The Type A+ Podcast Episode 18: So you want to try cannabis... - Links & Show Notes
Episode Description:
It’s a myth that cannabis causes laziness. In fact, if you’re a millennial or ever enrolled in a DARE program against your will, most of the things you learned about cannabis were exaggerated, if not complete myths. But the stigma still exists, and we can’t operate as if it doesn’t. Even with 21 states legalizing adult use. So today, Beth is going to come clean and tell you just a little bit about how to approach it for the first time, as a Type A+ Person.
Links mentioned in the episode:
Podcast:
The Type A Plus Podcast Instagram
Host:
Beth Lawrence & Company Instagram
Beth will be back each week, delivering bite-sized tips (15 minute episodes or less) on how to optimize your life and work.
Episode Transcript can be found below:
Hello and welcome back to the Type A Plus Podcast. I am so excited to be back. Just an announcement before we get started, new episodes are going to now come out every Thursday. I both personally find it easier to get them out on Thursdays, and I've noticed that for the listeners, it seems like when I release episodes later in the week, it's easier for all of us to listen on the weekend, and incorporate all of the lessons.
and move forward. So look for new episodes wherever you listen to your podcast every Thursday moving forward. Today we're going to be talking about the Type A Plus Guide to Cannabis, and today is Thursday, December 8th. As I am recording this, Brittney Greiner is on a plane on her way home to safety to see her wife.
And that is something that I cannot talk about cannabis without acknowledging. If you don't know what I'm talking about, please pause this episode and go look it up right now. And I also wanna say that her. Safety is due to her friends, her family, and a large legacy community of activists who fought to ensure her safety.
Even though the cannabis industry is booming right now, we hear about it every single day. The new multi-state operators would not be here without the legacy market and without activists who made sure that this plant would be accessible on a legal level.
Now, I am going to share a little bit about my experience and how to approach trying CBD or weed for the first time.
First and foremost, it is a complete myth that cannabis causes laziness as a whole. In fact, if you are a millennial or if you've ever, God forbid, been enrolled in a dare program against your will, most of the things you learned about cannabis were exaggerated, if not complete myths, and that doesn't even take into account reefer madness and the history in this country of criminalizing marijuana to further political agendas. In fact, I used to subscribe to the notion that I couldn't consume regularly and still accomplish my goals or be well-respected in my career. And yet when I was looking for something to help with my anxiety, that didn't make me feel like a zombie or change my personality. Nothing quite worked as consistently, especially to help my panic attacks as a weed.
So my journey with cannabis started in college as many people's does. I remember being around it a lot for concerts, but I never consumed it until college.
And I liked that It made me feel like myself, but less nervous. I found that I had a great time. It wasn't something that I felt that I was addicted to, and I still was clear, rather than other pharmaceutical medicines that sometimes make you feel like not yourself. And then I actually took a break for seven years.
I blamed cannabis for my panic attacks. I thought, oh, it gives me, makes me anxious. I can't stand it. There's no way that I can. and not realizing that I was doing eight shots of espresso every single day to keep up with my studies.
So when I eliminated caffeine and took that break, once I started to incorporate it into my life again, yes, it was recreationally, but then the more that I learned about it, the more that I wanted to be a medical marijuana patient.
And so in 2020, I enrolled in New Jersey's medical marijuana program, and I have been a patient ever since.
Today I'm going to talk to you a little bit about the differences between what we hear as C b D and what we know as pot. I will also talk to you a little bit about the differences between, for example, full-spectrum C B D and broad-spectrum C, B, D.
And then I'll also talk to you about how to incorporate it into your life, and how to try it safely; hopefully, we'll have some fun! So when we think about cannabis, especially with all of the products out there now, it can feel really overwhelming. There's a ton of terminology, right? Cannabinoids, terpenes, Sativa, Indica.
There are so many different things that we learn, and to be honest with you, what a lot of us hear, especially from budtenders and from the media, is just a tiny, tiny fraction of the implications of this plant. So first I'm going to break down the difference between CBD and what we know as pot.
Well, hemp and cannabis both come from the cannabis Sativa plant. The main difference between the two plants is the amount of each compound may contain, so cannabis contains more THC and less CBD.. and hemp contains more CBD and less THC.. In fact, legal hemp must contain 0.3% THC, from a trusted source, or less.
Most importantly, the benefits of CBD do not change whether it is cannabis-derived CBD which would be the full spectrum CBD or hemp-derived CBD.. So again, CBD is for all intents and purposes, non-psychoactive. You're not going to get the same, "That 70's Show" response that you would expect when you hear someone talking about smoking weed or taking an edible.
But if you are someone who gravitates toward full spectrum CBD--again, that is the CBD that includes many of the cannabinoids and compounds of the cannabis plant, including 0.3% THC, if you consume it each day or on a regular basis, there is a chance that it will build up in your body and it could show up on a drug test.
So that is extremely important for those of you that are listening and really wanna just try CBD and not have any trouble. So if that's, you, reach for the broad-spectrum CBD because that contains all of the same compounds as the full-spectrum CBD, minus THC. Now, the reason is that it is psychoactive versus CBD even though it comes from the same similar plant, it hits different receptors in your brain.
So that explains why it gives you the psychoactive effect and CBD does not. In today's market, there are so many different types of THC that we're hearing about, namely Delta eight, and Delta 10. There's gonna be no signs of stopping all of this because they are still technically legal.
What you think of when you think of smoking pot is Delta nine THC. So if you see Delta eight or Delta 10, just know that it is a newer product and that you're not necessarily going to. Seeking out the same experience as Delta nine, THC um, if you pick those options, I hope that wasn't too overwhelming.
now that we got a very basic overview out of the way, here are a few tips for easing in on your way to becoming what I call myself, a productive pothead.
Number one, please, please, please do not get your products from a gas station. That is a phrase you hear all the time in the industry, but really it just means that the closer you can get to a dispensary, the likelier it is that you'll have a higher-quality product.
As I mentioned, Delta eight and Delta 10 THC are now legal, so you'll also be seeing those products in smoke shops, gas stations, et cetera. Try them if you would like, but know that they do, even though there are no strict standards for federal testing, there are standards for testing. When it comes to dispensaries, there are not for what is sold in those stores. That's a big difference.
Second start, is slow and small. Right? Evaluate the available options to consume before you jump in headfirst. The biggest thing that I see is that people don't wanna smoke. Totally get it. You're not a smoker and you wanna try edibles.
Well, edibles aren't always the answer because think of an edible like jumping headfirst into an experience that is going to be likely longer and very psychoactive compared to never doing it before.
Whereas the other ways to consume. Vapes, flowers, dabs, tinctures joints, blunts bowls, bongs, edibles, beverages, infused experiences.
Many, many, many different ways to consume, especially with vapes, especially with tinctures. It makes it easier to control how much you're getting. Now there are low-dose edibles out there.
Those are great way to try. And experiment and see how it acts in your body, but know that it will take an hour and a half to two hours sometimes to kick in. So what happens is a lot of people will take a small low dose edible, and then they'll say, I don't feel anything, and they'll take another one, and then two hours later they've now doubled or tripled the dose, and now they're having an experience that they weren't prepared for.
So that's my caution to you. There are so many different ways to consume now, smoking is not the only way. Just make sure that you are informed before you jump in headfirst. Don't take your friend’s brownie that they made from scratch and have no idea how much is in it. Right? Go to a store where there's a package with ingredients and they know the dose in each edible.
For example, experiment. Take note of how you feel about the methodology of consumption. Also, experiment and take note of how you feel with each strain. You've heard Indica versus Sativa. And I think that the market is heading into a place where we're gonna hear a lot more about terpenes and the different nuances that make up each strain versus Indica and Sativa.
But really take note of how you feel with each strain. There are some apps that allow you to do that; you can also do it obviously personally in a journal, but it really helps you to hone in on what you do, like, what you don't like, and whether those products are for you. Next point is to notice what activities feel enhanced in a positive way, and which experiences you gravitate toward versus avoid when you consume a certain product and or a strain.
So for example, I know someone who every time they take an edible of this, Brand, Varano, Sativa, they clean the whole house. And so they know, right? Just by that being their kind of passion project. Every time they consume that, they're not necessarily gonna take those edibles when they wanna lay down and take a nap.
Finally, the biggest point is education, education, education. I'm giving you a little bit of an overview today. probably a lot of you have your head spinning, but the more that you learn, the more that you're going to be able to make decisions for yourself.
One of the biggest things about this industry is that you're not gonna hear a budtender. You shouldn't hear a budtender tell you, this is how this product is gonna make you. because all of our systems are different and our unique interactions with this plant are different. So this isn't something where I recommend you go in headfirst.
I don't recommend that you, for example, consume and then immediately do something of great importance, right? You need to make sure that you're feeling safe and in control of the experience. Finally, again, we talked about something that is a point as you get into this industry and start to figure out where you fall as a cannabis consumer.
The current legal market, again, is built upon the legacy of millions of people, mostly black and brown people who were victims of the same War on Drugs that brought you and I the DARE program. So make sure as you start to consume, as you start to participate in the legal process, ensure that we create a truly fair and equitable market.
Attend the public meetings in your states and in your districts. Buy weed from women. Buy weed from black women. Support your local community dispensaries when you can, and really learn about what it takes to create equitable access to not only the plant from a patient and consumer perspective but to this industry from a business perspective.
Thank you so much. I hope that this was enjoyable for you. It's a little bit of a departure from what I've done before. If you have any questions about this process, please feel free to DM us on Instagram at the Type A Plus Podcast. And if you love this show, please subscribe. Please follow and give us a five-star rating.
I can't thank you enough for listening, and I hope that this allows you to become whatever type of cannabis consumer you want to be, whether that is a productive pothead, a studious stoner, or a baked boss. Have a great week.