Cannabis Safety

BTS #47 Tanja Bagar, PhD on Medical Cannabis in Europe, ECS Fascinations, International Collaboration

In this behind-the-scenes conversation we are joined by Tanja Bagar, PhD, the founder and CEO of the International Institute for Cannabinoids, a multi-national research and education cooperative based out of Slovenia. Tanja holds a PhD in Biomedical Sciences and has spent the past several years focused on studying and teaching about cannabinoids throughout Europe. Tanja and I have been collaborating for years as co-authors on conference abstracts, book chapters, etc. Tanja was also one of my early students in the early iterations of my workshop series which I still teach today, so it was great to reconnect on the podcast.

Our conversation explored her experience discovering the therapeutic potential of cannabinoids, how Cannabis regulations vary throughout Europe and the effects that has on research collaboration, why she has become fascinated with the endocannabinoid system, clinical outcomes that ICANNA and their collaborators have seen in patients using cannabinoids, her thoughts about the future of Cannabis research, and much more!

You can learn more about ICANNA by visiting https://www.institut-icanna.com/en/index.html

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

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

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

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

Learn more about Holistic Caring at www.HolisticCaring.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BTS #35 Vincenzo Di Marzo, PhD on the Endocannabinoid System and the Endocannabinoidome

In this behind-the-scenes episode we join renowned endocannabinoid researcher Dr. Vincenzo Di Marzo, who has been studying endocannabinoids since their discovery in the late 1980s and 1990s. Dr. Di Marzo, along with his colleagues, originally proposed the concept of the endocannabinoid system, the entourage effect, and the endocannabinoidome. Currently Dr. Di Marzo is working on studying the relationships between endocannabinoids and the gut microbiome to better understand how cannabinoids may affect health through the gut. In our conversation we discuss Dr. Di Marzo’s fascination with endocannabinoids, how he conceptualizes the endocannabinoidome, common misunderstandings about endocannabinoids, how the concept of the “entourage effect” has evolved away from its original intended meaning, where the future of Cannabis research may be heading, and much more.

This was a career highlight of mine to be able to talk to Vincenzo and I am honored to share this conversation with you. Enjoy!

BTS #33 Alice Moon on Cannabinoid Hyperemesis, Cannabis Branding, Social Equity

In this behind-the-scenes episode we are joined with Alice Moon, a PR professional working in the Cannabis industry and diagnosed cannabinoid hyperemesis patient. In our conversation we discuss her entrepreneurial journey within the Cannabis industry that led to her work in public relations, issues facing Cannabis brands, her experience with cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, what she has learned about the disorder since being diagnosed, work that she is doing to try and understand the disorder, how she responds to criticisms from the Cannabis industry, words of advice for those who are worried that they may be suffering from CHS, and more!

To learn more about Alice Moon visit www.alicemoon.la

To learn more about cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, visit www.cannabinoid-hyperemesis.com

BTS #31 The Doctors Knox on the Endocannabinoid System and Revolutionizing Healthcare

In this behind-the-scenes conversation we speak with The Doctors Knox, aka The Knox Docs, including Drs. Janice, David, Rachel, and Jessica Knox to talk all about the endocannabinoid system and how our understanding of the endocannabinoid system and the endocannabinoidome is revolutionizing healthcare.

This was our first interview with four people at the same time, so it was quite a different experience and allowed for some unique dynamics that I hope you enjoy.

You can learn more about The Doctors Knox at https://doctorsknox.com/

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