Kirk and Trevor were live on stage at HempFest Canada in Saskatoon June 2019 with Jacqui Childs (@JacquiChilds).  Jacqui talks about her journey with Cannabis helping her with Crohn's, anxiety and depression.  Now that Cannabis has helped her, Jacqui wants to help others.  This savy social media marketer and author tells Kirk how she gets her message about cannabis out to the world.

What should you expect when shopping for cannabis in Manitoba?  Do you need your ID?  Can you order ahead?  Will your Cannabis be delivered? Is the staff educated on product?  Kirk visits a friendly place prepared to assist you with discovering Cannabis.  We are invited to tour one of the two Winnipeg based “Garden Variety” resale outlets.  Garden Variety “strives to elevate the industry and the retail experience with customer service that is anything but ordinary, while offering new products at an affordable price.”  Conveniently located near the international airport, both Winnipeggers and visitors to our provincial capital, have access to well-informed “Mood Makers.”  One Mood Maker helps Kirk with deciding the best flower for doing yard work.  You will be surprised how choosing the proper cannabis product can require some sophisticated thinking. This episode may increase your expectations on customer service; listen with caution.

Did Jesus die on the cross? Was Moses influenced by cannabis when speaking to the Lord? Are Christian Churches embracing Cannabis? First up we meet the founding member of Christian Cannabis, Craig Gross. Once known as the “Porn Pastor,” Gross has a new message for Christian leaders. We learn how cannabis facilitated his personal journey and how he came to a cross roads. Gross once focused on helping porn-addicted Christians kick their habit.  Now he is focused on how Christians can be healed by this ancient plant. Next we explore the origins of cannabis. Researcher Chris Bennett connects cannabis to world religion and how it spread from one culture to another. He speaks to how biblical Prophets, Knights Templars, and the Messiah himself, were connected to cannabis by reframing our trusted biblical stories. Bennett says cannabis has been part of human history from the beginning. The legalization of cannabis demands philosophical discussions and these two guests bring a deep conversion to what may be our most controversial episode yet.

You don't give cannabis products to children, right?  Or what about that Charolette's Web stuff for seizures? Dr. Robert Sealey is a physician from Victoria with extensive cannabis experience.  He see children and has recommended cannabis for some of them.  From ADHD, to childhood schizophrenia, to Dravet syndrome this wide ranging conversation covers many pediatric cannabis topics.  Come learn with Kirk and Trevor about kids and cannabis.  Are three year olds different from thirteen year olds? And don't forget the chocolate milk!  It's all about the chocolate milk. 

Did you know medical cannabis is taxed?  That is weirder than you might think.  All other blood pressure pills, diabetes pills and depression pills that go through a pharmacy are not taxed.  Yet medical cannabis, prescribed by a doctor or other health care professional is taxed.  Ashleigh Brown (@Ashleigh02112447) is a medical cannabis patient, founder of the self help cannabis group SheCann (@shecannabis) and Community Manager and Patient Liaison at Strainprint.  She is also an uber cannabis patient advocate.  Listen to Ashleigh talk about how taxes increase her struggles to afford medicinal cannabis and increase the struggles of other patients.

 In Part 2 Kirk leaves Vancouver Island and visits Gimli, Manitoba.  He discovers how a family doctor becomes a Cannabis consultant. Dr. Shelley Turner (@TheShelleyT) discusses how a deep interest in addictions directed her practice toward Cannabis.  Her new clinic, Ekosi, will teach patients and professionals alike to discover the harm reduction benefit of Cannabis. Dr. Turner's journey with her Cree and Settler heritage, her progression from ambulance driver to nurse to doctor is fascinating enough on its own.  But her passion for data, evidence and her patients in all things cannabis is something you'll want to hear.  From Newleaf Outreach and Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club in Part 1 to Ekosi in Part 2, the common thread in these three stories is how healing communities are people caring for each other. Is Cannabis an exit drug? Should peers and individuals direct their own Health Care? How can western medicine help with creating healing communities? Kirk and Trevor discuss these questions and offer up some canna-curious opinions.

Travel with Kirk and Trevor beyond simple harm reduction strategies. Kirk brings us stories from Vancouver Island to Gimli, showing us how the Cannabis Culture helps people be well. In Part 1, we meet Kevin Donnelly from Newleaf Outreach.  This new autonomous peer driven harm reduction group in Nanaimo, British Columbia promotes that drug peoples’ rights are human rights.  They also believe cannabis plays a role for people with substance use disorders. Then Kirk goes south to see Julia Veintrop from the Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club.  The VCBC is an important historic advocacy agency.  They've taken cannabis cases to the Supreme Court, but more importantly they have 23 years of experience assisting people with accessing affordable cannabis as their medicine. From new to established, Vancouver Island shows us the strength of peers helping peers. We have a My Cannabis Story from Char about a not so positive experience at a Guns N Roses concert. Come back for Part 2!  Gimli has more to offer than Crown Royal and the Icelandic Festival.

What is impairment?  What does it mean to drive a car impaired?  Kirk and Trevor talk to PJ Barclay CEO of DriveABLE (@DriveABLE).  DriveABLE has tools that look a impairment and cognition.  But the impairment can be from opioid pain medication, muscle relaxant, lack of sleep, alcohol or cannabis.  Legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada changed many things.  Let's talk about impairment and how everyone can stay safe on the roads. 

Are you CannaCurious?  What cannabis strain works best for a 47 year old woman in Manitoba for MS related spasticity?  There is an app for that.  Kirk and Trevor talk to long time podcast sponsor, Strainprint about their app and the many, many places Strainprint has gone lately.  David Berg (@DaveBergSP ), the President and Chief Technology Officer of Strainprint Technologies geeks out with Kirk about endometriosis studies, migraine studies, software to help pharmacists find interactions between medications and cannabis, partnerships in Israel, partnerships with Duke University, the new Strainprint Community and frankly so many other cool things I'm getting tired just writing out this description.  Go Listen! 

Did you know some nurses could write prescriptions?  Kirk talks to Nurse Practitioner Erin O'Shaughnessy about her practice.  Erin works for Nalanda Health and prescribes cannabis for clients in need of help.  Trevor talks to Carl Byrne a pharmacist at Nalanda Health who acts as a cannabis educator for Erin's clients.  What does a medical cannabis clinic look like post legalization?  How do these health care professional work together? Why shouldn't you just go to a recreational cannabis store and try some cannabis for your medical condition on your own.  Listen and hear what Trevor and Kirk find out!

Plus a new My Cannabis Story from Jaqui Childs! - find her on @jacquichilds on Instagram.