Power of the Flower

J + D talk to Emily Oyer, a chef specializing in cannabis cuisine and the winner of Episode 2 of Chopped 420 on Discovery+. Emily talks about her experience on the food competition show, how to balance cannabis in recipes and what inspired her to become a cannabis chef. She also gives our listeners a special gift - one of her favorite recipes. Happy Holidays!

D gets very personal and tells J about her struggle with spasmodic dysphonia (S.D.), a voice disorder that causes involuntary spasms in the muscles of D's voice box.  D invites her Otolaryngologist, Dr. John Sinacori, on to discuss what S.D. is,  the treatment for the disorder and how cannabis can alleviate the tremors in an S.D. patient's voice. D also performs a CBD experiment! Dr. Sinacori evaluates her voice after she ingests a half and a full gummy. Listen to the episode to find out if the experiment worked.

In this episode, we pay tribute to two amazing men who founded cannabis-related organizations to serve veterans, EMTs and others suffering from PTSD.

Jeff DeMond shares how cannabis changed his life and how his own transformation led to the establishment of Grateful Veteran,  a non-profit designed to aid service members financially with their doctor visits and fees.

Dan Jensen, founder of Code 3 Outreach, tells J + D about his past as a New Jersey EMT, his struggle with PTSD, how cannabis made a huge impact on his health, the purpose of his organization and the meaning behind his slogan Calm in Chaos.

J + D welcome Tamara Netzel, founder of Cruel Consequences: Portraits of Misguided Law.  Tamara shares what the mission of Cruel Consequences is, how she combines her passion for photography to tell the stories of individuals who were victimized by a cannabis conviction,  and why she chooses to say "marijuana" instead of "cannabis." 

Our guest reviewer, Jocelyn, tells J + D how cannabis has made a huge difference in her life. Learn how she lost 30 pounds, normalized her blood pressure, and got her hands on weed before it was legalized in Virginia.

Find out what happened when J and D took a field trip to D.C. for the National Cannabis Festival last month. They share a little bit about the people they met, the smoke they smelled, the booths they visited and the music they heard. Nothing compared to the love they felt from the second they stepped onto cannabis festival grounds. ❤️✌️

J and D talk to Codi Peterson, owner of PharmD Approved, about the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) -- the physiological system in our bodies that responds to cannabis.  He shares what products are available to pediatric patients suffering from seizures and cancer. Codi also gets D to make a big confession and crushes the myth about cannabis and our memory.

Our guest reviewer, G, tells listeners about the surprising efficacy of the CBD product he consumes in order to alleviate the pain of Crohn's disease.

Vocabudulary lesson: 

• endocannabinoid system, aka ECS (n.): the complex cell-signaling system identified in the early 1990s by researchers exploring THC, a well-known cannabinoid.
• Epidiolex (n.): the first FDA‑approved prescription cannabidiol used to treat seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, Dravet syndrome, or tuberous sclerosis complex in patients 1 year of age and older.
• Marinol (n.): a man-made form of cannabis used to treat patients suffering from loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting due to cancer and chemotherapy.
• transmucosal (adj.): supplying a medication through or across a mucous membrane (as of the mouth).

Daniel Bounds, a cannabis attorney from Warrenton, Virginia, joins the podcast to provide some free cannabis-related legal advice, discuss cannabis regulations in our Commonwealth, and give a great message about raising our voices to remove the stigma around cannabis. 

Barbara, a retired Army Sgt. Major and medical cannabis patient, also joins us to share her experience about the first time she visited a dispensary with her Virginia Medical Cannabis Card and review her favorite cannabis gummies.  

In our inaugural episode, we celebrate Free Cannabis Day by interviewing Jennifer Williams, owner of Manifest Cultivation in Hampton, Virginia. Jennifer comes out of the "green closet" to talk about her history with cannabis, the purpose of her business and what you need to grow your own plants at home. 

An anonymous guest also joins us and describes her experience with Delta8.