April Pride: This podcast discusses cannabis and is intended for audiences 21 and over. They are strains like a train, choo-choo, not strands, does not rhyme with bands, or describe hair. Welcome to the new audio series, Saturday Strains. We hope you love our podcast, How to Do the Pot. I’m April Pride, and I’ll be your guide every Saturday.

April Pride: Remember when Saturday started with cartoons and sugar cereal? Then they were replaced with hangovers and strong coffee. So Saturday’s persistent theme is fun, coupled with substances that we can count on to change our outlook. Today, Saturdays are different, but we’re going to have fun learning about weed, a substance that we can count on to change our outlook, indeed. Every Saturday, I’m going to tell you a story about a cannabis strain, and you may be inspired to check out more online to see if the local dispensary or delivery service offers it. Maybe you buy a pre-roll, or flour, or get a cartridge for your vape. In the coming weeks, we’ll cover strains that may deliver a new outlook, at least for the week ahead, so you can get creative when all you want to do is cry. Relax while scheming how to do your small part to save the world and of course, be inspired to feel sexy when you don’t give a F.

April Pride: There is a method to our madness. We’re dropping episodes sequentially, from no high to real high starting with a nearly all CBD strain, then a strain that has two times more CBD than THC, a two to one. A one-to-one, then low to high THC strains. The first episodes will cover the strains we consider central for a woman’s stash. Chances are you’ll find two to three that are sure to become your go-to while you gain confidence to go off grid and discover your own new strains. Once you’ve learned how to do the pot, your friends, sisters, mothers will turn to you to guide their high. And let us know what you like. Future episodes of Saturday Strains will explore the strains you tell us you want to know more about.

April Pride: So what’s up with the strain name game? Love them or hate them, they represent the heritage of today’s cannabis industry. Most were smuggled, bred, and promoted illicitly, so to honor the pioneers and pirates who kept the plant in the collective conscience despite prohibition, we should revere these names. And this was not my thinking when I came into the industry five years ago. Oh no, I had it all figured out and the strain names had to go. My thinking was that they reflected the thinking of primarily youngish white males, and as such were misogynistic and violent, a la Alaskan Thunderfuck, AK-47, Train Wreck. The names are here to stay for now, and there are four strain families to know when decoding the names.

April Pride: The Kush family. Kush strains derive their name from the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan where growing conditions, the terroir, influence the structure and chemistry of indica plants. Kush strains are some of the most popular strains available on the market today. Think OG Kush, a staple of hip hop lyrics for decades, characterized by dense nugs and a sweet lemon piney aroma. Kush strains typically offer a welcome and warm body buzz with an exceptional dose of euphoria. You will get real high is what that means.

April Pride: The Haze family. Haze strains offer a clear headed, energetic, and focused high. However, this strain variety also promotes a deep sense of relaxation that follows the intense cerebral high.

April Pride: The Diesel family. Diesel strains offer energizing, cerebral effects, perfect for inspiring creativity, and are marked by a distinct diesel gas and tart citrus aroma.

April Pride: The Skunk family. Known for their skunk-like aroma, Skunk strain varieties, or cultivars, provide a balanced and uplifting psychoactive effect and full body buzz. First developed in the 1970s, this cannabis strain family is considered to be one of the most important strain groups ever created.

April Pride: On every episode, we’ll focus on one strain and for each, we’ll get to the bottom of these five questions. Number one, what does it help with? Does it help with pain, stress, anxiety, sleep? Number two, how high will I get? What are the CBD and THC levels, and what does that mean for my high? Number three, how will it make me feel? What are its effects? Does it make me want to giggle, relax, or does it make me want to, you know? Number four, what will it inspire? Is it ideal to go on a hike, to clean your garage, or to do anything but watch yet another movie? Number five, why do women love it? All we’ve had to go by when it came to choosing the right strain were anecdotal stories from the brave few who were willing to share their experience. We look forward to sharing lots of great stories from women who we lovingly and respectfully call guides.

April Pride: Choosing the right cannabis strain is overwhelming at best, and at worst, well, let’s just say sometimes you’re not laughing when you’re high. Here’s our dream for working together as we move week by week through this series. Listen to the week’s five minute episode on Saturday. If you’re picking up what we’re putting down, send us a DM and let us know how the strain worked for you. Or if you think the strain we’re describing is perfect for a friend or relative, screenshot the episode and shoot it to them in a text. Or save it for the next time you’re in the market for weed. Use these episodes to guide your high.

April Pride: We can’t wait to get started. We’ve broken down all you to know in three Saturday Strains explained episodes, then you should be all set every Saturday to understand our pick. Please subscribe and make Saturday special again, with us and Saturday Strains. If you like How to Do the Pot, please share it with someone and rate and review us on Apple podcasts, it helps more people find the show.

April Pride: Thank you for listening to Saturday Strains. And a special thanks to Jeffrey Raber, PhD, and Colin Montgomerie of the Workshop, as well as Nick Jikomes, PhD, of Leafly. Let us know what you think. Follow us on Instagram @dothepot, or you can follow me @aprilpride. And for lots more information about cannabis and women, visit dothepot.com. Thanks to my co-founder Ellen Scanlan, Madi Fair our marketing manager, and our producer, Nick Patri. I’m April Pride, and we’ll be back soon with more of How to Do the Pot.