The Cannabis Enigma

When Alfie Dingley’s mother first broached the idea of giving her epileptic son cannabis, their neurologist threatened to call social services.

So she got a new doctor, moved her family to the Netherlands, and found a treatment that worked for Alfie’s seizures, caused by an extremely rare mutation of epilepsy shared by only nine other boys in the entire world.

“He was in hospital every week with hundreds of seizures,” Hannah Deacon explained on The Cannabis Enigma Podcast. After starting the cannabis treatment, Alfie’s seizures became less and less frequent.
“So we carried on and we got up to a dose of 300 milligrams of CBD and we added in a very small amount of pure THC,” she said. “From when he was put back on the product after we came back to England, he had 10 months with no seizures.”

But Alfie’s new treatment was illegal in the United Kingdom, forcing his mother to embark on a public campaign to get her son the only medication that was keeping her son out of the hospital.
After appearing in the media, meeting the prime minister, and engaging in advocacy work, Hannah ultimately got her son the first-ever authorization for an individual patient to use medical cannabis in the UK.

“It’s madness. Initially the government said that there was no medicinal value to cannabis and that they wouldn’t help me,” Hannah recalled. “And then I’m at the Home Office and I met the prime minister and she said, ‘Okay, you can apply for it.'”

Alfie still has a rare form of epilepsy, but with cannabis treatment, his quality of life has improved massively.

“He’s out of hospital and he’s at school most days and he’s learning and he’s happy and I can work,” Hannah said. “Before, I couldn’t do anything. I was a full time [caregiver] watching my child fade away. That’s why I feel so strongly about [cannabis] — it’s about giving people with chronic illness a better quality of life.”
The battle isn’t just Alfie’s, however, which is why Hannah has become an advocate for better and broader access to medical marijuana in the United Kingdom. The legislation in the UK is good, she explained, but doctors are still afraid to prescribe it and buying medical cannabis is cost prohibitive for many of those who do manage to secure a prescription.

“I’m hoping that we’ll move forward,” Hannah said. “We won’t leave it until it is better for people because I know what it’s like to be the parent of a sick child.”
Edited by Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man. Produced by Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man, Elana Goldberg, and Matan Weil. Music by Desca.

With dozens of countries having legalized medical marijuana and full legalization gaining speed across the globe, it’s easy to forget how the war on drugs drove so much foreign policy for so long — and how ravaging it was for mostly impoverished communities in countless countries.

That has been overwhelmingly positive — in some ways revolutionary, says Pien Metaal, a Senior Project Officer at the Transnational Institute’s Drugs and Democracy program.

“[Those changes] have made it possible for patients who are ill to access cannabis as a medicine,” Metaal said on The Cannabis Enigma podcast. “What we still have not seen is these benefits also going to the communities that have been so affected by its prohibition.”
Of course, that is not true across the board. Some Caribbean countries “have made a real effort to involve the traditional farmers — to give them licenses, to provide for amnesty that they can become legal producers for a medical market,” turning it into a development opportunity, Metaal explained.

In Uruguay, cannabis legalization was framed by the government as a human rights issue — or at least as a clash between international drug treaties and human rights obligations.

In Morocco, there are efforts to find ways for traditional growers and manufacturers of hash oil to gain access to medical marijuana or wellness markets in other countries.
“The treaties on drugs have forced them to criminalize their citizens because they use a certain substance,” Metaal said. “They have forced [the government] to put them in jail and take some rights away from them because of the fact that they use these drugs. So the balance between drug treaties and human rights is a very delicate one, and has not been taken into account up until now. This is something that is now starting to change.”

The problem with that is “there’s never been a real scientific evidence-based research on why cannabis should be a prohibited substance. It has been based on a series of assumptions that cannabis would lead to other drugs, but also that it would have effects on the morality of the people who use it” — often with explicit racist motivations and undertones.

What is the prospect of change in the international system’s approach to the prohibition of cannabis? As of now, it is still listed as a Schedule I drug, which is usually categorized as having a high level of abuse and no accepted medical use.
Even now that global attitudes toward marijuana are changing, “this whole system is [still] based on these assumptions,” Metaal said.

Edited, produced, and mixed by Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man with technical assistance from Elana Goldberg. Music by Desca.

In light of Black History Month, we feel it is important and relevant to talk about how minorities in the United States and around the world have been disproportionately affected by drug policy and the war on drugs. Part of our conversation today centers on how we can break down barriers and find ways to build cannabis companies that are minority-owned and uplift them.

Joining us for this discussion is Steven Philpott Jr., one of our science reviewers at The Cannigma and a cannabis trichome expert who is getting his master's in Plant Sciences. Steve is also one of the co-founders of the Illinois Minority Growers Association and is heavily involved in social equity and minority issues within the cannabis space.

As part of his master’s degree, Steve is currently using electron microscopes to take super close-up pictures of trichomes, tiny protrusions on cannabis plants. Tuning in, you’ll hear more about what these trichomes are and why they’re important. Steve sheds light on his experience in the military and how losing friends to opioid use led him to become interested in cannabis. We also discuss the disparity between what is taught at medical school and what science actually shows us.

To hear more about Steven’s research, what he hopes it will lead to, his predictions for the future of cannabis, how he is helping those most harmed by the war on drugs, and how you can help too, tune in today!

Key Points From This Episode:

Some background into how minorities have been disproportionately affected by drug policy and the war on drugs.

• The upcoming webinar that showcases Black-owned and social equity-focused brands.
• An introduction to Steven Philpott Jr and his involvement in social equity and minority issues within the cannabis space.
• Insight into the catalog of trichomes that Steven is currently working on.
• What trichomes are and why they’re important.
• How Steve’s experience with the military led him to become interested in cannabis.
• How his experience as a strength conditioning coach for athletes increased his interest in cannabis.
• Insight into the research he is currently doing.
• The disparity between what is taught at medical school and what science actually shows us.
• What Steve hopes his research may lead to.
• The problems with a system driven by THC research and how Steve is doing things differently.
• The Minority Growers Association and Steve’s role in it.
• The importance of recruiting the people who were most harmed by the war on drugs.
• What Steve predicts for the future of cannabis.
• The connection between hemp and fungal networks and some of the other subjects that Steve is interested in.
• Hear about cannabinoid testing in the Americans for Safe Access segment with Heather Despres.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Steven Philpott Jr on LinkedInIllinois Minority Growers AssociationHarrington InstituteCleveland School of CannabisHeather DespresAmericans for Safe AccessElana GoldbergDr. Codi PetersonThe Cannigma

Steve DeAngelo is the true definition of a cannabis advocate. From the first time he was introduced to the plant in the 1960’s he has dedicated his life’s work to its legalization. From his time as one of Washington, DC’s largest distributors of underground cannabis, through his creation of three iconic cannabis companies in California, to his current role as an educator and advisor, Steve has a wealth of knowledge and inspiration to share.

As you’ll hear in today’s episode, there are various ways to legalize cannabis, some that can actually do more harm than good. In Steve’s eyes (and now in ours after this conversation with Steve) New York is leading the charge in terms of progressive cannabis legislation, and the rest of the world would do well to take note!

Join us today as we take a trip from the very beginnings of the cannabis-human relationship, which began in Central Asia, all the way through to the present, where this wondrous herb is used for everything from chronic pain to sparking creativity.

Key points from this episode:

• Why Elana and Codi are such big fans of today’s guest, Steve DeAngelo.
• Steve’s initial motivation for becoming a cannabis activist.
• A brief rundown of what the first 25 years of Steve’s cannabis activism looked like.
• The disillusioning experience which pushed Steve from Washington, DC to California.
• Three companies that Steve founded, each the first of its kind in a certain sector of the cannabis industry.
• What Steve’s current role in the cannabis industry looks like.
• How perceptions around cannabis have changed since Steve became an activist, and the future he sees for the plant.
• Steve explains the progressive law which has put New York at the frontlines of the Cannabis Freedom Movement.
• The problem with the way California has handled cannabis legalization.
• How the corporatization of cannabis impacts those who rely on the plant for medical use.
• Why Steve believes there is no such thing as recreational cannabis.
• A brief history of the spirituality that has always been associated with cannabis.
• Steve shares a regret that he has from the early days of his cannabis activism.
• An important call to action from Steve.
• The Americans for Safe Access segment: diving into the microbial world.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Steve DeAngelo WebsiteLast Prisoner ProjectHarborsideSteep Hill LaboratoryThe Arcview GroupFlow KanaAmericans for Safe AccessCannigma

Welcome to another episode of the Cannabis Enigma! We’ve got something a little different for you today. We’ll be talking about how visual storytelling can be used in the cannabis space with Anthony Travagliante.

Hear the tale of how Anthony came to work in the cannabis space, telling the stories of cannabis brands and making them accessible to non-users. Find out how he has overcome some of the challenges caused by COVID, what he enjoys most about the industry, and the strides it is making in business. Elana is uniquely positioned to review his services for listeners, having hired Anthony herself, she closes her conversation with him with a shining recommendation.

During the second half of our conversation, we are joined by Abbey Roudebush for the ASA segment, who gives us some insight on the newly published State of States Report. Learn what's included in the report, how the dataset is compiled, and who it is intended to educate. Abbey shares why they have totally revamped the scale and metric they once used to calibrate this kind of data and leaves us with the big takeaway that no state is perfect, but some are making strides. Join us to hear all this and more today!

Key Points From This Episode:

• An introduction to today’s topic: how visual storytelling can be used in the cannabis space.
• Meet today’s guest, Anthony Travagliante, and how he is connected to our community.
• Lockdown challenges and how they sparked creativity while shooting.
• The story of how Anthony came to work in the cannabis space as a storyteller.
• What he enjoys about the industry and what it is doing in business.
• How he sees his role in telling the story within the cannabis space.
• His favorite target audience: the people who wouldn’t usually be interested.
• Some of the biggest challenges he faces with different clients.
• Who his ideal clients are for web, photo and design, and events, and what he does for them.
• A plug for his brother Dustin’s shop in Brunswick, selling inhalables.
• Elana Goldberg’s positive review of Anthony’s services after having hired him.
• An introduction to the ASA segment of the show with Abbey Roudebush, Director of Government Affairs at Americans for Safe Access.
• We discuss the State of States Report that came out this week.
• What the report and assessment consist of.
• The main audience for the report: policymakers across the country.
• The individualized recommendations included in the report.
• How they have totally revamped the scale and metric they once used.
• How the majority of the states are not doing well on the grading system.
• Where to find the full report.
• The big takeaway she wants to share: no state is perfect.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Anthony Travagliante on LinkedInAnthony Travagliante on TwitterAnthony Travagliante on InstagramAmericans for Safe AccessState of the StatesTrav Media GroupWebFlowAbbey Roudebush on LinkedInCannigma