Joan Bello is the author of The Benefits of Marijuana: Physical, Psychological and Spiritual. She has been writing on cannabis since before the internet; since getting information meant driving from library to library hunting the stacks; since any mention of cannabis in public might have meant federal investigations and jail time. It was during the height of the Drug War that she published this book; when the knowledge was forbidden, and she has continued to advocate for it since.

Her perspective on the benefits of marijuana was an outgrowth of her training at the Himalayan Institute under the tutelage of Swami Rama, who she describes as an advanced Tantric Master. Joan has been a Hospice Worker, an editor, a grower, an activist, a jail counselor, a fugitive from the law and even a prisoner. She was the director of the class action lawsuit that sued the U.S. government for its prohibition of therapeutic cannabis in 1998. She also has a Master of Science Degree in eastern studies and holistic health.

At 75 years old, Joan Bello is an elder of the modern cannabis movement.

We welcome her to ATTMind to share some of her stories from the trenches of the drug war, her perspectives on where we are and where we are going with cannabis as a society, as well as her perspectives on what benefits cannabis does, and does not, have to offer us as individuals and as a society.

***

See the full show notes and my blog entry on this episode: http://bit.ly/ATTMind62

***

Episode Breakdown

• What led Joan Bello to dedicate her life to cannabis activism.
• The 1998 class action lawsuit against the U.S. government for its prohibition of therapeutic cannabis.
• A yogic/holistic perspective of marijuana's impact on the autonomic nervous system.
• Her view from the trenches at the start of the drug war.
• The problems we might face with the corporatization and commercialization of marijuana.
• "Microdosing" vs. chronic use.
• The story of Joan's first Dab, at 75 years old.
• So-called cannabis addiction and why cannabis won't help you heal your psychological problems.
• The benefits of marijuana used with a therapeutic container---for psychology and spirituality.
• Joan's hope for our future with cannabis.

***

IF YOU ARE ENJOYING THIS podcast, PLEASE SUPPORT ME IN PRODUCING it FOR YOU BY OFFERING WHAT YOU CAN IN A ONE-TIME PAYPAL or Bitcoin donation, OR BY BECOMING my PATRON ON PATREON.

No amount is too small; anything is something.

You can also share this post via social media or simply tell a friend about it.

It is by community support that this podcast and website continues to exist (and exist ad-free!). Thank you for helping this project continue. ♥

*** Special Thanks To Patrons: Thomas & Melanie H. Greg A., Dean H., Andy D., Angela & James J., Robbie G., Ian C., & Reese. H. for their extra generous support!