Episode 45: Sex and Weed with Jarani Taja

[INTRO WITH EV’YAN]

Hey everyone, I'm Ev'Yan Whitney, and this is the Sexually Liberated Woman. I have such a treat for you today. And I'm so excited that this episode is finally out because it's been literally three years in the making. It all started when I had my sister Jarani on my podcast a few months ago. That was back in Episode 36, which you should definitely listen to. So I brought her on to have her talk about her sexual identity, and the ways she became the sexual person she is today. And near the end of that conversation, she and I meandered a bit and started talking about how we were using cannabis to enhance and activate our sex lives, particularly when we're having a hard time getting out of our heads and into our bodies. Now, we didn't intend on spending a lot of time talking about that. But that's where we ended up and directly after that episode aired a lot of y'all were in my DM's, like, "can you talk more about sex and weed please?".

So I brought my sister back, and we had a full on in depth, no holds barred conversation about sex, and weed. If you didn't already know, my sister Jarani is a 10 plus year cannabis user and she's primarily used it for pain relief, because she's had intense chronic pain since her career as a gymnast, but she's also an assistant manager at a cannabis dispensary here in Oregon. So needless to say, she knows her shit. And that's why I wanted to have this conversation with her. My sister is not only incredibly smart, but she has been the one that has single handedly helped me demystify and destigmatize my own weed use. She's also helped me find particular products and strains that work well for me. She's a cannabis doula, if you will.

I've been wanting to talk about my own adventures with sex and weed for a long, long time pretty much since I started using it about three years ago, because adding it into my sexy times has been profound for me. I've been wanting to gush about my experiences and talk all about how this plant has been a huge liberator for my sexuality. But I didn't know how, I felt some shame around it. And then I also went through this weird period where I couldn't smoke it anymore, because weed was majorly flaring up my anxiety, which made me feel afraid of it, which made me avoid it. I get into all of this in our conversation, but my sister was definitely the one that helped me trust this plant again, and use it once more for sexual pleasure. What I love about Jarani, beyond the fact that she's my little sister, is that she is so good at what she does. When you listen to her speak, you can just tell that she has a passion for cannabis, and for helping folks find relief and freedom with the use of this plant medicine. So yeah, she's brilliant. And because of that, there is so much goodness in this episode. So grab a cup of tea, maybe a joint if you indulge, and enjoy.

[INTERVIEW WITH JARANI]

Ev’Yan: I am so excited to finally be talking about this. So after the last episode that you and I did together, we touched a little bit on sex and weed. Should I say sex and weed or should I say sex and cannabis?

Jarani: Sex and cannabis.

Ev'Yan: Okay, I'll say sex and cannabis.

Jarani: Cannabis is the slang term. [laughs]

Ev’Yan: Okay, okay. We'll make it classy here.

Yeah, we touched very briefly on how we have incorporated cannabis into our sex lives. And so many people were like, "Oh, my gosh, I loved what you guys were talking about. When are you going to do a full episode about it?" And I was like, "that's a great idea. Let's do that". So I'm sure that there are a lot of people who are really excited that this conversation is coming to fruition finally, because I've gotten a lot of DM's from people who are like, "Tell me more about sex and cannabis"

Jarani: [laughs]

Ev'Yan: I almost said sex and weed. I just kind of want to call it sex and weed.

Jarani: I mean, call it sex and weed then. There's nothing wrong with that

Ev'Yan: Cannabis just sounds so bougie.

Jarani: I mean, it does.

Ev'Yan: It feels so like white bro. You know what I mean?

Jarani: [laughs]

Yeah, but I guess what's interesting for me, maybe not so much with the word weed. But like marijuana is technically like a derogatory slang word.

Ev'Yan: Yeah I don't use "marijuana".

Jarani: Yeah, and like, I don't know, "weed" feels better at least than like "marijuana". It was like, like a term coined by the government to be like "Marijuana, keep away from your children.

Ev'Yan: It's like pejorative.

Jarani: Yeah, yeah.

Ev'Yan: I don't know, I don't feel bougie enough to say "cannabis". And I certainly don't feel bougie enough to say "flower". I've heard you refer to it as "flower" before.

Jarani: [laughs] That's so funny!

Ev'Yan: Actually, so Mommy was like, Mommy said something the last time we were together. We were talking about flowers and she's like, "oh, you're smoking flowers like roses or lavender?" And I was like, "No, no, no". So yeah, flower feels really bougie. Cannabis feels really bougie. I just like talking about weed.

Jarani: I think it just comes from working in the industry itself, because that is what everyone in the industry now calls it. So that's what I'm exposed to. So it doesn't it definitely doesn't come from a place where I'm just like, "No, no, you can't call that, cannabis."

Jarani: But it's just that it's how we talk about it now, which is kind of like a beautiful thing. As long as it doesn't make it feel like it's not accessible and it's not for you.

Ev'Yan: Okay. Right.

Jarani: I think what people are trying to do is they're trying to reclaim it, and rather not reclaim it, but destigmatize, and that's kind of a better way to do it to be like, "hey, like, this is a cannabis plant". And in some ways that verbiage kind of helps people to break away from what their ideas are in. Like relation to weed.

Ev'Yan: I can see that.

Jarani: A lot of times they have this perception. And I swear, sometimes I'll get like an older couple or something that comes into my shop. And I can tell that as soon as I start using terms like "cannabis", and "would you like to take a look at the flower wall?", they're just like "yes".

Ev'Yan: [laughs]

Jarani: Whereas I just feel like sometimes we were like, "you want to check out some weed right now?". Yeah, it's like, "okay...", I don't know. It's interesting.

Ev'Yan: This is so interesting. Like, I think about weed a lot, especially living here in Oregon, where it's been decriminalized.

Jarani: Yeah, I mean, it's not just decriminalized. It's perfectly legal.

Ev'Yan: Right it's perfectly legal. So like I, we both grew up in a culture where like, weed was like, bad, and not something that you like talked about, it wasn't something you did out in the open. And if you did talk about it with your friends, it was like, you kind of keep it between you and them. It's not something that you're public about. And so it's been really interesting to live here in Portland and see all of these dispensaries. And I mean, I was just at the grocery store the other day, and I see that they have like CBD fruit snacks, and CBD teas.

So it's like, on the one hand, I think it's really cool that people seem to be having more access to plant medicine that to me has been like super beneficial for my life. I know, it's been really beneficial for your life and other people. Like I think it's really great that that destigmatization is happening. On the other. I just have to roll my eyes with the whole like, because it just feels very gentrification to me, you know what I mean? It feels like white people swooped in, and they're like, "Oh, we can make a lot of money off of this. So let's start calling it flower and let's start using cannabis". Just like it's not lost on me that the way that most of the people in the industry are doing cannabis. And I say this is though I know people in the industry like, obviously, it's so periphery for me because I'm not in it. But yeah, it just feels it just feels gross to me, you know what I mean?

Jarani: Yeah. No, I don't disagree with that.

Ev'Yan: Okay.

Jarani: In fact, when I go into grocery stores and things like that, I don't really enjoy seeing the product there for kind of a number of reasons, but I do feel like that as well. Like, I don't know, especially since it's not legalized everywhere now.

Ev'Yan: Right.

Jarani: I think it's hard to be here because it's like, "oh, cool. There's some lady buying like, you know, some eggs some kombucha and some CBD chocolate right now". And then there was like, you know, somebody in Texas who has like a life long sentence for like cannabis possession. Just it's really unbalanced.

Ev'Yan: It's really fucked up.

Jarani: And it just feels kind of weird and like, unfair almost sometimes that we have all this access to it when it's still ruining other people's lives.

Ev'Yan: Right.

Jarani: On the daily.

Ev'Yan: Oh my god, I'm so glad that we're talking about this because this was not the direction that I wanted or I planned on going in, but it's something that like, it's one of the reasons why one I have stayed away from weed for so long, because of that stigma. And also because like I just want to be really mindful about the fact that there are lots of black folks and folks of color who are in prisons right now. For these like really ridiculous charges for having -

Jarani: Petty.

Ev'Yan: Right, like petty charges for possession of of weed, cannabis, whatever. And then also, I was nervous to do this episode, because I know that it must be really fucking hard for people who live in a place like Texas or Ohio. Is Ohio legalized?

Jarani: No, I don't think they're legal. There might be a small chance their medical and I just haven't recalled that but I don't believe so

Ev'Yan: [laughs] I was literally pulling states out of my ass like, I don't know.

Jarani: Pick like Alabama.

Ev'Yan: Okay, Alabama.

Jarani: [laughs]

Ev'Yan: It must be really hard for folks who live in like Texas, Alabama, maybe Ohio, who are listening to us talk about like weed and sex and how it's like really helped our sex lives and our sexuality when they can't access it. And it's still criminalized and still stigmatized and things like that, you know?

Jarani: And there's so much fear and like procuring it. Like, I did not enjoy purchasing cannabis before it was legal. I would send my husband to buy it because there's no way I'm going to approach somebody I don't know. I always felt like it was really odd. I had experiences where like, and this is just normal. I think most people, like find this fun, but I always found it like kind of weird that you're like, meeting some dude at his apartment or like meeting somebody in a parking lot. And I know I remember once they like brought a bag full of like, McDonald's or something. I mean, like, hands me this McDonald's bag. And I'm like, "Yeah, like what? Like, Where's my weed?" And he's, he just looks at me like you're an idiot. "Take the fucking bag. There's a weed in it. Okay, like, how can I spell this out to you?"

Ev'Yan: [laughs]

Jarani: But like, the whole thing just felt like really weird and like shady. Where you're just like, "Hey, man, how's it going?" And he hands me this McDonald's bag and you're like, "Okay... Here's your money on downlow". I don't know. It just doesn't feel good. I mean, it's a very beautiful thing that we're approaching legalization. Some feel very optimistic that we'll see federal legalization within the next few years. In fact, a lot of people suspect that it will be kind of the big ticket item for 2020 elections. And I think that's bittersweet as well, because I feel like some people who don't even feel that strongly about cannabis are just going to preach like they are because they want the votes and they know that so many people just want this legalized that I'm pretty sure a lot of people will start to back that person. If they're saying like," screw this. Let's just legalize it". It's a means to an end. But it just feels really bizarre.

Ev'Yan: Yeah, it's so bizarre for me to see sellers who are primarily white, who are making a fuck ton of money. And there are people in prisons, and it just blows my mind.

Jarani: And not just like people in prisons, but like a truly disproportionate amount of people in color for these. Like one of my co workers, he was with a friend like, and my co workers white, he was with a friend who was black, and they got busted. And the black guy had less weed on him than my white coworker did. Tell me, they let my coworker off completely, completely. They let him walk away. They arrested the black guy. And he's I think he's still in jail.

Ev'Yan: Wow.

Jarani: Very, very disturbing. And, and my coworker is just really, like, of course feels like absolute garbage about that. Like he was even telling them like "What the actual fuck, like, you know, I have more on me, like, you're not going to do anything?" Like, it was crazy that in that own way, he was almost willing to, like, put himself in more harm and be like, "No, seriously, like, what are you doing? Like, fucking arrest me too then", but like, they didn't want him, you know? So it's like, in some ways, it's really disheartening and disturbing. And it also is like, a reason why I wanted to be in the cannabis industry as well, because like, we need representation also.

Ev'Yan: Yeah.

Jarani: And representation is very slim to come by, sadly. So there's more change, definitely in order. And really, what's about to happen is like Big Pharma is about to get in on this. And that's essentially like old white money.

Ev'Yan: Yep.

Jarani: So like now is kind of the time where like, people are fighting for visibility the most right now, and trying to plant their roots in hopes that once Big Pharma actually gets in on this, that they'll have a leg to stand on. And it's hard to say, it's hard to say. Cannabis is going to be wild these next few years. Weird times, weird times.

Ev'Yan: Yeah, I'm really glad that I brought that up and just to like, put it in the room that like, we have some privilege here.

Jarani: Yeah totally.

Ev’Yan: Being able to like, just talk freely about the fact that we even use cannabis. You know what I mean? Like, we both work in spaces, like I work for myself, you work for a dispensary, where it's not going to hurt you, you know, you don't do drug tests. You know what I mean? That is such an immense amount of privilege to be able to not just smoke weed or consume cannabis from a place of pleasure, but also as medicine, you know I mean?

Jarani: Yeah.

Ev'Yan: And like how incredibly privileged we both are to be able to like do that. When there are folks who have to do the whole shady McDonald's bag and who the fuck knows what they're getting? You know?

Jarani: Oh, absolutely, absolutely. Like to all the people and the non legal states. I see you.

Ev'Yan: Yeah. Whew. Okay, let's talk about some lighter stuff.

Jarani: Cool.

[laughs]

Ev'Yan: I've been wanting to have this conversation for a long time. I just haven't really known how to discuss it or how to start it and it just works so perfectly that like you are my cannabis expert, like in this family you're the cannabis expert. And unlike you have really hooked me up and helped me out. So like, I wanted to first start by like, putting it all out there and letting people know about my own experience with weed, cannabis. I didn't actually start smoking or consuming until like, maybe three years ago. [laughs]

Jarani: Nothing wrong with that.

Ev'Yan: Which is like, bizarre for me to think about. And I've told other people this and they're like, "how did you manage to go like most of your like, pretty much your entire teenaged life without?" And I'm like, "I just I was never interested". I wasn't interested in any kind of drug use. I mean, I drank alcohol every once in a while, but I really wasn't interested in getting high. There was one time where me and my friends were being really stupid. We were probably 15 or 16. And it's a long story.

Jarani: It is that party you ended up at?

Ev'Yan: Yes.

Jarani: Okay. Yeah.

Ev'Yan: We were hot boxed. And, and I didn't even know what hot boxing was. But I just remember my friend was smoking weed in the car with these two other guys. And me and my other friend, we were in the backseat. And the windows were rolled up and I got so and I mean, I didn't even really realize it at the time. But now that I have the experience that I have now of knowing what it feels like when I'm high I'm like, "Oh yeah, I was fucking stoned".

Jarani: [laughs]

Ev'Yan: I was just like, in the backseat giggling and laughing like it was so funny. That was the only experience and that wasn't by choice. Like it just yeah, happened. And so fast forward a few years ago, I have like really bad menstrual cycles where like, my uterus literally feels like it's trying to kill me. And I remember, I mean Jonathan, my partner has been smoking weed for a long time. And so he would ask me, "why don't you just take a hit of one of the joints that I have? I bet it'll make your pain feel better". And so one time I actually did when I was on my period. And I remember it actually took some of the pain away. But mostly what I felt was just like really high, very euphoric, which I think was maybe distracting me from the pain that I was feeling. And so I had it that night, didn't really get too stoned. It was really great. I think that was like day two of my period, day three comes or maybe it's a few days later, I'm like, "I want to get stoned again. But not when I'm on my period". And I got so fucking high. Like me and Jonathan always rated on a scale of one to 10 like 10 being like, baked and then being like, no, I just drank a glass jar. Yeah. I was probably a 13.

Jarani: [laughs]

Ev'Yan: I had like a psychedelic experience.

Jarani: Oh my god.

Ev'Yan: And it was really beautiful. And it was really fun. Like, I remember I was like walking around my house. And I was thinking about dinosaurs and just feeling like I was in Jurassic Park somehow.

Jarani: [laughs] Oh that's great!

Ev'Yan: And I was it was fucking bizarre. It was so funny. I was very giggly. And I was having the time of my life. But I was also really aroused. And me and Jonathan had sex, probably four times that night, and every single time. And I mean, he was like, "Honey, please look at it, go to bed."

But like, every single time that I had sex, I was in my body I was experiencing and feeling pleasure that I'd never felt before. It wasn't until that experience that I finally understood what multiple orgasms were. And I'd heard from other my other friends who were talking about how they would, you know, masturbate for hours and have like, multiple orgasms like constantly and I was like, that has never happened to me. And it wasn't until I smoked a little pot, and I was like, holy shit completely burst open my sexual potential. And ever since then, I've been really curious about incorporating that into my sex life and actually have been because, and that was one of the things that we talked about the last time we sat down together was how weed for us has been not just like medicinal, it's also been a really great way to bring us back into our bodies and shut our brains up. Because my brain is so talkative and chatty when I'm having - I mean, my brain is talkative and chatty anyway - but when I'm having sex in particular, it's like that's when I start thinking about my grocery list and all these anxieties that I had.

And I noticed that whenever I consume cannabis, like I'm able to drop out, like, bring that energy from up in my head down into like, literally down into my pussy, and really just feel the sensations of my body. And I'm like, "Fuck, this is incredible medicine". And I've been using it ever since off and on, I kind of took a little bit of a break one year because I was like, oh, I had a really bad experience where I got really anxious after I smoked. And it just, it made me really freaked out because I didn't want my anxiety disorder to like be flared up by that. But I started to reintroduce it thanks to you. You have helped me find a strain that actually is not anxiety inducing. And yeah, it'sbeen a fucking game changer for my sex life. And so now I'm curious about like, how, how you came to using weed and like how you use it in your sex life, too.

Jarani: Yeah, yeah, totally. For me, I was technically a late bloomer as well. I didn't try weed until, I mean, I guess, about 20.

Ev'Yan: Oh, I didn't know that.

Jarani: Yeah, maybe 19. I don't know. Because it would have been remember, I stayed at your house once. And I went to a party.

Ev'Yan: [laughs]

Jarani: Yeah. And it was like a kind of around that era, right?

Ev’Yan: Yeah I know exactly what you're talking about!

Jarani: Yeah. So what stumps me is one of the first times I ever smoked. I'm at a party full of college students. And like, I didn't attend anything except for Community College. I didn't have the real true blue college experience. So I'm around some seasoned college veterans who have clearly been smoking for years. I am intoxicated, I'm drunk. I've just been drinking with them all night. And they spark up a joint. They start passing around. I'm like, "Oh, do you? Do you want any?" And I was like, "Oh, no, I'm good. I've never smoked before". And they're like, "What? Oh, my God, you should smoke". And I'm like, "I don't know. I'm good. I think it'll be fine". And they're like, "no, you should, you're gonna love it. It's gonna be great". Tell me, okay, I guess I won't ruin it.

Ev'Yan: [laughs] Oh my God.

Jarani: So the joint comes around to me. And like, I take a few puffs off of it. And really, like once I pass it to the next person, and it like starts to set in. I'm like, "what, this is so great". Like, immediately, my cheeks are hurting because I was smiling so much. The music sounded better. Somebody brought out a fried Twinkie in that moment. And I'm like tearing up the fried Twinkie. Like it was fantastic. And then in a span of about 30 seconds, suddenly something just went really wrong. And instead of this, like euphoria, and like excellence, it turned into like, the spins and like crippling nausea, like literally in like a flash. So I was laughing and talking and then suddenly I'm panicking. And I'm looking around for like a bathroom. And we're in the backyard. And I'm realizing I'm not going to make it back into the house. And I ended up in the corner of this backyard throwing up for two hours. Two hours. I was sick as a dog. Tell me why none of these college students said like, "hey, Jarani, if you smoke, after you've been drinking all night, you're going to get what's called a cross fade and it's likely not going to suit you well, you're going to be violently sick". Nobody said anything.

Ev'Yan: Those bitches, what the hell.

Jarani: I think what it is, is honestly, when I'm drunk, people don't realize that I'm drunk, I kind of keep my wits about me fairly well. So I think they thought I was okay. But needless to say it was not. So my first experience was not good. So like, really kind of cut to me moving here to Oregon. And by that time, I was over 21. A family member, essentially, at at their child's one year birthday was like, "Hey, you want to come upstairs real quick?". And I'm like, "Sure. Okay." We get up there and everyone's like that, passing around a bunt. And I was kind of excited because I knew I wasn't going to buy anything like that for myself, but I wanted to try it again. So smoked again that time, it was fantastic. And honestly, I've pretty much been smoking just about every day since then, it was such a good experience. But what what fascinated me was the first time I consumed again, you know, I had that euphoria for a bit before I got sick. This other time, I realized, okay, there's euphoria, but there's pain relief. And I didn't really know that that was something that like cannabis had to offer. So the fact that it was addressing my anxiety, my depression and my pain, and it was just fun. Like I was sold. And then around that time I started dating who is now my husband. And so him and I started like actually buying cannabis. And I remember him and I just laying on the bed and smoking out of that one hitter, that I just gave me recently.

Ev'Yan: Yay! I graduated in my in my weed smoking career. Now I have my own little one hitter.

Jarani: I'm so impressed. But yeah, I haven't I consumed and then I remember having sex that night. And that was my first experience with like sex and cannabis, again no one told me that like, cannabis makes sex unreal.

Ev'Yan: Me either. And that's why like, when it happened to me, I was like, "What the fuck? Like, why aren't people talking? Like I wanted to do like one of those things we run out into the world like "Have you heard?"

Jarani: [laugh]

Ev'Yan: I was so pumped!

Jarani: I wanted one of those windows where you can like push them out. And like the shutters fly on. You're like "Hello world! I just had the best sex ever! And it's from cannabis!"

Ev'Yan": [laugh] "Do you know about the cannabis?"

It was insane. It was insane. And I remember actually the next day after our sex adventures, because I mean, my God, we had so much sex that night. It was like it was insane. I've never had that much sex consecutively and actually have the desire to want to want to have about sex? The next morning I woke up and I was like, "What the fuck? Who am I?" And I remember telling Jonathan, it was so funny actually. I was like, I think maybe that weed might have like made me feel some stuff. He's like, "Oh, yeah, you know that weed is like a natural like aphrodisiac". And I was like, "huh?, wow, I'm sorry. Like, Why didn't anyone tell me this?" Excuse the fuck out of me.

Jarani: [laughs]

Ev'Yan: And so actually, I started consuming not from a place of even partying, like the first two times that I consumed, the first time I was like, I've probably got like, on a level five. So it wasn't too much. I was on my period so it was helping with my cramps. The second time was when I had that psychedelic experience where we were having sex everywhere. And then after that, I was like, "Oh, well shit, if weed is going to unlock my like sexual radiance, I'm just only going to smoke weed when I want to have sex. And so that's how I was using it. It actually wasn't until you gave me the one hitter that I smoked in front of someone outside of a sexual context. I ever use sex within a sexual context. And it's been really cool to kind to have that ritual be about like connecting with my partner in that way. And not using it from this place of like, "Oh, I'm bored. I'm just going to get high". And that's no shade to people who do it right there. I just really needed to have that kind of boundary.

Jarani: Yeah. And set some like real intention behind why you're consuming.

Ev'Yan: Exactly. And then I had a really bad trip. And I felt really, really anxious. Actually, I actually vomited that night too, because the anxiety just like really like fucked me up. And I was like, nope, not touching it. I didn't touch it for a year. And that's when I was like, okay, I'm interested in bringing in cannabis again, but not to consume for pleasure more. So for pain relief. And that's why I reached out to you and was looking at CBD oils and stuff to put in my Diva Cup to alleviate the cramps. And we can talk about that in a little bit. But um, it wasn't until a few months ago, actually that I started smoking weed just for pleasure, not for like pain relief. It was like I know that if I do this, because there will be times and I think we talked about this n our last episode together, there will be times where like, I've been so busy all day. I've been like thinking about so many other things that by the time it's maybe time for a sexy time it's not really on my radar, because I can't get my head to shut up. And so I have been really enjoying using cannabis as a way to like, it's for me cannabis is almost like a glass of wine. Like I don't drink alcohol. I don't really like alcohol. It's not really my thing for me. Whenever I smoke, it's like, okay, this is my time to get back into my body to shut off my brain and to also connect to my partner because, you know, we're often working a lot and it's a really great way for us to reconnect. And it just so happens that I have like the best orgasms of my life. Like it is the fucking bomb.

Jarani: It is. It is wild. Nobody told me that and that was a pleasant surprise, let me tell you. Llike my relationship with my now husband was really new then. That's about the time I was also just like, what did you just do? Like that was the best craziest right sex I have had in my life. But then of course we like started regularly consuming and then I realized like, this is the cannabis. Like period. This is the cannabis and it was fantastic. And so since you know, that to me is like a fortunate side effect of using cannabis for me. I don't know if I always mindfully sit down with it like that to be like, hey, I'm going to smoke something and then now it's sexy time, but certainly since I do consume so regularly, I do know how much that does impact my sex life. And of course, like a really beautiful powerful way. It's really shocking.

Ev'Yan: It's so amazing. I kind of want to bring a little science stuff into this just to like, have me and also other folks understand, like, why is it that cannabis makes you feel so sexual? Like what is going on here, cannabis expert?

Jarani: [laughs]

So there's a few things at work. Granted, there are different methods of consumption that could bring you more stimulation than others, certainly, but the idea is really rooted in a couple things. Really, the main thing is our endocannabinoid system. All animals actually have what's called an endocannabinoid system and it's essentially what maintains homeostasis or like balance within ourselves. So our endocannabinoid system is impacted by cannabinoids. Cannabinoids can be produced by our own bodies. In fact, there is a cannabinoid that our bodies produce called anandamide. And anandamide is known as the bliss molecule. It always promotes a really strong sense of euphoria. cannabinoids found in cannabis, for example, are going to be like THC, CBD, there are also other minor cannabinoids like CPG, CBN, CNL, that are still being researched. But really the idea is, THC somewhat mimics the effects of what anandamide does. But THC is essentially a more exaggerated form.

Ev'Yan: And you were saying anandamide?

Jarani: Anandamide, yeah.

Ev'Yan: That's like, if you've ever had a runner's high.

Jarani: Exactly.

Ev'Yan: Or you're talking about ovulation like when you are ovulating that's like, because when I'm ovulating, I know. Like I'm taking selfies, I am showing my ass to my husband so

Jarani: Yeah, you're like feeling yourself.

Ev'Yan: I'm like doing all of that. And there's a connection with that.

Jarani: Yeah, absolutely. And like, that's kind of what I was discussing earlier with you is to say that like anandamide is, you know, naturally occurring in our bodies, and we get a flood of it in our bloodstream during ovulation. And then for people who have not consumed cannabis, and are like, what is it like to be high? If you're a runner, or if you've done vigorous physical activity, you've likely tapped into a little bit of that. It is that weird, like runner's high thing. But for that, that's essentially what's providing you with that euphoria. And again, not to get too deep into the endocannabinoid system, but that does really regulate a lot of things. It regulates our mood, our appetite. It can also regulate our sexual functionality and like, kind of keep everything in balance and functioning properly, too.

So for that, that's kind of why cannabis, I think is so impactful. But what's interesting is, so much of this is still being studied. there's so little research. In fact, what research has been done is what's called - um, what's it called exactly. It's kind of like self submitted research, which is hard to trust, because you basically don't know. Someone's basically saying, like, "oh, cannabis gave me multiple orgasms, and I smoked this much weed". Well, that's kind of hard to test like you didn't watch that person consume, you don't know. So we're kind of still in that phase. And that's because cannabis is still considered to be a schedule one substance. It is scheduled alongside heroin, which is just madness. The government literally perceives cannabis in the same way it does heroin, which they basically say that it is known to likely not have any medicinal effects whatsoever. And to be highly addictive mind you.

Ev'Yan: But heroin was used as medicine at one point.

Jarani: This is also true. It is really bizarre. Yeah, that is in essence, you know, granted, THC is going to be psychoactive. It's going to be responsible for that high that we feel. Whereas CBD on its own would be non intoxicating. So that's kind of important to note, too, I think, as we kind of talk further, because there's certainly some really interesting things that you can utilize to kind of elicit more pleasure and stimulation or more relief depending if you need it. And a good way to kind of decide what you probably get out of something is to decide whether you're consuming THC, CBD or both.

Ev'Yan: Yeah, I'm so glad that you mentioned that. Because when I had that year break after I had a bad trip, I talked to you and was like, "Look, listen, I don't want to be high. Because being high is not good for me, like I'm too afraid. But I do want the pain relief of my period because my period is literally trying to kill me every month". And you gave me some CBD oil from Luminous Botanicals, which oh my god, I love them. They're so great. It's just straight up CBD, it does not get me intoxicated. And you instructed me to put it around, not on the inside. But on the outside of my Diva Cup. Right before I'm about to insert it and my god like that. I will say that it's, I don't want anyone to think that like CBD is the magical thing that takes it away because for me, it wasn't like, and now I was pain free and I was able to like live my life and run a marathon. It just diminished the pain levels for me in a way that was more manageable. And like so as before, you know, I was laying in bed feeling like I was about to throw up because the pain was so bad. I was able to like sit up, right, eat some food and like be a little bit more alert rather than being lethargic. And that was like, huge for me. And I remember really being attracted to CBD because I didn't want to be stoned. Like I was very, very specific about that because of the bad trip that I had. And I was so glad that you recommended that to me and I still use it to this day. It's amazing.

Jarani: Yeah, no, that's excellent. And I think that's, you know, something that people aren't always aware of is like, sure cannabis can sometimes be anxiety inducing at worse, right now, if you really pick up the wrong product or the wrong stream, it can make you feel pretty poorly, right. But that that is not an indicator that that's the experience you're always going to have with cannabis. There's so many different things to try out there. So I was really glad that you were able to try that CBD because it's kind of important to get into a relationship with cannabis and establish some trust with it again, right, it's really to be brought so much and to be so anxious like that. It puts people off, it makes them never want to go back to it right. But it's like, that's what fascinates me about the line of work that I'm in is because I want to take experiences that people have had that were poor, and turn them into something beautiful and put the power back in their hands to let them know that they can take charge of their their healing, their relief, their pleasure, their euphoria, the relaxation, like it can be whatever they want it to be.

Ev'Yan: Right, right. Yeah, I remember when I was thinking about dabbling back into using cannabis as like a pleasure thing. You remember, I was so nervous, because I did not want to have that experience again, and you recommended a strain called Astro Works, which was really great. What I liked about Astro Works for me. And I think like, and I'm sure you would agree with me to that, like, it's really important to say that like just because I have experience with a strain called Astro Works doesn't mean that whoever is listening is going to have that same experience, because everybody is different. And the way that our bodies are, you know, interacting with this plant medicine is like vast and varied right? But for me with Astral Works, I noticed that like, I was high but I was able to have my wits about me because before when I had that really psychedelic experience and every other time after that.

Okay, so here's the here's the reason why I don't I hadn't really enjoyed being stoned or even drinking alcohol is that I do not like not being in control. Like it really bothers me to think that a substance that I consume is going to take away my ability to like function like it really makes me so anxious and nervous. And I realized that even though I was having these really beautiful experiences within my sexuality, smoking weed, I didn't feel like I was there. Like, even when I was having sex with Jonathan, those four times. Like, I couldn't tell you who I was having sex with. Like, I even actually remember when I was having sex when I was really fucking stoned. I was having sex with the universe.

Jarani: [laughs] Oh my god.

Ev'Yan: Like I was having like, this cosmic experience. It was like I was floating in space. This is exactly what I was imagining in my brain. When we were having sex. I was floating in space, there's darkness all around me. And there was like this universal, something that was like, fucking me. And it was just like, I was like, I'm fucking universe. Then I would like open my eyes and realize, oh, that's my husband.

Jarani: Your husband was the universe in that moment.

Ev'Yan: It was a beautiful experience, but I didn't like how I wasn't fully present in it. And so when you introduced me to Astro Works, I was able to still be cognizant and present like I could feel the euphoria in my body and I could feel the feel good but I also could be like, oh, I'm I know where I am. Like that's my husband over there.

Jarani: Yeah, staying grounded.

Ev'Yan: Right. Exactly. And yeah, I was so grateful that you mentioned that to me and then we found another combo because Astro Works was a little bit too heady for me.

Jarani: Yeah very spacey, stoney.

Ev'Yan: Yeah, I want it to be more in my body. And you recommended CSG which I now use like half and half of so I'll take Astro Works. Which actually, maybe you can talk a little bit about the differences between Astro Works and CSG.

Jarani: Yeah, yeah, totally. So I'm Astro Works is a two to one ratio of CBD to THC so has more CBD than THC in it. The test results can fluctuate for any cannabis strain. But this one usually has like, between like three to 6% maybe of CBD and sometimes like seven to 10 of - or wait by vice versa. My apologies. But yeah, certainly more CBD than THC.

Now Astro Works for a lot of people I think is very calming, but it's surprisingly still intoxicating. Even though it only has like 4% of THC a lot of the time and like 7% CBD. I still feel rocked by it. It's pleasant. But it's stoney. And then we have CSG or Catholic School Girl was its full name. CSG was interesting, because it's actually full THC. There's very little CBD at all. So it is more intoxicating. But I think due to the nature of that high, it is more clear headed high. Here is also a little more of a body high out of it. I think also a differentiation, Astro Works is a sativa leaning strain. So is yes, gee, technically, but one of the parent streams for CS G is called Girl Scout cookies. There's all kinds of crazy names in cannabis these days. But I will mention Girl Scout cookies, because it's a fantastic strain for providing a sense of ease and relaxation. Without, to me, not taking it too far, you're not going to be outright sedated, you're not going to be like drooling and half asleep, you're not going to feel like your head high is intense that you feel stupid. And I think strange like that are fantastic to experiment with.

And that's why I wanted you to try it as well, because Catholic School Girl again, having Girl Scout Cookies, in it's parentage. It's such a relieving and calming stream. For most people, that's kind of what they need, they just need to be brought down a few notches, right, you don't need to be ripped, you don't need to be like to the moon with intoxication. And I think that's what people sometimes assume they're going to get or need to get out of cannabis in order to get pleasure. When in all actuality, a lot of the times if you pursue a strain that's really heavy, for example, you're probably not going to want to do it at all, like literally you could get really introspective, you could get too far into your head. And you could just fall asleep. On the flip side, there are some strains that are so, so stimulating, and people might think, Oh, I want stimulation, like I kind of want like invigorating experiences. And then they end up falling into something where they find that they're experiencing anxiety and that interfere.

Ev'Yan: And that was my experience. Like I was stoned. But I was also anxious, you know? And that is not.

Jarani: Yeah, how are you going to feel sexy at all when you're like more trapped in your own head and your heart is racing and everything. I think it's really beautiful to really read into and experiment with strains, but also experiment with caution, because there's, you know, strains, for example, I think if you google right now, like what's a good strain for sex? Like what's a good cannabis strain for sex? One that pops up is green, a strain called Green Crack a very unfortunately named strain. But the reason why it's called Green Crack is because it is very stimulating like, whoa, it's intense. If you're dead tired, you're likely going to consume this and it's going to wake you the fuck up.

Ev'Yan: Yeah, I don't know.

Jarani: For most people it comes with intense anxiety. Like, certainly not everybody. But I think for a lot of people I encounter, that's the experience they get from that. And that's what I find really interesting is if someone is trying to navigate this alone, and they don't know any better, if that is their first try. If you try Green Crack for your first try. I wouldn't be surprised if you never consume cannabis again. So it's like it's been really beautiful to kind of be involved in your cannabis journey and help guide that, because it's so delicate, and I know how much it takes to rebuild trust for the plant when you've been burned by it. And that's why I'm so fascinating to be in this industry, because I want to create beautiful experiences for people and let them know that they can be in control still have their experience.

[AD BREAK]

Hey, so you've been listening to me and my sister gush about how incredible it has been, for us to have weed be incorporated in our sex lives. And perhaps you're wondering what it would look like for you to bring a little green into your own sexy times. But maybe you don't know where to start. I mean, there are a lot of products out there. And if you don't have a cannabis expert in your family like I do, it can be hard to figure out which ones are good and even safe for you to try. My recommendation Awaken by Foria.

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Okay, let's get back into the show.

[INTERVIEW WITH JARANI]

Ev’Yan: I'm so glad that we talked a little bit about strains, because I think, I don't know, I think it's important to just like, share with people like what has worked for me and you know, a little a little bit of information about those particular strains. Because you're right, like, I mean, there's a lot out there. And I think that for me was like, I don't even know where to start told no told. So like being able to give people some strains or some names is like really good. But I also know kind of coming back into what we were talking about earlier is that like, you're not going to be able to find those unless you're living in a state where it's legal.

Jarani: And even the streams that we just talked about the Astro Works and the Catholic School Girl, Catholic School Girl is essentially a discontinued strain. Now it might be out there, you might be able to find it. But it's technically discontinued, Astro Works is a proprietary strain by Pruf Cultivar and it's a fantastic one. So shout out to Pruf Cultivar for that. But you would not find it in another state. So if you don't live in a legal state, it will certainly be more challenging for you. Because you might not be able to have a guarantee that what you're consuming is what they said it was, you could ask for OG Kush, and somebody could give you something else? And you'd have no idea, right? There's no testing, there's no way to know. So it's like for non legal states, you really have to proceed with the utmost caution because you have no idea where these products are and where these plant, you know, how it was source, how has grown, what methods were used within it, right? So I kind of encourage people as well, like if they didn't have that great of experience, just to know too, especially if you're not in a legal state that there is some beautiful things out there and it's not as spooky as it is a non legal state.

Ev'Yan: Yeah, and that's one of the reasons why I'm so excited about how CBD lube being a lot more readily available to people. One of the reasons why I like using CBD lube is because like sometimes you just don't want to get stoned.

Jarani : Right? Totally. Yeah, and as women we are if we have a THC lube, we have mucous membrane, right like in our vagina. So no matter what we're going to get intoxicated if we put a THC luba on us, right. We will fail a drug test by the way, so people please know that if you are using a THC lube as a woman, you will fail a drug test and you would likely be a little bit intoxicated depending on what your tolerance is.

Ev'Yan: Oh, yeah, I mean, I've used THC lube by Luminous Botanicals.

Jarani: Which we love!

Ev’Yan: Love that one! It's so, so good. That is full THC. I was just telling you today that like I use the tiniest little bit, like I put the tiniest little drop of it on my clitoris, I orgasm in two minutes. It's insane!

Jarani: That is Luminous. Oh my god.

Ev’Yan: And I actually don't know if I want to use that with like actual penetrative sex because I know, because I've used THC lube before for penetration, and I got stoned. And that's not what I wanted. Like I just I wanted like my pussy to get high. I didn't want my other parts to get high.

Jarani: [laughs] Right.

Ev'Yan: So that's why I actually really like CBD lube because while it doesn't give you that like intoxication, I do feel like it makes me relaxed. And it's just like it's a pleasurable experience. And like so the most recent, I've used to CBD oil/lube products. The first CBD oil that I used was by Luminous as well, shout out to them, they're great.

And you can find Luminous anywhere else other than Portland, right? Or rather Oregon.

Jarani: Oregon, yes. And that's due to basically the state laws. So you know, even the fact that we, of course, share a border with Washington who was also legalized. Technically, by state law, you cannot cross borders with cannabis at all. So that is why you won't see these products likely in other states, there are certainly some brands that have such a big presence that they set up, you know, shop at a difference state, but it's very, very time consuming, very costly. So right most the time, if you have a product within a legalized state, that product only exists in your state, period. It cannot cross state lines.

Ev'Yan: Yeah, that was like the frustrating part for me is that like, I've had such a good experience with Luminous Botanicals, but I also know that it's like, again, with that whole perfect privilege thing. It's like okay, not only do you have to be in a legalized state, you have to be in this legalized state, in order to try it. And so what I like about this other product that I've tried, which is by Foria. They sent me a CBD lube, which again, doesn't have THC in it. So I would be able to pass a drug test, which is great. What I like about their lube like, I had never heard of them before, they contacted me and was like, Hey, we're really interested in getting you to try our products. And of course, like, I'm still like a CBD, cannabis newbie. So there wasn't very much for me to know about it. But I wanted to give it a try to see like how this would feel in comparison to the other lubes that I've tried. And I like this one, mostly because it is so readily available. Like I feel like this is a really good lube for people to try who don't really know where to start. And who also might be a little bit daunted about like, I don't know what to try or a little bit nervous about, like, well I'm really interested in incorporating cannabis into my sex life, but I don't want to get too stoned or I don't want to be afraid that I'm going to like lose control or whatever. I really like that Foria is available everywhere.

So like you can get it literally online anywhere. And also there's just like this availability factor of like being able to consume it with ease without like, you know, having to worry about getting these like bad experiences. And the first time I've tried it a couple of times since and the first time that I tried it. I tried it with penetrative sex, and I was a little nervous because as I said before, when I've used a THC, I got way too stoned, and I was like, that's not what I want. I just want like sexy vibes, but I don't like stoner vibes. And I actually really enjoyed the CBD lube using it with penetration. I definitely felt the warming and tingly sensation with it, which was kind of pleasant and kind of nice. What also was really interesting is that I felt like my vagina was able to like really relax. And I think that's might be because of the CBD like, I think the CBD was just such a relaxing agent that it allowed, like for instance, it allowed us to explore like a deeper penetration because I have a tipped cervix. And so deep penetration doesn't often feel good to me. Yeah, because of that. And I felt like I was able to do that a lot easier with the Foria lube. Because my vagina was just like, I'm relaxed. I feel great. I'm warm, I'm ready, I'm moist. Let's get it in.

So yeah, I recommend that one for folks who are interested in starting to bring some exploration to bring in cannabis into their sex lives, but like are maybe a little scared like I was right. Yeah, I just I think it's a good product to try.

Jarani: Yeah, definitely. I think what Foria is doing is really fascinating, especially in terms of relief. So again, as we've been talking, like you can definitely tell that from our experiences, the THC was very stimulating, it's very fantastic. It's very stimulating.

Ev'Yan: But only when you want it. [laughs]

Jarani: Yes, yes. Yes, exactly. Now with CBD, it's going to be very relieving. So if you have issues like you have with like a tip cervix, or if you have endometriosis. Any any sort of pain with sex. Also, if you are like, on your period, and you're just dealing with cramps and pain and feeling crummy, it just helps. So I think the you know, CBD lubes like that are incredibly impactful for just kind of giving relief and ease. The other thing of course, too, because I've had some people be like, why would you use a CBD lube? Like if it's not going to be like, as stimulating as THC like, why would you use right?

Ev'Yan: Yeah like, if it's not going to get you high? Why would I bother?

Jarani: Another thing I always like to say it's like, well look like if you've not experimented with anal and you would like to, CBD is great for that. Like it's going to help you ease into it. And it's going to help you feel better as you're doing it. So and that's also another use that like, makes people blush when I talk about sometimes, but it's like no, seriously, like, if you've ever wanted to explore that. And your whole thing is like, that sounds really uncomfortable but me and my partner have kind of gotten right play like CBD lubes are fantastic for that. So there's really beautiful uses.

Ev'Yan: Thank you for saying that because I totally forgot. And I've been wanting to explore butt stuff, but I have been nervous.

Jarani: Explore it with the Foria.

Ev'Yan: Okay. Yeah, I'll give it a try.

Jarani: Honestly, I think it'd be like, I think you would notice a notable difference if you would ever like attempted it before, and you're just like there's just some uneasy sensations coming in. And I think this CBD is incredibly impactful for that. And also too, just know, if somebody let's say, has some CBD lube lying around, and they're not even like trying to necessarily get it on with a partner or even like, enjoy, like solo play, you could still just put it inside of you and get relief. So like, it doesn't have to just be used in sexual instances as you were using it on your Diva Cup relief. Like that's a beautiful use it's very versatile.

Ev'Yan: So glad you told me about that. I've actually told a couple of people about using CBD oil on their Diva Cup. Because actually, when you first told me about it, I'm like, how the fuck is that gonna work?

Jarani: Right, right. It sounds a little odd.

Ev'Yan: But but it makes sense. Like to put it on the outer rim.

Jarani: Yeah on the outside. And sometimes people do that with tampons as well, right? Yeah, they'll apply CBD to tampons. You know, it is a little nicer with the Diva Cup just being that the tampon, of course, will absorb a little oil. But it's still very much so works. It's very impactful as well.

Ev'Yan: And I've had a couple people ask me, how do you use it for your Diva Cup? Like, what does that look like? Are you using a drop or using five drops? Like what does it look like? I actually take the CBD oil and put it in my palm after I've done like rinsing my Diva Cup and making sure that it's cleansed. And I'll just like roll the cup into the oil just to coat it. And then I'll fold it pop it in. Yeah, I actually another benefit of this that I was not expecting at all is that it makes insertion so much easier.

Jarani: Right for the cup itself, yeah.

Ev'Yan: Because I've had a lot of people say like, I want to use a menstrual cup, but I really don't like the idea of having to like shove that thing in there. Like it's really uncomfortable and having some lube, it makes so much of a difference.

Jarani: And I think kind of something I wanted to quickly touch on because you just kind of mentioned like, hey, here's how much I use of this product. I think one thing that people get overwhelmed with in terms of cannabis is how much to use of anything. How much to use of an edible, how much to use of a loop, how much to smoke if they want it right. And what's both beautiful, and a struggle is that no one can tell you how much you need to use. So really, the idea for me is you you start out slow and you use a little and then like slowly go up. Because I think a good example is people when it comes to smoking or something will just be like, okay, well, if I want to use this, like, okay, I just let's get high and we'll figure it out. Whereas we kind of discussed earlier, it's like, well, look, if you get too high, you're not going to want to have sex at all. You're not going going to care, your mouth is going to be super dry.

Ev'Yan: Ugh cotton mouth is the worst!

Jarani: You're not going to be having it. Yeah, so it's like everyone's dose is incredibly personal. And I think another thing too, is let's say somebody just finds it kind of bizarre to like think about inserting CBD or THC in any orifice. I would still encourage somebody to think about ingesting CBD because let's say you felt like your sex drive was being inhibited by your anxiety. You could take CBD that could very much help with your anxiety, and that could make sex better for you. So it doesn't necessarily have to be what somebody's idea of like, increasing sexual stimulation is. Like what do you need, I guess would be my thing. Like, if you want to have like more satisfying sexual experiences, I would more so ask the person, what are you coming to the table with? Do you feel like you come to the table and you're kind of like, lethargic and just kind of not into it? Okay, well, then maybe you should consume something a little more sativia leaning and get that stimulation. Do you feel like you're high strung and nervous and stressed about it? Well, maybe you kind of do need something a little more indica leaning? Oh, you don't want to get high at all? Okay, well, then CBD is what you need to introduce. So it's like, so important to remember that like what works for somebody in cannabis doesn't necessarily mean it's going to work for you. And if somebody says, Hey, try this THC product and like you hate it. Don't think like, it's just what it's going to be from here on out right, you'll find something that works for you.

Ev'Yan: Right. Yeah, you were saying that to me a lot when I had the really bad experience. And I was like, I really want to try it again. But I'm so scared. I don't want to have that experience. And I'm so glad that like, I took it slow because one thing that I know now about these experiences that I had before this new era that I'm in with my with my weed smoking days, is like I was doing way too much. Like I was smoking way too much. I wasn't regulating myself. I wasn't even thinking about like how much THC to CBD is in this like, whatever Jonathan was smoking, I would smok. And I mean, his body is completely different than mine and he is able to smoke things that are crazy high THC and not really like feel all that much. So knowing that, I mean I'm glad that I had that introductory time of being a little reckless and silly with it.

So that I was able to come back to using this plant medicine and I love calling it plant medicine because that's what it is for me like it really unlocked my sexuality. It's helped me connect back into my body when I'm way too much in my head. And it's really, I kind of like, like this idea that whenever I smoke weed or whenever I consume cannabis for my sex life, it's not manufacturing, energy, behavior, attitudes, essences that is not there. It's just enhancing them. Yeah. And so the one thing that I love about consuming cannabis is not thinking and looking at the weed or the lube as like the magic pill that's going to make me a sex goddess. It's like, no, this is this is the plant medicine that's going to help like silence the noise that makes that sex goddess within me feel like it can't come out to play like that shit is already in me like even I'm talking here like that sex goddess energy is in me, it's just that the plant medicine helps bring that forth. And so that's kind of how I have seen and I really want to just like touch on the fact that I don't feel any shame about needing to use or wanting to use CBD cannabis, any kind of like weed product to help activate my sexuality because I don't really feel , I just don't really need to see it like that.

Jarani: Yeah. Because I think especially when you utilize it with such intention behind it, you're not getting to a point where you're just completely outside of yourself. I think for a lot of people that's not why they consume cannabis. There certainly are people who consume cannabis just to get as high as they possibly can. Like, people don't want to sit with their own thoughts and their self sometimes. But I think the way that I consume as well is a lot more intentional, it's like, what am I meeting right now? What am I trying to foster? What am I trying to encourage and bring out of myself? Not necessarily, what am I trying to like obliterate.

Ev'Yan: Right, what am I trying to like put a band aid over? What am I trying to ignore?

Jarani: Yeah, I just enjoy and knowing that you can utilize something in like a really beautiful manner to just increase things that are already present. I think some people as well have been told that like, if they use, and even perhaps the way that we talked about like the THC lube, for example, like makes it sound like oh, my God, like you're going to have - let's say you were a person who struggles have an orgasm, I don't necessarily want to say that like, this is going to be the craziest blah, blah, blah. But I do feel like it could get that person may be closer towards a more enjoyable experience. And for me, I'm prone to having like orgasms with decent ease. So for me, it deepens my orgasm. It's not like it creates them out of the clear blue. It's like your partner still has to be fantastic. Or you have to be loving yourself. Like in that moment, and that's going to help facilitate that. Certainly not just going to like, bring something out of nowhere. Like it's not a Viagra pill. It's not. It's cannabis is not so cut and dry like that. It doesn't have to be.

Ev'Yan: Yeah. I'm so glad you said that because I think there's a lot of people who hear the benefits of cannabis and they immediately think like, oh, well, that's going to change my life. And yeah, it's this is the thing that I need. I think we as a culture, we're so fixated on finding the magic pill, like do you want to have the best sex of your life? Try this sex toy, right? You know what I mean? Like we're so fixated on having that one thing, and I've been really conscious and careful about making it so that whenever I'm consuming cannabis, it's not like a thing that is like the magic pill. It's just like, oh, it's a tool.

Jarani: Yeah, I agree. Cannabis is really beautiful in a sense that is offering really like healing and more like an organic approach. Again, with the fact that like, we already have an endocannabinoid system, our body is built to receive these cannabinoids like THC and CBD. Like, that's a beautiful thing. We're just utilizing something that I think our bodies oftentimes just need a little more of. It's not this miracle drug. I'm not saying that. Like, I can do the craziest things now because of it. But it certainly does help improve my quality of life. And I'll keep going back to that. It's very, very valuable. And it's just drastically changed my quality of life. And the quality of my sex.

Ev'Yan: Oh my god, I'm like, just going back to what you were saying before about like, why didn't anyone talk about this? Like why isn't anyone talking about how -

Jarani: Like shouting from the roof tops.

Ev'Yan: I really want to get a megaphone right now outside of your apartment to be like, "listen up everyone! Do you know?" Like it's insane.

Jarani: [laughs] "Smoke weed and have sex, everyone!"

Ev'Yan: Seriously.

Jarani: But no, seriously, smoke weed and have sex.

Ev'Yan: I would say to if anyone is nervous about incorporating this into their sex lives, do it with yourself first masturbate with yourself, have a little bit of an edible, try CBD lube by yourself, smoke a little bit, just with yourself. I think that like, I kind of wish that I would have done that my first time rather than just like jumping right into it. And just to get a sense of like, what does my body feel like when I'm consuming this? And what sort of experiences do I have? I think that that would be a really great place to start.

Do you have any other tips for people?

Jarani: Honestly, my tip is, especially I think, to stay pretty cautious with what you purchase, especially since we're finding so many products in so many odd places. Like I've seen a car repair place that advertises that they sell CDB products.

Ev'Yan: [laughs] No!

Jarani: Don't buy it. And like, again, I'm even telling people like, sure it's in grocery stores. That doesn't mean you should buy it. Right, I pick up a package that I find in a grocery store, and I look in the back of it. It's got no information about where this product was sourced. And again, a sobering reminder, cannabis is an accumulator plant, it draws toxins from the soil. If someone was careless about how they grew this plant and where they grew it, you have no idea what like sort of heavy metals, toxins, pesticides, you might be consuming. And furthermore, if we're talking about at all inserting this into our vaginas, or anything, that would be really troubling. So I think my first thing is like, kind of stay safe people like be cautious just because it claims that it's CBD and you can buy it online and it's a great price. Be cautious. Do your research, like something that I feel very strongly about, for example, and I appreciate it that like Foria does, they list their test results on their website, and I will not purchase a product unless they list their test results on their website. period because there's so much fraudulent shit going on right now. Where literally people are claiming that there's 1000 milligrams of CBD in this. And the independent test is done. And it's 10 milligrams of CBD.

Ev'Yan: Wow.

Jarani: And right, it's insane. And so that plus the fact that you could really get into some crazy toxins and things like that, like first and foremost, just stay aware. Do your research before you start consuming anything. Honor who you are and what you need in order to feel sexy. It does not matter what somebody else's idea of it is. What do you need out of your experience?

Ev'Yan: I wish everyone had a Jarani.

Jarani: [laughs]

Ev'Yan: Because seriously, if y'all had a Jarani you would have your best sex ever. You should be a cannabis doula.

Jarani: Actually entertained the idea of like diving into that realm and being like okay, could I spin that? Because I love this! Like I love empowering people to just take more control over like I said, your pleasure, your well being, your belief. It's a really beautiful thing.

Ev'Yan: Oh my god, and you're so good at it.

Jarani: Thank you!

Ev'Yan: I wish that every single person could have a Jarani with them whenever they go to a dispensary.

Jarani: Well shoot. Hopefully, as I continue to dive more and more into some of the endeavors that I would like to do, which are very cannabis centric. That would certainly be my intention, because it is my deepest passion to have these conversations and these dialogues with people, and it's fortunately what I get to do every day by working at dispensary. So yeah, I'm all about it. I'm all about it. It's been really wonderful to have that dialogue with you. Yeah, your feedback when you try something new and have me ask you like, okay, how'd it go? Yeah, if something didn't hit you the way you wanted it to. Then I'm like, hey, don't worry about it. I know exactly what we should try next.

Ev'Yan: Yeah, no, I love that too. It's so funny because this was not where I thought our lives would like when I when I imagine us like 10 years ago, I was not thinking that my sister would be hooking me up with all the best weed. So I feel so, so grateful.

Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and your story. Tell people where they can find you because you just said that you are doing some weed cannabis endeavor. I know you have YouTube channel. Tell us everything.

Jarani: I do. So I did start a YouTube channel just talking kind of more from the perspective of like chronic pain and cannabis. But really most of the videos I've made are pretty general in the sense that you can use of course, CBD and THC for a number of things. So I have my youtube channel that I've gotten started on. The best way to kind of find that right now is probably to hit my Instagram first. So you can find me on Instagram And in that you'll find what I'm up to lately, which will definitely be some cannabis centric stuff.

Ev'Yan: And I'll put a link to your Instagram and also put a link to your YouTube in the show notes.

Jarani: Yay! Okay, that's fantastic. I'm excited.

Ev'Yan: Yeah let's go get hot. [laughs]

Jarani: I love it. I love it.

[CREDITS]

This podcast is produced, edited, and designed by me, Ev'Yan Whitney. Find me on my website, evyanwhitney.com and on Instagram @evyan.whitney to keep up with me and my work.

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Thank you so much for being here and I'll see you in the next episode.