Tag: #podcast

TSC Talks Guest Ruth D. Fisher

TSC Talks guest Ruth D. Fisher

I thoroughly enjoyed having Ruth D. Fisher, PhD, 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, PhD 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 the same. 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 with 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 what was finally drummed into me is that when you read a study, that it doesn’t matter what the results are. If your data and methodology aren’t valid, if 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…the first question was, well, what is cannabis and how does it work on the body? And I started reading about that and wow, it was 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 not that there are no studies period, what they mean is 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 But 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..doctors who are closed 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 problems. 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,eventually 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/
TSC Talks Guest Ruth D. Fisher

Thank you for listening. All of our podcasts can be found at https://tsctalks.com/podcast/

TSC Talks Guest Michael Pedersen

TCS Talks Guest Michael Pedersen

It was my pleasure to have Michael Pedersen, 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 socialized 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

All of our podcasts can be found at https://tsctalks.com/podcast/

TSC Talks Canna Combo Mini Pod

TSC Talks Canna Combo Mini Pod

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

TSC Talks Guest Ricardo Rivera-Acevedo

In this episode, my guest is Ricardo Rivera-Acevedo, Chief Science Officer and Director at Ecovita Health Corporation, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada working to initiate and manage a medical cannabis extraction facility and guide research and development of new therapeutic products. Ricardo is host of the Cannabis Science Podcast, the first weekly Canadian radio show focused entirely on cannabis and he is also a Scientific Consultant at ACGT, where he works to provide the skill and knowledge necessary to comply with the regulations set forth by Health Canada’s Cannabis Act.

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, he attended City University of Puerto Rico. One of his college professors was from Canada and encouraged him to check out Vancouver where he ended up coming and starting his Ph.D. at the University of British Columbia in the Department of Pharmacology with a fantastic mentor. “That’s kind of where I started my path of not just drug development, medical research, but also my introduction into the science of cannabis.”

While preparing for his Ph.D. comprehensive examination, he mentions, “while studying the capsaicin receptor (the spicy hot feeling when eating a chili pepper) that receptor is actually activated and interacts with cannabinoids. And that receptor is also directly involved in pain sensation, noxious pain sensation. So I began to prepare this document for this examination. And I began to realize, Oh, you know what, there’s a lot more to cannabis than I had previously considered in terms of like these molecular interactions because I always thought cannabis just had its effects on you know, on CB 1 receptor, cannabinoid receptor one and CB 2, and that’s it. But it’s much more complex than that and much more dynamic. And so that kind of began to push me in that direction”

Ricardo discusses being involved in the first clinical trial with dried cannabis on the island of Puerto Rico. “We were able to do the hard work and effort to initiate the first clinical trial with dried cannabis on the island of Puerto Rico, one of the first of its kind to any US territory.” He describes some of what he learned from this research; “So the basis by which you should really guide your therapeutic use is through the ratios of cannabinoids, CBD and THC. Now there are a bunch of other cannabinoids and they have some very interesting effects. But the main cannabinoids that are well studied right now are the THC and CBD. We’ve definitely established this conclusively, but it’s also something that other groups and other labs have seen and many people have known for a long time, which is that when it comes to cannabis, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. So what does that mean? That means that when you have for example, CBD by itself, it is not as effective as CBD with THC, and then CBD with the other constituents in cannabis. But the issue is that, sadly, people have been focusing on CBD and THC for a very long time. So there’s a lot of other chemical constituents that are now being explored but because they occur at such low levels in the plants, they’re very difficult to get at levels too, to do a lot of these scientific experiments, particularly in smaller sort of academic environment. So what we’re trying to do is to isolate them, purify them and then begin to introduce them back into a formula that reproduces what’d in the plant, but then we can also add or remove these different cannabinoids and see what happens. Because, honestly, to be just like open with you right now, it’s kind of interesting and novel information that we’ve discovered. It’s not just CBD and THC, that are doing this stuff, we’re seeing effects that we can’t describe just by looking at the THC and CBD that are very beneficial for a patient. And it has to do with the other cannabinoids that are actually present. And some strains have some of these cannabinoids like CBC for example, or, or even CBN that people have said, Oh, that’s the degraded products of THC. They do seem to have benefits for patients that are now only being teased apart.”

Ricardo also discusses his podcast; “Cannabis Science Podcast is exclusively dedicated to discussing the most up-to-date science on cannabis and cannabinoids, from an industry insider’s perspective”. He decided to start this labor of love to educate and inform anyone and everyone on the science of cannabis. What he had assumed was common knowledge even among the scientific population was not necessarily so. The podcast was launched in an effort to get everyone on the same page to inform and education on the science of cannabis.

In his own words; “I am a scientist and entrepreneur working to help biotech companies find better ways to solve poorly managed health conditions. To do this, my areas of expertise include drug chemistry and pharmacology, extraction, formulation, product development, facility design and operation, project management, regulatory consultation, as well as designing, organizing and directing clinical trials. I also strongly believe in science education and communication as valuable tools to improve people’s lives by empowering them to make well-informed decisions for themselves and society. At this moment, I provide the training, knowledge, and skills necessary for organizations to successfully achieve their product and research goals”

From his website bio: Dr. Rivera-Acevedo is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. He is also cannabinologist and consultant for various pharma companies around the world.

With a BSc from the University of Puerto Rico – Cayey and PhD in Pharmacology from the University of British Columbia, he has extensive knowledge and expertise researching cannabis and its derivatives. In 2015, he established the first laboratory for cannabinoid research in the Department of Pharmacology at UBC, which is dedicated to understanding the therapeutic uses of different cannabis strains and formulations to treat different diseases.

He also teaches various undergraduate courses within the department including Introduction to Pharmacology, Statistics in Science, Drug Development, Natural Health Products, and Pharmacogenomics.

As former Director of Chemistry for Cannevert Therapeutics Ltd, he lead the chemistry team conducting R&D, QA/QC, and manufacturing research to improve cannabinoid extract formulations and development of new delivery methods. He also helped organize and supervise one of the first internationally recognized clinical trials with cannabis in Puerto Rico.

When not in the lab, he can be found in the dojo practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, teaching mindfulness to high school students with the Vancouver Crisis Centre, co-hosting the shows Cannabis Science Podcast, Cannabis Con Ciencia Podcast, and El Bus De Las 7 on Vancouver Coop Radio 100.5 FM.”

Thank you, Ricardo, for providing us with a glimpse of your ongoing research, work and projects in the area of cannabis science! There’s a lot more within this rich, informative episode that will be helpful for anyone wanting to increase their scientific knowledge on cannabis and gaining more of an understanding of the vast untapped potential of this plant.

Ricardo’s Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricoriver/
Website: cannabisconciencia.org  (Cannabis Science and Research)
Podcast: https://cannabisconciencia.org/podcast/
Email: ricardo.rivera@ubc.ca
Twitter: CannabisFaculty, payme4science
The Univ. of British Columbia: https://www.grad.ubc.ca/alumni/profile/ricardo-rivera-acevedo
Press Release: https://apnews.com/7fa52c472c1092fdcb22ca734d4e449b
Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ricardo_Rivera-Acevedo

TSC Talks: https://tsctalks.com

TSC Talks Guest Keith Stroup

TSC Talks guest Keith Stroup, Founder of NORML, may be a down-home country boy, from Southern Illinois, but he sure did make it in the big city (from Box #10 w/Jim Croce). Keith takes me on a walk, through the annals of his legendary history as a founding father of the marijuana legislation movement in the US. From his early years growing up in Southern Illinois, to Georgetown Law School where he became politically radicalized by the Vietnam anti-war movement, and he started using cannabis.
After getting his law degree and working with Ralph Nader, he was inspired to start a consumer group for cannabis users and using his legal skills to try and impact public policy rather than simply “to assist your individual clients get richer, stay out of trouble or whatever.”

On founding NORML: “First off, I enjoyed smoking it but I also had become part obviously, of the underground culture of millions of smokers around this country, and began to be aware of the hundreds of thousands of people who were being arrested and having their lives destroyed because of a senseless policy. So I got some friends together a couple of colleagues of mine at the time and we found it normal as marijuana smokers lobby. ”

From here Keith goes on to outline his work with NORML over the years along with key moments in the history of marijuana legislation, starting with the foundational motivation of avoiding being drafted, “but for that Vietnam War and that experience of having lived through that terrifying experience and thinking you’re going to be drafted and sent to war, I don’t think I ever would have had the interest to start NORML, but because of that, it that I jumped into it with both feet. I think I was a bit naive at the time. I remember someone asked me how long I thought it was going to take. And I said I thought it would take at least 10 years. Well, that was in 1970. So it’s taken us a little longer than that, where I think we’re in our 45th year at NORML, but it is now finally happening”

Keith discusses the shift in public opinion under the influence of more conservative leaders; “Well, we underestimated the possibility of the public mood shifting. And as of the late 70s, early 80s, you had Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan. (The) “Just say no” movement, the parents movement, there was a period there where we began as a country to evaluate drug proposals on whether they were good for children. Well, no one is suggesting that children should be using marijuana or alcohol or any other drugs. But nonetheless, that was started the test and as a result, after we got the 11th state to decriminalized in 1978, we didn’t win another statewide victory for 18 years”

Bringing us to the current day, Keith discusses the latest legislation approved by the house judiciary committee, ” And one of the reasons that the bill at the House Judiciary Committee approved just yesterday, right is so important is because it’s called the MORE act. And among the things that would do the most important is it wouldn’t just lower marijuana to a lower schedule under the Controlled Substances Act, it would, in fact, remove it altogether from the Controlled Substances Act. ”

Keith has been a trailblazer in pushing forward on marijuana legislation nationwide and encourages anyone interested in understanding more about their state laws to visit the website https://norml.org/ and click on their state to read all the applicable state and federal legislation.

There’s a lot more here, check out Keith’s links and thank you, Keith, for your groundbreaking work to reform marijuana legislation over the last 50 years!

NORML: https://norml.org/. https://norml.org/about/item/r-keith-stroup-jd
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-stroup-68997b6/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keith.stroup
Twitter: https://twitter.com/keithstroup
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithstroup/
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Stroup
Recent articles:
https://www.arlingtonmagazine.com/life-after-50with-cannabis/3/
https://www.cannabisindustrylawyer.com/keith-stroup-norml/
https://www.playboy.com/read/weed-warriors