Category Archives: Uncategorized

BTS #46 David (Dedi) Meiri PhD on Cannabis and Cancer, The Future of Cannabis Research



In this behind-the-scenes conversation we join Dedi Meiri PhD, a researcher at the Israel Institute of Technology focused on examining how Cannabis and its chemical constituents may influence cancer and other disease states. His labs have made important discoveries regarding the relevance of “minor” constituents of Cannabis in influencing cancer activity, among many other things. In this 2+ hour conversation we dive deep into Dedi’s background, why he finds Cannabis so interesting, what he has learned from his cancer research, methods that his labs have developed for quickly assessing the activity of plant extracts, the future of Cannabis research, and much more!

Learn more about Dedi’s lab at Technion at https://dmeiri.net.technion.ac.il/


BTS #45 Elisabeth Mack, RN MBA on Finding Hope Through Holistic Caring



In this behind-the-scenes conversation we sit down with Elisabeth Mack, the founder and CEO of Holistic Caring, a company dedicated to providing clinical Cannabis education to patients and clinicians.

After a bicycle accident in early 2015, Elisabeth Mack found relief with high-dose CBD and targeted THC therapies. She used that year to move away from various prescription drugs that she had taken since 1994 for a previous shoulder surgery. The cannabis pain management process was enlightening for her as she dove into research, attended conferences and networked her way through the cannabis industry.

Realizing that nobody was interpreting anything for true medical cannabis patients, she founded Holistic Caring in May 2016 to serve the educational, supportive and logistical needs of patients and began training other nurses to help.

Learn more about Holistic Caring at www.HolisticCaring.com


BTS #44 Janna Champagne RN on Cannabis Inclusive Autism Care Resources



In this behind-the-scenes conversation we are joined by another returning guest, Cannabis nurse Janna Champagne. Nurse Janna recently founded Autism Safe Haven, a nonprofit focused on making Cannabis inclusive autism care services available wherever medical Cannabis is legal. In this conversation we focus on the intersection between Cannabis and autism, why current autism care models are often ineffective, how cannabinoids may affect autism symptoms, and more!

Learn more about Autism Safe Haven at www.autismsafehaven.org


BTS #43 Murphy Murri (Returns!) on CRC, Color in Extracts, Concentrate Remediation



In this behind-the-scenes conversation we are rejoined with extraction technologist and Cannabis educator Murphy Murri to talk all about CRC aka “Color Remediation Cartridges”. CRC has gained a lot of buzz, both positive and negative, in recent years as extractors experiment with refinement techniques that manipulate the appearance of the extract. The concept of “colorless” Cannabis extracts was largely popularized by The Clear years ago, and now has become commonplace. But what is CRC? And what is happening to these extracts when their color is “remediated”? And does CRC present any risks to consumers or extraction technicians?

Murphy Murri provides a common sense take on CRC for anyone wanting to wrap their minds around this popular topic.


BTS #42 Mary Clifton MD on Cannabis in Hospice, Medical Marijuana, Anxiety, CBG



In this behind-the-scenes interview we sit down with doctor and Cannabis educator, Mary Clifton, MD. Dr. Clifton has become a popular medical Cannabis educator, with tons of videos on YouTube as well as a course that she teaches called The Cannabinoid Protocol. Her focus is strictly on clinical applications of Cannabis and works to help train other clinicians and health care professionals how to understand and use Cannabis and cannabinoid products in targeted ways.

In our discussion we talk about how she discovered the promise of medical Cannabis through two separate hospice experiences with loved ones, what drove her to decide to dedicate her time to learning about and teaching about Cannabis, her thoughts on CBG as the new popular cannabinoid, how Cannabis affects the immune system, Cannabis for anxiety, and much more.

You can learn more about Dr. Clifton and find her educational video library at: www.CBDandCannabisInfo.com

Dr. Clifton and I are working together in a newly formed education and research group called The Institute of Cannabinoid Medicine (TIOCM). Learn more about TIOCM at www.tiocm.org


BTS #41 Elise McDonough on Cannabis Infused Edibles, Satori Confections, WAMM



In this behind-the-scenes interview we sat down with Elise McDonough to talk all things edibles! Elise has authored multiple Cannabis cookbooks including Bong Appetit and The Official High Times Cannabis Cookbook. We explore lessons that Elise has learned about cooking with Cannabis, exciting opportunities in the Cannabis edibles market, what the future of Cannabis edibles may look like, her history in the Cannabis industry including her work with WAMM, and much more!

Learn more about Elise’s work at www.elisemcdonough.com

Stay curious and take it easy!


BTS #40 1st Lady of the West Coast (FLOTWC) on Cannabis for Healing Trauma, Battling Depression, Feeding Creativity



In this behind-the-scenes episode we are joined by 1st Lady of the West Coast (FLOTWC), a musician, producer, entrepreneur, and medical Cannabis user. In our conversation, 1stLady shared her incredibly personal and inspirational story of confronting childhood trauma, battling bipolar disorder and depression, and how Cannabis saved her life – inspiring her to start her own line of Cannabis varieties, including Black Girl Magic OG, FLOTWC Kush, and others. We also discuss her career in the music industry, how Cannabis affects her creativity, life lessons that she has learned from a lifetime in the music industry, and much more.

Featured Song: “BGMO” (feat. Rick Ross) by 1st Lady of the West Coast

You can find 1st Lady of the West Coast on Spotify, Apple Music, or wherever else you listen to music.

Enjoy, stay curious and take it easy.

Disclaimer: None of the content featured on The Curious About Cannabis Podcast is medical advice. Always seek the help of a licensed healthcare professional if you desire to use Cannabis as medicine.


BTS #39 Arno Hazekamp PhD on Cannabis Chemovars, Controversies, and the Need for Better Education



In this behind-the-scenes interview we are joined by Arno Hazekamp, PhD. Arno is based out of the Netherlands and has been researching Cannabis since 2001. He is probably most famous for proposing the concept of Cannabis chemovars to replace the idea of “strains”. His work has primarily focused on examining the chemical constituents of Cannabis and Cannabis products including Cannabis teas, Rick Simpson Oil (RSO), and more. He has also published numerous papers on other topics like Cannabis sterilization via gamma irradiation, review papers on human clinical research around Cannabis, and many more.

Arno shares my passion for science communication and science education, which came through very clearly in this conversation. We discussed many different topics over the course of the two hours including common Cannabis misconceptions, evidence for therapeutic applications of Cannabis, how to think about “strains” and indica/sativa vernacular, the best way to make Cannabis tea, the importance of writing scientific papers with a lay audience in mind, and a whole lot more!

Connecting with Arno was a delight and I look forward to talking to him again in the future. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

Learn more about Arno’s work at https://hazekamp.info/


BTS #38 Jeffrey Raber PhD on The Werc Shop, Cannabis Testing, Delta-8 THC Impurities, Product Standardization



In this behind-the-scenes episode we talk with Dr. Jeff Raber of The Werc Shop, a Cannabis and cannabinoid science and technology company that began testing Cannabis products in California back in 2010. Our conversation explores Dr. Raber’s background in biochemistry, the turbulent history of Cannabis testing labs, how Cannabis companies began leveraging Cannabis test results to improve products, impurities found in delta-8 THC products, the future of The Werc Shop and more!

Learn more about The Werc Shop: https://thewercshop.com/

 

The Curious About Cannabis Podcast is produced by Natural Learning Enterprises, a mission driven company focused on enhancing critical thinking skills and public scientific literacy about life and the natural world. If you enjoy Curious About Cannabis, consider checking out some of these other programs by Natural Learning Enterprises:

Learn more about Natural Learning Enterprises at www.NaturalEDU.com


S2E2 Into the Endocannabinoidome



In this episode we journey beyond Cannabis and the endocannabinoid system into the endocannabinoidome! The endocannabinoidome is a relatively new concept used to describe the vast hundreds of compounds involved in the functioning of endocannabinoids and cannabinoid receptors. Learn about how this concept of the endocannabinoidome was formed, what clinicians think about its discovery, and what we can expect from the future of endocannabinoidome research! Plus hear an often overlooked story about the origin of “the entourage effect” and how the concept has been redefined for popular culture.

Featuring a contribution from Raphael Mechoulam, PhD via email and relevant excerpts from behind-the-scenes episodes:

BTS #5 Ethan Russo, MD

BTS #31 The Doctors Knox

BTS #35 Vincenzo Di Marzo, PhD

 

Stay curious, and take it easy!