Cannabis Tourism With Hannah Vysoky and Laura White

Ellen Scanlon (00:00):

This podcast discusses cannabis and is intended for audiences 21 and over. Support for How to Do the Pot comes from Cann. Cann is a social tonic, drinkable, delicious cannabis that’s as bubbly, refreshing, and sociable as your favorite cocktail. But hold the booze. Use promo code dothepot for 20% off when you visit drinkcann.com. That’s drink C-A-N-N.

(00:44):

Welcome to How to Do the Pot, A podcast helping you feel confident about cannabis. I’m your host, Ellen Scanlon. One of the biggest misconceptions about shopping for legal weeded is thinking that you need to know a lot about cannabis before you go. You do have to bring your government issued ID, and it will make it easier if you bring cash. But visiting a dispensary has become a lot like a regular shopping experience now that more states have legalized it. This series is dedicated to providing you with a support system of women all across the country who have been in your shoes.

(01:29):

Today’s stories are both from women who made a special effort to visit a legal state and try out the legal cannabis shopping experience. I hope they help you feel supported, less alone, and a little lighthearted when you decide to make your first cannabis shopping trip. I really want you to have fun. Hannah Vysoky is an Iowa native now living in Illinois, where she is a social media coordinator at Central States Marketing. In 2017, Hannah and her now husband decided to make a trip to Colorado to experience legal weeded. They went on something of a pilgrimage.

Hannah Vysoky (02:12):

We took a 12-hour drive to Colorado from where we lived at the time, and we got there late. I remember being really excited and that I wanted to go to a dispensary for the first time. And my boyfriend at the time, he was so tired from driving 12 hours that we crashed that night. So I was really eager the next day to go because I was excited to experience cannabis in a legal sense for the first time. So we went to a dispensary downtown Denver, I believe it was called Ballpark Dispensary, and it was a very nice calm first experience. Typically, in the dispensaries, you’ll walk in, someone will check your ID and then let you into a room behind you. So we walked in. There was no one else there. It was a nice music playing. There was a nice person to greet us and let them know it was our first time, and they were really kind and considerate to that.

(02:58):

And so we went back there, and they didn’t rush our order. It was nice to ask questions about sativas and indicas and hybrids and THC percentages. At that time, I wasn’t very familiar with terpenes, so that’s something I actually do a lot now is before I buy flower, I like to research the terpenes beforehand. They all work well for me, but some work especially well. I believe I just picked out some flower based on a really cool name. Looking back, that’s really cool that I had such an open mind and had such a beautiful experience with that.

(03:30):

So I would say the only thing that was maybe a downside was that I almost felt a little insecure buying as much cannabis as I wanted to buy. I wanted to buy originally 3/8 admittedly, so I could try a few different things, but I was under the impression that it was going to look like I was buying so much weeded and I just built this stigma up against what I was trying to do. And looking back on it now, cannabis purchase is for yourself and what you need. And truly, it’s no one else’s business how much you need at that time. And honestly, how long it lasts for, that’s all up to you and what your need is for the plants.

(04:06):

Looking back on it now, I would’ve felt I shouldn’t have had that stigma around myself, and that I really embrace going to a dispensary as an experience for me, myself and I, and finding a good strain to spend time relaxing with and dealing with anxiety and things like that. So definitely feel confident in yourself when going to a dispensary. You’re there for you, and the people who work there are there to help you. And just express to your bud tender that you’re new. You maybe have some questions, and allow the space for you to consider the product that you’re about to purchase.

Ellen Scanlon (04:39):

Laura White, the founder of Soul Addict CBD, is a North Carolina native. The first time she bought Legal Weeded was on a trip to California for a yoga retreat. She started out in Palm Springs and then headed to LA, excited to try out the weed scene in both places.

Laura White (04:59):

So my first dispensary actually experience was out in Palm Springs, and it wasn’t quite the experience that I was looking for. So I think the cool thing about when you are in a legal state that’s had their legalization rolling for a while, you can choose and really do your research to figure out what experience you want and what kind of product you think that you’d be interested in, and do your due diligence from there. I had my eyes set on Sweet Flower in LA. A couple of my other experiences in the dispensaries, I just popped in and out of. The bud tenders were great, but there wasn’t someone that was really there for you through the whole entire experience from start to finish. And I think with something like cannabis, especially if you’re new to buying legal products or just wanting to ask questions, it’s really cool when you walk into a dispensary and there’s someone that’s really hands-on, able to follow you around and answer all your questions.

(05:57):

So that is the cool thing about Sweet Flower. They do assign you a person right when you walk in the door. And when you walk into the door, it’s just so pretty. They have everything really laid out beautifully. It feels like you’re in this very elevated space. It feels very happy and bright and airy. And then of course, there’s lots of amazing products that … Branding is 10/10. So whenever I got there, I knew the first thing that I really wanted to get were of course, gummies. THC mixed with other cannabinoids in a gummy is really my sweet spot because there are so many different types of quote/unquote “highs” that we can experience. And I think the most interesting thing to de-stigmatize is that that heavy stoner rhetoric that we’ve been knocked down by. It takes away from really understanding that the plant has so many different types of feelings it can offer.

(06:54):

And so I really love to use the gummies for being creative, especially with my work. I have to wear so many different hats, and cannabis definitely helps me just stay focused and get into a groove and a flow. So I was looking for that. And also I’m really big on using gummies for sleep. And so my favorite brand that I was introduced to at that time was the Camino Gummies by Kiva Confections. Oh my God. They’re the best. They’ve got a bunch of different flavors and some of them are micro doses. Some of them are a little bit higher dose if you want something a little stronger. You take them, and it pretty much always does what it says it’s going to do. Anyhow, the funny story is I buy all these gummies. And on the way out, I was with my business partner. He told me that I should take the whole gummy, and so I did.

(07:48):

And let’s just say I had the best night. It was so much fun. And I ended up going back to our Airbnb that we were staying at in Sherman Oaks. It was beautiful. There was this huge tortoise that they had a pet in the backyard. And so I just hung out with the huge tortoise. The woman that owned the house, her name was Rose, and she was this 85-year-old spunky, amazing woman who loved to smoke. We just hung out the whole night. My partner went to dinner with his sister. It was just a magnetic magical night. And I think that that’s the funny thing about cannabis. It’s not like drinking. You’re feeling out of body, but it just really allows for just these very beautiful, thoughtful conversations to come up. And then I went and I watched Golden Girls. RIP Betty White. And fell asleep. And every day I’m like, why don’t I just move to California?

Ellen Scanlon (08:49):

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend. We love new listeners and are here to help everyone feel confident about cannabis. Thank you for listening to How to Do the Pot. For lots more information and past episodes, visit dothepot.com. Are you one of the thousands of people who love How to Do the Pot’s newsletter? If you’re not getting it, please sign up at dothepot.com. And if you like How to Do the Pot, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. It really helps people find the show. Thank you to producers Madi Fair and Nick Patri. I’m Ellen Scanlon, and stay tuned for more of How to Do the Pot.