Sarah Tupper, Sarah Jane

Ellen Lee Scanlon (00:00):

This podcast discusses cannabis and is intended for audiences 21 and over. Welcome back to How to Do the Pot, a podcast demystifying cannabis for women. I’m Ellen Scanlon. On these short episodes, we share women’s stories about the first time they bought legal weed. I hope they bring a little fun and a new perspective into your week. Sarah Tupper is the Michigan-based co-founder of Sarah Jane, which is bringing tastefully package, carefully dose cannabis into the daily lives of women, so they can experience the positive effects of the plant.

Sarah Tupper (00:37):

Just reminiscing about my first time buying cannabis. I laugh because I’m here in Michigan, and I went through a known physician underground office here in Michigan to get my medical card. And it was really back alley, back parking lot, paying cash, have this random person sign off on these forms, so that you could get your medical card. This was back before adult use cannabis was legal here in the state. So got my medical card and was able to bring it in. I remember being so nervous in the parking lot of the dispensary and making sure I had my license and my medical card and that I knew what I was going to ask. And it felt so bizarre and weird and underground and exciting and nerve wracking because I had used cannabis and smoked weed many times in the past, I had just never purchased it from anywhere that looked like a store.

Sarah Tupper (01:55):

And so I just remember being so nervous and feeling so awkward and not knowing what they were going to ask me. And it ended up being a really calm and comfortable experience. Though the dispensary was back behind a gas station, I remember that. And I had to drive about 45 minutes to get there because the town that I live in didn’t have any medical dispensaries open at the time. And I remember sharing it and telling my friends and just being so excited that we were finally able to have accessibility to this thing that we had so much experience with as teenagers and young adults. And now, into my mid 30s, late 30s, finally, I’m able to purchase legally. So it was really a revelation and really helped plant the seed for what would become Sarah Jane here in the Midwest.

Ellen Lee Scanlon (02:59):

Thanks for listening to this episode of How to Do the Pot. If you’d like to share your story about the first time you bought legal weed, please send us a voice memo to hi@dothepot.com, or DM us @dothepot. Please also follow along on all our socials, and visit dothepot.com for lots more information about women and cannabis. Thanks to Madi Fair our brand manager, and our producer, Nick Patri. I’m Ellen Scanlon, and we’ll be back soon with more How to Do the Pot.