Can cannabinoids really work through the skin?

In Part 2 of our conversation with Ripley and Jill of Blunt Botanicals, Trevor and Kirk dig into CBD, CBG, terpenes, and cannabinoid skincare. What is the science, formulation, and business potential behind cannabis topicals?.

The conversation gets practical with Blunt Botanicals’ cooling topical formulated with CBD and CBG. Rapid Cryo uses menthol, wintergreen, terpenes, and other ingredients designed to create a layered cooling sensation. Jill explains the thinking behind pairing cannabinoids with specific botanical ingredients and terpene profiles. Ripley discusses why the company focuses on products that can fit into everyday life without intoxication. They also explore cannabinoid-infused bath products, emulsification, formulation choices, and why avoiding an oily bathtub may be more important than it sounds, especially as we get older.

We look beyond formulation to the future of the category. Ripley discusses the growth potential Blunt Botanicals sees in cannabis topicals, upcoming Rapid Cryo format, skincare products, and the challenge of educating consumers about an often-overlooked cannabis category.

Listen now for a mix of cannabis science, formulation chemistry, entrepreneurship, and the occasional joke about smelling like wintergreen.

Blunt Botanicals - website

Ripley Halfyard - LinkedIn

Jill Provencal - LinkedIn

Additional Music:

Desiree Dorion desireedorion.com

Marc Clement - Facebook

Transcripts, papers and so much more at: reefermed.ca

What happens when a personal mission becomes a cannabis skincare company? Trevor and Kirk meet Jill Provencal and returning guest Ripley Halfyard of Alberta-based Blunt Botanicals.

Jill shares how helping a close friend dealing with breast cancer, pain and radiation-related skin problems helped inspire her journey into formulation and cannabis topicals. Ripley brings years of experience in cannabis licensing, compliance and business development.

They explore Blunt Botanicals, Cosmic Cannabis and HipBees, along with natural ingredients, from-scratch formulation, white-label manufacturing and the importance of building a women-owned workplace that supports caregivers.

Listen now for the story behind the products—and the people creating them.

Blunt Botanicals - website

Ripley Halfyard - LinkedIn

Jill Provencal - LinkedIn

Additional Music:

Desiree Dorion desireedorion.com

Marc Clement - Facebook

Transcripts, papers and so much more at: reefermed.ca

In this episode, Kirk and Trevor review “The Cannabis Cancer Connection” by Dr. Joe D. Goldstrich. Dr. Joe is a cardiologist who, in his retirement, became a self-descripted “cannabis oncologist”. He now applies pre-clinical cannabis research and his years of expertise and patient experience to his clinical cannabis practice. In his book, Dr. Joe discusses the “Art” of practicing medicine within an evidence-based system. He discusses the limitations of the available science behind medicinal cannabis, while at the same time challenging the medical system to recognize the plant’s potential. He has had successes and failures using cannabis as a therapeutic in cancer care and offers a balanced view of both. This book offers a good introduction to both cannabis and cancer, and will help individuals and families to better understand how cannabis can help those suffering from the disease. Dr. Joe also takes the reader deeper by applying the available knowledge and connecting it to his clinical practice making this a valuable resource to those practicing in the field of oncology.

Dr. Joe Goldstrich - The Cannabis Cancer Connection Amazon

And although it had nothing to do with our discussion, but it is immensely cool that Dr. Joe was in the hospital when JFK was being treated post-Dealey Plaza. He is even in a documentary about that! - JFK: What the Doctors Saw (Amazon)

Music by:

John Lennon - Imagine - YouTube

Additional Music:

Desiree Dorion desireedorion.com

Marc Clement - Facebook

Transcripts, papers and so much more at: reefermed.ca

Where can we find cannabis without stigma?

Kirk cold-calls two very different budtenders whose stories share an atypical cannabis cultural approach to retail. He stops in to visit a First Nations cannabis shop on a southern British Columbia highway and then a community-focused dispensary in downtown Winnipeg. These two settings could not be more different, yet Kirk finds an unexpected thread connecting these dispensaries.

At the Green Mountain High Road Dispensary and Smoke Shop, Sheena Dadson shares her relationship with cannabis during cancer treatment and takes Kirk inside a dramatically different retail experience where customers can see, smell, and handle cannabis flower before buying. Her story raises fascinating questions about First Nations cannabis retail, the consumer experience, product knowledge, and Canada’s regulated cannabis market.

Then 21-year-old Fiddler’s Green budtender Lyrin Morissette offers a generational perspective Kirk wasn’t expecting. Besides explaining dry-herb vaping and his community approach to cannabis retail, Lyrin enlightens Kirk with how there is now an entire new adult generation starting a relationship with cannabis, as a legalized substance.

These conversations ultimately lead Trevor and Kirk into a deeper discussion about mindful cannabis consumption, the recreational market’s focus on high THC products, and whether cannabis needs its own version of the responsible-drinking movement.

Listen now for two memorable budtender stories and their individual thought provoking approaches to cannabis retail.

Green Mountain High Road - Instagram

Fiddler's Dream - website

Additional Music:

Desiree Dorion - desireedorion.com

Marc Clement - facebook

Transcripts, papers and so much more at: reefermed.ca

What happens when adult learning, government regulation, product shortages, and real-world retail experience collide?

Kirk’s Western Canada road trip continues through Alberta and British Columbia.

At Spiritleaf in Sherwood Park, AB, Kamryn explains how working as a budtender turned her curiosity about cannabis into a passion for learning. Her self-directed learning includes researching terpenes, cannabinoids, the endocannabinoid system, the entourage effect, cannabis products, and cultivation. This hands-on learning helps her better understand what customers are asking about.

Kirk returns to Marlee’s Den in Hope, British Columbia, where Lorraine describes the retail fallout from a British Columbia cannabis strike, including inventory shortages, direct-delivery complications, competition between independent and corporate retailers, and the challenges facing local growers. She also explains her experience with cannabis SKU's and why popular flower, pre-rolls, and infused products can disappear overnight from store shelves.

This is a ground-level view of Canadian cannabis retail dilemmas, budtender education, government regulations, and those who are navigating legalization one customer, and one SKU, at a time.

Listen now for cannabis stories you rarely hear from behind the counter.

Spirit Leaf Sherwood Park - website

Marlee's Den - website

Additional Music:

Desiree Dorion - desireedorion.com

Marc Clement - facebook

Transcripts, papers and so much more at: reefermed.ca

What does 420 mean now that cannabis is legal? Kirk hits the road through Saskatchewan and Alberta, gathering candid stories about cannabis culture, legalization, medical cannabis, recreational retail and the changing meaning of 420.

Hear from a longtime Moose Jaw 420 organizer, a medical cannabis user buying through recreational stores, and cannabis retail professionals discussing low-THC products, stigma and the challenge of helping customers seeking cannabis for health reasons.

Listen now for a street-level look at cannabis legalization across Western Canada.

Additional Music:

Desiree Dorion desireedorion.com

Marc Clement - Facebook

Transcripts, papers and so much more at: reefermed.ca

Can a small craft cannabis producer survive when government gatekeepers control which products reach consumers?

Kirk visits Edmonton’s New Life Canna to speak with co-founder Robert Raposo. A former firefighter-paramedic and entrepreneur, Robert explains how a casual idea about growing cannabis became a 6,000-square-foot micro-cultivation and processing operation.

Robert takes us inside the difficult economics of Canada’s legal cannabis industry—from rotating SKUs to provincial product listings. He explains how government-controlled distribution can limit consumer choice, and why successful products can still be delisted.

The conversation also explores the BC cannabis distribution strike, farmgate retail, cannabis marketing restrictions, funding barriers and the challenges of supporting local growers. Robert shares why New Life Canna works with independent cultivators to create “win-win” partnerships while producing distinctive craft cannabis strains.

Listen now to discover what it really takes to build a craft cannabis company—and why growing exceptional cannabis is only one part of surviving the regulated market.

New Life Canna Ltd - website

Robert Raposo - LinkedIn

Additional Music:

Desiree Dorion desireedorion.com

Marc Clement - Facebook

Transcripts, papers and so much more at: reefermed.ca

What happens when the medical cannabis system veterans depend on becomes more expensive, less accessible and increasingly disconnected from their needs?

In Part 2 of this candid conversation, veterans Rob Sipes and Natalie Forcier—joined by cannabis nurse Kala Knudslien—explore how education, professional guidance and intentional cannabis use can help veterans manage PTSD-related sleep disturbances, chronic pain and inflammation.

Rob shares how he incorporates CBD, THC edibles and topical cannabis into a carefully structured routine while living with serious medical challenges, including hemodialysis, neuropathy, two lung conditions, oxygen therapy and a complex medication regimen. His experience reinforces one of the episode’s most important messages: veterans using medical cannabis, especially alongside multiple prescription medications, benefit from individualized assessment, ongoing follow-up and knowledgeable healthcare support.

The conversation also examines Veterans Affairs Canada cannabis reimbursement limits, the potential relationship between medical cannabis and polypharmacy, and the widening gap between Canada’s medical and recreational cannabis markets. As recreational producers increasingly prioritize high-THC products, Kirk and Trevor ask whether veterans and other medical patients are losing access to consistent CBD-rich formulations, balanced cannabinoid products and the clinical guidance needed to use them safely and effectively.

This episode is a thoughtful, human look at medical cannabis for veterans—and a warning about what could be lost if Canada’s medical cannabis system continues to shrink.

Listen now to hear Rob and Natalie’s stories and learn why cannabis education, professional support and reliable access remain essential parts of veteran care.

Additional Music:

Desiree Dorion desireedorion.com

Marc Clement - Facebook

Transcripts, papers and so much more at: reefermed.ca

What happens when veterans turn to medical cannabis after conventional treatments leave them exhausted, foggy or still unable to sleep?

Former Canadian Armed Forces medics Natalie Forcier and Rob Sipes share how PTSD, chronic pain, anxiety, nightmares and service-related injuries shaped their journeys with medicinal cannabis.

Together with cannabis nurse Kala Knudslien, Natalie and Rob discuss administration routes like cannabis gummies, oils, creams and other non-inhaled products. Then they get into how various cannabinoids like CBD, CBN, CBG and lower-dose THC, cannabis tolerance effect their individualized care. Natalie also explains how non-intoxicating cannabis topicals can help cautious veterans and first responders reconsider medical cannabis as a pain-management option.

The conversation also examines Veterans Affairs Canada cannabis coverage, including the three-gram daily limit, reimbursement reductions and the widening gap between recreational and medical cannabis prices. It raises important questions about access, veteran advocacy and whether commercial interests are influencing Canada’s medical cannabis system.

Listen now to hear two veterans speak candidly about PTSD, sleep, pain, cannabis education and the struggle to access the care and benefits they earned through service. 

Additional Music:

Desiree Dorion desireedorion.com

Marc Clement - Facebook

Transcripts, papers and so much more at: reefermed.ca

Could cannabinoids eventually help protect athletes’ brains from the repeated impacts of contact sports?

In Part 2 of Kirk’s conversation with University of Regina researcher Dr. Patrick Neary, the focus shifts from proving that athletes can safely tolerate high doses of CBD to investigating whether cannabinoids may provide neuroprotection against concussions in contact sports.

A double-blind crossover design compares a THC-free, broad-spectrum cannabinoid formulation with a placebo. Researchers measure cerebral blood flow, brain oxygenation, cardiovascular function, blood biomarkers and neural activity before and after treatment. Athletes who experience a concussion receive additional testing and symptom monitoring throughout their recovery.

Dr. Neary also previews a planned pain-management study comparing CBD, THC, full-spectrum cannabinoids and placebo in former professional and junior athletes experiencing neuropathic or orthopedic pain. Kirk and Trevor discuss CBD safety, medication interactions, cannabis stigma and why rigorous research could change how professional sports leagues approach athlete recovery.

Listen now to learn how Canadian researchers are testing cannabinoid concussion protection, brain health and chronic pain in contact-sport athletes.

Patrick Neary - University of Regina - website

Patrick Neary - LinkedIn

Patrick Neary - Research Gate

Additional Music:

Desiree Dorion desireedorion.com

Marc Clement - Facebook

Transcripts, papers and so much more at: reefermed.ca