Hey y'all, Texas Terry here, and I'm bringing you an episode that's like a hearty bowl of Texas chili – full of flavor and packed with surprises. When I sat down with my old military buddy, we didn't just rehash the good ol' days; we cracked open a treasure chest of memories, ranging from barracks hijinks to the deep bonds formed in the heat of service. We're serving up stories that will have you chuckling one minute and reflecting the next, as we explore the quirks of military life and the personal transformations that come from such unique challenges.
This time around, we're lighting up a different kind of conversation, steering into the hazy territory of cannabis legalization and its impact on folks like us, veterans searching for peace after the storm. My comrade brings a well of knowledge on everything from THC to CBD, and we're here to clear the smoke on the misconceptions and realities of these remedies. As we dissect the stigmas and compare the cultural acceptance of alcohol to cannabis, you might just find your perspectives shifting like sand in a desert wind.
We're not just blowing smoke – this episode digs into the gritty tension between Big Pharma and the potential benefits of cannabis, especially for veterans wrestling with PTSD. The legal labyrinth that users navigate is as complex as the strains of the plant itself, and we're picking apart that complexity, one leaf at a time. And before we leave you with a cloud of thought to ponder, Lent drops in to show off his lyrical licks and drop a beat on life's rich tapestry. So sit back, relax, and let this episode be the soundtrack to your journey through the intricate world of service, society, and the green rush.
Hey y'all, Texas Terry here, and I'm bringing you an episode that's like a hearty bowl of Texas chili – full of flavor and packed with surprises. When I sat down with my old military buddy, we didn't just rehash the good ol' days; we cracked open a treasure chest of memories, ranging from barracks hijinks to the deep bonds formed in the heat of service. We're serving up stories that will have you chuckling one minute and reflecting the next, as we explore the quirks of military life and the personal transformations that come from such unique challenges.
This time around, we're lighting up a different kind of conversation, steering into the hazy territory of cannabis legalization and its impact on folks like us, veterans searching for peace after the storm. My comrade brings a well of knowledge on everything from THC to CBD, and we're here to clear the smoke on the misconceptions and realities of these remedies. As we dissect the stigmas and compare the cultural acceptance of alcohol to cannabis, you might just find your perspectives shifting like sand in a desert wind.
We're not just blowing smoke – this episode digs into the gritty tension between Big Pharma and the potential benefits of cannabis, especially for veterans wrestling with PTSD. The legal labyrinth that users navigate is as complex as the strains of the plant itself, and we're picking apart that complexity, one leaf at a time. And before we leave you with a cloud of thought to ponder, Lent drops in to show off his lyrical licks and drop a beat on life's rich tapestry. So sit back, relax, and let this episode be the soundtrack to your journey through the intricate world of service, society, and the green rush.
this music to me, I'm sorry, is is this is the intro and outro. In case y'all hadn't figured it out, this is going to be the music moving forward to this show, special App Radio, with your host me myself, texas Terry, we got an interesting one today. We're going to kind of let our hair down a little bit and speak to a friend of mine via the US military, somebody that I've kept in contact with for well over 20 years. A good friend of mine, I consider it, consider him, excuse me. Well, I don't want to misgender him, so we're gonna ask him exactly where he stands on that.
Speaker 1:A few other things, but the the whole emphasis on the show is I don't know if, uh, you know, in your city, town, state, place, wherever you're at, you know, weed may or may not be legal, or maybe you got smoke shops that sell variables of different products and things of that nature. It's confusing and it's hella nerve-wracking if you're just trying to figure out a substance to calm you down and you're getting worked up in the process. I mean, you've got questions, I've got questions, lent's got answers. Let's bring them on to the show. Mr Lent, welcome aboard. This is Special App Radio. We appreciate you being here, sir.
Speaker 2:It's my pleasure, as always, my friend.
Speaker 1:Hey, I'll tell you what something I was thinking about before the show. You know, I don't remember the exact. I'm sure that it was like an in-depth type thing. I'm sure that it was poetic and there was a point to to the story. I don't think we really ever just chopped it up about nonsense, but I remember a point at some place, somewhere in the country, you and I just having a conversation about something, and that was just chilling in the Humvee and never in a million years back then had you told me that over 20 years later we'd be communicating via all this electronics and whatnot. Uh, and and and being on a show on a podcast. I mean, that's crazy, you know.
Speaker 2:So, uh, I just trip out on that you know what, if someone told me on the because here's the deal you made an impression on me before I made an impression on you, no doubt because you were standing right in front of formation. I know you remember it like it was yesterday, I'm sure. But if you someone had told me you were going to be friends with that guy a quarter century from now, I'd be like I don't think so you're talking about first sergeant Stanley posting me up.
Speaker 1:Is that where we're at?
Speaker 1:you know what it is you know what it is and and you know we won't just uh, I don't want to chase a squirrel or nothing, but I will say this is, you know, all that stemmed from. I had moved into the barracks. I didn't have shit, I didn't have sheets, I didn't have. The only thing that I utilized was the shit that the military gave me. You know, if uncle sam wanted you to have it, he'd give it to you, but it was more than that. It was just I just didn't have no money.
Speaker 1:But I moved into this barracks room and I was completely lost as far as the unit went. I had already gotten in a little bit of trouble for underage drinking another topic for another day but I come home to my barracks room one day and, lo and behold, all my shits moved out. So so I panic. I forget exactly all the details about it, but I remember that I did contact first Sergeant Stanley, and I don't remember getting a response, or however, I did that from the CQ desk. But again, long story short, I ended up staying wherever I needed to, and then the next day, I guess. First it was like the most fucked up circumstances that you can comprehend. It was like his kid's birthday or baptism or something like that, and I just fucked his whole day up and he wasn't happy about it at all. He put me up in front of the entire. What did we call that? A troop?
Speaker 2:Yeah, in front of the troop. He had you up on the dock too. So you were like raised up, like something raised you up on the dock too. So you were like raised up, like something raised you up.
Speaker 1:Hey, no prouder moment than when I ran into him after the fact, years later, and not only was I a senior specialist, but I was also just coming off a Soldier of the Month award. My shit was all cleaned up and I looked good and he appreciated that it was all cleaned up and I look good and he appreciated that and I appreciated doing that. Because really deep down, when you're in that situation and and you're really getting, excuse me when you're really getting kind of thrown under the bus like that and you know that you were in the wrong, I mean that's a humbling situation. And uh, first sergeant Stanley was a standup guy and I don't know all his personal, but you know, yeah he was a good dude.
Speaker 2:You know he's a good bbd.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I believe it, man. I hit him up back in the day like 10 years ago on facebook. We chopped it up a little bit. He accused me of being a socialist because I said that. Uh, because I was like I was talking about car safety features and I was like, man, if they can make you know a 90 000, a little car and it has 72 airbags in it, they can't put fucking like five or ten of them in a regular kia, so that you know, people that can't afford a mercedes can be safe too.
Speaker 1:And he was like, yeah, fucking socialist, and this, that and the other he was probably just messing with you yeah, no, it was all good man, he, he's a good dude, but you know, anyway, I mean the military, I mean we spent a lot of time. I do remember because I like you, I started out in delta troop and I'll correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember I started out in delta troop immediately on a bad note, that shit went sideways and I wasn't even sure that I wanted to be in the military anymore. But, um, I remember the first sergeant over there. I forget what his name was, but you know he was in charge of us and he was like hey, man, I can move your units or I can get you out. What do you want to do? And I was like man, I started thinking about my family and all the disappointment that you know from not from failing, you know. And I was like, man, if you'd move me, that'd be cool.
Speaker 1:And I went over to 116 Infantry and I was there for a little bit and met, you know, various individuals Buck, may he rest in peace. Aj, other dudes, you know we can talk about them further down the line if you like. But I remember when you came over there, I was like relieved because I almost felt like, even though we really didn't, like you know, hang out or drink beers together on the weekends around four day, you know whatever but I felt like relieved because I felt like I had somebody that knew a lot more that what was going on than I did. You know what I mean, as long as you were like I don't want to say father figure, because I don't want to age you, but it kind of felt like that, you know.
Speaker 2:You know, it was kind of cool because I kind of had the same thing, just because I didn't actually want to go over to 116. I ended up going over there because I was hurt and Delta Troop was deploying and I couldn't deploy because of my injury. So they shoved me over to 116 and I wasn't happy about it. I was mad, but you know I was like well, at least I got't happy about it. I was mad, but you know I was like well, at least I got a friend here, and that was it. You know, I got a battle buddy and then I just got in trouble all the time, did all the push-ups and whatever.
Speaker 1:I just added to you by the time I was at 116, I was so sour dude I kind of always bounce back and forth as far as the military is concerned, you know, I, I mean, I was telling my wife I forget what triggered the conversation, because I don't really speak on the military like that anymore, not like that but um, I was just telling her, you know, I, I had my like, I came to a point where I had my shit together.
Speaker 1:But on the same token, uh, a lot of my senior ncos that have ever had any verbal conflict with me will find it no surprise that I'm uh hosting a podcast show, because my biggest problem in the military was always my big fucking mouth. I remember I made this nco I think you know who it is uh, uh, chua, some shit like that. Um, I remember I pissed him off so bad. He came to wake me up over some bullshit and I told him man, if we were any place else in the world, if you didn't have the fucking united states military, you'd be a gas station attendant, and that dude lost his shit all over me. He was a samoan motherfucker. I didn't even get in trouble because he beat me up. You know what I mean. Like they just were like Whatever, bro, fucking idiot.
Speaker 2:I gotta share a couple stories Real quick. I'll try to make a quick.
Speaker 1:You're good. You're good, take your time.
Speaker 2:So, like you, my mouth Was my biggest problem. And when I was in basic I don't know if I've ever Told you this story, but when I was in basic I was, uh, coming back from chow's ball and in basic you know, you're supposed to run everywhere you go. You can't walk. Your legs are only for running right. So I'm coming back from chow hall and I'm talking to this dude, uh, next to me, and then I turn to look at him. He's gone and I'm like where the hell did he go? So I stop and I look around and this dude I swear he vanished, like he was next to me, and then he was gone, like another dimension gone, and so I was standing there like an idiot. I'm like where the hell did he go?
Speaker 2:And while I'm standing there, a drill sergeant's getting ready to come out of the chow hall and I see him and I'm like Christ. So I start to take off running and he's like let's CQ desk. I'm like, damn, so this like let's CQ desk. I'm like, damn, so this is lunch, right, we're coming out of lunch. I meet him at the CQ desk. He, of course he takes his time and I'm standing there like an idiot and he comes and he asks me you know, so why weren't you running? And uh, I go to answer him, he tells me to shut up, and of course I'm at parade rest this whole time. And he asked me the question again. As I go to answer me, he tells me to shut up. This is stupid, man, man. And remember, I joined the army late. I joined the army at 25. So I wasn't a kid. You know what I mean and you know just in terms of that too.
Speaker 1:You know, for anybody listening, that's never been a part of the military or anything like that. 25 is fucking ancient as far as anybody else in the military is concerned.
Speaker 2:But Nobody else in the military is concerned. But I digress. You go carry on, please, sir. So anyway. So the third time he asked me, I didn't say anything and he looks at me and goes, he kind of, did that girl, wait, I'm too good, you can't talk to me, whatever? And I said what's the point? You're telling me to shut up again? And he just lost it. I know, it's know, I know it's all, it's all theater, you know. But he was like oh hell, no, he's like we got two options. He goes we can either work it out. He goes oh, we can write it out. Which do you want? I said let's write it up. And he, he just couldn't understand why a private in basic training wanted to put something down on paper. And so he screamed and yelled and he asked me at some point why I wanted to put it on paper. And I told him I said because at least on paper I'll get to have my set I want to chime in real quick, excuse me, man.
Speaker 1:Uh, real quick. I want to chime in just a little bit and say you learned really quick in the military that when a motherfucker says they're gonna put some shit on paper, it's getting real, they're not gonna beat you up. Or they're going to put some shit on paper, it's getting real, they're not going to beat you up or they're not going to argue with you. You learn really quick, and so do the smart non-COs or non-commissioned officers, that the pen is indeed mightier than the sword. You can fuck up a person's whole career by putting shit on paper. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so that's where I was. And then he says he says you know what he goes, we'll see if you can hold a pen with your sweaty hand. He goes, go up and get your pts grab a water bottle. I'm like, damn so. This dude smoked me from coming back from lunch until dinner formation smoked the whole time and he like, I'm still in the hallway doing duck walking and pushups and people are, you know, they're lining up, they're going outside and of course I'm supposed to be there too, but I can't because I'm getting smoked. And anyways, finally I get done, just you know, got my beanies on, run down and I'm in formation, right, and I'm huffing and puffing sweat running down my face. I look like an idiot and of course, like you said, an old idiot because I'm 25. Everybody else around me is 17, 18, 19, maybe 20, you know some of these guys. And, uh, anyways, he decides because the drill sergeant stands in front of the formation. He's just like some of y'all don't know how to act.
Speaker 2:And he goes into his big thing and he calls me out in front of everybody. I'm in the third rank, so for those who aren't in the military, I'm third line back. And military custom and courtesy is when you're called to the front, you step and take a step back. You look left or right to the shortest route to the end. You take that path and you walk up respectfully, Unless you're me and unless you've been smoked for four hours and have a horrible attitude. And he calls me up to the front and I just walk straight forward. Boom, just start plowing people over, walk right to the front and I mean I got literally knocking people over, I was so mad. And I go up and I stand in front of them, stand at parade, rest like you're supposed to. I don't know why I bothered doing that after breaking down the lines, whatever, Anyway.
Speaker 2:So he starts screaming and yelling at me and I'm just ignoring him and he can tell I'm ignoring him. And then, at the very end, my response was you know, drill sergeant, you seem to forget. I'm 25 years old. I have met a lot of scary people in my life and you are not one of them. He said let's go to the first sergeant. So I just started walking to the first sergeant's office. I go there, you know, knock on the door like you're supposed to. He says enter. I tell him what's up. I sit down on the couch. You can hear the drill sergeant screaming down the block.
Speaker 2:He is coming to the first sergeant's office screaming his head off. He's all by himself, he's not talking to nobody. He comes in, he starts pounding on the first sergeant's door. Then the first sergeant starts yelling at the drill sergeant about abusing his door. So I'm watching the first sergeant screaming at a drill sergeant. Long story short, I'm facing court-martial for disrespect by deportment, disobeying an indirect order, disobeying a direct order, all kinds of stuff. I had seven days, just a solid week left of basic training. I had seven days and as a scout you're an OSUT, which means 16 solid weeks of training. What is?
Speaker 1:OSUT what is that? Occupational Specialty Unit Training what is that? Osut right? How does it go?
Speaker 2:One Station Unit Training.
Speaker 1:One Station Unit Training. It's been so long. Yeah, I remember that term.
Speaker 2:It's just not what the acronyms stood for, and so anyway. So I went from seven days I'm leaving to week three of 16. I got put all the way back to week three. It was either that or court-martial.
Speaker 1:That shit would break my heart. That would have broke my heart. I remember back like fixing that, you know, and I mean fuck it, we're talking about it. We'll get to the to the main topic here in a second, but we're already on this.
Speaker 1:So, um, you know, I was because, look, I wasn't like always, I wasn't a certified thug or a gangster, you know, I was just a fucking kid, but I did get into kind of extraordinary, uh, you know, for a kid, I mean I look at my kids, for example, at at 16.
Speaker 1:Well, they're older now, but when they were 16, they, I mean I can only imagine going. If they were doing shit that I was doing when I was 16, I'd be like fuck, you know what? I mean, my hairline would be knocked back another three inches. But the the point being is like when I got to the military, that was a complete culture shock. And so I like, literally within I don't I don't remember the exact time frame, but maybe like a month I walked into the drill sergeant's office and the first thing I did was like hey, uh, can I get out of parade rest? Parade rest is like you know, you're basically kind of standing with your feet just outside of shoulder width apart. It's almost like you're fixing to do a squat, except you fucking put your hands behind your back and you look all neat and robotic.
Speaker 2:I didn't think to tell people what that meant when I said it.
Speaker 1:No, it's all good, but fucking, I'm like, hey, can I not be in parade rest? And he's like, no, you got to stay at parade rest. And I was like, all right, but I'm not, like, I'm not ready for this, I don't want to do this. You know, this is not. I don't like people yelling in my face and screaming and I mean it's, it's, it's definitely a basic training is a rude awakening. So I said all that just to say, uh, as I was coming to graduation, because, well, I asked, can I, can I get the fuck out of this? Let me finish the story, I guess, with my ADD ass. But I, I said, can I get out of this? Is there anything that I could do? And he's like, nah, you're doing this. And that was basically the end of it. And so I did get through basic training, obviously, um, graduated and everything.
Speaker 1:And that same fucking drill sergeant, when he was, you know, coming by and shaking everybody's hand at graduation, was like, see, you made it, man, you can make it. And I was like, I appreciate your drill, you know. But uh, I think that was the the majority of the fucking story. I'll just say that, you know, oh, okay, yeah, when they're trying to pick your units, that you know what I am, lint, so don't get mad at me. You know I'll ramble.
Speaker 1:But uh, when, um, we were getting ready to get out of basic training because you know you get juvenile records and there's background checks, and you, there's a, there's a lot of logistics, uh, going into the military, and I don't know recruiters do what recruiters do? They're just trying to get people into the military. So, whatever my recruiter did, I don't know, but I know there was some stipulation or some questions about my background which I didn't have anything on there, not like that. You know that would have prevented me. But again, long story short, uh, it looked like I may have to stay a couple of more weeks while they completed the security checks and everything like that. I ended up getting a waiver man, but I didn't have to stay any longer than I was supposed to and had I had to, man that shit probably would have broke my heart. I was fragile back then.
Speaker 2:You want to hear something. After I got out of basic training, I was a security holdover for my background check. I was. I was at Fort Knox for quote unquote basic training for 10 months. I got stuck.
Speaker 1:I got, I ended up working in West yep.
Speaker 2:I ended up working. I ended up working with the first sergeant that um, what where?
Speaker 1:so, okay, if you're working there, you're in Radcliffe, kentucky, which is just. It's the little town outside of Fort Knox, right?
Speaker 2:right, I heard I don't know about it, but you were like confined to the base or oh yeah, I lived in the barracks.
Speaker 1:Jesus.
Speaker 2:I mean I wasn't. I wasn't living like a basic training soldier. You know what I mean. I lived like a permanent party. I was a permanent, what they call a permanent party soldier.
Speaker 1:Were you married or had kids or anything?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, I was married. I had three kids.
Speaker 1:Cause. Yeah, you were older.
Speaker 2:My third daughter was born. Kids or anything. Oh yeah, I was married, I had three because, yeah, you were older, my, my third daughter was born.
Speaker 1:Uh, you had three kids when you went to the military I had two.
Speaker 2:My wife was pregnant with the third and she gave birth 20 something days after I started basic holy, that's gotta be some man shit that was my first smoking right there. My first time I got smoked was the day my daughter was born. My daughter was born and they said got a note here that says daughter was born. Gave me the weight and stuff. They said you got five minutes for a phone call. 45 minutes later I rolled back in and started doing push-ups.
Speaker 1:Hey, for those of you out there that have no idea what it's like to get the final answer to something and you just fucking know it's final. There's no negotiation, there's no extra input, nothing. This is what you're gonna do and that's it. I mean, the finality of that strikes people in different ways. Some people react, react, some people conform, some people, you know, become hostile with that kind.
Speaker 1:And when it's as stressful as you know, the birth of your child, I mean the military, honestly, and I don't want to knock I'm not going to, you know, knock the military one way or the other. I'll just say this that the military doesn't care, care, the mission is first and that's the end of it. And and for a lot of people, that's a, that's a thought, that's, you know, I mean it's a alien or foreign to them, because it's, it's their world, the world we live in. But man, that's bugged out, dude, that's. But I couldn't only imagine what the military would be like having a wife, two kids and one on the way and trying to make it through basic with drill surgeons that probably have none of the aforementioned but are trying to tell you how to live your life and I'm an old man compared to all the other people that were.
Speaker 2:There was this guy who had washed out of marine corps basic training in my basic training unit he was 19 years old cried every day. Every day he cried. I'm like, whatever I mean, everybody's got their own issues. I get it, but if you're going to be crying in basic training every every time a drill sergeant yells at you, you probably need to go do something else look, I, I excuse me, I tell you what, though, man, it is definitely a culture shock.
Speaker 1:And I thought, you know, I wrote a couple letters home. I'm sure my mom probably got them stashed somewhere. You know what I mean. But I did write a couple letters home like yo, this ain't it. I can't do this, you know, not like I can't do it, because I just I don't know it, when you introduce somebody into that environment that's never been disciplined, or you know, I mean I had been disciplined to a point, but I mean I was just running. Well, I thought I was a little baby white tupac, to be honest. Yeah, that was intentional back then. You know what I mean. But then it just stuck.
Speaker 1:And if the shoe fits yeah, well, that too, you know what I mean. I remember back in the day getting accused are you going to shave your head because your fucking hair is falling? I was like, nah, I'm just wanting to be tupac. You know, I can admit that now I'm a grown-ass man and I just think it's. You know, when I look back in hindsight, you know, obviously and I'm sure you do as well, talking about the military and some of the things that we went through, how juvenile and stupid all of the things. While you're on, you know an installation stateside, uh, it's all dumb shit, I mean it's. I mean, I guess not the training, obviously it's not, but some of the. You know the minute details of keeping lawns clean. Or you know doing the, the, the, the motor pool maintenance, shit like that, and then the, and then the consequences and the reward for all that is you get to go to war, which has nothing to do with anything that you were doing stateside.
Speaker 1:It's just fucking weird. You're good, go ahead, man, my bad.
Speaker 2:You go to war, you know they spend all that time pissing you off stateside and then they send you to war to get it all up it's like a site, it's some some it's really really like a psych ops you know what I mean, or some shit like that.
Speaker 1:Psyops, whatever the fuck, and you know anyway. So in speaking and all that, and that's not even close to the tip tip of the iceberg, we're we're hovering above the iceberg right now. We ain't even landed on it.
Speaker 1:As far as the military is concerned, but I probably 10 episodes dude yeah, oh, it would take, it'd be, it'd be definitely, uh, a couple seasons, I'm sure. But and to lay it all out, you know what I mean, but anyways, you know, in that environment when it's stressful, when you're you're literally training, if you really break it down, you know, in that environment when it's stressful, when you're you're literally training, if you really break it down, you know I'm saying you practice with guns. It's not every day, you're not Rambo, but you practice with weapons. You go to the range, you go out in the field, you pretend to be at war, you go to the back to the fucking barracks and it's nothing. But you know hyper testosterone filled young kids that all think they're invisible or invincible, and then you know they're ready to drink and fight and fuck and all. There's just a million different things going on in that environment.
Speaker 1:You really don't have any release, other than you know, uh, a three-day weekend or a four-day weekend, or you go out to the club, get drunk, start a fight with uh, kstate kids, or was that just? That was probably just me and my homeboys, but we used to like to start a fight. Shout out to K-State though. Man, we used to have a good time over there and I did a little security and got to be on the field and you know that was an interesting life experience. But you really don't have any release. And so where I'm going with all this is you carry all that aggression when you're in the military out into the civilian world sometimes, because a military contract is anywhere from two to six years or longer, depending on what you sign up for or if you reenlist. You really can't release. I mean, if you go on leave, you can dabble with this, that or the other, with this, that or the other, but when you get out of the military and you still have the stress and you still deal with mental health or you still deal with whatever the hell's going on in life, that just gets thrown at you. Whether you're a veteran or you're not, it doesn't really matter.
Speaker 1:There's opportunity out there and not all of it has to be prescription drugs or alcoholic beverages. So what I want to ask you, mr Lent, is I mean I mean right now. For instance I'm going to speak on my state briefly in Texas right now we have these uh, quote-unquote smoke shops. You can go into the smoke shop and I can buy THCA, thcb. There's like a pyramid that tells me what's what, but it's super confusing and I'm just trying to remedy basic human experiences, ie anxiety, maybe a tad of depression or whatever the hell I got going on, or maybe I just want to go to sleep when I walk into these places. Man, just break it down. What are we looking at? What are we looking for in a state where marijuana is not legal, but these other variables or synthetic products are?
Speaker 2:Okay. So I'm not. It's kind of a, it's kind of a multifaceted question here. So are you, if I, if you, if you were to ask me plainly, what should I be looking for in a state in which marijuana is illegal? My answer is still the same you should be looking for marijuana.
Speaker 1:Doesn't mean you're going to be a law-abiding citizen at that point.
Speaker 2:But it really happens. It's such a big, big topic. There's so many different little pieces to it.
Speaker 1:Well, you know the quickest way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. So let's start where you just maybe, or you start wherever you feel like, but if you want to even get into go ahead.
Speaker 2:I'm going to let you go. So marijuana has been illegal federally since what? 1939? I'm really bad with exact dates, but I'll get you close. So it's like in 1937, 39, 37, I'm pretty sure it's 37. There was the Marijuana Tax Act that made it federally illegal. In 2017-ish. There was the Farm Bill Act, which passed and clarified the legality of hemp products.
Speaker 1:I apologize. The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. So you were 37. You're good.
Speaker 2:Oh, you're fact-checking me.
Speaker 1:No, I'm not fact-checking you. I was just trying to assist man. I'm trying to because you know I'm going to let you do the talking, but I was like, well, since he's talking, I can Google some shit. So I did. 1937, folks.
Speaker 2:So, as far as I'm concerned, fact-checking is not a bad thing If you're confirming what I'm saying, especially when I'm telling you I don't know, cool. So, and then you want to check this? I don't remember. Somewhere between 2016 and 2018, the Farm Bill Act was passed and in that it clarified positions on hemp plants, and marijuana is a hemp plant. Hemp is like a category or a family of plants, of which marijuana, as we all think about it, is one, and basically it said that products that contain less than 0.3% THC tetrahydrocannabinol, which is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana are illegal. And one of the things that modern science, if you will, has done is it's been able to identify other, what are called cannabinoids. Now, the thing is, every, every term introduces a whole another uh window, if you will, or a whole other field of things to learn and and just you know a footnote to that would be.
Speaker 1:Hence the topic and your presence here on the show today. Not that we don't appreciate we'll chop it up with you about anything, but this is why it's so confusing. When you walk in these places, you're like yo man, I just want to fucking get high and go to sleep. And they're like ah, we got this, that the other, my bad man. But that's this truth, though, because all this stuff that you're talking about is like shit that gets thrown at you the minute you walk in the door of some of these places, and if you're a newbie or a novice, it becomes like I'm good, I'll just get a 12 pack, sorry and everything to keep in mind is quite often and I'm not not dogging anybody in particular, but quite often the bud tender, the guy behind the counter.
Speaker 2:Well, a bud tender is what they call the guy in the dispensary in the smoke shop. I don't know what they're called, they're just the dude whatever. But the dude at the smoke shop I don't know what they're called, they're just the dude whatever. But the dude at the smoke shop. He probably doesn't know all that much, you know. He probably just knows the marketing lines, and I'm not saying anything negative about him. That's what his boss has probably instilled in him. This is how you do your job.
Speaker 1:I feel like yo yo sometimes. I may or may not have been in a dispensary or two, because I live in texas, which is adjacent to new mexico, and you know there's different laws of different places, so I may or may not have been. But I will say this if I were or weren't in a dispensary, I may or may not have felt like the dude behind the counter telling me that this is what I need to get. Can't afford what the fuck. He's telling me that I need to buy because he's probably making, you know, ten dollars an hour. No disrespect to anybody, make gainful income, shout out to you. But I'm just saying the dude behind the counter making ten dollars an hour probably isn't buying hundred dollar jays. That's all I'm saying. I don't, I don't want to judge. You may have a side hustle.
Speaker 2:Fair enough. You know the thing is now. There are some places that are better than others, and some places are fantastic, Some are awful, just like any other business. So THC is a cannabinoid and a cannabinoid is a component. That and component's not the right word. I'm trying to think of the right word, but we're just going to go with that for now. So it's a compound. There you go.
Speaker 2:They're compounds that are found in the resin in cannabis, and they're constantly discovering new ones, and each one of those cannabinoids interact with what are called CB1 and CB2 receptors in your brain, and those receptors are part of what's called the and you're going to love the name. Are you ready? The endocannabinoid system. In our body. We have a system which is called the endocannabinoid system, endo meaning inside of you, and so the cannabinoid system inside of our body interacts with cannabinoids, of which THC is one, of which THCA, thcb, cbn, cbg, cbd. All the CBs, you know, are all cannabinoids that interact with the CB1 and CB2 receptors in your brain.
Speaker 2:What's what I'm looking? Modulated, I guess, modulated, informed, affected by terpenes, which are um aromatics that exist within hemp plants as well, and so you could have a plant or a strain or a bud or whatever. If marijuana that has x amount of thc in it and you can have all the um, all the cannabinoids, all be exactly the same. But if you've got different terpenes and these, like I said, these terpenes are aromatic compounds um, they have names like uh beta-caryophyllene, uh limonene, um myrcene, pin, pinene, these are all things that are like I said. These aromatics interact with the cannabinoids and create the different effects and that's why there are some strains of marijuana that make you giggly, some that make you sleepy, some that you know hyper-focused.
Speaker 1:So maybe like sativa indica, hybrids, things like that.
Speaker 2:Those sativa indica hybrids, things like that. Those sativa indica? I'm going to preface this by saying that there are those who don't believe that those words really have meaning. Traditionally, they have been used to identify certain types of marijuana plants. They contain different how do I say this? Their cannabinoid and terpene profiles lean towards certain effects, and so, like your sativa strains, the strains which are identified as belonging to the sativa family are generally going to be what people call your daytime strains things that improve focus and give you energy, give you euphoria and creativity, things that allow you to be more, to take part more in the day, if you will. And indica strains are going to be typified by relaxation, sleepiness, pain relief. Now, that's not to say that these can't exist in in in both camps, um, but you know you're going to end up with, you know your sleepiness, your uh arousal, um, things like that.
Speaker 2:And so you know, yeah, and there are there are arousal like sexually. Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:With Indica. Arousal, like sexually, oh yeah with indica, huh for sure, go figure, I was for those that, if you want to I don't know what they do, what the analogy or whatever it is for sativa, but I always think I mean, sativa is like sat is kind of how I remember sativa as sat. Hey, this shit, I don't know if it's gonna make you smart or not, but it fucking. It makes me think of my brain and so I'm like alright, that's a head buzz. And then indica is like in the couch I've heard that and now it's kind of gay, but it is what it is and it'll fucking help you remember the difference between the two strains. Personally, I disagree a little bit with you in that you can't tell a difference, because I feel like I can, just in you know the different strains in the buds. I mean because you have the munchies, shit like that. You get sleepy, all that stuff. There are strains, bud, where you can do a full-blown workout. You know what I'm?
Speaker 2:saying oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah. And so you know, I'm a believer that there is a difference, a very big difference, in the oh and there's. I mean there's physical differences in the plants too. You know, your sativa leaves look one way, your indica leaves look another way. Your sativa plants grow, grow in one fashion and the indica plants grow in another, you know.
Speaker 2:So the people who say that there is no difference, I think they're overstating their position. I think what they should be saying is that the differences aren't quite as profound as everyone thinks they are. I think that's probably a more accurate statement. But whatever, I mean people think what they think and whatever and whatever. So anyways, yeah, the cannabinoids interact with the terpene and the THC, and that interaction between all of those compounds is called the entourage effect, which is what the entourage effect is. What is? The is the term used to describe how all of these things interact to create, uh, the experience that you have, uh, when you consume cannabis. However you choose to do that, and there's many, many different ways, obviously, of doing that Um, let's speak on that for a minute.
Speaker 1:Um, various types of ways would one would be the obvious, which would be to just, you know, roll a joiner and blunt something like that, smoke it out of a bowl or device bong. All the uh stereotypical you know ways. But then there's also, uh, now, edibles are being introduced, or you have oils, or you have uh even creams or vapes.
Speaker 2:Uh, I mean, if you could separate those, that'd be dope all right, um, let me see here I know I'm not even going to touch on all of them because I'm I have notes on a lot of things. I don't really have notes on this, but, um, so obviously you can roll a joint, uh, and that's just, and I'm I'm going to speak to people like they don't know nothing. So if, uh, you know, you take, you take your buds, which are the flowers of the, the cannabis plant, which are dried and cured, and then, when you, um, you know you can, you can grind it up, roll a joint with it. Uh, you can make a blunt or a spliff. I, I don't, I don't screw around with uh, tobacco stuff, but, um, but so you can, you can roll, uh, roll it. You can put it in a bowl, uh, or a bong, uh, you can put it in a pipe, you can smoke it. That way it can be.
Speaker 2:You can extract the resin using different solvents, and that sounds a lot scarier. Let me back up. It can be scarier, but it's not necessarily scary. But you can use solvents to extract the resin and make vapes out of it. You can make what's called like full extra cannabis oil, which is something I use. Full extra cannabis oil. You can, you know, make shatter and dabs which are just there's. It's like almost the consistency of like not quite Vaseline, I don't know, but it's. I can't really describe the consistency of it. But you can basically heat that up to a vaporization point and you inhale the vapor that comes off of that grease, if you will.
Speaker 1:So is there because there's obviously a lot of options. So, with with all these different, you know variables and I mean you, can you get your fix, each cake however you want? Basically, um, I mean, is there, when you step through all these things like, for instance, if I smoke j or joint, that's not going to be the potency of that joint? I mean, yeah, of course, depending on where it came from and what the quality is and things like that, that's going to be an extremely potent. Um, you know plant, but also smoking a joint and let's say, for instance, uh, jumping into you know the oil that you were talking about, I mean that that that's a big leap. You gotta be, because the content is different the, the, the THC.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, remember, it's not just THC. Thc is just one of the many components. Now let me be clear my, my cannabis use is primarily I think primarily almost exclusively basically medical. Do I enjoy the psychoactive effects? Yeah, most of the time, almost all the time, but I use it for pain and inflammation.
Speaker 2:I've got not to, you know, get all personal here, but I have a genetic disorder which, over time, causes tendons and ligaments to harden and not necessarily become brittle, but they're just hard and they don't move, and so that's a genetic condition that I have. I also have an autoimmune disease which, among other things, causes basically every form of arthritis, and so I have severe pain in basically every joint except the fingers on my left hand and my left elbow, and so literally both my hips, both my knees, my ankles I guess my toes are okay too, my toes are fine. But my right hand, all the joints in my right hand, both wrists, my right elbow, both my knees, my ankles I guess my toes are okay too, my toes are fine. But my right hand, all the joints in my right hand, both wrists, my right elbow, both shoulders, my back, everything's a mess, and so I'm in a lot of pain. You know what? I'm going to take this opportunity real quick, just to no, I'm not. I was going to tell my quick cannabis story.
Speaker 1:Go ahead. Do it Take time?
Speaker 2:I was going to tell my quick cannabis story, but it's too much of a digression for now. We'll get to it. So I use cannabis specifically for pain management, because if I don't, I don't sleep and it doesn't matter that it's illegal in my state. I can't take opiates or opioids because of liver issues. So those are out. The NSAIDs, your Celebrex, your naproxens, those don't really do all that much for me.
Speaker 1:I'm proud to admit that I know that NSAIDs are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory something. I was close, bro. I was there, I was almost there well, technically, you forgot that. You forgot the d for drugs but that's not bad though, because the military teaches you how to memorize fucking random acronyms for no reason at all. But uh, in the interest of digression, I'll step back.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, I use it primarily for medical purposes, so my frame of reference is from a medical perspective. So most of what I'm going to talk about is going to, or most of what I'm very knowledgeable about, and thus we'll talk about, is, is, is from that frame.
Speaker 1:And I'll tell you what. And I think this is the entire point of the conversation. I don't want to say that I'm glad that you segued to that, because obviously that's you know, when you're in pain like that, you know, I mean man to man. You know what I'm saying. You get older. Saying get older, you get more pains. Hey, we all experience it for sure.
Speaker 1:And all that being said is like I feel like there's still a stigma or a misconception about, um, you know, marijuana, its use, its effectiveness, it's its ability to maybe not alleviate but but definitely downgrade uh pain to a manageable level. Where you're not, you know, and you're not there's not the older that you become when it comes to the use of marijuana. Or, you know, again, we'll get into synthetics and shit like that, but when it comes to the use of these uh components, I guess I people are just looking for another option other than having to pay $500 a month for a prescription that they're going to get hooked on forever. But point being is, I think people look at marijuana sometimes and there's a stigma that everybody who uses it is just a retard and they, just you know, want to be high all day. But there really are useful. Just, you know, want to be high all day.
Speaker 2:But they really are useful. Well, I'm going to tell you, part of that comes from just a century's worth of bull crap from the government. Just to be completely frank, you know I mean again another rabbit trail, if you want to go down, is how marijuana became illegal in the first place. It was completely racism, just straight up. It was straight up racism. Why? Oh and money.
Speaker 1:Expand on that if you wouldn't mind. I'm curious All right.
Speaker 2:Remind me where. What was I trying to get back to, though, because I know I'm going to forget that.
Speaker 1:Well, you were talking about just using or utilizing marijuana for your daily pain. Oh, okay I remember.
Speaker 2:So anyway, um, starting in like the 1850s. Um, there there started to be bigger problems, I guess in the us, between quote-unquote Americans and Mexicans. And the Mexican population had been using cannabis for medical and recreational purposes forever, forever, and the, the white americans, um attributed their problems with mexicans to the marijuana, and so it just became this thing, that it was the thing that they could point at to to degrade mexicans. It was something that they could identify and say that's the problem right there. So that started growing in like the 1850s. Now you know, there's evidence of cannabis use going back 7,000 years. It's been found in Jewish temples, synagogues I shouldn't say synagogues, I shouldn't say synagogues temples on the altar. It possibly based on it could, how do I say this? There is evidence that it may be part of the anointing oil. That's just detailed in scripture.
Speaker 1:I'm not doubting you, but how do they do that? How do they yo there's some weed're like yo there's some weed right, there's some fire. I mean seriously, how do they identify it?
Speaker 2:well, because they had burnt offerings on on the altar, and so they're able to take those, the burnt the, the traces of the burnt remains, and identify them.
Speaker 2:I'm not if I don't know how that works really, but I just know that they've tested that and it's it's shown, it has been shown to to contain cannabis. Well, anyways, my point in all of that is to say cannabis has been in use for a long, long time. It all of a sudden did not become a problem with the Mexicans in the 1800s. Sorry, you know what I mean. Fast forward to the 1920s and and you've got the Great Depression and you've got the end of Prohibition coming at the end of that and you've got the. I can't remember what the department was called back at the time, but whatever the department was, that enforced prohibition was headed by a guy named Harry Anslinger.
Speaker 2:And so Harry Anslinger, at the end of prohibition, is looking down the barrel of joblessness, not just for him but for all these people who work for him. All these people who have been enforcing prohibition for all these years are now all of a sudden going to be out of work. And so he grabbed onto marijuana and said we need to get rid of this. And so basically the Prohibition Task Force, just you know, basically went into their little work processes and changed alcohol to marijuana and started a whole new thing. Changed alcohol to marijuana and started a whole new thing. And then they got marijuana.
Speaker 2:And then, of course also by that point, they were able to rope blacks in as well, because they're looking at the jazz scene, you know, in Tennessee and in Louisiana and all that, and they're looking at blacks who they don't like for whatever reason, and they're seeing that they also use cannabis in the jazz clubs or whatever, and so they pulled them in too. So we're going to get rid of the blacks, we're going to get rid of the Mexicans. You know it was awful. And so they used that as part of a pr campaign to demonize, uh, marijuana.
Speaker 1:And now, if you're trying, if you're trying to demonize marijuana, okay, and I? Why choose marijuana over alcohol? I'm sure a hundred percent of the audience can understand that. You know, you most of us. I've never been arrested high in my life. I've been arrested drunk like more times than I'm willing to admit on this fucking show. I'll tell you that. But why, though? You know what I'm saying. Why is weed the devil and alcohol? We can just put that shit on the Super Bowl ad on the Super Bowl ad.
Speaker 2:Here's the thing Marijuana was the tool. Marijuana wasn't. They weren't after marijuana, they were after job retention and blacks and Mexicans. They wanted to keep their job and they hated blacks and Mexicans.
Speaker 1:Job retention, keep their job.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what they could. Meet all their goals, keep their job. You know hate on the blacks and mexicans and they use marijuana to do it?
Speaker 1:no, but what I'm saying is like how would marijuana affect the? You know their job. How would they not be able to keep their job if marijuana were illegal? That whole it would be like banning the DEA?
Speaker 2:How would they not be able to keep their job if marijuana were illegal? That whole, that whole. It would be like banning the DEA or something like that you know what I mean. I don't remember what that task force was called, but it employed a lot of people.
Speaker 1:Okay, I'm tracking now, gotcha.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so their job is to enforce prohibition, and then prohibition ends and there's all these people sitting around with nothing to do it's like the IRS or any of the alphabets for the most part.
Speaker 2:So that's, that's how. That's how marijuana became illegal and you know what? And before that, it was part of the pharmacopoeia man you, you, every, every mom and pop drugstore had, um, had tinctures and and all of these things which contained cannabis. It was just, I mean, and that long ago, you know, I mean like you can find little bottles now that say cannabis sativa on it for sleep, you know, uh, they'll have dr joe's magic, you know, nausea elixir, and it contains cannabis, because people knew that cannabis treated nausea, you know. So, yeah, it was, and they were treating.
Speaker 2:You know, 19th century, early 20th century, they were using cannabis for pain, insomnia, muscle spasms, whatever pain. They used it all. And then, all of a sudden, it was demonized in 1937. And that's all true. And then the government spent 100 years, if you will, telling Americans that weed is bad, telling americans that, uh, we did bad. And, of course, because america is, you know, basically a lightning rod in the world, we did it. Other countries started doing it too, and then it just kind of became this global thing and that sucks, but that's how it happened which, honestly, man, that the more answers you provide, the more questions I think of.
Speaker 1:I don't know that, you know. I mean because it's a conversation that is not. You know, back in the day when I was a teenager and I was a kid and I'm sure everybody can gather that I haven't always been the saintly man that I am today so back in the day, when you wanted to get some bud, we'd go to wherever we needed to go or we'd have it. I mean, just, somehow, some ways, there ain't going to be no admission one way or the other. Guilty, not guilty, none of that. I'm just saying we knew where to find weed and one of these places that we would go. You could just knock on the door and whatever you put in you get. You know there were five, five hour sacks, and so you put 20 and you get four or five hour sacks, but 10 and you get two. Hopefully, everybody in the audience gets the math on that and follow along the rest of the way, because I'm not gonna repeat it or explain it. You should probably move along to, uh, taylor swift channel or something. But anyway, for real, though, there's like you know, back then there was that and it was like dirt, weed, broach, weed, uh you know, just all the way around shitty. But now again, with all these options and everything's like, everything like that, because you don't have to go to a bad neighborhood to get anything. You don't have to.
Speaker 1:Well, technically, depending upon where you live, I mean, you may or may not be breaking the law, and that's you know. I mean, what are we talking about speeding these days? But for people that don't live adjacent to a state where you know something may not be legal or is legal or whatever the case may be. If I'm just, let's say, for instance, I live, I don't know, in Texas and weed ain't legal. So I walk into the smoke shop and they got edibles, they got vapes, they got dobs or dabs or whatever they call it. I mean, if this is my only option, are they all bad? Or is there something I mean because it is synthetic, right?
Speaker 2:all right, no, no, no, it's not necessarily. No, it's not necessarily synthetic at all. Um, so you're gonna see again. I I'm not in texas, I don't know my brother's in texas. I could ask him but is there flour in the shop, like, are there buds in jars or anything like that in the shop?
Speaker 1:yeah, you know what was funny. You know what's funny about this is I knew nothing about this, but uh, last year we had to get a new truck. I'm not stunting. My wife was in the wreck and unfortunately she was okay. But we did have to get a new vehicle for obvious reasons, and so when we got the vehicle, as with all our other vehicles, I took it to the same tent shop that I've always used in Lubbock. And we're in there in the tent shop and this lady's got weed.
Speaker 1:I thought you know what I'm saying behind the counter, like in fucking jars and and there's different, you know edibles, all these different things, and I'm like what do you have here, you know? And she was telling me she's like you eat this whole bud right now and you ain't gonna get higher at all, but if you smoke it something's gonna happen to you, and so that's how my whole world into the. That's how I was, that's how naive I am, like that's how I whole world into the. That's how I was, that's how naive I am, like that's how I was introduced into this world. That made me like what the fuck is this? How is one legal and one's not?
Speaker 2:All right. So the the biggest difference between what is legal and what is not? Um is a bad way of putting it. There are certain things which the Farm Bill Act made legal. Many of those things, many of those cannabinoids which are legal, are either psychoactive on their own of them to a much lesser extent than Delta 9, which is the, which is tetrahydrocannabinol, the the uh, the compound in traditional weed, um, it's called Delta 9. Um, dude, I just had, I just had a sexist Terry moment. I completely forgot what I was saying. It's gone.
Speaker 1:It'll come back, though. Give it a couple of minutes, man. That's usually what I do. I just focus on something else and it returns.
Speaker 2:I found it so. So, when you go into a shop like that, what you're what you're seeing is weed or or cannabis derived products that contain one of those other cannabinoids that are psychoactive on their own or which convert to THC when decarboxylated, which is the process that happens when it's heated, when you heat, when you burn it. Say that word one more time decarboxylate.
Speaker 1:Yeah, if you fucking hurt, if you knew that that word existed in this world prior to length. Just saying that shit hit me at specialoperatiolookcom because I never heard that word in my life and I think like I got a decent vocabulary, but I ain't never heard no shit about decarboxylation in my entire existence. I'm sorry, man Props, though for real that was dope.
Speaker 2:And you know what. You conjugated the verb properly. Well, good done. That's what I do, bro.
Speaker 1:I read English for dummies or some shit when I was on one of my extended stay vacations back in the day.
Speaker 2:I was going to say good job and well done at the same time, good done. Back in the day I was going to say good job and well done at the same time, good done Anyway. So yeah, when you decarboxylate cannabis, it has THC in it. That decarboxylation process activates the THC and makes it so that your body can absorb it and use it. That's why, if you just take, if you could take a bud and eat it and it won't do anything, but if you put it in brownies that it heats during the cooking and while it's cooking, it's decarboxylating it and then it becomes absorbable by the human body at that point.
Speaker 2:So the thing that you're seeing in those stores are again, either products that contain cannabinoids that have their own psychoactive properties or convert to THC, giving you the. And, to be completely honest, at that point, if you're buying cannabis that is labeled as THCA, trying to distill it down to its finest point, if you use THCA weed or cannabis and you burn it or you heat it past, you know, like the 270 degree point, uh, somewhere in there, um, it becomes THC and at that point it's no different than regular weed. And the problem that right now is the government is onto that, and so they're looking to make changes to now criminalize that as well. But the other thing that you'll find is D8 products. I'm sure you've heard of Delta-8 products.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, Delta-8, Delta-9. Let me, can I back you up just a sec there in regards to the law. I thought I read something the other day that looked like maybe the uh I forget was uh, who was one of the alphabet companies out there that we all pay for. You're welcome. Uh, they're gonna reschedule marijuana from one to three, which? Basically makes it like a fucking aspirin. Or is that my trip? Maybe I read it wrong now this is.
Speaker 2:This is one of those areas that's very political, and so you're going to find people who who think my opinion is garbage and whatever. So I, I don't want to see marijuana rescheduled. I, I want to see it de-scheduled. I want the federal government to get their hands off it entirely and put it in the hands of the states. Let the states do what the states do schedule it right. It basically says the federal government has no opinion on this whatsoever. You guys, states, do with it what you will, and then they're free to criminalize it, legalize it whatever they want to do. When they reschedule it, when they bring it from a class one, a schedule one drug, to a schedule three drug Now, most people don't even know what any of this is.
Speaker 2:But drugs are put in certain scheduleization categories, and Schedule 1 are drugs that are harmful and have no. Oh, this, here we go. I'm going to go on a rabbit trail here. They have no. You know what? I'm going to bring up my computer and look up the exact wording of it. Why do I have so many windows open but it says no known, proven. Give me one second. Here I'm going to find the government website. It says drugs with no currently accepted juice. Those are Schedule 1 drugs In there heroin, lsd, meth and marijuana and anybody who has ever had any marijuana experience, whether somebody else that you know is using it or has used it or you've used it everyone knows that marijuana, and so I mean because there there's that old joke I forget who said it might have been cat williams which shout out to that dean and again, that's another conversation for another day which he has a live that's coming on tonight, actually the first ever on Netflix.
Speaker 1:So I like Cat Williams and I'm going to just promote that. Cat, if you want to shoot me a little something for doing that for you, I mean, I just got to let people know I'm trying to help you out. But there is that old joke that's like nobody ever sucked a dick for a joint. You know what I mean? Like that didn't want to. You know that's I don't. I think that's the joke. It's like I mean heroin weed. That's ridiculous name. It's not even the same sport. It's not apples and oranges.
Speaker 2:It's not the same, it's it's you know, but right, so anyway, by make, by bringing it down from a schedule one to a schedule three, and look reading it here, it says, you know, schedule two drugs, uh substances or chemicals are defined as drugs with a moderate to low potential for physical or uh psychological dependence can I?
Speaker 1:problem with right I'm sorry, I don't mean in real man, I really don't, but I just wanted to. We try to keep it all the way real here on special op radio and I just want to reverse my statement, walk that back circle all the way around and say that somebody probably has sucked the dick for a joint. Let's just be honest humans are depraved and, uh, nasty creatures anyway, my bad. I just want to clean that up because I know somebody's gonna say hey bro, I sucked the dick for a joint one time, like.
Speaker 2:I believe you did, but anyway. Anyway, my bad, yeah, that's my bad. No-transcript, that sounds great, right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they'll be putting the motherfucking COVID vaccine in that shit soon enough.
Speaker 2:So here's the deal the pharmaceutical industry is not equipped to deal with marijuana, and what I mean by that is the pharmaceutical world exists for single molecule solution. You know, they distill everything down to a single molecule and then they pump it out into it as a medication. And then, of course, you know you got to get some other medication to treat the effect of that first medication and you need a third one. To you know, whatever that, that's a matter of fact. There actually is a synthetic THC called Marinol, and it causes all kinds of problems for people because they've already taken marijuana and distilled it down to a single molecule. It loses the remember we talked about the entourage effect the effect of all of those other things working synergistically to create a unique experience, a unique effect, whatever it loses.
Speaker 2:That, and that's the problem with so many pharmaceuticals, is that they identify a part of a natural compound, typically, that does a certain thing, and so they isolate that certain thing and then they pump it out, make it a medication, but because it doesn't have all the rest of the stuff that goes along with it in nature, it screws you up in other ways, and so, anyway, there's so many different, like when I consume. I consume. You would think that I was a scientist. The way I consume, you know um where I'm uh. I'm dosing very specific doses. I'm choosing very specific strains um choosing very specific um uh.
Speaker 1:I thought you were a scientist. The minute that you said oxycarbinolization, did I say it right? Come on bro, I didn't.
Speaker 2:What is it? Ecarboxylation.
Speaker 1:Ecarboxylate. What is it?
Speaker 2:are you writing down? You're writing down, no I was playing. I played a sound effect that sounded like somebody was doing some e-boxy carbonization so anyway, you know, and the thing is, because it's a natural product, you can grow a plant and then you know, you grab a seed, you grow another one and if the humidity in the room or the tent, or however you're growing it, is different from one grow to, another.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, we're not going to lace people up on how to grow. Y'all look that shit up on your own accord. Let's go back to basically, you know what I'm saying. Like the products, let's go to if we can, if you want to.
Speaker 2:My point is that, unlike regular medications, which they can pump out and make them identical every time, this is a plant. It's very difficult to do that and there's so many different nuances in there. We just don't want, I don't want pharmaceutical companies messing with weed. I'm sorry, I just don't. One of the reasons I use weed and this is a true story so I go to the VA for all my bull crap and my doctor's running out of options and I'm not getting better.
Speaker 2:And this right here tells you I don't know what it tells you, but it'll tell you something about someone or something. But my doctor no joke, literally he took his badge off, kind of as a gesture. He put it face down on the desk and he says you know what he goes. I'm not allowed to talk to you about this. As your doctor, he goes, but I'd like to talk to you for a couple moments as a friend. He says if you haven't considered it, you need to try cannabis. He couple moments as a friend. He says if you haven't considered it, you need to try cannabis he goes I think this is the only path for you, and I was just like that.
Speaker 2:I'm like what he said as a va doctor, he goes. It is illegal for me to recommend this, but as your friend he goes, I'm telling you he goes. You need to give it a shot and before that I I hadn't. I hadn't smoked or consumed cannabis since I'm. I hadn't smoked or consumed cannabis since I was 18, I think, I think that was the last time I was like 18. So that was a big, you know.
Speaker 1:And I'll tell you what. Honestly, that's not the first time that I've heard a story like that from, in particular, veterans, and you know recommendations that come from, because, again, it all depends on the politics and the state that you live in and what your available options are. What can you, what can you order from where? I mean, there's so much and I think again that we've barely just grazed the tip of the iceberg as far as this conversation is concerned. But one thing that I do want to ask you in that regard is when you're talking about these doctors and the use or their side suggestions as opposed to, I mean, because if you've ever Googled the VA cocktail, the VA cocktail was basically a concoction of pills, that was.
Speaker 1:You know, know, this is loose information, so don't, you know, take it as gospel, but most of the veterans that suffer from ptsd and different disorders, whether it be uh, head trauma or tbi, is a tbi. I'm not trying to be disrespectful, I just can't remember. It's a traumatic brain injury, so that's TBI. Uh, I mean most of these dudes, and there's been little, you know, trials and tests on uh places like Facebook, for example, where everybody will be like, hey, shoot a picture of your meds from the VA, and, and, and a lot of these people have the same ones. Um and so marijuana in and of itself, I think, is the possibilities can be endless, but I don't want to say that everybody should just be walking around smoking weed either. You know what I mean here's.
Speaker 2:You know, like I said, basically what's going to end up having to happen here is you're going to just have to have to say time, we're done, because the conversation could literally go on for days.
Speaker 1:No, and I'll tell you what because I lost my train of thought because, as it were, um, you know, I was kind of enjoying myself through the through, the through the podcast here. You know, not illegal or anything like that, you know I'm saying, but I like mellow out and shit like that. So you know, but I did lose my train thought for a minute. But I did want to say this is that, yeah, the government, obviously, in anything and everything that they do, they, they, anything that they touch turns to shit, and if, uh, they get into, we're in right now. I do actually have another question for you. We're in right now. Uh, I got like 50 of them, but for the sake of this episode I got, I do have one more, but, um, the way it is right now, like, for instance, uh, lubbock, where I'm at there, there's proposition a, there's always proposition a.
Speaker 1:They're trying to figure out whether or not they want to legalize I think maybe it's medical marijuana. I don't know if they're just going to open up full blown dispensaries, like it is in New Mexico, but there is the possibility, I don't really know. So you got people that are for or against that. Most of the people that are against it are the old crowd or the people that you know. They have that stereotypical half baked, we're all retards type of mentality and that's unacceptable too, because they're probably all hopped up on all kind of prescriptions from their doctors. But that's neither here nor there and we don't judge on special opera radio. All I'm saying is it's a fucked up, retarded battle because you have these states, individual states like california, new york, new mexico, wherever else, that all that weed is legal, they have weed shops and the government gets in the way, they get in their own way, and there's actually more illegal weed shops in these states than there are legal weed shops.
Speaker 1:But again, neither here nor there. All I'm saying is when they touch it, they fuck it up. But there is the conundrum, or Pandora's box, if you will. Where, yeah, you could be in New Mexico right now. If you get pulled over by a police officer, he's probably going to tell you that you're all good as long as you got less than two ounces or an ounce, whatever the law is, I don't know. You look it up, it's your car, your responsibility. What I'm saying is, if that local police officer pulls you over, that's what he's going to tell you, if a federal officer for some reason pulls you over, they can fucking arrest you because it's still against federal law. So who the fuck is supposed to make sense of what when any of this occurs?
Speaker 2:here's what I'll tell you. First of all, ain't no federal, nobody pulling anybody over that's, that's not a thing. Federal people aren't, but it could but it.
Speaker 1:But it could happen, like if you were ditty, for instance, and you were just driving down the street and they pull. If if they were just targeting you, for if you're Donald Trump and you're just riding down the street with a sack in your lap, they can lock you up for it. You know what I mean? At the end of the day, it's still against federal law. That's all I'm saying.
Speaker 2:So, but here's the deal. There's so much legal weed now.
Speaker 2:You know all that stuff that you're seeing in the shop, all that stuff, all of that stuff is being shipped in the mail. It's being transported in cars all day, every day. I'm not saying you're good, go ahead and transport your weed, not saying that. But what I am saying is that, if you're not being a dumbass, you're probably going to be okay, and what I mean by that? Nobody looking at me, and I'm not trying to say that I'm better than anybody else. I'm not trying to say that I live a better lifestyle than anybody else. I'm not saying anything like that at all. What I am saying, though, is, if you look at me, I do not look like somebody you would think consumes cannabis for any reason.
Speaker 1:Dude, bro, bro, and I don't mean to interrupt your thought. Well, finish your thought and then I'll chime in on that.
Speaker 2:You're never going to see me with a hat that you know has a weed leaf on it. You know I'm covered in tattoos, but I'm not going to get a pot leaf tattoo. You know what? I'm covered in tattoos, but I'm not going to get a pot leaf tattoo. You know what I mean? I don't have paraphernalia hanging around. Anything I have is locked up and out of sight. I never smell like weed, ever and that's part of the way, because of the manner in which I consume it, which I didn't even talk about oh, we're going to hear shortly actually, because of the manner in which I consume it, which I didn't even talk about, we're going to hear shortly.
Speaker 1:Actually, if you would be so kind to oblige us in participating in a second episode because, as we previously stated, there is a lot of ground to cover here. You know what I mean and I think you got a lot of knowledge and a lot of experience I learning myself. Right now, sitting here, I feel like I should be paying for this shit. I mean, if anybody wants to hit me up with a don'ty especially no, I'm kidding, I'm not asking for money, but for real, something that you just said right there and uh, again, there's a million. If anybody doesn't believe me, or whatever you want to fact, check your host text here. You can just Google smoke shops in Lubbock, texas.
Speaker 1:Head Hunters is an enormous one, and these aren't places that are just restricted to any specific type of neighborhood, they're in all the neighborhoods. And if you go there and you sit there, I'm a people watcher and you sit there, I'm a people watcher. For those that don't know, uh, myself also, uh, my great guest, mr length, we were cavalry scouts. That's basically a people watcher, if you want to break it down to to layman terms, but if you sit outside of these places, you're gonna see any manner or all manner and types of people. It's not somebody you're gonna to be like oh that's a thug. Oh yeah, that dude steals. Oh yeah, that I mean. You're going to see a million different people, and I thought that was a really valid point that you said, and that's why I kind of want to expand on it and touch on it a bit more, because it is a thing you know what I mean More people than you you think are like hey, bro I gotta chill today well, you know, here's the thing.
Speaker 2:This is you. You would, I think most people would be surprised at if they were to find out who in their lives consume cannabis. You're I mean the number of millionaire professionals that I have spoken to. You know, with my business, with the business that I'm in, I run into people I don't got all that kind of money, but I run into a lot of people who do have that kind of money, you know, and these are people, man, that you would never in a million years. They look like the people who would berate you for for I look like that you know what I mean. I look like that the, the, you know the Gen X dad who's, you know, gonna yell at his kids and everything.
Speaker 1:Now, I'm going to be honest. I'm sitting here right now, bro, I ain't gonna lie. Hey, shout out to my wife, man, because she she bought this beautiful mirror that I didn't want because it's going to remind me every day that I'm aging swiftly and where I'll slowly die. But I just want to say, when I look at the reflection in the mirror, that I see the man that I know. I'm not sure I can't tell. Do people look like, if you've seen me, bro? Do I look like I smoke weed? Like, if you see me, I don't know, because it's funny to think you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Like, I mean people look at me and see a pothead, the funny thing because of because of my perspective the context in which I live. I don't actually ever think about it. It literally doesn't even come to my mind because I don't know. It's just I don't care, and I'm not saying that people who care, you know, whatever it's, it's just weird because of my perspective. I know that there's a lot more people out there consuming cannabis than than we're aware and a lot of it is is is fear of judgment.
Speaker 2:You know, you know you're preserving a bit of my anonymity here.
Speaker 1:I'm trying, bro. I'm sorry.
Speaker 2:No, you're good. There's a lot of people who fear judgment and alienation. Within their professions, within their religious communities, within their neighborhoods, within just their, their, whatever their spirit. Mentioned what happens to be they, they don't. They fear alienation and judgment. So they're not telling people and so they'll drive to like the farthest dispensary, far away from their house, so that nobody knows them.
Speaker 1:And you know well, I think it's apparent too. You know I'm saying like it's on the hush hush apparently, but look, there's more in lubbock, I don't, I, I know about the big major one. Um, I may have inadvertently promote, promoted them earlier. If they want to shoot me any product or samples or anything, you're fucking welcome. If I didn't do it, then I'm just getting better as a host.
Speaker 1:But regardless of all that fucking, there's more of these places than there are oil chain shops for your vehicle. So obviously the general public is speaking and they do want the product and they do want to comply with laws and be civilized and all that shit, organization and keep you know some sort of structure within society and all that shit. But all these places are all over the place but yet every single year, like right now with this prop, a shit here in Lubbock, texas, I can't vote. In case some of y'all missed any of the episodes, I'm convicted, felon, so you know the upside. If you want to be a glass half full type of fucking person like I'm trying to be every single day, is I don't get summoned for jury duty.
Speaker 1:But I wish I could vote on this shit because you know what I mean. I think that it's a necessity that should be out there and be available to the public. But even still, I know people that don't smoke weed or go out of their way to get weed and they go to these smoke shops, purchase legal products, smoke it or consume it just as if it were regular weed, and they get high as fuck. And what's the fucking difference? You know what I mean? Like why, if why, is the government, specifically the local government in lubbock, texas, why do they just inexplicably keep turning down the motions or say that the general public is voting against it, when obviously the general public is purchasing? The product of these fucking things wouldn't be popping up like Chick-fil-A's everywhere?
Speaker 2:Well, here's the thing there is, there's always this element of moral high ground. You know what I mean. You know what I mean, and not to get ultra-political, but that the right's always trying to, you know, just instill their religious and moral values on America. And you know, the Democrats or I should say the right is always accusing the left and the Democrats of being you know, of being nannies to everybody, always trying to take away your shirt, trying to do this. But the funny thing is they're all doing the same thing. They're just doing it to different people in different places. The last polling numbers showed that 70% of Americans were in favor of cannabis legalization. And you know, that's here's what I'll say. If we, as a nation can take a fraction of the voting public, and when 50.2 percent of the fraction of available voters vote for the president, we proudly proclaim america has spoken. You know what I mean. This is what we want, but if 70 percent of americans say they want legalized weed, that's just not enough it's.
Speaker 1:There's again, we're fucking coasting across the top of a never-ending iceberg. And I mean there because everything you just said, there's so much there to dissect and and kind of. I mean you could break all these different parts into different chapters and sections and semesters and fucking yearly college credits if you really needed to. But you know, because there's an interesting again conundrum, in fact, that states are legalizing marijuana but ultimately, whoever's got the power, who knows? None of us really know. I think it's a movie we're waiting to see the ending of, because we don't.
Speaker 1:When you talk about states seceding and things like that, I mean who the fuck knows what would happen in any of these events? But in a place like new mexico, for example, I was again reading an article, you know, on multiple sites actually, where federal agents are seizing transport vehicles that are transporting marijuana, but it's legal in the state, but they're still intercepting them and and taking the product. Well, where's the product going? First of all, is this just a fucking drug raid, uh, or a robbery? You know what I'm saying? It's.
Speaker 1:It's really, really hard to tell. It's really hard to kind of um break down all the minutiae and really get into the intricate details of some of these laws and why they apply, why they don't apply in other places. When you look at some of these laws and why they apply, why they don't apply in other places, when you look at some of the I've been to albuquerque, new mexico, uh, in the past year and up until I saw this shit in real life in person, I thought it was just some dumb shit on youtube. But there's real life walking zombies where people are injecting themselves at the intersection while police officers are sitting there. And I'm not knocking the police, I'm knocking the people that run those cities. And it's again. Go ahead, bro.
Speaker 2:I know I was saying yeah, you're right, it's awful.
Speaker 1:And again I mean, there's just so much there. The focus is on marijuana and obviously the positive effects and everything like that, but again it's, you know, it's opening up a fucking can of Vienna sausages. Man, you don't know what color the water is. Bro, I would love, I would love and appreciate it if you'd honor me and the audience with your presence, you know, maybe for a part two, and we can kind of dissect a little bit more of this and go from there Anytime you want.
Speaker 2:Even if I said no, you'd secretly record me anyway.
Speaker 1:So I'll just call you and just bootleg that shit. Stayed Texas on. One party on the conversation needs to know that the conversation is being recorded.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Anytime, man.
Speaker 1:you know that the conversation is being recorded yeah anytime man, you know that hey, I do appreciate you, man, and I do kind of want to leave, uh, everybody else hanging, because I I think you know what I mean that, um, again, we ain't even touch the surface. There's a lot more there and a lot for more people to learn so that, hopefully, you know, they can make choices in their life and and decisions that'll, you know, benefit them, whether it be their mental or their physical health. Yeah, thanks again, Lynn. I certainly appreciate you. We'll be in touch there.
Speaker 2:All right, man Anytime.
Speaker 1:I mean, as y'all heard, heard, there's a lot there. Um, I got as many questions as you got because there's so many different variables and so many different angles to the entire situation and you could break it down into different layers about you know again, I think still there's a valuable argument between why is alcohol legal and why is you know? I got the music all out, but why is alcohol legal and weed isn't? Or why can people pop fucking 10 Lortabs a day or oxycodone or whatever they do? Fentanyl is just floating around like it's COVID Herpes. That's a good one. We'll end the show on herpes.
Speaker 1:Ladies and gentlemen, I'm your host, texas Terry. This is Special Opera Radio. Comments, concerns, complaints or otherwise hit me at specialopperadioatoutlookcom. If you want to hit up my guest Lent, you'll have to find him. I'm not going to give you that data. I found out he was a rapper today, though I've known this motherfucker like 24 years. I found out today and you know your boy's a rapper, just found out today he's a rapper. He's been a veteran, a ninja. He was a reverend. This guy's a man of all you know, jack of all trades. He's mastered a couple, it sounds like. So props and thanks again to him and uh, we'll catch y'all next time. Y'all be safe. Have a good weekend. Don't forget mother's day is coming up. Don't be a dick or a bitch. Get your mother something nice. It's your boy, texas terry. We're out, peace.