Hempresent

Quawntay “Bosco” Adams spent 16 years in prison due to the United States Government’s drug war. Growing up a product of his environment in Compton, California, the influence of his family, friends, and neighborhood led him to an early life of drug dealing, arrests, and convictions. But all of that is now behind him.

Freed from incarceration, he is on a mission to ensure that others growing up in underprivileged neighborhoods have access to better opportunities than he did. He is committed to helping free individuals incarcerated for nonviolent drug offenses. He has a movie about his life about to come out and talks about his book Chasin Freedom and I-CAN Youth Foundation, the organization he founded, and more. 

In 1989 Richard DeLisi was sentenced to a 98-year prison term for trafficking cannabis as a victim of America’s scorched earth War on Drugs campaign. Released from prison in December 2020, Richard is believed to be America’s longest-serving American convicted of a cannabis crime. Reunited with his family after spending 31 years incarcerated over a plant, Richard is working to ensure other Americans never have to endure what he did over the cannabis plant. Richard and his nephew Ken join Vivian to tell about their experiences, Richard’s resilient nature, and what he has been up to since his release.

During the pregnancy of her 5th child, a young Washington mother named Jessamyn Way developed terrible migraine headaches, fainting spells, and blood pressure problems. After the birth of her child, she was sent to a Hospital ER where a CAT scan revealed that she had a brain tumor deep within her skull. 

She was told that her prognosis was very grim and that she had a dismal 5-10 percent chance of surviving the required surgery. She became resigned to the fact that she would be leaving behind her children, at the time, ages, 11 days, 2, 4, and 14 years old. Miraculously, she survived the operation but she was left with severe epilepsy. Jessamyn was experiencing 15-20 seizures per day. 

Jessamyn was given the bleak prognosis of only two years to live, as doctors predicted that one of her Tonic-Clonic (or grand mal) seizures would kill her. Her seizures were so severe that she bit off part of her tongue and repeatedly injured herself. She was unable to go outside or even leave her room for long periods of time due to the stress and the possibility of triggering a seizure. Her children suffered from the loss of a functional mother.

Then she met a man who told her about oral medical cannabis. Jessamyn decided to try a combination of THC and CBD along with her prescription medications. On the first day, her epileptic seizures dropped by 50%, and within a week the frequency of her seizures dropped another 25%. With a 75% decrease in seizures, she was able to go outside again, and even play with her children.

Her life was turning around. Then, in 2012, she was diagnosed with an Intrinsic Brainstem Glioma, an inoperable & terminal tumor in the brain stem. That was a decade ago and not only is Jessamyn thankfully still with us, but she and her husband Todd have returned to this show to update us about their amazing journey together. 

Gregory Wilson is the Founder of Fibonacci, LLC, the only manufacturer of HempWood® internationally. With nearly 20 years in the building industry, Wilson continues to introduce a sustainable hardwood alternative to tree wood.

Vivian welcomes Riley Brain to Hempresent to discuss Riley's business, Wandering Bud. Riley had a background in music education and was feeling unfulfilled in her teaching career, so in 2016 she decided to create her own business offering unique and fashionable cannabis smoking paraphernalia. She wanted a product that could look naturally displayed among her art objects in her home, which is why she chose ceramic as the material to make her pipes, bongs, and accessories. Ceramic is opaque and easy to clean, and Riley found a second-hand kiln to use for the process. She has been successful in the industry, with her fans ranging from cannabis connoisseurs and home decor aficionados to those simply curious or seeking aesthetic inspiration.

Riley and her team of seven women artists design a specialized selection of cannabis-related merchandise as part of their commitment to building an equitable community. To support equity, Riley’s team hires people of color, collaborates with black and brown artists, contracts with other workers, and donates to two organizations each month. One is local, Kansas City Gift, which provides grants to black-owned businesses on the city’s east side. The other is Broccoli Magazine’s Floric Coalition, which donates to different equity-oriented organizations. Having a studio based on Truce Avenue, a historic racial dividing line in Kansas City, is a constant reminder of the need to give back to the community.

Riley Brain of Wandering Bud is a female canopreneur who is optimistic about the progress being made in the cannabis industry. She discussed the challenges faced by women in the industry, particularly the “grass ceiling” which is an extension of the glass ceiling idea. Riley also commented on the incident at MJ BIZCON where a group of men was wearing t-shirts that said “buy weed from rich white men”, which was met with backlash from the community. Riley then discussed her product line of unique cannabis smoking pieces and accessories, which are available on her website and at various retailers.

Joy Hollingsworth who recently announced her candidacy for Seattle City Council, is a former American basketball player and coach. She played basketball at the college level for the University of San Francisco and then later at the University of Arizona, and was an assistant coach at Seattle University. 

Hollingsworth is now part of her family's marijuana business, and she runs The Hollingsworth hemp Company, which is based in Washington State, and I have her with me today to tell us more about it.

Roman is a Humboldt and Mendocino-California-based artist, with roots in Oregon State and Seattle Wa. 

He specializes in visionary art with psychedelic cultural influence and has been involved as a cannabis activist in many ways. 

He has used art to communicate his vision of a spiritual mission to uplift vibes. Roman has helped bring forth Tribe13 and the Interdimensional Art Movement as platforms for artists to express a transcendental experience. 

Branding himself as SynchroMystic he brings forth a vision of harmony with community and nature and expresses an interdimensional existence that includes multiple dimensions colliding into one. He truly believes in a divine destiny for humanity.

Cannabis, the climate change warrior, with Paul von Hartmann.  Paul is an experienced writer with a demonstrated history of working in the environmental services industry. Skilled in photography, commercial diving, activism, piloting, and illustration, Paul is a strong art and design professional with a Bachelor of Arts focused on a Special Major in art wildlife behavior, and journalism, with a Minor in Aviation from Humboldt State University. He is also a cornucopia of information about industrial hemp, and the author of Cannabis vs. Climate Change (The Cannabis Interface).

John Dvořák has studied cannabis hemp and its prohibition for more than 25 years. John developed the Cannabis Curriculum to encourage research into the beneficial aspects of industrial hemp and medicinal cannabis and the devastating effects of marijuana prohibition. 

His Traveling Hemp Museum includes raw materials, artifacts, and finished products made from hemp. He’s written articles for numerous publications and websites while providing advice, guidance, and counseling for those entering the cannabis hemp space.

The Cannabis Coloring Book by Marie Rae Correa of Kushed Out Fashions is an educational and fun activity book for both grown-ups and kids as it depicts a historical outlook of the cannabis plant alongside the art of The Artist Marie Rae Correa also known by her moniker "Kushed Out". Her artwork tastefully exonerates the cannabis plant with true beauty and a true rendition of what cannabis really looks like when it is growing. She has a book tour planned for 2023 & 2024 in all the cannabis-legal states, where she will do a meet and greet & book signing as she gears up for the debut of the highly anticipated Volume. 3 of The Cannabis Coloring Book.