Welcome to the Cannaba Verum podcast, the cannabis truth podcast. I speak the language of cannabis freely and uncensored. While educating my audience on the safe use of this live Plant Therapy.
You should know what’s in your cannabis. what’s good and what’s not. It does not come with an FDA stamp of approval yet. using cannabis mindfully as medication is a different concept and Western healthcare philosophy, specifically of the past 100 years there’s a lot to learn and reconsider.
The information you’ll find here comes straight from the scientist and clinicians doing the work and reporting their findings in real time through various online outlets. The scientific truth of cannabis is finally getting out and is wide open for all to see at respected medical sites like pubmed.gov and JAMA, the Journal of American Medical Association…
And I’m right there in the thick of it with all those titans of medicine… as a fly on the wall… because I’m not a doctor. I didn’t go to med school. I took dozens of private cannabis courses offered by cannabis scientists online over the past few years and slowly began to understand the bigger picture. But I’m not a medical doctor or scientist. Oh I can talk to one about cannabis and hopefully inspire more doctors and patients alike, to research the facts as we know them today, and decide alternative health paths for themselves.
This is Honey Smith Walls, a 21st century cannabis shaman, not a doctor, not a scientist. Just here to explain this great big story and the language of cannabis in its historical, political and scientific terms. So you can make educated decisions about the medicine you choose to ingest.
Guest Promo
Honey Smith Walls 0:07
Singing: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas… Let your heart be light….
Hello my friends. I have a very special friend in the cannabis industry who came to be my holiday gift to you. His name is Dr. Cody Peterson and I discovered him a little over a year ago on LinkedIn and I’ve been following his path ever since. Dr. Peterson is one of those amazing people who can teach the most intricate details in the most exciting way that connects the dots so easily for his students. You see, learning from books was really difficult for me because of a little dyslexia until I found my passion and some reading hacks that helped me turn into a sponge. Then finding the right teachers to make sense of it all unlocked that insurmountable gate in my late 60s. So the lesson is, you’re never too old to learn something new.
The short story is that I got so excited about Dr. Peterson coming that I forgot to introduce him. And then I regard him as such a whiz kid of cannabis…. he’s so much younger than me… that I get overly affectionate in my sympathies.
Don’t be fooled. He’s a shining star in this cannabinoid industry… worthy of all the respect of his many, many years of health service to his community. With a sweet shout out to his ninth grade science teacher, Mr. Fletcher, or was it Fleischer? Hey, Mr. Fleischer… How are you? Thanks and good on ya… buddy. You really popped out a great science teacher!
He’s not the only wunderkind in the cannabis industry. But he’s certainly leading the way and you’ll see why as he tells you life could not begin without your endocannabinoid system. And now, my holiday gift to you. Dr. Cody Peterson.
Seg 1
Honey Smith Walls 4:01
Hey, it sounds like Cody’s there…
Dr. Codi Peterson 4:03
I did indeed make it.
Honey Smith Walls 4:07
Hi, honey. I was just thinking… God your schedule must just be crazy.
Dr. Codi Peterson 4:29
It’s really obnoxious. I must be honest, I did indeed work last night. Come home. Had a few meetings… and I took a nap between my last meeting and this one. And I am dragon A S S.
Honey Smith Walls 4:42
I hear ya. I hear ya. I’m sorry. But I love your life. I love what you’re doing and I’m so… I am so impressed. I don’t know what to talk about first. I’ve got a little list of what are you busy doing? What do you foresee… what do you fear? What do you cry about in our industry… and what do you want… but really, don’t let’s forget to talk about Raphael Mechoulam and the EPM 301. And EPM stands for the company that he was working with…
Dr. Codi Peterson 5:15
What I believe what you’re referring to is his more recent discovery and sort of identification of how to stabilize cannabinoid acids. Does that sound familiar?
Honey Smith Walls 5:25
It does.
Dr. Codi Peterson 5:26
Yeah, okay, there we are.
Honey Smith Walls 5:28
I’ve just been reading so many wonderful things from different cannabinoid scientists and doctors and clinicians and pharmacists and nurses and it’s really….
Dr. Codi Peterson 5:39
…blossoming into into an industry… that’s a funny word for flower. Yeah, things are happening all around us. And, you know, there’s a lot of that just inherently in the culture of cannabis. There’s a lot of ingenuity and a lot of creativity. And I think we’re seeing that play out, particularly in states that haven’t been as burdened with regulations like California, for example. At least that have hindered the growth of legal cannabis businesses.
Honey Smith Walls 6:11
Doesn’t there have to be a pharmacist in every dispensary in California?
Dr. Codi Peterson 6:17
I think that you’re joking. Right, honey?
Honey Smith Walls 6:21
Well they have them in Connecticut.
Dr. Codi Peterson 6:22
Sure they do.
Honey Smith Walls 6:25
Don’t they? Am I being naive.
Dr. Codi Peterson 6:27
No I mean, absolutely. They do have them in Connecticut, and they are in Pennsylvania. They were supposed to be in Ohio with that. And Virginia and a few other states. However, that model has not yet shown to be fortuitous enough. And so no, in fact, the vast majority of states Honey, have no pharmacist involvement, including California, where the State Board of Pharmacy has taken basically a hands off stance to all things cannabis.
Honey Smith Walls 6:59
I’ve heard that song before from our friend, Dr. Leah Johnson. And it’s just shocking. I mean, I understand a lot of sort of semi logical reasons but the the real blow is that, you know, they’re just putting their hands over their ears and closing their eyes and saying, don’t bother me with the facts. I know what I think.
Dr. Codi Peterson 7:21
Look this is this the easier solution than, I guess, dealing with the political uprising. That is you know, putting pharmacists into a situation where their licenses are technically at risk because that, unfortunately, is the state of affairs where a pharmacist isn’t allowed to handle these substances because they’re “Schedule One” right? Right.
I mean, I’m the preferred healthcare professional to handle all your other controlled substances. I’m the most trained on how to manage ordering controlled substances via a 222 form, how to destroy them, how to keep track of them, all of that good stuff. And when it comes to cannabis, it’s just too dangerous and too misunderstood for the pharmacists to be involved… That’s sort of the laughable situation. It is painful.
Honey Smith Walls 8:13
It’s utterly laughable and horrifying. Because what does that say? Where did the respect go for the years of study that you put into understanding chemicals, only to be told by some Yahoo’s you know, no, we’re not going to look at this anymore? We’re not going to help people with this drug?
Dr. Codi Peterson 8:38
It isn’t patentable I mean… what I mean is… that’s exactly what I mean.
But there isn’t money to be made in cannabis. Therefore there isn’t the money or $1 billion it takes to study this medicine enough to get it FDA approved. Because it’s not patentable. It’s a natural product that cannot make a bunch of money for a C suite. And so, you know, when it doesn’t get there, it doesn’t get the funding it needs to really get the support and the evidence that is being demanded.
Honey Smith Walls 9:17
Okay, but that’s just for corporates’ sake. So when are we going to get the politicians in there that we need… to actually start taking care of the people?
Dr. Codi Peterson 9:28
That’s a political question, and I’m not gonna I’m not gonna…
Honey Smith Walls 9:31
Oh, it’s horrible. I’m just…. I know it’s horrible. I can’t even… it’s just horrible. So let’s go to different things. Tell me what you’re busy doing now. I mean, whatcha workin on today’s schedule? And what’s the most exciting thing that you’re working on?
Dr. Codi Peterson 9:48
I didn’t do much of an intro. So for those listeners who don’t know me as Dr. Cody Peterson, I’m a cannabis pharmacist. Or really, I’m a pediatric pharmacist turned cannabis pharmacist, and that is what I still do full-time.
As you kind of mentioned in the beginning of the episode, I still work in a hospital and I work seven out of every 14 days in an overnight emergency department. Now you would think that would be the most exciting thing that I do. Certainly, it’s the most adrenaline filled for a job. It’s not really what I’m passionate about. What I’m passionate about is sharing information about the endocannabinoid system and that’s how you heard about me or saw me and we got we got hooked up here on the Cannaba Verum.
But what I’m working on now, and I’m excited, this may or may not be a surprise to you, because you you interviewed one of my colleagues and friends, Dr. Leah Johnson. I’m really working with this group to found a nonprofit with a few really smart pharmacists and academics here in the state of California to drive forward really the necessary connection between the State Board of Pharmacy, the Bureau of Cannabis Control, as well as other regulatory bodies… and the pharmacist has long been the right person to to do this task. And so, we’ve gotten together and we’re going to promote ourselves as the right healthcare professional to help drive this industry forward.
Honey Smith Walls 11:17
A great model for other states to follow which will probably turn into the national thing, right? The PCCC…
Dr. Codi Peterson 11:25
I mean, I hope so. Hard for me to speculate. Let’s say we’re gonna go national. What I know is that patients need advocates. Patients need access to cannabis and they also need access to healthcare professionals who are trained in cannabis. And it’s not reasonable to just leave patients to their own devices to be able to afford their own and try to figure out a professional they can talk to who is knowledgeable like instead of most medicines, you know that you’re afforded certain rights and everyone is sort of trained to some extent, you know, you could ask the pharmacist or physician about cannabis and they could tell you that, you know, it still causes brain damage and heart attacks when that’s really not what the evidence says. The prohibition was created a lack of knowledge understanding and therefore… you know… lies.
Honey Smith Walls 12:26
Lies… there they are.So what do you want to happen this? This huge machine has got to be filled with all the education.
Did you have other teachers in your family? Cody, you’re so great at teaching. You know, really. I love your graphics… you’re just so interesting to listen to… and you just really connect the dots for everybody.
Dr. Codi Peterson 12:54
Thank you so much, Honey, that’s really sweet of you to say. To be honest… No, I don’t I don’t think so. We weren’t… I can’t think of any other than maybe a ninth grade science teacher who was Mr. Fleischer. I can’t think of a teacher who was really impactful and I certainly didn’t have any in my family.
But I can tell you that the pharmacist inherently is a teacher. You know, think about your interactions with the pharmacist. The mandatory question is What questions do you have? Right, in which point the pharmacist is supposed to off the cuff, respond to any number of one bajillion questions that you could ask… Given medicine in the entire pharmacy, right? Educating… conveying complex information in ways that… you know, is not overly technical… is very much within the pharmacists’ skill set and repertoire. So I find it little surprise that you think I’m good at talking about cannabis. I mean it… because I’m talking about how the body… how they’re going to make you feel… what side effects… Yeah, how to take it, how to dose it. These are all pharmacists questions, all of them.
Honey Smith Walls 14:15
And yet, we believe it is our diagnosticians who are responsible and it’s not… I’m really missing my pharmacist, and after meeting… all of you and Dr. Ou and just everybody in that niche… It just became so clear that our medical system needs some uplifting and some help.
Bling
Commercial
Bling
Seg 2
Dr. Codi Peterson 14:48
You may have without even realizing it, you may have asked the pharmacists, you know about an herb one time… or you know about which brand of this product or my child has a sore throat, runny nose and an allergy to Tylenol. What can I give them?
Honey Smith Walls 14:57
Indeed I have.
Dr. Codi Peterson 14:48
But it’s an under-appreciated thing for sure, and people’s perception of the pharmacist is always the pharmacist in the retail setting. But really the pharmacist is a very dynamic profession and only about a third of us work in that sort of retail dispensing/counting pills setting.
You know, the pharmacist is quintessential to really all of Western medicine because Western medicine leans towards allopathic medicine. And so that’s medicine in which there’s a prescription… the doctor identifies a disease state and then leans on an intervention which is often, not always, but often a medication.
So the pharmacist given that we’re the the medication experts… are a quintessential part of Western medicine. But if you look at Eastern medicine, you’ll notice that the pharmacist is often also involved in herbs and they have a little bit different names and would be called herbalists. That’s Dr. Leah Johnson started as right before she moved towards pharmacy. And there’s just a bunch of other little aspects of this. Look… cannabis is medicine. Okay, like I mentioned… that’s sort of one of my go-to hashtags.
Honey Smith Walls 16:25
I use it too.
Dr. Codi Peterson 16:26
It’s a good one and it doesn’t get as much attention… but it really is. People say it can’t be medicine… you know, it’s an herb or it’s a flower… it can be all of that. But the way it’s medicine is that it uniquely affects all of us and it needs to be titrated carefully. It comes with benefits, therapeutic benefits, and also some risks, some harms and side effects galore. I’m so sick of… I hate the premise that cannabis doesn’t have side effects! Cannabis has so many side effects Honey!
If you took a medication and we said, Take this pill, and then you know… one hour after for one to three hours you were so dried out that you’re going yech… You would say this medication is very powerful. Cannabis we’re like oh, that’s dry mouth. Don’t worry, right? Same thing with dry eyes. Same thing with like getting sleepy. That’s a side effect and… that’s okay. But it will be easy and it’s a side effect, Honey, in the system in which cannabis is working on in particular… THC is what I’m generally talking about.
The system that it acts on is the endocannabinoid system, and it is quintessential to life here on Earth and life inside you and me and it is not meant to be stimulated indiscriminately with large doses of inhalable cannabinoids.
It’s meant to be stimulated by small tiny doses of endogenous cannabinoids. Those molecules produced within our own bodies designed to respond to the environment around us and maintain homeostasis.
Honey Smith Walls 18:27
Like anandamide?
Dr. Codi Peterson 18:28
Anandamide is the most well known and really not the most abundant. This is a lucky cannabinoid called anandamide that was found first and got a cool name. Anandamide means Bliss molecule. And it behaves very similarly to THC in the brain… almost identically. So cool name, acts like everybody’s favorite cannabinoid, right… makes total sense that it’s the best known, but really, there are some more workhorses and some more important, what we call lipid signals in the body than any others.
Honey Smith Walls 18:41
Lipids are fat cells, right?
Dr. Codi Peterson 18:45
Lipid is another word for fat. Fat cells in our body are called adipose cells. Oh, but these fats aren’t necessarily just within fat cells. They’re within all of our cells. In fact, the outside of every one of these cells in your whole body and there’s trillions of them somewhere to the magnitude of 30 trillion. Each are encapsulated in fats in something known as the cellular membrane. And the cellular membrane keeps the things that we want inside of cells in… and things outside of cells out. It turns out though, it also serves as a reservoir for our lipids that we use in lipid signaling like endocannabinoids. So to make this very simple, when the body needs an anandamide or a 2AG or endocannabinoids, it takes it right from the cellular membrane… right there available… and converts it into the bioactive molecule that it needs. And this is different than other neurotransmitters, like dopamine or like serotonin, which are actually produced in the body and built up and stored in little sacks or vesicles. Waiting to be used, as opposed to cannabinoids or endocannabinoids, which are produced on demand in response to environment and stimuli.
Honey Smith Walls 20:10
Can we switch? Train rails here?
Dr. Codi Peterson 20:12
You sick of this science?
Honey Smith Walls 2014
No, I’m not. No, I’m not. No I’m not. I want you to… I want to dig into something close to my heart. Autism. And I just saw, you know, the SCC…. The Society of Cannabis Clinicians conference with Dr. Bonnie Goldstein and Dr. Pat Frey and you know, just all those wonderful people and I’m just so hopeful something is going to let loose and these darling patients are going to get some relief. But I don’t know.
Dr. Codi Peterson 21:09
Look Honey. This is the patient population that is extremely underserved and a patient population that is growing. So autism is on the rise. We don’t know why. Honestly. We really aren’t sure… We know that it has something to do with modernization… as the world modernizes we’re seeing more and more autism.
Honey Smith Walls 21:29
And acetaminophen? Is that what she said? Was, you know… when they had that scare for acetaminophen, the poisoning in it, you know, it all flew off the shelf for a couple of years, then autism went down.
Dr. Codi Peterson 21:52
Yeah, I’m not sure of the particular study that you’re referencing, there, but I will say that I’ve seen numerous studies even just in the last few years and review articles, trying to connect these dots and there does appear to be potentially a connection between autism and and childhood stuff we had. Yeah. I mean, there’s a lot to unpack there, Honey.
Like we could… you could try to make an argument that, you know, cannabis use before pregnancy or during pregnancy could have implications like this. There’s a lot to unpack here, but I do want to want to point out one thing, and of course, it’s gonna slip out of my brain before I even spit it out.
Okay, okay, so autism, we think may be caused or sorry… One of the numerous contributing factors… Certainly if Tylenol is contributing, it’s not the sole contributor. But maybe one of those things is Tylenol.
A fun fact about Tylenol is: Tylenol actually is now thought to interact with the endocannabinoid system and that sounds bonkers. But there is a metabolite… so a natural breakdown product… of Tylenol in the body. It’s called AM606. And make sure somebody Google’s that after this and that I didn’t mistake it.
But this metabolite actually has been shown to alter endocannabinoid levels and sort of engage in the same system. And Tylenol as one of the most primary modes of of action, maybe through inhibition of an enzyme known as Cox cyclooxyrgenase. And cycloxygenase is also part of the larger endocannabinoid system called the Endocannabinoid Ohm. And so that could explain some of the mechanisms by which Tylenol has its effects, like the temperature you know, the anti Pyretic or the fever breaking effects of Tylenol may even be mediated through endocannabinoid signaling.
Honey Smith Walls 24:09
Oh, I’m just trying to picture all of that in my little head. I think I heard Dr. Ethan Russo and and Dr. Sulak talking about that recently, too.
Dr. Codi Peterson 24:20
Yeah, we’re definitely singing in the similar tunes… those of us in science. That’s because we’re all reading the same literature. You know, a lot of individuals… I get… occasionally I get some trolls… for example on LinkedIn. Or individuals who just disagree with the the content I’m putting out. But the content I’m putting out is coming directly from the peer reviewed scientific literature. And so there is a lack of objectivity that has been created by prohibition. As it relates to cannabis. And cannabis proponents are often unable to see either the harms or just sort of the realities of where we’re at with what we know, what we don’t know, what has been studied… what hasn’t been studied.
And so for example, I’ve been posting a lot on on reproductive health. And one, you know, as far as reproductive health, the endocannabinoid system is just critically important. One example of where the endocannabinoid system is important is in the movement of a embryo down the fallopian tube and into the uterus.
Yeah, that is mediated through endocannabinoid signaling and without a properly functioning endocannabinoid system…the mother would be unable to pass the embryo down along that tube, and more importantly, or just as importantly, the embryo as it implants into the uterus setting up for nine months of growing and splitting and from one cell into… or I guess, technically, two half cells, a sperm and an egg into one incredible living, breathing human in which the heart will beat continuously for the duration of 90 years without ever taking a break. And just incredible is that the endocannabinoid system is imperative to the start of that entire process.
Honey Smith Walls 26:29
Oh my gosh, I got so much going on. I can’t even remember to turn around. I meant to tell you that Dr. Peterson will be back on the next episode. To finish this conversation. Oh, it’s so juicy. He starts talking about your little swimmers.
Hey, friends, I can’t wait to bring more exciting Cannabis News and conversations to you. And with the pandemic coming down to a quiet rage… next year I’m planning on visiting some wonderful businesses in this industry to show you a peek behind the curtain… how it’s growing and what you need to be aware of.
For instance, I’m very wary of D8 products being sold over the counter. It’s an isomer. So by law, it’s illegal to sell it over the counter, no matter what the store tells you. And if you bought somewhere other than a licensed dispensary, it has not been tested for contamination and content. And it was most likely made by some armchair chemist working out of his garage. You’re welcome.
The point is, we must vet our sources and that’s why I’m here. To show you how. Don’t buy your cannabis products from the dollar store or gas station. Just don’t. Your health is worth so much more respect. So because of all the new activity coming up in the new year for us, I’m going to cut back to one episode of the Cannaba Verum show per week, so that I may bring you more exciting news from the field. We’re going to have some wonderful adventures in cannabis. I can’t wait for you to find out along with me.
Pax Vobiscum my friends…
I keep forgetting to ask you, dear audience, if you would mind…. Just taking a moment to go to your particular platform whether it’s Apple or Spotify or whoever you listen to your podcast on and liking my program. Maybe leaving a little comment, gosh you know how it works. It’s so helpful to my business. If you just leave a little comment or or especially a like… thank you so much. You know how much I appreciate you.
Muah Muah Muah
Hey, just one last thing. While I’m in the singing mood. It’s my baby’s birthday. Yep, he was a Christmas Eve baby a million years ago that seems like only yesterday. Anyway…
Singing: We wish you many years… with lots of joyful tears… we wish you health and wealth and cheer… We hope you’re having fun with all your sadness done. We wish you Happy birthday dear. I love you sweetheart. Happy Birthday.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
MOOOOOOO!!
You’ve been listening to another Cannaba Verum podcast with 21st century cannabis shaman Honey Smith Walls, about the importance of using safe hemp and marijuana products. The process of taking your records with your symptoms and diagnosis to a cannabis specialist can lead you to the correct cannabinoid therapy for your best results. Otherwise, you’re just your own guinea pig looking for answers without any foundational knowledge or ability to determine the best choices… Unless otherwise proven by a reputable third party lab test, please be advised that all street weed is contaminated. It may do grave harm to a patient with a delicate immune system. I challenge you to check the veracity of my statements in each episode by checking the medical citations posted on my blog. The Cannaba verum.com website.
That’s C A N N A B A V E R U M.com
Sources:
Cannaba Verum is Latin for Cannabis Truth. Sourcing factual information about cannabis hasn’t always been easy for a variety of reasons. However now because of modern innovations, it is. My sources are from leaders in cannabis science like:
Roger Adams, U.S. Organic Chemist who isolated the structure of CBD,
Raphael Mechoulam, Israeli Organic Chemist who isolated the structure of THC,
Ethan Russo, Dir R&D International Cannabis and Cannabinoids Institute
Dustin Sulak, DO – my favorite doctor at healer.com, teaching the art of Cannabis Healing to the world, and other industry greats like:
Rev. Dr. Kymron DeCesare, Ed Rosenthal, Jack Herer, Michael Backes, and Michael Pollen and so many more… plus I use classical sites like: PubMed.gov, JAMAnetwork.com, ResearchGate.com. I listen to several daily podcasts to keep up with the latest cannabis news across the nation and throughout the world like: The Great Shea Gunther at MJTodayDaily.com and MarijuanaMoment.net. I trust the CBDProject.org and CannabisScienceTech.com. I watch the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) at: thecannabisindustry.org and many more.
You’ll find Citations available on my podcast blog at cannabaverum.com
PS: Helping society get past the fear of using cannabis will be a lifelong journey for me. This industry is just opening up and both patients and doctors are completely cannabis naive and need help understanding where to turn for trustworthy information. If you need help opening that cannabis discussion with your family doctor, please reach out and grab the Dear Doctor Letter I wrote for this exact purpose. It will explain your decision to try cannabis and ask for their help in monitoring your labs and progress. It will also show them where they can find medical research on the subject of your diagnosis and the effects of cannabis. You’ll find that letter at cannabaverum.com
- Microdosing – https://healer.com/cbd-cannabis-dosage-guide-project-cbd-interview-with-dr-sulak/
- Concentrates – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29307505/
- Cannabis Helps Dementia Podcast – Anchor.FM/cannabishelpsdementia
- Society of Cannabis Clinicians – https://www.cannabisclinicians.org/
- Take the Pledge – GreenTakeover.com
- Handbook for Clinicians – Principles and Practice – https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393714180
All opinions are my own and should not be mistaken as medical advice.
Show Notes:
At approximately 20:52” Dr. Codi calls for a fact check on the numbers he recalled as AM606 which were close but no banana… he meant to say the following; AM404…
And you’ll find the subject of that reference here = https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30587447/
#CannabisEducation only comes after a lot of scientific exploration.
And #CannabisScience is the only way to know the truth. The Cannabis Truth.
The Cannaba Verum.
Helpful Sources:
Brevard Neuro Center
Anthony Mazo, M.D.
(321) 733-2711
315 E. Nasa Blvd.
Melbourne, FL 32901.
Microdosing – https://healer.com/cbd-cannabis-dosage-guide-project-cbd-interview-with-dr-sulak/
Concentrates – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29307505/
Cannabis Helps Dementia Podcast – Anchor.FM/cannabishelpsdementia
Society of Cannabis Clinicians – https://www.cannabisclinicians.org/
Take the Pledge – GreenTakeover.com.
NCIA’s Cannabis Industry VOICE (CannabisRadio.com)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21698778/
Handbook for Clinicians – Principles and Practice – https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393714180
All opinions are my own and should not be mistaken as medical advice.
