Displaying episodes by topic: education

Here is yet another story of how individuals found cannabis to be beneficial for their own personal medical needs. The difference in this story? These people went on to grow a grassroots organization called EduCanNation, a non-profit association of Certified Cannabis Educators. While many traditional healthcare professions remain hesitant or outright dismissive of cannabis medicine, EduCanNation is stepping up to bridge the gap between scientific understanding, consumer needs, and the ever-changing legal landscape. The leaders within EduCanNation aim to set the national standards for all Cannabis Coaches and Educators. In this episode, Kirk and Trevor continue their discussion on the emergence of Cannabis Coaches and Educators—an unregulated, but increasingly necessary role—seems to be a natural response to the gaps in education and access that exist in the heavily regulated cannabis space.

The Canadian Medical Cannabis Program has been available for more than two decades, yet the process of obtaining cannabis as medicine remains very cumbersome. In comparison, Recreational Cannabis, seen as a substance of misuse, is easy to acquire. When people express an interest in trying cannabis as a medicine to their health care team, many health practitioners simply direct their patients toward the Rec market knowing (or maybe not) the restrictions the Cannabis Act places on budtenders. Budtenders cannot discuss health conditions with customers. While many health professionals continue to ignore the highly regulated medicinal cannabis system, a group of entrepreneurs calling themselves Cannabis Coaches, are filling the need. In this episode we learn how certified Cannabis Coach Terese Bowors started a small business educating people about medicinal cannabis. We come to understand how a group of non-regulated health educators are developing their own Standards of Practice.

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” 

Apparently, that isn’t really a Mahatma Gandhi quote. But it is a great sentiment. How we are teaching people about cannabis isn't great or sometimes it isn't happening at all. But, you can be part of the change and help shape the future!  Listen to Lisa Bishop PharmD, a Professor and Pharmacist at School of Pharmacy, Memorial University of Newfoundland, and Daniel Bear PhD, is the Director, Humber College Centre for Social Innovation, a Drugs Policy Researcher, and a Cannabis Policy Consultant, discuss a survey their team has developed. Along with their team, they’ve actually developed two surveys. And you really need to take at least one. Are you over 18 and have used or thought of using cannabis? They have a survey for you. Are you a pharmacist? They have a survey for you. Why should you take one of their surveys? Because they are going to use the info from these surveys to help pharmacists do a better job of teaching people about cannabis!

FYI - the actual quote is:

“We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.” – Mahatma Gandhi

In this episode, Kirk and Trevor review “The Cannabis Cancer Connection” by Dr. Joe D. Goldstrich. Dr. Joe is a cardiologist who, in his retirement, became a self-descripted “cannabis oncologist”. He now applies pre-clinical cannabis research and his years of expertise and patient experience to his clinical cannabis practice. In his book, Dr. Joe discusses the “Art” of practicing medicine within an evidence-based system. He discusses the limitations of the available science behind medicinal cannabis, while at the same time challenging the medical system to recognize the plant’s potential. He has had successes and failures using cannabis as a therapeutic in cancer care and offers a balanced view of both. This book offers a good introduction to both cannabis and cancer, and will help individuals and families to better understand how cannabis can help those suffering from the disease. Dr. Joe also takes the reader deeper by applying the available knowledge and connecting it to his clinical practice making this a valuable resource to those practicing in the field of oncology.

It is safe to say, Mr. Clayton Moore is a growing concern within the hemp industry of Southwestern United States.  As an undergraduate within the Texas A&M Agricultural Soil and Crop Science Department, he has his fingers, hands, and mind buried deeply in growing a better understanding of hemp and cannabis.  He is: a leader within a student lead initiative called CHIL, an advocate for decriminalization of cannabis convictions, the lead researcher within the university Hemp Conversion Program, plus he writes for the local industry focused newspaper.  He is a busy young fellow following the passions of generations within his family of agronomists.  The future of Hemp is in good hands with this student of hemp. 

We've got another amazing group of attendees from CannMed 23!

One evening they said dinner was on Lanai Beach. In Manitoba, if you are at a conference and someone says dinner is on Lanai Beach, then Lanai Beach is the name of a room. But in Florida, they actually meant dinner was on a beach. That sounds like a lovely idea, unless it is over 30 C and there is no shade. Thankfully, I brought a ball cap for my bald head and I met Dr. Joe Thompson also looking for some shade beside a pole. Dr. Thompson trained as a pediatrician, but now is the President & CEO of the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement. They have a program where they are going to analyze the data of people who got medical cannabis in Arkansas and see what happened to Health Outcomes. You want to hear about how that study will be done.

Dr. Leah Johnson Pharm D is a pharmacist and we met her in the Poster Hallway. Her Poster was about palliative care patients in California. Her group believes that if patients have access to cannabinoid medicine during palliative care, that will promote a better quality of life for the patients. Dr. Leah helps patients with their cannabis therapy and is a Cannabis Speaker and Educator across the US. She is on the Executive of the Pharmacist Cannabis Coalition of California (PCCC).

I met Akeem during the opening reception of CannMed 23. I didn't know anyone at the conference yet, so thankfully, he came up to me, read my name tag and introduced himself. Soon we discovered we were both from Canada, and we laughed over the fact the sliders were taken away too quickly. He told me he was nervous about a main stage talk he was giving. Now I understand why. He was giving a very technical, science heavy talk to a room full of cannabis doctors and researchers. But he killed it during his talk. He even handled challenges from the audience. I got to collect some audio from Akeem right after his talk. He’s from Mississauga. He’s a huge basketball fan. He has a nephew who Uncle Akeem really wants to become the next Lebron James. But for our story, Akeem is a Canadian lawyer turned hemp farmer turned CEO of the BioTech company Canurta Inc. His talk was about cannaflavins and their potential to treat glioblastoma, a common and aggressive form of brain cancer.

Bruce Mackler was involved with Prairie Plant Systems in Flin Flon when all “legal” Canadian Government Cannabis was grown in a mine in 2000. That became Cannimed in Saskatoon. And that got bought out by Aurora. Former lawyer that fought cases against the FDA. Former immunologist. His company, Ethicann, is developing a sublingual tablet for Multiple Sclerosis as a competitor to Stativex.

Ahmed Labied – Morocco - At the opening reception of CannMed 23, there were all these people with green t-shirts that said Morocco. Trevor introduced himself and was told he had to talk to Ahmed Labied. Ahmed explained that in August 2023 there should be the first legal crop of cannabis coming off the field in Morocco and that they’re organizing a cannabis conference in Morocco in November 2023.

Texas A&M - Everything is bigger in Texas. These tall gentlemen from Texas A&M are all about hemp. Russell Jessup is an Associate Professor Texas A&M. Clayton Moore is a Student Researcher at Texas A&M in AgriLife Soil & Crop Sciences. David Baltensperger is a Professor and the Head of Soil & Crop Sciences at Texas A&M. Listen to hear what Texas A&M has been doing with hemp.

Cathie Hiegel - Hear Cathie’s winding road from cytotechnologist to writing the textbook, “A Microscopic View of Medicinal Cannabis”. It really is a very well referenced, easy to read text on Cannabis.

Markus Roggen - Our Germany, American, Canadian chemist. Markus runs Delic labs at UBC in Vancouver, BC. Although it really has nothing to do with the high-powered chemistry his company does every day, Markus is a little obsessed with cannabis names. He found that every year when he gets new students, he has to re-explain cannabis nomenclature. He wondered if he could develop a new classification system for cannabis. Long time cannabis aficionados may hate this, but the rest of us might really like it.

The team gathers in the studio for the first time since pandemic restrictions were lifted. Rene interviews Kirk and Trevor, and gains insights into the creation and growth of this Passion Project. With 100 episodes in the library, the team has lots to review. From suppositories to driving, seizures to criminal records, Parkinson’s to David Crosby, current fans will enjoy reminiscing with the team. If you are new to our podcast looking for new cannabis knowledge, then "It's Okay to be Medicated While Getting Educated" is a great introduction to Reefer Medness – The Podcast. You’ve just found your new binge worthy ear candy.

Why not pick up your medicine on the way home from work? Buying your cannabis from a recreational store is certainly more convenient, especially when there is a store in pretty much every neighbourhood. In this episode, we learn the advantages of following the Health Canada Medical Cannabis pathway. Justyna Johnson is a Medical Cannabis Educator employed by The Clinic Network. The enthusiasm for her job comes from spending her workday helping people navigate the medical cannabis system. Unlike the recreational store budtenders, Justyna’s job is to address your medical questions and guide her patients through the paperwork, discussing the programs offered by License Producers. This is where there is a difference between medical and recreational cannabis systems. Justyna shares her knowledge and understanding, demonstrating how those who use cannabis as medicine will benefit by not using the recreational system to buy their medicine.

Every home grower is proud of their harvest, yet many can only guess at the THC strength and Terpene profiles of their crop. In this episode, Trevor and Kirk explore how to unlock the mysteries of homegrown cannabis by having it analysed by Key Box, a business offering discreet opportunities to know our cannabis better. Certainly, medicinal and recreational growers will like knowing the strength of their THC and CBD concentrations but at the same time, they will become better farmers by understanding the strength of other cannabinoids such as CBG and CBN. In another panel discussion, Trevor and Kirk consider how a mail order business provides home growers a better understanding of their beloved plants.

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Vaporize Cannabis.  Get behind the wheel of a car.  Pull out onto the highway.  This is not the beginning of an accident report.  This is a study Dr. Tom Arkell and team ran on an actual highway in the Netherlands.  Dr. Arkell is from Australia, his research is partially supported by the Lambert Iniative and the driving was done near Maastricht University.  The study looked at CBD vs THC vs a combo of THC/CBD vs placebo.  You definitely want to listen to this multinational study if just to hear what "placebo cannabis" is.  Driving and cannabis and Kirk and Trevor!  What more do you need? 

The fact marijuana heightens the musical experience is no secret. We know both listeners and players have enhanced their musical experiences through the use of this plant for over 100 years. This episode links cannabis to music through the stories told by acclaimed musicologist John Einarson. We follow a path of early jazz players influencing Canadian singer-song-writer Ian Tyson, who in turn influenced Bob Dylan, who in turn influenced The Beatles, to produce their iconic cannabis inspired album Rubber Soul. Einarson, author of 14 biographies of various musicians, tells stories with weed-inspired songs weaving through his deep narrative, as we learn how musicians created some of our most iconic songs under the influence of cannabis. Some very important pot smoking entertainers are discussed, such as Barbara Streisand sharing reefer with Peter Sellers and Neil Young testifying for his brother during a marijuana trial. Although cannabis is a very popular mind-altering substance used by musicians, Einarson believes it may actually pale compared to other psychedelic substances used in the industry. But that is another story for another episode. For now, this is a highly-entertaining episode produced, unlike any other from the ReeferMEDness team.

Rather than measure the wing span of mosquitoes, Dr. Lynda Balneaves RN became a nurse. Her story begins with recognizing a love for people and for travel. Her academic journey, of supporting people and health care providers with engaging in shared decision-making related to complementary and integrative health care, includes some of Canada’s earliest cannabis research. The scholastic chronicles, of this Doctor Nurse, speaks to how we can never truly plan our life path, but we do have the power to be properly prepared for opportunity. This episode will guide care givers in their practice responsibilities with cannabis, while increasing the expectations of those who receive care through it.

Join Kirk and Trevor as they reach from the shelf to bring three stories to you. the first two stories come from Nanaimo when Kirk was visiting a pop-up safe injection site; a tent actually set up in the mayor ‘s Parking lot. We meet Danielle Jackson known as Miz D or Dopprah (https://twitter.com/mycannatherapy) as she speaks to her form of cannabis infotainment. Our second story, outside the same tent, is with Anne-Marie Fischer from cannawrite (https://www.instagram.com/cannawrite/?hl=en) who speaks to cannabis headlines. Trevor brings the third story from the laboratory as Kanata Earth (https://www.kanataearth.com/) explains how they collaborate with the Saskatchewan Research Council to help the industry analyze their cannabis .

Kieley Beaudry has so many facets to her cannabis knowledge, including Co-Founder of Parkland Flower Inc, President of the Alberta Cannabis Micro License Association, and parent of a child with Cystic Fibrosis (who uses cannabis).  But Kieley agreed to enlighten Kirk and Trevor on a delicate and often overlooked topic.  Kieley talks about cannabis as treatment for sexual dysfunction.  Kieley is not a health care professional, but is extremely well read and knowledgeable.  Kieley educates Trevor on topicals, suppositories and many other uses of cannabis especially as it pertains to female sexual health.  This episode is in no way graphic but it does acknowledge the existence of sex, so if you are listening with people with sensitive ears be aware.

Rahim Dhalla is a pharmacist and CEO of Hybrid Pharm in Ottawa.  Trevor constantly whines how he can't bring cannabis into his pharmacy to help patients.  Well Rahim has found a way.  Come listen to how Rahim helps patients with medical cannabis and he even compounds things like cannabis suppositories.  Rahim is dedicated to helping improve his patients' lives and he has found cannabis is an important tool in health care.