Let's be Blunt with Montel

Survivor winner Ethan Zohn has faced challenges far beyond reality television.

In this episode of Let’s Be Blunt with Montel, Montel sits down with Ethan — former professional soccer player, two-time cancer survivor, humanitarian and cannabis advocate — for a candid conversation about survival, serious illness, medical cannabis and finding purpose in the hardest moments of life.

Ethan opens up about his cancer journey, undergoing aggressive treatment and stem-cell transplants, and how cannabis became part of his experience managing some of the physical and emotional challenges surrounding treatment. He and Montel compare their experiences as patients who became outspoken medical cannabis advocates at a time when the stigma surrounding the plant was very different.

They also dig into responsible cannabis use, patient education, youth prevention, the changing attitudes toward cannabis in professional sports, and where the industry still has work to do.

Plus, Ethan takes us behind the scenes of Kicking Back, his High Times series that brings together two major parts of his life: soccer and cannabis. Traveling through World Cup host cities across America, Ethan explores how local soccer and cannabis communities help shape the culture of each city.

From winning Survivor: Africa to surviving cancer twice and turning his experiences into advocacy, Ethan's story is ultimately about what happens after you survive — and what you choose to do with the life you've been given.

Subscribe to Let’s Be Blunt with Montel for more conversations about cannabis, science, health, culture, policy and the people moving the industry forward.

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What happens when the same plant that once cost you your career later becomes part of your healthcare journey?

On this episode of Let’s Be Blunt with Montel, Montel sits down with Jessica Humphreys, BSN, founder of CannaLife, for a deeply personal conversation about cannabis, healthcare, stigma and the consequences of decades of prohibition.

Jessica earned her nursing degree but lost her nursing license in 2001 following cannabis possession-related charges. She went on to build a 20+ year career across life sciences, toxicology and regulated markets. Then, following a breast cancer diagnosis in 2024, her relationship with cannabis came full circle when she became a legal medical cannabis patient.

Jessica and Montel discuss the striking contrast between being professionally penalized for cannabis and later using it legally as a patient, why many people still hide their cannabis use from healthcare providers, and what can happen when doctors don't have a complete picture of what their patients are actually taking.

They also explore Jessica's work with CannaLife and CannaRx, a consumer-controlled health platform designed to help people track cannabis alongside prescription medications, supplements and other wellness products—and bring that information into more informed conversations with healthcare providers. CannaRx is currently in live beta as the platform continues refinement and user testing.

Plus, Jessica introduces CannaLife MISFITS, which takes a very different approach to changing the cannabis conversation through Gen X-inspired humor, satire and storytelling.

It's a conversation about how far cannabis has come—and why changing the law doesn't automatically erase decades of stigma.

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What happens when survival, music, psychedelics and the search for consciousness all intersect?

On this episode of Let’s Be Blunt with Montel, Montel sits down with Edward Crowe, a music-industry executive, entrepreneur and psychedelic guide whose remarkable journey began with a life-changing medical crisis at just 16 years old.

After a rare neurological syndrome left him paralyzed and on life support while still conscious, Edward had to relearn how to walk. He later built an unconventional career in music, working his way from selling merchandise on tour to becoming Yelawolf’s manager and eventually creating Sebek, a publishing and distribution platform focused on artist development and ownership.

Today, Edward is also deeply involved in the psychedelic community.

Montel and Edward explore psychedelic experiences and consciousness, the responsibilities and risks of psychedelic guidance, the importance of integration, and what this rapidly growing movement can learn from the legalization and commercialization of cannabis.

They also discuss the tension between ancient and underground psychedelic traditions, modern medicine and the growing business surrounding psychedelic therapies—and the question of who should help shape this movement as it enters the mainstream.

Plus, Edward shares details about the Phoenix Rising Psychedelic Speakeasy, taking place November 5 in Nashville.

It’s a wide-ranging conversation about survival, independence, consciousness, responsibility and what it really means to heal.

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Cannabis may be legal in much of America, but has legalization repaired the damage caused by decades of prohibition—or simply changed who is allowed to profit from the plant?

On this episode of Let’s Be Blunt with Montel, Montel sits down with journalist, author and photographer John Veit, who has covered cannabis and international drug policy for High Times and other independent publications since 1992.

John’s new book, Botanical Apartheid: Impacts of Drug Wars on Politics, Culture and the Environment, brings together more than three decades of reporting, research, photography and interviews examining the global consequences of the War on Drugs.

Montel and John explore the political and racial forces behind cannabis prohibition, the expansion of policing and incarceration, and the role independent media played in preserving cannabis culture when speaking openly about the plant carried significant personal and professional risks.

They also examine the complicated transition from legalization to commercialization. Did legacy growers and communities harmed by prohibition receive a fair opportunity to participate in the legal industry? Can expensive licensing systems and burdensome regulations become a new form of exclusion? And what happens when the people who preserved cannabis knowledge and genetics are pushed aside as the plant becomes a corporate commodity?

The conversation also travels beyond the United States to examine South Africa’s history with cannabis—known locally as dagga—and the intersection of drug policy with colonialism, apartheid, indigenous cultivation and economic inequality.

Finally, John explains the environmental consequences of the global drug war and what policymakers, regulators and today’s cannabis industry must learn from the past.

After decades spent fighting to legalize the plant, the question is no longer simply whether cannabis should be legal. The question is: What kind of cannabis system are we building?

Learn more about John Veit and Botanical Apartheid at VeitPublishing.com.

Subscribe to Let’s Be Blunt with Montel for candid conversations about cannabis science, policy, business, medicine and culture.

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The cannabis industry didn’t begin with dispensaries, slick branding, and billion-dollar companies. Long before legalization went mainstream, activists and marginalized communities were fighting for compassionate access—and the LGBTQIA+ community played a critical role in that history.

On this episode of Let’s Be Blunt with Montel, Montel sits down with his friend Rich Magaña, founder of Queer in Cannabis, for a candid conversation about cannabis, queer history, culture, representation, and where the industry goes from here.

Rich shares the story behind Queer in Cannabis and its mission to educate, elevate, and empower while preserving the stories of LGBTQIA+ advocates who helped shape cannabis reform.

Montel and Rich dig into the role the queer community played during the AIDS crisis and the early medical cannabis movement, why so much of that history has been overlooked, and what happens when an activist-driven movement becomes a multibillion-dollar industry.

They also tackle some tough questions: Is cannabis really as progressive and inclusive as it claims to be? What’s the difference between authentic allyship and “rainbow-washing”? Are social equity programs delivering meaningful opportunity? And what responsibility do today’s cannabis brands and retailers have to the communities that helped make legalization possible?

Rich also discusses the business side of inclusion—from brand loyalty and consumer experience to budtender education, inclusive dispensaries, the QIC Certified Shoppe initiative, and why authentic community engagement can be both socially responsible and good business.

It’s a conversation about remembering where cannabis came from while deciding what kind of industry we want to build next.

Learn more about Rich and Queer in Cannabis at QueerInCannabis.com.

Subscribe to Let’s Be Blunt with Montel for conversations about cannabis education, science, business, policy, culture, and the people moving the industry forward.

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#LetsBeBlunt #MontelWilliams 

What happens when you faithfully pay for life insurance to protect your family—only for the insurance company to deny the claim when it's needed most?

On this episode of Let’s Be Blunt with Montel, Montel sits down with Michael Hoover, founder of LifeClaim, a law firm focused exclusively on delayed and denied life insurance claims.

With roughly 140 million life insurance policies in the United States and tens of millions of Americans using cannabis, there is a growing intersection between the two—and Michael says the insurance industry hasn’t always kept pace with the rapidly changing cannabis marketplace.

Michael takes Montel inside real cases involving THC toxicology reports, hemp-derived products, accidental deaths, contestability investigations, and insurance denials. He explains why the presence of THC doesn't necessarily establish impairment, how postmortem toxicology can be misinterpreted, and why the difference between marijuana and legal hemp-derived THC can have enormous consequences for a grieving family.

They also break down what Michael calls the four major problems that can derail a claim—human error, scientific error, legal error, and procedural landmines—and discuss the complicated rules surrounding employer-sponsored policies governed by ERISA.

Most importantly, Michael shares what families should know before speaking with an insurance company, why a denial letter isn't necessarily the final word, and how getting the right professional guidance can make all the difference.

Whether you use cannabis or not, if you have life insurance—or someone you love depends on your policy—this is an episode you need to hear.

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#LetsBeBlunt #MontelWilliams  #Innovation

What happens when technology meets cannabis—and innovation moves beyond the plant?

On this episode of Let’s Be Blunt with Montel, Montel sits down with Ashley Ciccel, Co-Founder and CEO of Higher Innovation, Inc., to explore the emerging world of smart cannabis consumption and the technology helping reshape the consumer experience.

Ashley shares her journey as an entrepreneur, the inspiration behind Higher Innovation, and what it takes to design products for an industry still navigating stigma, regulation, and rapid change. She and Montel discuss making cannabis more approachable for new consumers, the importance of responsible consumption and education, breaking into mainstream retail, and the realities of building and manufacturing innovative consumer products.

They also look ahead at what could be next—from smarter and more personalized products to AI, connected technology, and a new generation of consumers who expect cannabis products to be as thoughtfully designed as everything else in their lives.

It’s a conversation about cannabis, technology, entrepreneurship, and what it really takes to turn an idea into innovation.

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#LetsBeBlunt #MontelWilliams #PlantMedicine

In this powerful episode of Let’s Be Blunt with Montel, Montel sits down with Adam Spencer, founder of SUPERNORMAL., whose journey into plant-based wellness began with unimaginable loss.

Nearly six years ago, Adam and his wife, Kristen, lost two of their five sons, Christopher and John, to fentanyl poisoning after the brothers unknowingly split a counterfeit pill containing lethal amounts of fentanyl. Just two weeks before his death, Christopher had opened up to his father about his struggles with social anxiety—and how cannabis helped him cope and psilocybin helped him reconnect with the person he remembered himself to be.

Those words stayed with Adam and ultimately helped inspire SUPERNORMAL., a whole-person wellness community exploring functional mushrooms, adaptogens, hemp-derived products, and the connection between nature, mental wellness, resilience, and purpose.

Montel and Adam have a deeply personal conversation about grief, anxiety, cannabis and psychedelics, the difference between functional and psychedelic mushrooms, the devastating impact of fentanyl, and what it means to turn tragedy into action. Adam also shares the mission behind The Hummingbird Project, created by his family to honor Christopher and John and help others affected by fentanyl and loss.

It's a conversation about surviving the unimaginable, questioning what we've been taught about plant medicine, and discovering why sometimes the only way out is through.

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#LetsBeBluntPodcast #MontelWilliams #CompassionateCare

What does it truly mean to heal?

In this deeply personal episode of Let's Be Blunt with Montel, Montel sits down with physician, author, and medical cannabis pioneer Dr. Kenneth Weinberg for a conversation that goes far beyond prescriptions and protocols.

Drawing on more than four decades in emergency medicine and physician-directed medical cannabis care, Dr. Weinberg shares the unforgettable patient encounters that shaped his life and inspired his moving memoir, Exquisite Moments of Sorrow and Grace. Together, they explore the power of empathy in medicine, the emotional weight physicians carry, and why every patient deserves to be treated as a person—not just a diagnosis.

The conversation also takes a thoughtful look at one of the most challenging areas of modern healthcare: Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Dr. Weinberg explains why personalized medical cannabis may help improve quality of life for some patients, ease caregiver burden, and why ongoing research is helping physicians better understand who may benefit from individualized treatment.

Whether you're a patient, caregiver, healthcare professional, or simply someone interested in the future of compassionate medicine, this episode is a powerful reminder that healing often begins with listening.

In this episode:

Dr. Weinberg's journey from emergency medicine to medical cannabis

The stories that changed him as a physician

Why compassion is one of medicine's most powerful tools

Personalized cannabis care for Alzheimer's disease and dementia

Supporting caregivers through one of life's hardest journeys

The future of physician-guided cannabis research

Lessons from Exquisite Moments of Sorrow and Grace

This is more than a conversation about cannabis. It's a conversation about humanity.

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#LetsBeBlunt #MontelWilliams #PatientAdvocacy 

What happens after a patient gets a medical cannabis recommendation?

For millions of patients, that's where the real struggle begins.

In this episode of Let's Be Blunt with Montel, Montel sits down with Gil Luxenbourg, one of the world's pioneering medical cannabis advocates. Known as Patient #7 in Israel, Gil received the seventh medical cannabis license ever issued by the Israeli Ministry of Health after a four-year battle to treat his Crohn's disease. Over the past two decades, he has helped shape medical cannabis education, clinical training, and patient care across multiple countries.

Together, Montel and Gil explore why legal access alone isn't enough. They examine the disconnect between physicians, dispensaries, caregivers, and patients, and why so many people are left navigating cannabis treatment without clear guidance or protocols.

The conversation covers personalized dosing, caregiver challenges, cannabis as an "exit drug" from opioids, international lessons from Israel's medical cannabis program, and what healthcare systems must do to ensure patients receive the education and support they deserve.

Whether you're a patient, caregiver, healthcare professional, or simply curious about the future of cannabis medicine, this episode offers an honest look at what's working—and what still needs to change.

Gil's journey as Israel's "Patient #7"

Why the medical cannabis system is failing patients

The hidden burden carried by family caregivers

The importance of personalized dosing and titration

Why patients often switch products too quickly

Cannabis as an alternative to opioids

Lessons from two decades of international medical cannabis policy

How education—not just access—can improve patient outcomes

If you believe cannabis is medicine, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.

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