Burning Issues

Today on Burning Issues Dr. Mitch Earleywine is joined by Marcel Bonn-Miller. Dr. Marcel O. Bonn-Miller received his B.A. in psychology and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Vermont. He completed a pre-doctoral clinical psychology internship at the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Health Care System and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Health Care Evaluation at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System & Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. After completing his VA Clinical Science Research and Development (CSR&D) Career Development Award (CDA-2), he transitioned into his position as Research Health Science Specialist at the VA Center of Excellence in Substance Abuse Treatment and Education (CESATE), National Center for PTSD (NCPTSD), and Center for Innovation to Implementation (Ci2i). Dr. Bonn-Miller’s research interests are broadly rooted in the examination of associations between substance use and anxiety symptoms and disorders. His current work involves the examination of the interrelations between cannabis use and its disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including moderating and mediating processes underlying their associations.

Today on Burning Issues Dr. Mitch Earlywine is joined once again by Catherine Hiller Author of Just Say Yes: A Marijuana Memoir. Just Say Yes, could be considered the first marijuana memoir ever published, and is a positive, honest, and humorous observation of the effect of weed upon every aspect of her life: marriage, motherhood, friendship, work, sport, sex.

Catherine Hiller began writing at the young age of ten which lead her to eventually receive a Ph.D. in English from Brown University. Her first published piece was about gender role reversal and appeared in the New York Times. Hiller currently strives to add a new character to the world of contemporary fiction full of adventure appealing older woman.

Mitch Earleywine is joined by Ngaio Bealum.

"Ngaio Bealum is an American comedian, musician, writer, actor, activist, juggler and publisher. He co-hosted Cannabis Planet and published West Coast Cannabis Magazine. He writes a column in Sacramento News & Review, answering questions from readers about marijuana and its politics.

Ngaio was born in San Francisco to hippie parents, leading to jokes about how he got his name. He is well known for his many film and television appearances as well as for being a regular host of High Times events, and more recently for being a frequent guest on Getting Doug With High hosted by fellow comedian Doug Benson. He recorded a CD called "Weed and Sex." Former member of the Award Winning Hip Hop band Most Chill Slackmob, and 1994 People's Choice Award winner of the International Jugglers Association Fest."

Today on Burning Issues Mitch Earleywine is joined by Maggie Volpo, writer and cannabis activist. Maggie is the author and creator of Stinky Steve: Marijuana Safety for Kids.

"Maggie Volpo is a writer, activist, and medical marijuana caregiver working in one of the most conservative urban areas of the country. She has worked in traditional publishing, journalism, as a blogger, and in the medical field as a translator. When she isn't fighting the tyranny of cannabis prohibition or working on her series of cannabis kid's books or zombie novels, she can often be found sorting her neighbors' recyclables. She also loves to cook, bake, garden, knit, sew and climb trees, the last of which is a joy shared by her husband and their son."

Today on Burning Issues Mitch Earleywine is joined by Becca Williams, Managing Partner at Cannabis Gold Media - ‎Marijuana Straight Talk TV. Becca’s diverse background defies categorization. Media entrepreneur, expert in purpose-driven leadership, “conscious business” devotee, long-time cannabis advocate and consumer. She is founder & CEO of Cannabis Gold Media, a diverse company of which this television show is the crown jewel. If you’ve watched her on Youtube, you know she can also be fun, inventive, goofy and uber-poignant as a keen observer of our cannabis culture.

Today on Burning Issues Mitch Earleywine is joined by Danielle Keane, Political Director of NORML. "As NORML’s newly appointed Political Director I couldn’t be more excited to join a team of groundbreakers and thought leaders. I feel honored to continue the legacy NORML has in place and a necessity to serve it well. I am eager to have the chance to represent NORML in the political sphere and to provide an even louder voice to the tens of millions of cannabis consumers from around the country."

Today on Burning Issues Mitch Earleywine is joined by Melissa Slavin. Melissa Slavin co-authored with Dr. Mitch Earleywine on a Research Article entitled Expectancy mediated effects of marijuana on menopause symptoms.

"Menopausal and post-menopausal women who endorsed lifetime marijuana use completed an online survey assessing their frequency of use, average intoxication – a proxy for quantity, menopause symptoms, and expectancies of relief from menopause symptoms. Women expected marijuana to improve joint/muscle discomfort, irritability, sleep problems, depression, anxiety and hot flashes, but not sex problems, heart discomfort, exhaustion, vaginal dryness and bladder problems. Expectancies mediated the links between menopause symptoms and frequency of use. Average intoxication did not correlate with symptoms or expectations of relief. Symptoms, expectancies, and frequency of marijuana use were all independent of marijuana-related problems. Particularly as the population ages, increased research on how medical marijuana might help menopause symptoms without increasing marijuana-related problems could prove heuristic."

Today on Burning Issues Mitch Earleywine is joined by Richard Grucza, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine. Grucza received his B.S. from Rochester Institute of Technology in 1989, M.S. from Pennsylvania State University in 1991, Ph. from D. Washington University in 2000, and Master in Psychiatric Epidemiology from Washington University in 2003. Richard Grucza and colleagues published that marijuana use among American adults more than doubled between 2001-2002 and 2012-2013, from 4.1% to 9.5% in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. The new study found there had been no change in the rate of marijuana-related problems, such as addiction, between 2002-2013, contrary to the doubling of such problems reported in the previous study. To comment on the results Grucza says, "We're certainly seeing some increases in marijuana use. But our survey didn't notice any increase in marijuana-related problems. Certainly, some people are having problems so we should remain vigilant, but the sky is not falling."

Today on Burning Issues Dr. Mitch Earleywine is joined by marijuana expert and CannabisRadio's own Kyle Kushman. Kyle Kushman is the host of The Grow Show on CannabisRadio.com.

Kyle Kushman is an internationally renowned marijuana cultivator whose collaborations have earned 13 Medical Cannabis Cups awards. This includes three US Cannabis Cups for Best Flowers. All awards were won using Kushman’s Vegamatrix which was awarded the coveted STASH Award by High Times Magazine in 2014 as the best new nutrient on the market.

Kushman’s articles have been featured in High Times Magazine for over 20 years. He has taught courses in advanced horticulture at Oaksterdam University and across the country. As creator of Vegamatrix™, a new line of vegan and organic nutrients launched in 2014, Kyle continues to make advances in cultivating “simply the purest, cleanest medicine possible.”

Today on Burning Issues Mitch Earleywine is joined by Catherine Hiller Author of Just Say Yes: A Marijuana Memoir. Just Say Yes, could be considered the first marijuana memoir ever published, and is a positive, honest, and humorous observation of the effect of weed upon every aspect of her life: marriage, motherhood, friendship, work, sport, sex.

Catherine Hiller began writing at the young age of ten which lead her to eventually receive a Ph.D. in English from Brown University. Her first published piece was about gender role reversal and appeared in the New York Times. Hiller currently strives to add a new character to the world of contemporary fiction full of adventure appealing older woman.