The Cannabis Enigma

Today on the show we welcome chef Jordan Wagman to talk about the work he is doing to incorporate cannabis into his amazing cooking as a way of advocating for its health benefits. Jordan starts by talking about how his early relationship with cannabis began when he was diagnosed with psoriasis and used it as a way of easing the pain. Years later, after he had become a chef, he made drastic changes to his diet involving the inclusio...

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 ...

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 ou...

By now, we’ve all heard of the concept of using cannabis to treat ailments like cancer, ALS, Parkinson’s, seizures, HIV, AIDS, Crohn’s, and terminal illnesses, but fortunately, those aren’t necessarily what physicians are most commonly confronted with. What then, can be done about things like anxiety, pain, insomnia, fibromyalgia, endometriosis, and other women’s health issues? 

Today we are joined by Dr. Melanie Bone, a physician i...

The decades-long War on Drugs campaign in America has been incredibly successful at spreading harmful rhetoric and shaping people’s perception of cannabis use. The resulting prejudice can often discourage folks from seeking out medical cannabis as an option, and can even affect state legislature, forcing patients to overcome unnecessary and prohibitive obstacles in order to receive the treatment they need.

Today on the show we welco...

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 ...

Israel is world-renowned for the research and innovation that is taking place there, and unofficial data suggests that around 20% of the Israeli population uses cannabis. Despite this, being in possession of a prescription is the only way that cannabis can be legally consumed. Though hopefully this will not be the case for much longer. 

Today’s guest is Itai Rogel, the Vice President of Business Development at Israeli cannabis compa...

Anyone who has ever tried to convince someone to change their mind over something they feel strongly about knows that it can be an impossible battle, and the only way to succeed is by taking the long view and embracing gradual change. The same can be said for changing public attitudes towards cannabis. In today’s episode, we speak with JM Pedini, Development Director for NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana ...

Finding the correct dosage and combination of cannabinoid products for medical treatment is almost universally a long and expensive process of trial and error. And for the most part, patients are undertaking this journey alone and often with little guidance.

This week on The Cannabis Enigma Podcast we get together with Otha Smith III, CEO, and Founder at Tetragram, a smart, digital platform that helps users get the most out of medic...

The Cannabis Enigma Podcast is wrapping up its first season. After 39 interviews with frontline doctors, researchers, patients, caregivers, practitioners, and expert storytellers, we are taking a summer break as we prepare for season two.

For the season finale, hosts Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man and Elana Goldberg each choose three of their favorite interviews that they aired in the first season, discuss why those conversations are im...

Max Simon was a closeted cannabis user since his teen years. But it wasn’t until years later, when he got into the cannabis education business, that he understood the reason he had been so drawn to it all those years was because it was helping his ADHD.

“It’s an interesting thing to realize that you’ve tried and experimented with all the ‘accepted therapies’ and they’ve been damaging,” Simon said on The Cannabis Enigma podcast, “and...

When it comes to regulating and producing medicalized cannabis products, different countries have a variety of approaches. The American field of medicalized cannabis has followed a very different path to Europe. 

In today’s episode, we speak with Stephen Murphy, co-founder and CEO of Prohibition Partners, a cannabis-focused business intelligence and consultancy company. Prohibition Partners LIVE, its flagship conference, will be tak...

What happens when you lock 20 women in a hospital for nearly 100 days and make them smoke two joints each night? Well, if it were up to the Canadian researchers responsible for the experiment, we’d never know.

Nearly half a century later, the story of the at times cruel experiment is being told in a new film — ”The Marijuana Conspiracy.”

Speaking with The Cannabis Enigma podcast this week are director and producer Craig Pryce and one...

As both a regulated medicine and something people use for wellness and even recreation, the information gaps that exist for cannabis users are unprecedented.

“Any other medication and you’re lawfully entitled to speak to a pharmacist,” explains Dr. Cody Peterson, a clinical pharmacist and medical cannabis professional. “The law states, you must be ensured the opportunity to speak with someone like me.” 

With cannabis, Dr. Peterson, c...

Cannabis is becoming more mainstream and available to nearly one in three Americans, yet most cannabis consumers aren’t educated enough to buy the right products for their needs. Apart from poor experiences, this can lead to unhealthy consumption. 

For Matthew O’Brien, editor and founder of the Four PM newsletter, one of the most important places to start is by setting their expectations properly — primarily that “cannabis affects e...

Very few medical cannabis advocates are against the full legalization of the plant for all adults. But sometimes one unintended consequence of adult-use legalization is that the market no longer caters to medical patients.

“Medical users, over time, are finding that the products that they want and need — they can no longer find on the shelves, or those products are more expensive,” explains Dr. Ruth Fisher, an economist who speciali...

When Mara Gordon started using medical cannabis there wasn’t any lab testing — or any way to know how much of each cannabinoid or terpene was in a given strain . There was definitely no way of ensuring that you got the same effect from it consistently.

So she drew on her training as a process engineer and decided to start doing it herself.

Gordon has been featured in the Netflix documentary, Weed the People, and owns and operates two...

A lot has changed for the cannabis industry in the last 10 years. Yet, one thing we can’t seem to shake is the negative stigma that follows it around. In this episode, we speak with a woman who once feared and dismissed cannabis, only to become an activist for it in later life. 

“I thought it was dangerous,” says Joyce Gerber, “I believed it killed brain cells.” This all changed for Joyce when she and her husband traveled to Denver ...

Finding the right cannabis product can be a daunting task for anyone, let alone a new medical patient without any guidance.

When you walk into a hardware store, pharmacy, or even a liquor store, if you don't know exactly what product will meet your needs there's someone educated enough to point you to the right product and the data to back up that recommendation, says Tyler Dautrich, COO of Releaf.

"That's not rea...