At long last, we bring you Terpenes & Testing: The Podcast! This broadcast is hosted by Terpenes & Testing's editor-in-chief, Dr. Jason S. Lupoi. Dr. Lupoi's chats with thought-leaders, scientists, policymakers, physicians, cultivators, and many other ind
On this episode, Dr. Lupoi speaks with Avery Gilbert, President of Synesthetics, Inc. Founder & Managing Member at Headspace Sensory LLC. This podcast revolves around how work/expertise has led to cannabis, how our sense of smell involves our mate selection, what "color of smells" mean, how aroma molecules would be utilized in a perfume and the shocking factors of sense of smell.
On this episode, Dr. Lupoi chats with Dr. Hope Jones, CEO of Emergent Crop Sciences. Dr. Jones provides an excellent discourse on what work she did for NASA and why growing crops for deep space missions ultimately led to how she got involved in cannabis. She further explains why she started Emergent Crop Sciences, how plants can get sick, and lastly what tissue culture means and how it helps keeps plants healthy.
On this episode, Dr. Lupoi speaks with veteran Aaron Augustis, founder of Veterans Cannabis Group. They discuss what life is like for a soldier living in a combat zone and how cannabis can help veterans who have endured these experiences. Aaron also discusses how VCG helps veterans learn about cannabis, work with the plants as a form of therapy, and how they subsidize the high costs of cannabis for veterans on fixed incomes.
On this episode, Dr. Lupoi speaks with David Heldreth, CEO and co-founder of Panacea Plant Sciences. Their discussion canvases topics like the migration to alternative, sustainable sources of psychedelics instead of disrupting the ecosystems of sources like the Sonoran Desert Toad; and the importance of giving back to indigenous populations who have used some of these psychedelics for millennia (the Nagoya Protocol).
On this episode, Dr. Lupoi speaks with Shannon Swantek, Principal Scientist and CEO of Enlightened Quality Analytics LLC. Discussion topics include analytical testing labs and their journeys to compliance with evolving regulatory requirements; what it's like working with regulatory agencies who may not know much about the plant and the products they seek to regulate; and resources a struggling lab can consult to strive for conducting better science.
On this episode, Dr. Lupoi speaks with Austin Stevenson, chief innovation officer of Vertosa. The conversation revolves around Vertosa's beverage formulation work for companies like Lagunitas and Pabst Blue Ribbon, the importance of brand recognition for some demographics new to the cannabis industry, the future of cannabis beverages, and the basics of making a nanoemulsion.
On this episode, Dr. Lupoi speaks with Dr. Nigam Arora, co-founder of the boutique consulting firm Marcu & Arora. Their conversation regards both cannabis & psychedelics, with discussion points including the Pennsylvania product recall, how we can best educate non-scientists on cannabis and psychedelics science and medicine, and whether psychedelic molecules really have the power to change humankind quickly and for the betterment of the planet.
On this episode, Dr. Lupoi chats with Dr. Jeff Raber of The Werc Shop. Dr. Raber provides an excellent discourse on how he got involved in cannabis, how The Werc Shop evolved from a cannabis testing lab to become a leading product design/formulation company, how a product is designed and standardized, and what problems may exist when scaling a novel formulation.
On this episode, Dr. Lupoi speaks with John Roelke, Brand Ambassador for Extracts Consultants. The conversation revolves around the importance of terpenes in not only cannabis formulations, but increasingly so in beer and other spirits. John discusses some of the burgeoning products being designed by Extract Consultants, how his clients have traditionally utilized terpene formulations, and what his favorite terpenes are and why.
On this episode, Dr. Lupoi speaks with Bryant Jones, an herbalist out of the University of Minnesota. Their conversation regards the specifics on how degrees based in herbalism differ from horticulture or botany, Bryant's main goals as a cultivator in the cannabis industry and where he sees some farmers going wrong, as well as his advice to smaller grows looking to survive in an industry increasingly being dominated by corporate cultivators.
On this episode, Dr. Lupoi speaks with Dr. Brad Douglass of The Werc Shop and Spoke Sciences, Inc. Dr. Douglass provides a commentary on the safety of flavor additives in cannabis products as well as on GRAS substances, postulates the idea for a defined prohibited and permitted ingredient list such as the list for additives in cigarettes, and weighs in on the synthetic cannabinoid craze. Drs Lupoi and Douglass also delve into the Pennsylvania product recall (which has since been reversed!).
On this episode, Dr. Lupoi speaks with Kevin Koby of ABSTRAX about how Kevin got involved in the cannabis industry, why ABSTRAX has chosen to focus on terpenes, how they have utilized two-dimensional gas chromatography to identify molecules comprising a specific cultivar's essential oil, how this data has served to recreate a given cultivar's terpene profile, and the recent publication that ABSTRAX collaborated on that delved into the volatile sulfur compounds in cannabis.
On this episode, Dr. Lupoi speaks with Dr. Andrea Small-Howard of GB Sciences regarding the work GB Sciences is doing to prove out the entourage effect between cannabinoids and cannabinoids, cannabinoids and terpenes, and even terpenes and terpenes. Drs. Lupoi and Small-Howard also delve into GB Sciences' novel formulations for treating Parkinson's disease and coronaviruses.
On this episode, Dr. Lupoi engages in a lively chat with attorney Patrick Nightingale, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Medical Cannabis Society and Partner at Cannabis Legal Solutions. Discussion points include how Nightingale got involved in cannabis law, the erroneous (and ridiculous) labeling of cannabis as schedule I, the sad, maddening reality that cannabis and psilocybin are still schedule I while Xanax, Fentanyl, and OxyContin are schedules II and IV, and Pennsylvania Senate Bill 749 and the lack of any legal definition of cannabis impairment.
On this episode, Dr. Lupoi chats with the esteemed board-certified neurologist, psychopharmacology researcher, and author Dr. Ethan Russo. Discussion points include the endocannabinoid system (ECS) and our bodies seeming almost mechanized to utilize cannabinoids, whether a medical doctor can properly treat us without knowledge on the ECS, Dr. Russo's travels to South America in search of ethnobotanical plants, and a candid discourse on synthetic cannabinoids like delta-8-THC, THCP, and HHC.
On this episode, Dr. Lupoi chats with Michael Backes, co-founder and chief product officer of the cannabis company Perfect. Backes is also the author of Cannabis Pharmacy. Discussion points include Backes' research for his book, how harvesting, drying, and curing diminish peak terpene concentrations, Perfect's cold-infusion process, what "too much terpenes" might look like, and the poetically karmic Perfect creation called the 2 in 1 Perfecto, a joint meant to be shared!
On this episode, Dr. Lupoi chats with neuroscientist Dr. Michelle Ross. Discussion points include Dr. Ross's advocacy of cannabis for treating chronic pain, truths and fallacies regarding cannabis & motherhood, and the medicinal uses of kratom, another taboo, ethnobotanical plant with considerable therapeutic promise.
In this episode, Jason S. Lupoi, Ph.D. chats with multi-Emerald Cup award-winning cannabis farmer and breeder, Karla Avila, who co-founded Flowerdaze Farm with her husband. Discussion topics include regenerative farming, terroir (aka "taste the place"), cultivating companion plants, maximizing scarce water resources, and creating a living, thriving ecosystem on your farm.
In this episode, Jason S. Lupoi, Ph.D. chats with Derek Chase, president of Flora + Bast Cannabis and founder of Psilouette Wellbeing. Discussion points include the stoned ape theory and the idea that psilocybin may have birthed language; why we are pointed towards addictive things like caffeine, TV, and sugar, whereas substances like cannabis and psilocybin are still scheduled I; mushrooms and end-of-life care; and the importance of optimizing one's set and setting for a psychedelic experience.
On this episode, Jason S. Lupoi, Ph.D. chats with Robert Strongin, Ph.D., Professor of Organic Chemistry at Portland State University. Drs. Lupoi and Strongin discuss toxicants that can form as terpene degradation products when dabbing at high temperatures, how the levels of these toxicants compare to those formed from smoking a joint, breathing nanoparticles, and the divergent results Dr. Strongin's group measured between dabbing and vaping higher levels of the monoterpene myrcene. https://terpenesandtesting.com/how-terpenes-can-cause-and-prevent-degradation-of-molecules-in-cannabis-concentrates-a-conversation-with-dr-robert-strongin/
On this episode, Jason S. Lupoi, Ph.D. chats with Steve Scheier, "leadership cultivator" and co-author of the book Power Up: Power Tools for Committed Cannabusiness Leaders. Discussion points include how to effectively find your inner power to help facilitate stepping into a leadership role within the cannabis industry, challenges new managers can face, why your employees should not be your friends, and what effective and ineffective power-wielding strategies look like. https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevescheier/
In our inaugural podcast episode, T&T editor-in-chief, Jason S. Lupoi, Ph.D., chats with Dr. Bryan Doner, President/CEO of D&P Medical Group. Drs. Doner and Lupoi discuss the endocannabinoid system and its omission in the modern medical school curriculum, Dr. Doner's personal interest in cannabis-based medicine, and the reaction of some of Dr. Doner's peers when he became outspoken about cannabis.
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