Laurie Zrenda is a registered pharmacist with over 27 years of experience. She is also one of the first women to open a cannabis dispensary in the state when Connecticut launched its medical marijuana program in 2014! Laurie recently sat down with Tammy Dungan, the host and founder of the Limitless Ladies Network podcast, to talk about cannabis, women’s health, and how to make the most of your experience when you walk through the door of a cannabis dispensary in East Lyme or anywhere in Connecticut.
One of the most moving moments in Laurie’s interview is a story she tells from the early days of Connecticut’s medical cannabis program. A woman who had been in the Twin Towers on September 11th came into Laurie’s dispensary suffering from PTSD. She had struggled for years to find something that gave her a sense of calm and allowed her to re-engage with the world. Cannabis, she told Laurie, made that possible, and it’s one of the reasons Laurie has spent over a decade doing this work at our East Lyme, CT cannabis dispensary.
We’ve pulled out some of the highlights of the interview below, but listening to the whole conversation is worth your time. The information Laurie shares is the kind that helps people make better, more confident decisions, whether they are brand new to cannabis or have been using it for years.
Having a pharmacist on staff at a cannabis dispensary is one thing. Having one who actually wants to talk to you is another.
At Nightjar East Lyme, our pharmacists have always approached the role differently than the industry norm. Since the medical program launched in Connecticut, the pharmacist role became largely administrative in most dispensaries – reviewing orders, handling compliance, staying behind the scenes. At our East Lyme cannabis dispensary, our pharmacists are on the floor, available for real conversations, and genuinely interested in helping people figure out what might work for their specific situation.
Laurie Zrenda embodies that approach. If you have questions about cannabis that you have been nervous to ask, Nightjar East Lyme is the place to ask them. You can also browse our East Lyme dispensary menu before you visit to get a sense of what we carry.
The Limitless Ladies Network interview focuses heavily on women’s health, and for good reason. Many of the conditions that bring women to a cannabis dispensary in Connecticut – autoimmune disease, chronic inflammation, sleep disruption, menopause symptoms, anxiety – are areas where cannabis users have reported meaningful relief, and where Laurie has seen consistent feedback from patients over many years at our East Lyme location.
And just like Laurie said in the podcast, these are observations from years of patient conversations and a growing body of anecdotal evidence, but not medical advice that you would seek from your doctor. Laurie’s framing throughout is careful and honest: cannabis is not a cure, but for many people it becomes a meaningful part of managing daily life. Here are a few highlights from the conversation:
Cannabis for sleep and menopause. Laurie speaks candidly about her own experience with sleep disruption and how a low dose of THC changed that for her. Sleep is one of the areas where cannabis users report the most consistent results, and it comes up repeatedly in her conversations with patients at our East Lyme dispensary.
Cannabis for inflammation and pain: Cannabis contains compounds that interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system, which plays a role in regulating inflammation. For women managing conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and other inflammatory conditions, both THC and CBD may offer support alongside conventional treatment. Laurie’s general approach is to recommend a combination of both rather than THC alone.
Cannabis for anxiety and mood: Finding the right low dose, Laurie notes, can support a sense of calm and ease without impairment. This is highly individual and requires experimentation, but it is one of the more common reasons women visit our Connecticut dispensary seeking guidance.
Cannabis for autoimmune conditions: Host Tammy Dungan shares her own experience using cannabis during treatment for spondyloarthritis, describing the topical creams and low-dose products that helped her manage symptoms.
THC vs. CBD: The Short Version: If you are new to cannabis, the number of products and acronyms in a dispensary can be overwhelming. Laurie breaks it down clearly in the interview, and here is the short version:
Understanding these basics before you walk in makes the conversation at the counter much more productive, and it helps you advocate for yourself. If you want to explore specific products based on what you just read, browse our current menu at Nightjar East Lyme.
Here is something worth knowing if you currently visit our East Lyme dispensary as a recreational customer: there are real advantages to obtaining your Connecticut medical cannabis card, and the process is more straightforward than most people expect.
A Connecticut medical cannabis card allows you access to products and formats that are not available on the recreational menu, including higher potency options and certain concentrated forms that Laurie references in the interview. If you want to learn more about how to get your Connecticut medical cannabis card, we have a full guide here.
The full conversation between Laurie and the Limitless Ladies Network covers a lot of ground – from specific guidance on dosing edibles versus inhalation, to the science behind the endocannabinoid system explained in plain language, to candid stories from over a decade of working with patients at our East Lyme, CT cannabis dispensary. It is honest, practical, and worth your time. Watch the full interview here: Cannabis and Women’s Wellness: What Every Woman Needs to Know
If anything in this post raises a question, that is exactly the point. Nightjar Cannabis in East Lyme is one of the few dispensaries in Connecticut where you can walk in and find a pharmacist at the counter who’s eager to speak with you immediately or set up an appointment. We serve customers from East Lyme, Niantic, Old Lyme, Waterford, Old Saybrook, Groton, Mystic, and throughout the Connecticut shoreline.
Nightjar is women-owned, independently operated, and built on the belief that people deserve real information and real support. That has been true since we opened, and it is what we think about every time someone walks through the door with a question they have been nervous to ask.
Browse our medical and recreational menus or stop by and say hello. We are here.
