Whoopi Goldberg launches medical marijuana brand for women

LOS ANGELES, March 31 (UPI) -- Whoopi Goldberg has partnered with edibles developer Maya Elisabeth to launch a female-centric medical marijuana line.

The brand, Whoopi and Maya, provides women with remedies for menstrual discomfort in the form of a bath soak, rub, tincture and edible raw chocolate spread.

Goldberg, 60, joins the ranks of other celebrity-turned "ganjapreneurs" including Snoop Dogg and Bob Marley's estate.

"I want to go nice and slow with this. I don't want this to be a joke to people. It's not a joke to women," the View co-host told USA Today.

Her products, specifically developed for and marketed to women, are inspired by her family, she told Glamour magazine. She explained pitching the idea to many males in the industry frequently proved fruitless.

"I have a daughter and two granddaughters who inherited my horrific menstrual cramps," she told the magazine. "Being a pot smoker for years, I talked to a lot of men in the marijuana business about developing something for period relief, and they always come back with 'That's too niche a market.' ...Half of the planet is not a niche market!'

Goldberg and partner Elisabeth's products are only available for sale in California, as marijuana has not yet be legalized on a national level. USA Today reports the products will launch in dispensaries in coming weeks.

"This is a nice quiet way that I can be part of this," Goldberg, a frequent advocate for marijuana legalization and believer in its relieving properties, said of her new company. "It had to help people if I were going to be involved."