Welcome to season three of the Cannaba Verum podcast, the cannabis truth podcast. I speak the language of cannabis freely and uncensored while educating my audience on 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 in Western healthcare philosophy, specifically the past 100 years. There’s a lot to learn and reconsider. The information you’ll find here comes straight from the scientists and clinicians doing the work and reporting their findings in real time through various live online outlets. The scientific truth of cannabis is finally getting out and is wide open for all to see at respected medical sites like www.pubmed.gov and JAMA, the Journal of American Medical Association (jamanetwork.com). 

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 did take dozens of private cannabis courses offered by cannabis expert scientists online over the past few years and slowly began to understand the bigger picture. Well, I can talk to those medical professionals about cannabis all day long and their patients and hopefully inspire them to research the facts as we know them today. 

Cannabis is an amazing alternative in health remedies that can reportedly alleviate typical disease problems and troubling side effects caused by synthetic prescriptions. This is Honey Smith Walls, a 21st century cannabis shaman… not a doctor… not a scientist. Raised by nuns and wolves in the verdant cattle pastures of the Oklahoma oil fields. I’m here to amplify the truth of this great big story and language of cannabis in historical, political and scientific terms… so you can make educated decisions about the medicine you choose to ingest. 

(Guest Promo?)

Hey, my friends, we’re jumping back into the conversation with Josephine Canella-Krehl, an amazing medical professional legislative advocate. I can’t wait for you to hear the rest of this story. She’s a marvelous, marvelous woman in this cannabis industry. And she leads with her heart and her knowledge. So without any further ado, a continuation of my conversation with Josephine.

Seg 1

Josephine Canella-Krehl 3:09

And so the ad went…. when we started shifting to more of an advocate type of relationship with our lawmakers…. That’s when we really started seeing some changes happened. You know, working within the system… understanding how does the political system work. But forming… it’s a long term strategy. You know, we’ve been at this for  some, certainly longer than me. But you know, this is my ninth year up at the Capitol and doing legislative advocacy work. And I understand that it’s a long term strategy. We need to build relationships with folks, and we need to be willing to listen to the people that we don’t agree with. And instead of hurling answers at them, engaging in a conversation. Because you know, like, once you start being nasty to somebody, they shut down to hear your message. That’s not how humans work. We just don’t work that way. 

Honey Smith Walls 4:31

Or even aggressively. It doesn’t even have to be nasty if you’re just aggressive or overzealous in your response, and it’ll shut them down.

Josephine Canella-Krehl 4:39

Yeah, it does. And it’s been a lot. It’s been a long learning curve for me because I was so filled with passion and anger, vim and vigor. Yep. And then I made some friends, you know, that have been working in the process for a long time in legislature, long, long term legislative aides… long standing lobbyists. And I really wanted to impact and make a change. So I had some pretty excellent people take me under their wing, and help me to understand how to temper my message.

Honey Smith Walls 5:22

Oh, I’m looking for that. This is why you’re here today. I promise you, I’m looking for that. This is why you are here today. When you know…. when the student needs… the teacher appears. And so I’m thrilled to hear you say that. How did this… How does that happen?

Josephine Canella-Krehl 5:47

Well,

Honey Smith Walls 5:48

Do they have a calm?

Josephine Canella-Krehl 5:50

Strategic messaging is how it happens. You know, having a message that you want to get across and learning how to express it in a persuasive manner without being angry or emotional. 

Honey Smith Walls 6:15

Tempering the emotion.

Josephine Canella-Krehl 6:16

Yeah. For sure. And understanding that it’s a long, long term strategy. I mean, you know, last year, we didn’t get anything done up at the legislature and really… our team didn’t have grand expectations that we would get very much done. Because that was not the climate that we walking into the Capitol. So you know, understanding how the process works.

Honey Smith Walls 6:46

And having the story framed in your mind, that you’re not going to be you know, you’re not going to be you may not be immediately successful. This is a long term strategy, like you said, and therefore expect pushback and, and, and be calm.

Josephine Canella-Krehl 7:07

Yeah, I mean, you know, one of my other specialties is geriatric care. And I have done extensive work in assisted living and independent living facilities here in Florida with our elders who exhibit behavioral health type issues. Yeah. So one of my biggest priorities is to expand access for our elders in assisted living facilities.

Honey Smith Walls 7:41

Right behind you.

Josephine Canella-Krehl 7:42

I understand that’s not even on the table…  you know. But I keep showing up year after year, and this year, we do have some bills that I am in support of, we have a patient employee protection bill. That’s another huge medical discrimination that runs rampant in our state and against medical cannabis patients. So I’m a big longtime supporter of employee protections. We have a telehealth bill that’s been introduced, because currently, physicians can’t practice telehealth with medical cannabis patients…

Honey Smith Walls 8:33

They used to be able to for a short time during pandemic right? 

Josephine Canella-Krehl 8:36

Just under an emergency order. Yeah. And once that expired, it didn’t get put into law. So we have a telehealth bill that’s been put forth. And I’m a big supporter of those and I am connected with the bill sponsors. And we support them in any way that we can and then whenever I have an opportunity I always throw in there. I really hope that one of these days you can help me help our elders break free from this polypharmacy nightmare that they’re trapped in. Oh, you know, maybe we can work towards expanding access for our elders in these facilities that they, you know, I know it’s not going to happen this year. But you’re putting the bug in you exactly. You know, if I keep showing up,

Honey Smith Walls 9:37

And they’re getting older too. Exactly. So they may be there and needed themselves, if not their own family members already.

Josephine Canella-Krehl 9:46

So that’s really you know, to me, it’s a long, long game strategy now that we have more research coming out we can continue to present research and education. We’re collecting data on our patients in Florida, they’re able to see how folks are reducing and eliminating their dependence on more dangerous pharmaceuticals like opioids, yes. You know, to me, cannabis is really an exit drug. It’s a harm reduction strategy in dealing with our opioid epidemic. You know, so just just being there as a constant reminder, and supporting our lawmakers in other areas that they’re trying to impact change that we can agree with. I think I think that’s the strategy. I would like to see you know, I’m also an advocate for responsible adult use beyond medical use of cannabis. I don’t believe that cannabis meets the criteria of a schedule one drug.  I don’t believe Reefer Madness rhetoric that it’ll lead to the downfall of society. I strongly believe that nobody should be arrested or be put in jail for a plant. And, personally, I would like to see that change in Florida statutorily, instead of via constitutional amendment. I think our lawmakers need to represent the people and the people are overwhelmingly in support of legalizing cannabis for adult use. I would prefer not see it happen via constitutional amendment. I don’t really like mucking with the Constitution too much. I don’t think it needs to be there. I think our lawmakers need to do their job and represent the people.

Honey Smith Walls 12:07

Wow. I have to say I completely agree with you. And I’m so glad to hear you say it out loud. I don’t like mucking with the Constitution either. Yeah. And this is, you know, this is a plant that has been ostracized from societies around the world because of and only because of corruption by a handful of white guys old white guys who were egalitarians. Yeah, I can’t say the word. Or can’t say the word what Putin is and all his old, old money cohorts are. Yeah, they had all the money in the US and they were going to control how it was, how it was used and how it was spent and and who got to spend what on what and cannabis… you know, they didn’t intend to have cannabis come in and take over cotton and alcohol and pharmaceuticals and you know, anything else that it could have other than rope and canvas. You can have your rope and canvas.

Josephine Canella-Krehl 13:21

You know, I think people are surprised to learn that the real reason behind prohibition was not actually the marijuana plant, the high THC plant, right. The real reason behind prohibition was hemp. You know, it’s it’s not an accident. That hemp was prohibited the same year that the Du Pont’s got a patent on plastic products. That’s not a coincidence. No, no. So you know, I like to remind people hemp is cannabis, cannabis is hemp. So when we prohibited hemp, we prohibited the marijuana plant as well the higher THC and that was an easy campaign. You know, well, we don’t want the jazz musicians and the darkies to get right to the white women because that’ll make them lose their mind the old… and spread their legs, the old Harry Anslinger days, you know. He was a naughty one. That was just the campaign that they used. The real reason that they wanted it prohibited was because hemp was going to be a game changer for the plastics industry and paper too. Exactly. You know, so when I started learning about the real reasons behind prohibition, I was just like, Yeah… something needs to change and people need to know. And 80 to 100 years of prohibitionist propaganda is not easy to overcome.

Honey Smith Walls 15:18

And what it’s done to our bodies as a result of it.

Josephine Canella-Krehl 15:21

Absolutely. You know, we’ve removed it from the our diet, right? Yeah. And now we see diseases like Alzheimer’s and an all time high. Right? You know, Dr. Ethan Russo talks about Endocannabinoid Deficiency Syndrome, and how cannabis works on our endogenous cannabinoid system and and and the the endocannabinoid system in our bodies is a master regulator. It helps to keep us in balance at the cellular level, and that a lot of these diseases and conditions that we’re seeing migraines, fibromyalgia… he hypothesizes that they are really due to an imbalance of the endocannabinoid system. And so like when we have a vitamin deficiency, we would supplement with an exogenous or outside source we might take a vitamin C if we have vitamin C deficiency, or we might turn to the natural food source. Same thing with the endocannabinoid system… when it becomes out of balance, when we’re not producing enough of the endogenous cannabinoids, if we supplement from the plant, it helps to bring us back into balance and that’s why it helps to manage and control so many symptoms.

Honey Smith Walls 17:00

It just makes so much sense. 

Josephine Canella-Krehl 17:08

It just makes too much sense.

Seg 2

Honey Smith Walls 17:10

Hey, my friends, I want to give you a tip about somebody I know and trust who can give you the help you need. Dr. Anthony Mazo is a highly rated neurology specialist here. In Melbourne, Florida, with more experience in headache, epilepsy and HIV issues than other doctors in this area. Dr. Mazo was the first clinician to study the cannabis plant and become a medical marijuana physician in Melbourne when it was finally legalized in Florida in 2016. His understanding of the mechanism and effects of this live plant therapy will set you on the path to relief in no time. Dr. Mazo is not quick to prescribe traditional synthetic chemicals when he knows that gentle cannabis will likely give the necessary relief. I know this to be true because I had to see him for my own old lady neuropathy issues. He did not prescribe the usual synthetic stuff. He told me to go get a particular kind of cannabis instead and use it in a specific way to find relief. And that is what every doctor in America should have in their little black bag. He also doesn’t know I’ve made this little commercial for him, so be sure and tell him where you heard about him. Just tell him Honey sencha… he’ll get a kick out of it. His clinic details will always be in my show notes for you. It’s the Brevard neuro center. Anthony Mazo, MD. 

His phone number is area code 321-733-2711 And he’s at 315 East NASA Boulevard in Melbourne, Florida 32901. Dr. Anthony Mazo, a great friend to all of us. 

Honey Smith Walls 18:48

So the next thing we have to do is figure out how to get past that “stuck on stupid thing” with so many people who just, you know, put their hands over their ears and eyes and say “don’t bother me with the facts… I know what I think.”

Josephine Canella-Krehl 19:27

And you know what? Honey, I stopped trying to convince people.

Honey Smith Walls 19:33

Is that what we do… we stop that?

Josephine Canella-Krehl 19:37

I stopped trying to convince them and just started sharing truth. You know to me, cannabis is medicine. That’s settled. That’s that’s a matter of law.  And not only science, it’s a matter of law. Florida has a medical cannabis program in the state of Florida. Cannabis is an approved medical treatment option. So if somebody wants to come to me and tell me how marijuana should be illegal, that’s not a person that I’m going to even engage in a conversation with, because it’s already settled by law. Right. You might not like that cannabis is available for medicine. But my starting point is cannabis is a medical treatment option that’s available to Floridians. And if I’m going to be an integrity based medical professional, then it’s my responsibility to present people with all the truth and they’re available options, yes, and help them decide what would be best for them. Because that’s the other thing about this this treatment option…it’s exceedingly empowering to people… sure is, you know, and so I don’t bother, you know, I don’t bother arguing with people anymore. Oh, well. You don’t like the fact that marijuana is legal for medical purposes. Gee, I’m sorry. Take that up with your lawmaker. That’s not a conversation to have with me. Yep. You know, and I think that part of it is just starting, like where we are… we’re not where we used to be 10 years ago. So we need to change the narrative.

Honey Smith Walls 21:41

Not even as thinkers… we’re more advanced as thinkers than we were 10 years ago just as a whole society. Yeah, for sure. I think the younger the I don’t know what they’re called the state the whatever generation is in their 20s this year, or have really caught on to that truth thing and really hold their adult… you know, advanced ages in their circles accountable for the truth.

Josephine Canella-Krehl 22:10

Yeah, a lot of you know I mean, I know a lot of people kind of like trash talk millennials.  I’m kind of impressed. I’ve got three kids, one is 23. One is 25 and one is 27. And I can tell you that they are all far more socially conscious than I was at their ages.

Honey Smith Walls 22:32

Right. Now, how are they getting that way? I mean, they’re not. Is the school teaching them differently about reframing stuff, or is it the internet?

Josephine Canella-Krehl 22:44

I mean, I you know, I can only speak to my kids and, and my kids friends, and I know that I’ve kind of in our home, we very much promoted them being advocates for themselves… like across the board.

Honey Smith Walls 23:07

And you’re the example too.

Josephine Canella-Krehl 23:12

Be respectful you know… one my youngest daughters was a trip… she always had school dress code issues. Oh. So I always told my kids like, Okay, I’m not gonna… You don’t run home from school and expect me to come and handle all your problems for you. You advocate for yourselves respectfully. If it gets out of hand and you’re really not being listened to…then you can bring me in. So you know what she did was… she made a copy of the school dress code and she folded it up and she kept it in her backpack every day and she followed the dress code to a tee. So if it said, you know, your tank top has to be three inches, the strap, hers was three inches. Get dress code, you know, one of the teachers would try to call her out on the dress code and she pull out her dress code… unfold it and she’d be like, “Can you please point to which one of these I’m breaking right now?” Wow. And they couldn’t… so to me… arming our young people with the truth and helping them learn how to speak truth to power. It’s what you do in an  appropriate way. That’s what’s empowering,

Honey Smith Walls 24:48

Respectful, speaking, Truth to Power.

Josephine Canella-Krehl 24:52

Absolutely. Yeah. You know, they say knowledge is power. And that’s true. But you have to take one step beyond knowledge… delivery counts… The delivery really really counts.

Honey Smith Walls 25:09

Wow, what lessons you’ve given us all… my goodness. I can’t wait to find out what your kids are going to do when they decide their paths.

Josephine Canella-Krehl 25:21

Oh, well, they’re already pretty well established. My my oldest son is now an Attorney in Miami.

Honey Smith Walls 25:30

Oh goodness.

Josephine Canella-Krehl 25:31

My middle daughter is my artist. My she graduated with a degree in Fine Arts and also in leadership and entrepreneurialism… and my youngest just graduated nursing school and she’s actually next month gonna take her nursing licensure exam and I’m super excited because she is well versed in cannabis therapeutics far more than she ever wanted to be.

Honey Smith Walls 26:06

Oh, Congratulations. Wow, what a great family story you have too.

Josephine Canella-Krehl 26:13

They’re doing great.

Honey Smith Walls 26:14

That’s awesome. Do you still have your mom?

Josephine Canella-Krehl 26:17

My mom lives up in New York with my brother.

Honey Smith Walls 26:21

Oh, yeah. Great. Yeah. Well, the treasured stories that you have, you know, are remarkable and priceless to be able to hand down to your own kids too, from that amazing Sicilian grandmother’s recipe and so on. I won’t forget that story for sure. Yeah. Josephine, would you tell us how we can get in touch with you and stay apprised of your path and what you’re doing?

Josephine Canella-Krehl 26:55

Folks can contact me through my website, that’s www.mmjknowledge.com. Actually, there’s a really great little blog, you know, if you go to my blog section, I have put out a really nice series on terpenes. Because you know, beyond THC and CBD, I’m a big believer that terpenes are really what drive the therapeutic effect of each of the different cannabis cultivars. So there’s a great little learning section there in the blog section and then there’s a contact me where folks can send me an email if they’ve got questions or you know, if they’re looking for somebody to come and do education at their conference or for their organization.

Honey Smith Walls 27:57

Fantastic. It’s a nice site!

Josephine Canella-Krehl 27:59

It’s important and I will definitely throw out especially well,  I think you have a listenership across the country but and this holds true for across the country as well. And especially here in Florida. If you’re, you know, if you’re a proponent of cannabis, reach out to your house member, reach out to your senator and let them know that you’re a supporter, because if we don’t have the monies to make huge contributions to the political action committees, the other source of power that we have is our vote.

Honey Smith Walls 28:49

And our legislators like to hear from us too.

Josephine Canella-Krehl 28:53

Yeah… we let our lawmakers know that, you know, we speak with our vote. That’s right. And we support cannabis friendly candidates. You know, that makes a difference.

Honey Smith Walls 29:09

It really, really does. I’ve been doing a lot of work for the past several years with Equality Florida. That’s our national, LGBTQ organization and they just opened their sweet precious arms to me and we’ve been doing some movin and shakin in that realm too, I’m happy to announce and having our own lobby days coming up soon… 

Josephine Canella-Krehl 29:36

Yes here in Florida we have a great proponent in Representative Carlos Guillermo Smith. Oh, for sure. Power House.

Honey Smith Walls 29:48

Yeah, he’s really sensational. Yeah, so it’s been a pleasure speaking with you… listening to your stories and learning from you. Oh, one more question. Are there… do you have some favorite conferences coming up this year that you’re going to be attending? I might get to sneak over there and see you. 

Josephine Canella-Krehl 30:27

A fellow and his wife, Gene and Dana Jones, they have been putting on an annual conference, The Florida Medical Cannabis Conference and Exhibition (FMCCE). I know that they’re planning on hosting that again in June. I think it’s June 4, 5, and 6th in the Orlando area. They do a really great job… it’s very medically focused, they have an industry track and they also have a medical track so there’s industry professionals and there are also medical professionals who attend and that is for sure one of the highlights for me here in Florida. FMCCE

Honey Smith Walls 31:58

Fantastic. I’ll look up that link and have it available on my show notes along with the links to your website.

Josephine Canella-Krehl 30:27

Oh perfect, thank you so much, I really appreciate it.

Honey Smith Walls 30:39

My pleasure… you just keep out there… “Age Quod Agis” is what I like to say…just keep puttin one foot in front of the other… the best you can do… keep at it girl… you’re doin a great job!

Josephine Canella-Krehl 31:02

Thank you so much for the invite Honey, it’s been a pleasure talking with you.

Honey Smith Walls 31:08

Thank you so much and good luck to you… bye bye.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

PROMO Kay Tummino and Honey on Clubhouse:

Honey Smith Walls 0:00

I don’t know about you, but I just can’t get enough of Kay Tummino, shaman of Journey Drum fame on Instagram. She and I decided to do a Clubhouse Room together. It’s called “Rising Cannabis Connections”. And it airs every Monday morning at eight o’clock am Eastern on that new app called Clubhouse. So if you don’t have the Clubhouse app, be sure and get it then join our Clubhouse Room. Remember, it’s live so you can raise your hand and ask your burning questions. It’s kind of like live radio and nobody has to get all gussied up for that. So come on and join our audience or jump up there on stage with us and share your own cannabis history. We’re having a ball and learning all about this amazing plant and the culture we live in around it. Join Kay Tummino and me, Honey Smith Walls, on the brand new clubhouse room called Rising Cannabis Connections. Mondays… eight o’clock am Eastern. See you there. 

FINI:

You’ve been listening to another Cannaba Verum podcast with 21st century cannabis shaman Honey Smith Walls about the importance of using verifiably safe products. The process of getting a diagnosis from your family doctor and taking your records to a cannabis specialist can lead you to the correct cannabinoid therapy for those issues. Otherwise, you’re just your own guinea pig looking for answers without any foundational knowledge or ability to determine the best choices or strategies. 

To find a qualified cannabis expert in your area… visit www.cannabisclinicians.org. 

It is a national society of cannabis experts and you’ll see that link down in my show notes. 

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 who already has inflammatory issues like arthritis, IBS, fibromyalgia or worse. 

Subscribe to the Cannaba Verum podcast and become part of a project to understand the effects of cannabis on the public. Your anecdotal testimony is priceless to me. Medical citations are posted on my podcast blog when you visit CannabaVerum.com. That’s CannabaVerum.com. Hey, and one last thing… Would you take an extra second to give my podcast a Like and Review? It’s like Bitcoin crack for the algorithms. Thanks so much. Hey, I hear the cows calling.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

MOOOOOOO!!

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: Dr. Codi Peterson et al on The Cannigma Podcast,  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 like: NCIA’s Cannabis Industry VOICE (CannabisRadio.com)

Over past episodes of Cannaba Verum, we’ve listened to some amazing scientists and medical professionals talk about their discoveries and patient successes as hundreds of questionable compounds rise to the public grasp. I am especially interested in the pharmacists movement becoming an integral part of this new medicinal choice. 

Watch this machine roll into action through conversations with pharmacy doctors all over the nation like Dr. Leah Johnson out West and Dr. Alan Ao up North. There are so many more but these two have come on my show to explain the situation and it’s fascinating.

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 most patients and doctors are seriously 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  

My Neurologist and Cannabis Expert Medical Marijuana Doctor in Melbourne, FL: 

Anthony Mazo, M.D.

Brevard Neuro Center

(321) 733-2711

315 E. Nasa Blvd. 

Melbourne, FL 32901.    

All opinions are my own and should not be mistaken as medical advice. 

1. Microdosing – https://healer.com/cbd-cannabis-dosage-guide-project-cbd-interview-with-dr-sulak/
2. Concentrates – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29307505/ 
3. Cannabis Helps Dementia Podcast – Anchor.FM/cannabishelpsdementia
4. Society of Cannabis Clinicians – https://www.cannabisclinicians.org/
5. Take the Pledge – GreenTakeover.com
6. Handbook for Clinicians – Principles and Practice – https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393714180
7. The Cannigma Podcast = https://cannigma.com/podcast/behind-the-scenes-on-cannabis-normalization-with-jm-pedini/
8. Curious About Cannabis Podcast = https://cacpodcast.com/

Show Notes:

When the student needs… the teacher appears…. With almost 10 years legislative experience talking to law makers about cannabis, this geriatric care specialist is changing the way people regard this medicinal plant. Josephine Canella-Krehl will fortify your knowledge with the facts of life and boost your courage to take action as well. Join us for the second episode in our conversation and be sure to check out the links she gives us down below. Her website:www.MMJknowledge.com Florida Medical Cannabis Conference Exhibition: https://fmcce.com/