Ellen Lee Scanlon (00:00):

This podcast discusses cannabis and is intended for audiences 21 and over.

Ellen Lee Scanlon (00:07):

Welcome back to, How to Do the Pot, a podcast de-mystifying 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.

Ellen Lee Scanlon (00:24):

Brooke Burgstahler is a California based writer, producer, host, and actress in television, online media and film. She’s also the founder of Budding Minds, a multi-channel online Canvas platform.

Brooke Burgstahler (00:37):

Oh my, my first time buying legal cannabis, what a comedy. Right when I moved to California, I immediately wanted to get my medical marijuana card. I was so excited to finally be in a state where I could go into a legal dispensary. As soon as I moved here, I found a doctor online and I went to his office and to my surprise, there was no doctor there. A man in scrubs was there. I could loosely call him a nurse. He brought me into the office and the nurse asked me a few questions about why I needed medicinal cannabis. I told him I had anxiety. He told me, “You seem pretty calm to me. I’m going to say that you have trouble sleeping.”

Brooke Burgstahler (01:27):

Then I Skyped with the doctor. I never actually had to meet the doctor because in the state of California, you had to be face to face with a doctor for approval, but you did not have to be there in person. This doctor, who was at his actual family practice office, was Skyping people like me in between his patients. It was fabulous.

Brooke Burgstahler (01:49):

Anyways, I got approved and I immediately went to a dispensary where the most Hollywood of scenarios happened. My bud tender was this beautiful woman who was telling me she was an actress on a Kevin Hart show, and she just happened to also work at a dispensary. She gave me my first 1/8 and then said that first-time customers were eligible for a free dab at the bar, if I wanted one. I didn’t know what a dab was at the time. I was very excited to really try anything with weed in it, so I took a hit from the dab break and nearly immediately passed out. Pretty much passed out. There were big leather chairs and a lounge area next to the bar and she had to help me get from my bar stool to the leather chair, where I somewhat napped unconsciously for a good hour or two. It was a really beautiful experience. It taught me really early on that some weed is stronger than others and that I’d really need find the right recipe for my own experiences.

Brooke Burgstahler (03:03):

Altogether was such a joy to… Well before so many other states had become legal, I think this was in, wow, in 2013 was when I had my first experience buying legal cannabis. A lot has changed since then, but I’m forever grateful for those founding memories and I’ve got no shame around them, thank you very much.

Ellen Lee Scanlon (03:30):

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 a voice memo to hi@dothepot.com or DM us @DoThePot. For lots more information and past episodes, visit DoThePot.com. That’s also where you can sign up for How to Do the Pot’s newsletter, which comes out every other Friday. If you like, How to Do the Pot, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps more people find the show.

Ellen Lee Scanlon (03:59):

Thanks to Madi Fair, our brand manager, and our producer, Nick Patri. I’m Ellen Scanlon. We’ll be back soon with more of, How to Do the Pot.