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The CBD-heavy Tang strain is perfect for easing back into post-pandemic life. blair stenvick

It’s no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic was a greenrush for Oregon’s cannabis industry. People turned to weed to ease their anxiety and depression, and to make staying at home a little more fun.

As more people get vaccinated, Portlanders can begin to have some semblance of a social life again—or return to the workplace, or even just run more errands. And just as pot was a salve during the lockdowns, cannabis products can also help you come out of your quarantine cocoon and emerge as a social butterfly.

But the high-potency, couch-locking weed you consumed over the last year might not be the best choice for socializing. Hanging out and being out in the world again is going to feel weird for a while, and you need something that will both keep you calm, and embolden you to engage with your fellow humans.

“At the beginning [of the pandemic], people were getting blasted, almost ignoring the issues of the world,” says Stephen Davenport, an award-winning budtender who’s general manager at the MindRite dispensary in Northwest Portland. Now, Davenport says, “you have to come to your senses—but you still want some relief.”

Davenport recently recommended some cannabis products to the Mercury that should help with social anxiety. The mix of flower strains, edibles, and concentrates all have one thing in common: They have a balance of both THC and CBD, providing the “uplifting effects” of THC and the “seatbelt” effect of anxiety-soothing CBD.

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