The Influencer: Meaghan Bolton

Meaghan Bolton (@cloud_9_baby) is a popular cannabis influencer who has amassed over 440K followers on Instagram and 4.5K followers on her YouTube channel. Meghan explained she was first inspired to enter the cannabis space “was my desire to openly share my cannabis journey with other like-minded people through social media”. She began by posting cannabis-related content, with a strong focus on advocacy. Her posts ranged from opinion pieces challenging negative cannabis stereotypes and discussing its medical benefits, to comedy skits that humorously portrayed the lifestyle of a cannabis user.

What started as a fun personal endeavor has evolved into a thriving business venture, allowing her to engage with a community and help normalize the idea of cannabis consumption. Meaghan now shares a diverse range of content, including product reviews, while continuing to advocate for cannabis. She has cultivated a community that celebrates how cannabis can seamlessly integrate into everyday life—whether among friends, family, or in a broader social context. Meaghan’s influence has truly shown that smoking cannabis doesn’t have to be stigmatized, but can be an accepted and enjoyable part of a balanced lifestyle.

Can you share both a positive and a negative experience in your journey within the cannabis space?
I have had the pleasure of meeting so many amazing people within the cannabis space and have made some beautiful lifelong friendships along the way. There are so many good souls in this industry that truly care about the people and it has been so inspiring to see people come together to improve the experience of cannabis consumers , but one negative thing I think all creators and businesses face is a potential censorship on social media when it comes to talking openly about cannabis and its potential health benefits . It can be a very tricky thing to navigate on social media as I have seen silencing on some discussions about its medicinal benefits, but we have found ways around this by using code words such as "gardening" and alluding to the use of cannabis without blatantly saying it. I hope that in the future, conversations about medicinal cannabis use on social media can be had more openly.

Do you feel that the cannabis industry is more open to women and diverse voices than other industries, or do you think there are still significant barriers within the space?
I would say that the cannabis space is very open to women's voices today. I believe that in the past it has been viewed as a largely male dominated field, however I personally have seen the involvement of women in the cannabis space increase a lot in recent years. I believe that women's growing involvement in the space has helped to shift the stereotypical idea of cannabis use from being a recreational activity to more of a therapeutic tool. From my own personal perspective, men have always been very accepting and uplifting of women in this space, from our presence on social media to our presence in the business side as well.  As women, we do bring a different vibe to the space because we tend to have a different approach to it's methods of consumption and different applications for it's use. Overall, I have always felt like an equal part of this space alongside men. 

How have you seen the role of women evolve in the cannabis industry over the years, and what do you think has driven that change?
I think women's presence in the space has helped to shed light on a more holistic and healing approach to cannabis consumption. There has definitely been a realization that men and women have very different responses to cannabinoids due to our differences in the endocannabinoid system along with differences in hormones and metabolism etc. and so of course we would see differences in our cannabis use as well. Fortunately, there have been a lot more conversations recently about cannabis and women's health as studies suggest that cannabis can potentially have very therapeutic benefits for women experiencing menstrual pain specifically. A lot of women use cannabis for this reason, and I am glad to see a lot more research being done on this topic.

What do you think needs to change to better represent and empower women in the cannabis space?
One thing I have noticed is a lack of representation of women in your typical "stoner movies". A majority of the classic stoner movies feature mostly men playing the role of the typical cannabis user. Come to think of it, all of the biggest "stoner" films like Pineapple Express, How High, Half Baked, and Harold and Kumar for example, all feature solely male leads. Although there are some amazing women leads featured in cannabis films like Smiley, I would say that cannabis cinema is still a very male dominated field. I think more representation in these films is important because consumption of cannabis between men and women is just about equal nowadays, and it would be cool to see that represented in the movies we watch!

What excites you the most about the future of cannabis?
I am very excited to see the future of cannabis research because the cannabis plant contains hundreds of cannabinoids that we are just beginning to learn about. There are so many amazing non psychoactive cannabinoids that cannabis has to offer. Compounds like CBN, and CBG are fairly new to consumers, and so it is exciting to know that we still have so many potential benefits coming our way. Not to mention new methods of consumption. Every year the technology in the cannabis space advances so much, I can't wait to see what's next!