Daily Dose is a day in the life of a cannabis patient, with protocols and sometimes recipes The series is published once a month in print and then online for both Vegas & Tahoe Cannabis Magazine(s).

Educated Stoner: A Daily Dose of Persecution

photo: Chris Gallo

Ten years a cannabis patient, ten years in judgement

Note: This essay originally ran in both Vegas & Tahoe Cannabis Magazine(s) under Sharon’s series Daily Dose.

Ten years ago, on October, 2012, the day the ultrasound technician looked at my oncologist and said, “It must be a technical error,” was the day that changed my life forever. Healthwise, for the good, but the persecution that followed would be a battle with ignorance I’m still fighting ten years later.

I use the word ignorance in its true sense of the word, not to belittle anyone. Ignorance is ignoring a truth. But, if the truth is hidden and distorted, it’s not their fault. The fault lies at the feet of the distractor. The larger question is, why are they distracting and to what end?

My Truth, My Cross to Bear

I was in mainstream media and had been for ten years prior to using cannabis oil to treat Lobular Carcinoma, a rare, spider-web-like-mass in my right breast. My story has been told many times, but the part of my backstory I haven’t written about includes the judgment and persecution felt and received from every aspect of my life ever since.

When I was in mainstream media I was respected and trusted. Today might be different, as media in general has been tainted as biased - but, for the most part, as a features writer documenting human interest stories; and a documentarian, field and segment producer from television prior, my work was a source of great pride for me - with a livable income.

But, from the minute the ultrasound showed that the mass in my breast was gone, with that first sentence from the technician showing disbelief, my unchosen path of persecution was set before me. 

If I had been a different person I may have kept it to myself, aware of the reality and ramifications it would have on my career and my pocketbook -  but, I am my mother’s daughter, and she did not sit on her hands when there was something or someone to defend.

Persecution is Personal

When I was in-house as the lead features writer for the Times-Standard in Eureka, in Northern California, I had the opportunity to talk with then District Attorney, Paul Gallegos, about why cannabis farms and patients under the legal medical laws in California were still being raided and sentanced under Federal jurisdiction in Humboldt County.

His reply was stunning, as he implicated friends, family, neighbors and exes as culprits in reporting cannabis grows and patients. Humans hating on humans was main reason raids and persecution still persisted in the cannabis capital of the world.

To give another perspective, here I was from mainstream media, with weed treating cancer, no longer on pharma, with the knowledge that thousands of people are languishing in prison for a plant.

My own personal persecution began quickly in just about every aspect of my life, including my own doctor at the time doubting me. I soon found a new doctor who not only listened to me, but learned through observing my healing to feel comfortable enough to talk to her patients about their own cannabis use.

Other discrimination soon followed, including the Automobile Club of America Assoc (AAA) rejecting the renewal of my longtime life insurance policy. As a single mother, wishing to leave something behind for her child, this was a huge blow.

My ex and I separated, then parted. During the hearing for support, he too played the drug card, in an effort to discredit me. This forced me to present a photo of him hitting a four foot long joint at 4:20 during a High Times Cup I was covering. All that pain and embarrassment for a plant that should have never been prohibited in the first place.

Technical Errors Abound

The letter sent to me after my six month follow-up mammogram/ultrasound from Humboldt Radiology stated that there was indeed a large area of scar tissue where the mass once was and that it must have been from “a prior surgery,” even though I’ve never had surgery in either breast before or since.

Because I was never diagnosed, with the mass gone in two and a half months before a biopsy could be done, I’m now part of a 30 years study with the American Cancer Society on Prevention. 

After the first questionnaire only asked if I “smoked marijuana,” I wrote the director, who then corresponded with me directly, adding intelligent questions on using cannabis as medicine, ingesting, and more, per my request to subsequent questionnaires.

Healer Not Dealer

I moved down to Baja California, giving me the financial freedom to continue to do this work full-time. The cute little cottage on the beach I first moved into was awesome at $350 a month, but it came with a conservative neighbor in his 70s, who immediately began gossiping in the community that I was a drug dealer. 

It’s true, I had little old ladies lining up at my door on apothecary days picking up salve, tinctures, and infused honey for pain, sleep, and more. Guilty as charged.

My poor neighbors became confused, though, as shortly after I moved in I posted photos of myself with Tommy Chong at his home in Los Angeles. Is she a drug dealer for Tommy Chong? Is she a drug-runner, a mule? 

The following month I posted photos of myself, again, with Melissa Etheridge, at her home in Los Angeles. It was enough to drive the gossip mongers mad.

And it’s important to note, those same little old ladies who picked up the remedies, didn’t invite me to their parties or gatherings. I was helping them, but they didn’t necessarily want to be seen with me. Far cry from my days in mainstream media, when I would have been invited as a special guest.

Since then, I’ve had every landlord and many neighbors judge me and try to play the drug card, to no avail. I say, bring it on. If anything happens to me it’s an international story in the cannabis space, and just another educating moment of advocacy for the plant.

The Shape of the Drug Card

Playing the drug card is a one-size fits all type of deal, and easy due to the decades long negative stigma. I get it. The U.S. Government did an excellent job of demonizing a plant that can heal humans. Well played.

It’s a no-brainer to judge, as the “stoner jokes” are already there. It’s common knowledge that we are stupid, slow, easily distracted, and unproductive. No matter that I must smoke a bit to medicate to focus to write, and that I smoked all through the writing of this piece - my copy and my conscience is clean.

On another note, take away the psychoactive compound tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and cannabis is just another boring beneficial plant no one will give a shit about. 

And to be fair, it’s not the plant’s fault either. We as a species upped the THC to the heights we have today. We alone caused the controversy. 

The thing is, if the cancer didn’t go away, and if I hadn’t also done away with upwards of ten pharmaceuticals and supplements for myriad ailments and disorders at the same time, I might not have fully believed in the plant enough myself to do this work..

If it was all a lie - if my entire body of work is based on misinformation and exaggerations about the plant and its benefits, then that would make me a psychopath, right? How could I write about all these miraculous stories of healing for all these years if it wasn’t true unless I was completely delusional?

And what of the patients I’ve interviewed all these years who have been helped? Are they all lying about the efficacy of the plant? What would the motive be just to feel better? After ten years my list of questions is still longer than the truth I already know.

What I’ve learned

Even before crossing over from mainstream media to the cannabis space I practiced the fine art of protecting oneself from mass criticism, with the best advice given, to keep my blinders on and do good work in the face of great persecution.

I’ve learned the lesson of refraining from being a zealot for the plant. I’ve learned the painful lesson of not trying to make poster children out of celebrities who come out about their use. And I’ve learned that the plant isn’t for everyone. It’s a niche remedy right now, at best, and we who know about its healing powers (and workable dosing) are privileged in this knowledge.

I’ve also learned that you can’t ask or expect the masses to fully educate themselves until the U.S. Federal Government acknowledge the medicinal benefits of cannabis as a superfood, and removes it from Schedule 1, as a substance with no medicinal value.

Are we martyrs in the fight? I can only speak for myself and say, this work is a calling. I had no choice. I already had a voice and a pen, and I know nothing happens without a reason. I was called down this path, and my blinders continue to be firmly on. Thank you for reading.

Follow Sharon Letts on Facebook & LinkedIn, Instagram @sharoneletts Twitter @sharonletts 

For more information about Sharon’s work and her cancer story visit her website, www.sharonletts.com 

Essay by Sharon Letts, Educating Doctors: Talking to Your Physician About Using Cannabis, https://hightimes.com/health/patients-educating-doctors-talking-to-your-physician-about-using-cannabis/

Alice Moon

Publicist & Social Media Strategist

Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome: The syndrome everyone loves to hate

Alice Moon loves weed. So much so, that in 2011, she created an entire career around the plant. Working at a dispensary, writing edible reviews, and regularly attending cannabis events, while naturally garnering more than 14,000 followers on social media as a California Cannabis Influencer.

Today, she works as a Publicist and Social Media Strategist in the cannabis industry. As an Account Supervisor with Trailblaze public relations firm, her work supports both ancillary companies in the space, and those working directly with the plant.

Past gigs include Director of Communications of Blunt Talks, a monthly Ted Talk for cannabis; and Director of Communications & Operations for the California Cannabis Awards, as Co-Producer and Co-Host. 

She’s been written up as a cannabis lifestyle expert in publications such as the LA Weekly, High Times, CNN and Viceland; with her company nominated for Best Tech in SoCal for the (formerly) Dope Magazine, Dope Industry Awards.

Her life as an edible reviewer grew exponentially, as she was trusted for her opinions. After all, she loved the plant as much as those reading her reviews. She was one of them. She was part of the cannabis tribe and life was good for six years straight - both in using cannabis as medicine and working in the space.

And then she became extremely ill.

When the Cure Makes You Sick

Though, Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS) is often described as affecting “chronic” or “longtime” partakers, Moon’s use of cannabis wasn’t intense or lifelong. She was not a 24/7 stoner, so to speak, and only ingested a minimum 10 milligrams per day to successfully quell the anxiety and depression she had suffered from since childhood. Moon mainly smoked cannabis to unwind at the end of the day and as needed for stress-relief.

Do a search, and you’ll find a wide variety of the hows and whys of CHS, with some sites stating symptoms come on after one to five years of use. But many of the stats bantered about just don’t reflect the anecdotal stories of most who feel they suffer from this syndrome.

“You can try to pinhole the problem, but there’s no rhyme or reason,” Moon shared from her home in Los Angeles. “It’s so random. Many who suffer are short-time users and start getting sick up to 24 or 48 hours after use. Others are longtime users, but they all get sick in the same way. Use runs the gamut from occasional to full-time, with many like me identifying as cannabis patients, being helped by the plant until the syndrome starts.”

Like many with CHS, Moon initially presented with an occasional bout of nausea after partaking, then progressed to vomiting uncontrollably for days; with the longest time period of 16 days, after a particular infused dinner she was reviewing. This last bout caused three ulcers to present from the constant upheaval.

What do we cannabis patients do when we are nauseous? We smoke or consume more cannabis, as it’s known to quell that symptom, right? But Moon just kept getting sicker.

Like any unexplained physical ailment, with the help of a doctor, she began a process of elimination from her diet - just as you would when looking for an allergic reaction

High Enhancer?

Doctor’s could only guess what was wrong, as her symptoms presented like Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome (CVS), another disorder very little is known about. One theory is, CVS is said to be brought on by anxiety and stress. Cannabis is an enhancer. Could the plant be enhancing whatever ailment(s) are already there, or is the plant actually causing the syndrome?

Other ailments causing CVS episodes and/or symptoms thereof are, Irritable Bowl Syndrome (IBS), Chron’s Disease, gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), gastroparesis (low stomach motility, causing delayed emptying of the stomach)

Triggers include, chronic fatigue, exhaustion or lack of deep sleep; certain foods and beverages, such as alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, and cheese. Alice shared a list from the CHS Recovery Group on Facebook: flax seeds, black/white pepper, truffle, kava, and rosemary (see meme).

It took two years for Moon to be diagnosed with CHS, namely because doctors aren’t educated on cannabis or what it does and doesn’t do to begin with, let alone any malady that may or may not be associated with it. To date, there are no studies on the syndrome, only observations and anecdotal stories shared via word of mouth - as is common in the cannabis caregiving community.

Since high tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is said to trigger anxiety, the initial guess of CVS was an easy assumption. But her own research has shown that’s not always the case with CHS.

“Much of my own research has been culled from the more than 18,000 members on a private Group Facebook page, Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome Recovery,” she explained. “Many of the members have shared they never had anxiety to begin with.”

Push back from the cannabis community included grand assumptions that the culprit must be pesticides in dirty weed, or the use of Neem that isn’t flushed properly after use. If this were the case, we’d see a lot more chronic cases, in my mind, as dirty weed is abundant. 

According to Moon and her members, all of this has been debunked through anecdotal stories. For without serious studies on this syndrome, that’s all we have - the sharing of stories, via word of mouth and social media sites.

“I made sure I had clean and organic, pesticide-free cannabis, as many have in my group, and it made no difference,’ she said. “Many members began growing their own for this reason, but it didn’t matter. I even tried combinations of CBD derived from Hemp, and that made me sick.”

As a footnote, CBD derived from Hemp is hybridized from whole plant cannabis, with trace THC, with a full terpene and cannabinoid profile. So switching to Hemp wouldn’t make that much of a difference, if you are looking at allergic reactions from the whole plant as a cause for CHS.

“Many CHS patients have their gallbladders wrongly removed from infection prior to a diagnosis, and they still don’t improve from CHS,” she added.

Ask Moon any hypothetical question or conclusion on this syndrome, and she will quickly respond with it debunked, per she and other members. There simply are no easy solutions for this conundrum of a reaction from cannabis for some and not others.

“The lack of knowledge on this syndrome is frustrating,” she added. “One doctor I’ve been working with filed to do a controlled study, but it was rejected. They just didn’t feel there was enough demand for funding such a study.”

Back to Pharma

Since Moon could no longer find relief with cannabis due to severe bouts of CHS, she was forced  to go back on pharmaceuticals for a short list of symptoms, treated successfully by cannabis for a solid six years prior.

“None of the pharma I’m on now works as well as cannabis did for me,” she said. “Not for my anxiety, my depression, or the pain of cramps on my period. None of it. I miss using cannabis more than I can say. Specifically as a mood stabilizer - nothing else works the same.”

Cannabis, she said, uplifted her in a way nothing else does.

“The pharma works to a degree, but it just numbs me, where cannabis helped and healed me overall,” she said. “It’s hard to explain the difference unless you’ve experienced it for yourself. When you are helped with cannabis it’s often called a miracle - that’s how it feels. But, all that stopped for me - and many others with CHS.”

Moon isn’t too far off, as the difference between using pharmaceuticals for an ailment, and choosing plants is the difference between treating a symptom and treating the whole body and mind. 

Plants don’t just provide a band-aid as pharmaceuticals do (typically with a list of negative symptoms of their own, with the need for more pharma), plants address all our biological systems, naturally healing us. Or, simply put, righting us.

One such example is, the ability for cannabis to address infection in the body. Pharmaceutical antibiotics kill both good and bad cells, then it’s up to your own personal alchemy and immune system to fight it. Plants, on the other hand, attack infection, supporting the good cells, regenerating more healthy cells, while strengthening the immune system.

This is all done via the endocannabinoid system (eCS), the pathway for plants that address all our biological systems, creating homeostasis in the body, or a place where illness cannot dwell. And it makes us happy - but it’s not magic, it’s all science and biology.

“Cannabis brought so much joy to my life,” she surmised. “The plant helped me feel more, increased my creativity - as well as making me feel happy and healthy. The medications I’m been prescribed now don’t bring me any creativity at all. They don’t elevate my mood the way cannabis did, they just stabilize my mood.”

Judgment from the Tribe

We in the cannabis community don’t fare well to criticism to this plant that has helped many for decades. Thanks to our own government, the negative stigma of the plant is something we are constantly fighting against.

When anyone blames the plant for anything, we take offense - and rightly so. We’ve been persecuted wrongly for years in the worst ways, with only our personal truths of the healing as defense.

We’ve shunned the finger pointing of psychosis, neurosis, and mental disorders; we’ve beat back accusations of a lack of efficacy for myriad ailments; while shaming our own government for not acknowledging cannabis as medicine, let alone the superfood we now know it is.

Yet, the negativity persists, with only the anecdotal stories of healing and our seemingly small voices spreading the good news of what the plant can do, globally. 

Yet, there are thousands of people presenting with CHS, unable to partake of the plant they once enjoyed. Unable to find the relief once sought in lieu of pharmaceuticals. 

As a writer of cannabis as medicine, I was asked by a prominent member of the cannabis community several years ago if I would ever write anything bad about the plant. At the time I had nothing bad to say about it. 

After all, ingesting cannabis oil put my breast cancer into remission and did away with upwards of 10 prescription medications and supplements for numerous diagnosis and subsequent symptoms and ailments 10 years ago this year. How could I disrespect it?

As the years have gone by, I’ve realized that too much high THC can spike my anxiety, with others in the space confirming. Postings of this fact is often met with hostility in defense of the plant, so I’ve gotten just a taste of what Moon has gone through.

I made a decision early on in my writing of cannabis to never do critical review of any products in the space. If I didn’t like a product, I just didn’t write about it, the company or its principals.

Not for fear of being criticized myself, but for the simple reason that there’s enough negativity about the plant out there, and we don’t need infighting within the tribe. We actually can’t afford the infighting if we are to move forward in educating the masses.

That said, Moon has felt the brunt of criticizing the plant. She’s had death threats, vile language spewed upon her and worse, from our own tribe. And that’s just sad, because she still loves the plant and is hopeful for a cure to this syndrome, or at least some answers that aren’t based on an urgency to support the plant at all costs.

“People say I work for big pharma, that I’m a mole, here to spread negative information on the plant,” she said. “But, I never meant to be an influencer, my following evolved through sharing. Now they say I’m a failed influencer. It’s been a hard road to go down.”

The bottom line is, she still loves the plant.

“Those who don’t trust me, who think I’m part of further demonizing the plant don’t know me,” she concluded. “I miss using the plant every single day and I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. The minute there’s a cure or a solution to CHS, I’ll be partaking of the plant again.”

For more information on CHS visit, https://cannabinoid-hyperemesis.com/?fbclid=IwAR14RkM27hvuYt3scDDnKEqh1dkwb09hTeFm_bW1T9zZ0M_SbXiKfEZkDds 

For more information on Alice Moon visit, https://alicemoon.la/?fbclid=IwAR1R2NheYvxmQaT9VkPzYKTcKEW_nxeXt-XOZOtriR0xQtr-7EzlTfKusZg 

Follow Alice Moon on Instagram @thealicemoon, Twitter @thealicemoon 

Join Alice’s Group on Facebook: suffers of C.H.S. (cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome) 

Join Facebook Group: Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome Recovery

Subscribe to Alice Moon’s LinkedIn Newsletter, Moon High

Terpenes & Memory

How fragrance affects our emotions

Memories connecting scent to emotion come to us courtesy of the Limbic System – the sentimental side of human physiology connected to our psychology.

Can a glass of fresh squeezed lemonade on a warm summer day trigger a childhood memory of happier times?

The Limbic system is a complex structure located beneath the cerebral cortex within the brain supporting emotion, behavior, motivation, and long-term memory. Our emotional life depends on this system, and when triggered by a scent, can bring back a gamut of emotions and feelings - including lemons on a warm summer day.

It’s’ why you choose with your nose when selecting fragrant flower in a dispensary. What are your favorite fragrances? Chances are the scent is a recurring theme in your life. Why? Because humans have a symbiotic relationship to plants and it starts with the way they smell.

You might be choosing lemon scented weed with your heart and mind because it reminds you of a happy childlike, carefree summer day. But, your body may be choosing it subconsciously because it craves the benefits behind the scent.

The limbic system was created to purposefully seduce, to draw us near to what we need. It’s a seduction that humans have been graciously accepting since Eve handed Adam that apple.

The unsaid part of the story is, Eve also must have liked the way Adam smelled, compliments of pheromones.

Pheromones are a unique subset of chemical signals first defined in 1959 by scientists P. Karlson and M. Luscher, as substances secreted to the outside of an individual and then received by a second individual, in which they release a specific reaction.

In other words, pheromones can make or break a love match. We can draw those we love as close to us as a fragrant rose, if their scent aligns with ours - with love as beneficial and crucial to our well-being as the beneficial compounds of a plant to keep us healthy. It’s all connected. Never ignore the power of your nose in life, love and at the bud counter.

For the Love of Lemons

Terpenes are where the fragrance is found in plants.Terpenes are also where much of the beneficial compounds are, or where the medicine is found.

Large and varied type of hydrocarbons, terpenes are made up of hydrogen and carbon. These compounds are the main component of plant resins or essential oils, and why we are compelled to bring fingers to nose after cutting up fragrant bud, or chopping up ginger to cook with, or when a rose beckons us near.

Do you love lemons? That means one of your favorite terpenes is limonene (D-Limonene). You can also find it in cannabis cultivars, citrus, and some fragrant and beneficial herbs, such as lemon balm or lemon eucalyptus.

Why do you love lemon so much? Because somehow, through the magic of nature, your body knows you need limonene in your system for healing and homeostasis - or to help create a place where illness can not dwell.

Terpene and cannabinoid writer, Curt Robbins, detailed for Eaze.com, “Of the 20 thousands terpenes found in nature, and the 200 that may manifest in a particular strain of cannabis, limonene is one of the major players. This terpene sometimes constitutes up to 16 percent of the volume of a particular sample of cannabis.”

The Magic of Plants

As detailed in How Stuff Works.com, the limbic system isn’t solely all about intoxicating fragrance, memory and romance. Our limbic system is said to be essential to our survival in finding food and sustenance, and self-preservation.

Research tells us that 75 percent of all emotions processed every day are connected to smell, with humans 100 times more likely to recall something due to their sense of smell over sight, hearing or touch.

The limonene scent you chose at the pot shop has benefits that go way beyond the memory of a sun-filled summer day. Limonene can uplift and destress. It’s listed an as antiinflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, and heart-disease-fighting properties.

Limonene is also said to reduce appetite. And while high tetrahydrocannabinol or THC cultivars are said to cause the munchies, cultivars heavy in limonene might just curb the urge to snack.

Those who still may be stuck on the Sativa/Indica dilemma, please know, it’s the limonene giving you a lift, not the Sativa. It’s the terpene profile you need to pay attention to, not the THC.

Meaning, if you suffer from depression, a nice limonene cultivar might be helpful.

Other terpenes that treat depression by lifting endorphins and creating dopamine in the brain are pinene, also found in rosemary, pine needles, and black pepper; and linalool, also found in lavender and rosewood oils.

Cultivars heavy in limonene and pinene terpenes are O.G. Kush, Sour Diesel, Super Lemon Haze, Durban Poison, Jack Herer, and Jack the Ripper.

Cultivars heavy in linalool are Granddaddy Purple, Do Si Dos, Lavender, and Kosher Kush.

Always check the breakdown of a cultivar’s terpenes and never go by THC count alone. Too much THC can trigger anxiety that can lead to depression. Too much THC can trigger negative disorder symptoms like neurosis and psychosis.

Our bodies know what we need, and our noses are the gateway. Follow your nose to health and happiness.

Graphics courtesy of Goldleaf. For more information on its cannabis journals and graphics visit, https://shopgoldleaf.com/collections/recreation/products/terpene-food-wine-pairing-chart-print

Weed, Chamomile & Shrooms, oh my!

Using plants for depression, micro dosing with Psilocybin Mushrooms

Since I was 16 years old, cannabis has been my go-to in treating the blues. In my 50s I added ingesting, then chamomile concentrate - known to successfully treat depression, per a study. Now, in my 60s, I’ve added micro-dosing Psilocybin mushrooms on a regular basis, as an excellent reset like no other, complimenting my already established daily dosing of cannabis and chamomile.

We talk about the entourage effect within cannabis dosing alone - for instance, smoking, with ingesting, with topical use, treats chronic pain overall more effectively than just smoking. Smoking on top of ingesting, including taking pain killers, raises the efficacy of the pills. And why its been widely reported in states legal for cannabis, that opioid use lowers.

This is how I’ve come to manage my ongoing depression, anxiety, and lack of focus, caused by Thyroid disease with menopause, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), and symptoms on the spectrum; by layering different plants and fungi, causing an entourage effect of healing and well-being.

But, this has taken me 10 years accomplish, after crossing over from mainstream media into the cannabis publishing space, writing with a focus on cannabis as medicine. Each profile I’ve written has been a learning experience, with my work helping many, but most of all, myself.

Troubled Teen

As an adolescent, I was never considered very bright and found it difficult to pay attention. School was tough and home life tumultuous. In 1975 I took my first hit from a joint of rag weed on the way to high school in a gas station bathroom, and I immediately felt happier and more relaxed.

That was also the first day I was able to focus on school work, was first published as a poet at 19, and haven’t written anything professionally without first medicating by smoking. Cannabis helps me get into a zone and focus, plain and simple.

Cannabis also made my trauma-ridden young life easier, but I never understood why. I was only told it was wrong and that I was a stupid, lazy stoner.

When I became pregnant with my daughter at 29, I stopped smoking weed altogether, I didn’t have it in the house again until she was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia (FMS) at 13, after purchasing it for her off the illicit market in Los Angeles.

At the time, I was working as a writer/producer for television, and the plant greatly improved my focus, just as it had in high school. 

My daughter was a D.A.R.E. kid, a straight A student, gifted, and didn’t like the euphoria given.

So, this mom took my daughter’s stash, created an art studio in the garage, and began smoking once again. I had gained 40 pounds from Thyroid disease, and started smoking and walking around my neighborhood with my camera. Shedding the weight and feeling better and more productive overall.

Medicated, not Stoned

The word stoned comes from the alcohol culture, and doesn’t really explain the lift one feels on cannabis. When we smoke, endorphins are physically lifted and dopamine is created in the brain. This is what causes the happiness or euphoria one feels, with the word, high, a better descriptor.

When I began a cannabis oil treatment for breast cancer in my early 50s (see Sharon’s Daily Dose), many of my hormonal symptoms from menopause with Thyroid disease, were treated successfully almost immediately - with my mood elevated far better than just smoking had done.

After finding a study on chamomile treating anxiety and depression, I began making a concentrate with coconut in capsules. I also started adding half chamomile to my cannabis oil, as its properties are just as beneficial as cannabidiol (CBD), and takes the edge off the high THC.

Life was good, and then I discovered microdosing with Psilocybin mushrooms.

Got Shrooms?

The first time I took Psilocybin mushrooms I was on a bike ride from my home in Redondo Beach to Manhattan Beach, and stopped off at a party house. I was met at the door by a guy who (without telling me what they were) put a small pile of fresh mushrooms (could have been 5 grams), on an antique, silver spoon, into my mouth.

Thank goodness there was a bike path, as I walked my bike the nearly four miles home on that bright summer day, barely remembering how I got there. I then sat in a cold shower for I don’t know how long, until the effects wore off. It was not fun, and it was incredibly irresponsible of the shroom guy. I was only 14 years old.

Swearing I’d never take them again, then in the past few years, the education on using them for depression as a reset by microdosing got my attention.

There are approximately 180 types of hallucinogenic mushrooms, and I initially began dosing with one of the more common types, Liberty Caps - tall, skinny stems with small, round caps (pictured).

 I’d take what I called a “giggle dose,” or the size of a lentil. Then, I ground about .5 grams or less of dried mushrooms with cannabis flower and would smoke it in a joint. Realizing its not an efficient way to dose, as much of the medicine of both material is burned up in the process, but it provided a nicer lift than just the cannabis.

I found the two to be exceptionally complimentary, sharing the same positive effects in tandem. To reiterate, this is microdosing, not taking enough to have a hallucinogenic or more spiritual experience (five grams).

Then I began ingesting the dried mushroom at .5 grams for a longer lasting effect, but it was an inconsistent dose. So, I then added the shrooms to drinking alcohol (a good cognac, to start) with ¼ c. ground cannabis per liter for a tincture. Adding .5 grams of shrooms per cup; one liter/four cups, or two grams per. I let this “tea” sit in a cool cupboard for about a week, strained, and decanted.

The tincture has been the best delivery mode to date, in my mind. I can sip throughout the day for a lift; make an infused cocktail to enjoy or for a good night’s sleep; or take a shot and turn the music up and dance.

I liken the experience to when you take your first hit of a dank flower, and feel that warm lift, but it doesn’t last and you need to keep smoking. Microdosing mushrooms helps that lift stay up there longer. It’s a game-changer as far as lifting endorphins go, in my mind - and, so far, its been perfect as a weekly reset in treating my hormonal depression.

I like to say that cannabis was my gateway drug to other plants, and now fungi. It’s been an interesting journey, but one I’m grateful for. I was just given a variety of shrooms to try from a friend. And while I’m a little dismayed that shrooms are seemingly becoming more accepted as medicine than cannabis, it’s all good. It’s all connected, with a domino effect of healing that can’t be stopped.

Cannabis oil as Viagra Replacement?

Bonus benefits in the bedroom.

Many who take cannabis oil for serious ailments often get a bonus in finding help with other ailments and disorders in the process. 

My own story reflects this, as in 2012 I presented with cancer, Lobular Carcinoma, a spider web-like mass in my right breas. Because I was working in media in Humboldt County in Northern California at the time, I was given the strong cannabis oil by longtime farmer and apothecary, Pearl Moon, of the Bud Sisters of Southern Humboldt. 

I was given the oil to treat the cancer, but after two and a half weeks, all the pharmaceuticals I’d been taking for more than ten years fell away, with hormonal symptoms from Thyroid Disease and menopause quelled.

The first night I took the oil I no longer needed the sleeping pill I’d taken for years, the next day I found I no longer needed the pain killer for a proposed knee replacement (subsequently canceled).

This happened because superfoods, like cannabis, address all 11 of our biological systems via the endocannabinoid system, which accepts plant-based compounds into our bodies in order to create homeostasis, or a place where illness can not dwell.

Replacing Viagra

For the past ten years since my cancer experience, I’ve learned how to make my own remedies with plants. This is not uncommon after being helped with the plant, especially after replacing numerous pharmaceuticals successfully.

Another thing that happens is, you begin helping friends, family, and your community at large. Since learning how to make my own remedies I’ve helped hundreds, with myriad ailments quelled or lessened.

One man (who shall remain anonymous) came to me with advanced symptoms of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD. He had heard that cannabis might at least help him sleep better at night, as he had labored breathing, a rattle, and a nasty cough.

Typically caused by years of smoking cigarettes, with permanent lung damage that gets progressively worse, symptoms of COPD include breathing difficulty, coughing, mucus (sputum) production and wheezing.

COPD is the leading cause of death in the U.S., with more than 16.4 diagnosed, and many suffering without knowing it. A terminal illness, there is no treatment to cure the disease. Stopping smoking tobacco can only help slow the dire symptoms down.

I had helped a few others in treating COPD. If they are used to the high THC, they can take cannabis oil capsules at bedtime or as needed, with excellent results. Rattle gone, breathing easier, cough diminished. Patients admit to doing away with steroid inhalers altogether, or their use is cut down drastically. 

While we do not know the extent of healing in the lungs by ingesting cannabis oil,  we do know that cannabis and other beneficial plant compounds can regenerate healthy tissue in the body. My own observations in helping people with this disease have shown that cannabis, with it’s antiinflammatory and healing properties, practically puts the nasty ailment into remission.

The man in question that I helped is in his early 70s, and hasn’t smoked cigarettes in many years, and doesn’t smoke cannabis.

Since he wasn’t used to the high THC, I made him suppositories, as there is no head high and you can take a larger dose at one time to treat serious ailments more quickly (up to one gram of oil mixed with coconut in each dose).

After some months of administering a suppository every night, with multiple orders, this man had a confession. He felt he reached a plateau in treating his COPD, as the symptoms were lessened substantially, but he wanted to keep doing them as the treatment simultaneously helped with another situation that previously needed a prescription pharmaceutical of Viagra.

Almost embarrassed to tell me, but he really wanted me to know, as he was so happy about the bonus. The end result of his taking the cannabis oil nightly was to be able to pleasure his girlfriend and continue enjoying the sex life they had loved so much - without the added help of the little blue pill.

It’s going on three years now of him taking the suppositories and he looks healthier than ever, and is still going strong in bed. And the COPD? What COPD? No longer an issue.

Got Studies?

A simple search shows many articles on CBD relieving anxiety, offering some help with Erectile Dysfunction (ED), but nothing conclusive.

The help I’ve observed as a self taught Apothecary, was done using whole plant cannabis, with the THC activated, not just one compound of cannabidiol, or CBD.

One theory on how this works is similar to how a healthy human body functions more efficiently than a non-healthy body. Beneficial plants in a healthy diet increase positive body functions, reduce inflammation and infection, create dopamine in the brain and lift endorphins as quick as a morning jog (which also lifts the libido or sexual drive). 

The same theory applies to treating depression. A study found that increasing fruits and vegetables in the diet for just two weeks can lift someone out of depression, giving them an overall sense of well-being.

When everything in the body is functioning properly, the libido isn’t left out.

With all the talk of “what cultivar should I smoke before having sex?” the true healing happens when we ingest cannabis and other beneficial plants, creating a healthy and happy human - in and out of bed.

Cannabis Oil Recipe (suppositories or capsules)

4 cups ground plant material (small buds, stem and leaf – whole plant)

1 liter grain alcohol (high proof, 90 percentile)

Cover the ground plant material with the solvent, and let soak for up to five minutes*

Strain in a fine mesh or sheet and pour into a rice cooker, set it to warm, leave the lid open

It should take between three to four hours to cook down

They may be plant matter in brown chunks, do not use this. Tilt the rice cooker insert to pool the oil, and carefully uptake from the clear liquid.

You will have a thick, brown resin remaining. These are the essential oils of the plant, where the medicine is.

Just prior to the final reduction, add two tablespoons of coconut oil to the mix. This will keep it from burning (ruining the medicine). Adding coconut is also a good delivery into the bloodstream.

I take a whiff of the mixture, as you can smell the alcohol if it hasn’t cooked off. With the coconut in there, it can sit a bit to make sure the alcohol has completely evaporated.

Using a measured pipette, using a capsule holder, fill caps with 1 milliliter of the mixture. If there is any alcohol (or water from weak solvent) in the mix, the capsule will melt. Test by filling one up and checking.

For suppositories, use 1 gram of oil mixed with coconut, pour into suppository molds using pipette.

Keep in the refrigerator to solidify and keep fresh. This essential oil is precious, use it in a timely manner for freshness and efficacy.

Suggested dosing: 

One one millimeter suppository taken rectally, nightly

One capsule taken orally at night, or as needed every three to four hours for serious ailments/illness.

*Longer soaks have shown lower numbers of beneficial compounds, diluted by too much chlorophyll.

John Prinz

Cannabis patient, farmer & advocate shares his story.

At 31 years of age, John Prinz became disabled after a work-related injury at a paper mill in California in 1992. He’s suffered with, what he refers to as, “intractable pain,” for more than 29 years. 

From 1993 to 1996, he went through five spinal surgeries with discs removed and hardware inserted. He’s gone through multiple epidurals, enduring many years of pain. Prescribed opiates for the first 12 years, he became addicted, with many negative side effects, including damage to his teeth.

He credits Dr. Lester Grinspoon’s book, penned with James Bakalar, the 1993,  Marijuana: The Forbidden Medicine (1993) in saving his life.

Dr. Grinspoon (June 24, 1928-June 25, 2020) was an American psychiatrist and longstanding associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, best known for his groundbreaking work in the science of and social policy of cannabis, psychedelics and other drugs, with a focus on harm reduction.

But, Grinspoon’s legacy didn’t begin by supporting the plant. In fact, in 1967 he set out to show how damaging cannabis was, but after finding efficacy as medicine, he changed his tune, becoming one of the most outspoken physicians for cannabis in the country.

“Dr. Grinspoon’s book taught me that cannabis was used in 1914 to replace the opiate of the day, heroin,” he shared. “And here we are again, with more people suffering from opiate abuse and addiction. I’ve learned how to use cannabis in a very strong form to replace all my prescription opiates. My own doctor admitted that the cannabis medicine I use works far better than the pharmaceuticals prescribed.”

Replacing Oxy

Prinz’s doctor, Michael Moskowitz, MD, backed up Prinz’s treatment, “There are excellent studies from UC Davis and the UC San Francisco that are randomized, double blind placebo controlled trials on the usefulness of cannabinoids for pain. There is excellent basic science research that shows cannabinoids to have over 60n different alkaloids which work centrally and peripherally to block pain and to decrease inflammation.”

Dr. Moskowitz went on to state that even though he discussed with Prinz the fact that cannabis is still listed on the US Health Department’s Schedule 1, with no medicinal value acknowledged, both could not deny the efficacy of the plant in treating Prinz’s longtime chronic pain.

“The patient has continued to use medical cannabis to maintain pain control,” Moskowitz continued. “He used it to come off of 770 milligrams of Oxycodone, daily, and remains focused upon this as a strategy for pain control, and for good reason. He has done so well with medical cannabis, this is understandable.”

Moskowitz went onto say that even though Prinz’s health insurance carrier will not pay or reimburse for medical cannabis, despite the health insurance company knowing he replaced the opiates.

Prinz continues to medicate with the plant, making his own strong cannabis oil using olive oil as a base, allowing him to add the medicine to his food daily.

Historic Buyers Club

Prinz became a member of the infamous Cannabis Buyers Club on Church Street in San Francisco in 1997. 

The club was formed in 1992 by John Entwistle with his husband, Dennis Peron (April 8, 1945-January 27, 2018)  - who has since been dubbed the “Father of Medical Marijuana.” 

The club had taken over an existing cannabis collective run by Thomas O’Malley, after his passing in 1992. The buyers club was run with the help of Mary Jane Rathrun, also known as, Brownie Mary - known for the cannabis infused brownies she home delivered to HIV/AIDS patients - the demographic that started the compassionate care program further defined by the club.

Brownie Mary, along with Entwistle and Peron, and others were also co-authors of Prop 215, making California the first state in the country to allow cannabis as medicine.

Dosing with Infused Olive Oil

Prinz grows his own medicine, and  is convinced the high levels of both tretrahydrocannbindol (THC) and non-psychoactive THCA, the actual compound within the cannabis plant (THC is only activated by heat), are the main compounds helping to successfully reduce his pain for the past 18 years.

“I’ve found that drinking the cannabis infused olive oil, testing with 300 miligrams of both THCA and THC per one tablespoon, works best for my pain,” he explained. “I take two tablespoons, three times a day. Each tablespoon has 195 miligrams of THCA, and 130 milligrams of THC. I know that works for me, and so do my doctors - who have witnessed me in what seems like a lifetime of pain. This plant works for me.”

Prinz has also added Delta-9 to his regiment, the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, otherwise known as THC. 

Stating that the anti-spasmodic, analgesic properties are key in increasing a general overall sense of well-being with mild euphoria. 

Delta-9 has also shown to treat nausea and vomiting, with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective properties. It’s also a sleep enhancer, reduces stress and anxiety, and helps deal with disorders on the spectrum. It also works with bodily pain receptors in minimizing pain.

While many of the compounds of cannabis work extracted from the plant work well, you really can’t replaced the whole plant compounds, numbering in the hundreds, working together in ways we still don’t fully understand. 

That said, in states that still outlaw THC, where only cannabidiol or CBD only is allowed, Delta-9 has been instrumental in dealing with more maladies than CBD is able to on its own.

The future looks green

Prinz sees cannabis as a first remedy for the future of pain medication, not a last resort, as many end of doing out of desperation.

“The thing is, I estimate I’ve saved my health care insurer more than $70,000 annually by replacing prescription drug use with cannabis,” he said. “It’s frustrating when you see so much savings, with so much help for my pain, yet the health care providers hands are tied by the federal government and its lack of acceptance of cannabis as medicine.”

As more people are helped and educated, he sees more doctors prescribing cannabis for pain over opiates.

“I see Americans using this medicine for pain in every state, with every kind of patient, from every demographic, using it freely,” he concluded. “I have great hope for the future of cannabis medicine. It was a life changer for me, and I know it can help many. I’ve lobbied, spoken out, have been arrested and detained, and I’m not going anywhere. This is my truth, because it works - there’s no denying it.”

Medicated Gingerbread Men

Ginger and its history of demons, healing, and holiday cheer

The lovely ginger plant, with its elongated leaves and small flowers, is used for cooking and apothecary for its flavorful and beneficial root. Before it was known as a holiday treat, it was a favorite of Royal families for centuries. 

Also known as a token of fertility and a tool for witches to exact vengeance. The gingerbread man has a dark backstory, with a link to death and the demonic. The ancient gingerbread man was present in the Saturnalia, the Roman Winter Solstice celebration, with drinking, eating and carousing the norm. Man-shaped biscuits were offered up, representing human sacrifice as a gift to appease the Gods.

According to CrimeReads.com, as Christianity was accepted throughout the Roman empire, the carousing would eventually become caroling in the streets, and gift-giving via the Magi’s offerings to the Baby Jesus.

But the classic gingerbread man we know today, with his candy eyes and sugary smile originated from England. Queen Elizabeth I had gingerbread men made to look like visiting dignitaries, serving them up for her favorite courtiers. She enjoyed giving, what she called “ginger biscuits” as edible caricatures.

The first known recipe for gingerbread came from Greece in 2400 BC. Recipes were said to be created during the 10th century, after explorer Marco Polo brought ginger to the West from China. By the late Middle Ages Europeans had their own versions of gingerbread. 

It’s believed that the recipe for the biscuit was initially invented by a monk to help cure digestion, as the flavorful root of ginger is medicinal. Ginger’s benefits include gastrointestinal motility, or the rate that foods exit the stomach and continue along the digestive process. In other words, eating ginger encourages efficient digestion, so food doesn’t linger as long in the gut, also providing relief with nausea.

Beneficial terpenes found in ginger are, Zingiberene, Bisabolene, Cineol, Geraniol, Linalool, Citral, Borneol, a-Farnesene, B-Phellandrene, and Curcumene - many of the same terpenes also found in cannabis.

According to a paper published in the US National Institute of Health, ginger in a 10 percent ethanolic ginger extract (alcohol/solvent reduction) was found to have antimicrobial potential against pathogens - with another published article siting help with COVID, respiratory ailments, and in lowering blood sugars in treating diabetes. In other words, ginger is another superfood or super plant, with many beneficial properties, also strengthening our immune system.

The making of gingerbread houses for Christmas time began in Germany during the 16th century, built with elaborate walls, decorated with foil and gold leaf. Today, White House Chefs and the Royal Chefs at Buckingham Palace recreate the iconic buildings in gingerbread for the holidays.

The practice of making gingerbread houses was made popular after the fairytale Hansel and Gretel was published in 1812, wherein the two children found an edible house of gingerbread with sugar decorations - luring them into the witches lair.

The recipe below is for a simple gingerbread biscuit, made using cannabis infused butter. The cookies would aid in a good night’s sleep, or to leave out for Santa as back pain relief (see Adventures with Santa, Vegas Strip)

Medicated Gingerbread Men

3 c. flour

2 t. ginger (dried & ground)

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. baking soda

¼ t. nutmeg

¼ t. salt

¾ cup cannabis infused butter, softened (recipe below) 

¾ c. brown sugar, packed

½ c. molasses

1 egg

1 t. vanilla extract

Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in large bowl

Beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add molasses, egg, and vanilla; mix well. Gradually beat flour mixture on low speed until well mixed.

Press dough into a thick, flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate four hours or overnight.

Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of ¼ inch (doug will be tough to handle). Cut into gingerbread men shapes with a 5-inch cookie cutter. Place gingerbread men 1-inch apart on ungreased baking sheet.

Bake in preheated oven until edges of cookies are set and just begin to brown - 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Easy Variation: Roll dough into 2-inch balls and roll into white sugar. Place 2-inches apart on ungreased baking sheet, Use the bottom of a drinking glass to press cookies flat. Bake in 350 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies brown.

Cannabis Infused Butter

One pound or 4 sticks, or 450 grams of butter

½ oz. or 7 grams of dried, ground cannabis flower, stems, & leaves

Add all to a crock pot, set to warm. If the crock pot gets too hot on warm, stir often, or turn off to cool down, then repeat.

Should take 2-3 hours to infuse. Color should be a light green. 

Too much chlorophyll will show up bright green and may dilute the beneficial compounds needed. For this reason, do not use a leaf-heavy trim.

Strain into small containers or silicone butter molds for easy measuring. Let chill in the refrigerator.

Fineprint: Cannabis resins bind very well to butter fat, and why I microdose recipes with minimal infused butter. For this recipe, I’d cut the infused butter in half or more, compensating with non-infused butter.

PubMed paper on ginger and COVID, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8492833/

Dogs & Cancer

Treating venereal tumor with cannabis & chamomile suppositories

Two years ago I rescued mother and daughter, Luna and Lala, from a puppy mill. They were in very bad shape, but both were helped by using topical cannabis and chamomile remedies both by ingesting and topically. 

After having a year and a half of a good life with me, Luna passed away early in 2022. It was estimated she was around nine years old, having lived seven years or so in the puppy mill, used and abused for her beauty.

Lala lived her first four years in the mill, and left with a sexually transmitted disease (STD), a venereal tumor in her vagina, common in the puppy mills here. 

Note: The puppy mill was not run by Mexicans, but Americans. Most of the dog, cat, and even horse rescues here in Baja California, where I live, are run by non-Mexicans for the greater good. And the young people of Mexico, in general, are getting their pets spayed and neutered in the clinics provided, where traditionally it just wasn’t done here. 

Plants Or Pharma?

The veterinarian here in Mexico I worked with said this type of cancer doesn’t kill them, it’s just uncomfortable and can cause complications as it grows. Low-dose chemotherapy is commonly used.

I told her about the work I do and my apothecary work at home, and she was in agreement that I could try the cannabis/plant suppositories first, and save the chemo for later, if need be. 

She also understood that if I chose the chemo I would still give Lala the cannabis oil through the treatments, as it quells the negative side effects of the treatment namely, pain, sickness, and wasteaway - while it assists in cancer cell death. The plant actually has to work double-duty in this respect.

That was two years ago and the plants have managed to keep the tumor at bay all this time with no chemo done to date. But, whether you use cannabis, chemotherapy, or radiation to put cancer into remission, studies show that cancer can come back - and oftentimes worse than the initial bout; causing secondary cancers in different places in the body other than where the original cancer or tumor was.

I had been without cannabis oil for some weeks, after having two batch fails using bad alcohol, when the tumor came back larger than before. This caused Lala’s back legs to go into partial paralysis, which was terrifying, to say the least.

Please find the recipe for cannabis oil here Daily Dose: Reducing/Replacing Opioids

Feeling beyond guilty as a dog mom, out of cannabis oil, I made suppositories out of a simple chamomile/coconut infusion I typically put in capsules for anxiety (Bisabolol is the active terpene in chamomile that causes the calming effect).

Anecdotally Driven

The reason I remotely thought the chamomile would work was based on a prior experience with a cancer patient in Stage 4, who used chamomile suppositories, and started to come back within 24 hours from being bedridden. Unfortunately, the family didn’t believe it, the treatment was stopped, and she passed shortly thereafter.

This anecdotal story of chamomile helping a cancer patient is not supported by any human studies. The study found on chamomile having a 93 percent success rate in killing cancer cells was done in a laboratory in a petrie dish. I had used the chamomile coconut formulation on minor skin cancers with success.

So, with this small bit of knowledge, I proceeded to treat Lala every three to four hours with a one gram suppository of chamomile and coconut, starting mid-day and into the night (using a suppository inserter into her vagina). By morning she was up and walking around, with the swelling on her backside substantially reduced.

The fact that chamomile and many other beneficial herbs able to treat serious ailments have been reduced to a cup of tea or a food flavoring is a travesty of epic proportions, in my mind.

See Daily Dose: Superfoods, Super Plants, for the benefits of chamomile and how closely it mimics full spectrum (whole plant) Hemp, high in cannabidiol (CBD).

Plants & Cancer

Another study on chamomile and cancer cell death states, “chamomile has many health promoting effects, including anti-allergic and anti-cancer activities.”

On the other end of the spectrum, Breast Cancer.org, advises the use of chamomile tea as a mouth rinse to treat sores from chemotherapy. It’s also suggested for use as a sleep aid. 

But, again, this reduces chamomile to a tea, not a strong concentrate able to treat much more than mouth sores from treatment. Chamomile in a concentrate is also a strong analgesic, able to quell substantial pain, via the compound, chamazulene. 

Another study shows the compound carvacrol is a naturally occurring antioxidant found in oregano, thyme, marjoram and many other herbs. All were shown to have upwards of a 96 percent rate in killing cancer cells in a laboratory study. As stated, “Carvacrol alone shows the potential to target cancerous cells and significantly deter the growth of cancer cells; this is a targeted method. It offers anti-inflammatory effects by decreasing oxidative stress, which primarily targets ER and mitochondria.”

The theory cancerous lesions come back is based on the knowledge that they live in our stem cells, due to toxins in our environment, found in our bloodlines from generations of exposure. We have been poisoned by our own hand, while simultaneously being led away from the garden for decades.

Nevermind Adam and Eve and modesty issues, the garden is where the fruits, vegetables, and herbs are that we need to keep us in homeostasis, or a place where illness cannot dwell. That’s what plants do for us.

I’m a guilty meat eater, but lean heavy on plants due to this knowledge. A Vegetarian or Vegan diet not only eases the destruction of the planet and the suffering of animals. Eating a plant-based diet addresses all our biological systems and helps deal with the toxins we’ve been subjected to. 

To drive this theory home, another study shows that adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet for just two weeks lifts endorphins and creates dopamine in the brain, treating depression. According to a study out of Harvard, this also has to do with gut health, affecting our physical and emotional stability.

Cancer Comes Back

It’s been several days and my Lala doing well, with the tumor successfully shrunken once more using just the chamomile coconut formulation. We may be dealing with this tumor for the rest of her life, but today, the plants are working.

As said, even with modern-day pharmaceuticals and treatments, cancer can come back. I’d rather she and I go through the hassle of the suppositories nightly than have her go through the pain of chemo, that kills so many cells within the body - not just the bad cells. 

Chemotherapy weakens the immune system like nothing else. How ironic is that, when treating a disease that desperately needs the immune system strong to combat the illness at hand. Chemo also weakens all of our biological systems. According to Cancer.net, many cancer treatments damage the heart, leading to Cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure. It’s not uncommon for a patient to suffer a major heart attack up to five years later from the very treatment that saved them from cancer.

Prevention by adding antioxidant plants to your diet to kill the bad cells, while strengthening the immune system, is key. Plants do this while addressing all of our biological systems through the endocannabinoid system (eCS), the system that accepts and directs plant compounds throughout our bodies.

Bottom line, we can readily search and see that there are many plants that have antioxidant properties, but without a controlled study with humans we can’t say plants will put cancer into remission. All we have in the cannabis and plant caregiving community are the successful, yet anecdotal stories of healing, passed down by word of mouth, practiced by those willing to try.

Chamomile Coconut Infusion

1 c. whole, dried chamomile flower

1 liter coconut oil (solid)

Add whole flower to rice cooker or crockpot, set to warm, and simmer for one to two hours.

The warm setting will be inconsistent and slightly warmer on the crockpot. 

Stir often, checking to make sure the mixture isn’t too hot.

Burning the mixture will damage the fragile beneficial compounds.

Keep the lid open on the rice cooker. You are not using it as you would a pressure cooker, you are using it to simmer the formulation.

Strain and pour into suppository molds using pipettes.

Chill in the freezer until solid.

Keep in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use. They will melt otherwise. If transporting, use a cooler and a freezer bag or ice.

Use a suppository manual applicator to insert into vagina (or anus, depending on protocol/ailment. If using cannabis, there is no head high when delivering into anus.)

Note: See Sharon’s website under Apothecary for recipes, how-to photos, and photos/lists of equipment needed. Sharon uses the Magical Butter Machine or the Nebula Boost (UK) to make her infusions.

CBD Explained (My Rant)

Cannabidiol, the most popular cannabinoid, is also the most misunderstood.

I’m a whole plant cannabis girl, firm in my belief that the entire plant is needed for optimal health and homeostasis in the body - including the psychoactive THC. But I’m asked regularly about CBD and its many variants. Do a simple search online looking for CBD products and you’ll be more confused than not in finding what will work for you. Buy a bottle of CBD oil from a drug store over the counter, and you might just be getting snake oil with very little CBD in the mix.

As detailed in last month’s Daily Dose, the cannabis plant is a superfood, with more than 400 compounds all working together for the greater good of feeding the human (and animal) body, strengthening the immune system, while addressing all of our biological systems. Yet, we’ve only identified about 100 cannabinoids in the plant to date.

In 1940, British chemist Robert S. Cahn discovered the first cannabinoid, cannabinol, or CBN. Just two years later in 1942, American chemist Roger Adams found cannabidiol, or what we commonly know now as CBD.

Adding to the research, Professor Raphael Mechoulam identified the stereochemistry of CBD in 1963, then tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC in 1964.

As a footnote, in 1992, Dr. Lumir Hanus of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, with American researcher Dr. William Devane, discovered the endocannabinoid anandamide, leading to the full discovery of the endocannabinoid system or eCS, the biological system that accepts and processes plant-based beneficial compounds in the body.

Isolating compounds in the cannabis plant is nothing new, but with the discovery of the eCS we now know how the compounds work with our biological systems.

Today, researchers are breaking down myriad combinations of cannabinoids, terpenes, and more from the cannabis plant, in an effort to follow the Federal Drug Administration’s (FDA) requirements to provide a formula for patenting a pharmaceutical for market.

The research is also being conducted to see just what compounds are most effective for different ailments, but until we fully understand each compound versus the plant as a whole, I’ll be a whole plant devotee.

Plants just don’t fit the formula. 

The process of patenting formulations didn’t begin until the late 1930s, making the pharmaceutical industry relatively new and experimental. Prior to its development, all we had were plants and the practice of Apothecary - or the use of plants for medicine.

Pharmaceutical companies can’t patent and own a plant, and why plants must be broken down to formulate. The practice decimated Apothecary, with the criticisms of the day the plant formulations were too inconsistent.

I agree, plant formulations are inconsistent. Because no two plants are alike, and no formulations I’ve ever made from a whole plant at home have been the same. 

But, does this mean they are less efficient?

On the contrary, every batch I’ve made of whole plant cannabis oil, for instance, has the same outcome, no matter how different the batch. Why? Because all the compounds of the plant are in there and they all work together in the same way with our endocannabinoid system.

History of CBD

The late Lawrence Ringo was a longtime cannabis farmer in Southern Humboldt County in Northern California, where many genetics of the plant were and still are being hybridized.

Ringo suffered from bone one bone spinal pain for years, smoking daily to ease his pain. But he didn’t want to be high all day long, so he began saving low THC plants and hybridizing them with other low THC plants until he found a cultivar that didn’t get him too high, but quelled his pain.

When the cultivar was tested it came in with low THC as predicted, but with a surprising amount of CBD, measuring in at around 14 percent. This, they said, was a truly medicinal cultivar of cannabis, with Ringo stating he brought it back down to God’s plant - as the original plant had only four or five percent THC at best.

The plants were brought to Denver and became what we know as Charlotte’s Web, a low THC (less than three percent THC), with a high amount of CBD or cannabidiol, able to treat ailments and symptoms with little head high.

Then, the madness came.

Isolating CBD

We in the cannabis community who are serious cannabis patients know that the difference between treating symptoms and putting an ailment into remission has everything to do with using the whole plant, not one compound thereof.

The same can be said for the isolation of cannabidiol or CBD alone. The compound is supported by all the other compounds in the plant for optimum efficacy. Taking the CBD compound from the plant may have some benefits, but there’s just no comparing what’s referred to as “full spectrum” or whole plant.

While a CBD isolate may be a good choice for someone just entering into the world of healing with cannabis, the range of ailments helped or symptoms only, is far less than the whole kit-and-kaboodle, so to speak.

Cost Factor: Isolate vs. Full Spectrum

The cost factor in making a formulation with full spectrum CBD compared to an isolate CBD is notable, as the process in isolating the compound is extensive. A good CBD isolate in powder form can cost upwards of $850 a kilogram; whereas full spectrum CBD plant material or biomass, can be a little more than $200 a pound.

THC or CBD, Whole Plant for Me

As said, the difference between taking an isolated CBD or full spectrum, is the difference between treating symptoms or putting an ailment into remission. 

As just one example, using CBD during cancer treatments will help quell negative symptoms of chemo or radiation, but using whole plant - especially whole plant, high in THC - will actually treat the cancer and the negative effects of the treatments, while strengthening your immune system and addressing all of your biological systems for homeostasis and optimal health. 

Author’s note: I used whole plant cannabis oil to put breast cancer into remission, with no surgery, chemo or radiation. If I had chosen to use just CBD with traditional treatments, it would have helped quell pain and aid in sleep, but it’s THC that kills cancer cells, while stopping waste-away, giving an appetite.

At around three percent THC, in my mind, it’s worth it to take the whole plant and get used to any psychoactive response you might have with the trace THC. 

With the CBD to THC ratio products common now it’s easier to choose your level of CBD to THC. 

Do your homework, talk to your budtender and know what you are getting with confidence.

Mimi Miller, Living with Cancer

This outspoken advocate is messing with Texas.

Mimi Miller has been living with cancer since diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma in the late 1990s. Refusing traditional treatments of chemotherapy or radiation, she’s been sourcing and using cannabis oil and other antioxidant plants as treatment, successfully keeping the lesions at bay.

The plot thickens, though, as Miller is a fifth generation Texan, born and raised in Dallas, now living in DeWitt County. Her ancestors hail from the days of the Republic of Texas, with the family’s historical marker in her current hometown of DeWitt, honoring distant relative, James Norton Smith. Dubbed, “The Peacemaker,” Smith was a veteran of the American Revolution, with a list of accomplishments noted on the plaque, including establishing schools and churches in the region.

“Our ancestors came from Tennessee originally,” Miller shared. “James Norton Smith introduced his old Tennessee friend, Sam Houston, to his new community in Texas - and the rest, as they say is history. My roots make it that much harder for me leave the state for this plant. And why I’m working so hard to change things here, if I can.”

Raised in church, she’s come to terms with her faith in different ways, leaving then returning over the years.

“I was raised Southern Baptist, my daddy was a Deacon in the church, and my mama belonged to the Women’s Missionary Union,” she declared. “My first trip out of the house was to church!”

Evangelizing is Biblical. From our mouths to their ears. And, this Texas Baptist is not shy about letting people know her feelings, that cannabis is God’s plant put on this earth to heal us - even in the conservative and not-so-legal state of Texas. 

“I had the ear of our pastor one day when we were in the car with other members of our church,” she said. “Her father had cancer and was coming from Montana to get it treated in Houston. The woman driving was a county judge, and I knew she took CBD, so I began flapping my jaw about cannabis. That was the first time I called it the Tree of Life, and I quoted from the Bible.”

Miller quoted from Genesis 1:29, “And God said, Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.”

Important to note, when the Bible was compiled, the cannabis plant was relatively low in tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Cannabis farmers hybridizing the plant in the last 40 years upped the compound to the level we have today. When the late Lawrence Ringo of Southern Humboldt in California lowered the THC count, he said he was bringing it back down to the God plant. 

Canadian and cannabis historian, Chris Bennett, penned about the biblical and spiritual relationship to cannabis in his work, The Soma Solution (Amazon), “The role of cannabis in the ancient world was manifold: a food, fibre, medicine, and as a magically empowered religious sacrament.”

Bennett found many similarities in the root “an” in the word cannabis throughout history, writing,  “Indeed, the modern term ‘cannabis’ comes from an ancient Proto- Indo-European root word, ‘Kanap,’ the ‘an’ root is believed to have left traces in many modern terms for cannabis, such as French ‘from this chanvre,’ German ‘hanf,’ Indian ‘bhang,’ Dutch ‘Canvas,’ Greek ‘Kannabis,’ etc.”

In Exodus 30:26, one reference names “Kaneh Bosm,” or fragrant cane, used in Holy Annointing Oil, is said to be cannabis.

Bennett goes in depth on the  psychoactive properties of cannabis used for religious ceremony in many cultures around the world and throughout time. There have been many findings of cannabis in ancient tombs and on altars. He also puts cannabis in the same category as other third-eye opening plants and fungi, also used in many cultures and religions.

“Shamanism, the Faith of experience, marks mankind’s transition from dreamtime into experiential self-reflective-time,” Bennett penned, “and is the common source of all Religions, and psychoactive plants played a pivotal role in this relationship. The very term ‘shaman’ itself comes from the Siberian Tungus ‘saman’ who were known for ingesting Amanita muscaria mushroom to achieve shamanic trance (Von Bibra, 1855).”

Living with Cancer

In the late 1990s Miller found a knot on her neck. Her sister, who had gone through traditional cancer treatments for ovarian caner prior told her to get it checked.

“My MD at the time said it wasn’t any big deal,” she remembered. “The dermatologist removed it and wanted me to do follow-up treatments of low-dose chemotherapy, but I wanted none of it. I went home and fibbed to my husband they got it all and never went back.”

Initially she kept going back and getting pieces frozen off every two or three months. By 2010, she was seeing the doctor every four weeks and knew she’d have to be more aggressive in treating it, but she still wasn’t on board for traditional treatments of chemotherapy or radiation.

“I’d posted my situation on Facebook and a cannabis caregiver send me a message saying they’d send me some cannabis medicine for free,” she said. “It was coconut oil infused with one the cultivar of White Widow in a baby food jar. I put it in capsules and started taking it, but the lesions kept coming up.”

Eventually, she was referred to a caregiver in what’s called The Emerald Triangle, in Northern California who sent her 60 grams of the stronger cannabis oil in syringes, that she also put into capsules to take orally.

The protocol and dosing for the stronger cannabis oil, made with an alcohol reduction, is 60 grams in 90 days, in an oral step-up dosing regiment beginning with a dose the size of a half a grain of rice, gradually upping it daily, until the patient is ingesting one gram a day until gone. 

This step-up protocol allows the patient to get used to the high tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which measures in upwards of 80 to 90 percent, activated. The other delivery mode is to make one gram suppositories using coconut oil, allowing a larger dose right away, with no head-high.

This initial recipe and dosing guide originated nearly 20 years ago, with many people healed around the world in as much time. Sixty grams of oil is derived from one pound of plant material, using the whole plant of stems, leaves and flower. 

Cancer and chronic illness survivor, Corrie Yelland, made herself the oil after being given months to live more than ten years ago. Today, she volunteers full-time helping others around the world, and suggests using up to six to eight different cultivars for a full terpene and cannabinoid profile in order to successfully put cancer into remission.

“The formulation we’ve seen the most success with is a 4-1 ratio of THC to CBD,” Corrie explained. “It’s the high THC that seems to put cancer into remission, with several reports of fails using high CBD cultivars.”

The challenge for Miller in living in an illegal state is the plant material is difficult to source, and if one is able to network and get it, the price tag is often high, not to mention the high price if persecuted by local authorities. And, why many cancer patients go the traditional route in treatments, even if they know about cannabis as a treatment, because those treatments are covered by health insurance and allows disability payments, if need be.

Until the Federal government admits the plant is medicine and removes it from the Department of Health’s Schedule 1, showing no medicinal value, the hardships of treating serious ailments with the plant are real.

Miller said she’s watched others with the same or similar cancers lose their battle with the illness over the years. The fact that she’s been able to keep the lesions at bay for more than 20 years, says something for the plant and her tenacity.

Zealot for the Plant

If you follow Miller on Facebook, be prepared to see the postings of a warrior on fire for cannabis, from a state not friendly to anything progressive. Bravery has nothing to do with it, she knows her truth.

“I left the church for several years because they shunned me when I divorced my husband,” she said. “After I talked to the pastor that day in the car, she called me into her office and ended up validating me and showed me I’m on the right path. I had told her that Revelations 22 scared me and she said it was supposed to.”

Revelation 22:2, makes reference to The Tree of Life, “On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every moth. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.”

“I ended up giving the pastor the PDF file listing 483 compounds in the cannabis plant at the time,” she said. “She’s was a scientist before coming to the church, so she got it. Before she left our congregation she took me aside and let me know that the basil plant had just about the same profile as cannabis.”

It was poignant that the pastor recognized the same beneficial compounds in the basil plant - called Holy Basil, this type of plant - though not psychoactive - was also used in religious ceremony, and is also highly medicinal. And like cannabis, all parts of the plant usable and beneficial.

In recent years Mimi has realized many antioxidant and immune system building plants as medicine. Her husband can’t take THC due to his work, so she makes him an alcohol reduction tincture of 10 to 15 super plants that he takes daily.

See Daily Dose: Superfoods, Super Plants, for a list of other plants with wide beneficial profiles.

The pastor’s validation meant a lot to Miller, who is faced with great persecution daily in her home state from family and those who aren’t yet educated on plant-based medicine. 

“Do you know what they call people who tell the church they are wrong?’ the pastor asked Miller. “Prophets,” she informed.

The past few years Miller said she’s been on a journey to find the light of truth and help others. Her one wish is for the church that she loves to acknowledge cannabis as the Tree of Life, as mentioned in the Bible.She’s also hopeful that once this truth is know, she and others who need it, will be able to grow it at home, as she believes God intended.

“One thing I’ve realized is, I am a temple and the Holy Spirit is within me,” Miller surmised. “I have the knowledge and ability to help make things better with this plant. I’m not here to hate or judge others, but to serve with love and joy in my heart. You can only witness the truth if you are pure. I was born a sinner, but my heart is pure. And the plant has a lot to do with that. It’s God’s plant, and I’ll sing that to the Heavens for as long as I have breath in me to do so.”

To order the Soma Solution by Chris Bennett visit, https://www.amazon.com/Cannabis-Soma-Solution-Chris-Bennett/dp/0984185801 

For cannabis oil recipe visit, www.sharonletts.com/apothecary 

Or, read Daily Dose (April, 2021), on replacing opioids with cannabis oil, with recipe,  https://www.vegascannabismag.com/home-featured/daily-dose-reducing-replacing-opioids-with-cannabis-oil/

Kyle Branche, Mixologist

Beneficial bitters, ancient tinctures

Mixologist and Los Angeles Bartender, Kyle Branche, has long been a fan of bitters, an ancient infusion used to flavor both craft and classic cocktails. But bitters actually began as a beneficial tincture, with potent, bittersweet plants used to aid in digestion and more, depending on the combination of plants used.

By definition, a tincture is any beneficial plant soaked in alcohol and taken orally, with the intent to treat symptoms and heal. The beneficial compounds of plants are easily absorbed into alcohol, making it an efficient delivery into the bloodstream.

In the cannabis remedy market, bitters have been recognized by savvy formulators, infusing them with both psychoactive tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and/or cannabidiol (CBD), marketed as tinctures or for use in medicated cocktails.

Branche noted a resurgence of bitters in the alcohol industry and mixologist community, wanting to acknowledge and share the many small, craft bitters makers, he created a website as a directory, Bittershub.com.

“Aside from the listings of bitters makers on the site, you can also find archives of a monthly interview series I produced and hosted for nearly two years,” he said. “There, we go in depth on the process of creating bitters, flavor choices, and why each maker was called to create this age-old remedy-turned flavoring.”

Bitters, Tinctures & Tonics

Apothecary is the ancient practice of making remedies from plants. The ancient Egyptians were the first known apothecaries to create tinctures as medicine from plants using wine as a base. But, the most common tinctures have historically been made with gin, another plant-based alcoholic beverage commonly made using juniper, coriander and angelica (wild celery root).

“Since cocktails mainly contain sour and sweet flavors, bitters are used to engage another primary taste, balancing out the drink - making it more complex, and giving it a more complete flavor profile,” Branche shared. “The bonus of using bitters in cocktails, or just by adding drops to water as a supplement, is that they are also beneficial, because the plants used all have unique medicinal properties.”

Amarogentin, a perennial flowering plant, native to the Alps and other mountainous regions of central and southern Europe, is a key compound in many bitters - said to be one of the most bitter of all plants.

One compound of amarogentin, gentian, is said to stimulate the bitter taste receptors on the tongue, causing an increase in the production of saliva and gastric secretions; which, in turn, stimulates the appetite, improving the digestion system, increasing absorption of nutrients across the gut wall and better digestion.

In a paper published in the National Library of Medicine (PubMed), the amarogentin plant was also found to be an anti-oxidative, anti-tumor, and have anti-diabetic properties, when tested on lab mice with liver cancer. 

The first “aromatic bitters” were created in Venezuela in 1824 by Dr. Johann Siegert, as a tincture for stomach issues. His product was named after the town they were in, Angostura. In the mid 1870s Siegert’s three sons relocated to Trinidad, where the formulation is still created today. Siegert’s sons were the first to introduce bitters as an essential ingredient in cocktails and food.

“In general, all bitters are good tonics for the body, some are just more medicinal than others,” Branche said. “Bitters break down large proteins, tone the digestive tract, feed the healthy gut flora or prebiotic, tone hiatal valve, helping with heartburn and reflux,” Branch explained. “Bitters also support, cleanse the liver. It’s a win-win combination.”

Some of the earliest bitters were formulated using aromatic herbs, bark, roots, and/or fruit as flavorings, adding to its medicinal properties. Beside gentian, a few common ingredients used are cascarilla, cassia (Chinese cinnamon), orange peel, and cinchona bark.

“When you begin to realize all the beneficial compounds within bitters, it’s easy to see how they can be incorporated to more than just cocktails,” Branche added. “Bitters can also be added to stews, soups, and casseroles.”

 The Lost Art of Bitters

Branche launched Bitters Hub online in 2017, as a global directory for bitters brands. Rather than a shopping site, Bitters Hub is a comprehensive listing, where you can find many varieties in one place. A kind of encyclopedia of bitters around the world, if you will.

“While I suggest online market places to buy some bitters, most charge vendors a steep fee,” he said. “That means the site makes more profit than the vendors. So, my tendency is to support the brands directly as much as possible via these hubs.”

In the seemingly lost art of making bitters, Branche said there are too many combinations of ingredients and flavor nuances in each brand of bitters to describe them all on the website, but he did fill in the blanks as much as possible.

Branche believes that many of the makers are true apothecaries and artisans in their own right, and they need more recognition and support over the more commonly known, mass produced brands.

“Most bitters are made in small batches by small makers, so many of the brands’ formulations are seasonal,” he added. “I like to support these smaller brands. Because If the smaller makers are allowed to grow and thrive it’s a benefit to all of us. Bitters makers could be considered some of the last apothecaries on the planet.

Making Bitters Better with Weed

A simple search online shows many companies enhancing the beneficial compounds in bitters by infusing the flavoring with cannabis, creating the ultimate healing tincture.

Foggy Bitters of Canada, offers up a 250 milligram bottle of THC Infused Cannabis cocktail flavoring, with activated tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), that includes grapefruit, lemon and oranges flavors.

Another company, Mountain Elixirs of Denver, Colorado, makes CBD Sacred Bitters, with the sub-name, Virtue, using an incredibly beneficial line-up of plants including, rose, sage, holy basil, chrysanthemum, and lemongrass.

Simple Bitters Cannabis Infusion: 

1 liter of bitters

¼ c. ground cannabis flower (whole plant: stems, leaves, flower)

Let sit/steep in dark, cool cupboard for 1 week

Strain, decant & always label

Note: Cold infusions do not activate THC. To activate, place in sunny window for a couple of hours to warm. Infusion may test upwards of 60 percent activated THC.

We in the cannabis community already know that the terpene and cannabinoid profile of all beneficial plants, not just cannabis, is key to keeping the body in homeostasis, or a place where illness cannot dwell.

Rediscovering bitters as another healing tincture, revealing more about the history of medicinal plants and apothecary, is just another gateway back into the garden for health and happiness.

Following is a recipe from Kyle Branche, using Angostura Orange Bitters, one of the most medicinal of all the bitters.

The Manhattan Transfer

Place small, sliced chunks of fresh Jazz* apples in the bottom of a Martini glass

(This replaces standard cherry garnish)

In shaker: choice of 2 oz. Bulleit Bourbon or ¼ oz. Rye

Carpano Antica formula vermouth

Atomize 4 - 6 sprays of Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban Port Cask single malt

Dash of Angostura Orange Bitters

Option: add a couple drops of cherry juice

Atomize in the chilled martini glass: 

Sprays of Woodford Reserve Bourbon, 

barrel-aged Spiced Cherry bitters, 

Black Cloud Charred Cedar and/or Token Cloverdale Cedar bitters,

And Napa Valley’s Toasted Oak & Holiday Spiced Apple bitters

Chill & strain in glass with small mini-beaker as a sidekick chilling in a bucket glass sitting over ice, and a mini-spoon on the side for eating the infused apple chunks.

*Jazz apples are a cross between Royal Gala & Braeburn

For more information on Kyle Branche’s Bitters Hub visit, https://bittershub.wordpress.com/ 

PubMed amarogentin study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6154739/

For more infusion recipes visit Sharon Letts’ website, www.sharonletts.com/apothecary

Michelle Wright

Treating Bi-Polar and Multiple Illnesses with Cannabis

Michelle Wright isn’t shy about discussing her diagnosis of a Bi-Polar disorder and numerous ailments she’s conquered, using cannabis to manage symptoms and put serious maladies into remission. In fact, it’s become her life’s mission to share her own struggles with the highs and lows of illnesses and the help she’s found with the plant.

“I’ve dealt with my mood swings, personality switches, and ups and downs gracefully and tragically over the years,” she shared openly on her Facebook page. 

A holistic practitioner and energy worker, Wright said she is a 100 percent disabled, retired U.S. Navy Veteran Cryptologist, turned cannabis grower, extractor, and renaissance woman.

“I’ve always been a self-learner, but also have a minor in chemistry and a BA in abnormal psychology,” she shared. 

Her first experience with cannabis was when she was 12 years-old, but her first healing experience came in 2014 after she left the Navy and was given months to a few years to live, while being placed on hospice care.

“I had been suffering for two years while being helped at a pain management clinic while stationed in Hawaii, when a nurse suggested I try cannabis.”

She said she had become addicted to painkillers while in pain management care in Hawaii. 

Cannabis wasn’t yet legal in the state, so after moving from Honolulu to Sacramento, she acquired a medical cannabis card on her first day in California. Then, she immediately headed to a dispensary, purchasing some OG Skywalker flower, and smoked a few bowls.

“That was the first time in years I didn’t feel pain or have thoughts of suicide,” she added.

Her backstory began in 2010 while on active duty in the U.S. Navy, working in Pensacola, Florida as a cryptologist. She said it was a stressful job that required her to be trained in both linguistics and mathematics, allowing her to decipher coded messages, as well as create encoded messages.

After coming home from a months long overseas tour, she didn’t feel right, starting with a two-week long debilitating migraine that left her passing out while standing in ranks.

Symptoms included paralysis, with weakness and drooping on the right side of her face. Absence seizures turned into clonic seizures that included intense pain.

“I was transferred to UAB Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, and saw neurosurgeon, Dr. Quindelin, with 50 years of experience,” she said. “At the time I was prescribed Topamax, Maxalt, Gabapentin, Diazepam, high blood pressure medication, Sertraline, Stadol, Fentanyl, percocet, morphine, Toradol, Prednisone, Promethazine, and Flexeril. I was a hot mess.”

A blood clot was found in her arachnoid area of the brain, between the brain and skull. What looked like a Traumatic Brain Injury was diagnosed as chronic meningitis, or inflammation of the brain, encephalitis. They also found substantial scar damage to her trigeminal nerve, occipital, and vagus nerve.

The only conclusion found was that she presented with these multiple health issues after receiving an Anthrax vaccine by the Navy prior to going overseas.

California, Cannabis & Healing

After her positive experience in merely smoking cannabis for relief, Wright said she paid another visit to the dispensary to see what else she could try.

“I went back and talked with Penny, a knowledgeable budtender,” she said. “She told me about the benefits of full extract cannabis oil. I bought 60 grams of Tahoe OG oil and began a protocol of ingesting a half a gram in the morning and a half a gram at night.”

Wright said she was able to cut her pharmaceuticals down one by one, and in three weeks did away with the Stadol and Percocet, while reducing the100 milligram Fentanyl patches by half. By week four she was off all of the medications once prescribed for numerous ailments that had now subsided.

“Fentanyl was the most difficult to get off of,” she shared. “I had two clonic seizures during week four because I didn’t have enough cannabis oil in my system, and my brain swelled so bad my right eye popped out of the socket!”

Wright doesn’t recommend transitioning from pharmaceuticals alone, as she did, and encourages the help of a doctor to titrate down from medications.

That said, most doctors aren’t aware of how cannabis works, and the patient will need to slowly do a step-down protocol to replace the medications with cannabis oil. That said, the transition can be done in tandem, as the oil will quell many of the negative transitory symptoms.

Plant Presciption for Life

Her daily dosing protocols included a change in diet, as she did away with sugar, red meat, and dairy.

“I ended up taking up to a gram and a half a day of cannabis oil for three months - with no craving at all for the Fentanyl, and no seizures,” she said. “Many other diagnoses, like Fibromyalgia and Lupus, were gone - with migraines non-existent, and no swelling in my brain at all. My liver and pancreas, which were once inflamed, presented as normal.”

Within six months Wright felt safe to say that her ailments were now in remission. 

After going back to the neurologist, he asked her to prove that the plant healed her, putting her through a plethora of tests, before convincing, or better yet, educating the good doctor.

Due to the scarring on her brain, she now has short-term memory loss. She also deals with nerve pain on occasion, manageable with cannabis.

Aside from taking a quarter gram of cannabis oil each day, Wright has also added cannabidiol, or CBD, to her daily dosing. 

She also smokes three dabs of CBD Grandaddy Purple crumble daily; with 100 milligrams of CBD, 100 milligrams of CBG (cannabigerol, a phytocannabinoid), and a half a gram of Delta 8 (milder euphoria than Delta 9 THC) per day.

She also eats medibles and smokes flower regularly. Once replacing pharmaceuticals, the plant must be kept in your system to keep illness at bay. Consider it a plant prescription for life.

“My cannabis protocols keep me happy, seizure-free, and healthy in mind and body,” she concluded. “I owe my life to cannabis, because without it I would be dead six feet under in the ground, instead of sitting here chatting with you.”

Sisters of the Valley

Daily Dose of Mushroom Coffee, Super 17

Rise and shine with this coffee replacement that energizes and heals.

The 17 ingredient list in the Sisters of the Valley’s newest product reads like an ancient spiritual recipe that might be brought out by the light of the full moon for conjuring. And though the Sisters have been accused of being witches and more, the goodness found within a cup of its mushroom coffee is nothing short of a boost of energized healing first thing in the morning - whether you are waking and baking, conjuring, or just manifesting a good day.

All organic ingredients include, cocoa, black tea, reishi, lion’s mane, cordyceps, turkey tail, chaga, shitake, ashwagandha, turmeric, Himalayan salt, ginger root, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and black pepper. A kind of mushroomy-chai-flavored beverage that won’t leave you crashing on a caffeine downer later.

The spices used - turmeric cloves, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg, and cloves -  are loaded with antioxidants and are strong anti-inflammatories, fighting bacteria, viruses that lead to infection.

Cinnamon alone brings blood sugar numbers down, treating symptoms of diabetes. Cardamom has long been known for its digestive aiding properties, relieving stomach issues and treating ulcers.

Note: According to Healthline.com, Cordyceps is a genus of parasitic fungi that grows on the larvae of insects, attacking the host while replacing its tissue and sprouting long, slender stems that grow outside the host’s body. The remains are hand-collected, dried and used in traditional Chinese Medicine for centuries, used to treat fatigue, sickness, kidney disease and low sex drive.

While Lion’s Mane mushrooms are just one of the beneficial mushrooms used in the blend, here’s a short list of the many benefits to give you an idea of the bulk of healing from just this one fungi: protection against dementia, relieves mild forms of depression, speeds recovery from nervous system injuries, protects against ulcers in the digestive tract, reduces risk of heart disease, manages diabetes symptoms, acts as an antioxidant, preventing and killing cancer cells.

By the light of the moon…

The Sisters modeled their order - with cannabis as the centerpiece - after the Beguines, an ancient order of community caregiving women from the 1300s well into the 1700s in rural France. The Sisters of the Valley enclaves can now be found around the world, and now include Brothers.

They grow their plants and make remedies, including the mushroom coffee, by the cycles of the moon, “with prayers sewn into every bottle and jar,” as noted on its website. 

The recipe was developed with ingredients that aid in mood stabilization, while adding beneficial compounds to your morning brew that you won’t find in the coffee bean.

“Every batch was lab tested right here in our farm kitchen,” Sister Kate said as she blended the mixture using a Basecent frother wand kit.

The frother comes with its starter set, with a 10 ounce tin of mushroom coffee.

The flavor is rich and gives a boost of energy without the jitters that lasted hours into my day.

Why Shrooms Now?

The study mushrooms, known as mycology, has long found the fungus among us to be beneficial, not just for enjoying with spaghetti, but in skin care products and medicinal use. Mushrooms are also used in making sustainable building materials, such as vegan leather, cleaning products, textiles, biofuels, and packaging.

As noted in Resilience.org, fungi actually breaks down, absorbs, and cleans-up petroleum oil spills from soil. For instance, as stated in Permaculture.co.uk, the oyster mushroom has been found to break down toxins in-situ, removing and neutralising pollutants in a river - a form of bioremediation. Oyster mushrooms have also been shown to reduce E. coli, breaking down hydrocarbons.

“Medicinal mushrooms can be defined as macroscopic fungi, as extracts or powders for prevention, alleviation, or healing of multiple diseases, and/or balancing a healthy diet,” as found in Sciencedirect.com.

Though the Sisters’ coffee has no psychoactive properties, like you’d find with Psilocybin mushrooms, a general understanding of what mushrooms can do as far as healing mind and body, is becoming more widely accepted in the U.S. and around the world.

Mycology is a thing. Time to get to know the fungus among us, as both a beneficial supplement for physical and mental disorders, and of its many industrial uses. 

In the meantime, thanks to the Sisters of the Valley for developing such a wonderful combination of shrooms for our morning break!

For more information visit, www.sistersofthevalley.org 

Follow the Sisters of the Valley on Facebook & Instagram

Terpenes & Memory

How fragrance affects our emotions

Memories connecting scent to emotion come to us courtesy of the Limbic System – the sentimental side of human physiology connected to our psychology.

Can a glass of fresh squeezed lemonade on a warm summer day trigger a childhood memory of happier times?

The Limbic system is a complex structure located beneath the cerebral cortex within the brain supporting emotion, behavior, motivation, and long-term memory. Our emotional life depends on this system, and when triggered by a scent, can bring back a gamut of emotions and feelings - including lemons on a warm summer day.

It’s’ why you choose with your nose when selecting fragrant flower in a dispensary. What are your favorite fragrances? Chances are the scent is a recurring theme in your life. Why? Because humans have a symbiotic relationship to plants and it starts with the way they smell.

You might be choosing lemon scented weed with your heart and mind because it reminds you of a happy childlike, carefree summer day. But, your body may be choosing it subconsciously because it craves the benefits behind the scent.

The limbic system was created to purposefully seduce, to draw us near to what we need. It’s a seduction that humans have been graciously accepting since Eve handed Adam that apple.

The unsaid part of the story is, Eve also must have liked the way Adam smelled, compliments of pheromones.

Pheromones are a unique subset of chemical signals first defined in 1959 by scientists P. Karlson and M. Luscher, as substances secreted to the outside of an individual and then received by a second individual, in which they release a specific reaction.

In other words, pheromones can make or break a love match. We can draw those we love as close to us as a fragrant rose, if their scent aligns with ours - with love as beneficial and crucial to our well-being as the beneficial compounds of a plant to keep us healthy. It’s all connected. Never ignore the power of your nose in life, love and at the bud counter.

For the Love of Lemons

Terpenes are where the fragrance is found in plants.Terpenes are also where much of the beneficial compounds are, or where the medicine is found.

Large and varied type of hydrocarbons, terpenes are made up of hydrogen and carbon. These compounds are the main component of plant resins or essential oils, and why we are compelled to bring fingers to nose after cutting up fragrant bud, or chopping up ginger to cook with, or when a rose beckons us near.

Do you love lemons? That means one of your favorite terpenes is limonene (D-Limonene). You can also find it in cannabis cultivars, citrus, and some fragrant and beneficial herbs, such as lemon balm or lemon eucalyptus.

Why do you love lemon so much? Because somehow, through the magic of nature, your body knows you need limonene in your system for healing and homeostasis - or to help create a place where illness can not dwell.

Terpene and cannabinoid writer, Curt Robbins, detailed for Eaze.com, “Of the 20 thousands terpenes found in nature, and the 200 that may manifest in a particular strain of cannabis, limonene is one of the major players. This terpene sometimes constitutes up to 16 percent of the volume of a particular sample of cannabis.”

The Magic of Plants

As detailed in How Stuff Works.com, the limbic system isn’t solely all about intoxicating fragrance, memory and romance. Our limbic system is said to be essential to our survival in finding food and sustenance, and self-preservation.

Research tells us that 75 percent of all emotions processed every day are connected to smell, with humans 100 times more likely to recall something due to their sense of smell over sight, hearing or touch.

The limonene scent you chose at the pot shop has benefits that go way beyond the memory of a sun-filled summer day. Limonene can uplift and destress. It’s listed an as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, and heart-disease-fighting properties.

Limonene is also said to reduce appetite. And while high tetrahydrocannabinol or THC cultivars are said to cause the munchies, cultivars heavy in limonene might just curb the urge to snack.

Those who still may be stuck on the Sativa/Indica dilemma, please know, it’s the limonene giving you a lift, not the Sativa. It’s the terpene profile you need to pay attention to, not the THC.

Meaning, if you suffer from depression, a nice limonene cultivar might be helpful.

Other terpenes that treat depression by lifting endorphins and creating dopamine in the brain are pinene, also found in rosemary, pine needles, and black pepper; and linalool, also found in lavender and rosewood oils.

Cultivars heavy in limonene and pinene terpenes are O.G. Kush, Sour Diesel, Super Lemon Haze, Durban Poison, Jack Herer, and Jack the Ripper.

Cultivars heavy in linalool are Granddaddy Purple, Do Si Dos, Lavender, and Kosher Kush.

Always check the breakdown of a cultivar’s terpenes and never go by THC count alone. Too much THC can trigger anxiety that can lead to depression. Too much THC can trigger negative disorder symptoms like neurosis and psychosis.

Our bodies know what we need, and our noses are the gateway. Follow your nose to health and happiness.

Graphics courtesy of Goldleaf. For more information on its cannabis journals and graphics visit, https://shopgoldleaf.com/collections/recreation/products/terpene-food-wine-pairing-chart-print

Kristen Everhart

Curaleaf’s Regional Marketing Director’s life and work revolves around the plant.

For the past two years, Las Vegas resident Kristen Everhart has been Curaleaf’s Regional Marketing Director, overseeing all marketing initiatives for the western region of the country, including Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and California.. 

Everhart grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Communications, Advertising, and Public Relations at Grand Valley State University in Allendale. 

She spent 12 years after college working for a small radio station cluster before moving to Las Vegas, Nevada. 

“After a few more years of working in media marketing in Vegas, I left and joined the Hard Rock Hotel’s marketing and promotions team,” she said. “I had worked with brand invention through an agency and one of the clients I worked with was a cannabis company in Canada - I knew pretty quickly that was the market I wanted to be in.”

After answering an ad for marketing manager, Everhart said CuraLeaf brought her on board, working her way up to Marketing Director of the West Region. 

Curaleaf is a vertically integrated cannabis operator that’s been around for a decade, serving 350,000 patients in 93 local dispensaries, with 22 cultivation sites, 30 processing sites, and 1,150,000 active wholesale dispensary accounts, across 23 states; with a wide range of premium, medical grade products.

The company prides itself on being a “family of advocates and educators from diverse backgrounds, with a shared love for the power of cannabis.”

Curaleaf also believes in giving back to the communities it serves, forming partnerships with local entities for positive impact. One such outreach came in the way of baskets delivered to hospitals during COVID, filled with masks, hand sanitizers, and sealed food items for health care workers. 

It’s website refers to the plant as an ancient entity that brings people together, and Everhart’s first time trying cannabis reflects that philosophy.

Daily Dose, for work and play

Her journey into cannabis began ahead of the cannabis company gig, long before she even became a certified cannabis patient.

“My first experience with cannabis was in my early 20s,” she shared. “I was living in Grand Rapids, Michigan, at the time. My first time probably mirrors many other’s. My friends and I were at the Pine Knob Music Theater, now known as DET Energy Music Theater near Detroit. It was during a Dave Matthews concert, and we danced, we laughed, and we hugged everyone around us. Cannabis has been in my life ever since.”

But her cannabis use isn’t all festival fun, as Everhart suffers from chronic back pain, caused by herniated disks, made worse by arthritis.

“I spent a short time on opioid painkillers and muscle relaxers - which made my day-to-day life even more challenging than it already was, while in pain,” she shared. “I was working full-time in an office, collaborating with colleagues, and my head was fuzzy on the opioids.”

Back surgery, in the way of a discectomy, helped, but slowly, she said, she discovered that regular cannabis use, coupled with holistic treatments for pain like yoga, meditation and Chiropractic care could successfully keep her off the pain meds.

According to Medilineplus.gov, a herniated disk is a ruptured disk, where the spinal fluid leaks, irritating nerves, causing sciatica or chronic back pain. Add arthritis from the irritation, a painful inflammation and stiffness of the joints, and you are dealing with serious pain.

Her daily dosing begins in the morning with 100 milligrams of CuraLeaf’s Peppermint CBD tincture. She also doses before working out or cleaning the house on the weekends, as insurance, warding off pain.

“My new favorite go-to is CuraLeaf’s line of Select Ratio Drops,” she said. “If I’m going to lay in the sun or make dinner with friends, I’ll take the 4:1 ratio of CBD to THC. If I need some really chill downtime, I’ll go straight for the 1:1 or 0.1 THC droops and doze off halfway through a movie. Then I'll finish the movie later in the day with a Sushi delivery!” 

Occasionally, she said she’ll add a few puffs from her favorite Select Elite Live vape cartridge, filled with Mountain Glue, if she’s watching a particularly interesting documentary.

“About an hour before I go to bed I medicate,” she said. “Lately, I’ve been using Select Nano Gummies. Curaleaf launched them across the State of Nevada in June of this year. They’re fast acting, nano emulsion-based cannabis edible. I take before bed so I can enjoy the euphoric effects before I fall asleep.”

Everhart said she’s liking the nano extracted concentrates, as they are consistently in effect. If she takes a five milligram dose before bed she has a good night’s sleep. That said, if she takes 10 milligrams, she may become anxious, or even paranoid. This is due to going over a personal tolerance for the THC.

“If I do too much THC at night, I go to that scary place of monsters under the bed,” she laughed.

The trick, she said, is using the plant as prevention, not a bandaid for immediate pain, as western medicine dictates. And, though there are times when she still may need to pop an Ibuprofen, those moments are fewer and farther between as she keeps the plant in her system while daily dosing.

“Since using cannabis products in my daily life, I really haven’t experienced that horrific sciatica in as much time,” she said. “I remember dragging myself across the floor in pain - and that just doesn’t happen any longer.”

Everhart said there’s a distinct parallel between her career path and how she’s healed herself with cannabis.

I’m forever grateful for the healing this plant has brought to my life,” she concluded. “But I’m equally grateful to have a job in an industry that helps so many, not just me.”

Superfoods, Super Plants - Super Healthy!

Author’s Note: Going out on a limb here in not including cannabis for this piece on superfoods. But, as I like to say, cannabis was my gateway drug to other plants. Think of this as a doorway into the life of other plants I incorporate into my personal daily dosing. The plants I brag on just as much as cannabis. Because there’s a plant for everything, and many of these plants have many of the same benefits as cannabis, with overlapping benefits. Put them together with cannabis and you have a full profile of cannabinoids, terpenes, and a world of beneficial compounds, all working together with your biological systems, supportinig optimal health.

When cannabis came into my life as medicine nearly ten years ago I had been eating from my own home garden all of my adult life. I raised my daughter in the garden, teaching her how to grow her own food at a young age.

But, I really didn’t know just how important including as many plants into your diet was - specifically beneficial herbs.. 

When they told us to eat our vegetables, they should have scared the shit out of us. They should have told us it’s a matter of life and death, because it is.

Important to note that plant propaganda is real, making garnering help from beneficial herbs a challenge for the average person. Searches on most of these herbs found medical sites warning of negative effects, stating nothing is really known about plants and their healing properties, while herbalists sites expound on the known benefits and exceptional healing found in the garden. I feel privileged to be educated on plant remedies.

#NotJustCannabis

Prior to the late 1930s and the birth of the pharmaceutical industry, the practice of Apothecary - making remedies from plants - was the way we healed and prevented illness on this planet. In this respect, pharmaceuticals are a fairly new mode of treating illness - and still very much experimental with myriad negative side effects.

In fact, the word “drug” came from the Dutch word “Drog,” or the wooden crate plant materials were shipped in. Drugs were all about plants.

Beatrix Potter wrote The Tale of Peter Rabbit in 1893, with millions of children and adults alike reading of Peter’s mother putting him to bed with a cup of chamomile tea after he’d made a feast out of Mr. McGregor’s garden.

Sadly, chamomile and many other potent medicinal plants have been reduced to a cup of tea over the years, or into mild tinctures treating symptom relief only. It wasn’t until I learned about making cannabis oil concentrate in an alcohol reduction that I realized the value of the essential oils of plants and how life changing they can be, with little negative side effects and lots of healing.

Super Plants = Superfoods

The definition of a superfood is any nutrient rich plant containing many beneficial compounds, able to treat multiple symptoms and disorders.

Superfoods strengthen our immune system, while addressing all 11 of our biological systems via the endocannabinoid system - a little known system discovered in 1992 at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem by Dr. Lumir Hanus, with American researcher, Dr. William Devane. The endocannabinoid system was found to distribute beneficial plant-based compounds to all our systems, preventing illness and keeping us healthy. 

Side note: Dogs and cats have the same biological systems as humans, and why they respond well to plant medicine.

According to Biology Online.com, the systems supported by plants are: integumentary system, lymphatic system, muscular system, nervous system, reproductive system, respiratory system, skeletal system, endocrine system, immune system, and urinary system.

A search for superfoods comes up short, as within the brief list of berries, broccoli and salmon, are “leafy greens.” While many might assume lettuce and spinach are at the top of the list, beneficial herbs are sorely missing.

In April of 2010 a paper was published (link below) showing ten essential oils tested on acne (bacterial) and cancer cells. They included: mint, ginger, lemon, grapefruit, jasmine, lavender, chamomile, thyme, rose, and cinnamon. 

Of the ten, thyme, cinnamon and rose essential oils were said to exhibit the best bactericidal activities, killing acne in five minutes. Thyme showed the strongest cytotoxicity towards human cancer cells. All ten were said to be significantly stronger in treating human lung carcinoma and human breast cancer.

The studies on plants listing their benefits and in treating numerous ailments are published for all to see. The concentrations of essential oils and the use of isolated compounds are key in determining the efficacy. 

For example, when studying cannabis, is the study using an isolated single compound, or the whole plant? This rule of thumb can be used in all plant-based studies and has everything to do with the outcomes. The difference in treating symptoms or putting an ailment into remission has everything to do with the strength of the plant concentrate used. 

For instance, in the study finding that THC can trigger existing psychosis, a high concentration of THC via an isolate was used. Meaning, the person receiving the dose was getting pure THC without any supporting compounds from the plant - making the outcome limited and severe in its findings. 

Using the whole plant, be it cannabis or oregano, with all supporting beneficial compounds, is key in treating any illness, while supporting the endocannabinoid system properly. Breaking down the plant to formulate in order to patent for profit, is where we fall short with plant remedies, in my humble opinion.

Here’s my own short list of superfoods via beneficial, immune-system-building herbs, with a recipe for a simple infusion for tincture using either a light oil, vinegar, or an alcohol base.

Sharon’s LIst of Super Plants

Chamomile

Benefits: antidepressant, antianxiety, anti inflammatory, anti infection, analgesic/pain, antioxidant, sleep & relaxation, lowers blood sugars/diabetes, skin conditions, auto-immune system builder .

Chamomile is commonly known and used for calming and inducing sleep. It’s digestive benefits are not widely known, as most in the western world reach for over the counter medications for bloating or constipation. 

The bonus of enjoying a cup of chamomile tea before bedtime is prevention against infection, reducing inflammation in the body, and treating depression, as it lifts endorphins and creates dopamine in the brain, giving an overall feeling of well being. 

Chamomile also treats anxiety and diminishes panic attacks. Make a concentrated infusion and this strong herb can be life changing. On a personal note, chamomile capsules made in a simple coconut infusion, then put into capsules, got me off of Valium for my own anxiety and hormonal depression.

Guanabana

Benefits: anti-oxidant, digestive issues, anti-inflammatory, regulates high blood pressure, anti-bacterial, auto-immune system builder.

Grown and commonly used in South America, this fruit known as soursop or custard apple is also used for its leaves to make tea, treating stomach ailments, fevers and parasitic infections, hypertension and rheumatism. It’s also used as a sedative. But the commonly known use for guanabana is as an antioxidant in treating cancer and killing cancer cells.

Rosemary

Benefits: brain function/clarity/memory/mood, antianxiety, stimulates hair growth,  anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, digestive help, destressor, helps circulation, anti-infection, anti-oxidant, auto-immune system builder.

Rosemary is one of the most underrated herbs and one of the most efficient in treating infections. It also gives clarity, improving memory. It’s also been found to be effective in killing and preventing cancer cells from growing (study below). In a study looking at ten antioxidant plants, Rosemary was at the top of the list with a 97 percent success rate in a laboratory study.

Stinging Nettles

Benefits: anti inflammatory/pain, lowers blood pressure, treats hay fever/respiratory support, lowers blood sugars/diabetes, detoxification (kidney/liver), increases circulation, prostate health (frequent urination), promotes wound healing), auto-immune system builder.

I first found out about stinging nettles after having a bad bout of hayfever a few summers ago. Soaked in gin, it’s become my go-to tincture for allergies, but it’s also another superfood, able to address many ailments including, gout, arthritis, and an enlarged prostate gland. Conflicting information has nettles both lauded for its help in detoxing the liver and kidneys by herbalists, and blaming it for complications thereof by medical sites. This educated stoner will trust the plant.

Thyme

Benefits: antioxidant, anti infection, anti-viral, bronchial support, sore throat, pain, digestive issues, flatulence (gas), parasitic worm infections, skin disorders, detoxification (increase good fats in brain, liver and kidneys), auto-immune system builder.

Thyme is another powerful super plant, able to treat many infections and ailments, including being an antifungal, viral, with cancer fighting compounds. Thyme was found to be the most powerful at killing cancer cells in a laboratory study (link below).

Oregano

Benefits: antioxidant, anti infection/viral, fungal, anti inflammatory, regulates blood pressure, helps with digestion, bronchial issues, and calms nerves, auto-immune system builder.

Oregano is yet another powerful herb able to treat myriad infections and enhanced non-specific immunity and disease resistance . It’s also a cancer fighting plant, and an immune system builder. But a simple search on its uses came up short, with pizza and sauce at the top of the search list! 

Note: Most of these plants have a full profile of vitamins and minerals. Do your own research to find out more.

Immune System Building, Preventive Tincture

The following tincture can be made by infusion of a light oil, such as grapeseed or sunflower; or with olive oil to infuse foods. The plants can also be steeped in gin or apple cider vinegar (ACV), if the patient can’t have alcohol.

¼ c. each dried rosemary leaves, chamomile flower, guanabana leaves, stinging nettles

(can also use any combination of herbs from above list)

Add all to one liter of oil in a crockpot and steep on low for 2-3 hours.

Strain and decant. Dose with a teaspoon or put in a bottle with a dropper. 

Dose: 1 ml. once a day.

If using gin or ACV, cold-steep in a cool cupboard for up to one week, or when the color is a light brown. Strain and decant as above. Use gin infusion as a tincture, or make a beneficial cocktail.

See Sharon’s website for more ideas and recipes www.sharonletts.com/apothecary

Rosemary study, antioxidant: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7352773/

Ten antioxidant herbs: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20657472/

Peggy Button

Peggy Button’s Apothecary

From cannabis patient, to cottage industry caregiver, to launching her own Brand - this grandmother of five has just begun.

Washington State cannabis patient, Peggy Button, has long been known as a cottage industry caregiver in the legal medical cannabis market that began in 1998. 

Setting up tables at local cannabis farmers markets, offering up homemade goodness via medibles, capsules, and oils, wrapped in reusable cloth bags she made herself, Button is known for her quality goods and generosity in helping others.

When legalization came in 2012, she stepped up slowly, and today she’s launching her own brand of Hemp CBD (cannabidiol) products with her own website.

Button said everything she’s done for herself and for others has brought her to this place, and she’s ready to spread her caring net a little wider for the greater good, launching Peggy Button’s Apothecary brand with a line of her own formulations, using full spectrum cannabis and high yield CBD hemp she farms herself.

But her place of giving and branding wouldn’t be possible without her long journey into becoming a cannabis patient.

A Disease with No Name

In 1960, Button was eight years old when she stumped doctors as to what was causing the little girl to be so unwell. Fatigue, aching muscles, swelling, low-grade fevers, hair loss and skin rashes were not symptoms an active eight year old should be going through.

“It wasn’t there fault, my symptoms were barely recognized at that point as illnesses, so they really didn’t even know what to look for,” she shared. “Later we learned that Auto-immune disease has an entire spectrum of symptoms.

Auto-immune disease (AD) was initially referred to as “horror autotoxicus,” named in the early 1900s by German physician-scientist Paul Ehrlich, who later was awarded the Nobel Prize for his contributions to immunology. The illness peaked in the 1950s, with direct correlations to toxins in our environment.

“I was later diagnosed with Chemical Sensitivity Syndrome, with Fibromyalgia [FMS],” so everything started making sense at that point,” she added. “FMS typically affects older women - my aunt was diagnosed with FMS at 93. I remembering feeling so angry, thinking I’d be in pain and sick my entire life.”

Button said she grew up on a farm, where Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) was sprayed from above on more than just the crops, with the makers stating it was good for you.

“The cows ate the overspray - I couldn’t drink the milk,” she said. “On top of that, there was a canary in town that dumped into Puget Sound, the river that ran along our farm. They told us we couldn’t swim in it, it was so dirty, but we hung our feet in it anyway.”

It’s no surprise that AD initially had the word toxic in it, as research shows that synthetic toxins caused many of the autoimmune issues we still see today, including symptoms on the Autistic Spectrum.

In a paper published in PubMed in 2014, researchers sited specific toxins associated with compromised autoimmune disease, Bisphenol A (BPA), asbestos, mercury, arsenic, and Trichloroethylene (TCE) - an industrial solvent, also carcinogenic, with researchers listing myriad ailments stemming from the use of toxins. 

The paper concludes, “The rapid rise of autoimmune disease globally has led some to label the situation an epidemic.”

In reality, tens of thousands of toxins have been added to our environment since the late 1930, including cancer causing DDT, used as a pesticide on all our food crops for decades, said to stay in our bloodlines for several generations to come, as noted in an article published in Scientific American in 2021.

When Biologist Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring was published in 1969, it caused DDT to be taken off the U.S. market in 1972, spawning the Clean Air & Water Acts of 1973 and ‘74, respectively; with an admission that our waterways, as well as our air, had already been tainted by human hands. DDT was not water soluble, poisoning our soil for decades to come.

“Three years ago everyone in our family was diagnosed or recognized to be autistic,” so it all makes a lot of sense,” she concluded.”

Healing Herself, Healing Others

“When they offered me Thorazine, I asked what they were trying to do to me!?” she exclaimed, remembering. “I was so young, yet they had me on one heavy pharmaceutical after another my entire childhood - and nothing worked, including darvocet, percocet, darvon, codeine, and demerol. If they would have had opioids back then, I really would have been in trouble.”

She first used cannabis in 1967 when she was just 15 years old, and found immediate relief.

“My illness continued my entire life, but cannabis helped me,” she continued. “I didn’t know how it worked initially as a teen, I just knew it made me feel better. When I became pregnant at 19, I stopped smoking because I thought it was the right thing to do. When I was 21, I started up again, but kept it to myself. My family just didn’t understand.”

Button said she was able to go off all the pharmaceuticals by 1993, with cannabis becoming her only medicine.

By 2004, she acquired a medical cannabis card and was growing her own when she was raided by local police. Thankfully, she said she only spent about 45 minutes in jail, but one year in the courtroom, 20,000 dollars in fines, and 240 hours of community service later she was done with the ordeal and back to farming her medicine.

“I was labeled a felon, but I was free,” she said. “The worst part was going through the entire process without my medicine. And I was going through menopause at the time! It was rough, to say the least. They took everything I had and I ended up bedridden. It took two years back on the cannabis until I was fully functional again.” 

After she was raided, she dug deep into her Apothecary kit, cooking with the plant, and developing her own powered cannabis capsules for daily dosing.

“My process and ingredients are proprietary,” she explained. “But for my brand, I’ve created special blends, made with very clean, full spectrum Hemp. Everything we do is biodynamic, with no bottled nutrients needed.”

Button developed a daytime blend to combat fatigue, and a nighttime blend to calm and induce sleep.

“My own daily dose is taking my own capsules,” she said. “I put 30 milligrams of my own blend of powdered, concentrated cannabis with THC and high CBD Hemp added. I take two caps at night, then a daytime blend in the morning, and as needed during the day. My hemp capsules will have melatonin added for the night blend, but for my own THC capsules, it’s not needed.”

Her brand’s line of CBD products will include gummies developed by Mark Hubbard of MC Labs in Washington State.

“I’m amazed at what we can do with this plant,” she surmised. “And I’ve never had any regrets about doubling down on my apothecary after the raid. I can’t live without this plant. Yes, I’ve helped myself, but my favorite thing is helping others with this plant, and I know I’m not the only one. Once you know, you are called to help others and spread the truth about the healing. That can’t be denied.”

For more information about Peggy Button’s Apothecary visit, www.pbapothecary.com 

Toxicology of Autoimmune Diseases NCBI https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3076021/

Environmental Triggers and Autoimmunity https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4290643/ 
DDT Exposure Could Last Generations https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/consequences-of-ddt-exposure-could-last-generations/

Libby Cooper

Space Coyote

Libby Cooper, Co-Founded Space Coyote in San Francisco, and in just 18 months the company became one of the top 20 pre-roll brands in California, quickly becoming the fourth highest infused pre-roll brand on the market, found in more than 300 dispensaries.

Before founding Space Coyote, Cooper was Creative Director at Eaze, California’s largest retail platform. Cooper has built and launched multiple cannabis brands, including cannabis cup-winning products. Cumulatively, those brands she helped launch have sold more than five million in revenue in the first year of operations.

But, her journey into the cannabis space and becoming one of the fastest growing woman-owned and operated cannabis companies really began as a young adult, and innately knowing the plant was beneficial.

Recreation or Medicine?

The first time Cooper partook of cannabis was in High School, but she emphatically states that she does not condone smoking cannabis for teens. Ironically, though, she did feel its positive effects at this young age.

“Though I smoked with a group of friends for recreational purposes, I felt a surprising amount of relief from the chronic stomach pains I had suffered from since my earliest childhood memories,” she shared.

Her parents would tell her stories years later of her being a picky eater, often regurgitating her food. This, she said, transformed her into a tiny kid, with a perennial upset stomach with pain.

“When I smoked weed for those first few times as a teen, I suddenly had a huge appetite and the strength to play harder when she went into team sports. It wasn’t until the end of high school that she was diagnosed with Celiac Disease.

“I fondly called it the ‘OG gluten-free diet,” she laughed. “All dots connected in that moment. The relief I felt from cannabis, along with the benefits that didn’t hinder my athletics, but enhanced them. I actually went on to be a Division 1 Track and Field athlete in college, using cannabis throughout my sports career, even though it was not allowed at the time and we were always threatened with random drug tests.”

This writer has interviewed numerous adults who first began using cannabis in adolescents and as teenagers, because it worked for them. Many with undiagnosed disorders on the Spectrum, ADD or ADHD, and/or myriad ailments where the plant helped more than pharmaceuticals at a young age.

Why then did she add the fine print at the beginning of her story - that kids should not partake? Because of the stigma, because of the rhetoric, “What about the children?” Well, this writer has news for everyone, the kids are alright, and if it works for them at a young age, they probably need it in some way.

The biggest challenge Cooper faced was in finding her protocols and dosing with cannabis, in light of the failed war on drugs and the lack of educational information on the plant.

When she hit 25, she was able to explore the optimization of her diet and lifestyle, adding Ayurveda, an ancient Indian medicine, helping to guide her through, what she calls the “seasons and time in your life, and the factors that put your health in different directions throughout the days, weeks, and years.

“Eating the proper food, including eating seasonally and locally, with correct food combining, completely changed my life,” she added. “On top of this, following Ayurveda I nearly cut out all packaged and processed foods. Keeping cannabis as both my medicine and my recreational vic completely transformed my body. It didn’t happen overnight, but now, in my late 20s, I’m the strongest and healthiest I’ve ever been.”

Feeding the Muse

Space Coyote offers up a variety of smoking options, including joints made with hash, live resin, and non-psychoactive THCA. 

Its Poolside Hybrid Hash 5-Pack, is the latest product collaboration with Poolside, a daytime disco band from Los Angeles.

The song to match the vibe, I Feel High, was written by Poolside’s leader, Jefferey Paradise, and Ben Browning from Cut Copy, recorded in Los Angeles. The song was already written and and included on Poolside’s new album, Low Season, released in February, 2020, when the Space Coyote team created the perfect pre-rolls for seshingn to the song.

As a company, Cooper said that Space Coyote explores the “psychedelic side of weed,” focusing on a potent smoke, no matter if the partaker is a patient or is looking to open their third eye and find its muse.

Paradise said he had always wanted his music to match up with a certain type of high, and conveyed this to Cooper and team. The Poolside Hybrid Hash 5-Pack was the outcome.

“We told the Space Coyote team that we’d like the high to compliment a daytime hang session, spent lounging by a pool, listening to mellow music - which is what I always want my music to do,” Paradise said. 

Each pre-roll in the Poolside 5-Pack’s reusable tin is loaded with a half a gram of infused cannabis, blending Sour Cookies Hash from Nasha Extracts with MAC flower from Sticky Fields. Also an artist, Cooper worked with Paradise in creating the artwork for the pack.

Paradise comments on the Space Coyote’s website describing the product, “Only one thing is better than chilling out listening to groovy music, and that’s chilling out listening to groovy music while smoking a great joint,” he penned. “I’ve always heard that people like to listen to Poolside music when they smoke - now they can smoke with Poolside when they smoke!”

Daily Dose, bypassing cyberland in the a.m.

Cooper said there’s much power in listening to your body’s needs and knowing that you can and will heal.

“My dosing schedule varies based on how I’m feeling,” she explained. I’m not waking and baking unless it’s Thursday, when I livestream on Facebook and Instagram with my cofounder, Scott Sundvor to about 400,000 viewers.”

If she doesn’t need to medicate in the morning, she ignores social media and focuses on her morning routine, then drives straight to work.

“On a good day I’m smoking for pleasure in the late afternoon when I’m done with work,” she said. “In the past I needed to consume cannabis to ease my stomach pain and boost my appetite at the start of the day.”

Ingesting regularly keeps symptoms at bay, allowing Cooper to enjoy her partaking, without the urgency of needing to medicate for a flare-up. It’s prevention at its finest.

“When my tummy is bad I’ll typically eat an edible or take some tincture in the late evening, after dinner to soothe my stomach for sleep,” she said. “The most common time of day for me personally to experience pain is immediately upon waking up, so by taking a medible or tincture the night before, I can actually lesson and often stop the discomfort from happening at all.”

A favorite mode of partaking is with infused joints at the end of her day.

“I unwind with a nice infused joint at the end of the day, but my most favorite time to get lifted is listening to live music,” she said. “During COVID, times have certainly changed, but I love to recreate the concert feel at home with big speakers on loud, and a joint in my mouth. I play psychedelic rock and dance around the living room with the lights on low.”

Cooper truly believes in smokable, potent products, affirming that women can be stoners and being a stoner is celebratory

“There’s nothing quite like releasing stress through movement - and the use of cannabis can aid you in fully letting go of inhibitions,” she concluded, knowingly.

For more information on Space Coyote visit, www.spacecoyote.org

Ellen Lenox-Smith,

Cannabis patient & advocate

Treating Ehlers Danlos Syndrome with cannabis

Ellen Smith didn’t become a patient until well into her 50s, after suffering a lifetime of pain and discomfort.

“At the age of 57, I never thought I’d even consider turning to medical marijuana,” she shared. “After 22 surgeries, I visited a pain doctor who, after reviewing my records, saw that I was unresponsive to pain medication. He had no other suggestions but to suggest medical marijuana.”

A DNA drug sensitivity test confirmed she could not metabolize most pharmaceuticals or even the most benign over-the-counter medications, such as aspirin or Tylenol - and specifically stronger pain medication, such as opioids.

Smith’s health woes began at birth, diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos syndrome, later adding sarcoidosis. 

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a collection of disorders affecting connective tissues, such as skin, joints, and blood vessel walls. Connective tissues make up proteins and other substances that provide strength and elasticity to the underlying structures in the body. Those affected by the syndrome have a life expectancy of 48 years, with a major health event by the time they are 40.

Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease affecting organs, with a life expectancy of ten years since diagnosis, or an average death rate of 39 years of age.

“I had been living with chronic pain, and it prevented me from sleeping, thinking straight, and basically functioning throughout the day,” she added. “I took the advice to try medical marijuana with tremendous trepidation.”

Her home state of Rhode Island wasn’t yet legal for cannabis as medicine, let alone recreational use, making sourcing the plant for medicine challenging. Smith said, at the time, you would have to grow your own or source from the illicit market. 

The fear became twofold when a pulmonologist told her that smoking cannabis may be fatal in conjunction with sarcoidosis.

“I was able to find some marijuana, ground it up, heated up some olive oil, and let it release the medicine into the oil,” she explained. “I had no choice but to ingest, since the pulmonologist warned me of smoking.”

That night she mixed one teaspoon of the oil with applesauce one hour before bedtime.

“I remember feeling scared,” she admitted. “Keep in mind, I was 57, and the only time I ever tried marijuana prior was in college - I had smoked it and remember hating the sensation. I did not want to be out of control of my body like that ever again.”

She had warned her husband to keep an eye on her during that first night of ingesting the oil, but after getting into bed, she closed her eyes and before she knew it, it was morning.

“I slept through the night - never waking up once!” she shared. “I woke up refreshed, not groggy, and was ready to take on life again. I did not feel any high or stoned sensation like you would guess would happen, and learned quickly that pain does not react the same way to cannabis as someone who uses it for recreational reasons.”

Reason being, brain receptors connect with the beneficial compounds of the plant,  specifically the terpenes and cannabinoids, providing relief - not an acute head high to the patient as is commonly reported by chronic patients helped with the plant.

After that first night of relief she and her husband set out to grow their own, regardless of the illegality of it in their home state. Today, New Hampshire is legal for cannabis as medicine, making her “illegally healed,” no more.

As of this writing Smith is in her 71st year of life - more than thirty years past her predicted life expectancy with the illnesses. She’s become a cannabis advocate and a caregiver as a calling to help others. 

“My conditions aren’t cured, they are managed by cannabis,” she concluded. “I tell people not to be afraid. Turn your life and your body around and you won’t regret it!”

Ellen’s Cannabis Oil

10 T. of ground plant material per 1 c. olive oil

Heat olive oil (or oil of choice) to warm, not burn

Simmer for about an hour w/out boiling, as too much heat will damage compounds

Allow to cool, strain, store in glass container in cool cupboard

Note: Smith also suggests using an infusing appliance, such as the Magical Butter Machine. The Magical Butter Machine can make a maximum batch of one liter of oil, using up to one cup of plant material, taking one hour to cook on a low temperature of 130 degrees fahrenheit, or about 54 degrees celsius. A crock pot can also be used to infuse oils, with a cooking time on low of between three to four hours.

Daily Dosing: Start low, go slow. Smith suggests starting with ¼ t. oil an hour before bedtime. It’s easier to add more than to go backwards and have a bad experience. 

Too much THC too soon is the number one challenge for most patients. Reaching your therapeutic dose without negative side effects is the correct way to get used to the psychoactive compound.

To counteract what may be too large a dose, triple-bag a cup of strong chamomile tea to take the edge off and induce sleep. Sleeping off a non-therapeutic dose is the best way to get through it. The THC will affect the Central Nervous System, not the cardio system, - though it may feel that way.

Author’s note: Cannabis also infuses into olive oil without heat. Heat activates the psychoactive effects of THC. To do a cold-steep, add ground plant material to olive oil (I use ¼ c. ground to one liter of oil) Let steep in a cool cupboard, strain and decant. If the container is put in a warm spot, the THC will activate. 

For more recipes, visit Sharon’s website, www.sharonletts.com/apothecary

Follow Sharon Letts on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram @sharoneletts Twitter @sharonletts

Humboldt Infuzions

Finding your terpene profile for optimum health

Longtime Humboldt local, Jenny Rhae, began her foray into healing plants after presenting with Lyme’s disease, creating her own healing tinctures, salves and more, for her own personal healing.

She opened Humboldt Infuzions in the City of Arcata, right on the Plaza in the summer of 2019, filling it with local plant-based products, eventually adding her own line of topicals and tinctures made with organically sourced material.

Humboldt County has long been known for its farming of some of the world’s best cannabis flower. But Humboldt is also an agricultural hub providing for its own, with small truck farmers still offering produce and herbs to local markets and at its epic Farmers Market each Saturday on the Arcata Plaza - the city known as “60s by the Sea.”

Humboldt is sustainable in local foods and livestock because it has to be. Separated by what’s known as the Redwood Curtain, the region is five hours above the nearest major city of San Francisco and and five hours below the next largest City of Eugene, Oregon. 

Super Plants, Superfoods

Cannabis is just one superfood from the garden Humboldt produces that has myriad benefits for humans and animals alike - with more than 700 beneficial compounds and counting. Most beneficial plants have the same or similar benefits, addressing all of our 11 biological organs, with fighting inflammation, infection, warding off illness and strengthening the immune system at the top of the list. 

Each beneficial plant also has its own unique properties. For instance, chamomile is calming, moringa fights fatigue. Too much THC can trigger anxiety, not treat it. Knowing what you need from each plant is key (see Daily Dose on Superfoods).

The medicine of super plants - not just cannabis - is found in each compound profile, including cannabinoids and terpenes - just two components that make up complex compounds of each beneficial plant. 

Most beneficial spices and herbs have fragrance because we have a nose, drawing us to them, because we need them. It’s a symbiotic relationship.

Superfoods or super plants, like cannabis, address all 11 of our biological systems via the endocannabinoid system. It’s not rocket science, it’s just how plants work with our bodies to keep us in homeostasis - keeping us healthy and feeling good. 

Studies find that adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet for just two weeks helps reduce feelings of depression. Why? Because many of the compounds in beneficial plants, including cannabis, raise endorphins quicker than a morning jog, creating dopamine in the brain, giving an overall feeling of well-being.

Profiling Terpenes

How do we know what beneficial plants speak to us? What fragrances are you drawn to? Are you partial to lavender for calm? Perhaps you enjoy rosemary or citrus for a lift? 

Rhae brought in a Terpene Bioscan meter to the shop to see just what terpene profile clients might be needing.

“In order to make a personalized essential oil for our clients, this machine has been helpful and surprising,” Rhae shared. “Some of the plants are not common and clients are surprised at the types suggested for them. When you start going through the benefits of each plant, it’s apparent those benefits often match what the client is needing for whatever symptoms or ailments they may be suffering from.”

This writer had her profile done and the plants that came up for this fire sign of Aries were all woodsy, earthy, and calming - no surprise, but happy to see a list of plants I wasn’t familiar with. 

Actually, I’m always stunned to see the amount of beneficial plants out there in the world, including what we think of as weeds, actually being helpful.

Sharon’s Personal Terpene Needs

After placing my hand on a sensor, and waiting a few minutes, the following plants were suggested for my own personal terpene needs:

Black Spruce: Mentally, spruce oil in general is said to aid in meditation. With my ADD and the challenge to concentrate, I need all the help I can get in meditation. Cannabis with THC has helped me in this way since I was 16. 

The physical benefits of black spruce include bronchial help, calming inflammation, soothing sore muscles and immune support - the same benefits many healing plants have.

Petitgrain: The benefits of Petitgrain seem too good to be true, but so do the myriad benefits of cannabis. Topping the list seems to be a stress reducer - which I always need, and why I’ve used chamomile for years to combat anxiety. It seems that Petitgrain addresses the central nervous system.

It’s also an anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, antiseptic, and helps insomnia. 

Lemon Eucalyptus: The terpene limonene, found in citrus, has always spoken to me. And while this type of eucalyptus isn’t in the citrus family, the terpene is the same, with the same lemon fragrance.  Boasting of a number of health benefits, it boosts the immune system, offers prevention for respiratory infections, prevents disease, relieves pain, sooths inflammation, heals wounds, and improves digestive issues, to name just a few. 

As a bonus, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) approved eucalyptus oil in general as an effective ingredient in repelling mosquitoes, with a study showing a formulation of 32 percent lemon eucalyptus oil providing more than 95 percent protection against mosquitoes for three hours.

Cassia: A member of the cinnamon family, cassia is said to be stronger and hotter, while also helping with menopausal symptoms and menstrual problems (ironically, mosquito repellant is also listed). I’m menopausal for sure, so this is a curious pick. 

Ceylon cinnamon is more commonly used, cassia is said to have citrus overtones - again, the limonene terpene in the mix. 

Cinnamon overall has also been found to lower blood sugar levels, treating diabetes - as well as offering cholesterol dropping benefits. I do have a sweet tooth, though I have never presented with diabetic symptoms, I’ve always wondered. Perhaps this suggestion is a precursor?

Siberian Fir: Fir is part of the extensive pine family - related to the pinene terpene, the terp with the evergreen fragrance. Said to reduce stress, it’s also said to support respiratory health, and due to its high amount of the camphene terpene, eases sore throats and open airways.

In summation, I’m always fascinated with the cross-over benefits of all plants, but most impressive is the amount of terpenes and compounds found in cannabis that mirror so many plants. 

A common thread within the plants listed for me is the ability to deal with stress, and why I use chamomile concentrate every single day. Being on deadline for more than 20 years now has worn down my central nervous system. Prior to discovering chamomile concentrate I ate valium like candy. 

Another common thread with the plants suggested is bronchial and respiratory support. This is fascinating to me, as I’m a flower burner and am greatly affected by the carbon I’ve taken in over the years. Seems as if this profile recognized the issue, leading me to believe there just might be something to this technology. 

No wonder people say cannabis is too good to be true, because it does so much. But then, so many plants help humans with so many ailments and disorders. It really doesn’t matter where you are geographically, there are plants all around you there to help. All you need to do is identify them. Look them up and match up what they offer with what ails you - you might be surprised.

For more information on Humboldt Infuzions visit, https://humboldtinfuzions.com/

Follow them on Facebook and Instagram @humboldtinfuzions 

If you go: 863 H St. Arcata, CA 95521 (707) 630-3001
Study: depression and increased intake of fruits and vegetables https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5902672/#:~:text=Research%20has%20established%20that%20people,Gopinath%20et%20al.%2C%202016%3B

Cannabis Oil Over Opioids for Ankle Fracture

Including a recipe for homemade cannabis oil

Last week while hiking with my dogs in the hills above my home, I tripped-up on a divet, face-planted and fractured my ankle, with the ankle popping out of socket.

As with my last fracture and broken bone prior, I was determined to use only cannabis oil and shun the pharmaceuticals once again.

As noted in my Daily Dose: Serious Wound Care with a Cannabis Protocol, a Harvard study noted that cannabis was not strong enough to quell broken bone pain. They were wrong. 

By the time we arrived at the emergency room I had already taken four of my own cannabis oil/guanabana/coconut capsules. These are my nighttime capsules, not strong enough for severe pain.

(Guanabana is a South American super food, also an immune system builder)

They gave me a low-dose shot of morphine, after I explained to the doctor and nurse the cannabis oil will enhance anything else I do, and pharma should be reduced.

Sure enough, in no time I felt completely wasted on the morphine. My body felt numb, and my head felt as though it was in a bubble. No clarity or focus, no being or feeling present, as with cannabis. I was also nauseous, feeling as though I would throw up. 

It really felt as though I could have done a lower dose of the morphine, but dosing is the greatest challenge - especially when you are telling medical staff for the first time that cannabis is an analgesic. How would they even know how to adjust dosage?

Important to note, swelling and inflammation was not spectacular for how serious the injury was, reconfirming what an excellent anti-inflammatory cannabis is.

Less Pharma, More Weed

Surgery included plates and pins, and promised unimaginable pain. I was out of cannabis oil, about to make a batch soon, scraping the last bit from the little jar given to me by a friend, who was making me another batch. (As far as we know, we are the only two in our community who know how to make it, leaving me eternally grateful for my friend and her skills.)

The surgeon set me up in my hospital room with a cocktail of strong painkillers, including opioids, in an IV drip. As soon as I came to from surgery they gave me a dose - being aware that I was taking the cannabis oil. It didn’t take long to realize it was way too much with the oil. I passed out, literally, for a few hours, then never did the on-demand drip again.

When the surgeon came in at the end of the day he was shocked to see that I didn’t need the cocktail, and was only doing one-third of the Tramadol (opioid) prescribed. Now he knows.

In the meantime, I scrimped on the oil, taking it in tandem with Tramadal. The surgeon prescribed a 300 milligram dose to start, and then would raise it, as needed. Done in tandem with the oil, I found I only needed to take 100 milligrams with a piece of thick oil about the size of two grains of rice; reducing the opioids by one-third. A welcomed outcome.

As detailed in an investigation by the Journal of the Association of Medicine (JAMA), When a state legalizes cannabis, opioid use drops substantially.

Even if someone is just smoking, the efficacy of the pharmaceutical is raised. Even if they are eating an edible just to get high, they won’t need as much pain killers for that time period. 

Many teaching moments. This isn’t my first rodeo. My last fracture on the other foot was less than a year ago; the break before that with a serious wound was a little over a year ago. I’m happy to educate by example, but this is getting ridiculous. 

The Entourage Effect

As said, cannabis is an enhancer and can increase the efficacy of whatever else you are doing, including smoking while ingesting. The cannabis oil does the trick as far as pain, swelling, inflammation, and tissue regeneration - not to mention, help with sleep, appetite, and more. As far as smoking on top of ingesting, it adds a much needed lift immediately. 

I say lift, because that’s where the word high comes from. We are not stoned, we are lifted. Stoned comes from the alcohol culture and has nothing to do with the way we feel while medicating, or medicating to recreate. And it has nothing to do with what happens physiologically, as endorphins are lifted and dopamine is created in the brain. 

So topping off with smoking or vaporizing cannabis adds another layer of relief.

The cannabis oil also deals with any negative side effects of the pharma. With opioid use comes constipation and bloating following surgery. In the past, when I’ve come out from anesthesia, I typically throw up, as is common. But none of that happens when I take cannabis oil prior to surgery. 

I also have the anesthesiologist come in and tell him how it all works, but it’s hard to say how it works in tandem with anesthesthesia. The common thread is that medical professionals just do not understand how strong the oil is and how beneficial the plant itself is. This is my third time going under using cannabis oil, and there have been no complications.

Chamomile also works well in tandem with cannabis. I typically have chamomile/coconut capsules on hand, but was out of them this time around, as well. Chamomile takes the edge off the high amounts of THC found in the oil (as does CBD), while calming anxiety - something I suffer from. Chamomile also acts as an antidepressant (per study) and raises endorphins, giving you a general overall feeling of well-being.

Topical lotions add to the overall effect. I’m lucky enough to have had a bottle of CBD and citrus body lotion, made in collaboration with Honey Pot and Laganja Estranja, at the hospital and on my bedside at home. Citrus combats stress, anxiety and depression, and gives a lift just by deeply inhaling what’s called the limonene terpene.

I also had a bottle of Mary’s Medicinals CBD oil to top everything off for a little extra effect. CBD alone is good for pain relief, but this serious pain needs a whole plant, strong oil to be ingested.

My friend dropped off a bottle of 30 cannabis capsules, with a strong dose of oil in each - about the size of two grains of rice. I ended up taking two every three to four hours, only adding one hundred milligrams of Tramadol, as needed.

The thing is, I really haven’t felt any great pain. I’ve been more afraid of the anticipation of the pain that could come, knowing what all the hardware looks like under my skin. The most I’ve felt is a slight stinging until I can medicate.

The cannabis oil takes about the same time to work as the Tramadol, about 20 minutes.

Cannabis Oil Recipe

4 cups ground plant material (small buds, stem and leaf – whole plant)

1 liter grain alcohol (high proof, 90 percentile)

Cover the ground plant material with the solvent, and let soak for up to five minutes*

Strain in a fine mesh or sheet and pour into a rice cooker, set it to warm, leave the lid open

It should take between three to four hours to cook down

They may be plant matter in brown chunks, do not use this. Tilt the rice cooker insert to pool the oil, and carefully uptake from the clear liquid.

You will have a thick, brown resin remaining. These are the essential oils of the plant, where the medicine is.

Just prior to the final reduction, add two tablespoons of coconut oil to the mix. This will keep it from burning (ruining the medicine). Adding coconut is also a good delivery into the bloodstream.

I take a whiff of the mixture, as you can smell the alcohol if it hasn’t cooked off. With the coconut in there, it can sit a bit to make sure the alcohol has completely evaporated.

Using a measured pipette, using a capsule holder, fill caps with 1 milliliter of the mixture. If there is any alcohol (or water from weak solvent) in the mix, the capsule will melt. Test by filling one up and checking.

Keep in the refrigerator to solidify and keep fresh. This essential oil is precious, use it in a timely manner for freshness and efficacy.

*Longer soaks have shown lower numbers of beneficial compounds, diluted by too much chlorophyll.

JAMA investigation, opioid reduction with cannabis use:

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2755276 

Study of chamomile as antidepressant:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3600408/

Daily Dose: Serious Wound Care with a Cannabis Protocol:

https://www.vegascannabismag.com/education/daily-dose-serious-wound-care-with-a-cannabis-protocol/ 

Desiree Campbell

Treating myriad ailments and rare illness with cannabis, kratom and other beneficial plants.

Desiree Campbell had her first panic attack when she was just nine years old. Twenty years ago she lost her brother to a car accident and her mental health worsened.

Since her childhood diagnosis of panic attacks, she’s since been diagnosed with agoraphobia, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), personality disorder, and a laundry list of ailments with multiple symptoms.

“Before I became disabled from illness I was always on the go,” Campbell shared. “I cared for 47 reptiles that I rehabilitated and rehomed. I stayed busy to keep from thinking about all the negatives in my life. I don’t like to dwell on how sick I am or have been, but I’ve always struggled with depression and anxiety.”

Nearly eight years ago fibromyalgia (FMS) was added to her list of ailments. FMS is a chronic pain disorder affecting multiple pain points on the body. It typically comes with an auto-immune disorder, and in Campbell’s case, chronic fatigue disorder.

As if things couldn’t get worse, two years ago she was diagnosed with epilepsy.

The ailment of TheIdiopathic Intracranial Hypertension, or IHH, also known as, Psuedotumor Cerebri, caused a secondary rare illness called occipital neuralgia, affecting the main nerve at the base of her skull, affecting all of the small nerves, causing constant migraines and eye strain. 

With IHH, your body thinks you have a brain tumor, when there’s really nothing there. The body then fights itself, attempting to do away with the non-existent tumor, causing a build-up of spinal fluid surrounding the cranium, causing the brain to compress, with severe nerve damage and excruciating pain.

“I lost the vision in my left eye and some of the hearing in my left ear,” she added. “This ailment also causes memory issues, so there’s that.

The disorder also causes vertigo, leaving her off-balance often.

“It’s hard when you are dealing with so many illnesses and symptoms,” she explained. I’ve been in so much pain I couldn’t sleep, but didn’t have the strength to get out of bed. That was my life until nearly four years ago - after finding the plants.”

The single mother of three said her neurologist kept wanting her to take more pharmaceuticals, giving her Botox injections in her neck and head; then ultimately nerve block injections, to no avail.

“At one point I had three sets of injections, totalling up to 27 painful shots, in my head, back of skull and shoulders. They all made everything worse, not better.” 

Before she switched to plant-based therapies, Campbell said she was on up to 11 to 13 prescription pills a day, and several mood stabilizers - three for the migraines, and two for seizures. She was bedridden for three years due to the pain, fatigue, and depression.

“Even though I was on pharmaceutical anti-seizure medications, I was still having several seizures a day,” she added. “My oldest child told me it was easier to be at grandma’s, because it hurt him to see me in so much pain. My oldest daughter would sit with me on high pain days and cry with me, asking me, ‘Why aren’t all these pills helping you, mommy?’”

Trading Pharma for Plants

After successfully trying CBD oil for pain, she then began researching and adding other beneficial plants to her daily dosing routine.

CBD, or cannabidiol, is just one compound from the cannabis plant with numerous benefits, including anti-inflammatory and pain quelling properties. 

Not much of a cannabis smoker, Campbell said he does take THC activated tincture now, as well, microdosing for effect.

“I make my own tincture out of whole plant cannabis,” she said. “I also use medibles for anxiety during the day, and at night to help me sleep.”

Of all the pharmaceuticals she ended up replacing, she said the Effexor was the most difficult.

“My mood was horrible!” she exclaimed. “I was incredibly mean and was snapping at everyone around me for the smallest stuff. The tincture was a miracle and a huge help in keeping the anger and panic down as I transitioned off the plls.”

Slowly, she began adding other herbs, researching all for benefits and effects.

“I started trying different herbs at different times of the day, until I found what worked for me,” she said. “I have had only two seizures in nine months, and they didn’t do much more than make me a little shaky, when I had been having mild to silent seizures.”

Kratom, she said, was a game-changer in dealing with pain and in combating fatique. 

“There are several types of kratom,” she explained. “Red, yellow, green, white, gold - each color has different names, typically from the region they were dried. I usually take green strains and blend green with red, white and yellow strains. The white family of kratom are the most energetic, greens give a small energy boost and quell pain, reds are also good for pain, and yellow is nice for relaxing.”

Kratom, as defined by Oxford Languages, is a powder made from the leaves of an South Eastern Asian evergreen tree, related to the coffee plant. Used in many of the same ways as cannabis and other healing plants, it’s also shown efficacy in replacing addictive drugs, such as opioids and meth.

Some sites warn of dependence from kratom, but those who have used it successfully in replacing damaging and addictive drugs say it also deals with whatever disorder may have caused them to become addicted in the first place, with no negative side effects.

‘I’m picky about my kratom,” she shared. “My kratom is sourced from the Austic Organic Village in Texas, where test results are posted on the website. I get a lot of herbs from this trusted source, actually.”

The list of other herbs she’s added to her daily dosing regimen is extensive, with each plant having its own extensive list of benefits and little negative side effects.

Campbell sent this writer a list of plants with benefits listed that’s nothing short of a who’s who in healing plants and what they can do. 

The list of help from each plant is too long to detail, with many overlapping on benefits, as most super foods or super plants will do - namely anti-inflammatory properties and help with pain, with most all aiding in strengthening the immune system.

Desiree Campbell’s daily dose of plants, with notes:

Cannabis/activated THC: Homemade tincture: Two droppers full, four times a day; medibles: and 5 milligrams of activated THC during the day, and 20 milligrams at night for sleep.

CBD tincture: 1,000 milligrams a day, 

Kratom (various strains/colors): 1 t. three to five times a day, as needed.

Moringa: 1/2 t. to 1 t. powder (or 2 seeds). This is one I don't let myself run out of! 

Turmeric: 500 mg. once a day. The black pepper helps turmeric absorb into your body better.

 Kanna: 1 t. of powder, daily. 

Wild Lettuce, Valerian root, Gotu Kola, SkullCap tincture(s):. I-1/2 a dropper each, separate times. (Gotu Kola: 3 times a day (half dropper) on "bad" days. 

Akuamma- 1/2 t., sometimes 3 times a day, as needed.

Blue lotus: Add approx. 5 grams loose leaf to 1 c. hot water. (If powder, 1 t.) once a day, as needed. 

 Kava Kava: Ad 1 T. to hot water, steep tea. Two or three times a week, as needed.

Shilajit: 1 t. Daily - huge help with nerve pain. 

Elderberry Syrup: Add elderberries, cloves, cinnamon and strain, then add 1 c. honey. Dosing: 1 t. to 1 T. daily. If symptoms (depending on age of syrup).

Note from Campbell on Elderberry Syrup: This remedy cuts sick time in half and drastically reduces how severe colds and/or flus are. I used to get bronchitis one or two times a year, but in the past two years of taking this syrup, I’ve only had one little runny nose. 

In summation, Campbell said she’s been able to go about her life as normal day to day, something she just wasn’t able to do prior to finding the plants.

“I’m able to walk around our small block with my kids - I can cook dinner without feeling like I’m going to collapse, and I’m able to do many chores, for the most part,” she concluded. “My children have told me they are thankful I have these herbs, because I’m smiling and laughing, instead of laying in bed crying everyday. When I say herbs saved my life, I genuinely mean it! I’m still working at getting my strength back, but with these plants, determination, and the love of my children, family, and best friend I can only go forward now.”

Daily Dose of Plants

DIY: Making fresh beneficial bath sachets from the garden

Hot water infusions are the oldest infusions on the planet. 

The healing compounds of herbal plants are found in the essential oils of the plant, those that make up the scent and flavor. These essential oils easily come off the plant quickly in hot water.

Plants have fragrance because we have a nose. It’s a symbiotic relationship we have to plants. Especially those plants that can heal us, as they draw us to them.

Tea can be made of many types of plant materials, bark, flower, fruit, aside from the leaves, are used. Combinations of plants for effect is key. You just need to know what benefits come from each plant. 

Surprisingly, many of these beneficial plants have the same benefits, with treating inflammation and infection at the top of the benefit list.

History of Aromatic Extracts

Apothecary, not pharmacology, was the norm using plants as remedy prior to the 1940s and the creation of synthetic patents and the pharmaceutical industry. 

But the creation of tea using plants dates back as far as 2737 BC, when then Chinese Emperor Shen Nung was sitting beneath a tree while his servant boiled drinking water, and some leaves from the tree blew into the water.

The Chinese and Indian (India) use of essential oils dates back between 3000 and 2000 BC., but evidence and recorded history show that Greece, Rome, Persia and parts of Europe also extracted beneficial compounds from plants for various uses, including personal, spiritual, and medicinal.

According to a paper published in the National Institute of Health, using essential oils on our skin dates back as far as 4500 BC, with credit given to Egyptians, as the first culture to use aromatic extracts for ointments for health and beauty care, and culinary uses; as well as for spiritual and physical well-being.

Tea Bath

Getting the essential oils from plants is as easy as making a cup of tea. So, it stands to say that making a bath of essential oil tea would be equally as beneficial to our skin for a good soak.

My garden is small, but filled with beneficial plants, such as calendula, rosemary, lavender, mint, and mallow. Time to time I’ll have one or two cannabis plants growing, or will receive fan leaves from a friend.

Using just these from my garden, below is a breakdown of each plant’s benefits in a tea bath:

Calendula: inflammation, treating wounds/infections/burns. It’s also said to tighten and give more supple skin. It’s also an antioxidant.

Rosemary: inflammation, antioxidant, and anti-infection. Rosemary is also said to boost alertness, intelligence, and focus, when ingested.

Lavender: Treats skin blemishes, pain, reduces blood pressure and heart rate - calming. Reduces asthma symptoms, anti-fungal, promotes hair growth.

Mallow: anti-inflammatory, anti-infection, pain relief, treats skin sores/burns. When ingested, mallow treats digestive issues, sleep problems, respiratory illnesses/bronchitis.

Cannabis: anti-inflammatory, anti-infection, pain relief, treats skin sores/burns.

Garden Fresh Bath Sachets

Handful each of fresh flowers, leaves, and stems from the garden

Put all in a nut bag (shown in photo) or fine mesh bag

Put in bathtub as it fills

Plants’ essential oils will come off into the hot or warm water, giving you a soothing, healing soak, and soft skin.

For more recipes from Sharon visit, www.sharonletts.com/apothecary

Following Sharon on Instagram @sharoneletts and Twitter @sharonletts 

NIH paper on biological effects of essential oils on human health:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5694587/

Taylor Foxman

The Industry Collective

Crossing over from spirits to cannabis

Taylor Foxman is founder of The Industry Collective, an independent advisory firm that helps grow and scale the emerging wine, beer, and spirits brands. Formerly with Parallel, a multi-state vertically integrated cannabis company, she’s now looking to the future of cannabis using her skill set honed since college.

Both she and her father attended Boston University. As she says, her dad took the Dougie Houser approach, going right into medical school from high school. He stayed put in the same dorm room, while she went on to attend Brigham Young University for her undergrad, then to Southern California to work on her masters in communications.

“My dad had this very crucial role at university, he became the ‘pot detector,’” she laughed. “He would roam the hallways sniffing out the pot smokers. That was the only reference I had to cannabis a few years later after being helped myself by the plant. I never dreamed I’d be a leader in the cannabis industry and neither did he.”

Her father now admits he is proud of her accomplishments, adding, at least the cannabis industry has a medical journal - referencing her past life in the alcohol industry, where no informative “journals” exists.

Plant over Pills

Today, Foxman is a medical cannabis patient in the State of New York, where she’s lived for 11 years, treating anxiety successfully with cannabis products.

“I’ve suffered from anxiety from a young age,” she shared. “I know many suffer from this and that it’s totally manageable, but it’s still something that’s taken up a lot of my brain power over the years.”

Initially prescribed pharmaceuticals, Zoloft, Xanax, and Lorazepam at a young age, she eventually tried more natural treatments for her anxiety not far from the garden, stating mint was her go-to. It was the deliveries into her system that became challenging.

“As I moved up the corporate ladder in New York, I would chew mint gum all the time - especially before and during meetings, until my boss told me to stop,” she remembered. “I’d get so nervous and the mint seemed to help. After my chewing gum ban I’d swish mint Listerine in the bathroom or use those Listerine mint strips to get a calm mint fix before meetings.”

Mint is one of the superfoods, or a super plant, with many beneficial compounds, addressing many symptoms throughout the body, including help for digestive issues at the top of the list. 

Common benefits of mint shared by many other superfoods are calming, fighting inflammation and infection, brain function and focus (stimulating the hippocampus part of the brain), and antioxidant properties - meaning, it fights cancer, or keeps the body in homeostasis - a place where illness can not dwell.

When a friend moved to California for a job at Google, Foxman said she was able to visit a dispensary there and found game changing Kiva Petra mints at 2.5 milligrams each with THC.

Interesting to note, longtime cannabis company, Kiva, has been making these mints since 2015, stating they were one of the first microdosed products on the market - with the average dosing per most products set at 10 milligrams, maximum, per ordinances.

Finding her Therapeutic Dose

Back in New York Foxman shopped at Etain dispensary near her home in Manhattan. Etain is the only woman owned shop in the city, run by mother Amy, with daughters Keeley and Hillary Peckham. Inspired to be in the cannabis industry after their grandmother Frances “Granny Franny” Keeffe, was helped with the plant for ALS.

At Etain Foxman was guided to purchase an oral mint spray made by Etain, with a 1:1 CBD/THC ratio. She’s also used the same ratio in cannabis gummies with success.

“These products provide me with the same benefits the as the pharmaceuticals, without any of the negative and addictive side effects. I use them as needed, but it’s not something I feel dependent on - which I think is the key difference between pharmaceuticals and plant-based medicine,” she added.

Cannabis has been proven to be non-addictive, but habit forming because it works. That said, can we really call something a habit if it’s needed and successful in quelling a diagnosed symptom?

Cannabis is not a bad habit, but a productive one, with none of the negative side effects found in synthetic medications - albeit, finding your therapeutic dose of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC - a potentially psychoactive compound of the plant, activated with heat. We as a species upped the THC levels over the decades, causing the controversy.

Important to note, take away the THC and cannabis as a superfood addresses all of our biological systems in a positive way for healing and prevention, whereas a synthetic pharmaceutical may target a single issue successfully, but may have a long list of negative side effects and compounds unable to be processed positively throughout the body or its organs.

Cannabis and other plants have cannabinoids and terpenes in common, the compounds that heal, delivered into our bodies by the endocannabinoid system - a part of our biology discovered recently in the 1990s, but barely taught in medical schools today.

From Spirits to Cannabis

While working on her masters at the Annenberg School of Communications as a sophomore at the University of Southern California (USC), Foxman worked in communications and public relations in wine, beer, and spirits as an intern for SVEDKA, a Scandinavian vodka company.

“I ended up not pursuing my masters because I got a call from the agency representing Jameson Irish Whiskey, offering me work in whiskey with Pernod Ricard.” she said.

As of last year, Foxman said she’s worked for more than 70 global wine, beer, and spirit brands, ranging Campari to Boston Beer to Patron. But it’s her work in cannabis, she said, that has added to her skill set in ways she could have never predicted.

“Cannabis is far more regulated than alcohol,” she explained. “Once you’ve dealt with the many seemingly unreasonable ordinances and constraints in the industry, you can work on anything, in my opinion.”

Last year longstanding mentor and friend brought her into the cannabis industry when he crossed over from a mainstream corporate gig.

“I never had any intentions of moving over to cannabis, but when I thought about it further, it seemed like it was my opportunity to show my communications and public relations leadership skills outside the drinks industry,” she explained. “It didn’t hurt that the cannabis industry is now a burgeoning multi-billion dollar industry. And now, since I’ve been helped myself with cannabis, it just makes sense.”

The move turned out to be a good fit, as she was recently awarded placement in the 40 Under 40 list for PRWeek, a leading platform for the communications and public relations industry. She’s also been named on Rolling Stone magazine’s Cultural Council, able to contribute to a dedicated platform on cannabis.

“I believe that a key part of the mainstreaming of cannabis will come from education,” she said. “I’m a huge proponent of the need to educate general consumers first before marketing cannabis products. Some recent celebrity partnerships in the CBD space are helping, at least with CBD products, in particular. Of course, national legalization wouldn’t hurt overall.”

Bottom line for Foxman on crossing over from spirits to weed, cannabis is the healthier option. And though she stills imbibes on a low-ball of smokey whiskey or scotch from time to time, cannabis, she said, is a happy option.

“Let’s call a spade a spade,” she surmised. “The benzodiazepines I was taking prior - and the alcohol - are notably more harmful than cannabis. Through considerable focus, unlimited yoga practices, and ongoing meditation efforts, I can now share I’m fully Rx free. I look at my cannabis use now as a ‘saving grace,’ because it has changed my life.”

Sarah Russo

Herbs for the Apocalypse 

Sarah Russo, pens on her website, “While imperialism, capitalism, and oppressive systems have evolved and penetrated the very core of our experience, plants prevail in our psyche in profound way.”

Educated words coming from the daughter of renowned cannabinoid researcher and neurologist, Dr. Ethan Russo.

“My  mother was a nurse and my grandfather and uncle were veterinarians,” she shared. “At one time I thought I wanted to work with animals, but I was drawn towards environmental studies and eventually became a self-taught herbalist.”

Her work in progress, “Herbs for the Apocalypse,” is a graphic novel with a dead serious topic, empowering earth’s inhabitants in the face of environmental degradation. The work gives voices to beneficial plants, as its heroine grapples with the destruction of the earth, and the realization that plants can save us.

Russo says she encourages a connection with nature, because we desperately need it.

“We’re wreaking havoc on our ecosystem,” she laments. “The planet is in revolt. We live in trying times but we also have an invaluable collection of tools to collectively cope, heal ourselves, and build resilience in order to face what it is to come.”

A longtime plant enthusiast, Russo received a degree in environmental studies and social justice, with a focus on botanical medicine from Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. Today, she makes her home in Spain.

Her day job as a freelance writer, researcher, consultant, and editor, gives her more than 13 years of experience in the cannabis and herbal medicine space. She’s fierce in fighting for the right of humans to use plants as remedy, for spiritual practices and for healing the earth.

Drawing from the therapeutic wisdom of the plant, fungi, and animal kingdoms, Russo guides her readers through Herbs for the Apocalypse, preempting, “Plants and punk rock collide in a tale of apocalyptic reckoning, explored in a graphic novel of resilience and resistance in trying times.”

Plant Defender

The Herbs for the Apocalypse website is naturally loaded with information on herbs, with recipes and anecdotal stories on some of the most demonized superplants on the planet including, cannabis, kratom, and fungi.

Push back is a given, as Russo educates on kratom as a tropical evergreen from the same family as coffee, used as a harm reduction tool, weaning people off opiates, mitigating the symptoms of withdrawl.

Humans are good at bastardizing beneficial plants, as witnessed with the super beneficial, and fatigue-combatting plant, Coca - otherwise known for its byproduct of cocaine.

Another article is titled, “Is Cannabis Psychedelic? Let’s Go Deeper,” as she expounds on the plant as a tool for expanding consciousness. Begging the question, “Does its ability to enhance visual, auditory, and sensational experience warrant a definition of it as a psychedelic?”

Not just a cup of herbal tea within these pages, but plants as serious remedies for what ails us, as well as posing tough questions and taking a stance with another article penned, “Our Symbiotic History with Mushrooms & Our Right to Use them.” 

Hello, Oxygen Breathers

Videos within her feed have Russo in a field of wildflowers welcoming viewers, “Hello, oxygen breathers,” as she discusses what herbs help with trauma.

“Adaptogens combat stresses,” she explains. “Chamomile is a favorite de-stressor, Tulsi is a favorite of mine, and has been said to also deal with ancestral trauma.” 

Ancestral trauma isn’t something commonly discussed by the masses, but Russo digs deep when speaking of plants and their ability to cross over into many of our biological and neurological systems.

Is your soul in distress? No matter, there’s a plant for that.

Another video with herbalist and botanical artist, Katy Able, has them discussing plants you might want with you if you were stranded on a desert island (or facing the apocalypse). Many plants that boost the immune system are discussed, as well as ingesting nutritive herbs, otherwise known as superfoods. 

Superfoods are any beneficial plant with myriad compounds able to address all of our biological systems and many ailments. (see Daily Dose, Superfoods, Super Plants, Super Healthy!)

The top ten suggested plants for an apocalypse can be found within the pages of the graphic novel. To offer a hint, Russo has depicted all 10 on the cover. For a sneak peek, watch the animated Herb Monologues on the Herbs for the Apocalypse YouTube chanel.

Regional herbs are also discussed. Many super plants that pop up around around the world in many climates, are often thought of as weeds. They are actually there because we need them. It’s a symbiotic relationship we as humans need to find again.

“Nettles and dandelion can be found just about anywhere, and both are highly advantageous for many ailments. It’s just too bad we pull them from the ground by medicinal roots,” she added.

Purposeful Plant Use

Russo suffers from two chronic health issues, an undiagnosed digestive disorder and polycystic ovary syndrome, both helped with the use of cannabis and other plant based remedies.

One doctor she consulted with for cannabis told her that her longtime use probably quelled many of the symptoms, and that she may have presented much worse without it. That said, she doesn’t solely rely on cannabis for her daily dosing, and in fact, found it necessary at one point to take a break.

“I’ve been using cannabis half my life at this point,” she shared. “I don’t normally smoke for work, but one day recently I was nervous about a particular meeting online, so I took a couple of hits. It was awful, and made me more uncomfortable. I came to the realization that it isn’t cannabis’ job to fix the problem I was having. It was mine.”

Cannabis, she said, is a diva and can sometimes upstage other parts of your experience. The break was needed for clarity.

“Cannabis is good at doing so many things, but when I took a step back without it, I was able to tune into subtleties. At times, cannabis can blast you into a different consciousness,” she said.

From the Cannabis Clinicians website, Russo pens, “Modern day studies have repeatedly found that active constituents of single plant species are not as effective as multiple formulations composed of various botanicals. This may be why certain cultures have historically employed holistic herbal formulations, as opposed to single plant remedies. It has also been shown that human populations that consume a diet rich in plants view disease-prevention as a way of life.” 

Russo said she’ll smoke in the evening to unwind, or to quell a specific symptom. But most of her use now is as needed and purposeful. 

Her most consistent daily dosing comes from the garden to the kitchen, as she uses rosemary, thyme, and an abundance of beneficial plants as the season dictates. She’ll also add blood-sugar lowering cinnamon often, as well as other favorites for teas and tinctures, including tulsi and chamomile for calm, and blue lotus for entering into a meditative state - as she works with various plant medicines in a ceremonial context.

“Science may never be able to elucidate on the true healing capacity of botanical medicine,” she explained in an article on Graphic Medicine.com. “That isn’t to say that we shouldn’t try to find scientific discoveries to benefit our health. But research shouldn’t discount the energetic, vibrational, and spiritual aspects of the natural world.”

Herbs for the Apocalypse, The Graphic Novel

Herbs for the Apocalypse was first presented to the public as a weekly Sunday Comic digital release in 2021, with a new installment and its own sound track each week. Sarah and her illustrator, Rokaya Taqi, are currently crowdfunding to make the print edition a reality.

The project was created by women, written with a feminist queer perspective, with characters written from a place of empowerment, rather than the often sexualized women found in mainstream comics.

The graphic novel in progress depicts its main character, Sofia Spinoza, and her frustration at the human race for destroying the planet. Plants are given voices via monologues. Spinoza takes a job in a herb shop - never letting on to her co-workers that the plants are speaking to her, as the story unfolds.

The herb calendula waxes poetic, reminding us our cells are always regenerating, and that this beneficial plant’s flower opens with the sun, following it throughout the day. “Many are drawn to my sunny appearance,” the flower says. “I prefer to join forces, growing among other plant allies in the garden - a unity of forces supports a dynamic ecosystem - and with that comes a connection to the self and the great all-knowing.”

The plant Yarrow speaks as a warrior from the garden, with tales of resisting drought, and encouraging boundaries for those that connect to other’s energies. The plant asks for you to tune in, and love - for that will make you infinite.

Strong words from the plants to humans, but Russo says they speak to us all the time, we just need to know how to listen and accept their goodness.

“Mother nature is our greatest ally,” Russo surmises. “We just need to respectfully learn from her therapeutic wisdom.”

For more information and to support Herbs for the Apocalypse visit, https://www.herbsfortheapocalypse.com/

A crowd sourcing link to support the project is on the website.

First Lady of the West Coast

Medicating for the music for life

The First Lady of the West Coast (FLOWC), otherwise known as 1st Lady, hails from Oakland, California. She’s what we call a Renaissance woman, a poet, singer songwriter, music producer, entrepreneur, and cannabis cultivator - there’s nothing she can’t do once she sets her mind to it.

First isn’t just a word in her name, she’s also the first black female cannabis farmer to have her own line of cultivars, under her company, HERBOLC. The line began  in 2016, with her first cultivar, First Lady of the West Coast Kush, then Black Girl Magic OG, December Nights OG, and Shirley Ross OG, also known as, SRG.

Black Girl Magic OG is an Indica dominant hybrid, 70 percent Indica and 30 percent Sativa, with a high terpene profile of Myrcene, A-Pinene, Limonene, and beta-Caryophyllene (BCP).

The term Black Girl Magic comes from a movement begun by CaShawn Thompson began in 2013, as a way to “celebrate the beauty, power and resilience of black women,” as well as congratulate them on their accomplishments, as penned in part by Julee Wilson of the HuffPost.

FLOWC Kush, aka: Flowc Kush, is a Sativa dominant hybrid, 60 percent Sativa and 40 percent Indica, said to be dripping with trichomes.

Shirley Ross OG is a new cultivar currently being tested, with the 1st Lady, stating it feels Indica heavy. This cultivar was created to honor her grandmother, Shirley, who passed away on July 25, 2019.

December Nights OG is another new cultivar, also pending testing, with the 1st Lady, adding, “This one feels Indica dominant, with a fruity-loop fragrance and taste.” She’s especially looking forward to finishing up and introducing this cultivar that Joseph “Resin” Rezenee, the man who taught her to grow in Oakland. The cultivar was gifted to her from Resin and named by her Godson.

Rezenee was formerly with Harborside Wellness, the Oakland dispensary founded by the DeAngelo brothers, Steve and Andrew. She initially came to Rezenee with a list of her own symptoms to address via a cultivar, namely depression and mood swings from a diagnosis of Bi-Polar Disorder.

“When I was 17, I closed my eyes and said to myself, ‘God, can you hear me? It would be really dope to have my own cultivar line,’” she explained. “I manifested this, but Resin taught me to grow.”

Another muse and teacher, Duke of Erb, is her breeder, helping her to develop all her cultivars - including the iconic, Black Girl Magic OG.

“His last name is Erb, so I think that’s hella cool,” she added.

Treating Herself with Weed

Her mother was a Police Officer for the City of Oakland, creating a precarious situation for experimenting with cannabis at home. One day, while her mom was at work, she and some friends decided to smoke weed for the first time out in the backyard of her family home. Scared and paranoid, initially, once the feeling settled in, she knew it was helping her.

“The first time I smoked I knew it was medicine,” she shared. “I had attempted suicide as a teenager several times, and had been prescribed a lot of pharmaceuticals, but it all made me feel like a zombie and I was not productive. But God had a plan for me - I’m supposed to be here.”

After smoking, the 1st Lady said she felt alert and alive for the first time in her life.

“I felt creative again for the first time in a long time,” she continued. “I could run and exercise, and it really lifted me out of the depression.”

The effects of merely smoking cannabis are numerous, and include treating depression, quelling anxiety, and opening up the third eye, allowing creativity to flow.. The 1st Lady said she began sneaking off to get high or self medicate with cannabis, purposefully, ignoring her doctor’s warnings.

“My doctor said that treating my depression with cannabis was the stupidest thing he’d ever heard of,” she said. “Every single one of my doctors said they would report me to the police if I continued self-medicating with the plant. So, I just stopped talking to them about it. I knew what was helping and what wasn’t.”

Daily Dosing for Bi-Polar Disorder

A paper published in 1998 by PubMed, co-authored by the late-great Dr. Lester Grinspoon, past Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, stated that cannabis acts as a mood stabilizer in bipolar disorder.

The paper reports anecdotal stories from patients suffering from the disorder, successfully treating symptoms with cannabis, stating that the plant helps to relieve symptoms far better than conventional pharmaceuticals. 

One woman said it curbed her manic rages. Others said it allowed them to reduce the amount of prescribed mood stabilizers. 

Important to note, cannabis is an enhancer, and why opioid use declines in states where cannabis is allowed.

Current patients this writer has profiled agree that cannabis does indeed stabilize their extreme mood swings, though many articles found online suggest that too much THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the compound within the plant that when heated causes a psychoactive response, can also trigger psychosis and neurosis, associated with the disorders manic episodes. 

Too much THC can also trigger anxiety, and patients must be proactive in the way they medicate. Smoking alone may not be enough, as the patient or partaker is only getting a fraction of the beneficial compounds by burning the flower. 

Using concentrates, such as smoking dabs or vaping, or ingesting low amounts of medibles seems to add to the efficacy, stating it gives them an overall feeling of well being for a longer amount of time.

Rise & Shine

When the First Lady wakes, she bakes. Not to just get high, but to lift endorphins - which is really the same thing. Not stoned, which comes from the drinking culture of alcohol. Cannabis literally lifts endorphins and creates dopamine in the brain, successfully treating depression for many.

“I usually start my day with an Indica Hybrid of my own Black Girl Magic OG,” she said of her morning ritual. “I’ll smoke about a gram or more, depending on how I’m feeling. I love starting my day with an Indica or a cultivar with citrus.”

The citrus flavored terpene is called limonene, and is found in oranges, limes, lemons, etc. It’s benefits include aiding stress, anxiety and depression. One theory on terpenes is, the fragrance and taste you are attracted to are the ones your body needs. So, it makes sense, with a diagnosis of Bi-Polar, that this particular terpene is a favorite of the First Lady.

Often she’ll make a smoothie using raw cannabis leaves with ginger, turmeric, and beet juice with honey and two teaspoons of sea moss. 

A study published in the National Library of Medicine’s site, PubMed, findings indicate that increasing fruit and vegetable intake for just two weeks treats depression. Making the old adage, you are what you eat, more true than ever.

 “I love the benefits juicing cannabis leaf with fruits and veggies brings to my body,” she said. “Raw cannabis juice is full of nutrients, and is just as beneficial as kale and spinach.”

In fact, like kale, spinach, oregano, and a plethora of beneficial herbs, cannabis is a superfood. Meaning, it has the most beneficial compounds, able to address all of our biological systems, while strengthening our immune system. 

Top of the list for benefits from many plants is addressing chronic inflammation, which is the root of many evils, or illnesses, in our modern world, including chronic pain.

Mid-day Medicating

By afternoon, she says a good Sativa is necessary for an energy lift.

“Straight Sativa cultivars are my go-to to get my creativity going,” she said. “I love it, because it adds a warm vibe and allows me to be creative, giving me new ideas for music. It’s also a good help with reading and studying - one of my favorite things to do. Mainly, it helps me focus, as well as brightens my mindset.”

Another paper published in the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed, details the benefits and differences of Sativa, stating that Sativa cultivars are found to reduce the brain’s reuptake of serotonin, acting like the SSRI class of antidepressants, such as Fluoxetine and Sertraline. In boosting the amount of serotonin present in the brain, the right dose of Sativa has antidepressant effects.

Nighttime is for Ingesting

Sometimes those suffering from insomnia need a little bit more of the plant to simmer down from the day and get much needed rest. Ingesting cannabis induces REMs, or the Rapid Eye Movement part of sleep that gives us the biggest recharge. Without deep sleep the body can’t sufficiently regenerate, reset, and heal.

 “I’ll smoke at night, but I’m a night owl, so I’m up getting work done” she said. “I’ll do a mix of CBD infused medibles, like Space Candy. This gives me a more settled down mood, and I might listen to a little jazz, or do some cooking or watch a movie. CBD takes the edge off the day and allows me to relax - sometimes I’ll take an early evening nap before getting into a project.”

She also smokes Indica at night, adding a blunt at the end of her work night, before bedtime.

From the same NLM paper, Indica stimulates the endocannabinoid system in the modulation of a neurochemical called GABA, which then regulates dopamine release, also helping the patient to concentrate, treating anxiety, and subsequently, depression.

That said, one theory out there is that Indica and Sativa cultivars are unstable, and a full terpene and cannabinoid profile are desired - with certain terpenes leading the mood enhancing compounds.

“I like edibles, or medibles, but I save them for evening because they can sneak up on me,” she laughed. Lately, I’ve been developing product and edible lines, so I also taste test and experiment for effect.”

The distinction between and edible and a medible depends on what the partaker is using it for - to recreate or medicate. This writer likes to say, “medicate to recreate,” because really, it’s all the same. Even if you just want to get high, your body is still reaping the benefits of the medicinal compounds of the plant.

Music is her life, but cannabis enhances her experience of writing, singing, and producing for herself and others. The plant keeps her mentaly and physically, on track, and able to support others in their creative endeavors.

“While I enjoy the euphoria of smoking, cannabis is and always will be plant-based medicine for me,” she surmised. “The lyrics I write are meant to remind and inspire young men and women, and to remind them that they are Kings and Queens. Women hear the word b*tch so much - especially in rap music, they forget who they are. Not just black women, but women of all colors. I’ve learned to love myself and cannabis has been a big part of that.”

Study showing increased fruits and vegetables treat depression:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5902672/ 

Cannabinoid Receptors and the Endocannabinoid System/Stativa vs. Indica: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5877694/ 

Dr. Lester Grinspoon paper on treating bipolar with cannabis:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9692379/

Carrie Mapes and Patty Pappas

Founders of Hello Again

Two women discover cannabis for menopause and get to work on the V-force

Carrie Mapes and Patty Pappas founded Hello Again in February of 2020. Their company and its mission are focused on helping with menopause and hormonal issues with women, after discovering help from cannabis for the malady themselves.

“Neither of us had a relationship with cannabis until quite recently,” Carrie Mapes, co-founder said. “We’ve been friends for 20 years and have shared countless martini moments, but cannabis wasn’t our wellness or recreational preference.”

Carrie Mapes earned both a BA and a MEd in Education from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). She met her husband in college, and went on to teach in both private and public elementary schools, instructing students with learning differences, and publishing teaching guides.

Patty Pappas was born in Argentina, lived in Washington D.C., with most of her schooling done in Los Angeles. She returned to the east coast, attending the American University in Washington D.C., where she earned a BA in Communications. After returning to Los Angeles, she met her husband, George.

Both women now have grown children, with both stepping into the second chapter of their lives, ironically, consumed with the healing powers of cannabis.

Finding the V-Force

When cannabis was decriminalized in California, the two said they went to their first dispensary visit together, out of sheer curiosity.

“What we saw changed the course of the next chapter in our lives and our personal wellness practices,” Mapes added. “We learned that cannabis addresses many of the unwanted physical experiences we and our friends were experiencing because of menopause - namely, anxiety, mood swings, sleep and body temperature regulation.”

The two were intrigued, but still did not want the “high” from the THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the compound that causes euphoria. 

“We aimed to use cannabinoids to balance our physical, emotional and cognitive systems, so that we could get on with the business of our lives,” she said. “Our use of cannabis began when we created a product to help ourselves - vaginal suppositories.”

Using suppositories to deliver the beneficial compounds of plants into the bloodstream is nothing new. Around the world, pharmacies are stocked with plant-based remedies, with suppositories the most common delivery. With cannabis, using suppositories causes no head high, as the process is said to bypass the digestive system and liver.

Hormones, can we talk?

Hello Again Everyday and Hello Again Sleep vaginal suppositories were created with the realization that many women could have relief.

“Menopause is different for everyone,” Pappas said. “I got really tired of walking into rooms and forgetting why I was there. At night I had to put towels down, because the night sweats would soak through the sheets every night. The hot flashes were agonizing five or six times a day. It felt like someone was turning up my thermostat to one hundred and five.”

The name of the company, Hello Again, refers to the feeling of being themselves again, after struggling with myriad menopausal symptoms.

“We formulated Hello Again for the major side effects of menopause - namely, night sweats, hot flashes, low energy, brain fog, moodiness, anxiety, sleep disturbance, and vaginal pain and dryness,” Pappas explained. “But the products have proven to help with many additional issues, including the pain of endometriosis, bursitis, arthritis, low libido, and many inflammation-related conditions. As a bonus, Carrie’s restless leg syndrome has quieted and the chronic pain she had in her thumb subsided.”

A day in the Life

Pappas’ day begins using Hello Again Everyday suppositories, and a Hello Again Sleep suppositories at night.

“The effects of the suppositories last up to six hours,” Pappas shared. “Carrie, on the other hand, found that semi-regular use keeps her systems in balance. She uses both the day and nighttime dose about every third day.”

Mapes added that if she knows she has a big day - especially one where she wants to be articulate, she’ll use the Everyday suppository that morning, purposefully, for increased mental clarity.

“The female reproductive tract is dense with cannabinoid receptors for fast, local relief,” Pappas explained. “The vaginal mucosa is rich with blood vessels and capillaries for systemic absorption. This means the THC can be utilized without the psychoactive effect.”

Other products added to their daily dose over time is personal care product company, Beboe Therapies’ face oil, a rich combination of essential oils from safflower, rosehip, grapeseed, avocado, sea buckthorn, squalane, coconut, pomegranate oils, and alfalfa extract.

“We also enjoy Mary’s Medcinal’s 1:1 transdermal patches,” Pappas said. “They work great, especially after a day filled with a lot of exercise or activity.”

Although the two said they still enjoy a nice glass of wine or a cocktail at the end of the day, they agree that they’ve been less able to metabolize the alcohol.

“We’ve each come to really appreciate cannabis-based beverages as a cocktail replacement,” Mapes said. “Cann and Chill beverages are nice, as Cann is a lower dose, and Chill can be made, stored, and enjoyed in lower dosages over the course of a few days.”

Saying, “Hello Again,” to yourself, as a woman going through menopause is huge. For years women kept the malady to themselves, thinking that only hot flashes were an indication of the time of life. But menopause, or hormonal deficiencies, such as Thyroid Disease, come with myriad symptoms, with most of them emotionally-based. 

“We believe in the wisdom and power of women,” Pappas surmised. “And we are one hundred percent committed to helping them feel like themselves, so they can live to their fullest potential. Who wouldn’t want to come out of the brain fog of menopause and feel themselves again? The two little words, Hello Again, speak volumes.”

For more information on Hello Again visit, www.helloagain.com 

For more information on Beboe face products visit, www.beboetherapies.com 

Sharon Letts

A Daily Dose of Persecution

Ten years a cannabis patient, ten years in judgement

Ten years ago, on October, 2012, the day the ultrasound technician looked at my oncologist and said, “It must be a technical error,” was the day that changed my life forever. Healthwise, for the good, but the persecution that followed would be a battle with ignorance I’m still fighting ten years later.

I use the word ignorance in its true sense of the word, not to belittle anyone. Ignorance is ignoring a truth. But, if the truth is hidden and distorted, it’s not their fault. The fault lies at the feet of the distractor. The larger question is, why are they distracting and to what end?

My Truth, My Cross to Bear

I was in mainstream media and had been for ten years prior to using cannabis oil to treat Lobular Carcinoma, a rare, spider-web-like-mass in my right breast. My story has been told many times, but the part of my backstory I haven’t written about includes the judgment and persecution felt and received from every aspect of my life ever since.

When I was in mainstream media I was respected and trusted. Today might be different, as media in general has been tainted as biased - but, for the most part, as a features writer documenting human interest stories; and a documentarian, field and segment producer from television prior, my work was a source of great pride for me - with a livable income.

But, from the minute the ultrasound showed that the mass in my breast was gone, with that first sentence from the technician showing disbelief, my unchosen path of persecution was set before me. 

If I had been a different person I may have kept it to myself, aware of the reality and ramifications it would have on my career and my pocketbook -  but, I am my mother’s daughter, and she did not sit on her hands when there was something or someone to defend.

Persecution is Personal

When I was in-house as the lead features writer for the Times-Standard in Eureka, in Northern California, I had the opportunity to talk with then District Attorney, Paul Gallegos, about why cannabis farms and patients under the legal medical laws in California were still being raided and sentanced under Federal jurisdiction in Humboldt County.

His reply was stunning, as he implicated friends, family, neighbors and exes as culprits in reporting cannabis grows and patients. Humans hating on humans was main reason raids and persecution still persisted in the cannabis capital of the world.

To give another perspective, here I was from mainstream media, with weed treating cancer, no longer on pharma, with the knowledge that thousands of people are languishing in prison for a plant.

My own personal persecution began quickly in just about every aspect of my life, including my own doctor at the time doubting me. I soon found a new doctor who not only listened to me, but learned through observing my healing to feel comfortable enough to talk to her patients about their own cannabis use.

Other discrimination soon followed, including the Automobile Club of America Assoc (AAA) rejecting the renewal of my longtime life insurance policy. As a single mother, wishing to leave something behind for her child, this was a huge blow.

My ex and I separated, then parted. During the hearing for support, he too played the drug card, in an effort to discredit me. This forced me to present a photo of him hitting a four foot long joint at 4:20 during a High Times Cup I was covering. All that pain and embarrassment for a plant that should have never been prohibited in the first place.

Technical Errors Abound

The letter sent to me after my six month follow-up mammogram/ultrasound from Humboldt Radiology stated that there was indeed a large area of scar tissue where the mass once was and that it must have been from “a prior surgery,” even though I’ve never had surgery in either breast before or since.

Because I was never diagnosed, with the mass gone in two and a half months before a biopsy could be done, I’m now part of a 30 years study with the American Cancer Society on Prevention. 

After the first questionnaire only asked if I “smoked marijuana,” I wrote the director, who then corresponded with me directly, adding intelligent questions on using cannabis as medicine, ingesting, and more, per my request to subsequent questionnaires.

Healer Not Dealer

I moved down to Baja California, giving me the financial freedom to continue to do this work full-time. The cute little cottage on the beach I first moved into was awesome at $350 a month, but it came with a conservative neighbor in his 70s, who immediately began gossiping in the community that I was a drug dealer. 

It’s true, I had little old ladies lining up at my door on apothecary days picking up salve, tinctures, and infused honey for pain, sleep, and more. Guilty as charged.

My poor neighbors became confused, though, as shortly after I moved in I posted photos of myself with Tommy Chong at his home in Los Angeles. Is she a drug dealer for Tommy Chong? Is she a drug-runner, a mule? 

The following month I posted photos of myself, again, with Melissa Etheridge, at her home in Los Angeles. It was enough to drive the gossip mongers mad.

And it’s important to note, those same little old ladies who picked up the remedies, didn’t invite me to their parties or gatherings. I was helping them, but they didn’t necessarily want to be seen with me. Far cry from my days in mainstream media, when I would have been invited as a special guest.

Since then, I’ve had every landlord and many neighbors judge me and try to play the drug card, to no avail. I say, bring it on. If anything happens to me it’s an international story in the cannabis space, and just another educating moment of advocacy for the plant.

The Shape of the Drug Card

Playing the drug card is a one-size fits all type of deal, and easy due to the decades long negative stigma. I get it. The U.S. Government did an excellent job of demonizing a plant that can heal humans. Well played.

It’s a no-brainer to judge, as the “stoner jokes” are already there. It’s common knowledge that we are stupid, slow, easily distracted, and unproductive. No matter that I must smoke a bit to medicate to focus to write, and that I smoked all through the writing of this piece - my copy and my conscience is clean.

On another note, take away the psychoactive compound tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and cannabis is just another boring beneficial plant no one will give a shit about. 

And to be fair, it’s not the plant’s fault either. We as a species upped the THC to the heights we have today. We alone caused the controversy. 

The thing is, if the cancer didn’t go away, and if I hadn’t also done away with upwards of ten pharmaceuticals and supplements for myriad ailments and disorders at the same time, I might not have fully believed in the plant enough myself to do this work..

If it was all a lie - if my entire body of work is based on misinformation and exaggerations about the plant and its benefits, then that would make me a psychopath, right? How could I write about all these miraculous stories of healing for all these years if it wasn’t true unless I was completely delusional?

And what of the patients I’ve interviewed all these years who have been helped? Are they all lying about the efficacy of the plant? What would the motive be just to feel better? After ten years my list of questions is still longer than the truth I already know.

What I’ve learned

Even before crossing over from mainstream media to the cannabis space I practiced the fine art of protecting oneself from mass criticism, with the best advice given, to keep my blinders on and do good work in the face of great persecution.

I’ve learned the lesson of refraining from being a zealot for the plant. I’ve learned the painful lesson of not trying to make poster children out of celebrities who come out about their use. And I’ve learned that the plant isn’t for everyone. It’s a niche remedy right now, at best, and we who know about its healing powers (and workable dosing) are privileged in this knowledge.

I’ve also learned that you can’t ask or expect the masses to fully educate themselves until the U.S. Federal Government acknowledge the medicinal benefits of cannabis as a superfood, and removes it from Schedule 1, as a substance with no medicinal value.

Are we martyrs in the fight? I can only speak for myself and say, this work is a calling. I had no choice. I already had a voice and a pen, and I know nothing happens without a reason. I was called down this path, and my blinders continue to be firmly on. Thank you for reading.

Follow Sharon Letts on Facebook & LinkedIn, Instagram @sharoneletts Twitter @sharonletts 

For more information about Sharon’s work and her cancer story visit her website, www.sharonletts.com 
Essay by Sharon Letts, Educating Doctors: Talking to Your Physician About Using Cannabis, https://hightimes.com/health/patients-educating-doctors-talking-to-your-physician-about-using-cannabis/

Daily Dose of Green Viagra

Cannabis oil as Viagra Replacement?

Bonus benefits in the bedroom.

Many who take cannabis oil for serious ailments often get a bonus in finding help with other ailments and disorders in the process. 

My own story reflects this, as in 2012 I presented with cancer, Lobular Carcinoma, a spider web-like mass in my right breas. Because I was working in media in Humboldt County in Northern California at the time, I was given the strong cannabis oil by longtime farmer and apothecary, Pearl Moon, of the Bud Sisters of Southern Humboldt. 

I was given the oil to treat the cancer, but after two and a half weeks, all the pharmaceuticals I’d been taking for more than ten years fell away, with hormonal symptoms from Thyroid Disease and menopause quelled.

The first night I took the oil I no longer needed the sleeping pill I’d taken for years, the next day I found I no longer needed the pain killer for a proposed knee replacement (subsequently canceled).

This happened because superfoods, like cannabis, address all 11 of our biological systems via the endocannabinoid system, which accepts plant-based compounds into our bodies in order to create homeostasis, or a place where illness can not dwell.

Replacing Viagra

For the past ten years since my cancer experience, I’ve learned how to make my own remedies with plants. This is not uncommon after being helped with the plant, especially after replacing numerous pharmaceuticals successfully.

Another thing that happens is, you begin helping friends, family, and your community at large. Since learning how to make my own remedies I’ve helped hundreds, with myriad ailments quelled or lessened.

One man (who shall remain anonymous) came to me with advanced symptoms of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD. He had heard that cannabis might at least help him sleep better at night, as he had labored breathing, a rattle, and a nasty cough.

Typically caused by years of smoking cigarettes, with permanent lung damage that gets progressively worse, symptoms of COPD include breathing difficulty, coughing, mucus (sputum) production and wheezing.

COPD is the leading cause of death in the U.S., with more than 16.4 diagnosed, and many suffering without knowing it. A terminal illness, there is no treatment to cure the disease. Stopping smoking tobacco can only help slow the dire symptoms down.

I had helped a few others in treating COPD. If they are used to the high THC, they can take cannabis oil capsules at bedtime or as needed, with excellent results. Rattle gone, breathing easier, cough diminished. Patients admit to doing away with steroid inhalers altogether, or their use is cut down drastically. 

While we do not know the extent of healing in the lungs by ingesting cannabis oil,  we do know that cannabis and other beneficial plant compounds can regenerate healthy tissue in the body. My own observations in helping people with this disease have shown that cannabis, with it’s antiinflammatory and healing properties, practically puts the nasty ailment into remission.

The man in question that I helped is in his early 70s, and hasn’t smoked cigarettes in many years, and doesn’t smoke cannabis.

Since he wasn’t used to the high THC, I made him suppositories, as there is no head high and you can take a larger dose at one time to treat serious ailments more quickly (up to one gram of oil mixed with coconut in each dose).

After some months of administering a suppository every night, with multiple orders, this man had a confession. He felt he reached a plateau in treating his COPD, as the symptoms were lessened substantially, but he wanted to keep doing them as the treatment simultaneously helped with another situation that previously needed a prescription pharmaceutical of Viagra.

Almost embarrassed to tell me, but he really wanted me to know, as he was so happy about the bonus. The end result of his taking the cannabis oil nightly was to be able to pleasure his girlfriend and continue enjoying the sex life they had loved so much - without the added help of the little blue pill.

It’s going on three years now of him taking the suppositories and he looks healthier than ever, and is still going strong in bed. And the COPD? What COPD? No longer an issue.

Got Studies?

A simple search shows many articles on CBD relieving anxiety, offering some help with Erectile Dysfunction (ED), but nothing conclusive.

The help I’ve observed as a self taught Apothecary, was done using whole plant cannabis, with the THC activated, not just one compound of cannabidiol, or CBD.

One theory on how this works is similar to how a healthy human body functions more efficiently than a non-healthy body. Beneficial plants in a healthy diet increase positive body functions, reduce inflammation and infection, create dopamine in the brain and lift endorphins as quick as a morning jog (which also lifts the libido or sexual drive). 

The same theory applies to treating depression. A study found that increasing fruits and vegetables in the diet for just two weeks can lift someone out of depression, giving them an overall sense of well-being.

When everything in the body is functioning properly, the libido isn’t left out.

With all the talk of “what cultivar should I smoke before having sex?” the true healing happens when we ingest cannabis and other beneficial plants, creating a healthy and happy human - in and out of bed.

Cannabis Oil Recipe (suppositories or capsules)

4 cups ground plant material (small buds, stem and leaf – whole plant)

1 liter grain alcohol (high proof, 90 percentile)

Cover the ground plant material with the solvent, and let soak for up to five minutes*

Strain in a fine mesh or sheet and pour into a rice cooker, set it to warm, leave the lid open

It should take between three to four hours to cook down

They may be plant matter in brown chunks, do not use this. Tilt the rice cooker insert to pool the oil, and carefully uptake from the clear liquid.

You will have a thick, brown resin remaining. These are the essential oils of the plant, where the medicine is.

Just prior to the final reduction, add two tablespoons of coconut oil to the mix. This will keep it from burning (ruining the medicine). Adding coconut is also a good delivery into the bloodstream.

I take a whiff of the mixture, as you can smell the alcohol if it hasn’t cooked off. With the coconut in there, it can sit a bit to make sure the alcohol has completely evaporated.

Using a measured pipette, using a capsule holder, fill caps with 1 milliliter of the mixture. If there is any alcohol (or water from weak solvent) in the mix, the capsule will melt. Test by filling one up and checking.

For suppositories, use 1 gram of oil mixed with coconut, pour into suppository molds using pipette.

Keep in the refrigerator to solidify and keep fresh. This essential oil is precious, use it in a timely manner for freshness and efficacy.

Suggested dosing: 

One one millimeter suppository taken rectally, nightly

One capsule taken orally at night, or as needed every three to four hours for serious ailments/illness.

*Longer soaks have shown lower numbers of beneficial compounds, diluted by too much chlorophyll.

For more recipes and information on cannabis oil visit, www.sharonletts.com/apothecary

Follow Sharon on Instagram @sharoneletts Twitter @sharonletts LinkedIn and Facebook.

A day in the life of The Mommy Jane

Jessica Gonzalez

California cannabis patient, The Mommy Jane, aka: Jessica, emerged on Instagram this past year and has become a major influencer in a short amount of time for young mothers choosing to medicate and recreate safely with cannabis.

Like many young mothers, in the past, Jessica found stress relief in a glass of wine at the end of her parenting day. Her unhealthy lifestyle caused her to gain substantial weight, and over time, the alcohol stopped being a positive factor.

As a young adult, she said there wasn’t a waking moment of her day that didn’t’ include partaking of cannabis, stating “Before my feet hit the floor, the cold pipe was to my lips, ready to give me a good morning kiss and start my day with a pep in my step.”

But it would be 15 years before she realized the plant as remedy for chronic anxiety and various phobias.

“My anxiety, depression, PTSD, mood swings, menstrual cramps, and a 100 pound weight loss, are all treated and attributed to cannabis and other plant-based remedies,” she shared. “To me, it’s a no-brainer that a majority of humans could benefit from daily cannabis use, in one form or another. Do I believe everyone needs to be consuming high doses of THC? No, I don’t, but I do feel that there are many other benefits to non-psychoactive parts of the plant that humans of all ages can benefit from – including children and pets.”

With her daughters in school, Jessica’s day begins before the sun comes up, giving her meditating, medicating, gym, and much needed mommy time. It’s also a time for her first live-feed of the day to her thousands of followers on Instagram, as The Mommy Jane.

“I initially medicate as early as 5:30 in the morning, typically with a Sativa-Indica hybrid, or a THCa Indica-heavy tincture – which takes the edge off without tickling the brain too much,” she explained. “I’m what most cannabis consumers refer to as a micro-doser – only taking a hit or two, giving me relief and calm for a couple of hours at a time.”

THCa is the compound within the plant that can cause psychoactive activity when heated, turning it into THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol. Non-psychoactive tincture made in a cold-process is a good way to medicate throughout the day with no head-high.

“Because I have driving anxiety, I dose myself with a dropper-full of Tonic CBD tincture before driving my daughters to school, which equals about 30 milligrams and contains CBD, MCT, and other essential oils – or terpenes - that keep me anxiety-free and ready to take on the world!” she exclaimed with confidence.

According to WebMD, Medium-chain triglycerides, or MCTs, are partially man-made fats created by processing coconut and palm kernel oils in the laboratory. In comparison, most dietary fats are “long-chain triglycerides.” MCTs are used as remedy for myriad ailments, including diarrhea, celiac disease, gallbladder disease, AIDS, cystic fibrosis, seizures in children and liver disease, to name a few.

“When I return from dropping the girls off I medicate with flower or a cannabis vape pen – again, only taking one or two hits,” she continued. “I may have an additional dose of CBD oil about 30 minutes before I pick up the kids in the afternoon. This second dose is for driving, but also social anxiety, which are two of my strongest issues with drop-off and pick-up.”

Jessica said she’s proud of her responsible use of cannabis, adding that without the help of a doctor’s knowledge on the subject, it’s taken her a long time to find the proper dosing for her ailments – as well as learning how to include these types of remedies into her lifestyle as mom and homemaker.

“By evening I taper off my use, unless we are going out – then, I bring my vape pen along and use it instead of having a glass of wine or popping a Xanax,” she shared. “I’m an active parent, and because I start my day so early I want to keep as much energy at night for my children, so my last medicating moment of the day typically happens at 4:20 in the afternoon – typically with a live chat on Instagram. Otherwise, I wait until the kids are in bed to have mommy time.”

Her menstrual cycle is another story, and as any patient dealing with chronic ailments, dosing is ramped up for specific illness or disorders.

“If I’m in my moon cycle, then I’m all about the medibles,” she said. “I have a high tolerance for ingesting, and it takes about 100 milligrams to take care of the pain, including using cannabis vaginal suppositories the first two days. Modern medicine never gave me relief from cramps – so every time I’m able to consume a natural plant-based medicine, I say a prayer and know that this is why I fight every day on social media to end the stigma, so that everyone who wants plant-based relief has the right to choose.”

Cannabis infused bath bombs are favorite go-to for relief during mommy time in the tub, among other favorite products.

“The CannaBomb makes unforgettable CBD bath bombs and salts that I use at least once a week,” she said. “Sanna Canna makes a full-flower hemp oil appropriately named ‘Avilia,’ which I love for aches and pains; and Queen Canna’s beauty line that includes a face tonner spray and serum has been life-changing. Honestly, I don’t know how I lived without the topicals.”

While she’s grateful for the plethora of professional products available now in California, at the end of the day it’s the homemade kitchen apothecary products she covets the most.

“At night I enjoy a cup of tea with homemade chamomile infused honey to take the day’s edge off – which is something I learned from the woman writing this story, Sharon Letts,” she explained. “Sharon taught me that you can infuse many products we use every day with healing herbs other than cannabis, which ultimately boost your wellness routine.”

Jessica believes that as a civilization humans need to get back to the basics of health care and prevention – and that needs to start at home, from the garden.

“Basic health care begins in the produce isle at the market and at the nurseries selling beneficial plants. Plant-based remedies should be as common as taking daily vitamins. I believe cannabis is at the core of the movement that can lead us back to prevention with plants, and our doctors need education on this subject as much as we do. In my heart I know cannabis has helped me to be a better mom and a more loving wife to my husband.”

Follow The Mommy Jane on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/themommyjane/

For more information on the products mention visit,

Tonic https://cbd-oil.solutions/cbd-brands/tonic-cbd/

Cannabomb https://thecannabomb.com/

SannaCanna http://www.healsanacanna.com/

A day in the life of Jay Jackson

Laganja Estranja

Celebrity and California cannabis patient, Jay Jackson, has been a physical performer since childhood. At 28 he’s also acquired a lifetime of physical pain from his demanding dance moves as infamous Drag Queen/dancer, Laganja Estranja.

Jackson, as Laganja, has been featured on RuPaul’s Drag Race (season six), and more recently, he was chosen as the first professional drag queen on mainstream television show, So You Think You Can Dance.

Growing up in the conservative state of Texas, he had his fair share of bullying; with his saving grace, a family who loved and supported him, no matter what his sexual identity was.

“As a young Gay man in Texas, I was picked on a lot,” Jackson explained. “Because of my outlandish style, I called a lot of attention to myself and was often put down. My older sister had come out of the closet before me, making my family more open and aware of my needs. I was fortunate in that way.”

By the time he was attending college at Cal Arts in Los Angeles, a back injury prompted a chiropractor to suggest he try cannabis for the pain.

“Moving to Los Angeles really allowed me to explore my sexuality and individuality,” he continued. “The move also helped me physically and emotionally, because I found my medicine here.”

Jackson said, rather than “popping a million pills,” he’s able to medicate with cannabis in a variety of ways, for a variety of ailments, including chronic pain.

While home in Los Angeles, Jackson’s day might begin with a good soak in the tub, using one of his favorite products, Papa & Barkley’s medicated bath salts, for an overall reduction in inflammation after a rigorous tour performing, or a late night on stage.

As a Drag Queen with a demanding performance of pretzel-twisting and back-breaking moves, soft tissue pain and aching joints aren’t the only issues he contends with. The very taping of his genitals in costume causes extreme discomfort that few are aware of.

Using topical lotions in combination with smoking, vaporizing, and ingesting gives him an overall “entourage effect,” with much needed relief in all areas.

“I’ve noticed that, for me, the intake of CBD is crucial to my daily regimen, and I routinely use a vape pen to deliver the compound into my system throughout the day,” he shared. “In the past I’ve used standard medication for emotional issues, with little positive results. For me, CBD works well as a daily preventive and control for depression, anxiety, and mood stabilization.”

In the evening, Jackson said, he’ll ingest a medible for a deep sleep, and to regulate his sleeping patterns – often askew after a tour.

“As someone who travels more than I’m home, it’s difficult to follow a regular dosing regimen – especially since I perform around the world and throughout the country, where cannabis isn’t always legal for medicine or recreation,” he explained. “When I’m home in Los Angeles, I can medicate as needed throughout the day.”

His drag persona, Laganja Estranja, is a tribute to the plant that helps him on a regular basis; it’s also a banner he wears with pride.

“As a drag queen, a cannabis activist, and someone who has a social media presence, I believe it’s my obligation to promote the responsible use of cannabis and to educate others on the plant’s healing properties,” he surmised. “Lord only knows, I’d be in a world of hurt without it.”

For more information on Jay Jackson, and performances by Laganja Estranja visit, www.laganjaestranja.com

A Day in the Life of Jane West

Co-founder Women Grow; CEO Jane West, Inc.

Jane West came into the cannabis space in Denver shortly after Colorado legalized recreational use. Her successful monthly cannabis social events, via her company, Edible Events & Co., brought positive and negative attention, causing her to lose her comfortable and lucrative corporate day job, after holding a vape pen during a television interview promoting the events.

Her name became a brand overnight, forcing her into the cannabis space full time, while simultaneously causing her to look at her lifestyle choices differently.

“I’m not a card carrying medical cannabis patient, so technically, I don’t have a list of ailments or symptoms I medicate for” she explained. “But, I also don’t feel the term ‘recreational user’ fits me either. The language downplays the wide ranging ripple effect of benefits the plant brings to my life.”

West refers to her daily use as a “healthy habit,” promoting wellness, preventing against illness, and giving her a general overall feeling of well-being to her often hectic life of wife, mother, and CEO of her eponymous lifestyle brand, Jane West, Inc.

Her brand includes a high end line of glass products by Grav Labs, designed specifically around how she integrates cannabis into her busy life. The line includes stylish one hitters with a stash in travel cases, and glass pipes and bongs pretty enough to sit on a coffee table in shades of cobalt blue and jadeite green.

This year she added a line of CBD infused coffee, as well as CBD capsules for day and nighttime use.

“My relationship to coffee has changed since adding my CBD infused line to my brand,” she shared. “I love coffee, and used to drink cup after cup until I crashed – ending up with the jitters and an upset, acidic and nervous stomach. The CBD is complementary to the coffee – it invigorates my morning in a positive way, with none of the aforementioned side effects.”

West’s brand of coffee is produced by SteepFuze, of Boulder, Colorado, working with national brands, infusing coffee and tea with CBD. One 12-ounce bag of the Jane West brand beans contain 240 milligrams of full-spectrum CBD, priced at $48 a bag.

West’s line includes a light roast from Costa Rica, and a dark roast of Mocha Java, responsibly sourced from Indonesia and Yemeni. The coffee beans are also certified organic, infused with full-spectrum CBD from hemp, grown in Colorado.

The words “full spectrum” are the tip off to the semantics of referring to non-psychoactive CBD as hemp. The U.S. Department of Agriculture allows the usage when a cannabis plant’s THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the psychoactive compound of the plant, has been hybridized down to .3 percent or less, with the non-psychoactive compound, CBD (cannabinoid), raised up to higher levels. Using the word hemp also allows the non-psychoactive CBD products to be shipped across state lines.

Aside from infused coffee, her morning dosing begins with a CBD capsule developed for her brand by Can-Tek Labs, based in Oklahoma City, Okalahoma. Can-Tek Labs’ partners with businesses in the U.S., providing hemp-based CBD formulations for ingestibles, tinctures, pet products, and cosmetics.

Each capsule contains 10 milligrams of full-spectrum hemp-derived CBD, with a nutritional rich profile that includes potassium, calcium, vitamins A, C, and Moringa - another superfood likened to the beneficial properties of cannabis. An anti-oxidant, Moringa is also an anti-inflammatory that combats and prevents infection.

West’s daytime capsule formulation includes phenylalanine, a natural essential amino acid and a building block of protein, associated with enhanced mood and increased concentration.

After a shower, favorite products include lotions by Mary Jane’s Medicinals, a Colorado company specializing in CBD topicals, founded by Dahlia Marten.

“Dahlia’s products are very therapeutic,” she explained. “They are great moisturizers, but the CBD also decreases inflammation and relaxes my muscles. Her lip balm is actually called, ‘Lip Bong,’ and I use it on my cuticles and temples, as well as on my lips. It’s a great product.”

One-hitters are a good way of keeping to a personal protocol. Using flower is included as part of West’s daily dose, stating she created her Solo one-hitter pipe purposefully, as she herself micro-doses often with just one hit.

“Based on my work load for that day, and the amount of focus needed, I’ll choose just one puff of a mellow Indica, like Flo,  or an uplifting Sativa, like Lemmiwinks in my Solo pipe.” she continued. “If I have a longer project, requiring more focus and attention to detail, I’ll choose a one of my Jane West, Day mini-joints of a stronger Sativa to clear my head.”

If she’s doing morning yoga, West said she’ll choose a calming Indica flower, taking just one puff prior to a session.

West eventually gave up alcohol over cannabis, stating that when the kids go to bed and other moms partake of wine to numb themselves, she prefers being uplifted with a relaxing stain of Indica.

“Using cannabis throughout the day in small amounts keeps me calm and relaxed, so it’s easier to get to sleep at night,” she shared. “But, if I’ve had a busy day and am feeling anxious, a nice Indica strain in the evening is welcome.”

Before bedtime West said she’ll take another CBD capsule for sleep and continued prevention. Her nighttime capsules also contain tryptophan, a precursor to serotonin and melatonin, associated with improved sleep. Tryptophan is also the compound found in turkey meat, which is known to cause drowsiness.

West’s last sesh of the evening is the most beneficial, in her mind.

“People say that cannabis makes you forgetful. But, forgetting can be as important as remembering,” West waxed poetic. “Cannabis helps me clear my mind of all the chatter. Rather than being kept up at night, obsessing on all the thoughts of the day, cannabis helps me tune out the noise. That’s why it’s a great mental health remedy, especially for we busy women.”

For more information on Jane West products visit, https://www.janewest.com/

For more information on Can-Tek Labs visit, https://purecannaceutical.com/

For more information on SteepFuze visit, https://steepfuze.com/

A day in the life of Farah Tariq, Esq.

Harvard Lawyer gets serious on cannabis as medicine & advocacy

Three years ago, Southern California born and raised Farah Tariq, crossed over from mainstream legal work in the corporate space to the cannabis industry, and has not looked back.

Tariq graduated high school at 17, then earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, with a minor in Management in just three years, close to home at UC Irvine. She then acquired a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law at the tender age of 23.

In New York, she worked for an international law firm, then was an in-house corporate attorney in technology; transitioning to corporate law in the cannabis space, working for several large-scale cannabis entities.

All the while, cannabis was her substance of choice, though she often had to hide it.

“Initially my cannabis use was at the end of the day, used to quell the stress of my in-house corporate law gig,” she said. “My boyfriend at the time, who was also an attorney, would have a glass of wine to take the edge off, but for me it was always cannabis.”

When she was in between jobs and looking for a niche in law, friends would ask what her passions were.

“The answer was always weed,” she laughed. “I started setting intentions toward the cannabis industry, but I thought that meant I’d have to leave New York. A friend of a friend was in the cannabis industry and told me about a cannabis company based in New York with subsidiaries in eleven states.”

Tariq said she was very interested, but feared she didn’t have the skill set to work in the space. 

“I met with the co-founder of the company when I was still in-house at Shazam, a music recognition app,” she said. “They were being bought up by Apple, so it was a good time for a move.”

Come to find out, this man was the only executive in the company who consumed cannabis, and he felt that it made a difference in hiring someone who had this understanding. 

“Being a lawyer, I was nervous admitting I smoked at all, but appreciated his perspective,” she added. “Now, I’m one hundred percent in agreement that people who have a relationship with the plant make better industry executives and employees.”

As for her move from the mainstream corporate world to cannabis, her stock answer had been that she saw the cannabis industry growing and that it was a good opportunity, but in reality it was her love for the plant that propelled her here.

Purposeful Partaking

A good girl throughout high school, Tariq was in Advanced Placement courses and in the GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) program prior. Her first experience with cannabis wasn’t until she was in college.

“At first I’d partake with my boyfriend who was a business major,” she shared. “The first time he offered it to me was when I had an ear ache - so I don’t really think I felt high, but it did help me sleep through the pain. He’d say, ‘If you don’t feel good, smoke - if you have a tummy ache, smoke.’ He seemed to have an understanding of the plant as medicine.”

The first semester at Harvard she smoked in the closet, then realized she and her best friend were both in their respective closets - with laughter, bonding, and self-medicating together ensuing.

“We were inseparable after that and spent every day smoking together,” she said. “No one was talking about cannabis at that time. But, Harvard is where I was quickly introduced to the culture of alcohol - with fellow students advising it was a necessary component of the program in order to get through. Many people smoked, but it was more covert. It was the excessive drinking that prevailed.”

Productive Patient

Over the years, Tariq said her consumption and methods have evolved. But, it wasn’t until lockdown during COVID, back at home with her family, working remotely for a California cannabis company, that she gained a deeper understanding of her use.

“I had never smoked and worked,” she explained. “The stigma there is great and I had a lot of guilt over wanting to medicate and work. But then I found I was actually more productive, and more focused with work when I smoked! Who knew?”

She also became more familiar with the cannabis community online from being home, and began having conversations about stigma, productivity, and the myths surrounding the plant - mainly fighting the stupid stoner stigma.

“I also came out to my family about my use after crossing over to work in the industry,” she said. “But they also saw how productive I was - not just in work, but in working out and taking care of myself, doing art and assorted hobbies. COVID and cannabis was an extremely productive time for me, and my productivity only increases as I use the plant in more productive ways.” 

Tariq said she recently found that ingesting cannabis oil taken in capsule form, mixed with half chamomile flower, helped her do away with a daily habit of using a steroid inhaler for chronic, seasonal asthma.

“Shortly after ingesting the concentrate I no longer needed the inhaler, which was nothing short of a revelation,” she said. “It’s known that cannabis is a major fighter of inflammation, but I’ve witnessed firsthand the efficacy.”

Ingesting cannabis, she said, gives her an overall feeling of well-being, with the additional benefit of not having to smoke as much throughout the day.

“I'll take one cannabis/chamomile oil capsule in the morning to start my day,” she explained. “If I’m upset or stressed, I may smoke earlier in the day, but it’s typically saved for relaxation at the end of the day or for social gatherings. Instead, I’ll take a chamomile coconut capsule to take the edge off.”

Stronger than a cup of calming tea, the chamomile capsules Tariq takes are made using a simple coconut infusion. Chamomile raises endorphins and creates dopamine in the brain, combatting depression (per study). It’s also calming, relieving anxiety.*

The cannabis/chamomile oil capsule is made with an alcohol reduction, often referred to as Full Spectrum Cannabis Oil (FECO), or the honorary name of Rick Simpson Oil (RSO) - the Canadian man who first began sharing the recipe more than 20 years ago.

Tariq has mastered making both infusions herself, and enjoys posting videos of recipes to social media.

“I love knowing how to make my own medicine,” she said. “But I will always love good flower. I also use vape pens on the go, and an electronic dab pen for smoking concentrates,” she said. “Before vape cartridges were made readily available I ate edibles often. When I worked in New York cannabis wasn’t yet legal for recreation, so edibles were more discrete.”

Real medicine in capsules, ingestibles via edibles or medibles, smoking flower, vaping - and dabbing are all modes of partaking this savvy Harvard Law Grad has expertly learned to use in productive and life-enhancing ways. 

“It took me a long time to be open about my use,” she concluded. “After all, I’m a lawyer - well-versed in the law. But, when you educate yourself on this plant, you realize most of the laws surrounding this plant are wrong and sorely misinformed. What I’ve learned is, cannabis is a superfood, a medicinal plant with many uses. And though I’m healthy with no serious ailments faced, I’ve found that cannabis is a welcome addition to my work and play. Strengthening the immune system and warding off illness is a bonus.” 

Follow Farah Tariq on Instagram @LitLawer 

*For more information on chamomile visit, www.sharonletts.com/apothecary 

Daily Dose, cannabis/chamomile oil recipe:

https://www.vegascannabismag.com/home-featured/daily-dose-reducing-replacing-opioids-with-cannabis-oil/

A day in the life of Jim McAlpine

Founder of the 420 Games

California cannabis patient and Northern California native, Jim McAlpine, founded the 420 Games - a health-minded event showcasing cannabis in a new light for endurance and pain management, shoving the stigma of the non-productive stoner off the proverbial couch for good.

He’s also founder of the mainstream San Francisco Ski & Snowboard Festival; and the New West Summit, a cannabis industry conference with a focus on education, also held in San Francisco each year.

McAlpine makes his home in Marin County, across the bay from San Francisco, with his wife and two kids. He’s a family man first, an athlete second, and a cannabis advocate a close third.

He first used cannabis in college for a diagnosed case of Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD); but, he’s admittedly been helped since with more than a sharper focus.

ADHD, as defined by the Mayo Clinic, is a chronic condition affecting millions of children, continuing into adulthood; with the main symptom, the inability to sustain attention on the task at hand, with impulsive behavior.

Typical medications for the disorder are stimulants, Adderall, Ritalin, and Concerta, with side effects that include, anxiety, chronic headaches, sleep disorders, weight loss, and increased heart rate.

According to Medical News Today.com, the medications are said to correct the levels of neurotransmitter in the brain, called Dopamine; and cannabis is said to have the same impact on those levels.

“Aside from needing cannabis for my ADHD, I also use it for anxiety, sleep and joint pain,” McAlpine shared. “It’s an amazing alternative to the many pharmaceutical drugs I’d been offered to take to deal with all my issues.”

A study found within the National Institute of Health’s website (NIH), cannabinoids (CBDs) are activate the cannabinoid receptors found within the body’s endocannabinoid system (eCS); signaling cytokine proteins which cause inflammation. CBDs help the body’s immune system fight off infection, while reducing inflammation, for a speedy recovery from sports and other injuries.

“Cannabis treats everything, as well as keeping me in a state of optimal health. It’s not a drug, it’s a holistic herb and vegetable – a superfood that’s part of my daily diet,” he added.

According to the Oxford Living Dictionary, a superfood is “a nutrient-rich food considered to be especially beneficial for health and well-being.”  In other words, food is food, buts superfoods are loaded with enough vitamins and minerals to build the immune system and help prevent illness.

To qualify as a superfood, a wide range of disorders and ailments must be helped from a single plant. A quick search of Real Farmacy.com, turned up a list of superfoods including, chamomile, tea tree, lemon balm, sage, comfrey, and stinging nettle, to name just a few of the extensive list.

Though mainstream lists of superfoods leave off cannabis, another search found many articles posing the question, is cannabis the next big thing in superfoods?

Since cannabis is a known anti-oxidant, fighting inflammation and infection; while building the immune system, it’s safe to say, the plant belongs on the superfoods list, via conductive reasoning alone.

McAlpine’s workout begins in the morning with minimal medicating, then increases mid-day via ingesting up to 50 milligrams of activated THC in a medible. His go-to is a little caramel made by, Choose Love, from Berkeley, California. Dosing is in 10 mg. increments, as needed.

In many states legal for cannabis as medicine, ordinances dictate 10 milligram packaging and dosing for safety and ease. Protocols include starting with a low dose, then waiting up to two hours or more for effect, then taking more, as needed. Titrating up to a higher dose or down to regulate dosing and tolerance is common, and can be compared to pharmaceutical dosing practices.

Throughout the day he’ll medicate as needed with a vaporizer pen, helping to reduce stress, anxiety, and to retain focus.

By nighttime, he’ll ingest another 100 to 150 milligrams of activated THC medibles before bedtime, giving him a good night’s sleep.

“I know if I take a good dose before bedtime, I’ll wake up feeling refreshed – having gotten some serious REMs. I’ll also have less inflammation in my body overall – meaning, less pain throughout my day, with no need for the prescription pain killers that used to slow me down.”

In an age of one state after another legalizing for use of cannabis as recreation, McAlpine feels its real use is for remedy, adding, “I don’t use it for intoxication or recreation, I use cannabis to just feel normal and productive on a day-to-day basis.”

Cannabis & pain, study National Institute of Health:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2828614/

British Journal of Anesthesia, paper on cannabis & pain:

https://academic.oup.com/bja/article/101/1/59/358987

Trial on pain management using cannabis:

http://n.neurology.org/content/68/7/515.short

A day in the Life of Annie King Garat

Marine Veteran, Military Rape Survivor & Cannabis Patient

Annie King Garat hails from a military background, both in the U.S. and overseas. Her mother is Bavarian, and her grandfather served in the Austrian Army.

“My father was from West Virginia, and had very little options other than mining,” she explained. “Going into the military is common in that part of the country.”

Of her four brothers, two were in the military, with her second oldest in the German Army. Another became a Marine, and was Garat’s inspiration to join.

As the child of a soldier, Garat lived around the world, but was born at Fort Riley in Kansas. Always an athlete, she gave up a full scholarship and a career in basketball to join the military in an effort to escape her family and her young life’s past thus far.

“I had already been raped twice by the time I was a teenager,” she shared. “The first time I was 11 years-old while we were stationed in Stuttgart – by some local boys, one of them was on my soccer team. The second time was by my stepfather, after years of grooming.”

While she was in the military, she was sexually assaulted, first by a Sargent while in advanced training; then by a Command Sargent Major while on active duty in Okinawa.

Each of these sexual assaults and rapes left deep wounds in the young soldier that would continue into her adult life, as a wife and mother of two children.

Me Too & PTSD

According to an article in the Daily Beast (January 2019), via a poll, two-thirds of women in the U.S. military stated they had been sexually harassed or assaulted while serving. By comparison, a study commissioned in 2015 by the Defense Department reported that a mere 27 percent of women had had endured abuse.

“I could have dropped out, but I stayed in, and went on to California for more training,” she said. “I eventually became what they call a ‘chaser,’ we chase our own. We handcuff our own and take them to the brig. I became a boat rocker – I rocked the boat.”

Cannabis, she said, was in her family’s culture and was not looked down on. By the time she was honorably discharged in 2005, she was on a plethora of prescription medications for emotional and physical disorders and ailments, as well as drinking alcohol.

“They gave me a lot of pills – for lack of sleep, nightmares, tremors, night sweats,” she detailed. “I was suffering from PTSD, but they said I only had anxiety, not depression. I didn’t have a drinking problem. I drank socially, but my body couldn’t take the pills with the alcohol – and drinking alcohol is common in the military. It’s all they have that’s legal for self-medicating for PTSD. Add pills and it makes it worse.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, PTSD is a mental health condition, triggered by a terrifying event. Symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, and severe anxiety.

Psychiatrist, Sue Sisley, just concluded the first triple-blinded study on cannabis and help for Veterans with PTSD, with results due later this year.

CEO and Founder of Veterans Cannabis Coalition, Eric Goepel, was quoted in an article in Forbes at the conclusion of Sisley’s study as stating, ““Current research supports the potential efficacy of cannabis in dozens of different applications, all of which could have direct positive impacts on overall veteran health. Whether for pain relief, as a sleep aid, or for help in overcoming stress and anxiety, so many veterans find relief in cannabis because it provides an alternative way to manage their conditions far better than a slew of toxic pharmaceuticals.”

After accidently overdosing on a prescribed pill regiment and a half a beer, Garat said she was ready to replace the Flexeril, Ambien, Zoloft, and Tylenol with Codeine with cannabis, after a psychiatrist’s suggestion.

Keep the Pills, Pass the Pipe

She began by ingesting medibles, taking tinctures, vaping and burning flower, cold-turkey, with no negative side effects.

“The only negative side effects were consequences from my doctors, and having to listen to their bullshit, because they didn’t understand that ingesting and smoking was dealing with the withdrawal symptoms,” she said.

Cannabis’ analgesic effects have been known to quell the pain and body discomforts of withdrawal from pain killers and more, giving a smoother transition off addictive and damaging drugs – whether they are prescribed or found on the street.

“I’m just lucky I was never able to take the Oxy they gave me. It made me sick,” she surmised. “That probably would have been harder. But, the lack of education on what I was doing was harsh – everyone gave me grief for my cannabis use. I had to be a warrior on many levels – defending myself to my family, the military and doctors.”

Daily Dose

Garat’s medicating morning begins with a cup of cannabis infused coffee and a bowl of her favorite uplifting sativa.

“Everything I have now is infused,” she laughed. “My girlfriend, Tesha, makes CBD only and THC activated remedies. Her company is Healing Hemptress, and she grows other healing herbs besides cannabis for her products – which are great.”

Garat remembers her grandmother using dandelions from the garden often.

“She made a creamy soup with dandelions and spinach,” she said. “I use my infused oils in the kitchen for cooking every day.

With a philosophy of food as medicine, Garat said she micro-doses throughout the day to keep uplifted and the dark clouds at bay.

“I also use tinctures throughout the day,” she shared.  Mary’s Medicinals is a favorite line for topicals. I also love God’s Gift Botanicals – she has amazing balm with CBD and THC – and mirth, cinnamon – all with cannabis. I love the combinations of herbs.”

Garat said she ingests daily using a variety of methods, but she also smokes or vapes regularly as a top-off on dark days to deal with the depression that can be triggered via PTSD.

“Lots of Vets get lost in the gaming zone,” she explained. “I’m in a group, we have our own competitive league. I enjoy meeting up. They don’t all use cannabis, but they aren’t against it. We don’t judge.”

In the evening she’ll enjoy a good soak in the tub with cannabis infused bath salts and a pre-roll with a favorite indica cultivar to decompress.

“I pray to God as part of my healing protocol,” she offered. “I don’t belong to an organized church any longer because of the judging, but I’m not against going to church – we all have our path. My past and everything I’ve been through has taught me to be open to everything – including my cannabis use and how I share with others, so that they can be helped.”

Following are links to organizations offering support to those abused in service:

Vet’s Center

www.vetcenter.va.gov/Military_Sexual_Trauma.asp

USN Veteran Denise Nelson and 

Women Veterans Community Hub

https://instagram.com/womenveteranscommunityhub?igshid=14vnfczyzdbzv

SoCal Veterans Coalition 

https://instagram.com/socalveteranscoalition?igshid=1i138g4gsnev7

Weed For Warriors Project OC

https://instagram.com/wfwp_oc?igshid=taaikafl58ha

Lupe Gonzalez

Lady Veterans Project

https://instagram.com/lady_veterans_project?igshid=y8izxcqhkz9x

Veterans Walk And Talk

https://instagram.com/veteranswalkandtalk?igshid=qn4giohcae6v

Max & Thaxter

Mom turned cannabis advocate for autistic kids in Oklahoma

Oklahoma wife, mom, and cannabis advocate, Paula Venegas, healed herself with cannabis, then helped her two sons, Max and Thaxter, after a dual diagnosis on the Autistic Spectrum was realized for both.

“My own healing with the plant followed years of pharmaceutical use,” she shared. “Thankfully, when it came to helping my boys, I was educated enough on the plant to confidently go forward.”

Venegas was first diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder at the age of 12, and was sent to a psychiatric facility for the first time when she was just 13 years old.

“My sensory processing disorder, OCD, had me lining everyone’s shoes up as a child,” she said. “No one thought anything of it. I was just perceived as quirky.”

After years on pharmaceuticals, Venegas said the Prozac “wasn’t doing anything or her any longer.”

“On the days in between getting the prescription filled, if I ran out, I just wanted to die, and I let everyone know” she said. “As a child I got into trouble a lot for speaking my mind, as I’d say whatever I was thinking or feeling. So, I learned to be quiet.”

Before her silence, though, came forced commitment to a mental hospital, as a Freshman in high school.

“When I came home I was taking 360 milligrams of Effexor XR a day,” she continued. “My big brother, who was a senior in high school, knew I wasn’t happy. One night when my mom and dad were gone, my brother had me come into his room and smoked weed with me for the first time.”

Venegas said he had a little, clear, glass bong. Nothing fancy, but it was life changing.

“I became so elevated, it was great,” she exclaimed. “After that I smoked everytime my brother smoked - which was every day.”

Her mom and dad became aware the plant helped her, but they still listened to doctors, unable to advocate for her child when it came to cannabis.

“When I was fifteen years old, a boyfriend overdosed on OxyContin,” she said. “I had a really hard time and was sent back to the hospital. They put me on some ungodly amount of Cymbalta. When I met my now husband at 18, he encouraged me to get off the meds and I’ve been off them ever since - with only cannabis as my medicine.”

Second Generation Canna Mom

“In our home cannabis has always been medicine,” Venegas declared. “I’m a second generation canna-mom, a cancer and Lupus survivor, ony using cannabis now for my medicine.”

When her son, Maxwell, was diagnosed with Autism at age three, Venegas said he presented with a speech delay. His diagnosis changed to Aspergers or High Functioning Autism at the age of five.

“He began to speak with an amazing vocabulary,” she said. “I was never offered medicine for Maxwell until he got older and his agoraphobia and social anxiety worsened. He was then prescribed Clonazepam and valium, but we never gave it to him.”

Thaxter was diagnosed when he was also three years old, and was completely non-verbal, unable to sleep, with the actions of a one-year-old. By the time he was five, he was diagnosed with ADHD, and was declared disabiled. 

“Thaxter was offered vivace, adderall, valium, clonazepam, clonidine, paxil and more that I can even think of now,” she said. “But, we have always been very clear, we were not putting either of our children on any pharmaceutical medication.”

When Thaxter began doing self-harm, the couple were at a loss as to what to do.

“He would get so frustrated he would bang his head up against the floor and wall,” she explained. “He would scratch and bite himself. As parents, it was painful to watch our son in  such agony, and not be able to do anything to help him.”

Red Tape for a Green Plant

Finally, she said, their home State of Oklahoma became legal to use cannabis as medicine.

“We were so happy!” she said. “We had wanted to try this so much, and we just knew it would help our boys. It helped me, it helped my mom, it helped my friends - it just had to help our boys!”

Soon she realized how difficult it was to find a doctor educated enough on cannabis to recommend the boys use it.

“When we did find a doctor who would support us, the appointments were too expensive to schedule,” she said. “One of my boys would need two doctor’s recommendations. The first one cost $150, the second cost $75. Then there’s a filing fee. Not to mention, all these appointments were about an hour away, and must be scheduled and filed within 30 days.”

Venegas said she didn’t care about any of it, her boys needed the help, no matter what the requirements presented. So, on a fixed income, they began to save. It took months, but they finally were able to get Thaxter a card. Then the saving began again, and soon, Max had a card of his own. All-in-all, it took them one year to get both boys cards.

After all was said and done, Max was on the fence about using cannabis, as he was always taught at school that it was a drug.

“He was nervous, even though we had always taught him it was a natural medicine,” she said. “But, after he saw how much it was helping Thaxter, he asked to try a gummy, and it helped immediately.”

Autistic Spectrum Disorder is one of the largest diagnoses for children using medical cannabis, second only to pediatric cancer. Knowing this, Venegas became an advocate for other children, starting a blog to help educate parents who were in the same situation as they.

“So far we have helped 10 special needs kids from low income Oklahoma families receive absolutely free pediatric cannabis cards, with 28 more pending, she said. “Helping these kids has become more than a hobby.”

Max & Thaxter’s Daily Dose

Venegas doses her boys via ingesting candy gummies and other edibles.

“My youngest, Thaxter, is nine years-old, and he gets a dose of 25 miligrams every night before bed,” she explained. “My older son, Maxwell is 14 and he takes 50 miligrams of edibles about three times a day, as needed.”

While cannabis candy has been criticized with fears of kids getting into it and overdoing it, there are two demographics this delivery method works for, kids and older people with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. These demographics have a hard time taking pills or tincture, but will eat a medicated candy easily.

The rule of thumb for any dosing with cannabis is finding your therapeutic dose. Meaning, you must get used to the activated THC, said to help with myriad mental and emotional disorders. That said, too much THC before getting used to the psychoactive compound can trigger anxiety and/or trigger psychotic or neurotic responses, if the subject is already suffering from mood disorders. It won’t cause them, as is often misunderstood, but it can trigger a negative response.

Taking a small dose initially is best, whether you are a child or an adult. We are all biologically the same, but our alchemy is different based on whatever else we may be doing. 

A five milligram dose of a THC activated product is a good start. It’s also easier to add more than take away. As the healing happens, it may be necessary to up the milligram dose, in the same way pharmaceuticals are often increased for need, hence the 25 and 50 milligram dosing protocols of Max and Thaxter.

“I can’t tell you how much happiness and pride we get from seeing the relief with our own kids and all these children we’ve helped experience,” she said. “Our blog has grown so quickly out of need that we are working on finding a company to sponsor us getting our non-profit status so we can help more kids. That’s the ultimate goal, to help more kids and families who are suffering.”

For more information on Autism and Cannabis visit, www.autismandcannabis.com 

Follow Paula Venegas on Instagram @autismandcannabis

A day in the life of Emile J. Fagerstrom

Medicating with Cannabis for ADHD

Fifty-two year old Oregon cannabis patient, Emile J. Fagerstrom, describes himself as an “ADHD, Dyslexic, All-American athlete, latch-key kid on the Spectrum.”

Fagerstrom grew up in California, and though his mother was a police officer, his uncle (her brother) grew cannabis and cooked meth, which was a paradox, to say the least.

“My mom’s younger sister was married to a Pastor,” he laughed. “We had a mixed bag as a family, but cannabis was always something that was around. I bought my first sack from a neighbor for ten bucks, then sold half for ten dollars a bag. That’s how I continued to finance self-medicating at a very young age.”

Diagnosed with ADHD, and on the Autistic Spectrum as an adult, Fagerstrom said without knowledge of his disorder as a child, he had to partner up with better students with good notes in order to pass in school.

“I’m still friends with the girl who helped me with my schoolwork when I was in third grade,” he said. “Lots of my friends had faith in me and stuck by me.”

His family put him in sports to help calm him down, where he shined with athletic ability in Water Polo and swimming.

“They’d put me in the pool in the morning, and I’d go to the plunge after school,” he said. “I’d smoke weed before meets, before working out – all the time,” he said. “It always helped me more than anything, but I didn’t understand why. I didn’t even understand why they put me in sports – nothing was ever explained to me.”

Fagerstrom began smoking cannabis when he was 12 years-old, spending time with his uncle, who was once caught selling weed by local police.

“I didn’t get high the first time and wasn’t conscious of how it affected me,” he said. “I also used meth – same thing as Adderall. Cigarettes and alcohol worked to calm me, too, but none of that was lasting or positive. I honestly never liked meth, but it did work for me in the same way Adderall did.”

Fagerstrom didn’t feel high from cannabis, because he said it worked for him the most, with little side effects; calming him down and helping him to focus.

Per Webmd.com, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, is a chronic condition causing inattention, hyperactivity, and sometimes impulsivity. The disorder begins in childhood and can continue into adulthood.

According to DrugRehab.com, “Adderall and methamphetamine are stimulant drugs that speed brain activity. They share many side effects and health risks, but there are also key differences. Both can lead to addiction when abused.”

The site goes on to say that Methamphetamine (meth) can also be prescribed by a doctor, but it is also made in illegal drug labs and sold on the streets. Both meth and Adderall belong to a class of drugs called amphetamines and have similar chemical structures.

An article in Healthline.com states that even though there is not enough research on cannabis use for ADD or ADHD, patients are using it with success anyway.

“Many adolescents and adults with ADHD are convinced that cannabis does help them and has fewer side effects [than ADHD medications],” says Jack McCue, MD, FACP, an author, physician, and emeritus professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. “It may be that they, not their doctors, are correct.”

This writer has interviewed many adult ADD, ADHD, and Autistic Spectrum patients who began using cannabis as adolescents, like Fagerstrom, because it worked for them. The fears that using cannabis at a young age, due to possible developmental issues, are moot, as the patients interviewed are productive, responsible adults now.

As a matter of fact, this writer began smoking cannabis at 16 for the same reasons as Fagerstrom, having an undiagnosed processing disorder, ADD, and anxiety.

“I knew I was smart, I was well-read - I just didn’t understand what was wrong with my focus,” he continued. “Writing is a chore to this day, but I have a good understanding of things. I make-up words, and when I get tired, my tongue leaves me – I speak gibberish. Words are my kryptonite!”

Fagerstrom said he grew up in a rough neighborhood, accumulating 4,000 stitches from being attacked, with threats on his life.

“I hustled and did illegal things for money,” he said. “I had a lot of insecurities due to my processing problems, and no guidance. I don’t speak with my mother any longer. She used to beat me. I’m thinking that might be a common thing with kids like me who don’t know how to calm down. She didn’t understand me or my cannabis use – after all, she was a cop.”

His grandparents stepped up and gave him opportunities, never discussing his challenges, only putting a focus on his successes.

“Cannabis helps me process situations, and not create high emotion situations, without being impulsive” he concluded. “You can’t discipline a child for not being involved – they need tools to help them. You can’t just tell a kid with hypertension to calm down. It will never work.”

Cannabis Everyday

Fagerstrom said he consumes organic cannabis products every day, throughout the day, to deal with the many symptoms from his disorders.

“I use cannabis that’s traceable from seed to finish,” he explained. “Most of the products I consume are grown and manufactured by me. I definitely wake and bake first thing in the morning to help me focus on what I have to do that day. Cannabis gets me through the day and helps me manage my time. Without it, I’m a wreck.”

Fagerstrom said he believes cannabis removes the hyper tension, helps him to be less reactionary, more mindful.

“I start the day with cannabis and coffee,” he said. “Right now I’m enjoying Durban Poison and XJ13 hybrid.  My coffee is a 16 ounce cup with decarbed, one-third teaspoon Grease OG – infused coconut oil. The fats in the coconut oil react with the caffeine, giving me more energy.”

He carries three vape pens with him to medicate throughout the day, all manufactured by The Classics. One is filled with Green Crack, another Pineapple Express, and another Granddaddy Purple.

“In the early afternoon, straight through to dinnertime, I smoke flower and drink one or two, High Style, cannabis infused beers with 10 milligrams of activated THC and less than five percent alcohol content.”

His after dinner smoking preference is flower in a glass bong with combinations of Tahoe Kush, Granddaddy Purple, Afghani Kush, and Northern Lights.

“Just before bed I use coconut infused with decarbed Grease OG and lavender essential oil, topically,” he added.

From the Black Market, to Mainstream Medicine

Today, Fagerstrom is project manager for Northern Js Agriculture, a large-scale cannabis cultivation operation in Oregon. His bio indicates he has more than 30 years of experience in the cannabis space, with some of that from the black market – where most of the industry came from.

“I’ve completed cannabis operation contracts in multiple states that were vertically integrated, and continue to thrive to this day,” he said. “Right now I’m working on getting patents for non-psychotropic cannabis topicals and tinctures; with licensing rights in the states, Europe and South America.”

Building bridges and sharing his knowledge from a childhood of frustration, then success with cannabis, has become a calling.

“Access to this plant, education on what it can do, and allowing us to make our own choices of how we treat our bodies – that’s what I’m working for now,” he surmised.

For more information on Emile J Fagerstrom’s work visit, www.emilejfagerstrom.com

For information on his products visit, https://stellarjs.com/

A day in the life of Ashley Manta

Cannasexual

California Sex Educator, Ashley Manta, began her career as a rape crisis counselor, victim advocate, and violence prevention educator just after graduating college in 2008. After years of listening to and absorbing trauma from victims, by 2011, she felt burned out with direct service and sought to find the joy of her own sexuality.

“After networking with other sex and relationship educators, I cultivated a greater body of knowledge about sexuality, and these newfound realizations helped me to come out publicly about my own sexual trauma and contracting genital herpes, with the intent of decreasing the stigma of Sexually Transmitted Infections, or STIs.”

The Pennsylvania transplant said once arriving in California shortly after her epiphany, she experienced cannabis in a whole new light after visiting a legal dispensary.

“Walking into a dispensary and seeing all those cultivars and methods of consuming was magical,” she swooned. “Someone sent me a link to a news article about Foria, the company that makes Pleasure, THC-infused [tetrahydrocannabinol] coconut oil spray for sex, and I remember thinking, ‘This could be my thing!’”

Ashley, combining her interest in anatomy and physiology, dived vulva first, so to speak, into the world of stimulation and relaxation via cannabis paired with sex.

“As a sexual trauma survivor, using cannabis infused products on my genitals has allowed me to have penetrative sex without pain for the first time in a decade,” she shared. “Cannabis enhances the capacity for sustained clitoral stimulation and multiple orgasms.”

Wake, Bake & Sleep

In spite of her late night schedule, either for work or play, Manta said her inner-clock wakes her up at five in the morning, often keeping her from falling back to sleep.

“My brain is still tired, but my body is awake, so I’ll take a few hits of a calming cultivar, like Gorilla Glue,” she explained. “Smoking allows me to fall back to sleep until around nine-thirty, and then I’ll have some fruit or make myself some scrambled eggs before catching up on industry news, correspondence and social media posts.”

If she wakes up sore or has a headache, she’ll use a full-spectrum CBD (cannabidiol) rich tincture from cannabis, as needed.

Depending on the maker, the difference between CBD from hemp or cannabis is the percentage of CBD in the plants to begin with. A CBD product from industrial hemp is typically taken from stalk, then made into an isolate or powdered concentrate – often testing at a mere two percent CBD, with other trace beneficial compounds; as compared to CBD from cannabis purposefully hybridized for higher percentages, often testing between 12 to 14 percent. It’s the difference between using CBD as a supplement or a remedy for healing.

“I’d take the tincture daily if my budget allowed, to prevent headaches in the first place, but I’m a working girl on a budget,” she laughed.

The average cost of a bottle of tincture in a dispensary can cost upwards of $60, with some patients likening use to shopping at a high-end organic market – you need to have money to eat clean or purchase cannabis product regularly for prevention, or to treat ailments.

“A favorite flower to smoke, once I get my work squared away for the day, is Connect from Canndescent. Their branding is fantastic, it’s sophisticated and clear, and they name their cultivars based on effects rather than antiquated strain names. Connect has a neutral head (not particularly cerebral) but an uplifted body, which for me makes it great for sexy times,” she explained.

If she’s in her moon cycle and is suffering from cramps, she’ll use a Foria suppository, vaginally, for relief.

“I’ll also use Foria’s suppositories for fun times, for increasing pleasure and decreasing discomfort for anal play,” she winked with a giggle.

Manta’s day includes coaching calls, helping clients improve their sex lives, with cannabis as an optional tool, charging upwards of $200 an hour, with micro-sessions in ten minute increments at $30 a pop.

The bad-ass in me recognizes the bad-ass in you…

On days where she’s facilitating a workshop, she may travel, with a favorite coming up in Joshua Tree National Park this spring.

“I’ve facilitate several workshops a year for Glowing Goddess Getaways, which is a favorite,” she added. “It’s a private membership social club for women, and anyone identifying as a woman is invited to join. The workshop lasts three days and two nights, with wonderful food and all the edibles, dabs, and cannabis you can consume.”

One might easily imagine her workshops are one big old-fashioned orgy, but Manta’s focus is on partners relating to each other, using cannabis as a communication tool and for helping everyone find their inner Sex Goddess.

“Each workshop begins with an exercise to promote connection, honoring yourself while honoring another person,” she explained. “It’s an eye gazing exercise, or as I explain it, care-bear staring with love and respect. It’s more than Namaste – I like to say, the bad-ass in me recognizes the bad-ass in you.”

Manta said she encourages the partners to really look at each other with love and kindness, honoring everything it took to get to this place, together.

“Think about the last time you looked in the mirror and were loving to yourself, in spite of the earthly things you struggle with every day,” she waxed poetic. “We are so understanding of other’s struggles, but can be so self-critical. We need to love ourselves, then we can take care of the people we love. This leads to a more pleasurable experience together, and also a more fulfilling solo-sex practice.”

The workshops include product education and how to incorporate cannabis in sexual pleasure with or without the high, via topical use.

Date Night

Manta practices what she preaches with her boyfriend, “B,” who will remain anonymous. The two have been together for four years, and their comfort level allows Manta the ability to experiment with different products and techniques.

“B’s tolerance for THC is much lower than mine, so he makes a good example for the many clients I help who may just be entering into the cannabis space,” she said. “If I have a new product, we’ll try it together.”

To prepare, Manta sets the stage with candles and incense. She fills her automatic lube warmer, Touch, from a company called Warm with her favorite lube, Silver by Sliquid; brings out her favorite vibrator, Tango, by We-Vibe; lays out her water proof blanket; and hits a dab to get in the mood.

She also commands her Amazon Echo to play their favorite mood music, set an alarm, if need be; and activates an electronic do not disturb on all her devices - with the goal of never picking up her iPhone, which can be a huge distraction.

“I have an extremely high-tech sex life,” she laughed.

Another favorite flower, Create by Candescent, is often enjoyed, as Manta said it gives a slight head-high without feeling overly stoned and a more tactile, overall body high.

“I’ll put on his favorite lingerie and apply Foria’s Pleasure to my vulva 25 minutes prior to his arrival – as it takes time to marinate,” she further educates. “I want him to feel that I took the time and effort in creating a space for him. I want him to walk into my lair and be transported to a place that is sensual and safe for all his desires to be realized and strengthen our connection”

Great expectations can hinder any situation if anything goes awry, and Manta shared, even with all her experience and their experience together, things can go wrong.

“Someone might ingest too much or have a bad reaction to a certain cultivar. The most important thing is to support each other, and be there for each other - that’s the goal, and that’s what I teach my clients.”

Too much THC happens, Manta said, and she typically has a good CBD tincture as remedy, a whiff of freshly ground pepper, or cup of chamomile tea to help calm the central nervous system.

“Cannabis opens up your third eye, allowing wonderful things to happen, but you must give yourselves permission when it doesn’t work out the way we planned. Even my boyfriend and I have had times where everything shuts down and we stop and pop in a movie and cuddle – and that’s perfectly fine and part of the dance.”

A day in the Life of Warren Bobrow

Cannabis Alchemist

Bartender turned cannabis Alchemist, Warren Bobrow, grew up on a biodynamic farm in Morris Township, New Jersey. His father, who manufactured pharmaceuticals, expected the young Bobrow to become a judge, surgeon, doctor, or at the very least, a tax lawyer.

Bobrow refers to his mother’s father as a tycoon – owner of Columbia Pictures, television stations, maker of Aqua Velvet and Geritol – with both products promoted heavily on TV.

Much to his father’s chagrin and disappointment to the family in general, Bobrow’s cannabis use disqualified him from the family fortune.

“It took great effort to just be me,” he shared. “My dad died refusing to know me, and my mom disappeared from my life eleven years ago after the theft of my family trust. First I cried, then I was angry. It caused me to take stock in myself and seek to be a better person.”

His first experience with partaking of cannabis was at the tender age of 11, in 1972, with his Harvard educated uncle-turned hippie - who evaded the Vietnam draft due to Bobrow’s father’s connections in business.

The second time he partook was a year later in 1973 while attending a Grateful Dead show at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City – then again at a Led Zeppelin concert, with “much smoke in the air that night,” he recalled. The pattern of partaking at rock concerts continued at an Aerosmith concert, with Rick Derringer opening. He confirmed, he did, in fact, inhale deeply and often. To quote past President Obama, “that was the point.”

The cannabis industry first came into his vision during a family vacation when he was 13 years old. “Amid the pink painted cottages, and cerulean blue waters with massive Parrot fish, splashing up against the pink colored beaches,” he shared that he made friends with the bartenders, partaking of virgin Pina Coladas and exotic punches, with the occasion Pim’s Cup – containing very little alcohol. The bartenders also passed a little herb in his direction.

“It was outdoor grown island weed, that may or may not have gotten me stoned,” he explained. “What it did do for me was make me a cool kid, when all I really identified with at the time was being a nerd.”

Diagnosed with Glaucoma, this allowed him to get a medical cannabis card in his home state of New Jersey.

“That kind of diagnosis is a bad thing for most, but my cannabis use keeps it completely under control,” he shared. “Since I write for Forbes, I’ve had my cannabis DNA tested for a potential article. I learned exactly which strains I should be using and how much I should be dosing with – pertaining to my specific genome. Pretty nerdy stuff that actually makes sense to me – being a daily weed smoker, now with six books in print and hundreds of magazine articles under my belt.”

According to Webmd.com, Glaucoma is progressive condition, passed down through generations, caused by an intrinsic deterioration of the optic nerve, leading to high-fluid pressure on the front part of the eye. The increased pressure is called intraocular, damaging to the optic nerve that transmits images to the brain. While there is no cure and no warning signs early on, it’s only detected via a routine exam for glaucoma. If not managed properly it can lead to permanent blindness.

A paper published via the U.S. National Library of Medicine states that many pharmaceuticals are ineffective in treating the disorder, lose efficacy, and have intolerable side effects – such as burning and stinging. The paper goes on to state that glaucoma patients who smoke cannabis have decreased intraocular pressure (IOP). This is due to the discovery of ocular cannabinoid receptors, prompting more studies on treating glaucoma with cannabis.

 Living in New Jersey has its pratfalls where cannabis is concerned, as the state just recently adopted medical cannabis laws, with limited access. Currently, there are just six safe access points in the state, making it difficult to source.

“I’ve spent quite a lot of time on the ‘left’ coast of the country – if I smoked as much in New Jersey as I do in the west, I’d be completely destroyed,” he laughed. “Smoking outdoor grown, biodynamic, organically grown cannabis is not a bad way to go through life. I actually consider myself very, very lucky to have found Excelsior Extracts, or I’d be in real trouble in my home state.”

Smoking too much isn’t an issue with a glaucoma diagnosis, but Bobrow admits he really likes the feeling of being high. Even if the plant wasn’t beneficial, cannabis would be his first choice for recreating.

“Others like to get drunk, but I don’t,” he continued. “I use the Ardent Lift – Nova, to decarb. It increases the effect of being high. Infusing decarboxilated cannabis into the best craft spirits, then creating the most intriguing craft cocktails with those carefully infused spirits is probably my favorite dose of the day.”

Recipes for Bobrow’s favorite daily dose can be found in both books he’s penned on the subject, first with Cannabis Apothecary, and his more recent endeavor, Cannabis Cocktails.

Warren Bobrow’s Holiday Beverage Recipe

Warren’s favorite morning beverage is Irish Cream. His version is simple to make - hardly more than crushed ice, cannabis infused heavy whipping cream, and chilled strong coffee.

Tip from Warren: Try making your Cannabis Cream with an Indica strain, like Holy Grail Kush: as it’s spicy and savory, and complements the toasty notes of the Irish whiskey.

To make a nonalcoholic version, turn the Shake It, Sugaree into a medicated egg cream: just skip the whiskey and brandy, add a squirt of chocolate syrup, and top with a few ounces of soda water after blending.

Shake It, Sugaree

2 oz. (60 ml) Cannabis cream, made with heavy whipping cream*

1 Scoop, coffee ice cream

1/2 oz. (15 ml) Irish whiskey

1/2 oz. (15 ml) Brandy

1 t. Pure Vanilla Extract

3 oz. (90 ml) Brewed espresso coffee, cooled

1 c. Ice

Combine all ingredients in a blender; blend well

Serve in a tall glass. Straws optional.

For more information on Warren Bobrow visit, http://cocktailwhisperer.com/

Webmd, definition of glaucoma, https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/glaucoma-eyes#1

Pub Med: Cannabinoids in the treatment of glaucoma, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12182967

A day in the life of Sharon Letts

Finding your daily dose of cannabis as remedy can be confusing and daunting if you have never used the plant recreationally. Those who aren’t used to the psychoactive properties of the THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) typically consume too much, initially, often hindering them from being helped at all.

Anyone can get used to THC, that’s a fact. The mantra, “start low, go slow,” is a good rule of thumb to follow.

Within this continuing series, I’ll be speaking with some of the top influencers and educators in the space, asking how they use cannabis every day for remedy, and for relaxation via recreating – even though we know, that’s still using the plant as remedy.

For even the most ardent, 24/7 stoner is reaping benefits by merely smoking – vape or dab and you are receiving a concentrated amount of the beneficial compounds of the plant for what ails you.

Before I get into it with celebrities, I decided to share my own Daily Dosing with you to get us started.

Many may be surprised at the amount of daily deliveries I do that have absolutely no psychoactive properties – but, I’m medicating daily to replace a plethora of pharmaceuticals and supplements once needed for serious ailments, Thyroid Disease with menopause, chronic pain, and all the symptoms that come with each disorder.

My regimen really begins at night with an oil capsule I make myself, combined with chamomile. I also take a single chamomile concentrate capsule along with it. This is my main dosing, keeping cancer at bay, and all my ailments in check, including chronic sleep disorders from both Thyroid Disease and menopause.

Taking the oil at night gives solid REMs with a longer sleep time. Without the cannabis oil taken at night, I’m lucky to get four or five hours of light sleep, or wake up every two hours. Sleep as a significant healing tool is sorely over looked. Taking a sleeping pill is nothing more than a warm blanket with no healing properties. Take enough of them and you may have a serious addiction to deal with.

When I wake-up after a good night’s sleep, I feel refreshed and ready to start my day. The chamomile aids with my hormonal depression, per a study found (link below), giving me a general overall feeling of well-being I didn’t have prior.

Smoking cannabis raises endorphins immediately. Per a study, smoking also raises the efficacy of anything else you are doing – whether it’s taking a pain killer (raises efficacy of analgesics by upwards of 30 percent), or ingesting cannabis or other plant-based remedies.

I write in the morning, and since I was 16 I’ve known that cannabis helps me to focus, as I’m under the Autistic Spectrum with a processing disorder. Cannabis is my Ritalin. I don’t “bake” in the morning, but I will take a hit or two of flower to focus and get started. If I find myself antsy at the keyboard, or trailing thoughts, I take another hit to bring me back.

Education and paying attention to your ailments or disorders, and figuring out what works is key. Cannabis and other plant-based remedies are the most proactive remedy you can do; but, it takes knowing, being aware, and often, doing your own trials.

Since using cannabis oil to put breast cancer into remission six years ago, while simultaneously replacing up to ten prescription medications and supplements, I need to keep the beneficial compounds in my system daily as prevention.

Even if you’ve never used cannabis for cancer or have not replaced your pharmaceuticals, taking cannabis every day as prevention of infections, to lower inflammation in your body – which has all kinds of long-term ramifications in itself – is key to properly using one of the most beneficial herbs on the planet.

At the end of the day, I like to enjoy a tonic or cocktail with alcohol I’ve infused with cannabis and other beneficial plants. That said, I’m not a drinker, and have always preferred weed to alcohol.

My spiced rum is homemade with whole cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, cloves, vanilla, and more – with ground cannabis added; making a spiced rum drink divine. Since alcohol infuses in a cold process, there are no psychoactive properties (recipes on my website).

Infusing alcohol with cannabis also counteracts the negative effects of the alcohol, quelling the inflammation that can cause an upset tummy or headache, otherwise known as al hangover.

Important to note, I do not drink more than one or two tonics, giving me an additional dose of the plant at the end of the day. I actually feel better after having one of my tonics.

Dinner is often micro-dosed – a term coined by The Herbal Chef, Chris Sayegh, of California – using oils, vinegars, and other cooking stuff that’s been infused with cannabis and other beneficial herbs. Vegetables or meat can be marinated and sautéed with a micro-dose of infused olive oil; salad dressing can be micro-dosed using an infused red wine vinegar – steeped in a cold process, with no THC activated.

Throughout the day, if I have an upset tummy or other mild discomfort, I’ll reach for a light tincture, not an over-the-counter remedy. If I have an ache, bug bite, cut or bruise, I’ll use a cannabis salve, rather than a store-bought one. The tincture combined with using the salve works together in what’s called an “entourage effect.” Smoke for a top-off, and you’ll increase the efficacy of all.

The human body works the same for everyone, it’s what we do to it that differentiates our needs. Plants are accepted into our Endocannabinoid System in the same way for everyone, it’s finding your daily dose and sticking to it that matters most.

For more information and recipes on Sharon’s deliveries, visit her website www.sharonletts.com Follow her on Instagram @sharoneletts linked to her Kitchen Apothecary page on Facebook.

For more information on Chris Sayegh, The Herbal Chef, visit www.theherbalchef.com

For more information on study showing increased efficacy with cannabis, visit https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22048225

For more information on cannabis and pain medications, visit https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5569620/#B11

Kari Boiter

In 2004, Kari Boiter relocated from her hometown of Billings, Montana, to the Pacific Northwest, settling in Seattle in 2007.

“Portland is where I became a bonafide medical cannabis patient. It’s also where my cultural awakening began,” she shared. “I was among the D.A.R.E. generation and I bought the propaganda hook, line and sinker. So, it’s ironic to look back and reflect on how I used to harass my friends in high school, because I genially believed they were ‘frying their brains with marijuana.’”

The influence of the Federally funded “Drug Abuse Resistance Program,” or D.A.R.E., caused Boiter to “Just Say No” to cannabis until she was 18 years old, after graduating high school.

“I was with some friends at a local park that butted up next to my friend’s backyard,” she explained. “I kept taking one hit after another from my friend’s pipe, and kept wanting more. Truth be told, I believe I was endocannabinoid deficient, and while I hadn’t yet been diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, I had suffered from the symptoms my entire life without realizing what it was.”

According to the Genetics Home Reference guide, via the U.S. National Library of Medicine, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a collection of disorders affecting connective tissues, causing a wide range of symptoms. As recent as 2017, researchers classified 13 forms of the disorder, affecting every biological system, some with debilitating and severe consequences.

Cannabis, she said, was addressing symptoms from the first time she smoked, she just didn’t realize it was her medicine just yet.

Becoming a Patient

By the time she moved to Portland in 2004, her still undiagnosed EDS had progressed, with Boiter prescribed numerous pharmaceuticals for symptom management, and to treat side effects from the drugs themselves.

“I was in my 20s and was an absolute mess,” she declared. “My goal was to be a broadcast journalist, but that was slipping through my fingers. I remember telling my doctor that I felt overmedicated, but she said that with complex medical issues like mine, I didn’t have many other options.”

The surprise came some weeks later at her next doctor’s visit.

“She had been thinking about my situation, and told me that some of her patients reported benefits from cannabis use,” she shared. “She added if anyone asked, I had to say I didn’t hear it from her, and she couldn’t help me with it any further, but there was a doctor down the road that could.”

Soon after consulting with the doctor familiar with cannabis use and dosing, Boiter said she immediately began tapering off the pills, one by one.

The diagnosis for EDS came a few years later, after she broke her leg while walking with friends, celebrating her 30th birthday.

Dosing for EDS

It wasn’t until she moved to Seattle and became active in reform that she became knowledgeable in dosing for her disorders.

“Through a multitude of applications, from a 1:1 sublingual dose, via sugar-free candies, to topicals for nerve pain, to inhalation for chronic pain, nausea and vomiting – I was able to achieve a quality of life that I had genuinely given up on.”

Prior to Initiative 502 passing in Washington State – legislation she helped develop – Boiter said she was able to access fresh cannabis leaf for juicing via its medical program.

“Juicing leaf was the best remedy – I felt better than I had in decades while juicing,” she said. “Unfortunately, when the medical market was merged with the recreational industry, then subsequently House Bill 5052 passed in 2015, many of the products I relied on were gone.”