Brave New Weed

This episode originally released as episode 80.  Not many of us think of adding 1mg of melatonin with THC to ensure a deeper, longer night's sleep… or blending ashwagandha with CBD to better cope with stress…or mixing St. John's Wort with cannabinoids to better cope with pain. But Dr. Kevin Spelman is a molecular biologist, industry consultant and a clinician who has observed that a mix of plant medicines can be more healing than just one individual plant on its own. Spelman is that rare breed of scientist whose worldview integrates the wisdom of the east and the hard science of the west. He has worked as an Ayurvedic clinician and alongside Chinese medicine practitioners as well as being a researcher at the National Institutes of Health. It was in the NIH labs where he learned just how skeptically plant science was viewed by his colleagues. “When I spoke about certain molecules, my colleagues were all in,” he told me before I recorded this podcast, “but the minute I started talking about medicinal plants they'd turn suspect. I could almost see the thought bubble appear above their heads: ‘Quack! This guy can't possibly be for real.'” This podcast is full of very real science about the mysterious world of plant medicines. In it, Spelman broaches three areas I want you to know about. Herbal allies. Especially relevant in the time of COVID-19 are the benefits of using echinacea, astragalus, and ashwagandha to strengthen our immune response. But he also explains that these substances should be combined thoughtfully rather than randomly thrown together. “One of the classic mistakes naturopaths make is just putting all in there. When you combine things properly you can induce emergent properties that you wouldn't see with just one compound.” Low dose cannabinoids. We are big proponents of low dose cannabis medicines on this podcast. Spelman points out that there is a scientific phenomenon called “hormesis” in which a low dose of a substance, like cannabis or psilocybin, can have beneficial results while a higher dose can cause symptoms to worsen. “I had a lot of sciatica pain, maybe a 6 or 7 out of 10," he says, "and I didn't want to use THC because my job demands I be critically observant. I found a sub-threshold dose of less than 1.5 mg of THC allowed me to work clear headed without a lot of pain.” Diet. Spelman points out that modern society is drugging illnesses that can be traced to what he calls a “phytonutrient deficiency.” His solution is the same that Michael Pollan arrived at while writing The Omnivore's Dilemma: “Eat more plants.” Listen in to learn more on this emerging field, and be sure to read Kevin's most recent blog on Powering Up Your Immune Response with Cannabinoids and Botanicals.And  please read "Practical COVID Tips as We Open" (and musical accompaniment) by the always impressive Dr. Jeff Chen at UCLA. We can't rely on the administration to give reliable info so we must rely on the smartest scientists we know. Jeff is another one worth listening to.

This episode originally released as episode 40 . This interview with Dr. Julie Holland marks the 40th podcast in the Brave New Weed series and it's one of our best yet. As a podcaster I can often map out the route a discussion will take, but this conversation with Julie ebbed and flowed in the most delightfully surprising ways. I never knew where it was leading. What I did know was that every turn it took was more interesting than the last.In this episode, we discuss: CBD and dental pain and how this remarkable cannabinoid calms nerve irritation What an orgasm and a delicious meal have in common (you never even thought to ask, did you?) Why men have nipples The real danger of masturbating to porn Screenophilia (or the reason why the next generation is falling in love with their screens) Curing your runny nose with psychedelicsHow cannabinoids can help cure our country's PMS.   Tune in and share it widely. As cannabis becomes more mainstream and a broader swath of people shake off the yoke of prohibition, so many more conversations about the plant's powers are taking place. Our mission is to stay at the forefront of these conversations and lead the way in the post-Prohibition era. If you value independent explorations such as these, free of advertising and the traditional constraints imposed by mainstream media, please support on us on Patreon. For less than the price of a coffee in NYC your donation can help us continue this work. We do this for love, not money, and we appreciate any help you can offer to keep the love flowing. And where else will you learn why men have nipples?

RECUT from Episode 106: Many people who use substances say that they create a deeper connection with “god,” “nature” or their own “spiritual” selves. Yet most organized religions are averse to plant medicines including psilocybin, ayahuasca, peyote and cannabis. Christians call these entheogens (plants that when ingested produce higher states of consciousness) false gods and warn against them for a host of reasons, primarily because they don't want adherents straying from the flock.Buddhists use different words but similarly proscribe intoxicants that lead users into states of “mindlessness” or “carelessness.” But as an intermittent traveler in spiritual circles I can assure you substance use among Western spiritual teachers is far more widespread than openly admitted. So many of them use psychedelics and cannabis, but maintain a well-guarded “conspiracy of silence,” as this week's guest, Stephen Batchelor, puts it.Batchelor is an esteemed teacher, writer, artist, and Buddhist scholar, who is best known for his secular approach to Buddhism and his openness to using entheogens to deepen his own contemplative practices. At 18, he went to India, where he was ordained as a Buddhist monk in 1974. He traveled, first to Germany and then South Korea, where he left the Tibetan tradition to train in Zen Buddhism. But in 1985 he disrobed, married and moved to France, where he and his wife still live in a small village near Bordeaux. His work has centered around developing a more modern, universalist approach to Buddhism, one that integrates the truths of tradition with the needs of our time.“The bulk of Buddhist teachers set out on this path through psychedelics and cannabis in the 1960s and 70s,” Batchelor, 68, told me. “But Buddhism, for many reasons, is too trapped in its own history. It appears user friendly but scratch the surface and you'll hit a bedrock of moralism. It's heavily committed to certain dogmas that it won't or can't release.”If you are interested in Batchelor's secular approach to this religion, I recommend Buddhism Without Beliefs, Confession of a Buddhist Atheist, and his most recent, The Art of Solitude, which was written before COVID but helped me mightily during the darker days of lockdown and forced isolation. It's my honor to have Stephen as a guest and my pleasure to share the conversation with you.

This episode is brought to you courtesy of Nirvana Dispensaries in Oklahoma. Check out my interview with Adam Lasi, CEO, who explains why Oklahoma is the country's most dynamic cannabis market. As I explain in more detail on this podcast, this will be the last recording for a few weeks. I am taking some time off to absorb and reflect upon the many changes this year has brought. Before saying good bye I want to leave you with this wonderful podcast on The Endocannabinoid Diet and to thank the Nirvana Group for sponsoring this episode. When Dr. Chin first described the Endocannabinoid Diet, my ears perked up. While she's still developing the thesis more thoroughly, I thought I'd bring you this peak into her observations. This from her desk: The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is the largest neurotransmitter system in our body. It modulates responses to internal and external stimuli and it is activated by both endocannabinoids (produced in the brain and body) and phytocannabinoids (produced from plants). Many people are not producing optimal amounts of endocannabinoids -- some experts are calling this an endocannabinoid deficiency. Studies have shown that patients with chronic pain and inflammation -- that often underlie at migraines, fibromyalgia, depression, PTSD, ADHD, weight gain, and irritable bowel syndrome -- have lower levels of anandamide, one endocannabinoid produced by our body. The vexing question to date is: What causes low levels of endocannabinoids? There's no simple answer. If you're experiencing pain and inflammation, not sleeping well or having difficulty with mood, anxiety, stress, or concentration, your ECS may be out of balance. According to Dr. Bruno, nutrition professor of Huntington University of Health Sciences, recent research suggests that in some cases, “A diet low in phytocannabinoids—low in plant foods—may also play a role. The fact is, inadequate levels of endocannabinoids may be associated with their production, metabolism, or the state of cannabinoid receptors. ”To learn more about how changing your diet to include more cannabinoids can impact your health, listen in!

Before I preview this content great episode, I must explain the naked structure of what you are about to experience. This episode will have no musical interludes between segments. We are currently searching for a new logo design, new interstitial music and maybe a few bars of a theme song. So if you are a composer or designer, or who have a composer or design friend who might like to enhance our show with their tunes, please reach out to Show@bravenewweed.com. We'll give on air credit, an interview and as much love as we can in other ways in return. You may also notice that this blog contains no graphic branding, which we are also overhauling. If you have ideas/skills or friends with ideas/skills, hit us up. Finally, by now you know that we are expanding the topics we cover to include brave new plants and brave new substances that are being used in brave new therapies to help create brave new minds. Your response to these topics has been overwhelmingly supportive, so we're diving in deeper and to bring you the smartest, most engaging experts on these high minded topics. So, lay back and enjoy this stripped down episode. And in the meantime, here's a blurb on what weed can learn from wine. (Hint: a lot). -- Joe "Biology, geography, botany, culture, linguistics. Weed is like wine -- it's not about one single thing. You have to learn about a set of things together. That's what makes them both so beguiling."  That's Matt Montrose, parter at OMvino, a San Francisco Bay area marketing and communications agency that specializes in food, wine and wellness brands. Matt started out in the hospitality business at age 19 and moved through ranks of the Court of Master Sommeliers, and earned his CMS Advanced Certification at just 25 years old. He knows of what he speaks! Matt is joined by his always engaging cousin, Max Montrose, founder of the Colorado-based Trichome Institute, to talk about what a very new industry, cannabis, can learn from an older industry, wine. Both industries are built on complicated plants that defy easy categorization, primarily because they grow in the ground and are influenced by soil, climate, and the skills of their farmers. Trying to sell them in simple categories such as "sativa" and "indica" is disingenuous at best and in many case, dishonest. "At a cannabis sommelier level you can see and smell how a particular variety is going to make you feel on a sedative to stimulating spectrum," he says. "That's important because lab testing doesn't test for sedation or stimulation. Nor does it test for quality. People need to be educated to stop shopping for THC levels and start shopping for aroma." Unsurprisingly, both Montrose's have a lot of opinions about how to teach customers to get the best out of both of these amazing plants and their derivatives. Listen in!

Mindbloom is the first treatment for depression and anxiety that "alchemizes psychedelics, software, substances, content and human care into personalized at home experience." What if you could order a weeks-long course of psychedelic medicines that is delivered to your door and then you are guided through each journey by a therapist and an integration coach over Zoom? What if that therapy could change the neural pathways in your brain to enable new cognitive insights and healthier thinking and emotional patterns and at the same time, help you to break old ones that are causing you distress? What if that therapy were legal in one half of the United States and costs less than your 50-minute hour on the couch with your current talk therapist?  Our guest this week is Dylan Beynon, founder + CEO of Mindbloom, the first Ketamine-therapy-in-a-box-solution [my phrase] aimed at healing depression and anxiety. This therapeutic modality was created with the contributions of pioneering psychiatrists and psychedelic researchers and, as Beynon says, “it alchemizes psychedelics, software, substances, content and human care into personalized, at home experience.”  Beynon has been named a "Top 25 Consumer HealthTech Executive" and one of the "Top 100 Most Influential People in Psychedelics." But his route to Mindbloom started as a teenager growing up with a mother who suffered from a mental illness that rocked his family. Psychedelic experiences sparked a fundamental emotional shift that finally set him on a path towards healing and growth, which he discusses in detail on this most excellent podcast.  To learn more, check out Mindbloom.com. And if psychedelic therapy is a topic of interest, you should definitely listen to Episode 114 with Dr. Erica Zelfand.

“As a psychiatry resident I wondered if cannabis does to people what catnip does to cats. That turns out to be a completely incorrect assumption.” This episode is brought to you courtesy of Trichome Institute, providers of most excellent cannabis education and certification programs. Trichome courses enable you to Weed Better! Dr. Godfrey Pearlson, the esteemed neuroscientist, researcher, and author of Weed Science talks with me about how our favorite plant works in the brain, heart (and maybe even the soul) of human beings On this episode the esteemed neuroscientist, Yale professor, and author Dr. Godfrey Pearlson, joins me to talk about what we know and don't know about the way cannabis works in our brains (and hearts, and maybe our souls, too). This episode could also be called “Cannabis: The Good, The Bad and The Mysterious and if you tune in you'll learn:The Good: Why colors seem more vibrant, why time moves more slowly, why so many musicians say they find more space between notes when using cannabis.The Bad: We explore the evidence linking cannabis to psychotic illnesses as well as the paradoxical evidence showing that ultra-high doses of CBD reduces some psychotic symptoms. We also explore the evidence between lethal car crashes in states that have legalized -- and why this is not a reason to continue the prohibition.The Mysterious: Many topics of interest here, but one of great interest to me: why so many of us need less cannabis to get high as you age.And finally, for all of you who have always wondered if cannabis does to humans what catnip does to cats, the answer is revealed within!

The jury's still out on the newest cannabinoid to take the world by storm -- Delta-8 THC. Is it safe, legal, or an interesting high? On this episode two wise men with competing points of view weigh in.Does this sound familiar?This episode is brought to you by Medical Cannabis Mentor, providing state-of-the-art education to dispensary personnel, healthcare providers and patients. A new cannabis product hits the shelves and suddenly mainstream media is reporting a surge in illnesses and hospitalizations. It happened on June 29 when University of Virginia Hospital reported dozens of people crowding the ER after ingesting…guess what…the cannabis industry's newest rock star product, D8 THC!I don't want to be an alarmist but I immediately wondered if the introduction of D8, which very few people really understand, is going to be this year's version of EVALI, the scary vape-related lung diseases that killed 68 people and sickened 3,000 more in 2019 and 2020? Or is this clickbait about another cannabis product that hit the market fast, created through-the-roof consumer demand, and has yet to be federally regulated?I'm not sure yet, but it's safe to say that Delta-8 THC (D8) presents a great opportunity and a great challenge to the cannabis industry: Big financial upside and some POTENTIALLY serious downsides. To get a clearer perspective on this “new” cannabinoid (that was in fact identified in 1941 by scientist Roger Adams) I invited two wise people with competing interests to discuss.Dr. Matt Elmes holds a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Stony Brook University, where he focused on endocannabinoid and phytocannabinoid cellular transport mechanisms. Today Matt is Scientific Director for CannaCraft, one of the largest cannabis product manufacturers in the world. Chris Fontes is CEO and Founder of Project Hemp Flower, a website where farmers sell their smokable flower directly to consumers. Fontes and his team hunt and curate high-grade product that provides consumer confidence because of their quality control. His latest brainchild is Trojan Horse Edibles, full-spectrum, full-strength dispensary grade edibles from hemp CBD.Listen in to learn if D8 is natural or unnatural… safe or harmful…and how its high differs from that of good old Delta-9 THC. And get ready for D10, which according to my sources, will soon be hurtling down the pike!Is it possible that THC has more variants than COVID????See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Erica Zelfand, MD, naturopath and psychedelic therapist, discusses the science and spiritual connection of psychedelics... Psilocybin, MDMA, Ibogaine, LSD, Ketamine & God!If you'd like to learn more about the science of psychedelic medicine, take Dr. Z's fantastic online course. Click here and apply the code Hooray at checkout for 20% off.In this fantastic and wide-ranging interview with Dr. Erica Zelfand, we touch upon her wide experiences with psychedelics as a conscious user and as a healer and doctor. Some of the many wise things you'll hear include: "What we saw with the Timothy Leary generation, which was more of a grass roots movement was chaos and confusion and now with this revolution we're taking off tie dye and putting on suits and ties and publishing papers. And that's how we're moving ahead now. I don't think either is right or wrong.""I was at an ayahuasca circle in Portland OR and was having vivid visuals and beautiful and difficult experiences. At one point I shot up and said “I have to know how this is working in my brain.” For me psychedelics were a gateway drug to science!""There's a saying, “neurons that fire together wire together,” meaning that if you keep doing the behaviors over again [they form a habit in the brain]. A lot of psychedelics temporarily disturb that rigid firing pattern and let parts of the brain that don't normally communicate with each other make novel connections.""We have a theory that depression is caused by low serotonin in the brain, but we don't actually have a lot of evidence supporting that. A newer theory of depression is that it's a high level inflammatory state in the nervous system. Psychedelics (and SSRIs) are anti-inflammatory. This may be why even microdosing can have an anti-depressant effect.""We can explain a lot of how psychedelics work with science and then we hit this wall... There's this receptor site... and that neurotransmitter... and then, God."Psychedelics don't change beliefs or politics. What they seem to do, according to the data, is make people less extreme.Like any tool you've got to know how to wield it. If you're new to psychedelics, get a copy of The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide by James FadimanThis episode is brought to you by The Trichome Institute offering brilliant education and certification programs. Its hands-on and extremely popular "Interpening" course is geared to helping all cannabis users to Weed Better. Highly recommended by yours truly.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hemp gets no respect -- until now! Trichome Institute's Max Montrose and Project Hemp Flower's Chris Fontes will change your mind about this humble and much maligned flower. This episode is sponsored by Trojan Horse Cannabis, makers of edibles and tinctures with 100mgs CBD and 10mgs of Delta-9 THC per serving. These are are legal hemp products that can be mailed to you and will get you gently high. Use coupon code BNW for 25% off your first order!Hemp is:A. Male marijuana flowersB. A species of marijuana with no medicinal valueC. The same species as marijuana with little to no THC The correct answer is ‘C', but don't feel uninformed if you didn't know. Hemp is confusing, not only as to what it is, but what it can do, which is why I was surprised when my friend, Max Montrose, founder of The Trichome Institute and creator of the amazing Interpening course, told me about high-potency hemp flower that gets you high. These high CBD hemp strains grown on small, boutique farms are being sold by Colorado-based Project Hemp Flower. Some clock in at 8-25% CBD (average commercial “high” strains average about 3% CBD). More confusing still, these strains, many of which have no THC, are so rich in terpenes and other phytocannabinoids that they actually get you high, or at the very least cause a “head change.” It's so good, Max told me, that Trichome Institute is now sending Project Hemp Flower CBD to people who sign up for its Interpening course but have no access to legal cannabis.These Brave New Hemp strains are just as varied as Delta-9 THC cannabis. They have names like "Alpen Gleaux," "Sour Space Candy," "Oregon Guava," and come in fat frosty nugs, small tight nugs, and many shades of green. Some are jet black – you can see a few examples below. All are tested and the results are posted on the PHF website so buyers know exactly what they're getting.Max, ever evangelical about all advances in cannabis culture, introduced me to Chris Fontes, CEO of Project Hemp Flower, who says that if you can locate interesting hemp genetics, grow and cure it with the same precision as cannabis then you'll get an aromatic, smokable flower that is great for people who need it medicinally or who don't want to get annihilated. Or, as Max puts it, “They're taking hemp flower to the next level and it's kind of crazy awesome.” To sample high potency CBD that can be legally mailed to your door, click here and use the code BNW to get a 25%. Shipping is free for orders over $40. If you'd like to get intimate with your bud via Trichomes Institute's Interpening classes, click here and use the BraveNewHemp code to get 15% off. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Eric Goodman, the creator of Foundation Training, has developed a system of pain relief that integrates movement and posture, heat, breath and our favorite plant. PS: Be a mensch and share this podcast with anyone you know over 40. This episode is sponsored by Zippz, personalized CBD medicines for sleep and calm created for your body and your condition. Use promo code BRAVE to get your (almost) free sample pack. Happy Zzzzz's.I've devoted a lot of air space to the topic of cannabis and sleep in the last months, and now I want to turn to pain, the #1 condition for which people use cannabis, and introduce you to Dr. Eric Goodman. A former athlete who is no stranger to injury, surgery and rehab, Eric trained as a chiropractor, where he learned anatomy, physiology and treatment. But over time, and as his own pain continued to plague him, he realized that much of what he was taught was insufficient. “We look to the wrong places for solutions—which keeps us from finding immediate relief. “he writes in his upcoming book, tentatively titled Foundations of Health: Harnessing The Restorative Power of Movement, Heat and the Endocannabinoid System To Actively Adapt for a Healthy Life. “Ultimately, it hampers us from living healthy lives…”These realizations set him on a road to create Foundation Training, a method that strengthens the areas around what goes wrong in our bodies so we can find relief and prevent injuries from occurring in the future.Eric and I share the same publisher, Karen Rinaldi at Harper Wave, who a few weeks ago slipped me a pre-publication manuscript of Foundations of Health. The book integrates a decade of research, clinical evidence and patient results into something that goes beyond biomechanics and standard adjustments – it's an integrative approach to pain, especially chronic pain, that makes sense. I gobbled it up.Instead of treating the area where pain occurs, Foundations identifies four factors that contribute to pain alleviation: posture and movement, breath, heat and, you guessed it, cannabis and how it affects the body's endocannabinoid system (ECS). It offers practical methods of optimizing each of these factors, while also parsing common myths and facts: heat vs. cold for injury, rest vs. small amounts (“microdoses”) of physical stress, and how cannabis, properly used, can increase awareness of balance and movement. This enhanced somatosensory perception neatly fits his explanation of “couchlock,” in which you feel the weight of your limbs more than you typically do.This interview also marks Eric's coming out as a cannabis user and advocate. Like many, he harbored concerns that open advocacy could jeopardize his practice, but I predict that it will put him in the excellent company of the growing number of maverick health practitioners who use cannabis can be an excellent adjunct to pain relief with fewer side effects than NSAIDs (Advil, Aleve, Motrin) and opioids. Welcome to the fold, Dr. Goodman!Foundations of Health (tentative title) will be out January 2022. Learn more about ithere.Learn more about Foundation Training hereOr get the Foundation training app, which has all sorts of programs including: weekend workouts; FT for surfers, runners, golfers, office workers, FT and Pregnancy, and a complimentary “Independence from Pain” workout.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Not all sleeplessness is created equally. Zippz is the first CBD sleep formula tailored to your body and to your particular condition. I think it's a game changer (and life saver)! One of the missions of our podcast is to occasionally vet great cannabis and CBD products in this crowded, confusing market where claims are tossed about with very little evidence backing them up. (This problem plagues the entire CBD market due to lack of regulation). I'm happy to report that I finally found a CBD sleep product that has given me many nights of uninterrupted Zzzzz's without the morning fog or side effects of sleeping pills.Zippz is the first “personalized” CBD product to market. Their 225 formulas blend CBD with a half dozen botanical compounds (ashwagandha, melatonin, kava, for example) and terpenes that are tailored to individual conditions. Do you have trouble falling or staying asleep? Is it related to pain, anxiety or neither? Are you male or female, young or old? Do you exercise? All of these factors are considered when matching you to your formula.Here's how it works: You fill out a brief assessment which identifies your particular form of sleep disturbance and physical condition. Zippz analyzes it and sends you a report and two different soft gel cap formulas for you to sample. You determine which works best and let them know. If you order, the money you spent on the trial pack is deducted from your first purchase. If your condition changes, the formula is easily adjusted.Zippz was created when California entrepreneur (and fellow insomniac), Scott Eagle, went to a dispensary in search of help. A 20-something person handed him a few products and told him to “start low and go slow,” advise he found it woefully inadequate and far too random. So he raised some seed money and worked with doctors and formulators to create ZippzDisclosure: This episode is unusual because Zippz approached to sponsor four episodes. When a sponsor purchases four episodes we offer them a short promotional interview. In this case, I found the product impressive that I offered Scott a full interview in hopes of helping my fellow insomniacs.If you use the promo code BRAVE you can get the samples for a 50% discount. If you take advantage of this offer, please let me know if these formulas work for you as well as they are working for me.Sweet dreams!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Brave Enough To Ask is our new exclusive series for Patreon supporters! Visit patreon.com/bravenewweed to listen to all of these past and future bonus episodes.In this segment, we revisit the scary "vapegate" news cycle from a few months ago, and explain what to actually look for if vaping is your thing.We want your questions for upcoming episodes! Send us an email at show@bravenewweed.com and if you're Brave Enough To Ask, we'll answer those burning questions!Privacy Policy and California Privacy Notice.

A spirited discussion with the co-founder of The Conscious Fund, which invests in psychedelic research and therapies. My question: Can psychedelics and profits happily coexist?My guest this week is Henri Sant-Cassia, co-founder of The Conscious Fund, a $60 million venture capital fund that has backed 14 companies in the fledgling psychedelic research and therapy space.Every day there is more frothy media surrounding the possibilities of psychedelic therapy to successfully treat depression, PTSD, end of life despair -- problems that modern medicine and pharma companies have not yet conquered. There is early evidence that psychedelics can really change the game and optimists are hoping that legalization and increased funding can create better solutions and, at the same time, a more compassionate world.But anyone who has watched cannabis legalization knows that it is difficult, if not impossible, to protect those who risked their lives, reputations, and often freedom advocating for these euphoria-inducing substances from the euphoria-inducing rush of large sums of investment capital. To wit: Some early stage psychedelic startups are following the pharma model of changing a few molecules in the natural plant structures and attempting to patent them. They're claiming to have “invented” entirely new substances. One such company, the UK/US-based Compass Pathways, which is backed by free market evangelists Peter Thiel and Rebekah Mercer (both Trump supporters) has been trying to patent psilocybin for years. While Compass's filings are unlikely to succeed, there are many other ways they can gum up the works for companies (both for-profit and nonprofit) that have been fighting for decades to liberate these substances from Schedule 1 restrictions and make them available to those in need. Henri and I discuss this and other thorny conflicts that inevitably arise in the tricky marriage of psychedelics and profits.The more I look into this the more ethical, financial and therapeutic issues arise. For one: Can psychedelics be successfully delivered without therapy and if so, what role with pharmaceutical companies that only make medicines play. I'll be delving into them over the next few months as the rush toward psychedelic medicines -- or what I'm blithely calling “The ShroomBoom” -- takes off. Watch this space!Privacy Policy and California Privacy Notice.

“Defund the police? We should defund the drug war first!”This episode is sponsored by Zippz, state-of-the-art personalized CBD medicines for sleep and stressMost cops have never been fans of legalization. Diane Goldstein, Executive Director of the Law Enforcement Action Project, explains why and how she's working to change hardened minds. An extensive 2020 survey of 3615 law enforcement officers revealed that a large chasm that still exists between changing our out of date drug laws and changing the minds of the people who enforce those laws. While 37 US states have some form of medical or adult use laws, the police are still being trained to associate the devil's lettuce with criminality, a designation that was created by drug laws themselves. Here 's a sampling of the study's findings: 75% of cops surveyed had never used cannabis or used it less than four times.Two thirds agree that “marijuana is less dangerous than other Schedule 1 drugs” but over 75% still believe it is a gateway drug and that legalization leads to use of harder drugs.Over half of the cops surveyed in illegal states still believe that enforcing misdemeanor possession charges is a worthwhile use of their time.These statistics explain why I invited Diane Goldstein on to the podcast. Diane was a cop for 20 years and today she heads LEAP, the Enforcement Action Partnership. She is a cop who saw the failures of the Drug War from a professional and personal point of view and now works to educate and change hardened minds within the law enforcement hierarchy. We've all heard cops say, “We don't make the law, we only enforce it,” but the truth is that cops have a vested interest in and receive massive amounts of state and federal funding to maintain the prohibition status quo. “Cops often repress reform because it doesn't support their agenda,” is how Diane expresses it in this interview.It's no secret that Diane's task is Herculean, but she is optimistic that change is afoot. “Yes,” she says, “we must change laws but we also have to show Law Enforcement that they'll still have plenty of tools they need to do their jobs effectively.” In other words, reward them with the same funds they would have used to investigate marijuana crimes. “Before talking about defunding the police [a misleading and dreadful phrase to explain reapportioning funds in my humble opinion], we should defund the drug war first. Drug law enforcement is a bludgeon that drives racial disparities in policing across the country.”ALSO...Be sure to check out the “Trusted Brands'' tab on the Brave New Weed website. We recently launched in response to frequent questions from listeners about products. Alas, we are not able to test every product that comes our way our catches our interest, but those that we've been able to vet are on this small, growing list. Keep checking it as we'll be updating it regularly.

Troy Ivan, founder of ExactCraft, on how to make the best extractions at home, the importance of “cannaflavins,” and the newest product for pain relief that you’ve never heard of (but will want to try)!This episode is sponsored by MedicalCannabisMentor.com, now offering CME courses!Extraction is a beautiful but confusing thing, especially if you’re new to cannabis. Extracted products range from the sludgy RSO (now called FECO, full extract cannabis oil) that is used to treat certain cancers, to the golden, superterpy full melt rosin, and everything in between. This episode’s guest, Troy Ivan, is a self-made expert in home extraction and he explains how people trying this at home can get the best product and highest yield with the equipment his company, ExactCraft, has perfected over the last few years. Troy is a former finance guy who, in his words, went from “extraction of the dollar to extraction of cannabis oil.” He did it in the Steve Jobs model, by spending years in his garage, learning the ins and outs of forcing those beautiful oils from the trichomes in the cleanest way possible. While extraction as a process isn’t new, citizen scientists like Troy are developing new, and surprising applications and not just with cannabinoids. Two thirds through this interview Troy talks about a revolutionary citrus peel extract that appears to relieve arthritis pain. Knowing that citrus contains high concentrations of the anti-inflammatory terpene limonene, Troy made his own grapefruit peel concentrate and then rubbed some on the stiff ankles of his 80-something year old mother. In ten minutes her pain was gone, he recalls. She continued applying it, once every few days at first, then once a week, then once a month, and now barely needs it. It seems to have relieved the condition as well as the pain. “That was what I was hoping but not what I was expecting,” says Troy. “It’s crazy how good it is.” To learn more about the citrus peel extract, go here.To learn more about extraction in generalTroy recommends these resources.extractcrafter.com/skunkpharmresearch.com/extractcraft.com/fuckcombustion.comSPECIAL OFFER If you would like a chance to sample my favorite edibles, listen to Episode 107. Toward the end you’ll hear how a $20 contribution to the Brave New Weed Patreon contribution will enable you to receive two free edibles (50mg THC) in the mail, and an opportunity to subscribe to the maker’s very private mailing list. This is a limited time offer. At the time of this writing there were 9 slots available, so hurry.Finally, To read the pain study comparing cannabinoid medicines to pharmaceuticals, click here. Note: the THC:CBD preparation beat Tramdol, Oxycodone, Ibuprofen, and Fentanyl. And now ask yourself why it’s still illegal in most of the world and what you can do to change that situation.

You can't buy them, but this podcast will tell you how to get your own supply and/or make them yourself--recipe below. One thing that has always impressed me about the world of “higher order plants” are the citizen scientists who defy the law, societal norms, and the limits of their own knowledge to experiment with different ways of tweaking the plant to their own ends. They’re farmers and formulators, bakers and makers, but they share an abiding curiosity and dedication to craft. I was introduced to one such citizen scientist earlier this year, and his journey into high-potency and highly delicious edibles was so impressive I invited him onto the podcast. Chris Bugbee describes himself on his Twitter bio as a “cause-driven communications pro, print hound/news junkie, husband, dad to 3 daughters.” Shortly after California legalized he decided that too many of the edibles flooding the market were overpriced and under dosed, so he began to grow his own plants and find an extraction method to minimize the bitter taste of cannabis oils, and create his own cannafections that he calls Ginja Snaps and distributes through the Nightkitchen Bakery.But here’s the kicker: Chris doesn’t sell the Ginja Snaps. He gives them away to a small group of supporters who send him a modest contribution when they're ready for a refill. He does it this way because, as he puts it, "this is a mitzvah, not a business." (Mitzvah is Hebrew for a good deed).Whether you consider cannabis a medicine, sacrament or euphoriant, it has always been something to share. To that end Chris has generously extended an invitation to 20 Brave New Weed listeners to join the private Night Kitchen Bakery mailing list. Listeners, this a truly special offer to a limited number of people for a limited time. To learn how to join his private list and if you are curious to try what I judge to be the best, most dynamic edibles, follow the instructions at the end of the episode! And read below this ad to get Chris's recipe.Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about infusion and/or extraction (the latter is the slightly expensive but much more efficient method) Chris recommends this comparison-based resource. And if you’re interested in trying Chris’s Ginja Snap recipe on your own, here it is. Chewy Ganja Ginger Snap (180-200 cookies)This recipe, originally from the August 18, 2014 issue of High Times, served as the starting point in the evolution of the Ginja Snap. We are currently working on the 37th iteration of the recipe since our first effort to create a cookie that is as expeditious as it is delicious. Along the way we’ve played with various combinations of different sugars (castor, demerara, dark brown sugar, date sugar, coconut sugar), different kinds of molasses, added nutmeg and allspice to the ingredient list, swapped MCT coconut oil for butter, and increased the amount of crystallized ginger to 11 oz. One of our goals from the outset was to keep the cookie size small and the potency high, around 25mg THC per cookie. We began using ½ tablespoon (25mm) scoop to keep the size uniform and the dosage per cookie consistent. We’ve also experimented with efforts to increase the bioavailability of the ingredients by adding additional egg yolks or sunflower lecithin.Because potency is a goal, the Night Kitchen Bakery uses only flower instead of trim. We began by infusing 2 cups of flower in 1 cup of oil. Over the last year, we’ve switched from infusion to extraction, in which food grade ethanol is used as a solvent to extract THC and other cannabinoids more efficiently and completely than infusion. Ingredients4.5 cups all-purpose flour2 tsp baking soda1 tbsp ground ginger1.5 tsp ground cinnamon1 tsp ground cloves1.5 tsp salt1 cup cannabutter (melted) or oil1/2 cup unsulfured molasses2 cups sugar, plus extra for rolling dough2 large eggs7 oz crystallized ginger, cut into small chunksPreparationPreheat oven to 325ºF.Combine the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together with whisk to incorporate all spices evenly.In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the cannabutter (or oil), molasses, and sugar. Cream the butter/sugar mixture until fluffy and smooth.Add the eggs one at a time and mix until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.Add the flour mixture into the wet mix slowly, until almost fully incorporated, and then add the chunks of crystallized ginger. Mix until dough is nice and shiny.Roll dough into 25 balls and roll in white sugar. Press down slightly. Bake at 325ºF for 8 to 10 minutes, until the top of the cookie starts to crack slightly.Let cool on a rack and enjoy!

"I don’t take cannabis in social situations. I only take it by myself in a quiet, reflective space...Sometimes it leads me down blind alleys, but often it clarifies and heightens my reflections. I see it as a power plant."Many people who use substances say that they create a deeper connection with “god,” “nature” or their own “spiritual” selves. Yet most organized religions are averse to plant medicines including psilocybin, ayahuasca, peyote and cannabis. Christians call these entheogens (plants that when ingested produce higher states of consciousness) false gods and warn against them for a host of reasons, primarily because they don’t want adherents straying from the flock.Buddhists use different words but similarly proscribe intoxicants that lead users into states of “mindlessness” or “carelessness.” But as an intermittent traveler in spiritual circles I can assure you substance use among Western spiritual teachers is far more widespread than openly admitted. So many of them use psychedelics and cannabis, but maintain a well-guarded “conspiracy of silence,” as this week’s guest, Stephen Batchelor, puts it.Batchelor is an esteemed teacher, writer, artist, and Buddhist scholar, who is best known for his secular approach to Buddhism and his openness to using entheogens to deepen his own contemplative practices. At 18, he went to India, where he was ordained as a Buddhist monk in 1974. He traveled, first to Germany and then South Korea, where he left the Tibetan tradition to train in Zen Buddhism. But in 1985 he disrobed, married and moved to France, where he and his wife still live in a small village near Bordeaux. His work has centered around developing a more modern, universalist approach to Buddhism, one that integrates the truths of tradition with the needs of our time.“The bulk of Buddhist teachers set out on this path through psychedelics and cannabis in the 1960s and 70s,” Batchelor, 68, told me. “But Buddhism, for many reasons, is too trapped in its own history. It appears user friendly but scratch the surface and you’ll hit a bedrock of moralism. It’s heavily committed to certain dogmas that it won’t or can’t release.”If you are interested in Batchelor's secular approach to this religion, I recommend Buddhism Without Beliefs, Confession of a Buddhist Atheist, and his most recent, The Art of Solitude, which was written before COVID but helped me mightily during the darker days of lockdown and forced isolation. It’s my honor to have Stephen as a guest and my pleasure to share the conversation with you.This episode is sponsored by WONDERFEEL:Wonderfeel's next-generation wellness formulas are organic, tested and pure. More than just CBD, these are profoundly effective wonder formulas developed by Dr. Andrew Levinson and tested with patients at his clinic for over two years.Wonderfeel fans are thrilled, saying they fall asleep easier and stay asleep using the Evening CBD.Their Daytime CBD gets glowing reviews among migraine sufferers who finally found relief. And compared to other CBD brands their customers have tried, they report feeling way less anxiety and stress. If you want to feel the wonders of Wonderfeel formulas Log in here and use the code BRAVE, and you’ll get 15% off your purchase. If you don’t feel wonderful, your purchase is on Wonderfeel.

Cannabis tech is beginning the journey of coming to age. Over the past 18-24 months, multiple companies have emerged and have competitive offerings in each part of the cannabis tech landscape. Better monetization of cannabis tech plays, significant market share gains, and consolidation are on the way.Related LinksJoin our investor communityRecent News for Episode Topichttps://www.ganjapreneur.com/topic/technology/ https://cannatechtoday.com/ https://mjbizdaily.com/technology/ Bar Cap 420 is a financial insight and current events report focused on the cannabis industry. Its goal is to serve as the gateway to understanding and investing in cannabis. The series aims to deliver the key highlights in the global cannabis industry in under 4 minutes and 20 seconds. Beyond the highlights, Bar Cap 420 will also do deep dives into subjects that help followers understand what lies under the hood of the cannabis industry. The series has a partnership with the Brave New Weed podcast to help both audiences gain a deeper and more nuanced understanding of cannabis from social, political and financial angles. Anand Shahi has over 20 years of experience in both public and private investments. As founder and President of Bar Capital, Anand is a thought leader, investor in and banker for the cannabis space. Anand is a Chartered Financial Analyst, holds a B.A. in Computer Science as well as Economics, and has a series 7 and 63 license.

“As a nonviolent offender, my brother faced the ultimate consequences of what cannabis prohibition really does to families.”On June 15th, 2013 Jawara McIntosh, musician, cannabis activist, and son of reggae genius Peter Tosh, was pulled over on the New Jersey Turnpike, not because he was speeding but more likely because of his dreadlocks. The cops found sixty five pounds of marijuana in his car and locked him away in a county jail for six months. After being released on $200,000 bond, Jawara, who performed under the name Tosh 1, pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute and took a plea deal which landed him in Bergen County Jail in Hackensack, NJ, with a one-year sentence. On February 21st, 2017, just six months shy of his release date, Jawara, then 37, was attacked by another inmate. He sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) that left him in a coma, unable to speak, move or care for himself for three agonizing years until his death, July 17, 2020. Like his dad and the rest of his family, Jawara was a Rastafarian who used cannabis as a religious sacrament.In honor of International Peter Tosh Day, which occurs on 420, Jawara’s sister, (and Tosh’s youngest daughter), Niambe McIntosh, joins us to tell the story of her brother’s death and how it spurred her into action on his behalf.What Niambe, who today heads the Peter Tosh Foundation and is a cannabis entrepreneur, failed to tell me in this interview was that her brother’s story bears an eerie resemblance to an incident that happened to her father. Back in 1978, a gang of 8 policemen saw Peter Tosh standing outside of a recording studio in Kingston, Jamaica with a joint in his hand. They beat him with Billy clubs, then locked him in jail. According to reports, his skull was shattered in several places, his ribs were broken, and his hands had been crushed. When Bob Marley visited his former Wailers’ bandmate in the hospital and saw the battered body, he wept. We’re bringing you this podcast in celebration of 420, 2021, as a reminder that despite the progress that the march toward legalization has sustained in the last years, the fight for justice and criminal justice reform is still far from over. Please have a Happy High Holiday but take a moment to remember all of those who came before who contributed to making this High Holiday possible.

Green thumb cultivators who entered cannabis after a more traditional crop and have 'mom-and-pop' operations are going to have a tougher time competing in the cannabis space. Multi-state and multi-national corporations are now making some big plays and will either acquire or drive out smaller operations in the coming months.Related LinksJoin our investor communityRegister for our upcoming 4/20 Cannabis Summit in partnership with 3x61 FirmRecent News for Episode Topichttps://www.newcannabisventures.com/mercer-park-brand-spac-to-buy-california-cannabis-operator-glass-house-group-for-567-million/https://mjbizdaily.com/canopy-to-buy-supreme-for-ca435-million-as-cannabis-ma-heats-up/Bar Cap 420 is a financial insight and current events report focused on the cannabis industry. Its goal is to serve as the gateway to understanding and investing in cannabis. The series aims to deliver the key highlights in the global cannabis industry in under 4 minutes and 20 seconds. Beyond the highlights, Bar Cap 420 will also do deep dives into subjects that help followers understand what lies under the hood of the cannabis industry. The series has a partnership with the Brave New Weed podcast to help both audiences gain a deeper and more nuanced understanding of cannabis from social, political and financial angles. Anand Shahi has over 20 years of experience in both public and private investments. As founder and President of Bar Capital, Anand is a thought leader, investor in and banker for the cannabis space. Anand is a Chartered Financial Analyst, holds a B.A. in Computer Science as well as Economics, and has a series 7 and 63 license.

This week’s guest has a brilliant program on how to use cannabis to change conservative Republican minds--and no, he wasn’t high when he came up with it!This episode is sponsored by Elēment Apothēc, a new CBD body care and wellness brand inspired by the healing power of nature and backed by science. One of their best sellers, Belle Visage Face Serum, is an intense hydrating and moisturizing face serum filled with healing and beneficial oils, botanicals like Sea Buckthorn Oil, CBD and CBG, which naturally support the skin while combating environmental stressors. Get 10% off at checkout with this link: https://elementapothec.com/discount/10brave.A few weeks ago we received an email from someone who proposed we do a show on his program to change the politics of America by actively offering cannabis to Republicans. My co-host Matthew thought it was a joke, but I was intrigued--after all cannabis was likely one of the plants that warring tribes of yore used in their “peace pipes.” If it worked centuries ago, maybe it could help bridge the red blue chasm that has the Republican party strangling the Senate, restricting voting rights, and egging on the misguided thugs who stormed the capitol on January 6th.So I called the writer of “Smoke Out A Republican” and grilled him. It turns out that he himself is a recovering Republican (and Evangelical Christian), so he knew his audience. And his reasoning was based on experience and seemed... well, very reasonable. “Look.” he told me, “When I first tried cannabis it caused me to think new thoughts and examine what I believed, which I had never done because an integral part of being a Republican is that you don’t do self examination because you’re always right!. That deep conviction in your rightness is at the center of being a Republican.” His ambition was mighty: try to change the minds of 1 million Republicans by offering them a joint (once COVID is no longer a threat). Do it respectfully and repeatedly, use an excellent sativa variety, and never insult. As he correctly points out, saying ‘Hey, you should stop being a Republican and try pot!’ isn’t going to do it because attacking someone causes them to hunker down and entrench. I’m not telling you more. For the good of the country, listen to this podcast, and check out the SOAR program on Twitter at SmokeOutARepub1 or email him at Smokeoutarepublican420@gmail.com. We have a lot of minds to change, one puff at a time.

Cinco de Mayo will never be the same - Mexico goes legal and the implications for drug cartels. Also, Boris Jordan appearing in the media to lay out the global strategy.Related Links:https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2021-03-10/eu-cannabis-market-may-double-u-s-curaleaf-chair-says-videohttps://www.cnbc.com/video/2021/03/10/curaleafs-boris-jordan-on-the-global-expansion-of-cannabis-availability.htmlhttps://seekingalpha.com/article/4406604-cannabis-legalization-mexico-list-of-companies-poised-to-benefithttps://foreignpolicy.com/2021/03/12/mexico-prepares-to-light-up-legally/Bar Cap 420 is a financial insight and current events report focused on the cannabis industry. Its goal is to serve as the gateway to understanding and investing in cannabis. The series aims to deliver the key highlights in the global cannabis industry in under 4 minutes and 20 seconds. Beyond the highlights, Bar Cap 420 will also do deep dives into subjects that help followers understand what lies under the hood of the cannabis industry. The series has a partnership with the Brave New Weed podcast to help both audiences gain a deeper and more nuanced understanding of cannabis from social, political and financial angles. Anand Shahi has over 20 years of experience in both public and private investments. As founder and President of Bar Capital, Anand is a thought leader, investor in and banker for the cannabis space. Anand is a Chartered Financial Analyst, holds a B.A. in Computer Science as well as Economics, and has a series 7 and 63 license.

Is it safe? Is it legal? Our guest is Jason Wilson, a natural products researcher and a laboratory quality consultant, which means he knows something about this new product that is taking the cannabis world by storm.This episode is sponsored by Elēment Apothēc, the new CBD body care and wellness brand that is over a decade in the making. Elēment Apothēc products are doctor formulated and utilize CBD, CBG, CBN and other beneficial phytocannabinoids and plant-based remedies. They are vegan, sustainable, third party certified, and effective. Check them out at helementapothec.com and see why so many customers are giving them incredible reviews. Get 10% off this week with code BRAVE10.Like a winter snow in July, Delta-8-THC is taking the cannabis market by storm, but what is it? It is said to come from hemp but hemp doesn’t produce high levels of THC. It is said to be a natural sleep aid, but so is good old Delta-9-THC. In the last weeks I’ve heard that it has the same chemical structure of Delta-9-THC except for the location of one tiny double bond......that it’s extracted by spraying hemp flowers with a gas that reeks of rotten eggs... that it’s sort of legal…(sort of legal?!). While seeking answers to my questions I did what so many other cannabists do: I turned my body into a lab and tried it myself. Over a week, I took several 30mg white grapefruit Delta-8-THC gummy from the Tampa, FL based company, PUR. The label listed the ingredients (which include corn syrup, silicon dioxide and some artificial flavors, so not that pure), a batch and lot number plus a QR code that promised to direct me to a Certificate of Analysis (CoA) but instead brought me to a shopping site -- disappointing. I called the company and even though the gent who answered the phone promised to email me the CoA (once he asked his colleague what a CoA was), it never arrived. Nonetheless...the flavor “white grapefruit” was less disappointing than the lab testing info. Its sweetness was nicely cut with a mouth puckering tang. And the effects were gentle but not insubstantial. I took it at night and slept well. I woke up a bit foggy, but not unbearably so. I took a 2nd dose a few nights later with similar results but a much blurrier morning. Friends had mixed reviews. One woman’s experience echoed my own. Another male said it put him to sleep but wiped him out the next day. Conclusion: Just like all cannabinoids everybody seems to experience d8 THC differently depending on their metabolism and a host of factors that our guest this week, Jason Wilson, MS, spells out with great clarity.Jason is a natural products researcher, a board member of the Oregon Education and Resource Center, and a laboratory quality management consultant, which means he knows something about the funny business that goes on in product testing (more on that in an upcoming episode). He’s also a chemist who can explain processes in understandable english. When Delta-8-THC is synthesized from hemp CBD it is often processed with sulfuric acid (which is why it smells like rotten eggs). Depending on that quality of that chemical synthesis, a number of mysterious byproducts may also appear, which raises legitimate questions about the purity of the final product. As to its psychoactivity -- Delta-8-THC has less activation at the CB1 receptor, which is why it is less potent than d9 THC. As for its legality...let’s say citizen chemists are way ahead of the lawmakers, who are still trying to figure out the law. Of course, the simplest way to resolve the question of legality and assure product purity is to legalize and regulate all cannabis products. Hopefully, with the Dems firmly in control of their agenda, that day is around the corner.

"Transaction Alert" focused on the recent Curaleaf and EMMAC deal announcement and its implications on the global stage.Bar Cap 420 is a financial insight and current events report focused on the cannabis industry. Its goal is to serve as the gateway to understanding and investing in cannabis. The series aims to deliver the key highlights in the global cannabis industry in under 4 minutes and 20 seconds. Beyond the highlights, Bar Cap 420 will also do deep dives into subjects that help followers understand what lies under the hood of the cannabis industry. The series has a partnership with the Brave New Weed podcast to help both audiences gain a deeper and more nuanced understanding of cannabis from social, political and financial angles. Anand Shahi has over 20 years of experience in both public and private investments. As founder and President of Bar Capital, Anand is a thought leader, investor in and banker for the cannabis space. Anand is a Chartered Financial Analyst, holds a B.A. in Computer Science as well as Economics, and has a series 7 and 63 license.

Xenon, Iboga, MDMA, psychedelic toad venom...Hamilton Morris talks about the pleasures and challenges of unearthing the secret history of psychedelics, one substance at a time. If you’re interested in exploring the burgeoning world of psychedelics, you’ll find no better guide than Hamilton Morris. The 34-year old, 6’1, scientist, documentary filmmaker, cultural anthropologist and son of Errol (The Thin Blue Line) Morris has spent the last decade traveling to over 30 countries to shed light into darker corners of the psychedelic world. Hamilton is a scary smart, affable and big hearted companion -- so much so that many men, women and other-gender identified people I know have somewhat of a crush on him. In our conversation, Hamilton, a resident of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, speaks openly about some recent episodes of the third, and sadly, final season of Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia. He tells me that Xenon, a rare noble gas available in Russia and the Czech Republic, qualifies as “a near perfect high.” He reveals that his 5-day immersion in an iboga ceremony in West Africa allowed him “to stand outside of myself and see my behavior, my relationships, my life history... with an objective, dispassionate perspective that was unbelievably beneficial.” And he does something rarely seen in journalism, he admits he made a mistake. In an episode in Series 1, he was fooled by an imposter who claimed to be Albert Most, the author of The Psychedelic Toad of the Sonoran Desert, the 1984 pamphlet that first revealed that the venom of the Bufo alvarius toad was a powerful psychedelic (otherwise known as 5 MEO DMT) when smoked. In this podcast, Hamilton recounts how being hoodwinked actually led him to meet the real Albert Most (real name Ken Nelson) just six weeks before he died from Parkinson’s Disease. The journey of that episode is one of the highlights of Series 3. In fact, meeting Ken led Hamilton to republish a new edition of The Psychedelic Toad of the Sonoran Desert, which also includes Morris’s formula for synthesizing the 5 MEO DMT compound. If you wish to order a copy, not only will you own of a classic piece of psychedelic literature, but your money will go to fund research into Parkinson’s Disease. Learn more by tuning into the last ⅓ of this great conversation.

A panel of cannabis experts for a discussion of legal recreational cannabis use, its impact on resort destinations, and opportunities for New Jersey hospitality and tourism business. Special focus will be given to destination marketing, and the intersection of cannabis with agritourism and food and beverage tourism.This event is presented by the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality, School of Business Stockton University in partnership with the Greater Atlantic City Chamber and Stockton University Cannabis Studies program.Panelists Include:Brian Applegarth, Founder - Cannabis Trail and Chairperson of the CalTravel Cannabis CommitteeBrian Applegarth is a cannabis tourism subject matter expert, educator, and international speaker on the topic. He’s inspired by building bridges between the travel and cannabis industries and works to steward a model that goes beyond consumption. Brian believes that the California cannabis tourism experience must include culture, history, and storytelling of the medical cannabis movement.Brian is a board member of the 420 Archive and California Travel Association, Chairs the CalTravel Cannabis Committee and is a member of the Sonoma County Tourism Marketing Committee. Brian is also a cannabis historian. Inspired by iconic cannabis pioneers and social justice movements that fueled the robust industry of today, Brian brings a unique perspective and immense passion to his work. Brian Applegarth represents tourism and hospitality possibilities that may be available in the future. Simply, CA has accepted cannabis for several years now (almost decades and it is part of their culture) and Brian has experience with many different types of hospitality/cannabis tourism opportunities. He also has plenty of data about cannabis tourism/hospitality. Rob Mejia, Adjunct Faculty, Cannabis Studies Minor – Stockton UniversityPresident, Our Community Harvest: A Cannabis Education CompanyRob Mejia is the author of multiple books written explicitly to introduce adults to cannabis and the cannabis industry. The Essential Cannabis Book: A Field Guide for the Curious and The Essential Cannabis Journal: Personal Notes from the Field (Cedar Lane Press 2018, 2019) provide researched information about cannabis with an authentic, engaging narrative and real-world examples that demystifies the plant, explains the science, and examines the stigma and social and racial justice issues surrounding cannabis. His expertise in cannabis extends to cooking with cannabis as Rob has produced and hosted a number of edibles events and meals. He also registered two national cannabis trademarks -California Homegrowers Association® and Our Community Harvest: A Cannabis Education Company®- and represents two cannabis artists (Pat Ryan and Laurence Cherniak) via the website www.CannabisArtAndDesign. Cintia Morales, Co-Founder and Director of Education - Higher Ed. Hemp ToursCintia Morales is the Co-Founder and Director of Education for Higher Ed. Hemp Tours, an Austin based hemp advising company dedicated to bridging the gap in cannabis knowledge between consumer and retailer through unique experiences. Also, she is the ESL Program Director for ACES Language School, located in Austin, TX. She has taught English, as well as a variety of subjects, to both young and adult students from all over the world. She has been a world traveler instructor with a passion for education and developing curriculum and programs for more than 15 years. She is dedicated to assist English language learners adapting to life in the United States.Cintia Morales operates in TX where there is only a fledgling, very limited medical cannabis program and no legal adult use. Despite this, Cintia’s company has figured out ways to participate in the cannabis tourism industry and promote cannabis education. This may be a first step that Atlantic City wants to take. David Yusefzadeh, MA based Chef and Food DesignerDavid Yusefzadeh is a chef and food designer based in Boston, Massachusetts. He spent the majority of his career working in fine dining restaurants and hotels around the world. Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Mario Batali and Richard Ekkebus are just a few of the chefs that David has spent time with professionally. He is currently CEO/Founder of Cloud Creamery, a cannabis ice cream company based in Boston. David was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease in 2011 and has been using Cannabis to allow him to function in his everyday life. https://www.cloudcreamery.co/ https://www.eatsacrilicious.com/events/

A conversation with Madison Margolin, editor of DoubleBlind, the magazine that's charting the psychedelic renaissance (and a special guest appearance by Timothy Leary's lawyer).It’s the second winter of our pandemic discontent. We’re bored, weary of isolation, itchy to travel, but confined at home. A growing number of restless adventurers are adapting by traveling inward. Their vehicle of choice? Psilocybe cubensis, AKA psilocybin, AKA magic mushrooms. Our guide on this episode's journey, Madison Margolin, is the editor and co-founder of DoubleBlind, the bi-annual print magazine that’s charting the psychedelic renaissance.Just like cannabis, psychedelics, squashed and maligned by 60 years of prohibition, are at the center of this resurgence. Psilocybin has been decriminalized in cities including Denver, CO, Oakland and Santa Cruz, CA, Washington DC, and Somerville, MA. The entire state of Oregon has decriminalized and legalized it for therapeutic use. Change is afoot and DoubleBlind is charting it.The magazine blends exuberant graphics and joyful mix of the informative, fun and at times, fantastic, journalism, which is how it should be. In it, you’ll find:profiles of some boldface names such as Hamilton Morris, the host of the great VICE TV series, Hamilton’s PharmacopeiaAn investigation into the underground psychedelic scene in New York’s ultra conservative Hassidic communitySome hilarious (and maybe true?) revisionist histories as viewed through a psychedelic lens. To wit: Moses and the Burning Bush. Some psychonauts believe that the bush, in fact, was acacia, the bark of which contains the psychedelic alkaloid 5-MeO-DMT and that it convinced Moses that he was speaking to God. And classes on the perfect pandemic pastime, growing your own mushies at home, . If you want to dive further, check out these links:Why Grow Your OwnCultivation Cheat Sheet for City DwellersThis Shoom Is Stronger Than You ThinkHow To Make The Ultimate Mushroom TeaHow to Harvest Your ShroomsHow To Dry Your ShroomsWhere to Buy SporesHow to Store Your ShroomsOther Strains You Should KnowPS: This episode’s 4:20 Financial Overview features Anand Shahi, founder and CEO of Bar Capital. Each member of Bar Capital is a Registered Representative and offers securities through Stonehaven, LLC a Member of FINRA/SIPC.This episode is brought to you with the generous support of Wonderfeel. Their next-generation, sustainable wellness formulas are created by pioneering experts -- organic, tested & pure, and they come with a rock-solid guarantee: “Love it or it's on us!”More than just CBD, these are profoundly effective wonder formulas developed by Dr. Andrew Levinson, MD. The science is real, thanks to patient research performed at his clinic for over two years.If you've wondered what all the hoopla is about, or whether it's safe to try CBD formulas go to www.wonderfeel.co where you'll find the answers you need. Avoid the trial and error of it all. Get it right the first time with Wonderfeel!

"Heroin not only kept me alive, it kept me from killing."

“Oneness...Forgiveness...Happiness...Feeling fuzzy.” We have a narrow range of words to describe complex feelings. But this group of underground scientists are using psychedelics and cannabinoids to trace the pathways in the brain that create those intricate feelings. This podcast is the cutting edge of psychedelic neuroscience, and it is mind boggling! One of the great things about traveling in cannabis and psychedelic circles is that you meet all sorts of geniuses working away in their own corners trying to understand things like the biochemical basis of consciousness and other tiny, insubstantial matters. These men and women look like normal, everyday people but when they open their mouths you realize that their brains function quite literally, at a higher level than yours. This happens to small-brained people like me frequently.Cody Gibbons is one such big-brained psychedelic neuroscientist who I met in the Bay Area over the summer. He has worked on cannabinoid research at companies including GW Pharmaceuticals, and is currently researching "psychedelics as tools to clarify the mind/body interface.”I had to know more. For example, he told me, “You can make high doses of melatonin psychoactive with THC. This produces the feeling you get at nightfall or dusk, when the sun goes down and the body begins to relax. A shift occurs, sort of the way your iPhone goes dark at night. Typically, we don't feel that shift unless the sun going down, but you can actually induce it at dawn with this THC/melatonin combination. You get the clear feeling that the day is ending in the morning.” That’s pretty provocative. To some extent it explains why psychedelics open what Aldous Huxley called “the reducing valve of consciousness” and make us feel so expansive when we use them.Rather than attempting to concentrate the many subjects this podcast covers into a few paragraphs, let me instead give you a few nuggets to chew on. I hope they will lead you to press the “Play” button and thereby expanding your own consciousness. “A lot of people understand “I feel fuzzy.” “Fuzzy” was a term coined by someone on psychedelics who felt soft on the inside. That’s an easy one. Our work is to understand the neural pathways of the more complex emotional states that most of us have.”“There are two types of forgiveness and two corresponding receptor groups. There’s forgiveness of self vs. forgiveness of others. As anyone who has ever taken MDMA knows, you can induce forgiveness of others without feeling forgiveness of self.” “Analogs to LSD are not technically scheduled. You can buy them and even potentially distribute them legally. Put them in a baggie that says 'not for human consumption' and give them away.”“I’ve realized that consciousness is something completely different than what anyone thought. There’s been a lot of focus on the anatomical structure of the brain. Of course that’s important, as it contributes to the function of our bodies. But the function of mind doesn’t stem from the anatomical structure, but more so from the receptor population patterns in the brain. We have all of these neurons, that each express different sets of receptors. These receptor populations stretch across different neurons and not others. Our consciousness is really a function of this super advanced biochemical computer — that’s not a surprise. The surprise is that it’s more biochemically based than electrically based.”If you’d like to learn more, check out these links.Thomas RayProfessor/work breakdownShulgin publishing on Tom Ray's workYoutube video presentationsAlexander ShulginRick Strassman: DMT The Spirit Molecule

For years cannabis was slammed as a "gateway" to harder drugs. Dr. Dave Gordon begs to differ. After 20 years of treating people with medical cannabis he tells us how it can be used as a gateway to better health and habits. In the prohibitionist rhetoric of yore, cannabis was maligned as a “gateway drug,” meaning that it led users down the path to stronger and more “dangerous drugs,” cocaine or heroin or god forbid, psychedelics. As with much prohibitionist bunk there was never any evidence to this contention, but that never stopped our friends in law enforcement or politics from rehashing it for the next four decades. It hasn’t stopped them yet, even with reams of evidence showing exactly the opposite.The truth, of course, lies elsewhere: millions of people know that cannabis can be a gateway to improved health and wellness. It can help slow down our speeding world and enable people to change consciousness with far fewer deleterious effects than our legally sanctioned inebriant, alcohol. It can help us pay attention to the subtler things in life and in our own bodies. And it can certainly help us contend with the stress of everyday life. But cannabis can also be a gateway to other healthful benefits. “Knowing the history of cannabis prohibition can be a gateway to educating people about the long, terrible history of systemic racism in our country, and its profound impact on social inequality. Understanding the endocannabinoid system can be a gateway toward viewing disease in a wholistic systems approach, rather than the siloed model we’re taught where each disease is a problem with a single “system.” Once people slow down and really check in with themselves and their bodies, they might be able to do that with other things -- what they eat, how much they’ve slept, the amount of time they spend on their screens...It can be a gateway to better habits without cannabis.”The last paragraph is from a conversation I had with this week’s guest, Dr. Dave Gordon, a functional medicine physician in Denver, Colorado and a passionate advocate and educator whose 20 years of medical practice has brought him to the radical idea that “cannabis is a gateway substance in the truly modern sense.”I highly suggest you listen as we say good riddance to 2020 and welcome this new year that brings with it new and much needed hope. Footnote: Dr. Dave serves on the advisory board of Leaf 411, the fantastic free nursing hotline that educates and supports the general public about the safe use of cannabis. Click the link to learn more about this great, big hearted, service.This episode of Brave New Weed podcast is made possible with the support of Bar Capital. Bar Capital is a different class of investment firm. Their purpose is to help cannabis become as common and culturally accepted as aspirin or alcohol.Bar Cap invests in, advises, and helps raise capital for companies and fund managers operating in the cannabis space. They back entities that are innovative, audacious, and have great leadership. Bar Cap believes now is the time for Ultra High Net Worth Individuals, Family Offices, and Institutions to consider cannabis as an essential piece of an alternative investment portfolio.If you are looking to raise funding or are an accredited investor that would like to learn more about investing in the cannabis space, please visit www.barcapital.com and connect. You’ll also find the full regulatory disclosures and risk disclaimers on their website. Each member of Bar Capital is a Registered Representative and offers securities through Stonehaven, LLC a Member of FINRA/SIPC.

“The FDA and CBD have a tripolar relationship. Hemp CBD is not scheduled. CBD from cannabis is Schedule 1--dangerous. Epidolex is Schedule 5--safe.” In 10 years CBD (cannabidiol) has gone from being a relatively unknown substance to a ubiquitous health and wellness balm sold in gas stations, corner grocers' and thousands of websites. Because it is still unregulated in the US, manufacturers make all sorts of breathless claims about what it can do. It stops epileptic seizures! Eases your dog’s arthritis! Erases your frown lines! And while some of these claims may be true it’s no surprise that a CBD backlash has started. Perhaps you’ve read reports about the “toxicity” of CBD or its potential to “damage our livers in the same ways as alcohol and other drugs” or that it is dangerous to take with Tylenol. Or maybe you've read FDA iwarnings that it can cause suicidal thoughts or increase tendency toward depression, aggression or panic attacks. To set the record straight, I called Adrian Devitt Lee, Project CBD’s chief science writer and a PhD candidate in applied math at the University College in London. Adrian is the co-author of several articles in peer-reviewed journals (check out Is CBD Toxic to the Liver and CBD and Drug Interactions) and has been involved in cannabinoid research since 2011 at California Pacific Medical Center, Medicinal Genomics, and CannaCraft. What you’ll hear in this interview might shock you but likely won’t surprise you. PS. As listeners to this podcast know, old myths about cannabis (and new myths about CBD) take on a life of their own. For context on how some myths die hard I’m including this article by the always brilliant Dr. Peter Attia on monosodium glutamate (MSG). Even though MSG has been proven safe for 60 years, it’s still falsely accused of causing “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome.” Attia traces the origin of the myth and how it continues to trump scientific evidence. Cannabis has been used for over 5,000 years with no serious harms ever reported yet the myths keep coming.

Salvador Santana, the son of Carlos, is out with a socially-conscious cannabis lifestyle brand called VAYA. In this episode he talks about the pressures of filling his famous father's shoes and his determination to create something more than just another "celebrity-backed cannabis product." It can be difficult being the son of a legend, let alone being the son of a god. Salvador Santana, son of rock legend Carlos Santana, is well aware of that and he was gracious enough to come on the podcast knowing that I was going to explore that often difficult dynamic. His other motivation of course, was to talk about Vaya, his “socially-conscious lifestyle cannabis flower brand, which takes an all-natural, spiritual feminist tone driven from African (Yoruba) and Mexican indigenous roots.”It may sound woo-woo in this age of multinational tech-driven consumer branding that is becoming the cannabis “industry,” but it’s also refreshing to find an advocate who wants to rekindle the ways the plant has been used to heal and to expand consciousness and compassion across the globe. In this podcast Santana talks about the ritual ways of consuming that he has gleaned from his own Black and Chicano roots, as well as a relationship one can build with the plant. I’m no stranger to this way of thinking. Over my own life cannabis has served as a guide, a friend, a teacher and, at times, an antagonist and even an enemy. Like most important relationships you commit to, my relationship with cannabis isn’t one that I can completely control, but I have continually learned from every up and down. What you’ll hear running through this podcast is Salvador’s humility. He says he has no intention of being just another “celebrity backed cannabis brand” that commodifies spirituality, plant medicine and non-white heritage.” Ambitious and noble goals -- who would expect less from the son of a god?

In The New Chardonnay author Heather Cabot followed the cannabis boom and bust. It isn't pretty.Heather Cabot is a fine journalist and a mom of a certain age. She is a part of a growing cohort of women that cannabis marketers call “Chardonnay moms.” These newly minted cannabists would use cannabis but abhor going to a dispensary to get it, prefer a discreet edible to smoking a joint, and are unlikely to tell their friends about their use. I enjoyed her recent book, The New Chardonnay, because it takes you on a rollicking ride through the boom boom days of the cannabis bubble, which has since burst. Cabot traveled the country with some colorful characters, including Snoop Dogg, who, she reveals on this podcast, refused to grant her an interview. She chronicles the illusions and delusions of people who were hoping to make a killing in cannabis and instead got killed thanks to some shady deals with some shady characters. Heather, who has never used the plant, learned a lot about it; still, at the end of this podcast she confesses that she would still be upset if her teenage sons tried it. That’s an interesting reaction, especially from someone who researched and understands the extraordinary safety profile of the plant. Old stigmas die hard -- even with this well educated chardonnay mom.On another note...Our friends at Sun + Earth are launching a crowdfunding campaign to create a certification program and educate consumers about regenerative organic cannabis growing. I support this organization and urge you to as well. While industrialized growing under energy sucking lights seems sadly inevitable, this Sun+Earth is promoting other regenerative sustainable models that can support small farmers and renew soil rather than deplete it. The crowdfunding campaign runs through December 20, 2020. To donate and learn about Sun+Earth, go here. Oh, and just a small $25 contribution will win you a bar of Dr. Bronner’s cannabis-scented soap, made with hemp derived terpenes and fair trade oils, which sounds like it will perk up any bathroom!

The fabulous Dr. Swathi Varanasi argues that switched on pharmacists should play a major role in medical cannabis and CBD.Dr. Swathi is blazing a path into the new field of Integrative Pharmacology, one that blends the science of healing plant medicines with pharmaceuticals. It makes sense, since most of us are using some combination of the two already. It would help us all if we knew which compounds work better together and which combinations to avoid. Dr. Swathi has dedicated her practice to educating people and pharmacists about medical cannabis and CBD. She is also a consultant to Elementa Apothec, a new line of skincare, beauty and wellness CBD products hitting the market early next year. Disclosure: Swathi is the co-author of the “Cannabis Science and Therapeutics for Pharmacists” course that Medical Cannabis Mentor just launched (and is currently on sale). Her dedication so inspired me that I invited her to collaborate in creating the course. Life is short and we prefer working with people who inspire each other. Backstory on this episode: Matthew and I recorded this episode on November 4th, the day after the early voting results were tallied and just 8 hours after The Orange Loser lied again, declaring himself the winner of a second term. The fact that 70 million of my fellow citizens think this guy deserves more time in office explains the “heroin in my tea” line. Or, as my artist friend Tucker Hollingsworth put it more poetically, “Half the country is trying to leave a four year abusive relationship; the other half still doesn’t realize they were in one.” News Update: In case you somehow missed it five US states voted YES for legal cannabis. New Jersey, Arizona, Montana and South Dakota (!) went for full adult use. Mississippians voted for medical cannabis. Voters in Oregon and Washington DC approved legal psychedelic therapies (which I want to begin immediately given the aforementioned PTSD of the last four years).Georgia on Our Minds: If you're interested in finishing the election job and flipping the senate, here's a great list of organizations and ways to volunteer in Georgia or from your home. This is an epic battle. Don't sit on the sidelines, friends.Shameless Self Promotion: Grasslands, one of the finest cannabis-focused PR firms, is running a series of interviews with journalists in the cannabis space. If you feel the need to read more of my sparkling wit, click here. If not, just hit the podcast.See you soon!

Brian Vicente is one of the leading architects of Colorado’s groundbreaking adult use laws. On this podcast he weighs in on the challenges and opportunities of helping those who’ve been unfairly targeted by the War on Drugs.

Authors and fitness professionals Bruce and Mindy Mylrea go deep about plants, penises, prostate cancer, and how to be married for decades and still have great sex. Use code BRAVE20 for 20% Off & Free Shipping on any order at TryMicrodose.com.By now you all know that I’ve been having a tough time sleeping. The election, the burning planet, the Supreme Court, are all disrupting my sacred dream states. Thankfully, the fine people at Lumi Labs heard my plight and sent me a bottle of their new product, Microdose. It’s a proprietary “balanced spectrum blend of CBD, THC, CBG and I love it. Even my pillow loves it as we’ve been spending much more quality time together. As listeners of this podcast you’re entitled to a 20% discount plus free shipping for as many orders as you place. Go to TryMicrodose.com and enter the Brave20 code. Pass the code along to anyone—the Lumi’s want everyone to rest assured.I’ve eaten a plant-based diet for most of my adult life but I never thought it could have a profound impact my penis or my prostate. My guests this week, Bruce and Mindy Mylrea, tell me otherwise. They are the authors of two books, The Plant Powered Approach to Prostate Cancer and The Plant Powered Penis (best title of the year) and this interview goes deep about the research backing up the claim. Bruce, a cancer survivor, also talks about the ways our favorite plant helped him grapple with the difficult side effects of chemotherapy, and how it helped him make the big life changes that keep him cancer free.The other amazing aspect of this interview? This couple have been married and monogamous for multitudes of decades and they still have sex. Great sex, they say, which they also attribute to the power of the plants. That’s reason enough to listen to this podcast and share it widely.

Five US states are voting to legalize this November. In this exclusive interview, Graham Boyd -- lawyer, strategist, and brilliant behind-the-scenes progressive operative -- tells us how he convinced voters in 12 previous ballot initiatives to vote YES. (Hint: Not by telling them that marijuana is great!)In 1996 California voters defied conventional wisdom by legalizing cannabis for medical conditions. Few people thought this ballot initiative would succeed -- it was opposed by almost every "expert" and politician on earth. It likely wouldn’t have succeeded without the bucks of the philanthropists Peter Lewis and George Soros and the brains of Graham Boyd. By polling and interviewing thousands of people, Graham determined that the standard messages activists had been feeding voters -- that MJ wasn’t as bad as what they’d been taught -- was not going get the undecided to vote YES on legalization. Cut to 2010. Colorado and Washington are voting to legalize. In the run up to those ballot initiatives Boyd unearthed another factor that could persuade people who were on the fence. “We learned that people form their opinions about marijuana from their own life experiences rather than what some expert tells them,” he told me from his office in Santa Cruz, CA. “If you had positive experiences with marijuana when you were younger, that’s what you know to be true. But if your Uncle Bob spent his adult life on the sofa watching TV and smoking weed, it doesn’t matter how many studies you line up, the truth for you is probably that Uncle Bob smoked too much weed and that’s why he failed in life.”As it turned out, this type of thinking was especially true for a huge group, mostly politically moderate women. They just didn’t like cannabis. They didn’t hate it but if they had a magic wand they would make it go away. At the same time, they also felt that locking people in prison for carrying a few joints was a terrible idea. The campaign messages ended up something like: “It’s not that I like marijuana, but what we’re doing now isn’t working.” Activists hated that messaging but it changed the fortunes of legalization efforts in Colorado, Washington and a dozen 12 subsequent ballot initiatives, all architected by Boyd. “We learned that you can give that big group in the middle information and reassurance that moves them to be more strongly supportive,” he said. Laws don’t change spontaneously. Change requires big bucks, big data and big brains to know what do with it. This interview dives deep into how to keep the wheels of change advancing, especially since voters in conservative states like Montana, Mississippi and South Dakota are voting on legalizing in 2020.In hindsight, changing marijuana laws was a snap compared to Boyd’s new project: convincing Oregon voters to approve a program to license psychedelic assisted therapy, primarily with psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms. “Believe me,” he says, “the vast majority of Oregon voters have never heard the word “psilocybin” or that it can be useful to treat depression or PTSD or end of life depression. If we can communicate that it is safe and can help people with terminal illnesses spend the last year of their lives happy rather than depressed, that’s a compelling message.”Listen in to this exclusive interview with one of the great change agents of this movement. And follow this link to learn more about the work the Psychedelic Science Funder’s Collaborative is doing to make change happen.

It took someone with the culinary skills of Anthony Bourdain and the persistence of a mad scientist to attack the edible dilemma. Meet Ron Silver.This episode is sponsored by Azuca. Go to AZUCA.CO and type in in BNW30. 5% of all sales go to the Last Prisoner Project. This code is good for two months.Back when we started this podcast we interviewed Ron Silver, then Chef and Owner of the NYC restaurant Bubby’s for nearly three decades. The title of “chef” isn’t really an accurate way to describe Ron. He’s an original, a painter, a writer, a thinker and, as it turned out, a home chemist, a restless, curious, creative -- the kind of person that makes New York a great place to live.Back in 2018, Ron was trying to solve the problem of edibles. He was unsatisfied having to wait hours for effects to kick in and most people he knew had no idea how to dose them. Edibles can be complicated to gauge because THC and CBD both have to pass through the digestive tract and then the liver, before they can be metabolized into the bloodstream. [Hint: If you’re new to edibles, start with 5 mg THC. If that doesn’t take you where you want to go, escalate to 10 mg. Go slow from there or you may find yourself cowering in a corner from over consuming]. As a chef, Ron was also bothered by the grassy, barnyard taste that cannabis oils tend to have once extracted.Fast forward to today and Ron has cracked the code of edible dosing and taste with his line of products called Azuca. The line has three products to date, CBD infused sugar, simple syrup and chocolate coins, and a whole lot more including some incredible THC “electrolytes” is on the way as you’ll learn in this podcast. He also struck a partnership deal with Wana Brands in Colorado, which earlier this year released Quick fast-acting gummies in Strawberry Margarita, Peach Bellini and Indici Pina Colada flavors. All produce delicious effects in 10-15 minutes using Azuca technology.Ron was one of the earliest supporters of this podcast. He is a great interview and I’m thrilled to have him back again. ##Dr. Chin has written another excellent blog on using cannabis meds to help COVID-related PTSD. Another incredible story on how these meds can work for people who have cycled through every pharma product in the book. Have a look at it on our medical cannabis education site, Medical Cannabis Mentor.Also, Sept 19 - 26 is National Expungement Week, which offers virtual and in-person legal services to some of the millions of Americans who need legal advice, expungement services and education in states including California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Washington. To learn more click here.

Be sure to listen to the main interview with photographer Ted Kinsman as you view the link from this post. And be sure to listen to the new way the DEA is trying to kill the hemp industry in its infancy. This episode pairs best with a laptop! It includes a portfolio of remarkable scanning electron microscopic (SEM) photos of the cannabis plant, which is rarely seen at this level of detail. These images will blow your mind—and you don’t need to be stoned to appreciate them. They were shot by Ted Kinsman, associate professor in the Photographic Sciences Department at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York and an admitted plant lover. While not a cannabis aficionado, Ted loves to peer deep into places that the human eye cannot see and this set of images will show you the magic trichomes, bracts and other elements make up the inflorescence. I recommend you click this link and listen to Ted’s descriptions of each image as you listen. Note: cannabis is not this colorful, unless, of course, you are under its influence. Ted explains the logic and magic of his hand coloring. If you’d like to own a copy of Ted’s (redundantly titled) but amazing book, Cannabis: Marijuana Under the Microscope, click here.The opening segment of this episode is an interview with Andrew Rosner, a lawyer and owner of HR Botanicals, LLC, which produces CBD products under its Source Botanica brand. Andrew is also Vice President of the New York State Cannabis Growers and Processors Association.Last week the DEA released "Interim Final Rules" that Rosner and other CBD processors say are an existential threat to their emerging industry. Rosner is one of the few people who have read the rules microscopically and is concerned that the DEA could use them in all sorts of nefarious ways that he outlines in this podcast. One of them allows the DEA to go into a field to test hemp plants for THC content. If any of the plants are are found to exceed .3% THC -- which many do before they are processed -- the DEA can shut down the farm and confiscate the plants. In this interview Andrew explains just how damaging this is to farmers and processors and why the larger cannabis industry isn’t taking to the streets in protest.If you are connected with anyone in the CBD processing or hemp business be sure to share this podcast with them as these “interim” rules are already in effect. However, the DEA is accepting public comments until October, 20, 2020. Be sure to read the Interim Final Rules and comment here.And Pass This Podcast Along! The DEA is not a friend of this growing industry!

Former governor and vice presidential candidate, William Weld, says that when he and Gary Johnson ran for president on a platform to "delist cannabis on Day One," they won 4.5 million votes. Would Biden-Harris like those 4.5 million votes in this election?There’s no question about who I’m voting for in November given the gravity of climate change, the pandemic, income inequality and the damage Republicans have heaped on the country. But I remain confused about the Biden/Harris fuzzy stance on cannabis legalization. As of this writing Biden is for decriminalization not legalization, which sounds like he’s interested in dating but not really getting serious about the marriage. Harris has been (unfairly IMO) slammed by progressives for her “tough” prosecutions of cannabis crimes while Attorney General in California, but she is also the co-sponsor of the MORE Act, The Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement Act, a vital piece of bipartisan legislation that removes marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, federally decriminalize cannabis, and enable states to set their own policies. NORML deemed it “arguably the most revolutionary and socially conscious federal marijuana reform bill introduced to date.”That ain’t nothin’.Could cannabis legalization be the issue that turns the tide of this election? It may sound far-fetched, but it is the one issue that both Blues and Reds seem to agree on and no one is addressing it very loudly.To get some clarity on the Dem’s position, I invited William Weld, the popular former governor of Massachusetts and former Libertarian vice presidential candidate in the 2016 election alongside Gary Johnson, to appear on this podcast. I’ve known Bill for several years -- I interviewed him at a cannabis conference in 2018 and even though we are on opposite sides of the aisle, I respect his intelligence, cool headed analysis and bone dry sense of humor. This was part of his response: “….As you know, when Gary Johnson ran for President in 2016—not so long ago—on a platform whose Number One plank was to “delist cannabis on Day One,” he received 4.5 million votes. It seems fair to ask the Biden-Harris ticket if they would like to have those 4.5 million votes.”I invite you to listen to our conversation.

“I look at this herb as part of my diet. We have an ECS and we can become deficient and we can supplement it with these phytocannabinoids.” Tom Stacey, host of the Kannaboom podcast, on how and why he became a cannabis advocate and podcaster.People aren’t waiting for researchers to validate the benefits of cannabis and CBD. Tom Stacey is one of those people. After his brother had a car accident that left him with epilepsy, Tom watched his brother’s health decline, a decline he attributed to the mountain of pharmaceuticals his doctors prescribed. After his brother died, Tom decided to reexamine and reignite his relationship with the plant. Now he does a podcast, Kannaboom, that is devoted to reinventing the narrative of “marijuana as the devil’s lettuce” and guides people to well made and safe CBD products and information.(Until recently, Tom’s podcast was called Kannaboomer, as it was aimed at listeners 50+ whose bodies (and sleep patterns) were falling apart. But he found that people of a certain age weren’t online searching for information so he renamed his show to Kannaboom.)One of the mysteries about cannabis and the Baby Boom generation is this: Boomers were born during Woodstock and the hippie revolution. As teenagers or college students so many smoked pot or were exposed to it and knew it wasn’t going to kill you. But once they hit their 30s they turned to alcohol as the socially approved substance. Somehow the propaganda and storytelling about it frying your brain, killing your sperm or destroying your memory ingrained itself in their psyches and they too became fearful of the plant.In this episode we explore that myth that and present some of the realities about this “people’s medicine” that grows in the ground and can never kill you, no matter how much you take. Tom also guides you to some of the better CBD products on the market.

In a word: Yes, according to Dr. Tim Shu, the Pet Vet.A while ago when I was visiting my sister I got an urgent call one evening. Her very gorgeous and naughty labradoodle, Spencer, was wobbling around the house and then fell into a deep sleep. A little investigation showed that he had climbed on to my bed, sniffed around my luggage and somehow managed to open (!) and down a tin of Kiva chocolate covered cannabis coffee beans. We estimated he ate about 50mg of THC . What should we do?Her vet had no idea. If only I had known Tim Shu then. I’d have asked him the question that so many listeners of this podcast ask regularly: Are CBD and cannabis products safe for pets?To learn more how to use cannabis products for dogs, cats horses (let’s not forget ferrets, rabbits, pigs, rodents, and horses) I snagged an interview with this California-based “Pet Vet” one of the few who has taken the lead in using cannabinoids to treat animals.Among the topics we discussed:How safe is CBD for pets?Short answer: CBD has a wide margin of safetyWhat are the most common side effects?Short answer: Diarrhea or sedationDo CBD/cannabinoids work for arthritis? Short answer: Yes, especially with catsHow did you get into this?Long answer: When I first started the company many people thought it was a crazy idea. Some still do. But humans didn't get to where we are now by being content with the status quo.The way medicine is practiced today is not the same as it was 50 or even 10 years ago. The reason is because it's improving and better options and therapies are available. The way medicine is practiced tomorrow will not be the way it's practiced today, it will improve. It is up to us to push for those improvements. If cannabis has therapeutic potential, we have a moral and ethical obligation to our patients and clients to thoroughly evaluate that potential.To learn more, check out https://vetcbd.com/Also…Please check out Dr. June Chin’s great blog post on the underreported correlations between COVID, gut issues and cannabinoids. You can find here it on MedicalCannabisMentor.com.Also… I just finished reading Entangled Life by the young scientist and fantastic writer, Merlin Sheldrake and I can’t recommend it highly enough. The book is a fantastic underground tour of fungi and their pivotal role that enables so much of the natural world to thrive. Sheldrake is a superb storyteller and the narrative is as compelling as any adventure thriller I’ve read recently. It’s also a great companion to Michael Pollan’s How To Change Your Mind as well as the mind-bending film, Fantastic Fungi. Sheldrake’s work made me wish I could dig a hole and hang out in this hidden and magical world that thrives just a few inches beneath my feet.Try to buy it from an indie bookseller if you can. Amazon made enough billions last month.

The US government owns Patent #6,630,507 on cannabinoids that protect the brain from injury but the DEA still blocks anyone except a small farm in Mississippi from growing cannabis for medical research. What are the drug enforcers so afraid of?

This episode features Matt Zachary, the founder of OffScrip Media. Matt is 1) an amazing human on a mission and 2) a loudmouth who is unafraid of calling bullshit. Those two qualities combined are his superpower. At age 21 Matt was diagnosed with brain cancer. His medical treatment was successful but the way the system treated him left him indignant. “When you’re 8 or 80 you’re treated age appropriately. When you’re not 8 or 80, no one cares about your quality of life. Survival rates for our generation hadn’t improved in 30 years and that was bullshit. I figured it was time for us to save ourselves because no one else gave a rat’s ass about it.”After Matt got his health and life (but not his hair) back, he formed Stupid Cancer, a nonprofit patient advocacy network that grew into the world’s largest young adult cancer community. He also hosted The Stupid Cancer Radio Show. It was angry, wry, funny and full of audacious information on how to survive the humiliations of the disease and of a health care system that showed little mercy. The show amassed millions of listeners around the world and Matt, never one for politeness, was dubbed the Howard Stern of Cancer Advocacy.In 2019 Matt stepped away from Stupid Cancer to start OffScrip Media, which he describes as the first podcasting network at the intersection of patient advocacy, education, and digital health. His flagship show, “Out of Patients,” tells stories of healthcare heroes and helps patients navigate the bureaucracy, wrestle with difficult to understand information in hopes of giving them control over their illness and treatments.Cannabis obviously has a huge role to play in this mission and we are thrilled to join Matt’s new venture as a podcast on his network. Our aim is to bring the knowledge about the plant, and the most-up-to-date ways to use it to anyone anywhere in the world who wants it. That’s why our collaboration makes so much sense. Our two voices combined are so much louder together. A few highlights of our conversation:“In healthcare, progress is like the stock market…Compared to 1996 when I was diagnosed, we have come really far. Yes, we still have a fakakta healthcare sector that puts profits over patients -- it took them a long time to realize that the end user is the patient and not the doctor. But I see a light at the end of the tunnel, with telehealth, personalized medicine, and realizing that the cost of care affects the bottom line to a company, not just the wallet of the patient.” “No one considered the humanity of cancer patients 20 years ago…. But advocacy to me meant one thing…dignity. Yes, there is quality of care, but quality of life is tantamount to quality of care. To me that’s advocacy: Making sure that what you go through sucks as little as possible.” “I’ve been touting the value of cannabis in cancer, not necessarily to get stoned but to get well, to help create credibility for the people who have the research and have the knowledge. We support the notion that you have a right to achieve the level of wellness that you deserve without breaking the law…you didn’t ask to get sick you just want to feel a little better. Cannabis advocacy and cancer is at the top of my list to bring forward in this new chapter.”Finally, the great scholar and legalization advocate, Dr. Lester Grinspoon, died last week at age 92. I pay tribute to him on the cast and here is his obit in the New York Times. Lester is perhaps the only doctor to have the honor of having a strain named after him. According to the Dutch grower, "Dr. Grinspoon is an old school sativa of the highest order, which gives a strong, long-lasting, energetic and cerebral high.” RIP, Dr. G.

An insider's view of Reagan's War on Drugs and how the Trump administration continues to keep that war going in very different ways.This may be the most painful podcast I’ve done, not because Ed Weidenfeld isn’t a compelling guest, but because he suffers from Parkinson’s Disease, which makes speaking enormously challenging. But I urge you to stick with it -- you may have to wait a few seconds for Ed’s responses, but the words and insight that come from his mouth is worth the wait. Also, his is a great story: there aren’t many 70 year olds who once worked as a lawyer in the Reagan (War on Drugs) White House, and who today are unapologetic cannabis advocates and business owners. On this podcast Ed shares his view from the inside: The spark that unleashed Reagan’s WoD: “It had nothing to do with drugs or politics. Mrs. Ford had the Equal Rights Amendment, Mrs. Johnson had beautification. When Mrs. Reagan declared “Just Say No” suddenly everyone knew you could please the president by fighting the War on Drugs.”The hypocrisy of watching a policy he knew was wrong being carried out: “It’s the same message I’ve given to people working on the inside of the Trump administration -- is that with a major policy like the WoD you can effect a change at the margins, maybe... You become immune to the hypocrisy you’re participating in.” His entry into the cannabis business: “I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s a dozen years ago but I had gone to the University of Wisconsin in Madison and been exposed enough to marijuana that I knew it wasn’t going to do me any harm and, if I bought from the the right people, maybe it would do me some good. Which it has...I became so friendly with the fellow that I bought it from that we formed a partnership and now we’re licensed cultivators in DC and Maryland.”Why the Trump administration continues to hamper the growth of America’s next boom industry: “I’m just cynical enough to think it’s getting a push from the pharmaceutical industry, the alcohol industry, the tobacco industry, the Evangelical movement, and private prisons.” And... Where’s Melania? “I don’t have any idea of where she is but I don’t think her priority is finding a project that will improve America.” PS: Dr. Chin just posted this new blog on Women's Sexual Health and cannabis. It's an emerging topic and the blog is full of great information. Please share it widely.

Plus, some gentle ranting on the George Floyd murder/protest and how the cannabis industry can meaningfully respond.Preamble: The firestorm of the last two weeks has been smoldering for decades. I haven’t watched and cannot stomach the 9-minute George Floyd snuff film, but the shock of the it has finally awakened the country. I, like many millions, hope that the protests can amend the broken policing and justice systems and finally rid the country of the corruption and malfeasance occupying the White House and Senate.Show notes: I recorded this podcast with Alex Halperin, founder and editor-in-chief of WeedWeek a month before the country erupted. The main part of this interview centers around WeedWeek’s Guide to the California Cannabis Industry, which is available at no fee. No one thought legalizating a state of 40 million people and where the current market is estimated at $3-5 Billion was going to be easy, but no one imagined it would become a bloodbath. California taxes weed at 40% and regulates the industry “more strictly than radioactive waste,” as industry veteran Steve DeAngelo put it. Both factors have kept the illegal market thriving. But there is still much hope that The Golden State can solve some it’s problems. And remember as California goes, so goes the country, so it’s worth watching, especially as some 10 additional states prepare to vote for adult use or medical in the November election (not all ballot initiatives have yet gathered the requisite number of signatures). Gentle rant: Honing in on one topic that Halperin and I touched on briefly: the disregard that many of the more “successful” state legalization programs have for social equity or restitution programs. So many citizens and communities have been disproportionately affected by the Drug Wars and the prison industrial complex but not enough industry leaders have taken up the call for restitution. We have devoted a few (not enough) podcasts to these issues but it is clear that they should be addressed forcefully right now.This is a golden opportunity to create a more fair and just cannabis industry. I don’t think profit should be the sole definition of “success.” Every cannabis company should think about instituting training, development and education programs that help to make amends for the injustices of the past (and present) and build a more inclusive future. Yes, it’s difficult to create such programs. They take time and money and there are no guarantees, but that doesn’t mean the effort should be glossed over. As William Faulkner noted: “The past is not dead. It’s not even past.” This is especially true with the racism that continues to underlie cannabis prohibition and keep people out of the industry. Random Final Notes: It goes without saying but I’m going to say it anyway: Make sure you’re registered to vote. Even if you feel that voting is an inadequate response to the primacy of the moment, read Stacey Abrams’ essay on the importance of this seemingly inconsequential act. Hear her out and then just do it. Al Sharpton’s eulogy at the George Floyd memorial was extraordinary. It was as if he waited his entire life to deliver this searing indictment of the power structure that took Mr. Floyd’s life. His oratory ensures that the phrase “Get your knee off our necks” will become the battle cry for this moment in time. If you have some pennies laying around think about tossing a few to NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. This org has been fighting the racial justice for 50 years and has never wavered from this position.This insightful essay by Eric Altieri, NORML’s Executive Director, spells out the struggle without glossing over the difficulties ahead. For a wise inquiry on the ways we white Americans can respond to the open wound of racism, listen to Tara Brach’s talk, A Courageous Presence With Racism. It’s honest and at times tough and this white man couldn’t stop thinking about it. And remember, every protest counts, even if you’re the only one. (Thank you, Dave Pell)

Colleges of all levels are being ravaged by COVID. Students are leaving and not coming back, some are thinking of taking a gap year, and still others are taking courses closer to home. Rob Mejia, professor of cannabis studies, says this may be the time that higher learning institutions finally embrace cannabis studies.When I first met Rob Mejia, around January BC (Before COVID), his role as a professor of pot studies at Stockton University made him a rare bird. Today, however, state and community colleges and continuing education programs across the country have a much more urgent interest in attracting and retaining students. Cannabis studies are one way to increase and steady enrollment, and Rob is seen as prescient. In the post-COVID economy, where jobs are more scarce, students will be gravitating toward industries that are expanding rather than contracting. This puts cannabis in an excellent position. To date, the cannabis industry has added 240,000 jobs, more if you include ancillary/support professions like branding, financial services, photography, insurance, lawyers and more lawyers. That number will expand as more states legalize adult use – citizens of New Jersey, Arizona and Pennsylvania, Florida and a half dozen more will vote on it in November. Unlike retail or fashion, cannabis is on a growth curve -- in 2019 it expanded 15-20% depending on the state. 2020 may not see the same steady spike but it will still be one of the country’s few boom industries, despite the regulatory, banking and legal hurdles it must contend with. A confession and (shameless self-promotion): Rob’s education company, Our Community Harvest, and mine, Medical Cannabis Mentor, have joined forces to bring effective and cost effective online cannabis education to college students. We’re creating courses on budtending, cultivation, cooking, science and medical cannabis -- and we're looking to speak to leaders in higher education. Special Bonus 1: At the end of Rob’s spring semester he asked me to critique the senior presentations of one class. I agreed and we selected 7 to share with you here: https://youtu.be/t2cZwUSwGmI. There are some surprising topics and investigations within, all of which bode well for the next generation of industry leaders.Special Bonus 2: If you’re like most people I know, you’re having trouble sleeping and it's getting worse the longer COVID goes on. For detailed info on how to wisely use cannabis to catch some zzzzs, check out this great blog, “Help! I Need a Good Night’s Sleep!”Special Bonus 3: Dr. Sunil Aggarwal, a frequent and distinguished guest on this podcast, is the subject of this article, How Cannabis Coevolved with Humanity, and Could Save It. While I’m dubious of any one thing being able to save humanity from its own destruction, cannabis remains the only crop that supplies us with three essential necessities, food, fiber, and drugs, which makes it unique and even more special than you thought.Special Bonus 4: Is Trump Worse Than Hitler? Even if you find that title hyperbolic, or think the question is without merit, I urge you to listen to this lucid interview with Noam Chomsky hosted by my friend, Linda Solomon Wood, founder and editor-in-chief of Canada's National Observer. Special Bonus 5: Have a look at this interesting and underreported view of how Africa has contained COVID and in particular, the COVID killing possibilities of African wormwood. A plant!Special Bonus 7: The Hidden History of CBD. A fine piece illustrating how stoners and stories were key to unlocking the mysteries of that other molecule. We'll be exploring this more in upcoming episodes. That's enough!

Not many of us think of adding 1mg of melatonin with THC to ensure a deeper, longer night’s sleep… or blending ashwagandha with CBD to better cope with stress…or mixing St. John’s Wort with cannabinoids to better cope with pain. But Dr. Kevin Spelman is a molecular biologist, industry consultant and a clinician who has observed that a mix of plant medicines can be more healing than just one individual plant on its own.Spelman is that rare breed of scientist whose worldview integrates the wisdom of the east and the hard science of the west. He has worked as an Ayurvedic clinician and alongside Chinese medicine practitioners as well as being a researcher at the National Institutes of Health. It was in the NIH labs where he learned just how skeptically plant science was viewed by his colleagues. “When I spoke about certain molecules, my colleagues were all in,” he told me before I recorded this podcast, “but the minute I started talking about medicinal plants they’d turn suspect. I could almost see the thought bubble appear above their heads: ‘Quack! This guy can’t possibly be for real.’”This podcast is full of very real science about the mysterious world of plant medicines. In it, Spelman broaches three areas I want you to know about.Herbal allies. Especially relevant in the time of COVID-19 are the benefits of using echinacea, astragalus, and ashwagandha to strengthen our immune response. But he also explains that these substances should be combined thoughtfully rather than randomly thrown together. “One of the classic mistakes naturopaths make is just putting all in there. When you combine things properly you can induce emergent properties that you wouldn’t see with just one compound.”Low dose cannabinoids. We are big proponents of low dose cannabis medicines on this podcast. Spelman points out that there is a scientific phenomenon called “hormesis” in which a low dose of a substance, like cannabis or psilocybin, can have beneficial results while a higher dose can cause symptoms to worsen. “I had a lot of sciatica pain, maybe a 6 or 7 out of 10," he says, "and I didn’t want to use THC because my job demands I be critically observant. I found a sub-threshold dose of less than 1.5 mg of THC allowed me to work clear headed without a lot of pain.”Diet. Spelman points out that modern society is drugging illnesses that can be traced to what he calls a “phytonutrient deficiency.” His solution is the same that Michael Pollan arrived at while writing The Omnivore’s Dilemma: “Eat more plants.”Listen in to learn more on this emerging field, and be sure to read Kevin’s most recent blog on Powering Up Your Immune Response with Cannabinoids and Botanicals.And please read "Practical COVID Tips as We Open" (and musical accompaniment) by the always impressive Dr. Jeff Chen at UCLA. We can't rely on the administration to give reliable info so we must rely on the smartest scientists we know. Jeff is another one worth listening to.

If you’re like me, you’re using more cannabis these days. Dr. Julie Holland, psychiatrist and author of the upcoming Good Chemistry, talks about how to use plant substances to encourage connection and heal our heads and hearts in these challenging times.There aren’t many psychiatrists who comfortably use the word “soul” in their work or who speak openly about the extraordinary states of connectedness that substances like cannabis, MDMA, and psilocybin offer -- connection with ourselves, with each other or with the cosmos. But Dr. Julie Holland is not a typical prescription-pushing psychiatrist. She understands that medications like SSRIs and sleeping pills don’t provide pleasure or peace or even truly restful sleep and that they may be actually interfering with the brain’s capacity to fix things in our lives that aren’t working.Her new book, Good Chemistry, is a deep exploration of the neurotransmitter Oxytocin that allows us to trust and bond. It provides a fresh look on how our brains are wired to reward us for being and working together and liberate us from what Julie calls the “epidemic of disconnection and loneliness. (Listeners of this podcast will be familiar with this topic that was covered in Episode 40, “How to Access Your Brain’s Stash of Pleasure Chemicals.”)It may seem like a terrible timing for a book about the biochemistry of connection, given the enforced states of isolation and Zoomification we’re learning to grow accustomed to. But in fact, the timing is perfect for this enlightening and deliciously readable book that explains our hard wired biological and biochemical need for connection. Julie is an entertaining writer and an empath who explains in human terms the biological and psychological reasons we’re all feeling buried under an avalanche of stress, distraction and lack of focus these days and offers some practical, plant based ways of coping. It’s also got some of the best, up-to-the-minute info on cannabis and CBD I’ve read anywhere, all delivered with Julie’s warm hearted sense of humor.I know I’m not alone when I say that mustering motivation is a struggle these days. Just a few weeks ago when this pandemic hit I fantasized about using some of this extra time to finally get fluent in Spanish, start that new book proposal, or read Jane Austin, maybe even Melville. But the Great Pause has turned into the Great Paucity of achievement. Finding focus has been near impossible. The background worrying about my health and that of everyone around me, the existential dread of economic ruin, the daily trauma of watching Trump and the country melt down have resulted in chronic distraction and lack of inspiration. Most days I feel like I’m swimming upstream in a river of tar just to get through my email.This is why I wanted to talk to Julie – to get her take on fortifying our mental health to help us endure the new normal of our COVID and post-COVID worlds. Of particular interest: How can we utilize plant meds to brace ourselves for what is to come? How can they help us replace that distressing “fight or flight” response with the gentler “protect and connect” response or ease our physical or emotional pain? Or even just enable us to view this crazy period with a bit of distance and levity, the power of which is not to be underestimated. As Julie observes in Good Chemistry: “What else can make you stressed? Paradoxically, both being separated from those we love and spending time with those same people. Isn’t life funny? If you smoked cannabis, you’d think so.”So consider this interview your very own free 50-minute hour with one of the smartest, switched on psychiatrists working today.It’s my gift to you, as is this link to advance ordering of “Good Chemistry.” It’s out in June from Harper Wave. It’s a great read.Here's another bonus gift: Molecular biologist Dr. Kevin Spelman tells you how to boost your your immune system with a mix of cannabis meds and herbal supplements. This is great stuff, very next level.

And check out the all new digital version of The Emperor is out now, with dozens of links to original articles, historical documents and movies!To our dear listeners: Happy 420 in advance! This is going be a strange one for most of us who are used to celebrating and sharing joints, pipes, bongs in the company of friends. These days NOT SHARING IS CARING and though it’s necessary and crucial (despite what some Republican governors are still insisting), it can feel so damn difficult at certain moments, especially on holidays. Last year at this time I was in San Francisco, a city that treats 420 like a national holiday. There were parades and people swarming the streets making all manner of merriment. This year it is a more solitary experience. Holidays in the time of COVID can strain the human spirit because they make you aware of all that isn’t happening and everything that you’re not participating in. So, to counter that wistfulness I’m bringing you this interview with Dan Herer, the son of Jack Herer, the author of the 1985 classic: The Emperor Wears No Clothes. Dan and co-author Bruce Dietzen have created a magical brand new digital version of The Emperor with dozens of links to original articles, artifacts, historical documents and movies (yep, you can see “Hemp For Victory,” the film the US government made when it needed hemp during WW2 then denied making once the war ended). It’s a real treat, especially if you’re passing this 420 in quarantine or in solitude or if you’re in need of a green distraction to counter the blues that the entire world is feeling. Download it here for $9.99 If you don’t know The Emperor, it was the first book to tell the truth about cannabis and hemp. It came out in 1985, smack in the middle of the Reagan “Just Say No” era and it laid bare 80 years of lies and propaganda. It also documented how cannabis and hemp were among the most useful plants on planet earth and showed the ways that hemp could be used to replace fossil fuels and unsustainable building materials. It even featured Henry Ford and the car he built from hemp in 1941. Today Mercedes and Bugatti use hemp to make car doors more crash resistant (apparently when mixed with certain plastic fibers it is ten times as strong as steel.) With over 700,000 copies sold it’s fair to say that The Emperor changed the world. It set the record straight, educated and inspired generations of activists, and helped lay the intellectual groundwork for medical cannabis legalization in California a decade later. In our interview, Dan talks about what his dad was really like (I’ve always thought he was a salty character—the rat-tat-tat fury of his writing makes that clear), his fierce opposition to cannabis until a woman friend changed his mind, and how being locked in jail for 15 days inspired the book’s creation. I hope you enjoy this interview and this photo montage that Dan put together for the Brave New Weed podcast community.Bonus: Here's a special report on COVID-19 and Cannabis created by Dr. Junella Chin, my partner and the Chief Medical Officer of our online education company, MedicalCannabisMentor.com. It answers many of the questions she's getting every day from patients and adult use consumers around the country. And a special thanks to our Patreon supporters: YOU OUR ANCHORS AND YOUR SUPPORT MEANS EVERYTHING. IT KEEPS US GOING!