[Content warning: In this post and the podcast episode, we're going to discuss THC. If you're not yet 21 years old, your brain isn't fully developed - wait for that and then try THC responsibly if you feel like it. If you don't want to hear us talk about THC, just skip to the next episode.]

When I was in high school, my entry point to cannabis - like anyone who graduated from high school in the early aughts - was strictly illicit. There was a guy named Sky who always had really strong weed - what one who may not know better would call "good." I was pretty straight laced in high school, but I would have done anything for him to notice me. So, one night I smoked his very strong weed and spiraled into a brain tornado of my parents being disappointed in me. I mean, we also finally made out that night, but you weigh the good against the bad, and I'd say this was still a net-negative.

Until recreational cannabis was legalized in Illinois, that was my framework: THC turns your brain into your worst anxieties until it wears off. "No, thank you," I'd say.

Enter our team's cannabis sherpa, Marie Goodman, who explained dosing, the entourage effect (when you consume THC and CBD at the same time), and also introduced us all to Cann. Cann bills itself as a micro-dosed social tonic. These beverages have 2 mg of THC and 4 mg of CBD, which are infused in beverages with adult and fancy flavors like Lemon Lavender, Blood Orange Cardamom, and Grapefruit Rosemary.

Jake Bullock, co-founder and CEO of Cann explained that the flavors are designed to be interesting, but they also lead with the familiar. You know what blood orange is, but you might not know what cardamom tastes like, which allows it to feel familiar, but also adventurous.

And for reference, 2 mg of THC is like a 4 on a scale of 1-100 and sky's weed was a 99. Bullock says that this is for a very specific reason: so you can consume cannabis like you would alcohol. Have a drink or two for a restrained evening or a few more to level up your buzz.

And Bullock's frame of reference for cannabis is a little different from mine, you'll hear him explain that in the episode. He grew up in Colorado, the first state to legalize recreational use, and that fact was in the back of his mind as he pursued his MBA at Stanford. He knew early on that he wanted to make cannabis more social and unlock the potential of infusing THC into beverages. And that's what he worked on while he was at school, the early prototype of Cann.

His co-founder and friend from their days at Bain and Company, Luke Anderson tried the product early. Bullock recalls him saying, "Make this or I will." So his friend and an early believer became a co-founder.

On the episode, you'll also hear Bullock talk about - in very loose terms - his excitement for on-premise consumption and the creation of "the bar of the future." Honestly, nothing gets me more excited than the idea of a bar where I can hear you talk and I don't have to scream, "WHAT?" constantly.

And as Cann marches towards the future, they have some big-name believers. The Goop Queen herself Gwyneth Paltrow invested an undisclosed amount along with Rebel Wilson, Ruby Rose, Darren Criss and Baron Davis when the group closed a funding round in late 2020.

Resources:

• Find Cann at your local dispensary
• Follow @DrinkCann on Instagram
• You can read about Cann's commitment to equity and social justice here.

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