Displaying episodes by topic: recovery
E103 - PTSD with Brian Rayner
Potheads are too, well, stoned to succeed in tech, right? A medicinal cannabis user couldn’t be a successful serial tech entrepreneur, could they? Well, meet Brian. He is a US Marine Vet who became a successful tech entrepreneur several times over. However, Brian’s military service also left him with PTSD. Brian tried all the standard PTSD treatments and none of them worked for him. Then an ex-military friend of his suggested Brian try cannabis. Now Brian’s PTSD is under control, his tech business is snapping along and the myth that cannabis holds people back is a stigma that needs to be thrown away.
E89 - Its About Smoking Lyme
Brent Alarie is informed he has COPD, then it was multiple sclerosis. No wait, he receives another diagnosis of blood cancer. These were just a few of the catastrophic verdicts given to describe how his body was betraying him. He needed to create change and prepare for his enviable death. With a new bucket list he started living his best life under the circumstances. A six-year painful journey, of the most insane symptoms and being bounced from one diagnosis to another, finally comes to an end. Brent is told he has chronic Lyme Disease. A new journey begins with learning to live with the on-going symptoms of Lyme and regular pharmaceuticals do not help with the chronic nerve-pain. He was never a drug-guy, but after a friend gave him Cannabis, he finds therapeutic relief. Brent shares how he now balances his life with nutrition and Cannabis. Kirk and Trevor bring their second story on how Cannabis brings relief to people suffering from this Monster sickness in which we call Lyme Disease.
E73 - Opioid Taper with Cannabis Guidelines
We are in an opioid crisis. Wouldn't it be great if we had another tool to taper people to a lower opioid dose or off their opioids altogether? A group of almost 20 experts got together and drew up consensus guidelines on how to taper opioids with cannabis. We got Aaron Sihota - Pharmacist, Dr. Brennan K. Smith, PhD, and Dr. Colleen O'Connell MD from the consensus guidelines group together virtually to discuss how the guidelines were drawn up and how cannabis can help fight the opioid crisis
E74 - Can Cannabis Help COVID Long Haulers with Peg City Hippie
Has Covid-19 affected your day-to-day? “Ah, yes!” We have all been touched; this virus has influenced behaviours within all of our communities and our condolences are extended to those who have lost love ones. This episode tells a story of an individual who recovered from Covid-19, only to suffer from debilitating symptoms long after the acute nature of the illness had passed. These are people referred to as “Long-Haulers.” Brittany (Peg City Hippie) explains how cannabis assists her with the long-term effects from the SARS-COV-2 virus. This is another extended My Cannabis Story from an individual willing to share with Kirk and Trevor.
E70 - Can a junkie drop heroin making cannabis his new heroine?
One of a series of episodes focusing on cannabis use in opioid harm reduction, Kirk brings a story of one man’s experience. The episode follows a discussion Kirk has with Mr. Mark Heinrich who is “a craft cannabis farmer in Manitoba, Canada and pretty much a lifelong junkie and addict.” The episode follows Heinrich’s years of problematic substance use, leads us into his experiences with Methadone and how he self-medicates with cannabis. This episode is a very personal journey presented as information on how one man uses his medicine in harm reduction. Kirk and Trevor then discuss their personal views of Mark’s story; each approaching it through their individual professional lens.
E69 - Can cannabis reduce pharmaceutical costs?
Philippe Lucas from Tilray comes on the discuss the TOPS (Tilray Observational Patient Study). It looked at around 2000 medical cannabis patients across Canada prospectively and gather tons of data. Some of the most interesting findings include medicating with cannabis seems to reduce opioid use and the use of prescription medications in general. Plus, there was no signal that the study participants wanted more and more cannabis which implies limited drug seeking and addition behaviors from medical cannabis. Numbers, data, cannabis, a great chat with Philippe, are you as excited as Trevor about this one? Have a listen.
E66 - Peter Grinspoon
Remember when we could sit next to people on a plane? Imagine sitting next to a guy who said he was a Havard trained doc, who has pictures of himself learning to read on Carl Sagan's lap, who wrote a book on overcoming his own opioid addiction and who happens to think cannabis is a great medicine for treating many conditions. Wouldn't that be the best plane conversation ever? Well, buckle in, put up your tray table and return your seat to the upright and locked position. We are about the take off with Dr. Peter Grinspoon.
E44 - Gaba Gaba High!
E42 - PTSD: getting to the Hart of the matter
Kirk and Trevor discuss PTSD with Dr. Mike Hart founder of ReadyToGo Clinic. Dr. Hart talks about how PTSD, migraines, IBS and some other conditions are due at least in part to an endocannabinoid deficiency. That means cannabis is an obvious treatment for PTSD. Also hear how cannabis can also be used in sports medicine and about Kirk's Runners' High on the Columbia Ice Fields.
E35 - High-climbin' Gaimon and The Worst Retirement Ever
Do you know any professional athletes using Cannabis? It is difficult finding one willing to talk about it on the record. Phil Gaimon, once within the top fifty world’s best professional road racing cyclists, graciously chats with Kirk on how he uses Cannabis. While cycling as a professional, Phil authored books and pleased his sponsors enough allowing him to start the Worst Retirement Ever in 2016. Listen to why he preferred cannabis over alcohol while racing pro and how, after crashing his bike challenging for the Olympic track team, cannabis helped him sleep better. This episode explores cannabis and sports through the experience of an elite cyclist.
S3E8 - Pastor, Pot, and Prophets
Did Jesus die on the cross? Was Moses influenced by cannabis when speaking to the Lord? Are Christian Churches embracing Cannabis? First up we meet the founding member of Christian Cannabis, Craig Gross. Once known as the “Porn Pastor,” Gross has a new message for Christian leaders. We learn how cannabis facilitated his personal journey and how he came to a cross roads. Gross once focused on helping porn-addicted Christians kick their habit. Now he is focused on how Christians can be healed by this ancient plant. Next we explore the origins of cannabis. Researcher Chris Bennett connects cannabis to world religion and how it spread from one culture to another. He speaks to how biblical Prophets, Knights Templars, and the Messiah himself, were connected to cannabis by reframing our trusted biblical stories. Bennett says cannabis has been part of human history from the beginning. The legalization of cannabis demands philosophical discussions and these two guests bring a deep conversion to what may be our most controversial episode yet.
S3E4 - Healing Communities - Part 1
Travel with Kirk and Trevor beyond simple harm reduction strategies. Kirk brings us stories from Vancouver Island to Gimli, showing us how the Cannabis Culture helps people be well. In Part 1, we meet Kevin Donnelly from Newleaf Outreach. This new autonomous peer driven harm reduction group in Nanaimo, British Columbia promotes that drug peoples’ rights are human rights. They also believe cannabis plays a role for people with substance use disorders. Then Kirk goes south to see Julia Veintrop from the Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club. The VCBC is an important historic advocacy agency. They've taken cannabis cases to the Supreme Court, but more importantly they have 23 years of experience assisting people with accessing affordable cannabis as their medicine. From new to established, Vancouver Island shows us the strength of peers helping peers. We have a My Cannabis Story from Char about a not so positive experience at a Guns N Roses concert. Come back for Part 2! Gimli has more to offer than Crown Royal and the Icelandic Festival.