Ellen Lee Scanlon (00:00):

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

Ellen Lee Scanlon (00:08):

Welcome 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 (00:26):

Today, I want to share a few of my experiences buying legal weed and what actually inspired this whole series. I grew up on the East Coast and moved around a bit. I’ve lived in Virginia, Connecticut, Maryland and New York. My dad is a lawyer and an investment banker, and my mom is an educator. My grandfather was a three star Marine Corps general. So following the law is definitely something pretty ingrained in me. After college, I worked on a Wall Street trading floor and there, I learned to follow the news and think about what’s happening next by tracking trends and watching growth. I got my MBA in Virginia, a pretty conservative state. And then I moved to San Francisco, not known for its conservatism. It’s really been an unexpected pleasure to work in cannabis, an industry that is growing fast, becoming legal, and in my opinion, here to stay.

Ellen Lee Scanlon (01:33):

The very first time I bought legal, adult use weed was on vacation in Colorado in 2015. I had read an article in Vogue about a dispensary called The Farm in Boulder, and really wanted to check it out. It felt like the original [Kiehl 00:01:49] store on Third Avenue in Manhattan, like an old fashion apothecary. The woman who helped us was so enthusiastic, and knowledgeable, and nice and welcoming. And I remember saying to my husband that she was the best retail sales person I’d ever had. She was such a star. I think we bought a pre-roll and smoked it outside in Boulder later that night, which felt very surreal knowing that it was totally legal. It was a very, very cool, amazing experience.

Ellen Lee Scanlon (02:22):

And then in 2018, cannabis became legal for adult use in California, and there were so many new dispensaries popping up. I have a great friend who was much more experienced buying cannabis than me. And I asked her if she would take me around to some dispensaries in San Francisco where I live. The first one that we visited looked really nice from the outside. I had actually driven by and I thought it was a restaurant. I was nervous, but she’d been there before and told me to have my ID ready and that there would be a guard at the front. There were one or two people ahead of us. So we waited outside for a few minutes. It was actually a lot like COVID pickups. You had to wait and sign in on an iPad, and then they would let you into the store. Once we got in, the salespeople were really nice, helpful, and there were lots of products on the shelf so you could touch and feel them. I remember there was a big section for pets and I think that’s what I bought, some anxiety drops for my dog.

Ellen Lee Scanlon (03:22):

The next one felt a little scarier. The shop was actually a trailer in kind of an empty lot off a pretty busy street. There was bulletproof glass between the budtender and me. You couldn’t touch anything. They had a very limited selection. I actually just wanted to get out of there pretty fast. If we’d started with that one, I’m not sure I would have made another visit, but I’m so glad I checked them both out. And it was such a fun, memorable adventure with my friend. Thanks, Lizzie.

Ellen Lee Scanlon (03:55):

I hope these episodes can be a stand in for you in case you don’t have a friend to go weed shopping with, or if you just want to know what to expect before you try it. Episode 11 of How To Do The Pot, The Buying Weed List is also a great resource for things to know before you go.

Ellen Lee Scanlon (04:11):

So I’ve been to a fair number of dispensaries since then and I do have some advice. It’s kind of my mission. I don’t want anyone to have a bad edible experience ever. So if you haven’t tried one and are feeling enticed by all the cool packaging and brands in the store, please don’t take more than five milligrams of THC in any edible. And I recommend making sure there’s CBD in it too.

Ellen Lee Scanlon (04:39):

For the next few weeks, you’ll only hear from us on Thursdays when we’ll share more stories of women’s first time buying legal weed. We’re really excited to bring you some great new episodes this fall. We have a series all about how cannabis is helping so many women solve their sleep issues. We’ll have episodes with tips to avoid feeling anxious about trying cannabis and to steer clear of the strains that can bring on anxiety. We’ll talk about what’s different about living in a state that allows medical use versus one with adult use cannabis. And what would you like to learn about in future episodes? Please send us a message. We love to hear from you. And stay tuned.

Ellen Lee Scanlon (05:26):

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 DMS @dothepot. For lots more information and past episodes, visit dothepot.com. And that’s also where you can sign up for How To Do The Pot’s newsletter, which comes out every other Friday. And if you like How To Do The Pot, please rate and review us on Apple podcasts. It helps more people find the show. Thanks to Madi Fair, our brand manager, and our producer, Nick Patri. I’m Ellen Scanlon, and we’ll be back soon with more of How To Do The Pot.