TSC Talks!

Mike Robinson, Cancer Survivor/Cannabis Activist - Founder, Global Cannabinoid Research Center, comes on to discuss some of the current challenges in the cannabis community as well as exciting opportunities and projects coming your way. He starts off answering the initial question regarding who is reliable and trustworthy in the industry, we delve into challenges with cannabis certifications, the misperceptions surrounding the term "healer" and the lack of respect and credibility, and why these perceptual challenges exist.

We also discuss the sharing of information parent to parent on platforms such as Facebook, and how this can be valuable as well as how professional platforms often don't give the level of detail one can gain from online groups. There is much caution needed in all areas of sharing information on cannabinoid medicine as well as assessing what is accurate and reliable. Mike has years of in-depth hands-on experience working in the compassion program one on one with many many individuals and discusses what it takes to "dial-in" a protocol, emphasizing the need for personalization and tweaking of one's regimen, getting in touch with our physical and psychological cues to learn what will work best for our own cannabinoid medicine treatment as well as our loved ones for whom we might seek support and guidance in learning to implement this valuable and often last-resort life-saving treatment for those living with chronic and often life-threatening conditions.


Below are some links with more information. Stay tuned for another full podcast episode with Mike discussing the disconnect between the healer and the M.D. in traditional and cannabinoid medicine and offers some suggestions and hope for bridging that gap.

There's a lot more here that's well worth your time. Please note that Mike has launched (in his spare time) a platform for those who are "in need of help" in light of the global pandemic we are facing with covid19. https://whosneedinghelp.com.

We will shortly be launching another podcast with content related to Mike Robinson's work and other life minded professionals and patients will be housed and will shortly be including more information on this podcast where we hope to put out shorter, more frequent information/Q & A, support and resources on cannabinoid medicine, and promoting our shortly to be launched botanical beverage that will truly knock your socks off. Watch our website, look for announcements on the front page banner related to this new content.

As always, thanks for listening caring and sharing as we talk about "the things no one else wants to talk about " and try to bridge gaps in misunderstandings, perception, and lack of education to come together as human beings doing our best to find some quality of life and joy while here on this planet.

Mike's links:

Article about his personal experience: https://www.mikesmedicines.com/medical-marijuana/fighting-ordered-isolation-with-cannabiniods-coronavirus-scare-hits-our-home/

On the role of cannabinoids in fighting disease: https://globalcannabinoidrc.com/f/immunoregulatory-role-of-cannabinoids-during-infectious-disease

https://mikesmedicines.com
https://globalcannabinoidrc.com/
https://carouselchallenge.com
https://genevievesdream.com
https://nanobles.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-robinson-~-cannabis-heals-256b3192/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MikesEpilepsy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cannabismymedicine/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MikeRob47354384, https://twitter.com/MikeRob23307223
https://hightimes.com/culture/genevieves-journey-how-cannabis-helped-save-life-create-family/
https://www.imedpub.com/proceedings/cbn-the-cancer-fighting-cannabinoid-5528.html

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tsc-talks--1666046/support.

Mike Robinson, Cancer Survivor/Cannabis Activist - Founder, Global Cannabinoid Research Center, comes on to discuss a recent experience he had with the Coronavirus situation, his concerns over the gravity of this situation and the impact it's having on everyone's mental health. He urges the cannabis industry as a whole to rise up during this time and consider the cannabinoids which in combination have huge potential to make an impact on our immune systems. It is time to come together in unity and focus on what's going on right here and now in our entire world. Cannabis formulators with constituents please consider this message and work together to find out of the box solutions.

Mike's been blogging about this situation and below are some links with more information. Stay tuned for another full podcast episode with Mike discussing the disconnect between the healer and the M.D. in traditional and cannabinoid medicine and offers some suggestions and hope for bridging that gap.

Mike's links:

Article about his personal experience: https://www.mikesmedicines.com/medical-marijuana/fighting-ordered-isolation-with-cannabiniods-coronavirus-scare-hits-our-home/

On the role of cannabinoids in fighting disease: https://globalcannabinoidrc.com/f/immunoregulatory-role-of-cannabinoids-during-infectious-disease

https://mikesmedicines.com
https://globalcannabinoidrc.com/
https://carouselchallenge.com
https://genevievesdream.com
https://nanobles.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-robinson-~-cannabis-heals-256b3192/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MikesEpilepsy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cannabismymedicine/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MikeRob47354384, https://twitter.com/MikeRob23307223
https://hightimes.com/culture/genevieves-journey-how-cannabis-helped-save-life-create-family/
https://www.imedpub.com/proceedings/cbn-the-cancer-fighting-cannabinoid-5528.html

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tsc-talks--1666046/support.

I thoroughly enjoyed having Ruth Fisher, Ph.D., Cannabis researcher, and analyst, Co-Founder of Cann Dynamics, as well as the author of The Medical Cannabis Primer, on TSC Talks! I heard about Ruth’s book from another recent guest, Nikki Lawley and promptly ordered it, and reached out to Ruth for an interview. It’s a phenomenal resource, one that I have on my desk and refer to frequently. Before I launch into the episode notes, here’s a great description of the book written by Dan Larkin, that I found helpful:

“Getting clear, concise, and easy to understand information about cannabis is tough. There are lots of resources, but which ones can you trust? How can you be sure the information isn’t biased? How are you supposed to even understand all the terminology and science? Is it even legal?

All of this becomes doubly important if you’re researching medical cannabis as an alternative to conventional treatments or pharmaceuticals. You or someone you love may have recently been diagnosed with cancer, epilepsy, autism, MS, or PTSD. You may have been dealing with chronic pain. Whatever your personal reason, you deserve access to clear, concise information about medical cannabis….That’s where “The Medical Cannabis Primer” by Ruth D. Fisher, Ph.D. and edited & designed by her brother, A. Arthur Fisher, comes in. They’ve assembled a comprehensive, easy to read compendium of cannabis knowledge that’s full of unbiased information and easy to understand charts, graphs, and images.”

Ruth shares that it was through the process of helping her brother, who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, find adequate treatment, that she ended up researching cannabis. Raised by a father who was a private practice physician, a successful children's eye doctor, and Ruth’s idol, she speaks of his influence, “My dad was also an iconoclast, he didn't take things at face value, just because people said so. He did research in his area of medicine, and he questioned authority. And he encouraged us to do so. He would send us stuff to read a lot. And he would send an article and say, “read this article.!”, I'm like, “Dad, just tell me what it says.” He says, “No, I want you to read it yourself”. And that was always a pain. But at some point, I realized he didn't want to bias, the presentation of the information his view and his perspective. He wanted us to read it for ourselves and develop our own perspective or interpretation on what we thought of it. I always thought that was very interesting. It took me a long time to appreciate that”

Another formative factor Ruth mentions as shaping her life view was graduate school. “ I'm an economist. In economics, you learn that everything is supply and demand. So, you learn how you know all markets are shaped by the forces of supply and demand and you kind of understand things in those terms…. What's really interesting, and it was finally drummed into me that it doesn't matter what the results are. If your data and methodology aren't valid, they're not found, then the results don't matter. They're meaningless. That was really, really important in forming my attitudes about reading research and trying to evaluate whether or not I should consider them to be valid, based on the methodology and the data used. And it really, really impressed upon me the importance of good methodology in order to provide valid results.”

Here are a few quotes from the transcript of our interview highlighting Ruth’s entry into the cannabis industry and her realization that educating herself was necessary, “So I got into cannabis about four or five years ago. My brother started having health problems. And it turns out he was eventually diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. And MS manifests itself differently in different people and the manifestation he gets is pain, a lot of neuropathic pain from different sources. And he was on a lot of different drugs trying to control or manage the pain and they all have really, really ugly side effects. And while they were helping some they weren't really doing enough. And my brother’s neurologist said, you know, maybe you could use benefit from cannabis"

"So, I will say that, yes, I had also smoked cannabis or pot in college and decided to, you know, wasn't my thing. And I knew that it was out there in the medical world, but really didn't pay any attention to it. I come in now, and the situation is, my brother has a lot of pain. He has chronic pain. And all I know is I want to do anything I can to help him minimize his pain. And so, I go into cannabis and my job as I saw it was to go in and figure out if cannabis was for real, and if so help him figure out what would help him. And so my goal here was to cut through all the BS and I didn't care what anyone had to say whether they were pro or anti, all I cared about was finding something that would help reduce my brother's pain. So, I drew upon all my past experiences in approaching things and I started reading…th first question was, well, what is cannabis and how does it work on the body? And I started reading about that and wow, kind of overwhelming.”

Ruth explains the challenges to finding well-rounded information and unbiased research on cannabis for multiple reasons and goes into detail on why this is so. Here’s one quote elaborating on this issue.

“In 1937 with the Marijuana Tax Act, the funds for research essentially dried up, not fully -there was a trickle of funding, but they largely dried up, except for NIDA. And so, you had this, and then in 1970, with the Controlled Substances Act when cannabis was officially categorized as a schedule one drug, all of a sudden, there's this one department within the National Institute of Health that had all this money to study the bad effects of cannabis. If you want to study the good effects, then it's really hard to get funding and it's really onerous. There's a lot of restrictions, you have to file with the DEA and get permission from them. You have to go through all these hoops with the government. It's really difficult and it's really stigmatized. You know, it could hurt your career if you do this”

She summarizes the state of research, “when people in the healthcare industry say there's no evidence that cannabis has been shown to be safe and effective, what they mean is no studies period, they mean no large scale clinical trials. And a large scale clinical trial is very expensive. And it's generally done by someone who's seeking FDA approval for a pharmaceutical. There are certain cannabis pharmaceuticals out there. And they've gone through a number of clinical trials. But again, those are isolates. And people who are doing the whole plant medicine and who are finding really amazing results. They don't have the money to fund large scale clinical trials. And I'm not trying, I'm not trying to make an excuse. I'm trying to explain why that evidence doesn't exist.”

This episode is rich with information and I personally learned a ton through the process of preparing for and interviewing Ruth and then reading her book. I’ll leave you with a final quote but please take the time to listen to this thorough, fascinating and very personal discussion providing not only information on medical cannabis such as dosing, forms of use, whole plant, but the many factors that have influenced healthcare opposition, recent advances, risks and more.

“The big problem I had is the people who are close to it, and who have patients who are afraid to tell them that they're using cannabis because now you're missing all the interactions. And now you're going to have people using it with zero oversight from their doctors, and you're going to cause all sorts of problems. So, I think the first step is for the doctors to start learning from the patients and just being open to it. I know that my brother had a neurologist, and very early on, he had some really, really bad symptoms. And very early on, he was going through things and he got to the point many times where he's like, I am willing to try anything to address this problem. And at one point, you know, he got to diet, and he put himself on a very limited diet. And lo and behold, that solved a lot of his problem. And he went to one of his neurologists, his neurologist who's making different recommendations. And my brother said, Well, you know, I changed my diet, and that has really helped. And the neurologist said, Yeah, you know, I've heard that from other patients, but I really know nothing about nutrition, so I can't really comment on that. And Eddie, that doctor did end up becoming informed on nutrition and actually now incorporates that into his programs.”

Here are Ruth’s links:

Order: https://www.amazon.com/Medical-Cannabis-Primer-Ushering-Marijuana/dp/1885176023
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rfisher/
https://medicalcannabisprimer.com/
https://www.quantaa.com/
https://canndynamics.com/
https://incolor.net/news
https://www.cedfoundation.com/2019/06/07/ruth-fishers-cannabis-primer-book/
https://www.techzone360.com/topics/techzone/articles/2020/01/30/444355-canndynamics-co-founder-educate-engage-cannabis-the-blockchain.htm
https://www.independent.com/2020/01/06/the-medical-cannabis-primer-cuts-through-the-crap/

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tsc-talks--1666046/support.

I had the extreme honor of interviewing Brooke Alisha, TSC Advocate, Parent, Adult Living with TSC, Adult Regional Coordinator for Adult Support Region 5, LeVel Promotor. She has quite a story of challenges and hurdles, traumatic events, and heartache but also MUCH resilience, inner fortitude, a heart of love and hope.

Diagnosed with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC is a condition that causes benign tumors to grow in different organs of the body) at the age of 18, Brooke gives us a picture, “I was very active. I was a cheerleader. I was in a precision ice skating team. I was very active in my church. I was in a traveling singing group. We had so many things. So for me, my life was.. always on the go and involved in something, a part of something and suddenly, I was on Darvocet and it literally brought me to my knees. I was in the middle of hair school. I had just started after I graduated. And I missed three months. I had to take medical leave because I couldn't get up. I was afraid to hurt my kidneys and the stent and that whole thing and then on top of it being on that medication. That was the start of everything really for me.”

She talks of the utter devastation that followed post-diagnosis, “you looked at Google, you know, or Web MD or something. And it was like, awful. And I'm like, how can my life go from this to this? How am I supposed to (go on) and that it just made it worse”?

After moving in with her boyfriend and withdrawing, there was more challenging news, “And so when I went to go see about the cysts on my ovaries, I actually found out I was two months pregnant with my daughter. So I did have this on my ovaries, but they're like, um, you're pregnant, and we're going to put you on Prozac because we don't know if you'll handle the baby or if you'll keep it or anything”

To make things more challenging, she now had doctors weighing in, “She told me she advised an abortion and I wasn't okay with that. It wasn't how I grew up personally. And I thought, there's a reason I'm having her. So, I'm going to just have her and I'm going to get through it. And if I lose her, then it's meant to be I had to live with myself personally.”

Her baby daughter started having infantile spasms at 4 months and diagnosed with TSC. She gives us a look at the inner experience of these circumstances and more challenges, “I guess I was so young, you know, I was scared to death of what was to come and she had just got diagnosed with Tuberous sclerosis complex, she has the seizures and they started to get more intense. And they were up to about 10 to 12 times a day, we started to have to digest that. Then I found out I was pregnant with my son, so it was a lot.”

Listening to Brooke and reflecting on my own experience, “I can relate to some of that, you know, I was getting pregnant and finding out at while I had other kids with TSC, and you know, I think back on those times that I don't remember the details. It's like talking to you, I just kind of remembered that craziness. You know, it was always like kind of living through at the moment and getting through the day and, you know, putting out brush fires one thing after the other, so I don't know if it was like that for you, but I didn't have a lot of like time to really reflect on what was happening and how I was. It was just so much action-reaction.”

Brooke shares more of her experience with her daughter, “she had brain surgery, a lot of people know the intensity of that, it's a six-month thing. To get tested and all of this stuff done and, you know, it kind of all becomes a blur and then you spend about a month in the hospital because they’ve got to do two surgeries. And we did get social security disability income for that month that I was off, but it was exhausting. I had a son at home. She wasn't going to the bathroom by herself. They told me about the social regression, they removed her right frontal lobe of the brain, all the executive decision making”

She also discusses waking up to an understanding of TAND, Tuberous Sclerosis Associated Neuropsychiatric Condition, both personally and with her daughter. 80-90% of individuals with a diagnosis of TSC will have some degree of TAND, manifesting in a myriad of different ways, encompassing the entire mental health diagnostic umbrella!

“And you just fix it and you figure it out. But you know, for the longest time, everything would defeat me. Because, you know, for me, 80% of people with TSC have a mental illness, TAND is something I didn't even know what it was, and I feel like it's not talked about enough. It's not expressed enough. It's not shown to families like okay your child might have TSC but look out for TAND, they need to be pre warned for this because you have no idea it will come hit you like a bus.”

Here’s an excruciating narrative outlining a TAND incident, “It seems like with these medications, so for her anti-psychotics make her psychotic. And we were like afraid to drive home. We were hoping a cop saw us and said let me take her from you. I have never been that mom that wishes anything on my children ever, ever ever in my life. I know I talked previously about not dreaming of being that mother or that Betty Crocker person, but I definitely am a person that when I have something, I go all out and I go all in. If I'm going to take care of something, I'm going to take care of it the way it needs to be taken care of. How do you take care of that? I didn't know how to take care of that situation. That moment. everybody's lives are in danger. My son was being choked from the back. It was very traumatic.”

So clearly, Brooke is a survivor, with resilience like no other. She narrates example after example of circumstances that are unimaginable and yet she continues to rise.

“And you know, for the longest time I lived as that victim like …victim, victim victim and I decided I wasn't going to live there anymore. And once you decide that you must be at a really big place where you're like, you know, I'm ready. Because you're going to get tested and you're going to get tried, and it's going to try to break you, but you have to just rise up really. But you have to be at that place, and I can't tell you how to get there other than feeding your mind with happy things and good things. I started working out. So I started to try to do things that would help my mental health I went seek counseling. I just I started to really like being a hairstylist too, you’re also a therapist. So, you need to have an out. I needed a healthy out for sure.”

Brooke uses premium nutrition, and continues to talk with her doctors, and this system has worked for her, “a premium lifestyle plan to help individuals experience and reach peak physical and mental levels” and has great results. She continues to promote this product as a side business to supplement her work as a hairstylist/beautician” and focuses on helping people feel beautiful inside and out. Having the opportunity to give her clients a little bit more in terms of offering a product she has had success with and believes in has been a wonderful way of infusing her work with her own lived experience and positive energy.

This episode is chock full of inspiration and hope despite multiple and ongoing challenges. I’ll leave you with this final quote, and encourage you to listen and share this incredible testimony to the power of the human spirit, faith and deep passion and love for her family, friends, committed to doing her best to push the needle of knowledge, education, and support for those living with TSC forward daily!

“I mean, there's been lots of like little miracles, you know, like as you go on, like, Oh, she can read now. And for me, my tumors went from four and a half centimeters down to nothing. So yes, so that's been amazing, but just the miracle of being 36 now and being told at 30 I'd be in a wheelchair like that's a miracle. And when people see me and do that stuff, I want them to know that it's never too late. You still have a life to live!” Bravo Brooke!

Brooke’s links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_brookealisha_/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brookey21
Twitter: @BrookeAlisha
Adult Regional Coordinator-FB group: https://www.facebook.com/TsAllianceOfOhio/
TS Alliance Regional Coordinators: https://www.tsalliance.org/individuals-families/adults/adult-regional-coordinators/
Brook’s hair services: https://www.facebook.com/brookesbliss13hair/
https://www.facebook.com/thecolourpalettesalon/
Thrive/Le-Vel: https://brooke2330.le-vel.com/

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tsc-talks--1666046/support.

Tyrone Williams is a Proud Father👣 Direct From Source Supplier🌿Licensed THC and Hemp Product Acquisition and Quality Control Specialist🤔Problem Solver. This is his story of life in the fast lane in the early days of the cannabis industry in Southern California. Tyrone grew up with a father involved in some of the riskier smuggling operations in the industry, his uncle being killed by the cartel and his mother as a beacon of safety and strength.

In this episode, Tyrone walks us through the timeline of his life, detailing one challenge after tragedy after another. He is passionate about the potential of cannabis to revolutionalize the world, has deep knowledge of multiple aspects of the cannabis industry, and speaks with passion and purpose about the lack of equity in the industry, as well as the need to respect the living history of those that have sacrificed, lost and suffered defending their right to use the plant over the years. He makes note repeatedly that it's not the cannabis business of today, where we take for granted the reduced stigma and ease of access, but the gritty illegal side of the business, that of Netflix docudramas, in which his father and other relatives were immersed when he was born. Despite the high stakes danger and tragic outcomes of these illegal operations, they laid the groundwork for the movement toward marijuana legalization and reform that exists today.

Tyrone's early years were defined by excitement, tragedy, and turmoil; "One of my first memories is sitting in a pile of money and throwing it up and throwing up in the air like Richie Rich. When I was three years old, we dropped my uncle off at the airport and he was shot down by the Mexican military on his way back. on his way back. He was a very, very good pilot and
It was a C130 plane so there's no way that it would have just fallen out of the sky"

Despite this tragedy and others, Tyrone mentions his mother and grandmother as positive influences, "Yeah, I didn't have any guidance. I didn't have anyone to look to except for my grandmother on my mom's side. You know she and my mom gave me my work ethic and my ability to love. I will always love them for that because, you know, for my first five years, I had nothing but love and even though there were these events. They weren't tragic to me, because I was so young. And my mom was still, you know, she was running around with me in a carrier, and she was a thrift store shopper. She didn't care about money"

He expresses his deep desire to be there for his son, "the second half of my life is going to be where I put my legacy together for my son. He's getting four As and 2 Bs. He just got his report card. He's doing so good in school, he's loving it. He's got, friends. I mean, he's happy and he really loves that we have a good relationship. We talk all the time. And you know, we do stuff. It's something that I didn't have whatsoever, so I know exactly what to give him. Yesterday I got an argument with my dad. And I actually thanked him for being you tell me exactly what not to do"

In describing how he was able to learn from all the trauma, fighting and things he saw going on, "I don't believe in arguments because all it does is piss both parties off. But I do believe in communication and discussion. Yeah, we can agree to disagree, but lets at least listen both over each other sides and not try to make either of us feel like we're inferior to the other. Because there's that starts to occur, then people close down and nothing's heard whatsoever. " Amen Tyrone.

Relating his frustrations with the influx of people into the industry with "certificates and resumes" and bypassing those who have deep lived experience in the industry, real-time. Those who are passed over frequently when in many cases they are far more knowledgeable and educated than those who merely sat in a classroom and were taught about the plant, "I mean, these companies come in and I was brokering trim and there was a couple of companies that came into California and bought all the trim up and now it's $2 higher than what it was before. And they just priced me out of everything. And then if you want to get any type of position with any of these companies they want you to have some resume that shows that you went to some stupid school to get some freakin 'certificate that shows that you can do something."

One of his ongoing concerns with the industry, "So that's another problem with this influx of new money into the industry is that people are so greedy that they'll do anything, they don't care about trying to follow the rules, there's no etiquette whatsoever anymore."

Tyrone goes on to mention, how he cannot believe what he's lived through stating, "Yeah, this is all true, real firsthand experience, not just something that I heard about from somebody else, the third person, this and that. So, yeah, and that's why when I read back thru it, I'm like, I don't even believe it."

And in conclusion, I'll leave you with this quote that gives evidence to the reason Tyrone has survived lived experiences beyond belief and has been able to rise above overwhelming circumstances to come on this podcast and talk to us today. Thanks, Tyrone for your honest, painful, inspiring glimpse of another side of the industry that many don't understand.

"I don't believe in arguments because all it does is both parties off. But I do believe in communication and discussion. Yeah, we can agree to disagree, but lets at least listen over each other sides and not try to make either of us feel like we're inferior to the other. Because when that starts to occur, then people close down and nothing's heard whatsoever. They're just thinking about what they're gonna say". Truth.

From LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyrone-sky-williams-5b4b45195/
"I’m a second-generation grower with 20 years in indoor hydroponic space design and quality control. Specializing in licensed farm direct THC products of the highest quality. The products personally rigorously tested and vetted from only the best quality. I have designed products that have proven positive results that I will be introducing to the market if anyone is interested in an investment opportunity."

https://tsctalks.com

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tsc-talks--1666046/support.

Tom discusses NGOH

It was my pleasure to have Michael Pedersen is Host/Producer of Cannabis Update Podcast, Founder of Distinct Media as well as Station Manager of Multicultural Broadcasting Corporation, Inc. in Calgary Alberta. “Michael has worked in broadcasting and managed radio stations since 2005. Before radio, he worked in the Vancouver film industry as a post-production editor and location sound recordist. He has produced an estimated 7000 audio commercials for radio along with countless jingles, stingers, sonic brands and more. Distinct Media now produces radio commercials & audio for video for small to medium-sized businesses looking to get a "distinct" form of brand awareness in multiple markets across Canada & beyond.” He also is a husband and father of two young boys.

I appreciated Michael’s willingness to come on the podcast and share some pro-tips related to podcasting and marketing that have already proved helpful. He infuses his work with loads of enthusiasm, wit and genuine interest in all subject matter. It was a lot of fun to chat about common challenges in podcasting, experiences interviewing in the cannabis space as well as hear his thoughts on the state of the cannabis industry in Canada vs the US, and more.

The Cannabis Update Podcast is a podcast that gives leaders & organizations an opportunity to tell their stories and share information. Based on a long-form interview format, the podcast has featured countless industry leaders, giving them an opportunity to communicate their message in a timely and professional manner. This podcast falls under the umbrella of Distinct Media, which he also founded & currently directs.

Here's a quote from Michael discussing the podcast, “My day job is a general manager at a radio station in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. So, my background is in production. So naturally, podcasting is something that I liked originally like, I like listening to them. And when the cannabis whole, the whole business of cannabis in Canada started to evolve and grow, I saw a need for a podcast that sort of interviewed industry players. So with my production background, and with my interest in the cannabis space, I thought, well, this is perfect, why don't I just jump in and start so that's really why I started and I had friends who were investing in Cannabis Stocks in Canada. And when I looked into it, I thought, well, there's got to be a podcast out there, I can listen to where I can learn about the companies. And there wasn't, I thought, Oh, geez, I got it. I better do something here. So that's kind of like how I started, and the podcast has evolved over time. Now it's a little bit more culture and not always business. You know, some science I try really get into the individual, the personalities of the people in the space, so people get to know who's kind of steering the ship in these companies, you know, a little bit more than simply numbers and figures”
He talks about podcasting challenges and how he created Cannabis Media Collective to bring several podcasts together, “Why not create a place where all of us can produce and publish together so that if you subscribe to one thing, the cannabis media collective, every single day, you get a new podcast from a new producer? And you don't have to go around and have 50 subscriptions and try to read through them and all that. The only thing about it though, is it's a lot of work. And it's hard to monetize it, like anything. And yeah, it's hard to make money off it. So, you have to really like it has to be in your heart. You have to want to do this. And you have to write to make it work in your schedule. I have two little boys. So, I'm up at 5 am most days producing and editing and sending emails and all that because that's my time. I can't do it at your school time.”

He mentions challenges getting paid for his work and how he addresses this, “I’ll interview your multimillion-dollar CEO. I'm going to send you a media kit and here My price is (xyz) and they'll say like, Oh, we don't have a budget for this. And I say, well, you gave me that big song and dance about how huge you are and how you're going to be the next Coca Cola of CBD. I don't understand why you can't afford a few hundred dollars for me to put in probably four hours work for you and help you promote yourself?”

We also discussed his thoughts on the cannabis industry as a whole, “Well, I think that we're in a very, very interesting place. And you know, as far as the science that surrounds the cannabis plant is concerned, you know, and I speak for Canada, I think the US is the same. We've been prohibited since like the 1920s. People haven't even in controlled laboratory environments that have not been allowed by law to even look at the plant, which is bonkers. But now, that's all changing, and we have a lot of extremely qualified PhDs chemists that are really looking at it on a molecular level. I think you're going to see in the next decade, a lot of change in the medical environment. But unfortunately, it could turn out that pharmaceutical companies buy up all the technology trademark everything and turn around and sell it to make a profit all over again. Like, it's not to say that this is going to change the world, this could actually just turn into another pharmaceutical avenue of revenue for those guys. And that's what I fear.”

Talking about the differences between the Cannabis market in the US vs. Canada, “And in Canada, it goes province by province, as far as local regulations go on the cannabis plant and retail and that sort of thing. So, I'm in Alberta, and within a year in Alberta, we had 350 stores in our province 350 with a population of about 3 million in the whole province. You take British Columbia, which has a way larger population, a way longer history of cannabis culture. You know, so much great legacy market cannabis has grown there to this day, and they're like, super restrictive. They're just starting to roll stores out now. And it's crazy, but it just boils down to the provincial government and what they decide that they want to do for their own provinces. Some provinces are rolling along making tons of tax revenue. And other ones are still trying to figure out how to make the model work, which is crazy. So, you look at comparing Canada in the US. You go into a legal dispensary in Oregon. They've got so many cool products; you know what I mean? Edibles and different things and you can learn about them. And it's almost like, you know, microbreweries for a beer or something. We don't allow that. Yet. The problem with craft in Canada is that the government requires so much paperwork, for example. And if you want to do a craft facility, you have to build it first before you can apply for a license. So, think about the kind of money you need just to get the ball rolling. They're making it almost impossible craft market to proliferate. Now, will it change? I'm hoping so. And now what they're doing is they're creating co-ops. A lot of craft growers or potential craft growers are saying, Let's work together. Let's build almost like a union. And let's approach it together and all apply together and help each other that way. So that's it. Probably the biggest differences between Canada and the US.”

Regarding medicinal Cannabis in Canada, “we do have clinics in Canada, and most of our major cities now that specialize in diagnosing and prescribing cannabis-related medicine. They tend to be more on the private end because we have social medicine here in Canada. But you can go in there and they have doctors who are making their best efforts to be knowledgeable about cannabis as medicine. So that's changing but the thing is, cannabis isn't really regarded federally as medicine the same way that a prescription might be for some pharmaceutical. A lot of medical cannabis patients in Canada are upset by that, there are different taxes that apply. You can't get it the same way, can't source it. Still a lot of rules and loopholes. If you want cannabis to help you sleep, or maybe stimulate your appetite, there's a whole system you have to go through in order to qualify for it and then get a prescription. They have to order it, and it has to come in the mail…totally different. So, we still have a long way to go with medicinal cannabis here.”

Finally, a parting quote from Michael, followed by his links and recent articles, “Now you can't be afraid to evolve and when you see somebody doing something and you go “that would make it better, just go forget it. I'm doing it. Bang. And that's not to say change everything but don't be afraid of change.”

Michael’s Links:
Cannabis Update Podcast: http://www.cannabisupdate.ca/
Distinct Media: https://www.distinctmedia.ca/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-pedersen-98263213
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cannabisupdatepodcast/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CannUpdatePod
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrDyXDaJaoMtFwsXsHi6xhA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cannupdatepod/
Article: https://timlowing.com/read-the-lowdown-here/f/michael-pedersen---canadian-cannabis-update

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tsc-talks--1666046/support.

Nadia Bodkin, CEO and Vincent Crowley, SVP of Blaze Therapeutics, LLC are an incredible team bringing a rich and relevant background of lived and learned experience across multiple special interest groups, including the rare disease community, military & veteran community, as well as health care community and more.

"Blaze Therapeutics exists to offer plant-based solutions to the rare disease, the US Veteran, and professional medical communities that target the improvement of overall health, wellness, and quality of life. We believe in amplifying the beauty of life through the pursuit of wellness. Blaze Therapeutics is comprised of a team of experts concentrated from the healthcare, patient advocacy, nutraceutical and cannabis industries. Blaze Therapeutics is engaged in supporting the open market through Responsible Distribution of plant-based dietary supplements and the Rx market through the pursuit of FDA approved cannabis-based nutraceuticals."

Nadia is also President at EDSers United for Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, but is also a member of the advocacy movement in regards to Blaze. Nadia is a seasoned rare disease patient advocate, born with three main rare conditions herself. Immediately after graduation, Nadia went straight into advocacy through EDSers United, a foundation she founded as a student. Nadia has held leadership positions at several rare disease advocacy focused organizations assisting in everything between nonprofit corporate management to event planning to therapeutic product development. She is also one of the founding members of New Love Ventures LLC and facilitates the coordination of the Rare Advocacy Movement's activities along with fellow colleagues.

Vincent Crowley, Senior VP, is a medically retired veteran of the United States Army. His past experience in the army was as a dental hygienist. He also studied psychology at the University of Maryland. Vincent is co-founder New Love Ventures, During his years of service, Vincent discovered a heightened awareness for his core values, and beliefs (i.e loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage). Incorporating these core values into his daily life and his passion to help other service members navigate life post military service and transition back into the civilian sector, spurred an interest to earn a degree in Psychology and Mental Health. As a student of the University of Maryland University College, Vincent makes himself available to veterans seeking guidance through social media platforms and in-person meetings. As the Executive Sales Director at Blaze Therapeutics, Vincent is leading the effort to introduce the military community to Blaze Approved nutraceuticals and therapeutics as alternative options to addressing their health concerns."

This episode is rich with information. A few pertinent quotes:

"We both connected over our passion for advocacy work. And his focus has always been on advocating for veterans and helping them transition into civilian life. And after meeting and gaining a better understanding of each other's advocacy work, we learned that both the veteran and rare disease communities are both dealing with very similar socio-economic and healthcare issues."

Discussing the responsible distribution of CBD:

"Responsible distribution model is a model designed specifically for the healthcare industry for cautions taken to protect customers' safety and ultimately protect businesses from potential liability issues. And because the cannabis industry is young and vulnerable, unfortunately, most of the products on the market are contaminated with toxins and labeled inaccurately. So products that are responsibly distributed, come with a certificate of analysis that are unbiased third party tests."

Talking about other products in the holistic industry:

"The overall holistic products industry includes, you know, the spices that we use to season our foods and a lot of our spices have silicone in them. And a lot of our chronic pain is caused by all the different products that have so many toxins that are building up it's increasing our inflammatory system, our bodies are trying to fight all these toxins. It's incredible what we found"

Discussing the role of big pharma and the open CBD market:

"Big Pharma and responsible players from the open market industry can collaborate and work together. When it comes to educating the public and the healthcare industry, doctors need to know what options are available to them and the unfortunate risky realities of the open market so that they can best advise their patients. And consumers need to know that they need to consult with their doctors to identify their personal dosage of CBD, what to ask for and what to avoid when navigating the open market in order to avoid purchasing toxic or fraudulent products"

Regarding the controversy with newly FDA approved CBD isolate medication, Epidiolex:

"And so one of the hot topics that has been circulating the rate of the space currently regarding Epidiolex include sucralose as an inactive ingredient. Because of this, we're seeing some parents and patients with rare epileptic conditions choose to turn to the open market as opposed to taking Epidiolex either on label or off label because of the sucralose, which is an artificial sweetener found in the formulation."..." sucralose significantly decreased beneficial gut bacteria, negative effects have occurred at a sucralose dosage as low as 1.1 milligrams per kilogram, and FDA acceptable daily intake for sucralose is five milligrams per kilogram, so several individuals with GI issues do their best typically stay away from this artificial sweetener"

Continuing this conversation and discussing how doctors can take advantage of what Blaze Therapeutics has to offer:

"So for those practitioners in states with medical marijuana programs, of course, they can manage medical marijuana patients, they can prescribe Epidiolex to patients with certain types of severe epilepsies or they can choose to responsibly distribute CBD by signing up as a wholesaler at Blaze Therapeutics and selling CBD directly to the patients in the office or they sign up under our referral program, the and they receive they receive a percentage of the revenue per order that's made."

On New Love Ventures, LLC:

"So a little plug in there for new love ventures and basically what we're doing with new love ventures. It's a new love culture, it's a social movement to help people bring awareness to themselves and being human, you know, looking out for their, their fellow person, regardless of what they're doing in their lives and what they believe in"

There is a large amount of detailed but well-explained information contained in this episode. A final quote on how we as patients can ask doctors to enter the conversation which is of utmost importance:

"Can you please reach out to blazetherapeutics.com and the people there or just call that company and then we will help educate them in an expedited, then we understand their busy schedules, we will provide them with the materials in order for them to learn what they need to do in order to help their patients. Right now the stigma within the health care community has dwindled. There's enough clinical evidence out there for cannabis. So now doctors are actually learning "

Thanks for listening! For more information, see the following links:

Website: https://www.blazetherapeutics.com/
Website Resources: https://www.blazetherapeutics.com/resources
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blazetherapeutics/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blazetherapeutics/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blazetherapy
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blaze-therapeutics/
New Love Ventures: https://www.newloveculture.com/
Nadia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadiabodkin/
Vincent on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincent-crowley-a87a1a55/
Nadia Bodkin Rare Advocacy Movement: https://www.rareadvocacymovement.com/nadia-bodkin

Thanks for tuning in!

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tsc-talks--1666046/support.

A mini compilation of a few Canna conversations; Blaze Therapeutics, Michael Pedersen, Tyrone Williams & past guest Mike Robinson.

1-"Blaze Therapeutics exists to offer plant-based solutions to the rare disease, the US Veteran, and professional medical communities that target the improvement of overall health, wellness, and quality of life. We believe in amplifying the beauty of life through the pursuit of wellness.

Blaze Therapeutics, Nadia Bodkin-Rare Disease Advocacy Professional, Executive Officer, Philanthropist and Vincent Crowley-Senior Vice President-Blaze is comprised of a team of experts concentrated from the healthcare, patient advocacy, nutraceutical and cannabis industries. Blaze Therapeutics is engaged in supporting the open market through Responsible Distribution of plant-based dietary supplements and the Rx market through the pursuit of FDA approved cannabis-based nutraceuticals."
Website: http://www.blazetherapeutics.com

2-Michael Pederson, Host, Producer of Cannabis Update Podcast. "This podcast features stories about the leaders and organizations involved in cannabis legalization in Canada. This is not a "Pro Pot"​ podcast, but a balanced representation of news and information pertaining to legalization"
Website: https://www.distinctmedia.ca/cannabis-update-podcast

3- Tyrone Williams-Proud Father👣 Direct From Source Supplier🌿License THC and Hemp Product Acquisition and Quality Control Specialist. I’m a second generation grower with 20 years in indoor hydroponic space design and quality control. Specializing in licensed farm direct THC products of the highest quality. The products personally rigorously tested and vetted from only the best quality. I have designed products that have proven positive results that I will be introducing to the market, if anyone is interested in an investment opportunity.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyrone-william-5b4b45195

4- Mike Robinson -Cancer Survivor/Cannabis Activist, Founder, Global Cannabinoid Research Ctr., Chief Operating Officer at Nanobles, Inc. "Cannabis is Medicine and it's important it's recognized globally as such by all nations. Setting the pace now to educate those providing healthcare is imperative for both patients and providers. As a cancer survivor with severe epilepsy that quit a 24 yr. pharma opioid addiction with the use of Cannabis oils to overcome, choosing a healthy alternative medicine was the key to my own success - and for many is the key to exit the Pandora's Box of addiction, illness, and so much more."

https://www.mikesmedicines.com/mikes-other-publications/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-robinson-~-cannabis-heals-256b3192

Thanks for tuning in! Stay tuned for Blaze Therapeutics up this week and keep on keepin' on.
https://tsctalks.com

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tsc-talks--1666046/support.

A mini compilation of a few Canna conversations; Blaze Therapeutics, Michael Pedersen, Tyrone Williams & past guest Mike Robinson.

1-"Blaze Therapeutics exists to offer plant-based solutions to the rare disease, the US Veteran, and professional medical communities that target the improvement of overall health, wellness, and quality of life. We believe in amplifying the beauty of life through the pursuit of wellness.

Blaze Therapeutics, Nadia Bodkin-Rare Disease Advocacy Professional, Executive Officer, Philanthropist and Vincent Crowley-Senior Vice President-Blaze is comprised of a team of experts concentrated from the healthcare, patient advocacy, nutraceutical and cannabis industries. Blaze Therapeutics is engaged in supporting the open market through Responsible Distribution of plant-based dietary supplements and the Rx market through the pursuit of FDA approved cannabis-based nutraceuticals."

Website: http://www.blazetherapeutics.com

2-Michael Pederson, Host, Producer of Cannabis Update Podcast. "This podcast features stories about the leaders and organizations involved in cannabis legalization in Canada. This is not a "Pro Pot"​ podcast, but a balanced representation of news and information pertaining to legalization"

Website: https://www.distinctmedia.ca/cannabis-update-podcast

3- Tyrone Williams-Proud Father