Hi friends, 

WHAT A BIG WEEK! Taxes were due! 4/20! Taurus Szn! EARTH DAY! Wow! Spring is springing and I am so glad we're almost past the coldest of cold days. I wouldn't say we're in peak spring yet -- but it feels closer every day. 

Despite all the big fun things going on this week -- it's definitely been a week, if you know what I mean. Sam accurately described it as having felt 6 months long, and I couldn't agree more. But I'm taking the afternoon off for a volunteer event with Housing Works and I've got some exciting weekend plans on deck, so I'm ready to shake off the dust and focus on having some fun. 

But anyway, welcome to today's Brightside, which has been a long time coming! In honor of 4/20 -- today's edition is all about weed, baby! And we’re bringing back a special guest to talk about it – my dear friend Fran. 

Today I’ll be sharing a bit about my relationship to weed, some musings from Fran, and a product roundup of some of our favorite cannabis paraphernalia.

It would be remiss to begin this Brightside without acknowledging my privilege, safe access to weed, and the injustice of those incarcerated for nonviolent cannabis crimes. The Last Prisoner Project aptly states: "As the United States moves away from the criminalization of cannabis, giving rise to a major new industry, there remains the fundamental injustice inflicted upon those who have suffered under America’s unjust policy of cannabis prohibition." You can learn more about the organization, how they're combating this injustice, and donate or get involved here.

With that, let's get into it girlies!! 

PS, you want to scroll all the way on this one ... we've got a GIVEAWAY AT THE END!!!

photos by @lucytfactory

Cannabis is a big part of my life. I didn’t start smoking until I was 22 or 23 - I went to boarding school and then was an RA / on a sports team in college, so I didn’t have many opportunities to try it before then. Ok, I smoked a handful of times throughout college, but it wasn’t until I was living in New York that I started to explore weed more … shall we say, intentionally. 

I remember buying weed for the first time in Brooklyn - it was very akin to the Broad City episode, and I felt awkward buying a few nugs from a friend of a friend. I was a newb, but that’s how it goes when you’re starting out I guess. Once I got over that hump though, I instantly fell in love with the way it helped expand my perspective and make things as mundane as cleaning the bathroom … well, fun. 

As I settled into NYC life, weed also became a way to connect with friends in a new way – one of my favorite pre-pandemic rituals was “Family Dinners” with a handful of friends from high school – my friend Kevin would cook, we’d roll joints, and laugh until we cried. It also served as a way to turn inward more easily. It helped me connect with parts of myself that needed healing, it helped unlock my creativity in a new way, and to this day I find no activity more delectable than getting high and walking around New York City with a good playlist coursing through my veins. 

And it's been fun to explore the growing scene of women-led cannabis brands and outlets like YewYew, Gossamer, and Broccoli -- these platforms have really helped normalize the conversation around weed. For a long time I’ve struggled with how to own that part of my life, or even bring it here to The Brightside, but it’s an important conversation and something I don’t want to shy away from. 

My journey with weed is ever-evolving, but right now I love it as an alternative to alcohol and a great way to wind down from work or to enhance a walk around the city. This is really just scratching the surface on the topic – but I’ll keep incorporating this content into future b-sides! As always, LMK if there’s anything you want to know. 

I’d love to hear about your weed journey – my inbox is always open! 

Welcome back to the Brightside, FRAN!!!

The two of us go way back, we were freshman year college roommates ( -- in a forced triple with our beloved Amanda Cantor) and got lucky in that the three of us just clicked.

Fran recently moved to Northampton, MA for a dream job working for Fernway as an HR Specialist. We spent this past weekend together exploring her new town, sampling all the local delights, and talking about our respective cannabis journeys for today’s newsletter. Thank you Fran for sharing some of your world and gracing the Brightside again! You can watch the IG live together we did last year here.

So tell me about your cannabis journey. When was the first time you smoked? What has your relationship to weed been since then? 

This is big question! It’s been a journey. The first time I smoked was between junior and senior year of high school. I was with my friend Chase (who passed away a few years ago). It was that period of the year when everyone was throwing graduation parties – this one girl’s parents were out of town and she threw a party – Chase and I smoked but I ended up getting too high and was really paranoid. After that I thought weed just made me anxious, so I didn’t touch it for a while. 

Freshman and Sophomore year of college I smoked a bit, but not much after that since my friends weren’t really smoking. After college I reconnected with Chase right before he passed away and then didn’t touch it for a long time, until the pandemic. 

I was nervous about going back to it, but in 2020 my friend Jasmine introduced me to a dispensary in Boston called Pure Oasis and I started to re-explore my relationship to weed. It felt safe and secure and I started to love the way I was feeling. This was right around the time that I was also starting to drink less. It’s really helped me in a lot of ways. And it’s cool to think about how proud Chase would be of me - he’d be like, you work in weed?! That’s insane. 

I love that. So, what does weed do for you? 

It deregulates my stress.I can come home and relax. Fernways’ tagline is “it makes the good life even better” - and it’s true. I love listening to music and it moves you to tears.I want everything to be 200% – and oh my god, I’m getting emotional - but I just want life to be good. And weed helps with that. 

You deserve to enjoy your life. You are a beautiful person and you have so much goodness with you, and you spread it. That’s the sign of being in a place of alignment, no doubt about it. 

What do you think is a stereotype about weed that needs to be dismantled?
 
That people who smoke weed are lazy, or deadbeats. That’s why I love my “hardworking stoner” sticker so much. I’ve worked harder than I’ve ever worked in my life at this job - I have so much autonomy, I have so many ideas, and my boss is so supportive. It’s really crazy. Every day I’m like, that could be a startup. Cannabis is so new, and it can be a shit-show, but there’s just so much to learn. I use weed daily - not at work, but the concept that people who smoke have no ambition is just absolutely not true. 
I was on a podcast called Blissful Love and we talked about this a little bit there, too. 

What’s your favorite thing to do high? 

Watch a docuseries, pull oracle cards, cook a yummy meal. 

What’s something you’re hoping to see more of as the cannabis space evolves? 

Women in leadership. There aren’t enough women in the space as a whole, but women leaders and women-owned brands are the future. 

What would you say to someone just starting to explore weed? 

Start small! You can always add more but can’t take less. Especially with edibles, i think a lot of people will take too high of a dose then freak out and think they hate weed. 2.5-5mg is a great starting point. 

Thank you, Fran!!! Give her new weed account a follow: @fransburneraccount