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

April Pride: Harlequin might be the perfect strain for 2021. We’re still in the midst of some pretty stressful times, and if you haven’t been able to take care of yourself and the way you want for nearly a year, you might be experiencing more chronic stress, chronic anxiety and chronic pain. Help is on the way.

April Pride: Welcome back to How To Do the Pot. I’m April Pride. We hope you enjoyed our Saturday Strain series, which demystified the 12 essential strains every woman should have in her stash. Now that the series has been out a few months, we can officially declare that listeners love episode 28, which we named A Little Bit High and Super Popular, featuring the strain Harlequin. Follow along in our newsletter. You can sign up at dothepot.com and our socials. And as always, if you like How To Do the Pot, please share it with someone and rate and review us on Apple podcasts. It helps more people find the show. We love reading your reviews, like this one from MN Knits. “Good for old and new. As cannabis legalization expands, it leaves a lot of people with questions about how it can fit into their lives. The show has the answers. Lots of deep dive information for more experienced consumers as well.”

April Pride: Harlequin is often described as similar to weed from the 1970s, with effects reminiscent of sipping light beer at the beach, or having a couple of mimosas at brunch. Your body will feel lighter and pain will lessen. Your head will remain clear, but you’ll feel relaxed, happy and uplifted. Harlequin is a 2:1 strain, which means two parts CBD to one part THC, which is why we love to recommend Harlequin for women who are ready to give weed a try or who want a mildly intoxicating feeling. Does thinking about a cold drink at the beach make you want to take a nap in the sun? Harlequin is also a natural sleep remedy. Why? The mix of high CBD and low THC. If you’re having trouble falling asleep, that little bit of THC will help you fall asleep faster. If sleep overall is your challenge, check out episode 17 of How To Do the Pot.

April Pride: The market does seem to be catching on to the fact that people enjoy a more balanced high. So what does that mean? Basically it means you feel the way you want to feel. Not uncomfortable, anxious or over your chosen limit. THC, the cannabinoid that creates the feeling of being high, of that euphoria, is strong. The best way to find your favorite strain is to start low with a low percent of THC and slow. Try a little, see how you feel and then decide if you want to add more. Dr. Jessica Knox, a Harvard trained physician and co-founder of the American Cannabinoid Clinics, explains why having a more equal amount of THC and CBD is important, especially for treating conditions like chronic pain and stress.

Dr Jessica Knox, American Cannabinoid Clinics: Frankly, most of us don’t need that much THC. We typically don’t need a lot of THC to treat medical conditions, and that’s not to say THC doesn’t have medicinal benefits. It does. There are definitely conditions where we need THC, but a lot of times for pain, for instance, you don’t need to medicate to a point of intoxication to get release. And recreationally, again, it doesn’t have to take that much THC to get a little high if that’s what people want. But again, it’s all about informed use. You don’t have to blitz yourself with THC to feel good or feel better.

April Pride: Another term to remember and look for is full spectrum.

Dr. Jessica Knox, American Cannabinoid Clinics: One of the things that are so beautiful about cannabis is that as a full spectrum medication, it is very safe and very effective. And when I say full spectrum, that means it’s the natural plant. It’s the whole plant with all of its constituents as they were created in nature. So an analogy might be eating an orange versus taking a vitamin C supplement. You’re going to get vitamin C from the orange, but you’re also going to get some other terpenes and flavonoids and fiber and all of these great things and that vitamin C. But if you have just a vitamin C supplement, you’re only getting vitamin C and you’re taking away all the benefits of all those other constituents. So if we back that back to cannabis, cannabis as a full spectrum, whole plant medicine, it has all of these different constituents in it that work together to, one, have better effects than if you were to take any of these constituents alone. That’s what we call the entourage effect.

Dr. Jessica Knox, American Cannabinoid Clinics: But also two, it makes it safer because while these components are working together to create more effect, they’re also working together to counterbalance one another and take away some of the negative effect.

April Pride: If you don’t want to feel too high, always check the percentages of THC. In researching this episode, we found Harlequin strains available in legal states with THC levels that ranged from 2% to 6%. for context, about 20% is considered a high THC level. This brings up a point we talk about in episode 24, Why is Weed Different State to State? The Harlequin you buy in Illinois is not going to be the same as what you buy in California because of laws that require cannabis to be sold in the state where it’s grown. And remember, this is a plant. So while the seeds might be the same, growing conditions, choices made by the growers, whether it was grown indoors/outdoors and so on play a big role in the final product.

Ellen Scanlon: Hi, this is Ellen Scanlon, the co-creator of the show. I’m based in San Francisco. And I just ordered cannabis from Caliva’s delivery service for the first time. It’s available throughout California and in case you haven’t tried cannabis delivery yet, I wanted to share my experience to hopefully make it easier for you.

Ellen Scanlon: First, go to caliva.com. That’s C-A-L-I-V-A.com. I chose standard delivery and depending on your location, you can choose express delivery if you want it fast or pickup if you’re near one of their retail locations. When you’re to check out, you create an account. This is where it’s a little different than something like food delivery. ID verification is a legal requirement for purchasing cannabis and Caliva uses a third-party app that asks for your phone number. You’ll receive a text that asks you to take a photo of the front and the back of your license. And once that done, your account is automatically verified. And then you choose the day and time that you want your items delivered. You can also choose to connect to your bank account through the hyper app or pay in cash on delivery. I received a text when the order was packed, when the driver was on his way, and once he arrived. Masks are required when you interact with the driver and I showed him my license, paid in cash, and he handed me the bag with my products.

Ellen Scanlon: I love cannabis delivery. This was fast, friendly, and discreet, and Caliva is one of the best rated cannabis delivery services. Try for yourself by visiting caliva.com. That’s C-A-L-I-V-A.com and use promo code DOTHEPOT for 30% off your first order.

April Pride: Cannabis strains bred to have higher amounts of CBD used to be hard to find. Why? There has been what one of our guests called an arms race of creating more and more potent forms of THC. While it’s common to find CBD in edibles and oil tinctures, finding it in flour might require more searching. Luckily we’ve got you covered. For today’s High Five, listeners’ favorite cannabis farms growing Harlequin. Thanks to our followers on Instagram for the great tips. If you have any farms to recommend, please reach out to us on socials or send us an email at high@dothepot.com.

April Pride: Number one, most of the time in dispensaries, Harlequin will be called a sativa dominant hybrid. We don’t love to classify strains that way, but it might help you on your purchase journey. Number two, in Oregon, look for East Fork Cultivars. The two founders are brothers inspired to grow superior CBD rich cannabis that could help relieve the symptoms of their oldest brother’s range of medical conditions. The effects of Harlequin they grow, relaxed, focused, and uplifted. Number three in Colorado, Nevada and Massachusetts, look for Good Chemistry Nurseries. 2021 is their 10th year in business. That’s like a hundred in cannabis years in a legal market, and their CEO has been cultivating cannabis for 20 years. Number four, want the ultimate soccer mom strain? And I’m quoting from the website of this brand. The Harlequin from the husband and wife founders of Sustainably Grown Trailblazing Farm in Washington is known for bringing feelings of balance and keeps your head clear.

April Pride: Number five in Canada, look for Tantalus Labs, also known as the Tesla of weed, for their environmentally friendly indoor greenhouses. The Harlequin available through Tokyo Smoke Dispensaries is also from Tantalus Labs.

April Pride: Check out our website, dothepot.com for the 12 essential strains every woman should have in her stash. And for 12 alternative strains, if you have any trouble finding our picks. Today’s strain picks, what to look for when you can’t find Harlequin. Pennywise, it’s a one-to-one CBD to THC strain, offers mental clarity and focus with mildly intoxicating effects. ACDC, 20 to one CBD/THC ratio. It’s a first choice for those newish to cannabis, and it can be found in dispensaries most everywhere. Harle-Tsu, nearly all CBD strain, non intoxicating, promotes feelings of happiness and relaxation, helps with pain, inflammation and stress.

April Pride: And our podcast picks. I like 30 for 30 Podcast created by ESPN. They’re captivating storytelling for sports fans and general interest listeners alike, going beyond the field to explore how sports competition, athleticism and adventure affect our lives and our world.

April Pride: Ella Mike’s The Great Women Artists Podcast, hosted by Katy Hessel. Gorilla Girls, the Anonymous Feminist Activists Artists Collective founded in 1985, use facts, humor and bold visuals to expose gender and ethnic bias in art, film, politics and in pop culture.

April Pride: And To Do the Pot, Grow Cast hosted by Jordan River. Ask Dr. Coco, Cannabis Growing Methods for boosting CBD, but keeping THC low.

April Pride: Thank you for listening to How To Do the Pot. Let us know what you think. Find us on Instagram @DoThePot. And you can follow me @AprilPride. For lots more information and past episodes, visit dothepot.com. Thanks to my co-founder, Ellen Scanlon, Madi Fair, our brand manager, and our producer, Nick Patri. I’m April Pride and we’ll be back soon with more of How To Do the Pot.