Podcasts once appealed to millennials anatomically attached to their earbuds. They favored Ted Talk sort of speeches. Some of them were motivational, inspirational, or informational. Celebrities and athletes chimed in with messages on their opinions. Politicians started to use them to promote their candidates. And, all sorts of how-to instructions competed with YouTube do-it-yourself videos.

Podcasts have secured their own spot in modern media. They are even pulling people away from social media because they play to the ears of travelers, commuters, and workers too busy to focus on visual media. And, with Alexa and Google Home providing smart listening and speaker talents, the earbuds are no longer necessary to convenient listening.

Edison Research reports, “Podcasting continues to be a growth medium, as 40% of Americans 12+ say they have ever listened to a podcast, while 24% say they have listened to one in the past month, up from 21% one year ago. In addition, six in ten Americans are now familiar with the term ‘podcasting,’ a number that has risen 22% in two years.”

Research also indicates:

27% of listeners are female.

33% of Americans between 25 and 54 listen to podcasts monthly.

40& of podcasts followers listen to an average of seven podcasts weekly.

22% listen to podcasts regularly in their cars.

49% listen at home.

69% of podcasts are consumed on mobile devices.

Clearly, podcasts have become a dominant media platform serving millions and promising lucrative returns for sponsors. It’s an environment suited to and beneficial for the cannabis industry.

Some popular cannabis podcasts worth checking out:

1. The Potcast: April Flores and Milcah Halili (Manny Blunts and AdaMaCaDocious) offer up some valuable info during their hour several times a month. They offer much more than two stoners mumbling and giggling on the air.

They manage—with a lot of good humor—to interview serious players in the cannabis culture, sometimes in two or three-hour sessions. They talk breeding, growing, law, politics, medicine, and more. The hosts understand the media and limitations of the media platform, so they prepare good questions and provoke impactful answers.

The Potcast is an informative and comfortable way of learning and staying current on good and bad news about the canna-industry, developing products, and the future of advocacy. It’s available free to iTunes account holders.

2. High Friends: With the increase in women listeners, High Friends targets female friends of cannabis. The show focuses on the many high-profile women in the cannabis industry. Hosts Gill Polard and Rachel Colic interview thought leaders and decision makers regardless of gender. Polard is the Chief Creative Officer, Founder, and Publisher of The Her(b), and Colic is Founder of Friends of Eve and a Cannabis Brand Strategy Consultant.

Serious business professionals, they launched this bi-weekly podcast with a wide range of topics, including maternal concerns with medicinal marijuana, the latest in cannabis research, the craft of breeding product and growing pot at home, and the marketing benefits of retail décor. High Friends is also available through Apple.

3. Getting Doug with High: Canna podcasts can be funny. Several are just bad enough to get a few laughs. Aimless and thrown together, they are hosted by stoned folks who know nohting about journalism or broadcasting. A few are funny on purpose, but Doug Benson is a polished comedian and satirist hosting Getting Doug with High.

Benson gets baked while interviewing a guest on each hourly broadcast. He favors other canna-prone comedians as guests. Episodes date back to 2014, and one is funnier than the next. Followers recommend smoking along with the host and quest as you listen or watch Doug’s YouTube videos. There are also The Joe Rogan Experience and Great Moments in Weed History, but they lack the originality and consistency of Getting Doug with High.

4. Blunt Business: This podcast is all business. Blunt Business is interesting and informative as it focuses on the canna-economy. Hosts interview leaders in entrepreneurial opportunities with each episode devoted to a specific business issue.

The podcast covers financing a retail pharmacy, handling cash flow issues, state compliance issues, banking, merchant services, and more. These issues are important to those currently in the business, those hoping to enter the business, and those with businesses in the canna dispensary supply chain. You’ll find Blunt Business on iHeart Radio, iTunes, and Stitcher.

5. The Russ Belville Show or The Marijuana Agenda: Few people rank with Russ Belville in terms of expertise, advocacy, and engagement. His podcasts cover every aspect of cannabis use and cannabis business. But he has a strong focus on keeping listeners current on current and future legislation.

Deeply involved with NORML, he writes for High Times, Marijuana Politics, and other top-shelf information sources. He broadcasts from Portland, OR but travels extensively to test waters in every state, Canada, Israel, and other markets. You can follow “Radical” Russ Bellville on YouTube. You can pick up his The Marijuana Agenda on Spotify. PodBean, and Stitcher. And, The Russ Bellville episodes are on HuffPost and Pot.TV. You can access all these through iTunes or GooglePlay.

Look for more

There is nothing spectacular about the podcast technology. It’s rather the result of putting technology towards a different target. You might prefer CannaInsider, The Hash, The Adam Dunn Show, Cannabis Economy, or dozens of others.

Some favor entertainment, some offer lessons in serious business, and some mix the flavors to engage and inform. But podcasts provide an expanding market for access and sponsorship. At the very least, they are something to listen to while others around you are prattling on about how much they know about cannabis.