By Salina May
There has been a recent renaissance of cannabis culture and lifestyles as legalization continues around the world as the plant continues to gain popularity.
And for 2021 it’s not just ‘New year new you’ but also new habits and experiences – so why not add podcasts to that list?
Along with this blossoming culture, a wealth of quality cannabis podcasts has popped up to cover a wide range of cannabis-related topics.
The variety of budding podcasts is surprising to those on the outside: From home grow and cultivation, to cannabis news and politics, to medicine and science, to cannabis investments, to cannabis lifestyles and popular culture.
There’s a podcast out there for anyone who touches cannabis in some way, it seems.
One of the best ways to stay on top of new information is through high-calibre podcasts in a subject area.
We’ve compiled our top picks on podcasts for different content areas with recommendations on a recent interesting episode for a new listener to check out.
Cannabis Cultivation and Home Growing
Dude Grows Show
“The Dude Grows Show brings you marijuana grow knowledge, news, and culture. Every episode is packed with information on teaching you how to grow marijuana indoors and out.”
Why Listen?
This podcast is packed full of information for home growers of all levels. One of the hosts, Scotty, likes to say that he is “learning along with the audience”- the podcast has a very welcoming feel for new growers and those who would like to improve their cultivation skills, and the information and listeners’ questions they delve into in their Grow Talk branded episodes cover almost anything a person would need to know to produce their own cannabis. They also cover topical news and information in an entertaining format in their Wake and Bake America episodes.
Recent Episode:
Check out the episode- Grow Talk 1129. It covers listener questions about dealing with burnt leaf tips on cannabis plants, the effects of high PPM tap water on soil, telling the difference between male and female cannabis plants before they flower, and the effects of stressors on cannabis plants.
Shaping Fire
Shaping Fire is the leading podcast about cannabis health, cultivation and preparations.
Why Listen?
Shaping Fire host Shango Los is one of the best interviewers on any cannabis podcast. He is not afraid of getting deep into the weeds in the topics he covers and will get heavy into the science of cannabis or business and industry details.
Recent Episode: Check out Integrating Cannabis into End-of-Life Care with guest Dr. Sunil Aggarwal. This episode tackles a tough topic- end of life care and discussing how cannabis can help make that difficult time in one’s life a little more comfortable.
Cannabis Cultivation and Science Podcast (KIS Organics)
Official Description:
“This is the podcast where we bring leading experts from the horticulture and gardening industry and find out the latest information and research for cannabis cultivation. Forget the marketing hype from bottled nutrient companies, everything on this show is based in science and research. If you want to improve your gardening or cannabis cultivation then you’ve come to the right place.”
Why Listen?
Hosted by Tad Hussey, this podcast gets terrific guests from all corners of the natural/organic cannabis cultivation industry and has great information for anyone who wants to grow their own cannabis. The topics covered are practical and go into a useful level of detail.
Recent Episode:
Insect Frass and Mealworm Production with Virginia Emery- this is a fascinating topic with an amazing guest who is pushing innovative boundaries in agriculture. This interview is an excellent listen for anyone interested in permaculture, soil health, and agricultural sustainability even outside of cannabis growing.
The Potcast
*Note- there are many podcasts called The Potcast- this is the one from Heavy Dayze and has an Australian host. The Cannabis Potcast: A Canadian’s Cannabis Culture is also a good podcast.
“Long-form Cannabis Breeding and Culture Interviews”
Why Listen?
This is another superb interview style podcast, with a longer format that can cover topics thoroughly. This podcast is great for anyone interested in breeding, but even for home growers who are looking to get more information about strains or seed companies/breeders, this podcast is indispensable.
Recent Episode:
Check out Episode 49 ft Jesse of Biovortex. This is a superb interview with Jesse from Biovortex where he produced his signature strain, Black Dog. This episode has lots of growing and cannabis information that is practical and up to date.
Business and Investing
CannaInsider
“Interviews with the Leading Voices of the Cannabis Industry”
Why Listen?
Based out of Colorado, this podcast gets important industry guests and is a great way to keep up on topical news in the cannabis industry in North America, as well as information for cannabis industry investors.
Recent episode:
Have a listen to Ep 328- The World’s First Cannabis Inhaler Is Disrupting the Wellness Industry. This episode covers an intersection of pharmaceutical science and cannabis innovation and talks about an interesting product to watch for in the future of the cannabis industry.
Inside the Ropes- The Cannalysts
“The Cannalysts is a congenial gathering place and valued resource for investors, providing thoughtful due diligence and conversation (with a smattering of humour) on publicly traded cannabis companies.”
Why Listen?
This is likely the most in-depth cannabis investing podcast out there. The hosts deep dive into analysis of the cannabis industry, businesses, and investment news. This podcast has useful critical analysis for anyone thinking about investing in cannabis but doesn’t know enough about the industry. Expect lots of sports metaphors in this podcast.
Recent Episode:
Epsiode 39 (no title) covers their usual cannabis business analyses, then goes on to a discussion about cannabis pricing (race to the bottom trend) and the current and potential futures of some of the industry’s leading businesses.
The Cannabis Conversation
“A weekly podcast exploring the emerging legal cannabis industry from a European perspective. We speak to a wide variety of guests helping to shape the emerging legal cannabis industry including patients, lawyers, doctors, scientists, entrepreneurs, investors and many more, as we discover how, and why, this much maligned and misunderstood plant is giving birth to a huge global business.”
Why Listen?
This gives a European perspective and a more global view of the cannabis industry. The podcast has excellent guests covering all aspects of cannabis use, and also covers industry business topics in detail.
Recent Episode:
Check out Episode #87 Cannabis and Personalisation with Len May, CEO of Endocanna Health. This gives an interesting perspective on how cannabis sequencing can produce a personalised experience for cannabis users.
Cannabis News and Lifestyle
On Something (NPR)
“Even if you don’t use, marijuana is changing the world around you in surprising ways. This new podcast from Colorado Public Radio and PRX explores how life has changed in the aftermath of marijuana legalization across the United States. Journalist Ann Marie Awad shares the personal stories behind the political, legal and cultural effects of legalization.”
Why Listen:
This podcast has great stories from the world of cannabis told with NPR quality storytelling and podcast production. This is a more mainstream format peeking into the world of cannabis, and they do it very well.
Recent Episode:
Have a listen to The Creative Brain on Drugs. This is one of the more interesting perspectives to be heard in the podcasting world on how cannabis can affect the brain and creativity, tackling both the science and personal stories.
The Cannabis Diversity Report
“Each week Tahir Johnson, the National Cannabis Industry Association’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager hosts cannabis industry operators, advocates, and allies to discuss issues related to social equity and highlight their experiences, challenges and success stories as minorities in the cannabis industry.”
Why Listen?
The host is a brilliant interviewer with fascinating guests discussing their experiences as underrepresented minorities in the cannabis industry. The podcast has a positive, optimistic atmosphere and many of the guests are involved in social activism and improving their communities. The interviews are as informative as they are fun to listen to.
Recent Episode:
#024 Ishaq Ali- Eaze is a captivating interview with a young entrepreneur whose company, Eaze, has started a business acceleration program designed to help underrepresented cannabis business founders.
Brave New Weed with Joe Dolce
“Revolutions take hold when many different fibers are woven together to create a strong cloth. The effort to normalize cannabis is the result of healers, wheelers, dealers, politicians, lawyers, scientists, hash makers, glass makers, trouble makers of all sorts, coming together over the course of many years. We want to introduce you to some of those people.”
Why Listen?
This podcast gets different guests and covers different topics than many of the other cannabis podcasts out there. This podcast is smart and compelling and covers topics from CBD and cannabis for health to cannabis laws to social equity in the cannabis industry.
Recent Episode:
Check out Episode 93- Everyone Says They Want Social Equity So Why Can’t Anyone Get It Right? This episode interviews a lawyer who helped write Colorado’s cannabis laws in 2012, and has seen and participated in changes in the legal system, resulting in positive changes as well as challenges regarding social equity and getting those who have been harmed the most by cannabis prohibition to be able to participate in the new legal regime.