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 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.

Ellen Lee Scanlon (00:25):

Evelyn LaChapelle is the California based community engagement manager at the Last Prisoner Project, and the founder of 87.

Evelyn LaChapelle (00:36):

I do remember my first time buying legal weed. It was August 2019, San Diego, MedMen. It was my first time in a dispensary, and I had only been released from prison for six months, and had tried a chocolate malt edible. And so I got to San Diego, and I wanted to grab some of those, they were five milligrams THC. And I remember walking into MedMen and just having my mind blown away.

Evelyn LaChapelle (01:17):

I had never seen cannabis or weed staged like this, I had never been into a retail store that looked like this, and I remember asking the fellow behind the counter, “Do you know that people are still in jail for this?” I was like, “In fact, my co-defendant is still serving life in prison right now for this plant.” And he was like, “Yeah, actually, I do, I’ve got a homie still locked up.” And it just blew my mind that I so freely exchanged $12 for a little tin can of infused chocolate.

Ellen Lee Scanlon (02:00):

As a first time offender, Evelyn was sentenced to 87 months in prison for a non-violent cannabis charge. You can learn more about her story and the 40,000 people still in prison for cannabis crimes at thelastprisonerproject.org.

Ellen Lee Scanlon (02:19):

To hear more about how the war on drugs affected three women, a police officer in Baltimore, a mother in Los Angeles, and an entrepreneur in Oakland, California, listen to How To Do The Pot’s episode five, the social justice episode.

Ellen Lee Scanlon (02:37):

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, 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.

Ellen Lee Scanlon (03:06):

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.