A common issue that is present in the cannabis market is the inconsistency of products. As an agricultural crop, it can be tricky for suppliers to deliver the same product to consumers time and again, and this is one of the areas that Michael Backes, our guest for today's episode, is tackling through his work at Perfect Blends!

In our chat, Michael shares his personal journey into the cannabis space, and how his history of migraines aided him in discovering the powers of medical marijuana. From there, he talks about opening his first dispensary, and the basics of what we currently know about terpenes. We also get to grips with some important terminology, before Michael shares a few tips for healthier cannabis use.

One of the simplest and most helpful takeaways from Michael is the usefulness of our noses, and as Michael reminds us, that was all he used to have to help him identify different strains! We finish off this illuminating conversation considering where Perfect is headed next and the importance of regulating the supply chain in the space before we touch in with Debbie Churgai for our AFSA segment.

Key Points From This Episode:

• A few of Perfect's innovative products!
• Michael's issues with migraines and how this led to him rediscovering cannabis. 
• The dispensary that Michael opened in Eagle Rock in 2006.
• Michael shares some of his insight and research into what we know about terpenes. 
• Tracing and verifying different famous strains in today's climate.  
• Michael unpacks the meaning of the terms 'chemovar' and 'cultivar'.  
• Thoughts on how to treat and care for your cannabis products.
• Sipping instead of ripping; Michael shares the safest smoking practices.  
• The challenges of building a better medical cannabis model.  
• Looking to the short term-term future with Michael and what to expect from Perfect!
• How Perfect is tackling the issue of consistency with their products.  
• The need for more care and control over the supply chain in the cannabis space.  
• Today's AFSA segment featuring a rundown of the organization's mission. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Cannigma
Michael Backes on Instagram
Cannabis Pharmacy
Perfect
Pick Me Up Infused Mini Preroll 3-packs
MJBizCon
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Storz & Bickel
Alien Labs
Emerald Cup
Debbie Churgai on LinkedIn
Americans for Safe Access

Today on the show we welcome chef Jordan Wagman to talk about the work he is doing to incorporate cannabis into his amazing cooking as a way of advocating for its health benefits. Jordan starts by talking about how his early relationship with cannabis began when he was diagnosed with psoriasis and used it as a way of easing the pain. Years later, after he had become a chef, he made drastic changes to his diet involving the inclusion of cannabis along with the exclusion of refined sugar, and thereafter experienced tremendous health benefits.

Now Jordan is on a mission to help others have a similar experience to him and we spend our discussion asking him about how he cooks with cannabis, his favorite recipes, and how the average person can start to build their own amateur cannabis kitchen. Jordan talks about his method for making delicious cannabis-infused emulsifications and the value of using a cannabinoid that you purchased as far as incorporating the right dose. He speaks about his famous fruit leather recipe and why it makes such a good on-the-go snack. He also shares top tips for the best kinds of appliances and methods to use at home so that you can make delicious food using cannabis as an ingredient.

After our enlightening conversation with Jordan, we welcome William Dolphin onto the show for our ASA segment, where we discuss the journey to understanding the relationship between cannabis and mental health. William Describes a discrepancy between what doctors say about cannabis and the way it is used, shares case studies that disrupt the perception that it is dangerous for mental health, and speaks about the challenge posed by doctors who are doing their research from within a ‘harm paradigm’. For all this and more, tune in with us today!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Perspectives on cannabis as a source of food.
• An introduction into Jordan and the work he does with food and cannabis.
• How Jordan ended up being a cannabis chef.
• Jordan’s struggle with psoriasis which led him to seek sunshine and smoke pot.
• How Jordan realized the health benefits of cannabis in food and began to advocate for them.
• How the removal of refined sugar from his diet helped Jordan’s health.
• Jordan’s method of preparing for that contains cannabis but not refined sugar.
• How to start experimenting with making your own edibles a home.
• The importance of immersing your cannabis product well into your cooking.
• How important it is to purchase your own cannabinoids.
• How much easier it is to introduce people to cannabis consumption over food.
• The must-haves when it comes to building an amateur cannabis kitchen.
• Jordan’s favorite recipe and why he loves his fruit leather so much.
• Whether it makes a difference what food you consume cannabis with.
• Perspectives on the new frontier of consumption lounges and cannabis restaurants.
• William Dolphin joins us for our ASA segment.
• How different what doctors say about cannabis is from what people who use cannabis experience with it.
• That cannabis is often associated with mental health disorders although people use it to self-medicate those.
• New case studies that disrupt perceptions that cannabis causes mental illness.
• The need for more careful research on how cannabis affects mental health.
• The need to get away from the harm paradigm that cannabis is studied under.

 Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Chef Jordan Wagman
Chef Jordan Wagman on Twitter

Welcome to another episode of the Cannabis Enigma! We’ve got something a little different for you today. We’ll be talking about how visual storytelling can be used in the cannabis space with Anthony Travagliante. 

Hear the tale of how Anthony came to work in the cannabis space, telling the stories of cannabis brands and making them accessible to non-users. Find out how he has overcome some of the challenges caused by COVID, what he enjoys most about the industry, and the strides it is making in business. Elana is uniquely positioned to review his services for listeners, having hired Anthony herself, she closes her conversation with him with a shining recommendation.

During the second half of our conversation, we are joined by Abbey Roudebush for the ASA segment, who gives us some insight on the newly published State of States Report. Learn what's included in the report, how the dataset is compiled, and who it is intended to educate. Abbey shares why they have totally revamped the scale and metric they once used to calibrate this kind of data and leaves us with the big takeaway that no state is perfect, but some are making strides. Join us to hear all this and more today! 

Key Points From This Episode:

• An introduction to today’s topic: how visual storytelling can be used in the cannabis space.
• Meet today’s guest, Anthony Travagliante, and how he is connected to our community.
• Lockdown challenges and how they sparked creativity while shooting.
• The story of how Anthony came to work in the cannabis space as a storyteller.
• What he enjoys about the industry and what it is doing in business.
• How he sees his role in telling the story within the cannabis space.
• His favorite target audience: the people who wouldn’t usually be interested.
• Some of the biggest challenges he faces with different clients.
• Who his ideal clients are for web, photo and design, and events, and what he does for them.
• A plug for his brother Dustin’s shop in Brunswick, selling inhalables.
• Elana Goldberg’s positive review of Anthony’s services after having hired him.
• An introduction to the ASA segment of the show with Abbey Roudebush, Director of Government Affairs at Americans for Safe Access.
• We discuss the State of States Report that came out this week. 
• What the report and assessment consist of.
• The main audience for the report: policymakers across the country.
• The individualized recommendations included in the report.
• How they have totally revamped the scale and metric they once used. 
• How the majority of the states are not doing well on the grading system.
• Where to find the full report.
• The big takeaway she wants to share: no state is perfect.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Anthony Travagliante on LinkedIn
Anthony Travagliante on Twitter
Anthony Travagliante on Instagram
Americans for Safe Access
State of the States
Trav Media Group
WebFlow
Abbey Roudebush on LinkedIn
Cannigma

In light of Black History Month, we feel it is important and relevant to talk about how minorities in the United States and around the world have been disproportionately affected by drug policy and the war on drugs. Part of our conversation today centers on how we can break down barriers and find ways to build cannabis companies that are minority-owned and uplift them.

Joining us for this discussion is Steven Philpott Jr., one of our science reviewers at The Cannigma and a cannabis trichome expert who is getting his master's in Plant Sciences. Steve is also one of the co-founders of the Illinois Minority Growers Association and is heavily involved in social equity and minority issues within the cannabis space.

 As part of his master’s degree, Steve is currently using electron microscopes to take super close-up pictures of trichomes, tiny protrusions on cannabis plants. Tuning in, you’ll hear more about what these trichomes are and why they’re important. Steve sheds light on his experience in the military and how losing friends to opioid use led him to become interested in cannabis. We also discuss the disparity between what is taught at medical school and what science actually shows us. 

To hear more about Steven’s research, what he hopes it will lead to, his predictions for the future of cannabis, how he is helping those most harmed by the war on drugs, and how you can help too, tune in today!

Key Points From This Episode:

Some background into how minorities have been disproportionately affected by drug policy and the war on drugs.

• The upcoming webinar that showcases Black-owned and social equity-focused brands. 
• An introduction to Steven Philpott Jr and his involvement in social equity and minority issues within the cannabis space.
• Insight into the catalog of trichomes that Steven is currently working on. 
• What trichomes are and why they’re important.
• How Steve’s experience with the military led him to become interested in cannabis.  
• How his experience as a strength conditioning coach for athletes increased his interest in cannabis.  
• Insight into the research he is currently doing.
• The disparity between what is taught at medical school and what science actually shows us. 
• What Steve hopes his research may lead to.   
• The problems with a system driven by THC research and how Steve is doing things differently.
• The Minority Growers Association and Steve’s role in it.
• The importance of recruiting the people who were most harmed by the war on drugs. 
• What Steve predicts for the future of cannabis. 
• The connection between hemp and fungal networks and some of the other subjects that Steve is interested in.
• Hear about cannabinoid testing in the Americans for Safe Access segment with Heather Despres. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Steven Philpott Jr on LinkedIn
Illinois Minority Growers Association 
Harrington Institute  
Cleveland School of Cannabis
Heather Despres 
Americans for Safe Access
Elana Goldberg
Dr. Codi Peterson
The Cannigma

By now, we’ve all heard of the concept of using cannabis to treat ailments like cancer, ALS, Parkinson’s, seizures, HIV, AIDS, Crohn’s, and terminal illnesses, but fortunately, those aren’t necessarily what physicians are most commonly confronted with. What then, can be done about things like anxiety, pain, insomnia, fibromyalgia, endometriosis, and other women’s health issues? 

Today we are joined by Dr. Melanie Bone, a physician in Florida practicing cannabis-based medicine. Dr. Bone has an impressive medical background from working as an OBGYN and delivering thousands (literally thousands!) of babies, to doing robotic surgery, and now, helping geriatric patients navigate cannabis medicine. In this episode, we hone in on one particular sphere of interest, and that is the way that Dr. Bone has integrated her OBGYN expertise with her medicinal cannabis practice. We hear about how her son’s run-in with cannabis set her forth on her research and ignited her passion, and how Dr. Bone integrates cannabis to alleviate women’s health issues. She lists the various women’s health issues that can be treated with cannabis, from debilitating menstrual cramps to sexual function, and breaks down the endocannabinoid system and the effects of vaginal suppositories. We find out how women and other estrogen-predominant people react differently to cannabis than men and those with more testosterone, and why microdosing is far more effective for the former. As it turns out, edibles also affect women differently, and Dr. Bone explains the ‘start low and go slow’ method that they should be approached with.

We move on to dissect Florida's current cannabis market and prescribing model, speculating on the dangers of over-regulation going forward. Dr. Bone fills us in on why she doesn’t believe the THC limit model to be of much use, and why she is such a fan of ratio products! Tune in for this informative episode on cannabis and women’s health, straight from the source of someone who truly has seen it all!

Key points from this episode:

• The cannabis laws in Florida, where Dr. Melanie Bone is based.
• Dr. Bone’s medical background and how she came to merge cannabis with her OBGYN expertise.
• The science behind why women react differently to cannabis than men, taking the trans population into consideration.
• How Dr. Bone integrates cannabis to help with women’s health.
• The various women’s health issues that can be treated with cannabis!
• Dr. Bone breaks down the endocannabinoid system and the effects of vaginal suppositories.
• Why Dr. Bone takes the “start low and go slow” approach to treatment.
• The effectiveness of microdosing for women, and the symptoms it can resolve.
• Why women respond differently to edibles than men and how they should approach them.
• Dr. Bone dissects Florida's current cannabis market and prescribing model.
• The government's concerns about diversion in terms of cannabis recreational legalization.
• The dangers of over-regulation.
• The medicinal benefits of CBD to THC ratio products.
• Heather Despres briefly joins us to discuss the work Americans for Safe Access is doing to advance cannabis therapeutics for use and research.

Links mentioned in today’s episode:

Cannigma
Dr. Melanie Bone
Dr. Melanie Bone on LinkedIn
Dr. Melanie Bone on Twitter
Dr. Melanie Bone on Instagram
Parallel

The decades-long War on Drugs campaign in America has been incredibly successful at spreading harmful rhetoric and shaping people’s perception of cannabis use. The resulting prejudice can often discourage folks from seeking out medical cannabis as an option, and can even affect state legislature, forcing patients to overcome unnecessary and prohibitive obstacles in order to receive the treatment they need.

Today on the show we welcome Nikki Lawley, a Traumatic Brain Injury Survivor, and founder of NIKKI and the Plant, an advocacy group for medical marijuana use, with a special focus on helping women who have suffered a TBI. We talk with Nikki about her life-altering TBI, her previous prejudices around cannabis use, and how her journey led her to the founding of NIKKI and the Plant. After being prescribed over 60 medications and seeing dozens of healthcare professionals, Nikki finally found relief and a reason to be optimistic when she tried medical cannabis. In our conversation, Nikki shares how difficult it was transitioning from her role as a nurse, and health care provider, to being a patient. She explains how the state legislature in New York prevented her from accessing the medication she needed, as well as how difficult it was navigating the world of medical cannabis and finding a product that reliably worked for her.

We delve into Nikki’s advocacy work, her approach to addressing people’s prejudices, and why she is dedicated to changing the narrative around medical cannabis use. Nikki’s story is deeply inspirational, and we are honored to have had her on the show. It’s an imported reminder of the real-world impact that medical marijuana and advocacy can have on the lives of everyday individuals!

Key points from this episode:

• An introduction to cannabis use for traumatic brain injuries (TBI).
• Some of the early evidence on the positive effects that cannabis could have for TBIs.
• An introduction to Nikki, how she received a TBI, and her difficult journey from nurse to patient.
• How Nikki found medical cannabis and how it transformed her recovery.
• Nikki’s previous opinion of cannabis and how her worldview was shaped by the "War on Drugs" rhetoric.
• Nikki’s first dispensary experience and why the initial results were so frustrating.
• Why Nikki’s unique digestive system affects her ability to absorb fat-soluble products effectively.
• Why this hampered the efficacy of the cannabinoid products she was using at the time.
• How Nikki’s friends in Canada, and her support network, helped her persevere in her journey with medical cannabis.
• The founding of NIKKI and the plant as an advocacy and awareness initiative. 
• How their mission focuses on helping women with TBIs.
• Why Nikki remains motivated in helping and empowering patients to institute change in the medical industry.
• How Nikki approaches naysayers and people’s prejudice against cannabis use.
• The Americans for Safe Access segment: the compliance, certification, and training side of ASA’s offerings to the industry.

Links mentioned in today’s episode:

NIKKI and the plant
Nikki Lawley on LinkedIn
Nikki Lawley on Instagram
Nikki Lawley on Facebook
Heather Despres on LinkedIn
Cannigma

Steve DeAngelo is the true definition of a cannabis advocate. From the first time he was introduced to the plant in the 1960’s he has dedicated his life’s work to its legalization. From his time as one of Washington, DC’s largest distributors of underground cannabis, through his creation of three iconic cannabis companies in California, to his current role as an educator and advisor, Steve has a wealth of knowledge and inspiration to share.  

As you’ll hear in today’s episode, there are various ways to legalize cannabis, some that can actually do more harm than good. In Steve’s eyes (and now in ours after this conversation with Steve) New York is leading the charge in terms of progressive cannabis legislation, and the rest of the world would do well to take note!

Join us today as we take a trip from the very beginnings of the cannabis-human relationship, which began in Central Asia, all the way through to the present, where this wondrous herb is used for everything from chronic pain to sparking creativity. 

Key points from this episode:

• Why Elana and Codi are such big fans of today’s guest, Steve DeAngelo.
• Steve’s initial motivation for becoming a cannabis activist.
• A brief rundown of what the first 25 years of Steve’s cannabis activism looked like.
• The disillusioning experience which pushed Steve from Washington, DC to California.
• Three companies that Steve founded, each the first of its kind in a certain sector of the cannabis industry.
• What Steve’s current role in the cannabis industry looks like.
• How perceptions around cannabis have changed since Steve became an activist, and the future he sees for the plant.
• Steve explains the progressive law which has put New York at the frontlines of the Cannabis Freedom Movement.
• The problem with the way California has handled cannabis legalization.
• How the corporatization of cannabis impacts those who rely on the plant for medical use.
• Why Steve believes there is no such thing as recreational cannabis. 
• A brief history of the spirituality that has always been associated with cannabis.
• Steve shares a regret that he has from the early days of his cannabis activism.
• An important call to action from Steve.
• The Americans for Safe Access segment: diving into the microbial world.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Steve DeAngelo Website
Last Prisoner Project
Harborside
Steep Hill Laboratory
The Arcview Group
Flow Kana
Americans for Safe Access
Cannigma

Israel is world-renowned for the research and innovation that is taking place there, and unofficial data suggests that around 20% of the Israeli population uses cannabis. Despite this, being in possession of a prescription is the only way that cannabis can be legally consumed. Though hopefully this will not be the case for much longer. 

Today’s guest is Itai Rogel, the Vice President of Business Development at Israeli cannabis company, Bazelet. Bazelet currently has two registered patents, 40 applications out in various stages, and is one of the two largest cannabis companies in Israel.

In today’s episode you’ll hear about some of the unique qualities of the Israeli cannabis market (and Bazelet), why it is such a challenge to legalize cannabis in the country, and the approach to legalization that Itai thinks makes the most sense for his country.  

Key points from this episode:

• Itai shares a picture of what the cannabis market currently looks like in Israel.
• The forms of cannabis which can be purchased by consumers in Israel.
• Conditions for which people in Israel are able to receive cannabis prescriptions.
• Tensions that exist within the Israeli cannabis market.
• A quality that differentiates Bazelet from other medical cannabis companies.
• An overview of what Bazelet does, and how it has evolved over the years.
• The brand Bazelet has developed which is specifically focused on women's health.
• Itai weighs in on what he thinks the cannabis industry is going to look like in Israel in the future.
• Unofficial data on cannabis usage in Israel.
• The angle through which Itai believes cannabis legalization should be approached. 
• Similarities between the Israeli and Australian cannabis markets.
• Why cannabis should not be subjected to the same level of clinical trials as pharmaceuticals.
• The Americans for Safe Access segment: focusing on the difference between medical cannabis and adult use cannabis.

Links mentioned in today’s episode:

Bazelet Group
Itai Rogel on LinkedIn
Americans for Safe Access
Cannigma

Anyone who has ever tried to convince someone to change their mind over something they feel strongly about knows that it can be an impossible battle, and the only way to succeed is by taking the long view and embracing gradual change. The same can be said for changing public attitudes towards cannabis. In today’s episode, we speak with JM Pedini, Development Director for NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. NORML has been representing responsible consumers since 1970, and through their efforts and activism have seen public opinion change drastically in the past fifty years. By sufficiently moving the needle on public opinion, NORML aims to legalize the responsible use of marijuana by adults, and subsequently ensure access to products that are safe, convenient, and affordable. In our conversation with JM, we discuss their work as Development Director for NORML, how their experiences with cancer led them to NORML, and how NORML supports its affiliate chapters that are doing grassroots work to affect public policy changes both locally and internationally. We discuss the changes that have taken place since NORML was founded, and why advancing public policy is reliant on understanding where your state legislature currently stands and what they’re emotionally comfortable with. To hear more of JM’s thoughts on the importance of small victories, how to build momentum, and patient rights, tune in today!

The Cannabis Enigma podcast is a co-production of The Cannigma and Americans for Safe Access. Elana Goldberg is the executive producer and co-host. Dr. Codi Peterson is co-producer and co-host. This episode was edited by our friends atWe Edit Podcasts. Music by Desca.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

JM Pedini on LinkedIn

NORML

Virginia NORML

Subscribe to NORML News

Cannigma

Finding the correct dosage and combination of cannabinoid products for medical treatment is almost universally a long and expensive process of trial and error. And for the most part, patients are undertaking this journey alone and often with little guidance.

This week on The Cannabis Enigma Podcast we get together with Otha Smith III, CEO, and Founder at Tetragram, a smart, digital platform that helps users get the most out of medical cannabis. We each have a unique endocannabinoid system, which makes finding the right dosage and combination of products a challenging process. There is also a lack of access to healthcare professionals, and experts in the field, to guide patients through this complicated process. There is still a long way to go in building a model that serves all patients, but in the meantime, Tetragram is providing an essential service for bridging that gap. The app helps patients make sense of their journey by simplifying the information and supplying data-driven insights into their regimen and its effects. It includes a space for journaling, an imperative aspect of improving your experience, as well as tools for determining the chemical profile of the cannabis you’re using and how that correlates with your experience with medical cannabis. 

In our conversation with Otha, we talk about how Tetragram has been able to help its patients, how federal and state laws affect access to medical cannabis and what we can expect of government legislation in the coming years. We delve into how data can further our understanding of different types of cannabis and why standardization is desperately needed in the industry.

The Cannabis Enigma podcast is a co-production of The Cannigma and Americans for Safe Access. Elana Goldberg is the executive producer and co-host. Dr. Codi Peterson is co-producer and co-host. This episode was edited by our friends atWe Edit Podcasts. Music by Desca.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Otha Smith III on LinkedIn

Tetragram

Tetragram on Instagram

Tetragram on LinkedIn

Marijuana Venture

MJBizCon

Debbie Churgai on LinkedIn

The Cannigma

The Cannabis Enigma Podcast is wrapping up its first season. After 39 interviews with frontline doctors, researchers, patients, caregivers, practitioners, and expert storytellers, we are taking a summer break as we prepare for season two.

For the season finale, hosts Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man and Elana Goldberg each choose three of their favorite interviews that they aired in the first season, discuss why those conversations are important to them, and play a short clip from each one.

Listen to each of the full interviews here:

1. No Time for Clinical Trials, with Catherine Jacobson
2. Dr. Ethan Russo Says Cannabis Can Be Better Yet
3. CBD Nation: Cannabis Science for the Masses, With David Jakubovic
4. A Rural Canadian Doctor Prescribes Cannabis for the First Time, With Dr. Tiffany Keenan
5. Using Cannabis to Treat Autism, With Dr. Orit Stolar
6. So You Think You Know About Cannabis, With Dr. Codi Peterson, PharmD

We hope you enjoyed the first season and we can’t wait to start popping back into your feed in a few months!

Make sure you’re subscribed so that you get a notification when we’re back. And follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn.

The Cannabis Enigma podcast is a co-production of The Cannigma and Americans for Safe Access. Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man is the executive producer, editor, and co-host. Elana Goldberg is co-producer and co-host. Music by Desca.

Max Simon was a closeted cannabis user since his teen years. But it wasn’t until years later, when he got into the cannabis education business, that he understood the reason he had been so drawn to it all those years was because it was helping his ADHD.

“It’s an interesting thing to realize that you’ve tried and experimented with all the ‘accepted therapies’ and they’ve been damaging,” Simon said on The Cannabis Enigma podcast, “and the one that’s been most effective and supportive has been the most demonized.”

Simon discusses how that process played out, how he found the dose and regimen that works for him, and what exactly cannabis does for him as someone with ADHD.

Today, Max Simon is the founder and CEO of Green Flower, a cannabis education company that offers training programs for employees for some of the biggest companies in the industry, online courses for people who want to work in cannabis, and programs in partnerships with 10 colleges and universities across the United States.

In this episode, Simon and host Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man discuss how to ensure that medical and adult-use patients have access to the best and latest information out there, how to get them that information in dispensaries, and the role that companies like Green Flower can play.

The Cannabis Enigma is a co-production of The Cannigma and Americans for Safe Access. Executive producer, Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man. Music by Desca.

When it comes to regulating and producing medicalized cannabis products, different countries have a variety of approaches. The American field of medicalized cannabis has followed a very different path to Europe. 

In today’s episode, we speak with Stephen Murphy, co-founder and CEO of Prohibition Partners, a cannabis-focused business intelligence and consultancy company. Prohibition Partners LIVE, its flagship conference, will be taking place later this month.

In our conversation, we discuss the ways that Europe and North America differ when it comes to cannabis and what we can learn from those differences. 

In Europe, Murphy explains, cannabis products are held to the same standards of accountability and repeatability as other pharmaceuticals. While these high standards are certainly good practice, it doesn’t adequately consider that cannabis is a plant, which means it does not have the same stability as chemical compounds.

We discuss the lack of access this results in for patients, the differences between hemp and cannabis with higher levels of THC, and the tremendous proven environmental benefits of growing cannabis and producing hemp that could play a big role in the fight against global warming, which Stephen is eager to discuss in the upcoming Prohibition Partners LIVE conference.

Executive producer, Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man. The Cannabis Enigma podcast is a co-production of The Cannigma and Americans for Safe Access. Music by Desca.

What happens when you lock 20 women in a hospital for nearly 100 days and make them smoke two joints each night? Well, if it were up to the Canadian researchers responsible for the experiment, we’d never know.

Nearly half a century later, the story of the at times cruel experiment is being told in a new film — ”The Marijuana Conspiracy.”

Speaking with The Cannabis Enigma podcast this week are director and producer Craig Pryce and one of the original women who took part in the cannabis-fueled experiment, Doreen Brown.

What started out as a fun escape, as Doreen tells it, became anything but after a while. And when she set out to discover what conclusions had been drawn from her participation, she was stonewalled by the researchers and the foundation funding the study.

“It was like no one even admitted that that experiment happened,” Brown said.

***

Links to images of endocannabinoid receptors: The ribbons (and more ribbons)

Produced by Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man. The Cannabis Enigma is a co-production of The Cannigma and Americans for Safe Access. Music by Desca.

As both a regulated medicine and something people use for wellness and even recreation, the information gaps that exist for cannabis users are unprecedented.

“Any other medication and you’re lawfully entitled to speak to a pharmacist,” explains Dr. Cody Peterson, a clinical pharmacist and medical cannabis professional. “The law states, you must be ensured the opportunity to speak with someone like me.” 

With cannabis, Dr. Peterson, continues, your best source of education is often a budtender with nothing more than a high school education.

“I’m here to tell you that there is more going on and there is more to the story of consuming cannabis than just going to someone and saying, ‘I want an indica’ and ‘Here, smoke it.’”

In this episode with Dr. Peterson, we discuss common mistakes people make when they use cannabis, and why new cannabis technologies and products can get a little too far ahead of the science sometimes. 

Dr. Peterson also explains why labeling something isolated in a lab as “plant-based” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s always a good thing.

“We’re creating our own issues — nature in my experience has done it better than we have, and so that’s why I think cannabis botanical needs to be preserved as well,” Dr. Peterson says. 

“When you start messing around with isolating molecules from a plant, it seems to be when we see more side effects.”

Produced by Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man. The Cannabis Enigma is a co-production of The Cannigma and Americans for Safe Access. Music by Desca.

Cannabis is becoming more mainstream and available to nearly one in three Americans, yet most cannabis consumers aren’t educated enough to buy the right products for their needs. Apart from poor experiences, this can lead to unhealthy consumption. 

For Matthew O’Brien, editor and founder of the Four PM newsletter, one of the most important places to start is by setting their expectations properly — primarily that “cannabis affects everyone differently.” In this episode of The Cannabis Enigma podcast, Matthew unpacks how that lack of information negatively impacts the industry.

As Matthew explains in the episode, budtenders are often best positioned yet ill-equipped to serve their customers: “I’ve seen some very crazy conversations occur in cannabis retail stores — we’re asking individuals to provide a service which they just have not in any context being provided with the right support to actually provide.”

Later in the show, Matthew discusses the potential for cannabinoids to experience a huge upswing as the industry matures. The key question he asks is whether “THC is popular because it’s the best cannabinoid? Or is THC popular because of a lack of choice?”

Produced by Elana Goldberg and Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man. The Cannabis Enigma is a co-production of The Cannigma and Americans for Safe Access. Music by Desca.

Very few medical cannabis advocates are against the full legalization of the plant for all adults. But sometimes one unintended consequence of adult-use legalization is that the market no longer caters to medical patients.

“Medical users, over time, are finding that the products that they want and need — they can no longer find on the shelves, or those products are more expensive,” explains Dr. Ruth Fisher, an economist who specializes in the market dynamics of cannabis. “And so they're kind of getting squeezed out. And I think that that's a real problem.”

In this episode of The Cannabis Enigma Podcast, host Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man interviews Dr. Fisher about the various ways medical and adult-use cannabis markets interact. For instance, why is adult-use legalization almost always preceded by medical cannabis legalization?

Dr. Fisher, author of the book "The Medical Cannabis Primer," also discusses how the remaining stigmas surrounding cannabis shape many of the dynamics and barriers facing both the medical and recreational markets. The fact that cannabis has been used in secret and behind closed doors for so long contributes to the ongoing perception of danger many people associate with it, she says.

“If cannabis were used more openly by people, I think that we wouldn't have a lot of the problems that we're having today,” Dr. Fischer says.

At the end of the episode, Debbie Churgai, executive director of Americans for Safe Access, discusses the various ways that military veterans — who could very much benefit from medical cannabis — have difficulty accessing it and the ways that the Veterans Administration can address that issue.

Produced by Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man. The Cannabis Enigma is a co-production of The Cannigma and Americans for Safe Access. Music by Desca.

When Mara Gordon started using medical cannabis there wasn’t any lab testing — or any way to know how much of each cannabinoid or terpene was in a given strain . There was definitely no way of ensuring that you got the same effect from it consistently.

So she drew on her training as a process engineer and decided to start doing it herself.

Gordon has been featured in the Netflix documentary, Weed the People, and owns and operates two medical cannabis companies. 

One of the things she does is collect and analyze data about cannabis products and how patients with different medical conditions respond to them. All of that data is packaged into software doctors can use to manage their patients’ medical marijuana treatment.

“I know how to collect data. I know how to analyze data. I know how to make incredibly good medicine, but [doctors] have to be the ones managing [their] patients’ care,” Gordon says on The Cannabis Enigma Podcast.

What’s one of the most surprising things she’s learned from all of that data? “The lack of correlation between the weight of the patient and the dose,” Gordon says. “That was shocking.”

This episode was originally released in December 2019.

Produced by Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man and Elana Goldberg, and edited and mixed by Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man. The Cannabis Enigma Podcast is a co-production of Americans for Safe Access and The Cannigma. Music by Desca.

A lot has changed for the cannabis industry in the last 10 years. Yet, one thing we can’t seem to shake is the negative stigma that follows it around. In this episode, we speak with a woman who once feared and dismissed cannabis, only to become an activist for it in later life. 

“I thought it was dangerous,” says Joyce Gerber, “I believed it killed brain cells.” This all changed for Joyce when she and her husband traveled to Denver to experience cannabis under the guidance of industry expert, Goldie from City Sessions. 

Ever since then, Joyce has enjoyed a different outlook on cannabis, normalized it in her private life, turned it into a second career, and aims to tear down the stigma attached to it for the broader public. 

“It's not my natural habitat. People think this is some joke. They think it's a bunch of guys on a couch eating Cheetos. Maybe that was my preconception as well. [Now], I’m working in this industry, and every week I’m bringing on a new professional to talk on The Canna Mom Podcast about what they're doing in the industry. It's transformative.”

With this mission in mind, Joyce was able to create a successful podcast during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. In her pursuit to share stories of hope and to change the narrative, Joyce has interviewed over 50 inspirational guests and continues to be an advocate for cannabis change.   

Produced by Elana Goldberg and Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man. The Cannabis Enigma is a co-production of The Cannigma and Americans for Safe Access. Music by Desca.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

The Canna Mom Show
The Canna Mom Show on Facebook
The Canna Mom Show on Instagram
The Canna Mom Show on LinkedIn
Joyce Gerber on LinkedIn
The Cannigma
City Sessions
Dr. Dustin Sulak

Finding the right cannabis product can be a daunting task for anyone, let alone a new medical patient without any guidance.

When you walk into a hardware store, pharmacy, or even a liquor store, if you don't know exactly what product will meet your needs there's someone educated enough to point you to the right product and the data to back up that recommendation, says Tyler Dautrich, COO of Releaf.

"That's not really available in the cannabis industry," he explained on the Cannabis Enigma podcast. "That's where we're trying to fill that need and plug that gap and help individuals inform their purchase decision."

The Releaf app allows users to journal and track what cannabis products they are using and what effects they have in order to build an evidence-based treatment regime.

Anonymized data also helps scientists better understand the cannabis plant and what products and chemical profiles are most effective for treating different conditions and symptoms.

Produced by Elana Goldberg and Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man. Edited and mixed by Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man. Music by Desca. The Cannabis Enigma podcast is a co-production of The Cannigma and Americans for Safe Access.

Full transcript will be added soon.

When Kevin Nafte and his wife moved from Northern California’s Emerald Triangle to Uruguay, they already knew that they wanted to empower small, family farms to compete in the global cannabis industry. They had seen it work in California, and were determined to bring a similar model to South America.

Less than three years later, they have 11 farms in their network and have already exported tons of cannabis to Europe.

Speaking on The Cannabis Enigma podcast, Nafte explained the social and environmental vision of his company, YVY Life Sciences, and why he believes that there is a place for small farmers like those in his network in the global cannabis economy.

He also explained what cannabis access looks like in the first country to legalize, and his own experience developing cannabis formulations to treat an auto-immune disorder.

In the second part of the episode, Andrew Coon, policy coordinator for Americans for Safe Access, explains the significance of two recent political feats: the passage of the MORE Act in the House of Representatives, and the UN decision to reschedule cannabis.

Produced, edited, and mixed by Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man. The Cannabis Enigma podcast is a co-production of The Cannigma and Americans for Safe Access. Music by Desca.

“Start low and go slow,” the widespread refrain for finding the right dose of cannabis, is actually only half the phrase, Dr. Dustin Sulak explains on The Cannabis Enigma podcast. “But [people] often leave off the rest of the sentence — it's start low, go slow, and don't be afraid to go all the way."

Dr. Sulak, a practicing physician and renowned cannabis educator, gives his recommendations for how to choose a cannabis strain, why we need to get rid of the terms indica and sativa once and for all, and how the way you take your cannabis can have a significant impact on its effects.

“When we consume both THC and CBD and it gets into our stomach, mixed with some fat-containing food, that can enhance its absorption by up to four or five times.” Dr. Sulak says. “You might get something much stronger than you bargained for, depending on how close to a meal you had it.”

Host Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man and Dr. Sulak also discuss how the opioid epidemic created a perfect storm for medical cannabis to go mainstream, and the sometimes different needs of patient groups — men and women, young and old, etc.

In the second part of the episode, Americans for Safe Access Director Debbie Churgai explores the landmark UN vote to reschedule cannabis in a key international treaty this week.

The Cannabis Enigma podcast is a co-production of The Cannigma and Americans for Safe Access. Edited, mixed, and produced by Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man, with production assistance from Randy White. Music by Desca.

In some ways, cannabis won the 2020 general elections. Legalization measures won with healthy majorities in five separate states. The Biden-Harris platform was also the most progressive on cannabis than any other major party candidate in history. So what should we expect in the next four years?

“It’s not going to be as exciting as people hope, unfortunately,” Founder and President of Americans for Safe Access Steph Sherer said on The Cannabis Enigma podcast.

It’s not likely that Democrats will have full control of the Congress, without which it would be difficult to enact broad reforms.

“There's policies they can change, but as far as legalizing medical cannabis, they're going to need Congress to do that,” Sherer explained, and “even with a Democratic senate majority, that still may be a tough haul.”

The vast majority of Americans across the political spectrum support legalizing medical cannabis, polls have shown, and the majority of states have followed suit and legalized it. So why is cannabis still a partisan issue in national politics?

Most people don’t vote for cannabis on the national ticket, Sherer said, which makes pressuring representatives on the federal level a difficult task.

There is one idea for a major change that advocacy groups are pushing for, however: the creation of an Office of Medical Cannabis, a federal agency to oversee and coordinate medical cannabis policy among all other federal agencies.

The Cannabis Enigma podcast is a co-production of The Cannigma and Americans for Safe Access. Edited, mixed, and produced by Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man. Music by Desca. 

How much do you know about the Endocannabinoid System — the system present in nearly every part of the human body that helps maintain balance, and which the chemicals in cannabis can help regulate?

Dr. Rachel Knox explains everything you need to know about the Endocannabinoid System in a special episode brought to you and originally published by The Cannabis Conversation podcast, hosted by Anuj Desai.

“In a basic sense, it’s this massive neurotransmitter system inside of our bodies,” Dr. Knox explains, “that keeps us in balance, that keeps us healthy. It modulates and controls every physiological system that you can think of in the body.”

Dr. Knox discusses the interactions between CBD, THC and other chemicals in the cannabis plant and how they can be used to tailor treatments for different patients, her role in creating an endocannabinoid sub-specialty for other doctors, and how her family of four doctors all wound up in the field of cannabinoid medicine.

Check out and subscribe to The Cannabis Conversation. Follow them on Twitter (@TheCannabisCon2) and LinkedIn

Mixed by Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man. Music by Desca. The Cannabis Enigma podcast is a co-production of The Cannigma and Americans for Safe Access.

With so many products and so much conflicting information out there, how is a prospective patient supposed to figure out if CBD is for them? How do they learn to use it? And who is going to sift through all the science?

Those are some of the questions that author Mary Biles set out to answer in her new book, “The CBD Book: The Essential Guide to CBD Oil.” 

[15:10] In an interview on The Cannabis Enigma podcast, Biles discusses with host Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man how aside from explaining the science, it was regular patients’ stories that most moved her.

“When you read the case studies, these are just ordinary people whose lives are being completely transformed just with the CBD that you buy online or on the high street, it just sort of completed the story really and put it in a real context people can relate to in terms of what the potential is or might be for their health,” she said.

[3:15] In the first part of the episode, we discuss the upcoming US elections with Americans for Safe Access Executive Director Debbie Churgai and Interim Policy Director Dustin McDonald.

According to Churgai, the future of medical cannabis legalization and access is very much on the line in the 2020 elections. It’s not just that one of the presidential candidates is promising to decriminalize and reschedule the plant. Local and congressional elections have a huge influence in ensuring there are allies in the halls of power.

And while we know how cannabis can drive voter turnout, is it also a partisan issue? You might be surprised by the answer.

This episode was edited, mixed, and produced by Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man. The Cannabis Enigma podcast is a co-production of The Cannigma and Americans for Safe Access. Music by Desca.