E50 -Midlife Cannabis: Benefits Beyond the Buzz with Ellen Scanlon

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hey friend, welcome to the halfway to dead podcast.
I'm your host, Jen Lovell.
Listen, you and I have reachedthat age where we are done with
the bullshit.
We know that midlife is ourchance to flip the script and
experience life on our own terms.
It's time to reconnect with ourhigher selves and reclaim our
inner peace.
Are you ready with an openheart and an open mind?

(00:26):
Awesome, You're in the rightplace.
Hop in and ride shotgun with meon this midlife spiritual
journey.
Hey, hey guys, welcome to thepod.
So today I'm going to kick itoff with a disclaimer.
So today's episode is only forthose over 21 years old and also
it is not health advice.
I'm just presenting you withsome information so you can do

(00:49):
your own research.
Talk to your healthcareprovider, your trusted advisor,
whoever you talk to when you'remaking decisions, to decide if
anything we're talking about isright for you today.
Okay, so what are we talkingabout?
We're talking about the oldMary J, the weed, the grass, the
dope, the pot, the cannabis.
We're talking cannabis today,you guys.
So who's my guest?

(01:10):
I have on Ellen Scanlon.
Ellen's going to help us sortall this out, you guys, because
she is the host of the how to Dothe Pot podcast.
Her mission is to inspire womento make more informed choices
about their health and wellbeing.
She talks to medicalprofessionals for practical tips
, experts for cannabisrecommendations and listeners

(01:31):
for funny and intimate stories.
So during our episode, we talkabout both of our personal
journey stories with cannabis.
We talk about all the stigmaswe know in our age group.
We grew up with the war ondrugs and everything else and
there's a huge stigma with it,so this can be something we have
to overcome if this issomething we decide to bring
into our lives.

(01:51):
We talk about all the things.
The main thing we talk aboutare the benefits for using
cannabis as middle-aged women.
Did you guys know that one infour women are trying cannabis
to combat their menopausesymptoms?
Yes, yes, yes, we go over thebasics of doing the pot.
I don't know if you guys knowthis, but you can get lots of

(02:13):
benefits from it and not gethigh at all.
So if you're getting ready toturn the whole show off like I'm
not getting high, Jen, you donot have to get high to get the
benefits from the cannabis plant.
So we talk about all thedifferent modalities.
You do not need to get high toget the benefits from the
cannabis plant.
So we talk about all thedifferent modalities.
You do not need to smoke it.
There are lots of differentways that you can use this.
She walks us through it all.

(02:33):
So let's jump right in, becausewe got a lot to cover today and
I would just ask that you againgo into this open-minded,
because we've got some limitingbeliefs around.
This is what I believe A lot ofus in this age group We've got
some limiting beliefs around.
This is what I believe a lot ofus in this age group.
So let's go into this with anopen mind and let's jump in and
just learn all the things aboutif you so decide, how to do the
pot.
Hey, Ellen, thanks for beinghere today.

Speaker 2 (02:55):
Thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 1 (02:59):
I am so excited, ellen, to hear you guys Because,
like I said, we're talking allthings pot.
Today.
She's got her own podcast, howto Do the Pot, and there's just
so many episodes, you guys.
So we're going to hit all thelogistics today with you guys,
right, but if you want to divedeeper and I know you will
you're going to want to golisten to lots of her episodes,
like I have been, becausethere's just so much really good

(03:20):
information, especially if thiswhole concept idea is new to
you out there, which, for usmidlifers, it is for a lot of
people, right.
It's not something we did andwe're going to talk about all
that.
So, ellen, just tell us alittle bit about the story of
what brought you to usingcannabis.

Speaker 2 (03:36):
Sure, it's really health issues that brought me
into the industry.
I was on a trip to New Orleansmany years ago, in 2010, and I
ended up having a very bad bikeaccident.
I fell off my bike, but I broke16 of my teeth, I tore up my
shoulder, I broke several ribs,my wrist all kinds of issues and

(03:57):
I'd never had any health issuesprior to that, and the recovery
from that accident was sochallenging.
I don't know if you've everbroken a tooth, or any of your
listeners have.

Speaker 1 (04:07):
It's the worst pain ever.
Tooth pain is the worst.

Speaker 2 (04:10):
It's the worst pain, and imagine each tooth is like
three to five appointments.
It's incredibly expensive, soit's so stressful, and I don't
take pain medicine very well.
So I was taking an enormousamount of Advil and what ended
up happening was Advil wastearing up the lining of my
stomach, it was creating all ofthese other side effects, and so
, for the first time in my life,I had a very, very bad health

(04:32):
issue.
But the side effects werereally bad too, and I think it
created this situation where,number one, I learned that I
really had to advocate for myown health, and, number two,
that I was doing everything thatmy doctors told me and I wasn't
getting better, and so Istarted to understand that there
needed to be alternatives.
I needed to find alternatives,and so I healed from that

(04:55):
accident, and then I started totry to have a baby.
I'd gotten married and I wantedto have a child, and in this
nearly four-year journey to havemy son, who's now seven, I
learned that I haveendometriosis, which is a
painful disease that affects onein 10 women, and cannabis is an
incredible treatment for thepain.
So I think all of those thingssort of came together.

(05:17):
Cannabis became legal for adultuse in California, where I live
, in 2018.
And that's when I got into theindustry and I wanted to tell
other women all the things thatI was learning about cannabis
and the ways that cannabis washelping me felt very normal and
like a regular part of life andI wanted to bring that

(05:38):
experience to other women whohad grown up with all kinds of
stigmatizing and scary messaging, and so that's what I've been
trying to do.
Have you been?
Using cannabis since 2018, orthat's when you started really
jumping into advocating for it2019 is when I got into the
industry, so I was doing a lotof research around 2018.
I tried cannabis when I was inhigh school and college.

(06:02):
I've always sort of been a fan,but it would come in and out of
my life especially I joke aboutthis sometimes it was always
through a guy.
You needed to have a guy inorder to get weed and I
sometimes had a guy, andsometimes I didn't have a guy
and so that sort of depended onwhether I got cannabis, and when
it became legal in Californiain 2018, I didn't need a guy

(06:26):
anymore.
I could go into a safe placeand buy it myself and buy what
worked for me.

Speaker 1 (06:31):
That has been a game changer.

Speaker 2 (06:32):
Yes, it's enormous because you can go in and ask
the questions that matter to you.
I mean, I'm such an advocatefor safe legal cannabis because
I think that everyone shouldhave access to what has been
something that's been reallyscary in a way that helps them
to feel safe and supported andjust open.
So that's the long story of howI got into the industry.

Speaker 1 (06:57):
And I'll just briefly tell you guys how I got to it,
because I know I've talked alittle bit on the show, but I
started using cannabis forhealth reasons about 10 years
ago also a little bit on theshow, but I started using
cannabis for health reasonsabout 10 years ago also.
I was in the middle of a bunchof health issues, autoimmune,
just all.
I was being misdiagnosed,diagnosed, just all kinds of
craziness, a lot of pain, a lotof all kinds of things.
And so I had done everything.
The doctor said I couldn'tsleep, I was in pain.

(07:18):
I took all the pills thedoctors gave me and they were
awful to my body.
I felt worse.
It didn't control the pain andthe main thing, I couldn't sleep
.
And if you, you guys know, ifyou can't sleep well, everything
in your world is going downhillfast.
And so, and I took theprescription meds I even had one
and he said just keep adding apill until you fall asleep, To

(07:40):
the point where I was like ahandful and it was the worst
sleep of my life because I wouldget night terrors.
So I told that doctor.
I said, yeah, this isn'tworking for me.
I don't know what to do.
I've tried all your things.
And he actually said to me youshould try marijuana.
And I said, well, how do I dothat?
Because I had never done that.
And he said, well, I can't helpyou, I can't fill out your

(08:02):
forms because he was restrictedby the hospital and everything
else.
But he said you should go findsomeone and get some, because
you should be taking some Indicaat bedtime.
I think it would work.
I'm like, oh well, thanks fortelling me this after a
nightmarish year.
But okay, so then I went on myjourney.
I went and found a doctor thatwould prescribe it for me.
So I'm in Illinois.

(08:29):
So at the time it was legalonly medical for me to go to the
dispensary.
So I got my medical card, blah,blah, blah.
10 years later, it's still beenthe best thing for sleep for me.
Right, I utilize it for otherthings here and there, but my
primary thing is that sleep andit has changed my whole health.
I'll just say that and not thatthis is for everyone, but let's
just get it all out there andtalk about it so you guys at
home can do your own researchand see if this is what could
work for you for what you'redealing with.
So that's how I came to it toohealth stuff and I was not like

(08:52):
you where it came in and out ofmy life.
It only came in my life thenbecause I was a little stickler
for the rules.
And also let's talk about thestigma thing, especially for us
middle-agers because we wereraised with the war on drugs.
Okay, I remember thisspecifically as a child.
I remember the commercial wherethere was a frying pan and then

(09:15):
they crack the egg this is yourbrain, this is your brain on
drugs.
And then we saw the egg justfrying and disintegrating and I
was like, oh God, we were scaredto death about it, Right?
So that's really all I knewgrowing up was the scare tactics
of it.
And then there was always thestereotype of just this hippie
burner sitting on the couch withno motivation in life, just

(09:38):
with the munchies.
It didn't seem like there was avalue in it.
Is that how you were brought upor no?
Is it just me?

Speaker 2 (09:44):
Absolutely.
Oh my gosh, yes, I was veryscared.
I saw those same ads.
I was totally scared of drugsand what they were going to do
to me.
My dad was a lawyer, so I wasvery scared of the law.
And so the first time that Ismoked pot, I knew I was doing

(10:05):
something wrong.
I was probably also drinking abeer, and so I knew I was kind
of doing two things that werewrong.
And as I got older and you know, it came in and out of my life
in college I think that what Iactually liked about it was it
was very relaxing for me.
You know, I'm a person that hasstruggled with anxiety,
struggled with nervousness andstress, and what I've come to

(10:28):
believe about cannabis is thatmost people who like how it
feels for them are getting amedical benefit, and I was
certainly getting a relaxationmedical benefit.
And now that I know so muchmore about the endocannabinoid
system, which is a system in allof our bodies everyone has one.
It's similar to thecardiovascular system.
It is a system in all of ourbodies Everyone has one.
It's similar to thecardiovascular system.
It is a system that is createdto maintain balance in your body

(10:50):
.
It helps to create homeostasis,and so now I understand that if
you smoke cannabis, one of thereasons that you feel relaxed so
quickly is because it'sbalancing your endocannabinoid
system.
So, looking back, I think thatcannabis has always been a
medical thing for me, because Iwanted a balanced
endocannabinoid system.
Another kind of fun fact aboutthe endocannabinoid system that

(11:12):
might help your listeners tounderstand what it feels like to
have a balanced endocannabinoidsystem.
For years, people have thoughtthat it's endorphins that make
you feel good after a great runor some great exercise.
It's actually theendocannabinoid system being
balanced, so the runner's highis real.
That is the feeling that asmall amount of cannabis that is

(11:32):
connected with your body in apositive way.
That's the feeling that you canget from it.
So as we get more science, asthere's more research that's
available, we're, I think, goingto understand a lot of what
this balancing system does, andthat, hopefully, will be the
narrative that people can startto understand about cannabis.
Instead of thinking that you'regoing to be laying on the couch

(11:53):
not able to do anything, it'slike no, it's actually how you
feel after a great walk or awonderful hug with a friend.
You know this, this sense ofwellbeing.

Speaker 1 (12:02):
Yeah, okay.
Well, I don't know about thisrunner's high because I've never
ran long enough to get there,but I do hear what you're saying
.
So you're saying that thissystem in our body actually is
controlling that high, giving usthat effect, naturally?

Speaker 2 (12:17):
Yes, so everyone has an endocannabinoid system.
I actually just recentlyinterviewed the CEO of a biotech
firm who is incredibly excitedabout the potential of the
I actually just recentlyinterviewed the CEO of a biotech
firm who is incredibly excitedabout the potential of the
So it was discovered in the1990s in Israel by a physician
there named Rafael Meshalem, andhe was the first person to

(12:38):
identify that we have a systemthat connects internally and
externally with theendocannabinoid system.
So exogenous cannabinoids arelike when you take a gummy for
sleep or if someone were tosmoke a joint.
That is bringing the sense ofbalance to your endocannabinoid
system.
But we all have them, and adeficiency in your

(12:58):
endocannabinoid system is rightnow being studied to see whether
that could be the cause ofthings like autoimmune diseases,
things like endometriosis.
So it's a really importantsystem in your body that most
people don't know about Manyphysicians don't know about
because it wasn't taught inmedical schools Although, just
for the record, menopause is nottaught in medical schools

(13:19):
either.
So I think that there is a lotthat we can all benefit from
from a wider focus on women'shealth especially, but also
health in alternative ways.
So, yes, it's a system that weall have, and so your body wants
to sleep, and when you takewhatever it is that you take,
that helps your body to reachthis level of homeostasis and

(13:39):
then you can have a normalnight's sleep, you can wake up
without feeling groggy All ofthe things that your body wants
to do.
But for a variety of reasonsstress is a huge one, but many
other things, aging it justisn't as easy to get there, and
so cannabis can almostsupplement.
I think about it like a vitamin.
For me, cannabis really is likea vitamin.

Speaker 1 (13:59):
Yeah, I wanted to spell just a couple myths that
we might be thinking or stigmasthat might be preventing us from
doing all this.
Okay, first of all, let's talkabout you prefer cannabis, not
marijuana.
There's a million names for it,you guys, am I right?
Mary J, pot, weed grass?
We got a lot of nicknames forit, and so I feel like when we

(14:20):
use the word cannabis, it feelsmore official.
Is that what you're thinking,ellen?
It?

Speaker 2 (14:25):
I feel like when we use the word cannabis, it feels
more official.
Is that what you're thinking,ellen?
It's the name of the plant, soit's a little bit more sort of
like botanically correct.
Marijuana is a word that hasactually a lot of really racist
roots to it.
Unfortunately, it's sort of aChinese word that also has some
Spanish in it, and it was reallyused to say this is a group of
people who are not like you, whoare doing something bad, and so

(14:48):
a lot of people in the industryhave kind of moved away from
the word marijuana towardscannabis.

Speaker 1 (14:55):
Well, now that I know that I'm not using that anymore
, yeah, I did a whole episodeabout this.

Speaker 2 (14:59):
actually, I have a series called Weed Words that
helps to dispel some of the sortof the myths around these words
.
Even yes, you can listen to myepisode all about the weed word
marijuana, but it just it hasracist roots.

Speaker 1 (15:14):
Okay, so cannabis, though, is the plant, and we're
not offending anyone by thatright.

Speaker 2 (15:19):
Correct.
And you know, the reason myshow is called how to Do the Pot
is because I feel like peoplemy age grew up calling it pot
and they're the ones who arekind of the most scared of it,
and so I wanted to, like, have alittle fun, just make you
realize this is just a plant,it's going to be fine, and so
that's why I call my show how toDo the Pot.
I've lived in the West Coastfor 15 years now and almost

(15:39):
everybody out here calls it weed, so I have lots of terms for it
also, but I do generally stayaway from marijuana.

Speaker 1 (15:46):
Tell me about your thoughts on this.
So a lot of people as I wasgrowing up.
It's a gateway drug.
It's a gateway drug, ellen.
If you start there, it's notgoing to end.
Pretty soon you're going to bedealing in lines of cocaine and
crack, I don't know.
So what would you say to peoplewho?
That's their fear right now?

Speaker 2 (16:05):
I'm sorry that that has been such a scary message
for so many people.
It has not been my experience.
It's not the experience thatthe science will tell you.
I mean, I think that the opioidcrisis in our country will tell
you that there aresignificantly more dangerous
drugs than cannabis, which hasbeen around for many, many years
.
As cannabis potency changes andas the industry evolves, higher

(16:30):
potency cannabis is getting alot of press for being really
dangerous, and by higher potencyI mean if you're buying the
flower, you know over 20, 25%THC.
Thc is the intoxicating part ofthe plant, and so we're getting
a lot more information aboutwhat consumers of those high
potency products, the effectsthat they might have, and the

(16:53):
studies that I have seen haveshown that people that have
alcohol use disorder kind ofrange in the under 20% of the
population and cannabis usedisorder is lower than that.
I've seen numbers from sort oflike 9% to 15% of people.
So if you know someone that hasan issue with alcohol, you
might know someone that has anissue with cannabis.
No one has ever died fromcannabis consumption.

(17:16):
There are no overdoses.
It is a very safe molecule inyour body.
This is what I was just talkingto the biologist about.
So the gateway drug thing.
It's been around for a verylong time.
I think it's a scare tactic.
I would actually say that yourexperience is more the gateway
drug that people who can't sleepwill say oh, I'm going to try

(17:37):
anything because not sleeping isthe worst.

Speaker 1 (17:40):
And they try cannabis .

Speaker 2 (17:42):
Well, but they try cannabis and then they think, oh
, this is helping me sleep somuch.
This is what like.
I want to learn more aboutcannabis.
I want to learn more about howit could help me in my life.
So I think that the gatewaydrug we sort of joke in the
industry is actually sleep.
That's what brings most peopleinto cannabis when they can't
sleep, and they find that itworks.

Speaker 1 (18:02):
And I will say just from experience I've been using
it for 10 years now and I don'thave to take it.
I feel no addiction, you guys.
I've never thought once aboutmoving on to bigger and better
things, Neither have I I meananything can be habit forming,
but cannabis is a very safesubstance.

Speaker 2 (18:23):
Right now this is sort of the big issue that is
happening at the governmentlevel.
At the end of the Bidenadministration, Biden
recommended that cannabis bemoved from a Schedule 1
substance, which is similar tococaine and heroin, to a
Schedule 3 substance, which ismore like codeine with cough
medicine, and right now thatprocess has been stalled with

(18:44):
the new administration.
But a new person was justbrought into the DEA and he said
it's one of his firstpriorities to review the
scheduling.
So moving cannabis from aschedule one to a schedule three
substance would have enormousimplications for the ability to
study it and for all kinds ofinformation to really move

(19:06):
forward in our understanding ofwhat this plant can do for
humans.
So I'm hopeful that that willhappen.

Speaker 1 (19:12):
but it's been very slow Because we can finally do
the research, and we have tojust push past big pharma,
because they don't want this togo down.
Okay, so it's a complicatedthing, you're right, but I hope
it does get descheduled down tolevel three, because there's far
too many people serving prisonsentences too.
I won't even get into that, butthere's.

Speaker 2 (19:33):
You know, it's definitely not equal to
everything in the category one,so no, I mean there are two, at
least two, maybe three, threeFDA approved drugs for children
that help with things likeepilepsy, that are approved by
the FDA, and yet cannabis isstill a schedule one substance.

(19:54):
So there's some, just that justdoesn't make any sense.

Speaker 1 (19:58):
Yeah, and then if you have someone out there who has
done a 12-step program, wouldyou consider this to still be
sober, not sober?
Do you feel like that's stillan option?

Speaker 2 (20:10):
for those women.
This is a huge topic and I wasso grateful.
One of my longtime listenersreached out to me.
She hosts a podcast calledRecovery Rocks and she is sober
from alcohol and had a lot ofissues with anxiety and her
doctor was pushing someprescriptions on her that she
wasn't comfortable taking, andso she found a physician who was

(20:31):
very knowledgeable aboutcannabis and she's been able to
responsibly use cannabis to helpher with anxiety and to stay
sober from alcohol, and it's aharm reduction approach.
I think that's what a lot ofpeople would call it, and it was
really interesting talking toTani and to Lisa, her co-host on
the show, who is also sober,and Lisa was equating it to when

(20:53):
she got into 12-step programs20 years ago and people in the
program were very skeptical ofusing antidepressants and
whether that was staying sober,and they both talked about how
their feeling is that 20 yearsfrom now, responsible use of
cannabis is going to be muchmore similar to the way that
people consider antidepressantsand mental health solutions.

(21:16):
So I don't have arecommendation.
I think it's individual foreveryone, but the great news is
that, especially with telehealthnow, there are a lot of really
great physicians who have beenworking in states that have had
legal cannabis for a decade plus, and so they can help you on
that journey if there isn'tsomeone in your state who
understands how cannabis worksas medicine.

Speaker 1 (21:38):
Yes, and we talked a little bit about how many of our
doctors don't really know aboutthis and recommend it yet.
So if we're going into aconversation with our physician,
I don't know what do you think?
We need to be honest about it,talk about what we want to do,
but if they're not on board,should we just go find a new
doctor?
What do you think, ellen?
I mean, it's tricky becausewe've established with our

(21:59):
doctors, right.
But also, if what they're doingisn't working for us, we have
to advocate for ourselves, right, and say, okay, I want to find
a cannabis-friendly physician tohelp me with this.

Speaker 2 (22:11):
I think there are a couple of different ways to
think about it, and getting asecond opinion in a medical
setting can feel really awkwardand uncomfortable, and every
single time I've done it I'vebeen happy that I did, and it's
a hassle, all of those things.
But I think that finding adoctor who is the right fit for
you is a really, reallyimportant thing to prioritize,

(22:34):
if you can.
I think that, as I said, thereare a lot of telemedicine
options for cannabis physiciansnow, and so that could
supplement what you are lookingto get from your current
physician.
I think that, depending on whatyou're trying to solve for, I
just think that you kind of knowwhether you are getting what

(22:57):
you need from your physician,know whether you are getting
what you need from yourphysician, and if you're not
getting what you need from yourphysician, you can consider
supplementing with a physicianthat knows a lot about cannabis,
or you might need a differentone.
But having that conversationyou know I've had a lot of
doctors on the show and whatthey talk about is explaining
how cannabis helps you andsaying this is what it's doing

(23:18):
for me.
Have you talked to otherpatients that are having similar
experience?
What else would you recommendthat I use?
And so I think that kind ofopening it up as almost an
intellectual discussion, likehey, I didn't expect my sleep to
be so great with cannabis, butit really is, and so it's having
all these positive effects onmy life, let's talk about it.

(23:39):
For me, it's always been aconversation around
endometriosis, because that isthe condition that I use
cannabis the most for, and Iwould say, and CBD also is.
We should really talk aboutthat.
I love CBD.

Speaker 1 (23:53):
Oh, we're going to get into it.
We're going to get into all thehow to do the pot.

Speaker 2 (23:56):
Don't worry about that, there's so many conditions
, but CBD is legal all acrossthe country, and so if your
doctor has a problem with CBDthen I think I have to say
they're pretty uninformed.

Speaker 1 (24:08):
Yeah, all right.
So let's talk about so we'remiddle-aged women.
Let's talk about all the thingsthat can help us with for
everybody out there.
Basically, it's turning out tobe very helpful for those of us
either in perimenopause ormenopause, and that can be
everything.
From what, like, tell useverything.
What are all the things thatyou have heard that it's helping
with for people?

Speaker 2 (24:28):
Sure.
So right now, one in four womenare trying cannabis to help
with menopause symptoms, so thatis a lot of women who are
trying to find relief and notfinding it.
I had an incredible physician,dr Lauren Stryker, who is based
in Illinois on the show.

Speaker 1 (24:44):
I saw that I started listening to those.
I love it.

Speaker 2 (24:47):
She's amazing.
I highly recommend listening tothose episodes.
I think that, in general,stress, sleep and sex pain are.
You know, the reasons thatpeople try cannabis in general
are the same reasons that womentry it in perimenopause and
menopause.
But I think sleep justcontinues to be such a priority
and the way that cannabis workswith sleep.

(25:09):
A lot of women have troublefalling asleep or staying asleep
.
Some, unfortunately, have both.
For me it was staying asleep,and staying asleep can really
really be supported with CBD.
If you have trouble fallingasleep, you may need some THC,
and so a combination of thosetwo is what I think is helping

(25:30):
so many women in perimenopauseand menopause sleep better.

Speaker 1 (25:34):
Yes, me for sure.
Mine's a combination.
Mine's got CBD and THC and Iuse a gummy.
That's where a serum like aweed lube and that will have no
intoxicating effects whatsoever.

Speaker 2 (26:06):
If you have any pain with sex, that will really help
to relieve that pain.
70% of women have pain with sexat some point in their life, so
it's very, very common.

Speaker 1 (26:16):
Because we start to get dry, we start to get more
painful things going on.
It's just part of this phase oflife, absolutely.

Speaker 2 (26:22):
Yeah, so did you guys know that.

Speaker 1 (26:23):
Did you hear that, guys?
There's a lube with CBD andyou're not going to get high, no
worries, it's just going to dowhat it needs to do?
Absolutely what else?
Tell us more, Ellen.

Speaker 2 (26:40):
I have lots of episodes about sex, so
definitely check those out ifyou're curious.
I think that the advice thatI've gotten from people who are
experts is you need less THCthan you think to have better
sex.
So, in general, cut your gummyin half.
This is usually my advice.
If you're drinking a THC drink,try half of it.
See how your body feels,because what you don't want
especially if you're bringingcannabis into the bedroom for

(27:02):
the first time is to not feellike yourself.
I think that the experienceshould be one where you feel
more present in your body and,in general, that's going to be
good for better sex all around.
So if you have your weed lubeso that you're bringing blood
flow into the area, that isgoing to really increase
sensation, make you feel better.
If you can get a little bit ofrelaxation from a blend of CBD

(27:25):
and THC, many, many women arefinding that the ability to make
you feel present, to stay inyour body, makes for a much
better sexual experience.

Speaker 1 (27:35):
So dosing is different because, listen, if
I'm taking my gummy go to sleep,I'm going to sleep, so probably
I don't need near that much,because in your episodes I
remember her saying you get more, you're more sensitive to touch
you, relax more, it actuallyraises your libido, it increases
your desire, if that's what'slacking for you right now.
And then it even had in there.

(27:55):
Women are reporting just waybetter orgasms, just better
stuff.
Yeah, and so and I think theyeven have did I say they have
suppositories to vaginalsuppositories that can go in
there and help you with all ofthis too.
And then the loop yeah, sobetter sex there we go.
Better sleep, better sex what?

Speaker 2 (28:13):
else.
Yeah, vaginal suppositories areinteresting and they are not
something that everyone iscomfortable with.
Once you start using them,they're super easy.
That's what I use forendometriosis, for any menstrual
cramps.
The vaginal suppositories godirectly to the source.
So, going back to theendocannabinoid system, women
have the second highest amountof receptors for the
endocannabinoid system in yourpelvic region region.

(28:35):
So putting a suppository intoyou know you have to put it into
your vagina.
It will go right to the sourceand really relieve any type of
pain that you're having.
So if part of the reason thatsex isn't as good as it used to
be is because you're having pain, a suppository can really
really help.

Speaker 1 (28:52):
You might feel a little weird about putting
suppository in but, like yousaid, once you get going on it
you're like okay, I can do this.

Speaker 2 (28:57):
Yeah, wait like 20 minutes, lay on your bed, kind
of put your knees up a littlebit, just relax, listen to some
nice music and kind of feel yourbody.
I think that that's one of thethings that cannabis is so
excellent at helping people andwomen do just kind of be present
in your body, which is not thateasy to do in a really busy,
hectic life.

Speaker 1 (29:18):
No, no, so it lets you be more present.
And then, what about the oldhot flashes and weight changes?
Have you had people tell you ithelps with some of that?

Speaker 2 (29:30):
So THC is showing a lot of promise in helping with
hot flashes and Dr Stryker goesinto this in the show and so I
think that hot flashes are somuch worse for your body than I
think people have realized.
And as we get more research,we're realizing that these
spikes in cortisol, which have acorrelation to weight gain, and
so if you are having hotflashes, trying to stop them,

(29:52):
trying to get your body backinto this balanced state, thc is
showing the most promise inthat.
So the gummies that you'retaking for sleep that have a
little bit of THC and CBD arealso helping with any hot
flashes that you might be having, which then help with weight
gain.
So it is all connected.
I wish that there were moredouble-blind gold standard

(30:15):
studies to tell you.
But the reason that Dr Stryker,who is a professor at
Northwestern Medical School andhas been an incredible advocate
for women, she didn't come tocannabis because she likes it.
She came because her patientswere saying to her this is
working and so she has become anexpert because she knows that
it's helping so many people.
So one in four women are tryingit, which just to me says so

(30:38):
much in a country wherecurrently cannabis is legal for
adult use in more than 20 states, for medical use in nearly 40
states, but that's not everyone.
And still women are finding itbecause it's working.

Speaker 1 (30:50):
And then one thing to disclaim, because you've talked
to a lot of experts mentalhealth.
I've had questions from peopleon that because there's
differing opinions on it.
Let's just use anxiety for anexample.
In fact, I had someone ask metoday what about anxiety?
Because I've heard that evenCBD can cause anxiety to get
worse instead of better.
Is that something you've heardfrom the experts?

Speaker 2 (31:12):
I have never heard that CBD increases anxiety or
makes it worse.
Thc if you have everexperienced or talked to someone
who's experienced feeling toohigh, that sense of paranoia,
that sense of nervousness thatis what too much THC can do to
your body.
That's what it can make youfeel like, and so increases of

(31:34):
anxiety come from having toomuch THC.
Cbd, in my experience, actuallybalances that out.
So I have a trick if you everfeel like you're too high, have
a CBD oil tincture around andput some under your tongue.
Wait 15 minutes.
You will come down from yourhigh and feel much more like
yourself within about 15 minutes.

(31:55):
So I think what's tricky aboutthe mental health conversation
is that many people takecannabis to relax and to feel
better and to lower stress.
But if you have more THC thanwhat your body is comfortable
with, it can increase anxiety,and so there's always sort of a
unfortunately like a Goldilocksyou have to try like is this too
little, is this too much?

(32:16):
What's the right amount for you?
The other thing that makes thisextra complicated is that women
, like your menstrual cycle, canchange your tolerance to
cannabis by up to 30%.
So depending on where you arein your cycle, you can feel more
high from the same cannabis.
So this is all why I've triedto bring on the best experts I

(32:37):
possibly can to my show to giveyou what we know right now and
hope that we will continue toget more research that can make
all of this really clear.

Speaker 1 (32:47):
So it sounds like if you're unsure.
I mean we're going to talkabout this anyway, but it's just
low and slow guys.
You don't down the whole 10milligram gummy when you're
starting out.

Speaker 2 (32:58):
A 10 milligram gummy would be a terrible experience
for me.
The right amount of THC for meis like one to three milligrams,
maybe like on a Friday orSaturday night, with double the
amount of CBD I like to drinkthe cannabis beverages.
I'll start with a half.
Start with half of everything.

(33:18):
Give yourself some time, as theonset time can also be
complicated for people becauseyou're like nothing's happening,
Nothing's working.
I'm going to take another.
Please don't take another nevertake another.
These edibles can take one totwo hours to take effect.

Speaker 1 (33:33):
If you try to cannabis beverage.

Speaker 2 (33:35):
that's more like 15, 20 minutes, which is great
because you can start to figureout how you like to feel, but in
general, start low.

Speaker 1 (33:44):
Yes.
So let's jump into somelogistics here.
How to do the pot, girls?
So let's first talk about this.
Thc versus CBD.
Tell me about the difference.

Speaker 2 (33:54):
Sure, thc is the intoxicating part of the plant.
That is what will bring on theclassic feelings of feeling high
.
If you're a medical patient,it's also what will take away
your pain.
So if you're in pain, you'regoing to need more THC than you
think in order to feel better.
Cbd really helps withinflammation.
It is the non-intoxicating partof the plant, and so that's the

(34:18):
way to think about it.
Thc will get you high, cbd willnot, and I think that what I
like about CBD is it has all ofthe wonderful balancing effects
that you get from having yourendocannabinoid system balanced
without any increase inintoxication.
So the way that I like to feelwith cannabis is like myself

(34:38):
after a five-mile run.
That's sort of what makes itfeel perfect for me and what I
need for that is a lot of CBD,so that's what I like to take,
and then a little bit of THC,which can help to activate the
CBD, so that it will feel themmore quickly and you will feel a
little bit more kind ofclassically what you expect Like
maybe you'll start laughing,maybe you'll smell something

(35:01):
delicious, maybe you'll look outand see something beautiful.
It kind of enhances theexperience for you.

Speaker 1 (35:07):
So what about this?
They're starting to do like CBNand other CB versions.

Speaker 2 (35:10):
What are those?
So these are all.
They're called minorcannabinoids and there hasn't
been a lot of research aboutthem, but they are showing a lot
of promise.
Cbn, specifically around sleep,that is one that I think if you
buy gummies you may see.
Usually they have kind of likeblue or purple labels, which
goes with the idea of an indicaplant.

(35:32):
Which, going back to the plantof cannabis and you asked about
sativa and indica and thenhybrid.
So I don't know how many womenin middle age are starting out
now smoking cannabis first.
I think that edibles andbeverages are probably the way
that people are finding theplant now, because they're so

(35:54):
much more accessible, and sosativa and indica are different
types of plants.
Indica plants were originallyborn in mountainous climates.
They're bushy, they're hardy,they have the pain-relieving
qualities, they have thesleep-focused qualities.
Sativa plants generally arefrom warm climates, so they are
more of kind of the bubbly, thehappy, the uplifting, the

(36:16):
creative bubbly, the happy, theuplifting, the creative.
But those plants have now beenturned into edibles and
beverages and tinctures and sothe strains are less important
and it is more of a consumerpackaged good.
Now you don't exactly knowwhere the peanuts that came from
your Jif peanut butter camefrom.

(36:37):
You just know that they'repeanuts, and so I think that
those classifications arebecoming less important.
They also are complicated andeveryone's physiology is
different, so the best way totell if you are going to like a
cannabis flower is to smell it,and don't pay any attention to
whether it says indica or sativa.

(36:59):
If it smells good to your body,it's probably going to be a
positive experience for yourbody, because most of what is
sold in dispensaries today arehybrids, so you're really not
getting the experience.

Speaker 1 (37:11):
My theory on the whole smoking thing is and I
think as we get older, a lot ofus think this way I just feel
like I don't need to put anysmoke into my lungs because I
got enough problems already.
Right, that seems any, whateverkind of smoke it is.
It just seems like a bad ideathese days and there's so many
other ways to do this.
Now we don't need to do that.
So you're saying smell theplant.
But what if we're doing likegummies?

(37:32):
We're at the dispensary?

Speaker 2 (37:33):
I mean, what I'm saying is you don't really need
to pay attention to sativa See,because I usually go in and I
think I need my Indica for sleep.

Speaker 1 (37:40):
But you're saying maybe, oh, I do a lot of hybrids
too, though.
Yeah, so I, just because Idon't want to accidentally get a
sativa that's like supposed tomake y'all happy and jumpy when
I'm going to bed Of course.

Speaker 2 (37:52):
Is this old school?
I'm thinking?
No, not at all.
This is more of a shoppingproblem, like when you go into a
dispensary or wherever you'rebuying it, you just need to tell
them you're looking for sleepproducts and there are products
that are specifically made forsleep Sativa Indica Hybrid.
If you're not buying flour,it's just not very relevant
anymore.
You can say to a bud tenderit's sort of like a secret

(38:13):
language Like if you say I wantan Indica, what that bud tender
in the dispensary knows is thatyou want something that's going
to mellow you out, maybe helpyou sleep.
But it's actually just easierto tell them what the effects
that you want are and whatproducts do most customers like
to get those effects.

Speaker 1 (38:30):
Yeah, so you guys, she's saying bud tender, and I'm
just making sure my listenersknow what we're saying.
So bud tender is this term, youguys.
So this is like bartender.
When you go to the bar, it's abud tender.
When you go to the dispensary,and I just want to tell you I've
been going to dispensaries for10 years and I think this is
another stigma.
You're going to go in, you'regoing to be with a bunch of
weirdos, but now, you guys,first of all, these bud tenders

(38:53):
are some of the nicest peopleI've ever met.

Speaker 2 (38:55):
You're so passionate about cannabis.
They are passionate and they'rechill and they're nice and
they're helpful.

Speaker 1 (39:00):
They actually want to help you with whatever you're
trying to treat.
Okay, cause you can just rollup in there and say here's what
I've been diagnosed with orhere's what I'm struggling with.
I need recommendations, andthen you just tell them I'm not
going to smoke it, I'm lookingfor other other modalities, and
they help you out.
And when I go in, listen, I'mnext to a lady checking out

(39:23):
who's 85 years old and on theother side I've got to, it's
everybody.
You guys Don't be nervous aboutgoing into your dispensary,
because it's very friendly, verysecure, no big deal.
Okay, let's just dispel thatstigma right now.
The dispensaries are fun.

Speaker 2 (39:36):
Yeah, I actually have an ongoing series.
I started it like three yearsago with women all across the
country sharing the story of thefirst time they bought legal
weed, because it's kind of nervewracking you know the first
time that you do it.
And so these women all acrossthe country have sent in their
stories and explained, like thegood the bad, what happened.
You know how it went.

(39:57):
There are security guards, andthat is because cannabis is
still a cash business, becauseyou can't bank, because we're
still a schedule one substance.
So there are reasons that arenot related to it being a
violent, scary experience.

Speaker 1 (40:09):
It's actually just trying to keep the money safe.

Speaker 2 (40:11):
So as cannabis has been legal now for longer and
longer, these dispensaryshopping experiences are much
more like a regular shoppingexperience.
For sure the other thing that'shappening, though, is that hemp
derived products, and this is alittle bit complicated, but if
you can walk into your localliquor store or some type of a

(40:32):
small shop and buy products,it's because they're derived
from hemp, and hemp can be madeintoxicating.
It's a long story, but this iswhat's happening all across the
country.

Speaker 1 (40:43):
Yeah, you're talking about this whole Delta 8, delta,
whatever Exactly?

Speaker 2 (40:46):
Exactly, so you can buy these products outside of
dispensaries.
And what's happening and thereason that it is becoming such
a big story, is because so manypeople don't want to go to
dispensaries, but they want totry these products and so
they're getting this weirdknockoff stuff at the gas
station.
You know there is some of that,absolutely.

(41:06):
But also many of the reallyincredible brands in cannabis
are providing hemp derivedproducts because and they are
safe and they're tested andthey're really wonderful
products because this is howthey can keep their businesses
running, because people aren'tgoing into dispensaries at the
same rates that many in theindustry expected them to, and

(41:27):
so this is providing access in away that is very new.
It's very controversial.
People who have been sellingthrough the dispensary channel
for all this time are like waita minute, how come you get to
start a business fresh withoutany of these issues, with?

Speaker 1 (41:42):
no regulations like this.

Speaker 2 (41:43):
Yeah, and the access and the popularity of them is
driving more and more reallygreat businesses who have a lot
of expertise to come into this.
So the thing I have to tellyour listeners is cannabis is
still a complicated place.
Trust your instincts If youreally want to find safe, tested
product that is available inthe dispensaries.

(42:04):
A lot of the products in thedispensaries are also high
potency and that is not where Iwould recommend people start.
So if you have the ability totry like a 2, 3, 4 milligram THC
beverage, I would say try itand see what you think.
Try it at home one night.
Just see how you feel in a safesetting, rather than going into

(42:26):
a dispensary and trying areally high-potency product.
That is probably not going towork for you.
I don't want to confuse anyone.

Speaker 1 (42:33):
There are different I don't want to say strains, but
different ways they extract it.
Even in that that can changethe effect of anthoc hand
sanitizer, because I'veexperienced this and the
dispensaries don't have as manyoptions for the creams, the
patches, the suppositories.
They don't cater to that yetand I know there are a lot of
hemp products you can orderonline that have low THC, high

(42:55):
CBD, that they'll deliver rightto your house, you guys, and
those products are amazing andmany of them I have, yes, so
it's kind of.

Speaker 2 (43:05):
You know, the plan for the legalization of cannabis
has not gone the way that manypeople expected, and now the way
to access these lower doseproducts is through your liquor
store, through e-commerce, youknow, buying these things and
having them shipped to yourhouse, and so it's this kind of
funny moment where I've spentthe last three years telling
people like safe legal access.

(43:26):
I am an advocate for safe legalaccess and these hemp derived
products are falling in a grayarea, but I just want people to
know that there are some really,really excellent brands that
have very high safety standards,that are we're going to put
links in the show notes too,because you have, on your
website, there's a page with alot of the brands you recommend.

Speaker 1 (43:47):
Yes, okay, so we'll have that in the show notes.
You guys, if you're wonderingwhat brand, what's safe, what do
I start with?
Don't worry, you'll be able toclick and figure it out.
Okay, it out, okay.
So, basically, what I'm hearingis Indica Sativa is not as big
of a deal anymore, but thiswhole ratio of THC to CBD is
where it's at.
So we want higher, much higherCBD than THC, if this is for

(44:10):
purposes of managing medicalproblems, like you said all of
this, we don't need to get highas a kite.
That's not necessary.
Now I will say I need a littlebit more THC to fall asleep and
stay asleep.
I do.
That's what I do with my gummy.
When I started the dispensary,like I said, they didn't have
tons of options, but it was a 10milligram square gummy.

(44:33):
And for reference, when Istarted and had not done any
marijuana yet or, I'm sorry, anycannabis yet, let me just I
don't like that word anymore nowEllen.
So when I started usingcannabis, I only took an eighth
of that thing.

Speaker 2 (44:46):
We say it's like biting the ear off of a gummy
bear.

Speaker 1 (44:50):
No, just a teeny corner, you guys.
So one one 10 milligram wouldget me through more than a week,
okay.
So if you're looking atcost-wise, even listen, I think
there's 10 per thing, and so onelittle container would last me
forever.
Now you do build a tolerance ifyou're a daily user.
So if you're using it bedtimeevery day, you're going to build

(45:12):
a tolerance.
So here, 10 years later, I takethe whole 10 to go to bed.
But that's 10 years of okay.
Now I'll take a fourth, coupleof years later.
I think I need a half, and Iknew that because I wasn't
falling asleep again and I waslike, okay, let's do a little
more, let's do a little more,okay.
So, as you build up yourtolerance, now I know people who

(45:33):
10 milligrams wouldn't eventouch them because they use a
lot pretty often.
Okay.
So this is a tolerance thing,you guys.
So start incredibly low.
This is a micro dose, tiny,tiny business kind of thing.
You don't go in hard on this,don't do it, just don't do it.
So the different modalitiesedibles last longer, correct?

(45:54):
Yes, okay.
What's an average edible goingto stay in our system for?
Yes, okay.

Speaker 2 (45:58):
What's an average edible going to stay in our
system for?
It's going to take between oneand two hours for you to feel
the effects, and it can lastfrom four to eight hours is
generally what people say.
The interesting thing aboutedibles is when you eat you will
feel the effects more quickly.
So it's kind of the opposite ofalcohol, like if you've had too
much alcohol you're like oh, Ishould eat a burger and I'll

(46:20):
feel more sober.
If you want your cannabis to hitmore quickly, your edibles to
feel the effects faster, eatsomething and that will increase
the onset time so that it soyou're giving me permission to
snack in bed, ellen, I thinkthat I might be.

Speaker 1 (46:38):
That's usually when I don't fall asleep on time, when
I fight it, and then I'm alittle bit hungry, yeah, so all
right, if we want it to kick infaster.
Eat food, yes, I love that.
That's new.
Okay, but for me it does lastabout eight hours.
That gets me my eight hours ofsleep.
It gets me sleep, keeps measleep, it works perfect.

(47:00):
But you're right, if you guysare starting and you're gonna
start with edibles, and you'rean hour in and you're like, oh,
I think, I feel it, I'm gonna,I'm just gonna bite off a whole
half, no guys, don't do it,because it can take a couple
hours, sometimes more.
So just chillax, just if youwant to be asleep at 10 pm, do
your little nibble at eight,right, and see how long it takes

(47:20):
, and then you'll be able togauge it.
Like I know now how long ittakes almost exactly for my body
.
So I know what time to take itand I'll know what time I'm
asleep by, basically, and howlong does it usually take you?
So for me it's about 45 minutes.
So I know that now I can fightyou guys, this doesn't knock me
out, All right.
I'm not like I can fight youguys.
This doesn't knock me out, allright, I'm not like I can't talk
after 45 minutes.
I can fight it.

(47:41):
I can sit and watch my shows ifI want to.
In fact, shows become moreinteresting.
So there's that.
I have never laughed more thanwhen I decide to stay up an
extra hour and watch Schitt'sCreek or something.
It's the funniest shit I'veever seen, all of a sudden.
Okay, so that's just a funbonus, you guys, but then I will
fall asleep, right?

(48:01):
Okay, so don't dive in too deeptoo fast is what I'm saying.
Okay, now, we talked aboutsuppositories.
There's a cream that you canrub on joints that are hurting.
You can use cream, right, it'sstill going to absorb in your
bloodstream, through your skin,you guys, but when you're
rubbing it on that area, it'sgoing to help that area more, is

(48:21):
that, right, ellen?

Speaker 2 (48:22):
Yes, so CBD is really great for inflammation and
that's what most of thesetopicals have in them, and so I
have an elbow thing or a kneething, and over the past few
years they've gone from beinglotions to actually being more
like a roll-on.
It kind of looks like a roll-ondeodorant, which is a really

(48:45):
easy application method if youhave any joint pain, which is
also a symptom of menopause.
So I am such a big fan oftopical CBD creams for aches and
pains.

Speaker 1 (48:53):
Yeah, I used to wear a transdermal patch for pain
because it just would slowrelease all day at a low level
of my body and that's just likethe gummies.
It's a big patch and one patchwould last me forever because I
would cut it.
I only needed an eighth of thatthing too, and you stick it on
like a bandaid wherever you.
You know different spots workbetter in your body but and then

(49:15):
that slowly releases all day.
So I did that for pain.
For a while I used thetransdermal patch and that
seemed to work really well too.

Speaker 2 (49:21):
Yeah, I mean, a lot of people are replacing things
like Advil.
I did a show recently withNicole Brown, who's a strategy
consultant in New York and shelives this sort of fabulous life
with all of her friends and herfriends.
If they go out and have alittle too much to drink and
have a hangover, they're kind oflike oh, I guess I'll take

(49:44):
Advil or Tylenol.
It doesn't make me feel my bestand she's like no, take a three
to one THC to CBD edible, sothree times as much CBD to THC,
and 45 minutes later you aregoing to feel like yourself,
you're going to feel perky,you're not going to have any
stomach issues.
So it really can help with painrelief in the same way that it
helps with menstrual cramprelief, like low level pain.
Is cannabis with a higherpercentage of CBD to THC will

(50:07):
help with all kinds of kind oflow level pain effects?

Speaker 1 (50:12):
Yeah, Okay, and then so tincture.
What's a tincture?
Is that?
Just, it's a liquid form Atincture is.

Speaker 2 (50:18):
it's a liquid form.
Many of these are in like acoconut oil, so it's an oil
tincture.
I love tinctures.
I discovered them throughcannabis, but now I actually
take them.
Wellness formula, which used tobe these giant, enormous pills
that I would take every time Ithought I was getting sick.
They come in a tincture and soI just pour a little bit in, so
I don't like to swallow pills.
Tinctures are amazing.

(50:39):
They actually work a little bitmore quickly because they there
are.
It gets into your mouth and soit doesn't have to be digested
through your liver, which is whyedibles take a long time it
absorbs quickly, You'll feel theeffects in like 15 minutes
usually and usually, and they'reterrific.
And they're a little bit harderto find.
I have a dispensary near me Ilive in San Francisco and I went

(51:00):
in.
I was looking for low-doseproducts.
They didn't have anything forme and finally, in the bottom
corner of a little cabinet I waslike I see a 20 to 1 tincture.
That's what I want, Like dustthat thing off.

Speaker 1 (51:12):
I want it yeah.

Speaker 2 (51:18):
Exactly so.
They're great to have aroundFor me, especially in a 20 to 1
ratio.
If I'm having an extrastressful day, I won't feel any
intoxicating effects, but I willfeel a quicker sense of relief
because the CBD is beingactivated by just that small
amount of THC.
So oil tinctures are amazing.
If you are worried that you'regoing to be having too much THC
and getting too high, a CBD-onlyoil tincture will bring you

(51:39):
back down.
They're just wonderful to havearound.

Speaker 1 (51:42):
Okay.
So you hear about these badtrips and I had never had
anything like that in myexperience with this at all.
The kind I usually buy was outat the dispensary, gone.
So I grabbed a different one,same milligram.
I was like, all right, I'm justgonna do 10 of this.
I'm sure it's pretty similar.
Right, put me to sleep.
So I took that thing.
I think it was some ozone brandor something.

(52:04):
I don't know.
I won't ever buy it again, butit must've been the way it got
extracted or something.
I don't know.
Maybe you can tell me what wentdown.
I don't know what it was, but Ihad the worst night of my life.
I thought my cats were raccoons.
I couldn't figure out why theywere in my bed.
No, I was flipping out, ellen,things were bad.
I ended up throwing up.
I ended up half naked on thefloor of my room and then I was

(52:26):
trying to get back into bed andit felt like Mount Everest I
mean, it was like the one and Ikept thinking what do I do?
What do I do?
What do I do?
And now I know because, ofcourse, after you go through
that, you do some heavy researchand I was like, all right, I
got to always have the CBDtincture on hand Because, had I
known back then, I could havedowned a bunch of that and
really like.
Instead I had a rough night.

(52:47):
But yeah, that's a good tip,you guys, when you go buy your
first THC product, get a CBDonly product to counteract the
whole thing.

Speaker 2 (52:57):
And anytime you're buying a new product with THC,
if it has CBD, the effects aregoing to be more muted.
They're going to be morebalanced.
You're going to feel more ofthe physical effects, like the
benefits of having lessinflammation, more than you're
going to feel the intoxicatingeffects.

Speaker 1 (53:14):
So if you're looking for a new product Like a great
hybrid product is probably thebest way to go at the beginning,
right?

Speaker 2 (53:21):
A ratio that has at least a balance of CBD to THC,
if not significantly more CBD.

Speaker 1 (53:28):
So one-to-one at least, or a one-to-five like
whatever you can get.

Speaker 2 (53:32):
I like a three-to-one , that's kind of a great place
for me and when I go to partiesor things like that, I'll bring
three-to-ones with me, andwhenever I bring them out,
people are like oh, I love thoseand I'll hear people say you
are you.

Speaker 1 (53:46):
You are the queen of the party.
You're going to like this Wellno, but you're a good Ellen.
I want to go to an Ellen partybecause it sounds like you cut
the good stuff.
I like I do.
Everyone's real chill.
No one's angry drunk,Everyone's just chill.
I like that idea.

Speaker 2 (54:02):
You know it's been really fun.
I have friends who have been sokind and they're like every
product you've given me has beengreat, which is why I want to
try more.
And the reason that they'regreat is because they are not
overwhelming.
This is kind of I'm giving youone like the equivalent effects
of maybe like a one to twoalcohol drink, and everybody

(54:22):
kind of knows how to manage inthat space.
You know you don't want to bedriving, you don't want to be
having major responsibilities.

Speaker 1 (54:28):
Yeah, we get a common sense here.
It's just like you know youwork and you have a couple of
drinks Like you don't.
Yeah, go do some machinery.

Speaker 2 (54:35):
I want women to feel the benefits of cannabis and to
feel great, and it's had such apositive impact in my life and I
really want to share that.
And I wish it were as easy as,like you know, cracking open
something and just trying it.
There's like, as we've beentalking about, it's complicated,
but I've been trying tosimplify it, and once you learn
a couple of basic rules that youcan use as guidelines, I think

(54:58):
that it's much easier toexperiment and not have a
terrible experience like the oneyou just described.
I'm so sorry about that.

Speaker 1 (55:05):
Because there's only a small amount of THC.
It's technically legal right Ifit's hemp-derived.
How does that work?
Because that's how we can orderonline and get it shipped to us
and stop in the gas stationBecause it has a small same with
the drinks, with the THC drinks.
If there's a small enoughamount in it, you can buy it.
Is that right?

(55:25):
Does it have to be hemp derived?

Speaker 2 (55:27):
So this is part of what is actually very, very
complicated, because this doescome down to following rules
sort of to the letter, that aredifferent.
It's supposed to be 0.3% orless.
Thc in any product is whatmakes a legal hemp product.
But with beverages you can have0.3% by weight, but you can

(55:50):
still have more milligrams ofTHC, so you can have a 5, 10, 15
.
I've even seen very, very highTHC level products that are
derived from hemp.
This is why it's such acontroversial space, because
there are great brands that areselling products that are kind
of 5 milligrams and under, maybeeven 10 milligrams and under,

(56:10):
but then there are also peoplewho are capitalizing on this
kind of loophole and selling 100milligram products.
So the thing that I think youraudience really needs to focus
on, I would say if you're notsmoking, you don't really know
about Indica, sativa or Hybrid.
It's not that relevant.
What you need to focus on isthe amount of milligrams, thc
milligrams and CBD milligrams,and what you want is at least an

(56:34):
even ratio, a one-to-one, sothe same amount of THC and CBD.
I would recommend twice as muchCBD, three times as much,
especially in the beginning.
So that's how I would like.
Those are the guardrails that Itell all my friends and it's
kind of like like I like todrink beer.
I like IPAs and sometimes I'mlike you know, am I having like

(56:55):
a 6% night or like an 8% night?

Speaker 1 (56:58):
Yeah, it's just like comparing what alcohol.

Speaker 2 (57:00):
Exactly so.
I think you just need to kindof frame it in that way that,
like, some nights you want aglass of wine and some nights
maybe you want a shot of tequila, and you know that those are
going to have different effects,and I think, that's what you
need to know about the THC CBDratios and I think that's what
you need to know about the THCCBD ratios.

Speaker 1 (57:16):
So you mentioned alcohol.
So what's the theory behindmixing your cannabis and your
alcohol in the same night?
Bad idea, good idea.
Do you do one first and onesecond, like, what do we do in
that situation?

Speaker 2 (57:29):
It's going to intensify the effects of both.
So you just need to know thatgoing in and if that's what
you're looking for, then that'sgreat, but it will definitely
intensify the effects of both.
For me, the way that I like toconsume is I like THC drinks, I
like edibles those are the twoways that I have cannabis mostly

(57:51):
and I like to have one drink,and so that's kind of how I do
it, like maybe I'll have a threeto one edible and then I'll
have a beer and I'll feel alittle bit more than I would
feel with both, with themseparately.

Speaker 1 (58:06):
With them separate Okay.

Speaker 2 (58:07):
But it's a really like relaxing, positive feeling
where sometimes with cannabisand with THC, sometimes I get a
little chatty and so if I amgoing to a social event I'll be
like, okay, I think you doactually want the edible, like
you want to be sort of socialand effervescent feeling, and
alcohol sometimes can make mesleepy and so like two drinks

(58:30):
would kind of put me to sleep.
But if I have one drink and athree to one edible, I feel like
bubbly and also sort of therelaxation of alcohol.
So you kind of need to playwith it.

Speaker 1 (58:41):
So you can mix them, but I would not go hard on both
in the same night.
That seems like a rough night.

Speaker 2 (58:46):
I think that the way that I talk to people about it
is if you're trying to drinkless alcohol, you can bring
cannabis in, and maybe you onlyneed, or feel like you want, the
effects of one drink, whereason a regular night maybe you'd
want two or three, and with alittle bit of cannabis you get
the benefits of the relaxationand so you don't want to drink

(59:07):
as much.

Speaker 1 (59:07):
Or maybe none.
Maybe you don't need anyalcohol then, because you still
have that feel of drinking.
You're drinking your CBD THCdrink and that might be enough.
You might need to just be ableto leave your liver alone for
the night.
You guys yeah, I mean so manypeople are no hangovers, nothing
.

Speaker 2 (59:24):
Are replacing alcohol with cannabis in all its
different forms, because thereare no hangovers and you don't
drink your calories.
I think that the way that Iexplain it to people, though, is
, if you're feeling a little bituncomfortable or nervous about,
like, how you're going to feelwhen you're trying cannabis, try
it at home.

(59:45):
Like maybe, instead of a glassof wine on like a Wednesday, you
try a cannabis drink, but maybeon the weekend you still go out
and you have your usual orsocial interactions can put some
pressure on the feeling oftrying cannabis, and so just
take that out of it, just try itat home, try it with one friend

(01:00:06):
and see how you feel over time.
I just bought these sober-ishdrops.

Speaker 1 (01:00:11):
Have you seen these?
No, okay, so the company iscalled Sober-ish and they're
like you said.
They don't smell or taste likeanything.
You just put them in whateveryou're drinking and it's super
low, like you said, higher CBDthan THC.
They came mailed straight to mydoor, so probably low enough
percentage hemp derived,whatever, and they were lovely.
I did one dropper full, justlike you said, at home, just in,

(01:00:33):
like my whatever, I wasdrinking that, and vitamin water
, whatever, and it was reallyjust enough to just chill me out
.
I wasn't high, I didn't feelhigh or anything like that.
I just felt like, yeah, likeyou said, like maybe if you had
one drink one glass I'm notreally a wine drinker, but like
one glass of wine or somethingand that's all it does to you.
And I love that it's bypassingbecause we all know basically

(01:00:56):
alcohol like there's not onegood attribute.
I'm sorry, guys, if you're outthere drinking, we all know
alcohol is no benefit for us,right, our bodies, it's poison.
Anyway, I'm not judging becauseI have a drink here and there,
but what I'm saying is thismight be a great alternative if
you're on a health journey, even, and you want to say, hey, I'm
going to try and just not putalcohol in my body.

(01:01:17):
I'm going to give my liver andeverything else a nice little
cleanse rest.
Well, yeah, these drinks are anoption, and I'm going to look
through all of the brands thatyou recommend, because I'm going
to try those too, but theSoberish I enjoyed.
I've ordered a couple differentcannabis drinks, like in the
can that you crack open, andthose have been good too.
So this might be something youguys want to do.
And with that CBD, well, youcould really even up it if you

(01:01:39):
had a CBD tincture and addedextra CBD in there.

Speaker 2 (01:01:42):
Definitely.
A lot of brands send meproducts and some of the drinks
are five milligrams, 10milligrams, which is just really
high for me, and I take CBDgenerally in.
I take a little gel cap.
It's like it looks like a kindof like a vitamin D and if I'm
feeling like, oh, this is alittle bit stronger than I want,
I'll go take a little CBDcapsule and I'll know that I'll

(01:02:06):
be fine.
I can work through it, and youknow, an hour from now, I'm not
going to feel this way, and soCBD is totally your friend.
It's like pumping the brakes onhow intoxicated you feel.
So the more CBD that's in there, the less you're going to have
to worry about feelingintoxicated, not feeling like
yourself.

Speaker 1 (01:02:23):
Yeah, I love that.
All right, Is there anyone fromwhat you know, from the experts
you've talked to and all thedoctors, is there anyone who
it's like you're not a candidateIn?

Speaker 2 (01:02:32):
general, I would say trying cannabis before you're 25
years old is not a good idea.
I tried it before I was 25.
I'm okay, but your brain isstill developing and so the
experts will tell you that,really, until you're about 25
years old, you should not beconsuming cannabis, and that can
be a tough message sometimes, Ithink, especially as parents

(01:02:54):
are trying to navigate, likewhat's good or bad about my you
know, late teen, early 20sperson drinking alcohol, like
cannabis seems like it's betterand so yeah, under 25, I would
say limit to stay away from it.
Beyond that, I think that thereare people who know themselves
and know that adding substancesmight be harmful.

(01:03:18):
You know I focus on harmreduction a lot, and so if there
are other substances that youhave tried that don't work well
with you, it's hard for me tosay who shouldn't try it.
This is where I feel like I'mnot a doctor and I don't know
what to say.
But in general I would say 25and under, it's better to stay
away from it.
If you have conditions that youare concerned about from a

(01:03:41):
mental health standpoint, then Iwould be very cautious.
Cbd has shown to be very safe.
I would limit THC If you're.
You know CBD.
I think truly it feels like avitamin to me.
Thc is the one that you justneed to pay attention to what
works best with your body andhow you feel.
I mean one of the things aboutcannabis use disorder.
I think there are 10 or moreways that you can check out

(01:04:04):
whether you have a negativerelationship, and one of them is
isolating from friends andfamily all of those kinds of
things that I think we all knoware worrisome and not good for
people.
So just be cautious.
But in general, I think thatmost people find cannabis to be
very safe, and the lower thedose and the slower that you go,

(01:04:26):
the less that I've ever heardany negative effects.

Speaker 1 (01:04:31):
Yes, and obviously you guys, we're giving you
information.
You need to figure out if thisis right for you or not.
Ellen and I are saying weshould all be doing it.
No, figure out if this is rightfor you.
We're just I'm giving you theinformation, you guys.
So if this is something you'vebeen considering, you're armed
with some of the information.
So give me some tips.
Okay, let's say I'm amiddle-aged woman, I'm deciding

(01:05:00):
I'm going to go give this a shot.
How do I talk to my family andfriends about this?
Because a lot of people maybeare like I'm just going to stay
in the closet about this, I'mnot going to tell anyone, and
then you're hiding it from yourfamily.
I don't know what's the bestway to have this discussion with
your family and friends.

Speaker 2 (01:05:11):
I mean, I spend a lot of time talking about cannabis
and I started my career on WallStreet.
I have an MBA.
I've worked in corporateenvironments.
Like most people who meet meare like wait, you talk about
weed and you know I came to itfor medical reasons.
It's been a super positivething in my life and I'm hoping

(01:05:33):
that by talking about it in anormal way, that I can make more
people feel comfortable aboutit.
I think that you kind of haveto be brave and just say like
I'm a grown-ass woman.
This makes me feel better.

Speaker 1 (01:05:46):
And I think in middle age we're already kind of there
where we're like I don't carewhat people think, like I just
want to feel better.

Speaker 2 (01:05:54):
My parents are not cannabis consumers.
They don't think this is likethey're.
They still fall into the likethis was an illegal substance.
I don't know about this and,honestly, I've had so many
conversations with them recently.
They see that I have one drinkof alcohol and they're much more
comfortable with alcohol, andso are all of their friends, and
I think that, as alcohol isstarting to be seen as something

(01:06:15):
that maybe isn't so great foryou, in some ways it's opened up
the conversation that, oh,maybe cannabis isn't as bad for
you as I thought, especially inlower doses, and so I think, if
you're having conversationsabout alcohol and how you're
trying to find alternativeswhether it's one night, a week
or months at a time I think thatcannabis is just becoming a

(01:06:37):
very clear option for peoplethat are limiting their alcohol.
And so, like, get on that train.
You know, like Good MorningAmerica just did something about
THC drinks, I think that thereare a lot of people that are
trying them, and if you are oneof them, it's an experiment.
You don't have to stick with itor you can turn it into

(01:06:59):
something that you love.
But in general, I don't know.
I feel like I've been reading alot of books lately that I
classify as low stakes drama.
It's like I don't.
They're not like heavy booksthat are making me feel so
emotional about things.
They're kind of just like stuffthat it's dramatic and I want
to keep reading, but it's notthat big of a deal.
That's kind of how I'm thinkingabout cannabis now.

(01:07:20):
It's like it's just not thatbig of a deal Having a two
milligram sorry, you're going tobe fine.
You may not even feel as muchas you feel from one alcohol
drink.
So I don't know, have a littlefun, lighten up.
If your family and friends arereally stigmatizing you I think
a lot of that happened aroundsmoking, and now that you don't
have to smoke cannabis, I thinkthat's opened up accessibility

(01:07:42):
to a lot of people.
And if you use it for sleep, ifyou are really getting positive
benefits, which so many peopleare, I hope that we can lower
our judgment.
And if you thought alcohol wasgood for you all this time,
maybe what you thought aboutcannabis wasn't exactly true
either.

Speaker 1 (01:07:59):
Absolutely yeah.
So my husband does no cannabis,nothing.
He's Mr Straight Laced and so Itease him every night when I
tell him you want some drugs.
I just kid around with him andso he's like I don't do drugs,
it's just a joke between us, hedoesn't care.
But I can tell you that fromthe beginning to now, just
seeing the improvement in myhealth, my sleep, my mood, my
life, like that's it, he's onboard Right.

(01:08:21):
So someone our family andfriends truly care about us and
they see that positive change inyou.
I mean they're going to get onboard and if they don't like,
probably ditch them.
Not the cannabis, you know whatI'm saying?
I'm just saying you guys,they're not really on your team.
If they're thinking you shouldnot do it, they're being super

(01:08:42):
judgy about it because it'schanged my whole health, it's
changed my whole life, becausethat sleep is so freaking
necessary for everything tofunction the next day.
To be a good mom, wife, worker,person, you gotta have the
sleep, everybody.
And so, yeah, this might besomething you guys wanna try.
That's all I'm saying, and itsounds like, if I can sum it up,

(01:09:04):
sounds like Ellen's saying thebest route to go if you wanna
try this is to go a high CBD-THCratio.
Make it something that's likeshe said, a fun drink or a
little edible.
They have little mints thathave just a couple milligrams in
them.
Whatever, we're going to againput links in there.
Is there one company that ifsomeone's starting out right now

(01:09:25):
that you're like try that first?

Speaker 2 (01:09:27):
I love the cannabis beverage company Cycling Frog.
Their drinks are really yummy.
They make a black currantflavor that I like and a
grapefruit flavor, and they'vegot five milligrams of THC and
10 milligrams of CBD.
I split one with my husband andthey're delicious, they're
affordable and I think they'rereally great.

Speaker 1 (01:09:47):
Yes, and those drops I was telling you about.
Some of the drops are nice too,because you can monitor exactly
how much you're putting in abeverage you already enjoy.
If you're one, that's like, Idon't like the taste of that, I
don't like carbonation, blah,blah, blah.
Just make whatever yourfavorite drink is and throw the
little tincture in and you canmonitor exactly how many drops
you've put in.

Speaker 2 (01:10:06):
A couple of brands that are making those right now.
There's a woman-owned brandcalled Equilibria that is where
I get a lot of my CBD from andthen there's a brand called 1906
, which is actually, it's namedafter the last year that
cannabis was considered medicineby the US Pharmacopeia, so it's
1906, but they are all creatingthese products that you know

(01:10:28):
it's a liquid and it'sflavorless, it doesn't have any
smell to it, and you just kindof pinch it into your drink and
then you can get the effects andhave whatever substance you
want and it's super discreet.
So lots of new ways that you cantry it and feel comfortable,
and I think it's a wonderfuloption for so many women.

(01:10:48):
But start at home, start whenyou're comfortable and just
start low.

Speaker 1 (01:10:53):
And start low, low and slow.
You guys, don guys?
I mean, the gummies tasteamazing, but you can't eat a
handful like a normal year withthe gummies or something no
that's not what you do.
You take a tiny corner off thegummy and then you go eat your
Oreos.
Okay, if you need somethingmore.

Speaker 2 (01:11:10):
Popcorn.
Popcorn is actually.
It's very satisfying if you'reworried about getting the
munchies.
It's just something great tosort of snack on.
That's a little crunchy.
I got that idea from a chef.

Speaker 1 (01:11:20):
And you told us, if we do it with our gummy, it'll
kick in faster.
Exactly, okay, that's new.
I learned something right therethat makes sense as I'm
thinking through things.
It's making sense to me why itmaybe does kick in quicker
sometimes.
For me it's the food, it's thepre-munchies, I guess.

Speaker 2 (01:11:38):
Okay, that helped you out with that.

Speaker 1 (01:11:41):
Oh my gosh.
All right, Ellen, this has beenso good.
Is there anything else that youwould like all my middle-aged
friends here to know about?

Speaker 2 (01:11:50):
a cannabis journey.
I think that I just want yourlisteners to know that they are
not alone.
I mean, perimenopause andmenopause are really tough.
There's a lot more informationthat's coming out about them now
.
Cannabis can really help with avariety of the symptoms, and
taking care of yourself may notlook like what you thought.

(01:12:11):
You know, I think for many yearswe thought it was go to the
doctor and take a pill andyou'll feel better, and that
just isn't working for women.
And cannabis is because it'ssomething that you can figure
out how it works best with yourbody, and I really encourage
women to just experiment, justtry.
Trying doesn't mean you have tokeep doing it, but there are so

(01:12:31):
many benefits and I feel them,so many of my friends feel them,
and I wanted to tell morepeople about it, and I'm so
grateful that it's been helpfulfor you and that you want to
tell your audience about it too,because I think it's kind of
like a girlfriend to girlfriendthing.
You just have to talk to peopleand somebody might need to hear
your voice to be like oh yeah,I've been thinking about that,
but maybe I will do it and try,and so access is making this a

(01:12:56):
much easier thing to try and alow-dose product can be a great
addition to your health andwellbeing, and it can also be
fun.

Speaker 1 (01:13:05):
Yeah, and the stigma is gone.
You guys Listen.
Ellen and I are sitting hereand telling you all about it and
we are in a couple of burnouts,right, Ellen?
No, what's?
going on and I know a millionpeople, like I said, my trips to
the sensory.
It spans the whole gamut.
You guys, this is for everyonenow.
You will not be judged.
I promise you you won't.

(01:13:25):
And anybody who's judging youtime to kick them off our path.
Right, girls?
Because we're middle-agers.
We're not dealing with thatanymore.
We're not dealing with thatjudgment thing anymore.
So we got this.
Ellen, this has been so good.
I've learned so much.
So if you have any morequestions, first of all you're
going to head on over to Ellen'show to Do the Pot.

(01:13:47):
This is all going to be in theshow notes.
You guys know that.
Head on over there.
There's what you have over 200episodes.

Speaker 2 (01:13:54):
Yeah, almost 300.
I know it's amazing, can diveinto this for months.

Speaker 1 (01:13:59):
If you want to, okay, so go in there, find if you
have a specific concern.
I guarantee she has an episodeto explain it better for you.
All right, so dive in there,figure it out.
Go to her website, check outall her recommended products,
because she's personally triedthem and stands by them.
We'll figure this whole thingout.
We of products, because she'spersonally tried them and stands
by them.
We'll figure this whole thingout.
We're in this journey together,you guys.

(01:14:19):
We're figuring out the SmithLite thing together, and we
didn't mention this.
And I don't know if you're ameditator.
Do you meditate at all?
Ellen, I do.
I've had a practice for like 18years.
Girl, listen, getting into theright mind space before a
meditation is a really greatexperience too, and I'm not
talking about getting uber high,but it relaxes your body enough

(01:14:39):
that you can get a littledeeper in your meditations.

Speaker 2 (01:14:43):
Yeah, it makes you feel more present, which is sort
of the whole goal it is.

Speaker 1 (01:14:45):
It makes you feel more present and lets you step
into your subconscious a littlebit easier and connect more with
yourself, your higher self, allthe woo-woo things, you guys.
So we focus mostly on menopause, health, all the things this
can help us with, but also itcan help you in your spiritual
journey for sure, because you'regoing to connect better, you're
going to chill out.
It may up your level in yourmeditation, your prayer

(01:15:06):
meditation practice, you guys.
So give it a shot.
All right, I'm on board.
I was already on board, ellen,but now I've got this renewed
sense of yes, let's do this, andI hope you guys listening are
too.
So give it a shot.
And again, go listen to Ellen'sstuff If you have more
questions.
If you're still nervous, littleNellie, listen, it's going to be

(01:15:28):
fine.
Start low and slow with ahigher CBD than THC content and
I think you're going to be justfine.
And, like she said, no one'sever overdosed and died from THC
.
You might have a little bit ofa rough time, but you're going
to have CBD on hand, like wejust taught you.
So your rough time is onlygoing to be 10 minutes tops, not
like my fun night.
Learn from me, learn fromeverybody and have that CBD on

(01:15:50):
hand.
Thank you, ellen, this has beenamazing.
Feel free to come back anytimeif you have more you want to
share.

Speaker 2 (01:15:55):
I love it.
Oh, thank you, this has beengreat.

Speaker 1 (01:15:59):
Listen, I know your time is valuable and right now
I'm feeling super grateful andtotally humbled that you chose
to hang out with me today.
If this podcast resonates withyou, could you do me a solid and
hit that subscribe or followbutton?
That's going to help you outbecause you're never going to
miss an episode and it helps meout because you're never going
to miss an episode.
And if you have like 30 secondsmore, could you leave a

(01:16:24):
five-star rating and maybe leavea kick-ass review.
Thank you so much and I can'twait to continue our journey on
the next episode.
Oh, and I can't forget the fineprint.
You know the legal jargon.
This podcast is presentedsolely for educational and
entertainment purposes.
We're just two friends on thisjourney together and this

(01:16:45):
podcast is not intended as asubstitute for the advice of a
physician, professional coach,psychotherapist or any other
qualified professional.
You get it no-transcript.

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