Pride shouldn't be limited to a single month — it should be supported, advocated for, and celebrated all year round. 

And the LGBTQ community's involvement in cannabis dates back to the beginning of weed's long, strange trip towards legalization. In fact, the cannabis legalization movement in the US owes its start to the efforts of LGBTQ activists during the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and '90s. 

Thanks to the monumental activism efforts of California's LGBTQ communities, Proposition 215 passed in 1996, making it the first state to legalize medical marijuana in the country. The ground for today's burgeoning cannabis industry was laid in part by LGBTQ allies, HIV/AIDS patients, and gay rights advocates of the past.

While rainbow-themed products are cute, giving your precious consumer dollars to the companies that are owned by LGBTQ entrepreneurs year-round instead of only in June is even cuter. Support these cannabis brands founded by members of the LGBTQ community, whose history of tireless cannabis activism has allowed the existence of the legal market we enjoy today. 

House of Saka 

If you're looking to indulge in a wine-esque experience sans the hangover, look no further than the LGBTQ-owned brand House of Saka. Founded by women in 2018, House of Saka was born from the Napa Valley wine scene in hopes of creating a luxury cannabis experience for women. 

Its line of infused wines, which includes Saka Pink rose, Saka White, and Saka Spark Mimosa, have an incredible high due to its state-of-the-art nano-molecular infusion technology. Unlike most edibles, the high from these beverages can kick in within 15 minutes.

Cann

Cann, the microdosed canna-beverage to the stars, has garnered an impossible amount of glitterati testimonials, as well as investors. Rarely does a cannabis brand see a swirl of A-list hype from the likes of Chelsea Handler, Gwenyth Paltrow, and Kate Hudson, but Cann really is just that good. 

This queer-owned brand specializes in impeccably designed cannabis seltzers, with trendy flavors like Lavender Lemonade, Grapefruit Rosemary, and Blood Orange Cardamom. Each Cann includes 2 milligrams of nano-THC and 4 milligrams of CBD.

Stone Road 

Stone Road is a super hip queer-owned LA weed brand with some of the best pre-rolls on the market. It grows its own flower at a farm in Nevada City, California, providing consumers with the perfect ratio of low price to high quality, complete with cool packaging. 

While perhaps most loved for its pre-roll packs and infused pre-rolls, it also offers great eighths and half-ounce rolling packs. And instead of bombarding consumers with an impossible amount of strains, the brand specializes in a handful of cultivars. 

Brown Sugar Botanicals

Black, queer, trans, and non-binary-owned, Brown Sugar Botanicals is a CBD brand celebrating diversity, inclusivity, and cannabis. Founded by Chris and KaliMa, the brand sources all of its organic herbs from LGBTQ, BIPOC, and women-owned companies, making room at the table in a mostly non-inclusive industry. Try its tinctures, salves, and full-spectrum CBD pre-rolls.

Drew Martin

Founded by Drew Martin, award-winning mixologist and passionate herbalist, Drew Martin pre-rolls offer low-dose options blended with lush botanicals. Each package is beautifully illustrated and contains four 8 - 10% THC joints blended with aromatic herbs such as rose petal, peppermint, lavender, chamomile, passionflower, and more. Reach for The Collection pack and try all distinct flavors. 

Sonder 

Sonder is a full-spectrum vape brand founded in 2017 by wife-and-wife team, Faun Chapin and M. Paradise. Sonder grows the cannabis for its high-quality cartridges on its family-run farm in Mendocino County. Both founders are successful graphic designers. Chapin holds an MFA in graphic design from Yale and grew up on an Emerald Triangle weed farm. She was taught to grow at an early age by her mother. 

Known for branding where bright colors and punchy graphics take a psychedelic riff on pop art, and its epic line of full-spectrum cartridges, Sonder delivers high-quality products that are an amalgamation of everything these cannabis entrepreneurs are passionate about. With Sonder, not only are you supporting an LGBTQ brand but a legacy of female growers. 

Calexo

With tart citrusy flavors and a flirty aesthetic to match, the LGBTQ-owned-and-operated cannabis beverage Calexo has effervesced its way into our hearts. Founded by Brandon and Ken, both of whom are working artists, Calexo was born from an at-home experiment that went totally right. What started as trying to find the perfect combination of citrus, bitters, and weed for a tincture one night at a weed-sensitive family party has fast become a fabulous and infused alternative to alcohol. 

Each 12-ounce can contains 5 milligrams of THC. Due to nano-emulsion technology, the high is intended to hit you within 15 minutes of consumption. Available in Spring, Fuschia, and Sea, Calexo is a great addition to any party atmosphere, offering a delicious alternative for taking the edge off and remaining social. 

Peak Extracts 

Founded in 2014, Peak Extracts is the first women-owned extraction company in Oregon. It entered the recreational market in 2016 and was among the first batch of legal licensed edibles processors. CEO Katie Stem and COO Katie Black are partners in business and life, working together for the last eight years. 

Peak Extracts produces chocolates, salves, cartridges, and concentrates and is best known for its strain-specific product line. 

Written by Lindsay MaHarry and Lindsey Bartlett. Featured image by Gina Coleman/Weedmaps