By: Olivia Walters
“Be innovative, learn your shit, and take what you want from this industry,” says Andrea Flowers, a proud trans womxn flourishing in Toronto.
Even before Canadian cannabis was legalized in 2018, Andrea Flowers, aka the ‘Terpene Queen,’ worked in the underground scene passing out flyers for delivery services and packaging products.
Two years later, she fuses her passion for cannabis education with stories about her transition on Instagram.
What began as a digital diary has since bloomed into a beautiful opportunity for dialogue about transgender awareness and legal cannabis.
Both worlds are interlaced with stigma. But Andrea Flowers is re-centering the conversation.
Andrea contributes to podcasts and websites about cannabis. She loves horror movies, video games, sound design, and music—soon, Andrea will launch her own podcast to pick up where her cannabis advice column left off.
In this exclusive interview, we asked Andrea Flowers about her beginnings in cannabis. We’re honored to share her insights on blossoming and being transgender in the cannabis biz.
Miss Marijuana: What’s your experience with cannabis? How long have you been in cannabis?
Andrea Flowers: My experience with cannabis started like most: at twelve years old, in a hazy bedroom with friends and Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” setting the tone from our CD player. I suppose that means I’m in my 20th year with this beautiful plant!
As for my time actually, in the industry, I have a little over 7 years under my belt so far, an experience that spans from the illegal market into the now legal one we know today.
I started my career by running flyers on the street or in apartment complexes for illegal delivery services in the Toronto underground cannabis scene.
I also ran booths at markets or bagged product when given the chance. I eventually earned enough trust to be placed in roles that consisted of things like product purchasing, website/phone service development, building client lists, graphic design, hiring, team management, and business innovation implementation with a heavy focus on efficiency.
In terms of the legal market, I’ve unfortunately only had the chance to gain experience in entry-level positions so far.
My time in the illegal market seems to be null and void to those operating legally these days, so without a college degree behind me, I am often overlooked or given low-level positions and exploited for free labor from people in management positions that need cannabis-related training.
I don’t let that stop me, though, I think what I lack in the corporate world, I make up for in my online presence.
I’m grateful to have a following that seeks out my knowledge and respects my experience.
I’ve done podcasts, panel discussions and IG lives that I’m quite proud of, and I feel truly lucky to have been able to have such a strong online community that’s only been growing since the beginning of this year.
Though I am sadly seen as unqualified in this newly budding industry to some, I welcome everything that my future holds, and look forward to many more years of growth to come!
Miss Marijuana: When you talk about being transgender in interviews and on your social media, what motivates you to write and speak on behalf of transgender awareness?
Andrea Flowers: When I think of my biggest driving factor, I always want to say that it’s ultimately due to a lack of awareness, but it really isn’t.
The thing that drives me most to speak out about transgender issues is actually a misdirected focus on trans womxn as a whole.
When others speak to the transgender narrative, it is more often than not in an oversexualized manner.
There is this widespread obsession with the transition that trans womxn go through, an obsession with how aesthetically pleasing—or cis-passing—we can be, as a means to justify our existence.
My drive comes from the need to show the world that we are more than just how we present ourselves, we are human beings, with many layers of complex existence.
Miss Marijuana: You mentioned that there isn’t a lot of female LGBTQ+ representation in cannabis. Based on your experience, does this community face challenges compared to other minority groups?
Andrea Flowers: When discussing other minority groups, I usually don’t try to compare the different struggles that we face.
The challenges presented to all minority groups are very much unique across the board, so it’s quite hard to say who has it worse, and in which regard they do.
With that being said, I do believe that LGBTQ+ women, along with WOC are often overlooked and underestimated in the cannabis industry.
This obviously comes from the fact that we are in an industry dominated by white men, a group of people that want to maintain power so that they can bring their friends in, or pass things on to their children, or simply because they enjoy having all the control.
These are men who have leveraged their positions and financial gain from other industries—like alcohol and tobacco—to create a stranglehold on this newly created and vulnerable industry.
Miss Marijuana: When & why did you initially join Instagram as the ‘Terpene Queen’?
Andrea Flowers: When I initially joined Instagram back in September 2018, it was honestly just a way for me to document my transition, a sort of personal journal, in a sense.
It wasn’t until a few months into legalization that I decided to marry my identity as a trans womxn with my career in the cannabis industry.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3N5_KnHxC7/
I was dubbed with the title of Terpene Queen by a friend one day while educating a customer in a shop I worked in, and the rest is, well I guess it’s all there on Instagram!
Miss Marijuana: What’s changed since you debuted 330 posts ago vs. where you are today?
Andrea Flowers: When I scroll down to the bottom of my Instagram feed, to the days when I first debuted myself as an openly trans womxn to the world, the difference between the person I see and who I am today, is honestly overwhelming.
It’s surreal, thinking about all that’s changed in my life—the intention behind why I use Instagram, my self-esteem, my look, my goals, and my career have all evolved in a way that I could have never imagined.
Like I’ve said before, I first joined Instagram as a way to showcase my transition as a trans womxn, for myself and anyone else that may have needed to see that the trans experience isn’t always about sexualization or fetishization.
However, I’m so grateful that I was able to eventually evolve my presence on social media to center around my career and to bring light not only to my knowledge of cannabis, but to also focus on the much-needed inclusivity and diversity within the cannabis space as well.
Miss Marijuana: What inspired the Potpourri column ‘Dear Drea: like Dear Abby, but for Weed’?
Andrea Flowers: Dear Drea is actually the brainchild of my friend Mimi Audellynn (one of the founders of Potpourri) and myself.
Mimi started out as a customer at a shop I was employed with at the time—we eventually became friends and connected through Instagram.
She explained to me that she had this website that focused on wellness through meditation and psychedelics, but they didn’t have much of a tap into the world of cannabis.
She went on to say that she loved the Dear Abby (a famous advice column) format and wanted to do something like that with me, but centered around cannabis.
From there, Dear Drea was born! Unfortunately, the focus of the website shifted and we only published one issue before shutting it down, but I plan to revive the segment for a podcast I’ll be starting very soon!
Miss Marijuana: A lot of our readers are young, professional-type womxn. What’s something you wish you knew before you started working in cannabis? Have you had any wake-up calls or learned any lessons along the way?
Andrea Flowers: I suppose the lessons I’ve learned so far are most likely what every womxn has learned in any other male-dominated industry.
The cannabis industry is very much an elitist, white-centered, privileged based industry that is more often treated like a clubhouse than anything else.
Networks and connections are a very key component to breaking through the gates. There are so many opportunities to grow a strong community in this industry, you just need to be actively working on it.
If you ever do feel like you’re truly alone, though, just remember there are so many powerful womxn out there that want to lift you up and help you succeed, you just need to find them!
Miss Marijuana: Even though cannabis has helped you create an online presence and collaborate with other brands, do you see any problems in the industry as a whole, specifically in the way LGBTQ+ people are perceived?
Andrea Flowers: I do see issues, if I’m being honest. I think specifically the way LGBTQ+ brands are perceived is a bit close-minded and old fashioned these days.
Most times, when a brand is forthcoming and open about the fact that they are LGBTQ+ led, people immediately put them in a box, and assume that they only exist to serve that specific community, rather than the cannabis community as a whole.
To add to that, I have also noticed a considerable amount of tokenism happening these days as well.
It feels as though most brands will use our image and culture specifically to gain more capital, but fail to create any sort of equity for our communities in the process.
Miss Marijuana: What’s something the world doesn’t know about Andrea Flowers? Are you more of an introvert or extrovert?
Andrea Flowers: I try to be as transparent as possible when I present myself on social media and in life generally.
Anyone that has been to my Instagram profile, knows that it’s littered with vulnerability and a willingness to speak my truth at any chance I get.
What I don’t think the world knows about me is that I am, deep down, a very true introvert.
I have a social well that can run dry quite quickly at times, and I am oftentimes not the life of the party.
When I do have confidence and comfortability in a situation, however, it can seem as though I am actually this outgoing, extroverted person, but that’s really not the case.
Although I do love being social and have found moments where I enjoyed the spotlight, it usually comes with moments or days filled with anxiety or nervousness prior to that situation.
The reason I most likely seem comfortable in front of a camera, when it comes to pictures, is because I take my own, and have almost zero experience being photographed by others.
I don’t really believe I’m beautiful, or charismatic, but I do have confidence in who I am, and what I know, so that can come across as seeming like I’ve got it all figured out at times.
Miss Marijuana: To close us off, can you share Andrea Flowers’ wisdom about how to grow alongside the cannabis industry?
Andrea Flowers: If I can give any words of wisdom to anyone, it sort of all boils down to one simple phrase: “It’s better to beg for forgiveness, rather than ask for permission.”
Be innovative, learn your shit, and take what you want from this industry. If you can present yourself as someone with a unique perspective and a solid knowledge of this beautiful plant, then there’s a chance you’ll grow alongside this industry and live up to your full potential.
To keep up with Andrea Flowers, follow her on Instagram.
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Olivia Walters is a writer who focuses on cannabis culture and lifestyle.