Reefer MEDness

Dr. Ethan Russo has made immense contributions to the understanding of cannabis. 2024 was particularly productive as Dr. Russo’s name kept popping up in some very interesting papers. We got him to chat with us about two of them. First there is the entourage effect paper. The entourage effect is the idea that different cannabinoids, terpenes and other components of the cannabis plant work together synergistically to give a desired effect. Professor Raphael Mechoulam and colleagues first talked about the entourage effect amongst endogenous cannabinoids in the human body. Dr. Ethan Russo and others have expanded the idea to phytocannabinoids and other cannabis plant components. But it is still just an idea. Now there is a trial that looks at if inhaled limonene makes THC cause less anxiety in people. This could be the beginning of the evidence to validate the entourage effect. Second, we chatted about a CBG paper. We have a lovely sound bite that describes CBG as a “bubble bath for your brain”. This study gives us some early evidence of the clinical effects of CBG, and whether it actually reduces anxiety. Let’s do some learning! Ethan Russo.org - Website Ethan Russo- LinkedIn CReDO Science - Website Vaporized D-limonene selectively mitigates the acute anxiogenic effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol in healthy adults who intermittently use cannabis. - Paper Acute effects of cannabigerol on anxiety, stress, and mood: a double‑blind, placebo‑controlled, crossover, field trial. - Paper Music by: Dark Star by The Grateful Dead - YouTube (Yes we got a SOCAN membership to use this song all legal and proper like) Additional Music: Desiree Dorion desireedorion.com Marc Clement - Facebook Transcripts, papers and so much more at: reefermed.ca

What were you doing during the start of the pandemic lock down in 2020? Did you build a puzzle for the first time in year? Did you get reacquainted with how stupid and long and frustrating monopoly is? How about sour dough bread? Did you make your first sour dough? Dr. Igor Kovalchuk and his wife, Dr. Olga Kovalchuk from the University of Lethbridge were locked out of their labs too. Their lock down side project was a little more ambitious. They had been researching hundreds of cannabis extracts to see if these extracts reduced inflammation and might help treat conditions like multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis. During this forced pause in their research, they wondered in CBD rich cannabis extracts might be useful against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. You want to hear what they found out. Dr. Kovalchuk’s preprint article we discussed - In Search of Preventative Strategies: Novel Anti-Inflammatory High-CBD Cannabis Sativa Extracts Modulate ACE2 Expression in COVID-19 Gateway Tissues - Website Dr. Matthew Elmes critique of Dr. Kovalchuk’s paper - Cannabis & COVID-19: Breaking News or Bogus Science? - Website (Yes we got a SOCAN membership to use this song all legal and proper like) Music by: Nelson Rudiak - Facebook Additional Music: Desiree Dorion desireedorion.com Marc Clement - Facebook  Transcripts, papers and so much more at: reefermed.ca

The Canadian Medical Cannabis Program has been available for more than two decades, yet the process of obtaining cannabis as medicine remains very cumbersome. In comparison, Recreational Cannabis, seen as a substance of misuse, is easy to acquire. When people express an interest in trying cannabis as a medicine to their health care team, many health practitioners simply direct their patients toward the Rec market knowing (or maybe not) the restrictions the Cannabis Act places on budtenders. Budtenders cannot discuss health conditions with customers. While many health professionals continue to ignore the highly regulated medicinal cannabis system, a group of entrepreneurs calling themselves Cannabis Coaches, are filling the need. In this episode we learn how certified Cannabis Coach Terese Bowors started a small business educating people about medicinal cannabis. We come to understand how a group of non-regulated health educators are developing their own Standards of Practice. Terese Bowors - Cannabis Wellness Coach - Website Terese Bowors- LinkedIn (Yes we got a SOCAN membership to use this song all legal and proper like) Music by: Falling Through by Prophet - Spotify Additional Music: Desiree Dorion desireedorion.com Marc Clement - Facebook Transcripts, papers and so much more at: reefermed.ca

Tarris Baptiste was athletically gifted. Tarris was driven. Tarris was on the brink of breaking into the National Football League. And then, it didn’t happen. Ten thousand hours plus spent on becoming an elite football player didn’t matter anymore. Now what? Tarris had a shadow pursuit that paralleled his football career. Sometimes it helped him succeed. Sometimes it got in the way. But now, he shifted his considerable focus to learn more about cannabis. He needed to know the light and the dark of this plant. Tarris sought out experts. He merged their insights with his own lived experience. That was the genesis of his book, Don’t Let it Smoke You. Listen to Tarris talk about how cannabis got in his way, how he overcame his misuse of cannabis, but how he didn’t abandon the plant. Tarris found a way to balance his cannabis use with living a productive life. And now he wants to share that with you. Tarris Baptiste – LinkedIn Clever Chief - https://cleverchief.org/ Don’t Let It Smoke You - Amazon Music by: Dave Brubeck – Take Five - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmDDOFXSgAs Additional Music: Desiree Dorion desireedorion.com Marc Clement marcclementmusic.com Transcripts, papers and so much more at: reefermed.ca

Dr. Suzy Pinnick, a family physician specializing in palliative medicine and remote northern medicine, shares her cannabis story with Kirk. In this episode, the two health professionals sit in a casual masked conversation within the warmth of the NIC’s office of a northern nursing station during a deep Covid19 Canadian winter evening. She is quick to say she has very little knowledge of cannabis, yet believes it is important to learn. When she was asked by parents to prescribe cannabis for one of her pediatric palliative care patients, Dr. Pinnick quickly recognized how little she knew. Kirk brings the story to Trevor, how this experienced doctor is willing to learn as she practices; how she learns the art of medicine while applying the formal duties of a doctor. Music by: Dinah Washington - What a Difference a Day Makes - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmBxVfQTuvI (Yes we got a SOCAN membership to use this song all legal and proper like) Additional Music: Desiree Dorion www.desireedorion.com/ Marc Clement http://marcclementmusic.com/

Regular users of cannabis will – often self-consciously – admit to having a spiritual relationship with cannabis. Will Johnson, a teacher of Buddhist Dharma since 1972, explains how he is ‘something of an anomaly and outlier when it comes to the use of cannabis.’ In his book “Cannabis in Spiritual Practice: The Ecstasy of Shiva, The Calm of Buddha,” Will applies his understandings with living by The Buddhist’s precepts, as an adult. He believes his positive pathways toward full Embodiment is better achieved when he weaves his dance with Shiva, while enjoying the fruits of Buddha’s Garden. In this episode, Kirk and Trevor conclude Will may be onto something. What if everyone in the world simply took a few deep breathes, passed the chillum, and spontaneously started to dance? What if… Will Johnson - Website Cannabis in Spiritual Practice: The Ecstasy of Shiva, the Calm of Buddha.- Will Johnson - Book (Yes we got a SOCAN membership to use this song all legal and proper like) Music by: Grateful Dead - Dark Star - YouTube Additional Music: Desiree Dorion desireedorion.com Marc Clement - Facebook Transcripts, papers and so much more at: reefermed.ca

What is the evidence? Where are the studies? There is no proof that cannabis can treat anything! Well…What if I told you there are lots of studies showing that cannabis has medical benefits? What if there was a study going on right now in Sarnia looking at Cannabis and Dementia in Long Term Care (LTC) homes? Dr. Blake Pearson and his partners in Lambton County are the epitome of “Think Global, Act Local”. They are tackling the pervasive problem of dementia in all LTC homes by seeing if cannabis can improve it in their local LTC system. Their study also measures if cannabis use in Dementia patients can help reduce Care Giver Burnout. This exciting research on the shores of Lake Huron is adding to the growing mountain of cannabis as medicine. We also take a left turn into “Green Washing”, but it is not what you think. Come have a listen. Pearson Health: pearsonhealth.org Music by: Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k8craCGpgs (Yes we got a SOCAN membership to use this song all legal and proper like) Additional Music: Desiree Dorion desireedorion.com Marc Clement marcclementmusic.com Transcripts, papers and so much more at: reefermed.ca

If you suffer from headaches, Dr. Carrie Cuttler, Assistant Professor at Washington State University, may offer some insights. This episode explores how migraine sufferers may benefit from cannabis. In her study, this cannabis researcher, uses Strainprint data to track people who use inhale cannabis to treat their migraines. Kirk and Trevor explore her research and also discuss how diminished anandamide levels, an important endocannabinoid, may also contribute to the headache pain. A deficiency in the bliss molecular causes a pain in the …head? Carrie Cuttler - LinkedIn Carrie Cuttler - Website Dr. Cuttler’s Strainprint/Migraine Study (Yes we got a SOCAN membership to use this song all legal and proper like) Music by: Jimmy Zee - website Jimmy Zee - Facebook Additional Music: Desiree Dorion desireedorion.com Marc Clement - Facebook Transcripts, papers and so much more at: reefermed.ca

The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for the discovery of microRNA. It’s too bad we at Reefer MEDness don’t know anything about microRNA. But wait…We do! Hilal Kalkan, a post-doc at Laval University, talks to us about how microRNA and cannabinoid receptors are involved in the side effect of a common cholesterol medication. Come dive deep into the molecular workings of the endocannabinoid system with us! Hilal Kalkan - LinkedIn Dysfunctional endocannabinoid CB1 receptor expression and signaling contribute to skeletal muscle cell toxicity induced by simvastatin, Hilal Kalkan et al. - Paper in Cell Death and Disease (Yes we got a SOCAN membership to use this song all legal and proper like) Music by: Tuğba Yurt - Benim O -YouTube Additional Music: Desiree Dorion desireedorion.com Marc Clement - Facebook Transcripts, papers and so much more at: reefermed.ca

Kirk and Trevor discuss PTSD with Dr. Mike Hart founder of ReadyToGo Clinic. Dr. Hart talks about how PTSD, migraines, IBS and some other conditions are due at least in part to an endocannabinoid deficiency. That means cannabis is an obvious treatment for PTSD. Also hear how cannabis can also be used in sports medicine and about Kirk’s Runners’ High on the Columbia Ice Fields. Dr. Mike Hart’s Joe Rogan Interview (Episode 1246) - YouTube Scientific American “The Case of a Woman Who Feels Almost No Pain Leads Scientists to a New Gene Mutation” - March 30/19 - Jacquelyn Corley - Article Readytogo Clinic - Website Mike Hart Book - Friendly Fire: Why Vets Are Ditching Pills and Lighting Up to Treat PTSD - Amazon Benzodiazepines for PTSD: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis. Guina et al. Journal of Psychiatric Practice. July 2015- Article Reductions in Circulating Endocannabinoid Levels in Individuals with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Following Exposure to the World Trade Center Attacks. Matthew N. Hill et al. Psychoneuroendocrinology. Sept 2013. - Article Clinical Endocannabinoid Deficiency Reconsidered: Current Research Supports the Theory in Migraine, Fibromyalgia, Irritable Bowel, and Other Treatment-Resistant Syndromes. Ethan Russo. Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research. July 2016. - Article Music by: Bif Naked - Santa Claus is Coming to Town -YouTube Additional Music: Desiree Dorion desireedorion.com Marc Clement - Facebook Transcripts, papers and so much more at: reefermed.ca

Pop quiz! Name a condition that costs $2.5 Billion to the Canadian health care system per year, that causes 1 in 5 sufferers to lose or quit a job at some point during their life because of the disease and that 8 in 10 people with the disease were initially told their pain was normal before diagnosis? Welcome to the under-appreciated suffering of those people who have endometriosis. Dr. Genester Wilson-King MD FACOG, founder and Medical Director of Victory Rejuvenation Center, is a Board-Certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist with over 25 years of Clinical experience. We would have loved to pick her brain on Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement, Premenstrual Syndrome, breast-feeding and cannabis and so many other topics, but we don’t have a 14 hour podcast. We had Dr. Wilson-King review for us the causes and symptoms of endometriosis, how it is treated and how cannabis fits into the picture. She dropped bomb-shells on us like: Did you know endometriosis can affect such disparate tissues as the lung and the brain? Our brains are still spinning and you should strap in and listen. Dr. Genester Wilson-King - LinkedIn Dr. Genester Wilson-King - Website (Yes we got a SOCAN membership to use this song all legal and proper like) Music by: Earth Wind and Fire - Fantasy -YouTube Additional Music: Desiree Dorion desireedorion.com Marc Clement - Facebook Transcripts, papers and so much more at: reefermed.ca

Is it the future? Kirk and Trevor delve into the craft cannabis market, again. In this episode, they gather a unique panel of Cannabis enthusiasts, willing to share their views on growing small batches of their best. A British Columbia computer geek turned owner, an Alberta legacy grower gone legit, and a Manitoba seed archivist waiting on a license for his genetics, each speak to what makes their cannabis strains and techniques important to creating a craft cannabis market place. The panel agrees the best fertilizer is the shadow of the gardener and any licensed producer can grow good weed. But, what is their collective agreement, what is the definitive determination of craft cannabis? It may depend on how they treat their flowers at harvest, or possibly the hang-to-dry or lay-to-dry technique. How long do they leave their flower to cure? What if the flower is traveling in plastic to market? Defining craft cannabis may actually mean buying straight from the farmer but, this is not possible yet. Have a listen to how these growers define craft while creating niche markets for their small businesses. Kieley Beudry - Parkland Flower Website - Twitter Earl Oliver - Gnomestar Craft Cannabis Twitter-Earl Oliver - Twitter - Gnome Star Paul Martin - CannaCraft Producers Instagram - Cannacraft (Yes we got a SOCAN membership to use this song all legal and proper like) Music by: Sublime - Smoke Two Joints -YouTube Additional Music: Desiree Dorion desireedorion.com Marc Clement - Facebook Transcripts, papers and so much more at: reefermed.ca

On July 23, 1983 at an altitude of 41,000 feet, Air Canada Flight 143 travelling between Montreal and Edmonton ran out of fuel because of confusion between metric and imperial measurements. However, the crew of the Boeing 767 successfully landed the passenger jet in Manitoba’s Interlake in what is now known as the Gimli Glider. That intrepid flight crew applied their years of training and experience to an unprecedented situation to become heroes. Much like when a PhD with international training in biochemistry, genetics and pharmaceutical manufacturing successfully glides into the cannabis space. Meet Dr. Brent Guppy and BioScision Pharma. This wide-ranging conversation covers sexing plants, topicals with microbial contamination, testing cannabis for heavy metals and our new favorite word to try to say five times fast “nanoemulsions”. Did we mention BioScision’s retail line, Hwy 59 Cannabis, has a vape cart named after the famous unpowered Boeing 767 that landed in a certain Icelandic town? BioScision Pharma: bioscisionpharma.com BioScison Labs: bioscisionlabs.com Gimli Glider: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider Mayday Episode: A Powerless Boeing Falls From The Sky! - Gimli Glider: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y8JBAr8dZ4 Music by: Lorn – Acid Rain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxg4C365LbQ (Yes we got a SOCAN membership to use this song all legal and proper like)

You’ve said the word concussion. You might even have had one. But do you really understand them? Did you know a concussion is a minor traumatic brain injury? Dr. Patrick Neary and his team got a grant from the NFL to study if cannabis can help prevent or treat concussions! Dr. Neary explains, you don’t have to actually bang your head to get a concussion. We’ve often said you don’t have to like cannabis to enjoy this podcast. But, if you listen to this episode while rhythmically shaking your mullet forwards and back, we think you’ll elevate your knowledge about both. Patrick Neary Website Website Website The Team of NFL Funded Research Collaborators - Google Doc Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT5) - Website Music by: Rod Stewart - Maggie May -YouTube (Yes we got a SOCAN membership to use this song all legal and proper like) Additional Music: Desiree Dorion desireedorion.com Marc Clement - Facebook Transcripts, papers and so much more at: reefermed.ca

Terry O'Regan has spent his career in the pharmaceutical industry. He has worked for several Big Pharma companies including ones that have developed important treatments for neurological diseases like Multiple Sclerosis. Terry had heard there was a class of therapeutics for neurological conditions that pharmaceutical companies weren't working on, cannabinoids. Terry kept hearing from neurologists that cannabinoids held great promise for neurological conditions. Enter Brains Bioceutical. Brains is involved in trials around the world looking at phytochemicals including cannabinoids. Trevor and Terry discuss how cannabis medicine is moving into the pharmaceutical space and how all our "Brains" could be better with the right cannabinoids. Come have a listen. Brains Bioceutical - website Terry O'Regan - LinkedIn Music by: The Sean Taylor Band - YouTube Additional Music: Desiree Dorion desireedorion.com Marc Clement - Facebook Transcripts, papers and so much more at: reefermed.ca

A short intro for the eminent Dr. Ethan Russo is challenging. Ethan Russo is a neurologist who explored the Amazon rain forest in the 90's to explore medicinal plants with aboriginal tribes. He returned to the USA and became interested in medicinal cannabis. He quickly became an expert in the field, and worked as a consultant for GW Pharmaceuticals. Later, as a Senior Medical Advisor for GW, he was involved with the development of Sativex and Epidiolex. Dr. Russo founded CReDO Science, who create innovative products and services related to cannabis and the endocannabinoid system. Trevor and Dr. Russo discuss Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS). It is a relatively rare, but very unpleasant condition that causes some heavy users of cannabis to be very nauseous and vomit a lot. Dr. Russo and collaborators have developed a genetic test that may be able to predict who will get CHS and thus who might want to avoid THC containing cannabis altogether. Then Trevor and Dr. Russo discuss THCV. Come hear about all the potential indications for this lesser known cannabinoid. Make sure you listen to the very, very end of this episode for a hidden my cannabis story. Ethan Russo Website - ethanrusso.org Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome Survey and Genomic Investigation - article CHS DNA test - what-is-chs.com Music by: Nelson Little - High Road - YouTube Additional Music: Desiree Dorion desireedorion.com Marc Clement - Facebook Transcripts, papers and so much more at: reefermed.ca

We've got another amazing group of attendees from CannMed 23! Joe Thompson One evening they said dinner was on Lanai Beach. In Manitoba, if you are at a conference and someone says dinner is on Lanai Beach, then Lanai Beach is the name of a room. But in Florida, they actually meant dinner was on a beach. That sounds like a lovely idea, unless it is over 30 C and there is no shade. Thankfully, I brought a ball cap for my bald head and I met Dr. Joe Thompson also looking for some shade beside a pole. Dr. Thompson trained is a pediatrician, but now is the President & CEO of the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement. They have a program where they are going to analyze the data of people who got medical cannabis in Arkansas and see what happened to Health Outcomes. You want to hear about how that study will be done. Leah Johnson Dr. Leah Johnson Pharm D is a pharmacist and we met her in the Poster Hallway. Her Poster was about palliative care patients in California. Her group believes that if patients have access to cannabinoid medicine during palliative care, that will promote a better quality of life for the patients. Dr. Leah helps patients with their cannabis therapy and is a Cannabis Speaker and Educator across the US. She is on the Executive of the Pharmacist Cannabis Coalition of California (PCCC). Akeem Gardner I met Akeem during the opening reception of CannMed 23. I didn't know anyone at the conference yet, so thankfully, he came up to me, read my name tag and introduced himself. Soon we discovered we were both from Canada, and we laughed over the fact the sliders were taken away too quickly. He told me he was nervous about a main stage talk he was giving. Now I understand why. He was giving a very technical, science heavy talk to a room full of cannabis doctors and researchers. But he killed it during his talk. He even handled challenges from the audience. I got to collect some audio from Akeem right after his talk. He’s from Mississauga. He’s a huge basketball fan. He has a nephew who Uncle Akeem really wants to become the next Lebron James. But for our story, Akeem is a Canadian lawyer turned hemp farmer turned CEO of the BioTech company Canurta Inc. His talk was about cannaflavins and their potential to treat glioblastoma, a common and aggressive form of brain cancer. Bruce Mackler Was involved with Prairie Plant Systems in Flin Flon when all “legal” Canadian Government Cannabis was grown in a mine in 2000. That became Cannimed in Saskatoon. And that got bought out by Aurora. Former lawyer that fought cases against the FDA. Former immunologist. His company, Ethicann, is developing a sublingual tablet for Multiple Sclerosis as a competitor to Stativex. Joe Thompson -LinkedIn Leah Johnson - LinkedIn Akeem Gardener LinkedIn Akeem's Talk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztZQnIp2ILQ Bruce Mackler - Ethicann Music by: The Tragically Hip - So Hard Done By Additional Music: Desiree Dorion desireedorion.com Marc Clement - Marc Clement Music on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MarcClementMusic Transcripts, papers and so much more at: reefermed.ca

Canadians are changing their perspective of cannabis. People are using it as medicine and access has never been easier. Why is this bad? Why should anyone care how we access our medicinal cannabis? Canada is one of the few countries with federally legal cannabis. However, Canadians are not all benefiting from the creation of the Cannabis Act. There are barriers doing cannabis clinical research. Many prescribers and provincial health systems still refuse to help patients safely access medicinal cannabis despite legalization. This is just not good health care according to Dr. Lynda Balneaves. Her team set out to quantify patients’ hurdles with the Medical Cannabis Access and Experiences in Canada Study. In this episode, Kirk and Trevor explore how medical cannabis is different from recreational cannabis and how the status quo of lumping them together is just not good for patient care. Lynda Balneaves - LinkedIn Music by: Kid by The Revivalists - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9kEMY3cf5w Additional Music: Desiree Dorion desireedorion.com Marc Clement Transcripts, papers and so much more at: reefermed.ca

On July 23, 1983 at an altitude of 41,000 feet, Air Canada Flight 143 travelling between Montreal and Edmonton ran out of fuel because of confusion between metric and imperial measurements. However, the crew of the Boeing 767 successfully landed the passenger jet in Manitoba’s Interlake in what is now known as the Gimli Glider. That intrepid flight crew applied their years of training and experience to an unprecedented situation to become heroes. Much like when a PhD with international training in biochemistry, genetics and pharmaceutical manufacturing successfully glides into the cannabis space. Meet Dr. Brent Guppy and BioScision Pharma. This wide-ranging conversation covers sexing plants, topicals with microbial contamination, testing cannabis for heavy metals and our new favorite word to try to say five times fast “nanoemulsions”. Did we mention BioScision’s retail line, Hwy 59 Cannabis, has a vape cart named after the famous unpowered Boeing 767 that landed in a certain Icelandic town? BioScision Pharma: bioscisionpharma.com BioScison Labs: bioscisionlabs.com Gimli Glider: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider Mayday Episode: A Powerless Boeing Falls From The Sky! - Gimli Glider: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y8JBAr8dZ4 Music by: Lorn – Acid Rain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxg4C365LbQ (Yes we got a SOCAN membership to use this song all legal and proper like) Additional Music: Desiree Dorion desireedorion.com Marc Clement marcclementmusic.com Transcripts, papers and so much more at: reefermed.ca

You've said the word concussion. You might even have had one. But do you really understand them? Did you know a concussion is a minor traumatic brain injury? Dr. Patrick Neary and his team got a grant from the NFL to study if cannabis can help prevent or treat concussions! Dr. Neary explains, you don't have to actually bang your head to get a concussion. We've often said you don't have to like cannabis to enjoy this podcast. But, if you listen to this episode while rhythmically shaking your mullet forwards and back, we think you'll elevate your knowledge about both. Patrick Neary - uregina.ca/kinesiology/faculty-staff/faculty/neary-patrick.html The Team of NFL Funded Research Collaborators - Link to Team Barry Davidson (#FindTheBarry)- @Bdavidson911 Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT5) - https://cattonline.com/scat/ Music by: Rod Stewart - Maggie May - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOl7dh7a-6g (Yes we got a SOCAN membership to use this song all legal and proper like) Additional Music: Desiree Dorion desireedorion.com Marc Clement marcclementmusic.com Transcripts, papers and so much more at: reefermed.ca