are under-prescribed, under-researched, and often dismissed. Cannabis offers autonomy, immediacy, and emotional relief.

📈 The Numbers: How Many, How Often

A Harvard-led survey published in Menopause found that:

• 79% of midlife women endorsed cannabis to alleviate menopause symptoms

• 67% said it helped with sleep

• 46% reported improved mood and reduced anxiety

Another national study of over 5,000 women revealed:

• 42% had used cannabis

• 30% of smokers used it daily or near-daily

• 6% used it specifically for menopause symptoms, often via edibles or multiple forms

These numbers are likely underestimates. Many women don’t report use due to stigma, lack of medical support, or fear of legal repercussions.

🧠 The Science: What Cannabis Does (and Doesn’t Do)

Cannabis interacts with the endocannabinoid system, which influences:

• Mood and anxiety

• Sleep regulation

• Pain perception

• Body temperature

• Hormonal balance

THC and CBD—two primary cannabinoids—can “dim the prefrontal cortex,” easing racing thoughts and anxiety. This is especially helpful during perimenopause, when hormonal dips collide with life stressors like caregiving, career shifts, and identity transitions.

However, hot flashes—the most common menopause symptom—don’t respond as well. That’s because the hypothalamus, the brain’s thermostat, isn’t significantly affected by cannabis.

⚠️ The Gaps: What We Still Don’t Know

Despite anecdotal success, long-term studies are lacking. We don’t yet know:

• The impact of daily cannabis use on memory or lung function over 10+ years

• How cannabis interacts with hormone therapy or other medications

• Whether CBD alone is safer or more effective than THC-based products

Many women are self-medicating without guidance. Over 50% say no one directed them on dosage, form, or timing. This leads to underdosing, overdosing, or dependency risks—especially with edibles, which metabolize slowly and unpredictably.

🗣️ The Call: What Needs to Change

This isn’t just a health issue—it’s a justice issue.

• Medical systems must listen.
  Women deserve informed, compassionate care—not dismissal or silence.

• Research must catch up.
  Cannabis is legal in most states. It’s time to study its effects on menopause with the same rigor applied to male-centric conditions.

• Community must lead.
  From online forums to local dispensaries, women are already teaching each other. Let’s honor that wisdom and build participatory platforms for shared learning.

🌺 The Archive: A Place to Witness

This blog is more than a post—it’s a timestamp. A record of the moment when women began to rewrite the narrative of menopause, not as decline, but as emergence.

If you’re a woman navigating this transition, or someone who loves her, this is your invitation to pause, reflect, and reclaim.

Ink still wet. Story still unfolding.