But many more aren’t aware that he was once hired by the U.S. government to discredit cannabis in a political move, as the psychoactive properties within the plant promoted critical thinking at a time in history when the people were rising up.

The year was 1967 and Mikuriya had been hired by the National Institute of Mental Health Center for Narcotics and Drug Abuse Studies to research marijuana for negative outcomes. The National Center for Drug Abuse would be created in 1974, solely funding studies on cannabis and other drugs for abuse, while shelving positive findings.

One such infamous study on pregnancy from the 1970s in Jamaica was slated to last 20 years, but was shut down after the five-year-olds given cannabis tea since birth were shown to excel in every area. This was after their mothers were monitored drinking the tea while pregnant, with positive outcomes noted.

“One of my assignments was to spy on the communes in California because at the height of the fear of the Vietnam War, the year of the Tet Offensive, and the total embroilment in the conflict in the United States, as well as Vietnam,” he shared. “They were fearing the fall of civilization as manifested by certain rebellious behaviors, principally on the West Coast.”

The Tet Offensive was an escalation of military campaigns during the Vietnam War against forces in South Vietnam, at a time when our failure to excel in the conflict was kept from the people, until The Pentagon Papers revealed the deceit.

The powers that be understood that psychedelics like LSD and psilocybin mushrooms, along with cannabis, were being used socially, and became a big part of the anti-war movement. The more Mikuriya learned of the campaigns against what he found to be beneficial and useful compounds, the more he rebelled.

“Frankly I was aghast at being part of this machine back in D.C. that could be so blind and mean-spirited,” he continued. “Their take on marijuana was, ‘how can we suppress it and prevent it,’ because this is something that promotes that dangerous trait of critical thinking. Because it was linked with the rebellion of the anti-war movement against the military machine, the military industrial complex.”

Third Eye Open

Dr. Mikuriya didn’t linger on the theories of demonizing hemp for industry or the plant’s potential competition with big pharma. He was trained in psychology and understood completely the government’s fear of psychedelics opening up the third eye, with critical thinking a threat to being a good soldier, being led into the jungle for a war that was little understood.

The same year Mikuriya was hired by the government to demonize the plant, Timothy Leary shouted out to 30,000 hippies in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, “Turn on, tune in, drop out,” further cementing the theory that psychoactive plants and compounds don’t make good foot soldiers.

Interesting to note, in 1974, alleged MK Ultra survivor, Cathy O’Brien, was asked at a lecture podium what she knew about cannabis and why the government opposes the plant. Without a beat, she responded, “Because it blocks mind control.” This is poignant, as MK Ultra was said to have been a covert government mind control project.

“So, basically, I defected,” he said of his post that lasted less than a year.

At this point in the interview, von Hartman interjected, “Excuse me for interrupting, but you were told not to find any positive result in your research, is that true?”

“Correct,” Mikuriya responded, firmly. “They were interested in finding anything toxic, anything that could be used to dissuade the use of cannabis. But at the same time they recognized, although it couldn’t be admitted, that it was relatively benign. The big problem with dealing within the federal bureaucracy – or I suppose any bureaucracy – is the compartmentalization, that restriction on the flow of information.”

The Doctor’s Journey

There is no mention of Mikuriya’s gig with the federal government in his obituary in the New York Times upon his passing in 2007. They do go into great detail on his advocacy for the plant and subsequent persecution.

Mikuriya was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania on September 20, 1933, to parents who raised him and his two siblings as Quakers.

“The Quakers were proprietors of the Underground Rail[road], I’m proud to say,” he was once quoted, making reference to the underground route to safety for slaves in Colonial America.

His mother, Anna Schwenk, was a German immigrant and a special education teacher. His father, Tadafumi Mikuriya, was the descendant of a Japanese Samurai family, trained as an engineer. 

Mikuriya earned a bachelor’s degree from Reed College in Oregon in 1956, and his MD from Temple University in 1962 – where he stumbled upon a reference in a pharmacology textbook on the uses of medical marijuana.

Intrigued by the many medicinal applications listed, he decided he needed to experience cannabis first hand.

“… I was smitten by an attack of idle curiosity during my sophomore year in medical school during the pharmacology course,” he explained. “I happened to unintentionally read a chapter on cannabis in Goodman & Gilman, which described the medicinal uses and described also, fairly Draconian punishment for its use. This was consistent with what social attitudes existed back then in 1959.”

Reading up what was available at the library, he said that summer he traveled down to Mexico to score some weed. Using some slang words for cannabis on a street dealer that he said approached him upon crossing the border, he succeeded in his quest.

Mikuriya said he took the man up to his hotel room and at random picked one of the 10 hand-rolled marijuana cigarettes laid out, instructing the dealer, “Okay, light it up, take a few puffs.” When the man showed no hesitation to partake, Mikuriya was relieved to see it was not poisonous, and partook himself.

With his curiosity whetted, he said he quickly realized he should keep the experience to himself, and that this was not something he would submit to any department for a research project, because it would surely have been the end of his medical career.

“So, then I embarked upon my personal bioassay experience,” he continued. “I put this down after a while, having no one to communicate with and no source, until 1964. At which time, during my psychiatric practice training up in Oregon I became aware of it.”

After finishing his psychiatric residency at Mendocino State Hospital, he enlisted in the U.S. Army as a medic. Shortly thereafter, ironically, he became Director for a drug addiction treatment center of the New Jersey Neuropsychiatric Institute in Princeton, under the tutelage of Dr. Humphrey Osmond, who was well versed in psychedelic drugs.

“I then was headhunted by the National Institute of Mental Health Center for Narcotics and Drug Abuse Studies, with the specific assignment of research into marijuana,” he said. “Needless to say, this seemed to be right up my area of interest, and left New Jersey for the psychosis inside the Beltway.”

Reefer Madness, Part 2

The psychosis inside the Beltway refers to the Reefer Madness he experienced while working in Washington D.C. researching cannabis, then finding that the laws weren’t exactly copasetic to what he knew to be the plants full potential. 

He also came to the realization that cannabis had been part of the American Pharmacopoeia for at least 200 years prior to it being politicized in the late 1930s. Thankfully, the plant was added back to the list fairly recently in 2016.

“First stop was at the National Library of Medicine, where I ran across many more medicinal and pharmaceutical papers that motivated me to assemble what I felt to be the ‘creme de la creme’ and put it into a book, The Marijuana Medical Papers: 1839 to 1972,” he shared, of the compilation still available today.

Mikuriya became a consultant for the Shafer Commission, formerly known as the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse, appointed by then President, Richard Nixon, with the report released in 1972.

The commission’s now infamous report, Marijuana: A Signal of Misunderstanding, called for more research and the decriminalization of cannabis possession. But, Mikuriya said it was “D.O.A.” and ignored by Nixon’s White House, who proceeded to add the plant to its failed War on Drugs.

“This was part of the Nixon administration’s distraction and palliation of the scientific and medical communities, as he put together the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, that classified cannabis as having no medicinal redeeming importance and being Schedule I, highly dangerous, to be avoided – which was a total lie,” he said. “But this is the way it is today. That federal law still is driven by this insanity, put together by the Nixon Justice Department apparatchiks.”

So good was the government’s campaign against the plant, that at the time a mere 12% of Americans supported its legalization, with public sentiment viewing cannabis users as dangerous. In reality, the committee found them to be more “timid, drowsy and passive,” concluding that cannabis did not cause widespread danger to society, further outing the political hoax.

“The use of cannabis goes into antiquity, as probably everybody knows, but what is not known, or what is not appreciated, is the fact that it was clinically available for roughly a hundred years in America and Western Europe for a variety of therapeutic uses. It was called ‘cannabis,’” he explained. “And the term ‘marijuana’ was described as a ‘mongrel word,’ that was applied to the Mexican use of cannabis, that very few agencies within the federal government at the time back in 1937 understood that it was the same as cannabis, so they thought that marijuana was really a separate plant, a separate material. And didn’t connect it with the medicinal uses.”

In the years that followed, Mikuriya would go on to document 200 case studies from his own clinical research from patients successfully using cannabis as a serious medicine for both emotional and physical issues. But, as long as cannabis was listed on the Department of Health’s Schedule 1, showing no medicinal value, he was shouting at the wind.

The Endocannabinoid System (eCS) wouldn’t be discovered until 1988 by researchers Allyn Howlett and William Devane at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, in a government-controlled study that also discovered the body’s CB1 and CB2 receptors; the pathway for plant compounds to distribute themselves throughout all human biological systems.

As they say, timing is everything. Having the knowledge of the eCS during the Shafer Commission’s work might have saved the plant from the crossfire of the failed War on Drugs, but we’ll never know.

California Medicine, Federally Illegal

The disappointment of the Shafer Commission’s report may have had the good doctor fleeing Washington D.C., but it only empowered him as an advocate once back in California, where the LGBTQ+ community had already championed cannabis as medicine for AIDS patients.

By the mid-1990s Mikuriya became one of the architects and co-authors of Proposition 215, with California voters giving a green light for residents to become cannabis patients. Mikuriya was the first physician in the state to write a script, recommending cannabis as medicine for the first cannabis patient.

A collective sigh of relief was heard throughout the world, as California became the leader in compassionate care and education on cannabis as medicine. Mikuriya thought it would be smooth sailing from then on, that the voters had spoken and the people would finally be educated on this powerful plant. But, the celebration was cut short.

“Within a month after we passed the law back in ’96, there was a meeting at McCaffery’s office in the White House,” he said. “The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, where they hatched schemes to nullify the state laws, either directly in court or through other means – and the other means would be to go after both the patients and the physicians.”

Barry McCaffrey was the first “Drug Czar” for the The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), established by President Nixon overseeing his War on Drugs. The position is still just one step down from the Oval Office, with it and its agency’s existence just one executive order away from the president’s pen. 

The State’s Attorney General, he said, opposed the proposition before it passed, and was dedicated to “blocking and suborning it.” With this, the DEA became empowered, embedding themselves into local law enforcement agencies in the state, in fiscally subsidized partnerships, causing a financial dependence that continues today, even in legal states.

Physician, Heal Thyself

Mikuriya became a thorn in the side of the DEA, claiming representatives from the privatized “prison-industrial complex, our version of the military-industrial complex,” were big supporters of the War on Drugs, funding the Partnership for a Drug-Free America (now, Partnership to End Addiction). 

“These are the subversives that are embedded in the civil service system,” he said. “The California Narcotics Officers Association believes that medical marijuana is a hoax, and have sponsored and organized statewide meetings within the criminal justice system for orientation and training, in actuality laying out templates of ways for blocking it.”

An outspoken patient himself, ordinances dictate that doctors aren’t allowed to touch the plant. They aren’t educated in medical school and they can’t prescribe cannabis as medicine, they can only “recommend.”

With the plant still federally prohibited, with no medicinal value admitted, Mikuriya was hotly criticized, with an attempt made to strip him of his medical license.

“In my case, an undercover agent was sent to infiltrate a clinic of mine, not even bothering with the niceties of the Medical Board, filtering and embellishing it, went directly to the AG’s office,” he said. “So, there’s been this clique of opponents who are doing their damndest to hurt the physicians and dissuade participation in the law.”

The incident happened in 2000, with the Medical Board of California giving Mikuriya five years probation and a $75,000 fine for what they called “gross negligence, unprofessional conduct, and incompetence” for failing to conduct proper physical examinations on 16 patients for whom he had written scripts. The truth was, Mikuriya had given out around 9,000 scripts all told.

The fact that they pinned 16 questionable scripts on him with probation and a fine seems to have been a weak attempt to slow him down, as he continued his private psychiatric practice, as a cannabis clinical consultant, until his death.

“I want to see cannabis defined as an easement, which is not a narcotic, not a psycho-stimulant, not a hallucinogen,” he surmised. “One of the things in managing chronic conditions with cannabis is the absence of side-effects as being the critical factor. Cannabis has a remarkable profile compared with any synthetic pharmaceuticals. In fact, it really enhances both the quality of life and rehabilitation from illness. Since cannabis both modulates and activates certain kinds of very positive healing functions of the body.”

Author’s Note: This profile was taken from transcript, The Lost Interview, Berkeley, California, 2004, Interview by Paul J. von Hartman.

The post Higher Profile: Dr. Tod Mikuriya (1933-2007) appeared first on High Times.

Christie said he took a deep dive into psychedelics more than 10 years ago, going through what’s now referred to as “ego death,” in an effort to discover bliss and find unity with God. He used them as a tool to find meaning in this life and get beneath the human subconscious that can hinder our growth and development.

As a child, he was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyper Disorder (ADHD) and clinical depression, stating his depression was mostly based on poor decisions and life situations he put himself in.

Prescribed Adderall and antidepressants as a child, he realized he was self-medicating with cannabis in college. He dropping out early, leaving cannabis behind in the wake, then added psychedelics in an attempt to shake off the depression.

He was tripping regularly on either psilocybin mushrooms or acid once or twice a month. This, he said caused him to stop going out and socializing, with his fantasy life taking over.

“I’d go through a kind of cosmic consciousness, then I’d sober up and have to go to work the next day,” he laughed. “I realized these stages I was going through on the psychedelics were already there in my mind. I didn’t have to keep tripping or going through it to move forward. It was the difference between using the experience to open a door or actually walking and working through it.”

With the difference between trying and doing firmly understood, Christie felt he didn’t have to continue using psychedelics. He used the experiences he already had as a tool to get to the next life level, keeping cannabis use as part of his wellness and musical process.

“I hadn’t yet written music, played an instrument, or even considered myself a musician,” he said. “Psychedelics put the pieces together for me. Pointed me in the right direction … I feel psychedelics are as an important a tool to psychology as a telescope is to astronomy.”

“My method in making music became medicating with cannabis, jamming, and recording.”

– Willy Christie

Breathing the Third Eye Open

Meditation has long been a way for humans to transcend their own subconscious—to leave behind the baggage of emotion we store in the mind that can cause us to stagnate as developing human beings.

Through Holotropic breathwork, Christie said he was and is able to transcend much in the same way he did on the psychedelics. 

Holotropic breathing exercises were developed in the 1970s by Dr. Stanislav Grof and his wife, Christina, initially using lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). When the psychoactive formulation was made illegal, the couple developed the breathing technique to allow their subjects the same type of release and realizations outside of themselves.

“The point is not where the work takes you,” he continued, “but what you do with the experience afterwards. Using psychedelics as a treatment shows you the work you need to do, where you need to be in your life – especially if a change is needed.”

It’s not unusual for someone to use psychedelics to help them get to another place of emotional wellness. Fungi, LSD, MDMA, and ayahuasca are all used to help dig into the subconscious for understanding, to heal trauma, and to aid in addiction recovery, offering a reset as a starting point.

“The experiences while on these substances open up your third eye, allowing you to see what’s important, leading you on a path to healing,” he added. “But you still have to do the work. My use of acid actually taught me to medicate smarter, helped me to feel peace long after the experience had ended.”

Christie said he also realized that the psychedelics were more about feeling, and that once your brain stops ruminating, that’s the point where you are truly present—to “be here now,” as the late, great spiritual teacher, Ram Dass, once advised. And meditation, he said, gives him that same portal of peace.

“That’s the message I convey through music—moments of peace,” he continued. “If you have a feeling of peace, of being present, it’s easier to have faith that everything is going to be all right, and you are on the right path.”

Music, he said, is a placeholder for other messages, melodically speaking directly to the subconscious. A signpost letting you know you are not alone, united by a common thread of words and melody.

“Talk about some radical shit camouflaged in music,” he laughed. “Music has a universal message and can speak to many. This may be a dream we are living in, but we are all in the same dream. Music puts you directly in the present. Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now was life changing for me in living in the moment.”

“Life is now. There was never a time when your life was not now, nor will there ever be.”

– Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now (New World Library)

The Message in Music

Christie recently released a psychedelic rock album, Kukuni, created in a self-imposed six-month isolation, “accidentally” sacrificing the entire summer of 2019.

Afterwards, he swore he’d never lose another summer, and then America’s mandatory COVID-19 lockdown hit, forcing a second isolation period and the completion of the album—fueled by consuming copious amounts of weed. 

“I’m one of the members of the “do drugs and make music for people who do drugs and listen to music,” he laughed. “I went through pounds of weed during the six months time it took to write the album. The influence of the plant is undeniable. One song on the album, ‘Zorrillo’, is a reference to weed. It’s the Spanish word for ‘skunk’.”

His moniker Kukuni makes this album self-titled. It’s a play on the word cocooning—likened to his self-imposed, then pandemic-mandated lockdown.

“I was listening to NPR and misheard the word ‘cocooning.’ I was expecting to hear some new foreign concept, as I’d just become hip to the Japanese concept of Forest Bathing,” he said. “If you are stressed, you go out into the forest and breathe in the pine air. The word cocooning sounded like Kukuni to me, so I went with it.”

The connection to the forest and cannabis is strong, as terpenes are also found in pine trees (pinene). It’s one in the same.

“Just like when you smoke a cultivar with the pinene terpene, when you go into the forest and breathe in that terp, you are instantly relaxed and alert. It’s the same effect,” he concluded.

Christie was recently signed by Liquid Culture, a global community of artists and creators with a mission to preserve and further the psychedelic experience—founded by Nutritious and “Renaissance woman, publicist extraordinaire,” Zoe Wilder.

Christie’s album had him working with producer Tony Buchen (Smashing Pumpkins, Sam Gendel, John Carroll Kirby) and drummer Robby Sinclair (Linda Perry, Chet Faker).

The album cover is trippy in itself, shot by Los Angeles-based photographer, Emily Eizen. The cover features a nod to the plant, with Christie holding cannabis flowers he grew in a vase. In the other hand he holds a mirror, as a sign of his constant searching and self-reflection.

Fueling the Muse

Hailing from Kansas City, Kansas, Christie proved what we all know: even in conservative, illegal states, people grow cannabis. The plant prevails.

“I’ve been growing now for 12 years, but was living with the constant fear of a knock at the door and going to prison for the mandatory five-year sentence when I was still in Kansas,” he said. “So, I moved to Los Angeles in 2016, staying with friends in West Hollywood. When I arrived and exited the freeway there was a gas station on the corner and I remember thinking how high the gas prices were and thinking to myself, I’ll never be able to make it here.”

After placing an ad on Craigslist to put a band together, he met a girl—acquiring both a bandmate and a girlfriend—making the high prices of California a little more bearable. A job with a cannabis company didn’t hurt.

“I worked for a company called the Venice Cookie Company,” he said. “They’re called VCC today and still make a beverage, Cannabis Quencher.

His cultivar, Rainbow Road, was inspired by Mario Kart’s final course on Mario Kart 64. 

“On the course, you are literally driving on a rainbow with stars as guardrails,” he explained. “You are driving around in space on a psychedelic rainbow. What’s better than that?”

Kukuni is filled with symbols, myths, and fables—the language of the subconscious.

“I like to take people into the dark forest of the human spirit and shine a light on the path less taken,” he surmised. “It’s what cannabis does for me, and it’s in the spirit of the music I make.”

The post Higher Profile: Kukuni’s Willy Christie, Musician and Breeder appeared first on High Times.

He’d followed the calling of service of Gisele since she was a young woman. Relocating to Pennsylvania to work beside her now-husband, John Fetterman, while he was Mayor of the town; then supporting him as Lieutenant General of the state as Pennsylvania’s Second Lady; still by his side today, supporting his successful run as State Senator.

Santa knew a good egg when he saw one, and he couldn’t wait to meet the woman beloved in her state. So loved is she that the mantra, “Vote for Gisele’s husband,” was commonly heard throughout the campaign.

He was also aware she was honest about her medicinal use of cannabis for chronic pain after a series of accidents throughout her life, advocating that her state legalize the plant alongside her husband.

At Home with History

Santa steered Rudolph toward the rooftop of the Fetterman’s home.

So proud of his state’s history of steel, Sen. Fetterman converted the former Superior Motors building across the street from the Edgar Thomson Steel Works into his family home. The mill was the first to lay railroad tracks across the country, and the pride factor for Fetterman was strong.

Superior Motors was one of the country’s first indoor car dealerships, with an old Chevy needing to be removed via a crane from their soon-to-be-home.

Gisele Fetterman lay next to her sleeping husband thinking about the holiday at hand, her children fast asleep, her husband’s newly-appointed position as State Senator and all that implied for the future of her family and their beloved state.

Not a creature was stirring when she heard a bump in the night on the rooftop.

Glancing over at her husband’s 6’8” frame, giggling at the sight of his feet protruding off the end of the bed, with his head covered by a blanket as he slept soundly, she tiptoed up toward the rooftop to see what was the matter.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she could barely believe what she saw.

“Ho, ho, ho!” didn’t mean to startle you,” Santa said, gingerly stepping down and out of the sled, as the reindeer made themselves comfortable on the expansive rooftop.

“I’m not opposed to miracles,” Gisele said with an unsure smile. “Just give me a minute to take it all in.”

“Well, I’m no miracle, just spreading the love of giving, just like you,” he replied. “My hope is that you are as excited to meet me as I am to meet you. You are one of our people. Your selfless and loving ways have not been missed by my missus either.”

Santa pulled out a small dropper bottle of tincture from his pocket and offered it to Gisele, who was now fondly stroking Rudolph’s nose.

“You probably haven’t thought of this, but my lower back can get a bit sore sitting upon this wooden sled,” he said with a seriousness in his voice that surprised her. “The elves started growing hemp up at the North Pole, and Mrs. Claus makes this tincture. She wanted you to have a bottle.”

The Hemp tincture made by Mrs. Claus, was made using high cannabidiol (CBD) and low tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) compound counts, and was hybridized by the late, great, Lawrence Ringo of Southern Humboldt County at the top of Northern California.

Ringo hybridized low THC plants together for his own chronic back pain, into what he referred to as the “God plant,” as the original cannabis plant said to be found in Holy Anointing Oil from the Bible did not have the high THC count we have today. Yet, the plant referred to as hemp, still has the full cannabinoid and terpene profile of the cannabis plant as a superfood, and highly medicinal without the high.

“Both Frankincense and Myrrh are highly medicinal,” Santa informed. “Not just incense for the Baby Jesus. I don’t think most people understand that about most plants, or why they brought medicine to the child in the manger.” 

Gisele understood this and graciously accepted the small bottle with gratitude. But, she was also a bit stunned. It was a lot to take in. Santa, a cannabis advocate – the Elves as farmers, Mrs. Claus an apothecary, weed in Holy Annointing Oil? 

This man in a red suit flying through the air offered up more than physical gifts on Christmas Eve, she thought – pondering gifting him extra cookies by the hearth next year.

She also knew in her heart, if her gentle giant of a husband could win State Senate – wearing his signature sweatshirt, perennial shorts in the winter and sneakers, then anything is possible. Hell, her very existence in this life, in this country, was a crapshoot to begin with.

Silent Night, Holy Night

“I read that you have three strikes against you,” Santa continued. “You began your life in this country as an illegal immigrant – you are a woman, and a cannabis patient.”

“Yes, that’s right – with these thick eyebrows, they just don’t know what to make of me,” she laughed, as Santa chuckled along. “But, I believe that education is everything when it comes to cannabis. It’s been misunderstood for a very long time.”

“So many have realized the plant as medicine, it’s true,” he pondered. “When you think about it, I too am illegal. Each year I cross borders for the greater good of making children happy by giving illegally imported gifts! I pay no tariffs. My reindeer aren’t even documented to be in the U.S., but here we are. There are double standards everywhere, in every country.”

The two had a good laugh at Santa’s perspective, and Gisele had to agree, they were quite the pair. 

The stars in the sky shined brightly above Braddock, as the two took in this very special Christmas Eve together.

“I’m thankful for you, Santa,” Gisele said lovingly. “And for Mrs. Claus and the Elves – and these beautiful animals. And a plant that helps us both.” 

“And I’m thankful for you and your good works,” he repled. “‘If everyone gives, no one goes without.’ That’s what Mrs. Claus always reminds me – especially on those days that seem darkest of all. It’s not easy being misunderstood in this world. It’s not easy watching people go without. And it’s not easy watching people suffer in pain, because this plant isn’t available to them. Thank you for your advocacy, Gisele.”

In the distance they could hear the bells of Saints Peter & Paul Byzantine Catholic Church ringing in the blessings of Christmas Eve. The steel mill across the street was quiet, as Gisele’s family slept peacefully in their beds, unaware of the magic taking place up on the roof.

Santa got back up on his sled and commanded his crew to head toward the City of Love, Philadelphia.

“Wish us luck, we are heading right into Kensington,” Santa said with a wave, blowing a kiss to the State Senator’s wife. “Oh, and you have a little surprise at the Free Store, we dropped off some bicycles!”

“God Bless you, Santa – and God bless the souls of Kensington,” Gisele waved back, then put her hands together in prayer, lifting them up to the jolly man. Then she blew a kiss towards him into the twinkling Braddock night sky.

“Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!” Santa called back.

For more information on the Free Store of Braddock visit, https://www.freestore15104.org/ 

For more information on newly elected State Senator John Braddock visit, https://johnfetterman.com/

The post Adventures With Santa: Braddock, Pennsylvania appeared first on High Times.

In the early 80s, posters posing the questions “Are you a Nerd?” or “Are you a Valley Girl?” were doing the same thing, detailing the wardrobes of a nerd from the film Revenge of the Nerds, or Moon Unit Zappa’s one hit wonder, Valley Girl, inspiring Hart to bring the Humboldt Honey to life, posing the question, “Are you a Humboldt Honey?”

“I created the poster of the young woman for myself, and never planned on printing more than one for my own room,” she explained. “At that time I didn’t know about press runs and that one poster would cost as much to print as one thousand, so I had the minimum printed at a thousand copies.”

While most in the community understood the uniform, the conservative faction of Humboldt County, comprised of the lumber and fishing industries, were appalled. How could someone glorify a character from the drug community? Everything they fought against and hated about the cannabis community was represented in this one photo of a hippie girl, and they were not happy about it.

On April 17, 1983, Humboldt’s daily newspaper, the Times-Standard, put the poster on the front page above the fold, helping it to sell out in less than two months. Hart had distributed it to about 15 shops around the county at four dollars each, with the intention of making it affordable for students.

“Sam Blackwell did a story for the Times-Standard,” she continued. “When the story ran my vibration was so high the posters ran out quickly and everyone wanted more. Then the nasty grams started and I received lots of hate mail. I’m an intuitive, sensitive person and it really affected me.”

She agreed to an interview on a radio station she was unaware leaned conservative, and was bullied live on air by callers hating on her Honey.

In those days there weren’t any cell phones, with phone number listings published in a physical phone book given free to every household with a landline. Hart said she ended up having to disconnect her phone to stop the calls.

“I shut the whole thing down,” she said. “I just couldn’t deal with the negative energy surrounding her. It was just too much for me. In my mind, she was a positive force to be reckoned with, not something to be hating on.”

In the 40 years since the first printing, Hart said she’s barely earned a penny from the Humboldt Honey, who she has never marketed or merchandised since she arrived on the scene in 1983. Albeit, except for one shop in Humboldt who has sat on a stack of posters for years, selling a few here and there as a novelty for tourists.

“After 40 years, this is a gift I’m giving back,” she surmised. “I never wanted to make money off of her, that would go against everything she represents and that I believe in. You can see it in her garb—she’s not a sell-out.”

The Subject

As a journalism major at Humboldt State University, Hart’s Honey reflected much of herself and her values, shared by what the young woman was holding, reading, and subsequently advocating. 

Hart had studied each and every piece on the young woman, creating a prototype with her roommate first, then seeking out someone in the community to feature in the poster.

Her subject, Leoni Nicol, was found in front of the old quonset hut that was the first Arcata Co-op, in the Humboldt city known as 60s by the Sea. The photo was shot by local photographer, Patrick Cudahy, as technically his first commercial shoot.

Nicol was from Scotland and was just passing through town. We could assume she may have been a Trimmagrant, one of the thousands of young people who follow the growing season, trimming cannabis flower for money as they travel through the Emerald Triangle.

She wasn’t dressed as a Humboldt Honey when Hart found her. As an aside, Nicol had been part of British punk band, The Molesters. According to an article penned by Kevin Hoover, of the weekly, the band’s single can still be heard online at Rhapsody.com/themolesters.

“What she’s wearing represents what we all believe in, and what I believed in at the time and still do,” Hart said. “She even has Liberty Caps in a velvet pouch her bag, because I too was experimenting with psilocybin mushrooms at the time.”

As another reflection of the times, the hits of mushrooms were dubbed Liberty Caps, as they were said to liberate your mind. How ironic that the psychoactive mushrooms are now being widely accepted in the U.S. and around the world as medicine, used as a reset for a bevy of mental disorders, including depression. Proving further that our Humboldt Honey is still relevant today.

The Anatomy of the Humboldt Honey

You can still find the Humboldt Honey in the hills of Humboldt County, but her presence isn’t limited or confined to tending weed within the fertile redwood soil in Northern California. 

Around the world there are progressive communities who still aspire to the norms and beliefs of the 1960s, in which she was spawned. 

You’ll find the Humboldt Honey and her counterparts at The Farm in Tennessee; in Austin, Texas with its patch of blue in a sea of red; in the State of Vermont—said to be the Humboldt County of the east coast; in the south of France in Marseille, where they grow some of the finest weed in the country (turned into the finest hash); and in Amsterdam, where the High Times Cup was launched in 1988, just five years after the Humboldt Honey made her debut.

“She’s really about comfort and the farming life,” Hart said. “You wake up in the morning and it’s cold, so you layer. As the sun comes up, you peel off the layers. This look is all about practicality. But, she’s also making political statements of the times.”

Her layers are made of hemp and cotton. Her No Nukes t-shirt is part of her personal belief system. On her head is Bobby McGee’s dirty red bandana, made famous by the song, “Me & Bobby McGee” by Janis Joplin. The button on her fringed hippy vest warns, Question Authority—something we are still doing today where cannabis is concerned.

High Times would have rather she hold a copy of its iconic magazine, but this honey is reading Rolling Stone, Mother Earth News, Mother Jones, and the book, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, by author Tom Wolfe; wherein he details his acid-laden, cross-country ride in the infamous converted school bus, Further, with Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters.

And, of course, she’s holding a joint filled with Humboldt’s finest weed.

“Beloved plant medicine opens our Sixth Chakra and fills our minds and hearts with ideas and potential possibilities,” Hart surmised. “I probably wouldn’t have created this iconic being if a veil hadn’t have been lifted from my consciousness while in Humboldt. Because my life before Humboldt was completely different from the life I found to the north.”

Hart’s Humboldt Calling

Hart was born in Brazil, but the family moved to the United States and the conservative enclave of Orange County, California, when she was just seven years old.

“I loved the beach, but my third eye wasn’t opened up in Southern California,” she laughed. “I grew up in the 80s, in the time of Reagan—it was called the me generation—with an attachment to designer labels; the importance of what kind of car you drove, how big was your house, and what neighborhood you lived in. I grew up in a materialistic society in SoCal.”

After high school she first studied at Orange Coast Community College (OCCC), writing for the college paper, as a features writer, penning human interest stories.

“I first smoked cannabis in college—actually, after I met Sailene Ossman,” she explained. “We both worked at Hamburger Hamlet and we’ve been friends ever since. We did a lot of magic mushrooms together, made leis for our hair with flowers, wore dayglow colors and listened to Jefferson Airplane. She came up to Humboldt with me to check out the university, and we both fell in love with its alternative lifestyle. It felt like we came home for the first time being there.”

The two ended up attending the iconic North Country Fair on the Plaza in Arcata, still run by the “Same Old People,” founded in 1974, and still continuing today on the third weekend in September. There they purchased two old-school, cannabis-laden chocolate brownies out in the open in the middle of the event.

“There was food, music, and everyone was dancing,” she recalled. “It was a magical place and still is today. We were amazed that we could buy a pot brownie like that. It was a different world, but one we were anxious to be a part of.”

Ossman would go on to establish Venice Beach, California’s first cannabis delivery service. Today, she owns the Brewja Elixir in Joshua Tree, California, serving up CBD and herbal elixirs. Ossman has also penned a book on CBD Cocktails (Cider Mill Press, April 2020).

“I knew I would fall in love with the rivers, the ocean, and the redwoods,” Hart added. “But, I was also excited about living in a place that had a higher vibration with the plant, grown with love. And one thing I remember is, I never had to buy weed in Humboldt, because it was everywhere.”

Aside from a degree in journalism from Humboldt State University, Hart would go on to obtain a master’s degree in cultural spirituality from Holy Names University in Oakland, California. She’s also certified as a Conscious Aging Facilitator from the Institute of Noetic Sciences. 

As an author, Hart won an award for penning the book, My Year in California: A Journey Toward Midlife Renewal, detailing one year spent in California City, an experimental development from the 1970s, that Hart called, “a life affirming journey.”

The Humboldt Honey commemorative poster will be available January 1, 2023, sold at $25 each, still keeping it affordable, as the Honey would have wanted.

“Humboldt was a happy and carefree time for me,” she concluded. “The Humboldt Honey was a defining moment among many moments in Humboldt that would define my life, and still influences my life today. Many people say they left their heart in San Francisco, but I left my heart firmly planted five hours north of the city by the bay in Humboldt, where the spirit of the Humboldt Honey still lives today.”

For more information on the Humboldt Honey, or to pre-order the poster visit, www.thehumboldthoney.com.

The post Higher Profile: Ingrid Hart & The Humboldt Honey appeared first on High Times.

“I was baptized Catholic, but rejected practicing and attending in grade school,” he shared. “My parents knew that I had my own feelings and voice at a young age. I believe in allowing your child to choose their own path where religion is concerned.”

The first time he tried cannabis was in high school where he grew up in Upstate New York. In a setting similar to That 70s Show, a group of friends sat in a circle in someone’s basement and passed around a joint. He said he enjoyed it right away, never feeling guilty about his use. 

“I played on the Lacrosse team and was Class President of both my Junior and Senior classes, pulling As and Bs, so no one could call me a non-productive stoner in high school,” he laughed. “I proved the stereotype wrong and leaned into my use and belief that the plant was not harmful because of the kind of person I was. The stereotype just didn’t apply to me or my friends—it never has.”

Witzel set his sights on California for his first degree in telecommunications from Pepperdine University in Los Angeles. Pepperdine is one of the top private Christian universities in the country, with the perk of overlooking the tawny beach town of Malibu and the Pacific Ocean.

Every Seed Bearing Plant

God said, “See, I give you every seed-bearing plant that is upon all the earth, and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit, they shall be yours for food.” – Hebrew, Genesis 1.29

Witzel said he was well aware that Pepperdine was run by the Church of Christ, and that his cannabis use may be in question, but the campus overlooking the ocean was compelling.

“Aside from Pepperdine being a great university, with an excellent communications department taught by A-listers in the TV and film industry, the location was a definite draw,” he said. “I lived on campus, and though the university had strict rules about drugs and alcohol, I found my tribe of cannabis users pretty easily. The tribe finds each other, no matter where you are. Turns out, Christians like weed as much as anyone else.”

Cannabis as a superfood is how the plant began its life on earth. We as a species have upped the level of THC over the decades via hybridization. 

When the late Lawrence Ringo from Southern Humboldt, California, hybridized cannabis plants to have lower tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), he referred to his first high cannabinoid (CBD) cultivar as the “God plant,” as the original plant measured in at around four percent of the psychoactive compound before human hands messed with it.

Witzel said there was never a discussion with his colleagues on the status of cannabis within the church, the Bible, or any guilt associated with its use.

“I never understood why the church rejected cannabis,” he said. “There were many in my tribe at Pepperdine who were way more into Christianty than I, and they used cannabis. I never read anything in scripture saying thou shalt not partake of this plant. My cannabis use has nothing to do with my relationship with God or my faith. To date, no one has proven to me that weed is heatheness.”

To put his Pepperdine tribe experience into perspective, Witzel detailed fellow students as brilliant and gifted, with better test scores than he had, all partaking of the plant. To get into Pepperdine you had to be smart, and if you didn’t have a full scholarship, you pretty much had to come from money. This fact further cements the truth of the demographic of the plant, crossing lines of race and status in society.

He likened one classmate to the Nobel Prize winning mathematician, John Nash, profiled in the film, A Beautiful Mind.

“We shared a wall in the dorms, and I could hear him tap, tap, tapping, as he worked out these long, complex mathematical problems on a board on the wall between us—much like Nash did at Princeton University. My point in retelling this story is, the students who used cannabis at Pepperdine were not slackers. We didn’t fit the stereotype at all. These were believers of God from conservative and, for the most part, upper class families.”

With a love for movies and TV shows, Witzel set his sights on a career in the entertainment industry, but upon graduating in 2009, on the crest of a global financial crisis, projects went astray. He also wasn’t thrilled at the aspect of working from project to project, as is common in the entertainment industry.

Realizing he had to pivot, he enrolled in the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University; 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.

With a focus on strategies in business, Witzel worked for a management consulting firm while studying at Claremont. Still smoking cannabis and hanging out with friends, he had what he calls a “lightbulb moment,” when a buddy set a shoebox on the coffee table, with his stash in disarray inside.

“I thought to myself, we can do better than this,” he laughed.

A Functional Stash

After some research, Witzel came across a humidity control system originally used for cigar humidors. After making a few adjustments to the product, he was able to adapt the humidity setting to accommodate a lower relative humidity, which is necessary for cannabis. Witzel then purchased the patent from the original owner and rebranded it to “VaporBeads.”

Citing a study from 1975, Cannador’s website educates on weed storage, “The Stability of Cannabis and its Preparations on Storage,” wherein the best storage was found to be at room temperature in a dark, sealed container. The researchers observed the plant material for two years, noting changes in potency.

The outcome showed that properly stored cannabis plant material with a correct amount of moisture retains higher terpene and cannabinoid counts—the compounds where flavor, scent, and medicinal efficacy is found. 

The study also confirmed that humidors made for cigars have a higher moisture content, and are not suitable for cannabis. It’s a fine line of humidity that keeps cannabis fresh, flavorful, and mold-free.

A big difference between cigar and cannabis humidors is the interior wood and the way they maintain humidity. Most cigar humidors maintain a higher relative humidity and utilize chemicals like propylene glycol. Additionally, cigar humidors are lined with cedar, whereas cannabis humidors should be lined with a more neutral wood like mahogany. Cannador’s patented VaporBeads allow just the right amount of moisture to maintain the terpene’s aroma and taste by only adding water. A relative humidity (RH) for cannabis is best kept between 58 to 65%. Anything over 70% RH runs the risk of mold growth.

Keeping the Faith, Keeping it Fresh

With the holiday season upon us, Witzel is gearing up for gift-giving season, offering up his limited edition 3-strain Cannador Artist Collaboration, designed by Chelsea Van Voorhis, who specializes in working with veneer products.

Also in the mix are his handcrafted walnut and mahogany roll trays, and leather toolkit for travel. 

Giving back in the cannabis industry is important and Cannador is passionate about sustainability, pledging to plant one tree for every Cannador purchased, as part of Plant-it 2020, a global non-profit operating in Colorado, dedicated to properly planting, maintaining, and protecting as many indigenous trees as possible.

For Witzel, his mission is clear, provide the best and most beautiful products to keep cannabis as fresh and flavorful as possible—because, after all, he too still enjoys the plant.

“I still enjoy cannabis, but not everyday,” he said. “I really like good wine, and if I’ve had too much I like to reset by smoking cannabis. It helps get me out of my shell and converse more easily with people. I like to vape or smoke joints, but no more bong rips for me. Everything in moderation—and that actually reflects what the Bible says about alcohol.”

Witzel’s focus is still as clear as it was in college, on being a productive human.

“My alma mater probably doesn’t want to hear this, but cannabis always made everything more interesting for me,” he concluded. “I still love listening to music while high. I balanced school, sports, and work around my cannabis use. I don’t think there always has to be some kind of trade-off, you simply work hard and have fun responsibly along the way—and cannabis will always be a big part of that for me.”

For more information on Cannador & VaporBeads visit, www.cannador.com https://vaporbeads.com/ 

Visit Cannador’s Limited Collections page here, https://cannador.com/collections/limited-edition 

Visit its accessories page here, https://cannador.com/collections/accessories 

For more information on Plant-it 2020 visit, https://plantit2020.org/

The post Higher Profile: Zane Witzel, CEO, Cannador appeared first on High Times.

This month marks 10 years since getting educated on cannabis as a beneficial plant, after using cannabis oil to put breast cancer into remission in 2012.

I’d been working as a producer/writer for television in Los Angeles, when I was brought up to Humboldt County, California, to produce a news show for local TV, then ended up as the lead features writer for the Times-Standard in the County seat of Eureka.

When the cancer went away (with no surgery or chemotherapy needed), along with upwards of 10 pharmaceuticals and supplements needed for many ailments and disorders, I felt I had no choice but to cross over from mainstream media into the cannabis publishing space to write about the plant as medicine.

My joke used to be that I was a woman with a voice taken from Los Angeles, dropped in the cannabis capital of the world, and given breast cancer. But, during a session with an energy worker a few years ago, I was told it’s no joke, that this is my path already laid out before me, and that my voice is being used for the greater good of the plant.

I like and accept that explanation. It’s been a calling I’ve answered—and not one for the faint of heart, as the stories I write are patient profiles, detailing successful outcomes in using cannabis as medicine. The stories are known as anecdotal, and until the U.S. government finally fesses up and acknowledges the plant as medicine, all we have are our words to each other to educate.

The sad part for me is, I’ve never been able to submit stories of healing to mainstream publications. What little information on the plant as beneficial getting published for the masses to see is always titled as a question, “Can marijuana help with pain?” We cannabis patients and caregivers already know the answer. We are waiting for medical professionals and legislators to catch up and stop playing politics with a plant that heals when pharma fails us.

Health & Persecution

The pharma I had taken for more than 10 years prior never really made me feel better, with the lists of side effects for each pill taken often making me feel worse than the malady itself.

Thyroid disease alone comes with a long list of symptoms that come and go as they please, including hormonal depression, weight gain, digestive issues, and too much misery to mention here. Going into menopause with Thyroid disease is a double hormonal whammy, and I’d been suffering steadily, emotionally and physically, until I began the cannabis oil protocols (60 grams ingested in 90 days, with a step-up dosing guide).

My newfound good health and wellbeing was short lived, though, as I was quickly ridiculed and questioned by friends, family, and strangers alike, who just could not believe that weed helped with as many ailments as I was claiming.

Believe me, no one was more surprised than I, but my truth was adamant and demanding. I had no choice but to use my voice to educate others and right the wrongs that had lasted decades. This plant put my cancer into remission while doing away with pharma, but for most, my story was just too good to be true.

When I was in mainstream media I was respected, with people believing what I said and reported. After crossing over into writing for magazines with funny names, and writing about one of the most demonized plants on the planet, the response from most was not kind.

Writing for a cannabis magazine, you’d think I’ve been preaching to the choir all this time, but even the most ardent 24/7 stoner has a hard time realizing the plant as a strong and valuable medicine to be ingested, not just smoked. I like to say, your endocannabinoid system doesn’t give a shit about you wanting to get high.

The U.S. government did an excellent job of convincing people the plant is bad, and that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is crazy-making. Children will be ruined, lives will be lost!

It was all bullshit. That’s what I’ve learned after leaving mainstream media behind. And the other truths I found afterwards about so many other lies just added to the conundrum of who I thought I was, who I used to be, and who I had become with this newfound knowledge.

Relax, it’s a Superfood

“If this works, why don’t I know about it?” That was my first response when given the strong cannabis oil that changed everything.

The definition of a superfood, or what I like to call “super plants,” are any plant with a wide array of beneficial compounds able to address a wide range of ailments.

Superfoods address all of our 11 biological systems via the endocannabinoid system (eCS), which is not just for accepting cannabis compounds. All beneficial plants have terpenes and cannabinoids, where the medicine is found. It’s not rocket science or complicated, it’s just how plants work with biology of humans and animals alike. (Read about superfoods here.)

As I’ve stated many times, when they told us to eat our fruits and vegetables, they should have scared the shit out of us. They should have said it’s a matter of life and death, because it is.

Beneficial plants have terpenes or scents because we have a nose. It’s a symbiotic relationship that’s been broken for decades. We’ve been led away from the garden for far too long, with many people not knowing how to cook real food from the garden, let alone understand or know how to make remedies from plants.

When you are drawn to a certain beneficial plant’s scent, it means your body biologically needs that plant and its compounds. Love lavender? You may need to chill. This is how plants speak to us and our needs.

Apothecary, the practice of making medicine from plants, was how humans healed before the pharmaceutical industry was created in the late 1930s, using synthetic formulations with patents for profit. The formulations can only attempt to mimic the healing power of plants, with negative side effects the norm.

Plants heal and quell illness, infection, and more, while strengthening the immune system, creating homeostasis in the body, or a place where illness cannot dwell. 

As an example of how pharmaceuticals damage while attempting to heal, take antibiotics, for instance. Now, I don’t know why we’d take (or name) anything to do with healing “anti,” let alone anti “biotics.” It doesn’t sound right to begin with. Antibiotics stop infection, yes, but while doing so, they kill the good cells too—weakening the immune system. Why the hell would we do that? 

Because you can’t patent a whole plant for profit, and why they are now breaking down the compounds of the cannabis plant to make patented formulations. This pains me, as the entire plant is necessary, it’s how it was designed to work with us.

The God Plant

Probably the most frustrating part of all this for me is, we as a species upped the levels of THC to the heights we have today via hybridization. We created the controversy and now must explain the THC and manage it as a medicine. 

The original plant, known as the God plant, used in Holy Anointing Oil from the Bible (see The Soma Solution), measured in at less than 5% THC. About the same amount as our hybridized cannabindiol or CBD cultivars, otherwise known as hemp.

The late Lawrence Ringo of Southern Humboldt spent nearly 15 years hybridizing the plant’s THC back down, giving us cannabidiol or CBD high cannabis. He referred to a low THC cultivar as the “God Plant.” It was these plants that were taken from California to Colorado, then called Charlotte’s Web. The Stanley brothers couldn’t say they crossed state lines with the plants, giving Ringo the honorary title of the Father of CBD. (Read Ringo’s story here.)

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love THC. It speaks to me, and women in general for hormonal issues, to which we have many all throughout our lives. I like to say, I’m menopausal, you don’t want to see me not smoking weed all day.

What I’ve Learned

In the past 10 years, I’ve learned that you can’t expect everyone to accept plants as medicine. Until the eCS is taught in medical schools, medical professionals will be in the dark.

The saying “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink” was never more clearer to me concerning cannabis. I can talk about the power of plants all day long, but with the negative stigma of the plant hovering overhead and cannabis still listed on Schedule 1, with no medicinal value, I can only evangelize the plant. From my mouth to their ears. They might not believe it, but they hear me.

Education is everything. Being in media now for more than 20 years, I’ve known this. It’s why I do the work I do in educating on cannabis and other plants as medicine. Being an Educated Stoner is not easy, but it has its perks. I’m privileged in my knowledge of plants, and won’t knock anyone still using pharmaceuticals.

And my cancer can come back. Whether you use chemotherapy or cannabis, cancer is only put into remission. It’s in our stem cells from decades of toxins added to our environment by our own hand. Once again, as a species, we created the mess.

The cancer I put into remission on my forehead nine years ago came back worse last year. In fact, I have cancer spots all over my body now from growing up on the beach and being a lifelong gardener. They say it’s part of old age now to have cancer, and I feel lucky I’ve been able to quell it and so many ailments over the years using cannabis and other plants.

But, this Educated Stoner knows there are no guarantees in life or in dying. There’s only here and now, and cannabis helps.

The post Educated Stoner appeared first on High Times.

Her father jumped right into defending those caught up in the drug war right out of Southwestern Law School in 1967, representing Timothy Leary in his cannabis trial in 1969. He was also the first attorney to have a jingle on the radio, “1-800-420-LAWS, Bruce Margolin is down for the cause.”

And while Margolin has been practicing in California since she graduated Harvard Law School in 2002, eventually earning the honorary title of “L.A.’s Dopest Attorney,” the extent of her experiences in the space, along with stories from her lineage hasn’t fully been told, until now.

In her first published effort, Just Dope (Penguin Random House), she bares everything. Not just about her own personal experiences with drugs—recreational and otherwise—but her story also includes a deep history of the failed War on Drugs; a refreshing perspective on the perception of what it means to be addicted; and a deep dive into Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that goes far beyond a soldier’s trauma from war, with Margolin examining the malady on a cellular level, using her own family history and the Holocaust as direct examples.

Just Dope is a truly astonishing and enlightening work that educates the reader beyond what’s expected, based on decades worth of rhetoric, where cannabis is concerned. Her work shows us just how damn smart this woman is, and how fortunate we are to have her fighting for the plant and our rights to self-medicate—no matter the substance.

From the book’s Introduction, “Jury Selection,” Margolin pens, “Since becoming an attorney in December 2002, I have represented dealers and addicts, cartel bosses and alleged Russian crime lords. I’ve faced down corrupt prosecutors, crooked cops, and prejudiced, power-mad judges. All the while I kept this book in mind and told myself I was collecting material.”

She goes on to state that the book was percolating in her head for more than 30 years, with stories of her life, her family, and the legalization movement, surmising, “I knew I wanted to free people, to pursue justice, as my parents had done through their practice of law. But, I believed my tool for the revolution would be the written word.”

The War on Drugs, 1869

The failed War on Drugs is often stated as a war on people, specifically people of color, with documented racism inspiring its inception.

Margolin diggs deep, going beyond the politics of the 1960s, calling out the use of drugs as a criminal act regarding San Francisco’s Chinese population, after the completion of the Pacific Railroad in 1869—a full 100 years before the Summer of Love.

The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, she pens, was America’s first immigration legislation based on discrimination, targeting the opium they were known for.

As Margolin details, injectable morphine created from the opium poppy became popular about the same time, with America’s first opiate epidemic in full force—thanks to the help of the home-use hypodermic needle—making demonizing the Chinese part of a hypothetical solution that never came.

Revealing the ongoing hypocrisy of the failed drug war, Margolin writes, “In 1875, six years after the completion of the railroad, San Francisco passed the nation’s first ordinance banning the keeping or visiting of opium dens. This ordinance was the first in the United States to regulate drug use. As similar scenarios played out in cities across the nation, it became the setting for America’s first drug war.”

The legislation was not born out of concern for those addicted, Margolin concluded, but out of anti-Chinese sentiment, referred to as the Yellow Peril, plain and simple. No matter that opium pods had been used in apothecaries as medicine for centuries. No matter that white workers were laying down partaking next to Chinese laborers in the opium dens the entire time.

Define Addict

In her chapter, “What About Addicts,” Margolin opens with an enlightening thought, “You don’t have to be supremely fucked up or have super-traumatic experiences in your past to be a drug addict.”

Addiction, she says, can come from “being in love, being in love with life, or being sick of being afraid.” She explains that addiction can come after the intimacy that comes from doing drugs and not caring too much about tomorrow, even if you haven’t been extremely wounded or abused. 

With an eye-opening and well documented mere 10-15% of all who do drugs actually becoming addicted, safe to say, addiction isn’t always inevitable. 

Assumed addicts can’t always be reduced to “irresponsible, selfish, immature, thrill-seeking individuals who are constantly in trouble—the type of person who acts first and thinks afterwards,” as denoted in a pamphlet distributed in 1951, by the U.S. Public Health Service. 

Margolin goes on to detail a study done in 2013, on epigenetic inheritance, wherein “your behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way your genes work. Unlike genetic changes, epigenetic changes are reversible and do not change your DNA sequence, but they can change how your body reads a DNA sequence.”

Determining what causes the negative consequences are key, Margolin suggests.

“It’s an unusual individual who has never drank alcohol or tried a drug recreationally,” she noted on this point. “If you were to review your past 24 hours, you too might find that you’d used a few drugs, be they caffeine or cocaine.”

Interesting to note, the word drug is derived from the Dutch word drog, the wooden crates filled with beneficial plants loaded onto wooden ships for apothecaries, prior to pharmaceuticals being developed in the late 1930s in America.

L.A. Drugs & Introspection

Margolin had the best of both worlds growing up in Los Angeles. Her mother, who practices family law, has a home in Coldwater Canyon, a semi-rural region of Los Angels that helps one forget the city is just minutes away; with her father nearby in upscale Beverly Hills, one of the most expensive and celebrity-laden neighborhoods in the country. 

Born in 1977, coming of age in the 1980s, Margolin did her fair share of clubbing in the city. Influenced by the drug culture—both by doing drugs recreationally herself and witnessing the demise of others on them.

She dedicated an entire chapter to the death of River Phoenix, titled, “No one needs to die at the Vapor Room,” referencing the young actor’s death at a club that still exists today just off Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood.

With Phoenix’s story Margolin looks at childhood traumas, including sexual abuse, and the higher instances of abusing drugs and alcohol to quell the memories and the pain. His story is a paradox, as the hippie child hid his drug use, just as he hid the abuses of his childhood.

Margolin uses Phoenix’s example as retrospection for her own drug use (namely cocaine and alcohol), wherein at the end of the day after a high-powered day in court, she imagined Phoenix, like herself, using drugs to either come down or be lifted up by self-medicating. 

And while overdoing it was never an issue for the attorney, the young actor went beyond a therapeutic dose just once.

“I think the importance of being fulfilled in one’s personal and professional lives isn’t discussed enough,” she pondered, adding, “I recognized much of myself in him; I was also the person who turned to vegetarianism out of sympathy for animal suffering. Although my upbringing had little in common with River’s time in [commune/cult] Children of God, I knew what it was like to grow up in a repressed, anti-drug household.”

Although Margolin’s father, Bruce, was a consummate cannabis partaker, he was, in her words, “… vehemently opposed to alcohol, and my mother just wasn’t into drinking or taking drugs. The first time I drank alcohol in high school, I got sick because I knew so little about drinking and because, like River, I had an all-or-nothing approach to life.”

The word addict, she concluded, was born from the Latin conjunctive verb, addicere, meaning, to assign to; with the verb addicere also the origin for the Latin noun, addicutus, meaning slave.

Saving People From Themselves

The thinking behind addiction depriving an individual the ability to make free choices, is an assumption Margolin begs to differ with, stating, “It is as though the drug were controlling the person’s actions, so the government must prohibit people from using substances that can wrest so much control from them as to deprive the users of their ability to make choices about their lives.”

In other words, the government, as a legislative body, has taken it upon itself to save its citizens from themselves, in order to maintain freedom of choice. But is it a greater good governing?

“Modern addiction theory and science support the idea that drugs are not necessarily any more enslaving than any other thing to which you can become addicted,” she explained.

For all the money thrown at the drug war for decades now, with tens of thousands of non-violent offenders sitting in prison, Margolin writes, “So far, no one has won the War on Drugs. I make the case that the War on Drugs has failed because it fundamentally fails to understand addiction itself. Rethinking our approach requires that we understand the experience of drug reward: what gives one the appetite for the drug and perpetuates the cycle of use.”

A Lineage of Trauma

In looking at the damage done from the failed War on Drugs, Margolin takes a look at her own family’s heritage of trauma from her grandmother’s experience of surviving the Holocaust in Poland. 

While she writes that the Vietnam War was a catalyst in realizing and studying Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the cellular effects of trauma passed down through the generations is very real, as noted from Rachel Yehuda’s book published in 2015, How Trauma and Resilience Cross Generations. And this includes those involved in the decades-long drug war.

“Given these findings on intergenerational trauma, nobody should be surprised that some of the leading thinkers on addiction are the descendants of Holocaust survivors,” she said, noting journalist Maia Szalavitz, a former cocaine and heroin addict, daughter of a Holocost survivor, and author of Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction.

Stress causes a decrease in an infant’s dopamine receptors, she writes, with dopamine the neurotransmitter responsible for the brain’s pleasure and reward systems—whether you are enjoying delicious food or doing drugs recreationally.

One story she sites comes from Dr. Gabor Mate, an addiction specialist and descendant of Holocaust survivors. His personal story of addiction has nothing to do with drugs, but in chronically and compulsively buying multiple copies of the same Beethoven overture.

Neglected during the war and without his father, who was imprisoned in a camp, alone in his crib, his depressed mother’s classical music was his only comfort. Hence his constant compulsive acquisition for the music as comfort.

“The body remembers trauma that happened two generations ago,” she writes. “Which means you are affected on a cellular level by the stress that your parents and grandparents endured. This stress is not limited to large-scale tragedies like the Holocaust; it can be as macro as institutionalized slavery and as a micro as domestic violence within one’s family.”

The Power Within

When she was five or six years old, her father explained manifesting physical realities—something he’d learned from his friend and spiritual teacher, Ram Dass.

“The teachers tell us we contain the complete power of the universe within us,” he said. “In fact, we are so powerful that it can be frightening. But it doesn’t need to be.”

Margolin didn’t quite understand and said he sensed her confusion.

“The point is that because we have a universe within us, out thoughts have power,” he explained. “Whatever we think we can achieve. By recognizing your own power, you are manifesting anything you can imagine.”

“I sincerely believe in the power of manifestation,” she writes. “I have had miraculous outcomes throughout my career, and the fact I have cool children is also a miracle of manifestation… I used to imagine them and now they are here and better than anything I ever expected.”

Manifesting an end to the failed War on Drugs is something many are manifesting, both legislatively and spiritually. Within Margolin’s first published effort, Just Dope, she enlightens and educates, digging deeper than most in the lineage within her own family, and within the many layers of the history of politicking with plants we can still learn from.

In the 1980s there was a commercial produced by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, wherein an egg is cracked open in a hot skillet, with the narrator stating, “This is your brain on drugs. Any questions?” Margolin remembers the ad well, and today no one can say her brain was or is fried. These are just a few of the truths from the betrayal from the failed War on Drugs.

“Ever since I was young I’d feared that using drugs would affect my intelligence,” she surmised. “When I was about 10 years old, I remember watching that commercial for the first time and not understanding how my brain was supposed to be a fried egg. I also remember thinking that the egg looked pretty delicious. Even if I watch that ad now, I feel the same way I felt as a kid—bewildered and a little hungry.”

For more information on Allison Margolin visit, www.allisonmargolin.com

The post Higher Profile: Allison Margolin, Esq. appeared first on High Times.

A Nose for Flavor

Wine specialist and sommelier turned cannabis beverage connoisseur, Jamie Evans, founded The Herb Somm in 2017. The blog and lifestyle brand hosts high-end, gourmet cannabis-infused dinners curated with wine and cannabis. Her first book, The Ultimate Guide to CBD: Explore the World of Cannabidiol, was released in 2020 and features recipes infused with CBD. Her second book, Cannabis Drinks: Secrets to Crafting CBD and THC Beverages at Home, was released in 2021.

“Cannabis drinks are a fantastic alternative to alcohol,” Evans said. “With the new low-dose options that are now available, these beverages can offer a similar experience to drinking one glass of wine or a beer, but without the hangover. Market trends are also showing that more consumers are seeking alternatives to alcoholic beverages for health reasons, which has been driving new curious consumers to the cannabis drinks category.”

In 2021, Evans launched Herbacée, a cannabis-infused beverage company, “celebrating flower and vine.” Evans said the iconic wine regions of France inspired Herbacée. The non-alcoholic cannabis beverage blends phytocannabinoids (cannabinoids derived from plants), terpenes (aromatic compounds which contribute to taste and smell), tannins (a bitter, astringent compound found in things like wine), and terroir (characteristic tastes imparted by the natural environment).

“In researching cannabis, I came across many similarities between the plant and wine, including farming practices and sensory evaluation techniques,” Evans said. “Mixology is defined as the skill of mixing cocktails and other drinks, but at its core, it’s the extensive study of the art and craft of combining flavors.”

Cannabis Cocktails

With her new drinks guide, Evans offers recipes, tips, and tricks in making cannabis-infused craft cocktails, smoothies, lattes, and spirit-free mixed drinks at home. Basic infusions include making age-old bitters, honey, sour mix, simple syrups, and alcohol-based tinctures. Using a technique she calls “infused mixology,” the book teaches the basic building blocks of crafting marijuana mocktails.

“One of the most important things to making a good cocktail is balance,” Evans said. “As with all drinks, we must evaluate whether the drink is too sweet or too sour? Is it complex or simple? What’s the texture like? How can you make this drink more intriguing and palatable? Once you can achieve balance, you’ve created a good cocktail. Also, remember that every ingredient that goes into the beverage is meant to enhance the complexity, structure, mouthfeel, and backbone.”

The Future is Fluid

Evans is excited for more people to try their hand at making cannabis cocktails.

“I am enthusiastic about the future of cannabis cuisine, cannabis restaurants, and cannabis-infused beverage bars,” she said. “In my opinion, making your own infusions, such as cannabis-infused simple syrup or cannabis-infused bitters, is the best method to use since it allows you to customize the infusion based on your personal preferences.”

Cannabis infusions will also combine into drinks seamlessly versus using a commercially-made oil tincture. Evans said the only downside with making your own infusions is calculating the dosage. With homemade creations, the milligram count will never be as precise as using a professionally-made product.

If you don’t have time to create your own infusions, Evans suggests adding an alcohol or oil tincture to infuse drinks.

“Dosing in this way is easy when using a measured tincture or water-soluble formulations that have already been tested with protocols,” she said. “CBD isolates using just one compound from the plant, cannabidiol, are another way to infuse a beverage. They are typically flavorless, odorless and are a fast and potent way to integrate CBD into your regime.”

Evans noted consumers can also utilize beverages already infused with THC or CBD right off the shelf, adding the pre-made infusions to their mocktails for another quick mix. She said the most important thing is to make sure everything used can be well blended, mixed, stirred, shaken, or muddled (mashing plants, such as mint or fruit in the bottom of a glass).

Evans said those interested in crafting their own cannabis cocktails can begin by making tasting notes for each ingredient and should not shy away from the herbaceous taste of weed.

“When working with cannabis in a cocktail, don’t mask the flavor of cannabis, complement it,” she said. “A lot of producers add a ton of sugar to drinks that cover the flavors of cannabis. Instead, if you focus on using terpene-inspired ingredients, they will play well with cannabis flavors and your drinks will taste delicious!”

theherbsomm.com

Evans’ book Cannabis Drinks: Secrets to Crafting CBD and THC Beverages at Home contains a wealth of knowledge regarding how to take the guesswork out of making quality homemade cannabis beverages. Here are two recipes from the book.

Ginger Rabbit

Packed with nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, fresh carrot juice adds delicious flavors to drinks and can help improve your immune system, increase your metabolism, and help lower cholesterol. Carrot juice also pairs well with many other fruits, vegetables, roots, and herbs, making it a wonderful item to mix with. Introducing the ginger rabbit: Give this recipe a try when you’re in need of some extra nutrients to help support your immune system or anytime you’re in the mood for an incredibly refreshing drink!

Yield: 1 serving
Target Dose: 8 mg CBD | 2 mg THC per drink (using infused ginger simple syrup), or your preferred dose (using a commercially made CBD or THC tincture of your choice)

Equipment:
Muddler
Shaker tin
Fine-mesh strainer
Collins glass
Bar spoon
Reusable straw

Ingredients:
1 (1-inch or 2.5-cm) piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
2 ounces (60 ml) fresh-pressed apple juice
4 ounces (118 ml) fresh-pressed carrot juice
1 1/2 ounces (45 ml) fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce (15 ml) infused ginger simple syrup 
Ice
Splash of ginger beer 
Carrot greens, edible flowers, and a slice of lemon for garnish

Directions:
Muddle the ginger and apple juice at the bottom of a shaker tin. Muddle well to extract as much ginger flavor as possible. Add the carrot juice, lemon juice, and infused ginger simple syrup. Add ice, cover, then shake for 15 seconds or until very cold.

Using a fine-mesh strainer, separate the solids from the liquids over a Collins glass filled three-quarters with fresh ice. Top with a splash of ginger beer, give it a good stir with a bar spoon, then garnish with a sprig of carrot greens, edible flowers, and a slice of lemon. This drink is best enjoyed with a reusable straw.

Note: When making spirit-free mixed drinks, it’s best to stick with healthier options and avoid extra sugar. I always recommend using fresh-pressed juices over concentrates and to source seasonal ingredients so that you’re working with the freshest produce possible. The same goes for ginger beer—the quality matters. I recommend using Q Ginger Beer because of its extra carbonation and spicy but not overly sweet flavor. Avoid using mixers that contain high fructose corn syrup or a ton of added sugar. These additives can drastically change the drink’s profile. If you don’t have the supplies to infuse the ginger simple syrup, simply substitute for regular simple syrup, then add your favorite unflavored tincture (at your preferred dose) into the shaker tin before muddling. Follow the directions as written.

Infused Ginger Simple Syrup

Yield: about 15 to 16 ounces (465 to 480 ml)
Target Dose: 16 mg CBD | 4 mg THC per ounce (using a flower infusion)

Equipment:
Digital scale
Peeler
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Small saucepan
Thermometer
One 16-ounce (480-ml) sterilized Mason jar
Cheesecloth
Fine-mesh strainer

Ingredients:
3 grams decarboxylated flower of your choice
2 cups (480 ml) water
1 cup (340 g) honey
1 1/2 heaping tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into pieces 
1 tablespoon (15 ml) food-grade vegetable glycerin

Directions:
Weigh out 3 grams of decarboxylated flower. Set aside.

Combine the water, honey, and ginger in a small saucepan. Bring to a soft boil, stirring until the honey dissolves into the water. Reduce the heat to around 160°F to 180°F (71°C to 82°C) and add the decarboxylated cannabis.

Simmer over low heat for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and add the vegetable glycerin—this will give the CBD (and THC) something to bind to. Continue to heat and stir for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Pour the infused simple syrup into a 16-ounce (480-ml) Mason jar through cheesecloth placed in a fine-mesh strainer to remove the solids. Let cool and shake before serving.

This article appears in the June 2022 issue of High Times. Subscribe here.

The post Drink to Your Health appeared first on High Times.

She came out to her mom and stepdad late in life, at 27 years of age, at a Chinese restaurant.

“It was our tradition to read the fortunes out loud at the end of the meal, and when it came to my turn, instead of reading my fortune, I said, ‘Mom, I’m dating someone and its a woman!” she shared. “I had dated guys, but never really felt safe with them. I was always falling in love with my girlfriends. After I announced, my mom asked, ‘It says that in your fortune cookie?!’”

DeGrooms founded the This is Jane Project to help other women who may be in the same situation as she, trauma survivors—with women across the female spectrum helped emotionally and physically, with emotional support and a compassionate care program that provides access points to cannabis for those in need.

“After I was helped with the plant, I thought to myself, there must be others like me who need to know,” DeGrooms said. “I needed to challenge the stigma of medicating with cannabis for women and non-binary women. Many of the groups already established offering help are well intended, but have extensive applications that can be triggering, and we get that.”

Righting the Wrongs

DeGroom’s own CPTSD began due to childhood sexual abuse by a close family member.

“The person who sexually abused me smoked weed everyday,” she said. “I was told my abuser did these things to me because they were on drugs. So, I grew up thinking if you did drugs you would harm people.”

Born in South Carolina, her mom moved her and siblings to New Jersey when she was 14. That same year, she tried smoking cannabis, but didn’t really enjoy it—blaming peer pressure for the experience.

“It made me feel uncomfortable, but at the time, I didn’t understand what anxiety was,” she said. “When I was 17, I began a life of clubbing in New York City. I found solace in underground nightclubs—realizing now I was re-traumatizing myself by being promiscuous and dancing professionally. I was handed a modeling contract after being picked up off the street, but I chose drugs instead.”

Her clubbing life lasted for 10 years, until she was 27 years old—never doing the work to ease her pain or deal with her trauma, with Ketamine and ecstasy her daily doses, merely numbing the pain.

“Everyone from my school counselor to my therapist tried to help me, but I was too smart for them—or so I thought,” she laughed. “I was prone to fighting and depression, and while the drugs didn’t really help, they helped me cover everything up.”

She gives credit to Narcotics Anonymous (NA) in helping her tap into her inner strength and do away with the drugs.

“I got clean in rehab and stayed clean for 10 years,” she said. “I was Miss NA, indoctrinated. I read all the books, sponsored other women. Being clean was my life and my identity.”

And then, in 2016, she was hit by a car while walking down the street where she lived in Oakland, California, and everything changed.

“I had a few surgeries for different reasons,” she explained. “But the reparative surgery on my nose from doing drugs was botched, leaving me with a super bacterial infection of e coli and klebsiella combined, chronic sinus issues, and no septum. I didn’t recognize myself and I couldn’t leave the house for seven months. Then, the day I was finally able to go out, I was car-jacked.”

The assailant held a Glock pistol to the back of her head, while leading her to the middle of the road. She thought she would die right then and there.

“He took my purse and the car,” she said. “The car was found days later, but the immense trauma that followed kicked up everything I hadn’t dealt with from my past, and then some.”

To add to her trauma, the thief, who still had her keys and her address, came back to her home, tried to take a second car, failed, and ended up vandalizing the car instead.

“In 48 hours I moved to Los Angeles,” she said. “I was suffering when a friend suggested I try cannabis for my PTSD from the incident. I said, no way was I doing drugs again! But I tried it and it opened up a whole new world for me.”

In time, she went up to Humboldt County in Northern California—cannabis capitol of the world—and her friend, Dave Stanley, who farmed cannabis, taught her about the plant and being a farmer.

“I’ve been up several times since, helping with the crops,” she added. “The cultivar Sunset Sherbert changed me. I was awoken, felt productive, and it motivated me to create the This is Jane Project.”

Cannabis in Recovery

Her doubts, on the other hand, told her the NA people who had supported her all these years would think she was crazy to add cannabis to her recovery program—and they did, accusing her of “using” again. Even though the plant helped her immensely, she lost many NA friends for this reason.

“I needed to destigmatize the plant, not only for the greater good of so many suffering, but to show people in recovery that the plant could be the right choice for them, as well,” she concluded.

The dominant terpenes in Sunset Sherbert are caryophyllene, limonene, and humulene. Rather than go with the myth of uplifting Sativa or calming Indica, it’s important to look at the terpene profile. That’s where the unique and helpful characteristics of cannabis are found.

Caryophllene has the unique ability to bind with CB2 receptors, relieving anxiety. Limonene is also found in citrus and is said to reduce stress and elevate mood. Humulene is also found in hops, which beer is made from, and has a relaxing effect. It’s also said to boost creativity and calm the mind.

Beneficial plants have fragrance. We are drawn to the plants we need to keep us healthy, happy, and to create homeostasis in our bodies, or a place where illness cannot dwell.

The Revolution is Trauma-Informed

The project began as a photo and messaging campaign for social media, documenting women and their stories, poignantly photographed in stunning black and white—denoting no gray area in this conversation.

Home gatherings became a good vehicle to help on an up-close and personal level, hosted in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Brooklyn, New York, with more cities planned as donations come in. They talk, support each other, share stories, and do art therapy, among other healing modes of therapy.

Women and non-binary people with a lifetime of trauma have come forward, some with intimate partner violence, many with sexual trauma. One woman, who was stabbed 20 times, lifted her shirt during one gathering to show how grateful she was to be alive and for the Janes.

“Survivors seemed to be getting a lot out of the gatherings and the portraits being shared with their stories, but there was little support afterwards, other than the friendships and connections made. We took a hard pause just before the COVID lockdown and decided it clearly needed to be more than a social media campaign.”

After restructuring into a not-for-profit organization, they added compassionate care, with companies donating products to be given in a program named Survivors Without Access.

“We also have free monthly Healing Happy Hours on the fourth Wednesday of each month, with Janes from across the country joining is on Zoom,” she said. “Nurse Heather Manus—who is a trauma survivor herself—also helped with cannabis, spoke to us on Post Traumatic Growth. We’ve had Mindful Movement Yoga seshes, talks on overcoming imposter syndrome, with much more planned.”

“This project has helped many, but it’s also helped me,” she surmised. “I trust myself enough now to stand in my own power to attract the right people into my life. We learn to tell the truth, especially if it makes people uncomfortable—even if your voice is shaking. Our voices and our truth can’t be silenced. In that respect, we are all Janes, and we can all move forward and heal together.”

For more information on This is Jane Project visit https://thisisjaneproject.com/

Follow @thisisjaneproject on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn & Twitter.

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The post Higher Profile: Shannon DeGrooms, Founder, This is Jane Project appeared first on High Times.

The good doctor said she had to be hit over the head with a frying pan with the knowledge of the benefits of cannabis after listening to her patients’ success stories, prompting her to write her first book, The Brain on Cannabis.

“My life changed while in private practice when one of my patients, I call her Patient 0, opened my mind to cannabis as medicine,” she shared. “After that experience, I was more apt to listening to other patients with similar success in using cannabis for real ailments and disorders.”

As detailed in her introduction, insomnia, depression, ADD, PTSD, and aiding symptoms from treatments for cancer, were just a few of the disorders and symptoms her patients were helped with using cannabis, either by smoking and/or ingesting concentrates.

And while Dr. Siegel still must adhere to the unknown, specifically dealing with the cause and effects of today’s high tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) cultivars, she’s been enlightened to the plant as a superfood, able to treat a wide range of ailments and disorders.

“We still do not know enough about the effects on the brain of long term THC use for recreation,” she began, setting the tone for the interview and the book. “But I’m still listening and observing my patients, and have taken deep dives myself in research all I can to understand. My work has become an evolving education on this plant.”

Path to Enlightenment

Growing up in what she refers to as the suburbs of New York in New Jersey, Dr. Siegel’s father was a doctor, and she shared she had always dreamed of becoming a doctor herself. But it wasn’t until after she had a family of her own, at 29 years of age, that she went back to school to study psychiatry at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

Today Dr. Siegel is certified as a Diplomate by both the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. In 2004, she won the Women in Psychiatry award from the Mount Sinai Department of Psychiatry.

Her focus is on adult and child psychiatry, and she’s on staff at the Amen Clinic in New York City. The Amen Clinics are a group of mental and physical health clinics that work on the treatment of mood and behavior disorders, founded in 1989 by Daniel G. Amen, a self-help guru and psychiatrist.

Dr. Siegel became a licensed prescriber of medical cannabis in New York State. She has a particular interest in research on the therapeutic effects, risks, and benefits of cannabis treatment, overall.

“My focus in therapy is on adolescent and adult women,” she said. “I believe in treating the whole person with a range of therapeutic techniques and approaches, and if one of my patients is successfully using cannabis to treat a particular disorder, I want to know how and why it works for them.”

Myths & Facts in Real Time

Until the U.S. Federal Government addresses the use of cannabis as medicine and removes it from the Department of Health Services’ Schedule 1, denoting no medicinal value, the myriad of healing stories of successful cannabis use around the world are referred to as “anecdotal.”

As said, Dr. Siegel listened to her patient’s stories of healing with an open mind, prompting her to write The Brain on Cannabis, but the restrictions, along with the decades old negative stigma of the plant, stop doctors like Siegel from fully accepting the plant as 100% beneficial—leaving more questions than answers.

As is common with cannabis studies, the caution given for adolescents and teen use due to the assumed damage to the developing frontal lobes, often comes from narrowly conducted studies, using high tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) formulations on lab rats and mice. To date, long-term use in real time with real kids or adults has never been done.

The highly controversial Patent #6630507 filed and accepted by the U.S. Patent Office naming cannabinoids as neuroprotectants makes it tough for those in the cannabis caregiving community to take contradictory studies citing damage to the frontal lobe seriously, particularly with children. Especially since many in the cannabis community have smoked weed consistently for 30 or 40 years—many starting in adolescents or teens, with nary a smidgen of neurosis or psychosis in sight.

The THC Dilema

The plant didn’t start out with high THC counts. In fact, the original God plant—the plant said to have been included in the formulation of Holy Anointing Oil from the Bible—only registered with upwards of 5% or less THC.

We as a species caused the controversy of high THC cultivars. We upped the levels of THC to the heights we have today via hybridization, and now we must defend the compound and educate on how to dose properly and effectively.

Taking a non-therapeutic dose of a high THC cultivar, either by smoking or ingesting, will most certainly cause an uncomfortable reaction. Using high THC formulations in studies meant to show cause and effect for mental disorders is controversial in itself.

Got Studies?

Taking the summation of a study at face value doesn’t always work when it comes to cannabis. Questions to be asked are, who funded the study, what outcome were they looking for, what were the perimeters of said study—for example, what formulation/strength and dosing were used and for how long?

For decades the National Institute on Drug Abuse funded studies outside of the U.S., looking for negative outcomes on the abuse of cannabis. That’s been its goal, to find and define the abuse.

One such study funded by NIDA in Jamaica in the 1970s, observing pregnant women and their children drinking cannabis tea, was slatted to last 20 years. But when both the pregnancy phase, and the follow-up observation of the children at five years of age showed positive outcomes, NIDA shut it down.

The five year olds drinking cannabis tea each morning didn’t show signs of psychosis or neurosis or any kind of mental disorders. On the contrary, they were far more alert, with stronger immune systems than their fellow students. The mother’s were also healthier through the pregnancies, with no edema or swelling, nausea, or other complications often associated with pregnancy.

Using Granny Storm Crow’s List as a reference tool (see Higher Profile: Granny Storm Crow), the modes of delivery and formulations used in many studies, as well as the duration and scope of said studies on cannabis and the brain vary widely.

Lab rats injected with a high THC formulation right into their frontal lobe cortex are mentioned in one such study showing an unsurprising negative outcome of severe psychosis.

In dosing my dogs I’m painfully aware of their size in correlation to my own, and dose accordingly by weight. Would an observational study of a high THC formulation show negative cognitive results in a small animal? Would summation of said study make a good headline for NIDA, feeding the myth of neurosis and psychosis with the use of cannabis?

The larger question is, what came first, the mental disorder or a dose of THC that goes far beyond a therapeutic level? Cannabis is an enhancer, with the ability to enhance or aggravate an existing disorder. Since many young people aren’t diagnosed with mental disorders until their early 20s, it’s a grand assumption to think the plant caused the disorder.

We in the cannabis caregiving community have witnessed more success stories than not of kids on the Autistic Spectrum, or those diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, helped with focus merely by smoking at a young age—either in adolescents or as teenagers. And they continue to use it because it works, they just don’t understand how or why.

Anecdotal Open Minds

As Dr. Siegel continues her personal and professional journey in listening to her patients use the plant with successes and failures, she continues to learn, as many of us have, that the more we know about this plant, the more we don’t know—or the more we need to know.

The book is a good primer on some of the effects of cannabis on the brain. The fact Dr. Siegel had the courage and the wherewithal to pen such a work in the first place is admirable.

Doctors listening to patients brave enough to share has historically been the way most medical professionals find out about cannabis and plant-based medicine in general, as they are just not taught about the way plants work with us biologically in medical school.

Dr. Siegel’s willingness to listen and learn is appreciated beyond measure. Her first effort is a good one. We can’t wait to see what she does next.

The post Higher Profile: Dr. Rebecca Siegel, Author, The Brain on Cannabis appeared first on High Times.