Guiding a Nervous Friend: Tips for Easing into Cannabis, Part 2

[00:00:00] This podcast discusses cannabis and is intended for audiences 21 and over.

[00:00:12] I have a lot of friends who are nervous about cannabis and they trust me to tell them what’s going to work for them. The edible I recommend most is from Camino, which is one of my favorite women run edible brands. Camino social gummies are perfect for new consumers or for someone coming back after a long break.

[00:00:33] I love them so much that I have a special name for them. I call them a warm hug because that’s how they make me feel. The social gummies flavor is called sparkling pear and it’s a low dose edible. Taking a Camino makes me feel a little calmer, happier, more social. It helps me unwind and feel like myself after a long day.

[00:00:57] And everyone I share them with loves them. I’m very excited that now they are available across the country in select states. And I get to offer you 20 percent off Camino gummies that ship right to your house. Use promo code DOTHEPOT when you visit shopkivaconfections. com for 20 percent off your order.

[00:01:21] I’ll add links and all the details to the show notes. Try a Camino social gummy today. You will not regret it. Because who doesn’t feel better after a warm hug?

[00:01:39] So I tell that to people often. The first time you consumed alcohol, you had to find what you liked. Are you a beer drinker? Are you a tequila drinker? Are you a gin drinker? And people sample and they try. And that’s what you have to do with cannabis too, is you have to be open to just taking small doses and figuring out what is the process that works for you.

[00:02:03] Welcome to how to do the pod, a podcast helping you feel confident about cannabis. I’m your host, Ellen Scanlon.

[00:02:17] You just heard from Whitney Conroy, the California based chief commercial officer at cannabis genetics company Phylos Bioscience. This is part two of our series, helping you talk to a friend who feels nervous about weed. As legal access to cannabis grows and becomes more streamlined across the country, people are finding their way to it for a lot of reasons beyond getting high.

[00:02:44] Which means that guidance and expert tips can go a long way to helping you figure out how to do the pot. In part one, I answered the most common questions that people who are nervous about weed have. We talked about where cannabis is legal and what we know about its safety profile. We shared how to avoid negative side effects like anxiety and paranoia with weed, especially if you’re considering cannabis as an alternative to prescription or over the counter medicines.

[00:03:18] Today we’re talking about the specifics that will help you figure out what works best for you. You may have heard the phrase start low and slow. That means take your time and start with a low dose of THC, which is the intoxicating part of the plan. For any weed that you’re eating or drinking, edibles or beverages, THC is measured in milligrams.

[00:03:45] The smallest dose I’ve seen is 1 milligram, and it can go way up to 50 or even 100 milligrams. For context, a good amount for me is two milligrams of THC. I also look for edibles that contain CBD, which has a balancing effect. The right amount is different for everyone, and today’s show is here to help you figure that out.

[00:04:13] It’s not as easy to get started with weed as it is to relax at the end of the day with a drink or to open up a bottle of pills for pain or for sleep. As more women are treating health issues with cannabis and don’t want any surprises, I hope this series can lead the way toward a more nuanced view of what it means to be a person who likes weed.

[00:04:45] Before we get into this week’s episode, I want to talk for a second about how to do the POTS newsletter. The newsletter is a twice a month resource that will help you feel confident about cannabis for health, wellbeing, and for fun. The newsletter is also our direct line to you. You can hit the reply button and let me know what topics or guests you’d like to hear on the show.

[00:05:08] There are already thousands of subscribers reading and responding, and the more the merrier. We couldn’t do this without you, so please go to DoThePot. com to sign up. Thank you, and I really appreciate your support for the show.

[00:05:31] California based Whitney Conroy, who you heard from at the beginning of the show, believes that most people have tried cannabis once. Getting them to try it a second time? That really depends on how the first time went. I think the biggest hurdle is getting people to try cannabis for the second time. I think a lot of people try cannabis for the first time and at least in my generation, there were no stores selling properly dosed products.

[00:06:05] So you got a cookie or you got a brownie and then you just went along for the ride. A lot of my friends, one of my friends in particular, that was her first experience and she essentially was like curled in a corner. Waiting for the world to end. And so after that, she didn’t try cannabis, I think for eight, 10 years.

[00:06:25] And I understand I never pressured her. And I was like, I get it. That’s scary. My husband has a very low tolerance, so he had a very similar experience. And so the way that I approach it with people who want to try cannabis for the second time, because their first time was so badly is. And what’s fortunate is that now there are products that are being created to address that.

[00:06:51] Microdosing cannabis means you take a very small amount of THC, the intoxicating part of the plant. Maybe you want to get the stress relieving benefits without a real high, or you’re in pain and a small amount over a longer period helps you get through your day. Whitney Conroy likes microdosing with gummies, and she shares low dose edibles with her friends.

[00:07:16] They’re cute and approachable. They’re little weed shaped gummies with a smiley face on them. I told my friend, I’m like, hey, if you want to try these, try this one milligram. I was like, you won’t feel it. And so we had another friend try it, who was also a little hesitant, but she was like, had less of a bad first experience.

[00:07:31] The one friend tried it. She was like, Oh, I barely feel it, but I feel great. So the other friend did try like the one milligram. And she was so happy because she was like, I can have a relationship with weed again. Or like, it’s not completely off the table. Whereas before she thought it was very off the table for her because she was like, no.

[00:07:47] So I think it really does come down to having available microdose products where people can try like one milligram at a time or two milligrams at a time. I found the biggest hurdle is that second, getting people who had a bad first experience to try again. People don’t think about this, but that happens to everybody with alcohol.

[00:08:06] Tell me about the first time you tried, you probably grabbed like a bottle of gin off your friend’s parents bar when you were in high school or whatever. And you guys drank like a cup of gin. And then, you know, you’ve never had gin again and people sample and they try. And that’s what you have to do with cannabis.

[00:08:25] to is you have to be open to just taking small doses and figuring out what is the process that works for you. California based Evelyn Ames is a cannabis nurse. She helps people who are new to weed or coming back after a long break and she has some helpful practical tips. Most of my clients, either they are people that have never consumed before or they have people that haven’t consumed since the 70s or 80s.

[00:08:54] So, and this is the opposite, it’s a completely different medication now, and it needs to be respected and treated as such, from both ends, for people that have never consumed before, and people that have not consumed for 20, 30, 40 years. We really lean into start low and go slow with my clients. What we do, we’ll start at even two and a half to five milligrams, whatever they feel most comfortable with.

[00:09:17] And we’ll do it once, one day, always tell them like, just in case, set your day aside. Take it at night. It’s usually better. Set your time aside in case you feel a little bit weird. In case you don’t like it. You don’t want it. I usually tell them to start with just that one, two and a half to five milligrams once a day, and then after about two or three days of that, if they feel like it’s not enough for them to increase by two and a half to five, one time again, for a couple of days, because cannabis compounds in the body and they don’t want Overload too much and then you get to one of those really fun horror stories that nobody likes and that we’ve all had because we’ve all done that without guidance in the past.

[00:09:58] I do know a lot of people who are not really consisted in giving it a week or two to figure out what they need and they’re like, I just want to take a day and figure out what my level is. So then it’s really teaching people. How you consume is not the same across the board. Dominique White is the director of people and operations at the Illinois dispensary, Ivy hall.

[00:10:21] For most people, Dominique recommends starting out with two and a half milligrams of THC. I think that’s the perfect starting dose to really gauge where people’s tolerance is. And you got to wait that hour, 45 minutes to really see, okay, has this hit me or not? I think that’s a big first time user mistake is people, Oh, I don’t feel anything.

[00:10:42] Let me pop two more of these. And then an hour there on the moon. And it’s harder to come down when you don’t have that knowledge. So I always say start low and slow. and really figure out where your tolerance level is. A 2. 5 milligram is always super simple, even simple to find, same as like a 5 milligram, but you can always chop that in half and take half of it.

[00:11:05] Christy Palmer, the co founder and president of Kiva Confections, agrees that 2. 5 milligrams of THC is a great place to start. Always advising people on dosing, I’m like, two and a half milligrams, you might get the shoulders warmed up, you might loosen up a little bit, feel a little better, you could still answer emails, five milligrams, at least for me, is where I draw the line, I’m like, no more emails, I’m not talking to people at work anymore.

[00:11:35] But it’s also a, you’re not going to call the ambulance. You’re not going to freak out, but you might on 10 if you’re brand spanking new. So really trying to help people understand, start small, start small, start small. And it doesn’t work today. No problem. Double it tomorrow and see what happens. You can always increase it, but don’t overdo it in the beginning.

[00:11:55] Be good to yourself. Christy understands that access can be a barrier to people who are nervous about weed. Her approach is to give away what she has with friendly instructions for how to try it. I usually take whatever I have in my purse. Which is like a pre roll, or maybe it’s a half eaten edible in its wrapper, or a half open container, whatever, big pen, you know, whatever it is.

[00:12:23] And I usually take that right out of my purse and hand it to them. You don’t have to tell anybody. You can lie if you want. You can do whatever you want. You could Just try it. You can report back, but just take a teeny, teeny, tiny bit and see what happens. I think it’s nice to give people permission to not tell anyone because you don’t need to come out and be like, I’m a stoner now.

[00:12:47] You’ve got all these preconceived things in your mind about what it is like to have cannabis. So when I meet that really sensitive person, I find it best to take it out of your purse. You’re kind of just like leveling with each other like life is hard and here have this you want to have a hangover You’re gonna sleep better Which means in the morning You’re gonna feel like it’s a normal day and finding a way to connect with somebody and pulling something out of my purse is that way to humanize myself

[00:13:22] I love cannabis beverages, especially for people who are nervous about trying weed. Cycling Frog is a beverage brand I discovered recently. I love it and I’m really excited for you to try it too. Like How to Do the Pot, Cycling Frog wants to change the narrative about weed and what it means to be a cannabis consumer.

[00:13:46] It’s summer. Let’s celebrate that cannabis can be enjoyed with the same ease as your favorite sparkling water or beer. Cycling frog beverages come in delicious, award winning flavors. They’re affordable and a great alcohol replacement. Their drinks are made with real fruit juice, and you can tell. Try cooling down on a warm summer evening with their yummy Lemon THC Light Seltzer.

[00:14:15] All of Cycling Frog’s lotus drinks help you ease your way into the night with a bright, happy buzz. You’ll feel the effects in about 15 20 minutes, which means you can decide whether you feel great with one or want to try another. I’m so happy to share that Cycling Frog’s products ship to all 50 states.

[00:14:35] Visit their website cyclingfrog. com and use promo code DOTHEPOT for 20 percent off your order. I love the logo. It’s a very cute little frog cycling away on an old fashioned bicycle. Life is short. Enjoy the ride and try a cycling frog today. I’ll add all the details to the show notes. Thank you for supporting the brands that support our show.

[00:15:08] Florida based Diana San Miguel is the co founder of Canicurious Mag, an online magazine showcasing the many ways cannabis can enhance a woman’s lifestyle. Even though a small gummy or brownie may not look like much, she encourages people to think about how they want to feel. Just go slow. Start little by little, whatever strain it is that you try.

[00:15:32] Obviously, like, be conscious if it’s a sativa, a hybrid, or a nindica. Those things are going to matter, but more than the strain, I’m like, know what you’re consuming, where it’s coming from, and go little by little. Like, micro, I always say, you don’t drink the whole bottle of tequila at once, do you? So why are you going to go all the way with, you know, A brownie or something, just a 2.

[00:15:56] 5 is almost like a glass of wine. But if you’re a newbie, you’ve never had it, you might feel a little bit more. You might not feel anything. So 2. 5 would be ideal. Georgia based Takesha Harvey is the other co founder of Canicurious Mag. Her advice may sound surprising, and I’ve heard it from medical experts too.

[00:16:18] Smoking can be a good option for new consumers because you’ll feel the effects quickly and they don’t last that long. I have a friend right now that is kind of curious, but you know, very at the beginning stage and she’s like, I’ll do an edible. She’ll do a two and a half milligram edible, but the smoking is still has too much of a stigma for her.

[00:16:40] And I tried to explain to her, actually, you will offload from the high quicker with smoking than an edible and it’s a different experience. And so I just try to educate in that way and say, if you’re gonna puff, take 2 3 puffs or 1 2, wait 15 minutes, see how you feel. Okay, now that you’re feeling comfortable, how do you go about finding a strain that’s good for you?

[00:17:04] These are the guidelines I share with my friends. If you want to smoke weed, look for strains with a lower THC percentage. Lower is generally considered to be around or under 18 percent THC. I recommend looking for strains that contain CBD, like the strain ACDC or Harlequin. They’ll have more balanced effects.

[00:17:27] You can check out How to Do the POTS Essential Strains series if you need a little inspiration. I’ll add a link in the show notes. Evelyn Ames shares how she helps patients find strains that work for them. It depends on, first off, what are your goals? What are you looking to achieve out of cannabis? What is your medical history?

[00:17:48] Do you have a history of anxiety? Do you have a history of depression? Do you have any other mental illness issues that you want to address? are looking to kind of mitigate with cannabis. Cannabis can help with PTSD, anxiety, and depression, but not every single strain is good for PTSD, anxiety, and depression.

[00:18:05] I would tend to lean a patient into kind of the middle of the road, something that’s not going to be too heavy on the energizing side, something that’s not going to knock you out too much. And then, of course, just telling people to start low and go slow and Be very aware of your body. Be very intentional.

[00:18:22] Listen to what your body is telling you and just accept if a certain string is working. If passing a drug test is a concern for you, Evelyn shares what’s going on with your body and what she recommends for testing. It depends on how much you do and how long you listen. Because cannabis is stored in our fat cells, it is contingent on how much you weigh, how much are you exercising, turning over those fat cells, how much are you consuming.

[00:18:51] For someone like myself, who consumes 5 6 days a week, over, Multiple years, it’s going to take a very long time for that to be fully flushed in my system. Where someone who consumes maybe once a week for the last six months, it might take a month or something to get flushed in their system. There are some drug tests you can buy, which I do recommend to friends and family if you are super nervous and for whatever reason you need to test negative.

[00:19:17] Exercising will help. dead the fat cells, but the juices online, the flushes everyone talked about, in my opinion, they’re not worth the money. It’s just time. With a friend who’s nervous about cannabis, one important question might be about addiction. Here’s what we know. Cannabis use disorder affects about 10 percent of people who consume it.

[00:19:39] For perspective, about 20 percent of American adults have an alcohol use disorder. It’s important to know that no one has ever died of an overdose from cannabis. In Canada, where cannabis has been legal nationally since 2018, they describe an addiction to cannabis as something that keeps you from performing normal activities like work or school and being unable to cut down on cannabis consumption.

[00:20:08] Canadian data shows that the risk of addiction to cannabis is lower than risks associated with alcohol, tobacco, or opioids. If addiction or cannabis use disorder is something you’d like to learn more about, DM us at DoThePot or send an email to hi at DoThePot. com and we can cover it in a future episode.

[00:20:38] If your main concern is getting uncomfortably high, don’t worry. There’s a secret that people in the cannabis industry know that I want to share with everyone. If you get too high, there is a way to feel better fast. Evelyn Ames explains what it is. The big thing I teach people is that if you do accidentally ever take too much, always remember No one has ever died using cannabis, you will be just fine.

[00:21:07] And I always carry just plain CBD because you can take CBD to reduce the unwanted side effects of THC. It’s like just a little backup to kind of calm the system. It might feel weird for a little bit. You’ll be okay. Dominique White is also a fan of the CBD trick. Always try to keep some CBD around too, like a, just a pure form of CBD because not a lot of people know that if you take too much THC and you’re a little too loopy or feeling a way where you don’t feel comfortable, CBD is going to interact that and it’s going to help kind of bring you back down.

[00:21:39] Menle Golike Agre is a Mexico City based cannabis creative consultant, chef, and the author of a cookbook called The Art of Weed Butter. If you’re thinking about experimenting with cannabis infused cooking, sometimes home chefs do report they accidentally get a little too high. Menle shares some remedies to remember.

[00:22:02] Those components of like what to do. When you get too high or just really important, and that can be anything from taking a cold shower to taking a nap to taking CBD to really kind of, in a way block out the THC from your receptors and just like allow the CBD, allow other things to sort of regulate and get you back to normal.

[00:22:25] This is the final episode in our two part series about talking to a friend who’s nervous about weed. Please share it with your friends. We love new listeners and are here to help everyone feel confident about cannabis. And if you have any other questions you want cleared up, you can always email us at hi at do the pot.

[00:22:46] com or DM us at do the pot.

[00:22:53] Thank you for listening to this episode of how to do the pot for lots more information and past episodes, visit do the pot. com. That’s also where you can sign up for how to do the pots newsletter. If you like how to do the pot, please rate and review us on Apple podcasts. It really helps more people find the show.

[00:23:15] Thank you to producers Maddy Fair and Nick Patry. I’m Ellen Scanlon and stay tuned for more of how to do the pot.

[00:23:26] I have a lot of friends who are nervous about cannabis and they trust me to tell them what’s going to work for them. The edible I recommend most is from Camino, which is one of my favorite women run edible brands. Camino social gummies are perfect for new consumers or for someone coming back after a long break.

[00:23:47] I love them so much that I have a special name for them. I call them a warm hug because that’s how they make me feel. I love them. The Social Gummy’s flavor is called Sparkling Pear, and it’s a low dose edible. Taking a Camino makes me feel a little calmer, happier, more social. It helps me unwind and feel like myself after a long day.

[00:24:11] And everyone I share them with loves them. I’m very excited that now they are available across the country in select states. And I get to offer you 20 percent off Camino gummies that ship right to your house. Use promo code DoThePot when you visit ShopKivaConfections. com for 20 percent off your order.

[00:24:35] I’ll add links and all the details to the show notes. Try a Camino social gummy today. You will not regret it because who doesn’t feel better after a warm hug?