From Cancer Patient to Cannabis Mogul

In 2015, Dr. Chanda Macias became the African-American woman to receive a medical marijuana license. And her advocacy for the plant hasn’t stopped. Dr. Chanda is CEO of medical marijuana dispensary Natural Holistic Healing Center, first vice chair of lobbying group National Cannabis Roundtable, and CEO of cannabis educational platform Women Grow. In this episode, the cannabis superstar explains why she’s so passionate about the plant, and what her experience has been like advocating for cannabis in places like the White House. She also talks about the special role minority figures have in the industry and where the country is as far as national legalization.

Marianne Cursetjee wasn’t very familiar with cannabis before her cancer diagnosis. But after she was diagnosed in 2015, her friend introduced her to Rick Simpson Oil (RSO)—and she found she was able to eliminate many of the pharmaceutical drugs she was taking in response to her cancer treatment’s side effects. Now she serves as the CEO and co-founder of Alibi Cannabis, a self-funded, top-shelf cannabis company based in Oregon. On the pod, Maryanne talks about her eye-opening experience of using cannabis to help with cancer treatment and what advice she’d give to cancer patients considering cannabis. Marianne also talks about using her business skills to enter the cannabis industry, and how her business is adapting to the increasingly competitive Oregon market.

When Al Morentin was in the sixth grade, he was told his glaucoma would likely cause complete blindness in the future. By the time he was 30 years old, he started losing his vision—which pushed him to figure out alternative medicines and methods that would save him from blindness. His efforts eventually led him to the world of cannabis products—and with a little bit of experimentation, he found a certain extraction process of CBD oils was able to help him keep his vision. In this episode, Al shares his life-changing story and how it inspired some of his entrepreneurial endeavors in the cannabis space. He also talks about the value of holistic medicine and his advice for people considering a holistic practitioner.

In the high-stakes industry of competitive esports, how is cannabis used as a tool to improve performance? To answer that question, Zurich Herbuela joins this week’s episode. He’s an e-sports player, medical cannabis user, and host of cannabis YouTube channel Tools420, and he has plenty of insights to share regarding the intersection of the online world and cannabis usage. Zurich shares his journey of coming to cannabis as someone with Crohn’s disease as well as how he maximizes the positives of cannabis in competitive gaming without losing focus. Plus, he also talks about new and exciting products hitting the vape market.

The health community is constantly finding new use cases for medical cannabis, and Dr. Ann-Marie Wong has certainly found that to be true in her work. After practicing pediatric medicine for nearly 20 years, Dr. Wong started getting involved in the medical cannabis field and now specializes in pediatric medical cannabis at Miami-based Medverde. On the pod, Dr. Wong shares her experience prescribing cannabis to children with autism and other special needs. She breaks down when parents should bring their child to a pediatric medical cannabis doctor, as well as what happens when patients and their parents come for a consultation. Dr. Wong also talks about some of the success stories her patients have had with medical cannabis treatment and the changing attitudes of doctors towards the drug.

As a lifelong athlete, Cory Getz was in perfectly good health—until his near-fatal brain stem stroke. When the life-altering event occurred, Cory completely lost the use of the right side of his body and was told he may never walk again. But with the help of CBD and physical therapy, the surfer managed to make a full recovery and is now helping others heal with cannabis. This week, Corey recounts his incredible story and shares how CBD helped his body recover from the traumatic event. He also talks about how he's helping others suffering from brain injuries, and how changes in the law are making it easier to acquire medical cannabis.

A crucial part of finding the right cannabis product is the dosage, but it can also be a confusing topic to grasp. This week, Dr. Uwe Blesching joins the pod to share some helpful information for your next trip to the dispensary. Dr. Blesching is a medical writer, speaker, and author who has written books that include Your Cannabis CBD: THC Ratio and Breaking the Cycle of Opioid Addiction. On the pod, Dr. Blesching talks about how THC works with CBD and how to find the perfect ratio between the two in cannabis products you come across. Blesching also differentiates between the three different chemotypes of cannabis and who would benefit from each one.

Cannabis is a well-known creative agent—but how do you harness that creativity to the fullest? This week, Shawn Gold joins the podcast to give some advice and know-how as to using cannabis for creativity and innovation. Shawn is the CEO of Pilgrim Soul, a cannabis company that sells products and merchandise focused on using the plant for creativity. In this episode, Shawn talks about how cannabis has been used through his creative career, and why creative guardrails like his best-selling Creative Thinking Journals can spark new ways of thinking. He also talks about why you lose that sense of creativity in the first place, and what science and research say on how cannabis can help you get it back.

The endocannabinoid system has mystified the cannabis and health community until recently, but this system has kept the human body in balance for millions of years. This week, Dr, Rachel Knox joins the podcast to break down this essential network and its importance. Rachel holds an MD and MBA in addition to being a cannabinoid medicine specialist and clinical endocannabinoligist. On the pod, she talks about the components of the endocannabinoid system, as well as how cannabinoids like CBD and THC interact with it. She also talks about how the system can be stimulated beyond cannabis, and how cannabis consumers can use their knowledge to approach their endocannabinoid system in a more balanced way.

Because society shut the door on cannabis for so many years, consumers don’t know how to navigate the new and exciting products hitting the market. This week, Yoko Miyashita joins the podcast to talk about solving this problem as the CEO of Leafly, a publicly traded online destination that helps millions of people learn about, find, and order cannabis. In this episode, Yoko talks about her policy work prior to becoming CEO and how Leafly is helping uneducated consumers learn about the cannabis ecosystem. She also shares what it’s like being a female CEO in a male-dominated industry and what she predicts is the future of federal cannabis legalization.