Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Hello, Hello, and welcome to Just Say No, where we
shine a light on cannabis.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
With Hello, Hello.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
And welcome to Just Say No, Where we shine a
light on cannabis with clarity, curiosity, and a commitment to
credible conversation, spotlighting the people and products shaping the legal
cannabis movement. I'm your host, Maria Calabrey's and you're listening
on KCAA Radio ten fifty AM, one O six point
(01:03):
five FM, or wherever you tune in for your podcast. Hey,
today we're turning the top the dial back people. We're
turning it back to all the way back to the seventies,
and we're turning into a whole new wave of cannabis curiosity,
this time from the generation who helped spark it in
the first place. We're calling this episode fifty is the
(01:27):
new four to twenty because baby boomers are blazing the comeback,
not out of rebellion, before relief, restoration and reconnections. And
I'm old enough to remember seeing the first Terminator hit
theaters back in eighty four. Wartzenegger's I'll Be Back Right
(01:47):
became iconic, but by the sixth movie Let's be Real,
it might as well have been all my ating back
ten while some of us, especially today's guests, were two
young For Woodstock, we definitely grew up in its glow,
where peace, love and a little Puff Puff pass set
(02:08):
the tone for a new way of thinking. On screen,
Cheech and Chong gave us our first glimpse of cannabis
through clouds of smoke and punchlines. Back then it was
more of a joke than a wellness prescription. And who
remembers the love Boat right? Friday Nights with the Love
Boat our weekly cruise into escapism, romance and umbrella drinks.
(02:32):
Now instead of my ties and Captain Strubing, we've got dispensaries,
microdosing mints and both soaks made from full spectrum CBD.
It's not about going back, it's about coming full circle,
and this time with intention. And that's exactly why so
many of us are coming back to cannabis, not to
(02:55):
relive the past, but to reclaim our well being. Before
we dive in, let's clear up a little cannabis code
why four twenty. The story starts in nineteen seventy one
with a group of five high school friends in sam Rafael, California,
who called themselves the Waldos. Now. Legend has it that
(03:18):
every day after school at four twenty sharp, they'd meet
by a statue of Lewis Pistar, spark one up and
hunt for a rumored hitting cannabis crop. Now, why were
they hunting for this and not just growing their own?
Hintin spoiler alert, one of the topics of today's show.
(03:39):
Rumor has it one of the brothers back in the
seventies was a little too paranoid to grow his own.
We're going to continue to talk about that in a bit.
But they never found the stash. But what they did
find was a legacy. Their inside joke became an after
school ritual, and with a little help from the Grateful
(04:00):
Dead and High Times magazine four twenty, became a global
code for cannabis culture. Fast forward to today, and cannabis
is no longer a secret handshake. It's a symbol of connection, creativity,
and community. According to recent research, cannabis use among adults
(04:23):
sixty five and older has tripled in the past decade,
making baby boomers and seniors one of the fastest growing
groups of cannabis consumers in the US. As the late
Great Carl Sagan once said, cannabis helps produce the serenity
and insight, sensitivity, and fellowships so desperately needed in this
(04:46):
increasingly mad and dangerous world. And today, oh that serenity
and insight is growing in backyards, garden beds, and window
boxes thanks to women like my guest. Returning to the
show is Penny Barthel, author of The Cannabis Gardener, who's
(05:07):
on a mission to bring peace, purpose and plants back
into our homes and routines. Also joining us is doctor
Emily Gogel, founder of Grow It from Home, a scientist
turned gardener, making cannabis cultivation as easy and normal as
growing tomatoes. We'll leave the science to her. She's got
(05:29):
us covered. We'll explore the healing power of gardening, how
older adults are reclaiming cannabis as part of their wellness journey,
and why growing your own is one of the most
empowering things you can do, no matter your age. So
whether you're growing your first seed or lighting your first
(05:50):
joint in decades, you're not late to the party. Let
me tell you something, Yeah, right on time.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
By Think of America and Merrill Lynch estimate that will
grow to thirty five billion dollars, and many experts believe
it could eventually reach two hundred billion dollars each and
every year.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
On this same one of disco, I.
Speaker 5 (06:29):
Can see so much Father, your Monosi, your Moses. I'm
a butterfly who is gonna be gone, taking me a
while to get it.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Had to live and cry to appreciate your life.
Speaker 5 (06:53):
And what do you give his word when you're holding
me here, when you hold me so close, someone better
and you skin want to leave them live so.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
That I can be so you remember what.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Welcome back and thank you for joining us here on
just say no, hey, before we jump into the garden
with our guests, I'm going to bring them on their backstage.
Let's take a moment to remember where we've been. Because
the path to legal cannabis it wasn't paved and pot
leaves and good vibes. For many baby boomers, cannabis wasn't
(07:35):
just controversial, it was criminal. We grew up under the
shadow of reefer madness with its fear based messaging and
cartoonish portrayals of cannabis turning teenagers into monsters. I don't
know that they need a cannabis for that, but anyway,
then came the war, then cave the warm drugs launched
(07:56):
by the Nixon administration in the seventies, which just portunately
targeted communities of color. They've fueled mass incarceration, and it
solidified this stigma surrounding this poor plant. But in spite
of it all, this plant survived behind closed doors, in
garage grow rooms and tucked inside record sleeves. Cannabis culture
(08:20):
lived on in headshops, in secret stashes and whispers passed
between friends. Fast forward to today, and boomers aren't just
revisiting cannabis. Let me tell you, they're redefining it. Many
are turning to cannabis for plant based relief from arthritis,
chronic pain, anxiety, and sleep disorders, trading in prescriptions for topicals, tinctures,
(08:42):
and low dose edibles. As noted in a recent Emerald
magazine article, Throughout history, cannabis has powered creativity, resilience, and
even royalthy. From warriors to wise elders, this plant has
always had a place, and that place it's now on
this ensory shelves, in self care routines, and yes, in
(09:04):
beautifully curated backyard gardens. Cannabis today is infused into everything
from skincare to sparkling beverages, and it's no longer just
about getting hot, it's about getting well. Boomers may have
entered cannabis culture through rebellion, but they're returning with purpose,
intention and a whole new vibe. And speaking of vibes,
(09:25):
let's bring in two women who are just phenomenal and
they're doing their part of this evolution. They're actively cultivating it.
So we're going to bring in We're going to be
talking with Penny Barthel, author of The Cannabis Gardener, and
(09:48):
Emily Gogel, founder of Growth from Home, for a grounded
and empowering look at how cannabis is changing from the
roots up. Oh hey, Emily, welcome, Welcome, say having us well,
(10:08):
thank you for being here. We've got so much to discuss.
So on the topic of fifty being the new four twenty,
maybe I'm gonna start with Emily. Emily, tell me what
your first memory of cannabis was.
Speaker 6 (10:25):
Yeah, that's great. I'll say.
Speaker 7 (10:27):
I come from California, super liberal family. Everything was discussed
and open, and as a consequence, in high school, my
experience with cannabis was like, I don't have time for that.
That is something my friends do after school and they
go hang out at Taco Bell and they are wasting
their time. I have the SATs to study for and
(10:50):
I don't want to have anything to do with that.
Speaker 6 (10:51):
You know.
Speaker 7 (10:52):
They're dopey, you know, and even though they are my friends,
and I think that attitude really came from seeing how
they use.
Speaker 6 (10:59):
Cannabis and also it not being this illicit thing. You know.
Speaker 7 (11:02):
It was talked about in my household along with other things,
and it was like not a big deal. It was
always be safe and be careful who you get into
a car with, you know, kind of thing. And that's
just how I viewed cannabis. That was kind of my
first experiences with the plant. So it really wasn't until
(11:22):
much later in life that I rediscovered it for cannabis
for what it can be in many different ways to
help people and to be part of their lives. So
I that was my first kind of introduction to cannabis.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
So how about you, Penny, do you you remember your
first memory of cannabis?
Speaker 4 (11:44):
Oh?
Speaker 8 (11:44):
I sure do. I mean, I was I'm a I'm
a gen xer and so for me, cannabis was something
that Teach and Shong did I thought it was hilarious,
but it was very foreign. I was in a pretty
straight laced home, and I knew about these you know,
intriguing people in junior high. In high school, we called
(12:05):
them stoners and they would go do stuff. They were
sort of, you know, exotic creatures in some respect. I
had some interaction with them, but not a whole lot.
I tried weed a little bit when I was in
high school, but that was sort of it for me,
and I got a you know, as I've come to
cannabis later on in life. It was like a very
different experience. I was really confused about why it was.
(12:29):
I had these ideas, but all throughout junior high highchool
in particular, Man that was just beginning the Reagan era
and the War on drugs was in full force, so
it was it really did a number on my on
my attitude about it. So I'm a little older than Emily,
and it was not an open discussion. It was just
(12:49):
something that other people did, and it was not a
good thing that they did.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
Exactly exactly. I'm a little older, yep, I'm a little
older than you guys, and I'm a recovering Catholic. So
none of this was on the table. And I remember
those Nixon era days and the Vietnam War protest and
(13:15):
a lot of the the making you a schedule one
in a felony h was convenient because then the hippiest
couldn't vote who were protesting the war, because if it's
a felony, you can't vote crazy crazy crazy. And it's interesting, though,
because your perspectives they shifted, and you know, you obviously
(13:38):
view it very differently now. So how do you see
cannabis differently now? And what challenges do you think older
adults who were indoctrinated with all this stigma face in
terms of accessing or understanding today's legal cannabis environment. And Penny,
(13:58):
I'd like to start with you and then bring Emily in.
Speaker 8 (14:02):
Yeah, of course. I mean this is the heart of
what I teach in with my classes at Wondering about weed.
Here in the Bay Area. A lot of adults enjoyed
cannabis when they were in high school or college in
the seventies and eighties, and it was fun and it
was just for pleasure. Now they're older, they might have
some health concerns or just they want to try it again,
(14:22):
but they don't know what to do because it changed
for them. It's come out of this war on drugs.
Everybody had the mental constract that cannabis is bad, it's
not something to do, but now they want to try it.
So the biggest thing, you know, when I was growing
up and those who are a little older than I,
(14:44):
we had a number done on us. We were told stories,
and the story was drugs are bad and cannabis is
a really bad drug. It's on Schedule one't It wasn't
an obvious story. No one actually said those words to me,
but I got the message it was not something good.
But now we're having to retrain ourselves with a new message.
(15:04):
As cannabis comes out of prohibition and there's these fabulous
stories called dispensaries. People have to sort of hold two
stories in their heads at the same time. One is
cannabis is a terrible drug and it's going to hurt you,
and the other is cannabis is a gentle herb and
it can really help you. So that's probably I think
the biggest challenge for older adults is getting rid of
(15:25):
the old story and writing a new story about this
plant in their heads. I know I had to do
that and My current journey in cannabis was really helping
a friend put some cannabis plants in her garden so
that she could help a friend of hers who had cancer.
And so it was sort of an interesting way for
me to re enter this world of cannabis. I'm glad
(15:47):
I did in that regard, and now I'm just I
fell headlong in love with this plant.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
And that's a very powerful why. And we're going to
get the workshops that you teach on growing. Do you
think growing your own helps with changing that narrative introducing
people to the plant backyard gardeners.
Speaker 8 (16:09):
Oh, for sure, because it recontextualizes the plant. The plant
itself tells its story to me. It says, look at me,
I'm not a dangerous, horrible drug that's going to mess
up your life. I'm a beautiful plant that grows in
your garden. And once you get to know the plant
for itself, and then you get to experience the benefits
from it. Oh, no one needs to tell you another thing.
(16:31):
The plant tells you its story. In that regard, It's
a wonderful way to learn about cannabis is to grow it.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
I'm going to bring Emily in on the topic of
growing it, because that is definitely her alli you introduced
it to me, Emily. I was fascinated when I met
you and knew you as a scientist. But then tell
us a little bit about your mission about I mean
(16:58):
kind of the why why should people grow it at home?
Speaker 6 (17:03):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (17:03):
Oh my gosh, Marie, there are so many reasons. I'll
just say the kind of why of my mission is
during my PhD, I helped build public parks and community gardens,
so I'm really an urban egg advocate, food access, public
green spaces kind of person. And then I moved and
started this cannabis farm, and folks from all over the
(17:24):
country were getting in touch with me saying, Hey, how
do I grow this plant? There's so much bad information
on the internet. Why is it so unlike gardening anything else?
And as a scientist and a backrod gardener and someone
who just wants to help people get access, I think
it's silly they don't have access. I was like, oh
my gosh, I have to help these people. So my
(17:46):
why and mission is really to help just people get
what they need. I listen to what they need, and
people needed seeds that were high quality and produced either
CBD orc or both, and that were quality garden plants,
you know, like when you grow a sand Marzano tomato
that you picked up at your local garden shop, when
you grow your afternoon punch cannabis plant, you want it
(18:09):
to be just as vigorous and healthy. So I started
getting people gardening as opposed to worrying about the information
on the internet and treating it practically like the plant
that it is that belongs in the garden. So that's
really my why. And it's just like gardening any other plant.
(18:31):
When it comes to the garden, when it comes to
the laws, it's a bit different. And when it comes
to how to fetch your body, it's similar to some
plants and different than others. But from a gardening perspective,
it's easier than putting in a tomato plant.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Well, I gotta tell you, your timing is perfect because we're
almost coming into twenty minutes on the shew and on
the top of the fifty being the new four twenty,
it'll be four twenty here in LA And at four twenty,
I like to drop a knowledge bomb. We're gonna take
time to have a little quick hit. So Emily, I'm
(19:05):
gonna ask you. Is it true? Someone said to me,
did you know? Did you know cannabis is a vegetable?
Is that true?
Speaker 7 (19:16):
I mean, I'm not like a food bought in a
special spot. Say, I mean, tear gone isn't a vegetable.
It's an herb. It's a flower, and it's a vegetable.
I guess you could say it's all three things. Right.
If you're cooking the leaves, you know, I know folks
that wrap dumplings in the leaves, that kind of makes
it a vegetable.
Speaker 6 (19:36):
I know folks use it as herbal medicine.
Speaker 7 (19:39):
You know, they're using it in their teas, They're using
it in topicals and oils, ingesting the flour itself and recipes.
Speaker 6 (19:47):
That's definitely an herb.
Speaker 7 (19:48):
And it's one hundred percent of beautiful or smoking it,
you know, it's an herb. And then one hundred percent
it's a beautiful flower. My grandmother not a recovering Catholic,
very much a Catholic, very conservative. I would after I
started my cannabis farm and she came to visit, She's like, Oh,
this smells so good. If I wore this to mass
(20:09):
like the priest would love its raspberry and you know
nectarines and oh I love the smell. Emily, could I
get one of these for my patio to smell at night.
Speaker 6 (20:22):
You know your grandmother.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
Was not far off because there are references dating back
to the Bible can of bossom, the Hebrew root caana
for cannabis, bossom for aromatic and some people, I think
grandmas know, wonder what's in that incense in the church.
Speaker 7 (20:44):
You know, it can be like many plants, a rose,
you know, like cannabis, has smell, has medicinal use, and
you can eat you can eat it, right, you know, cannabis.
You can eat it, you can smell, you can use
it medicinally. You can treat it like a vegetable, treat
it like an herb. And it's beautiful in your garden.
(21:06):
It's really so versatile. So I read, Yeah, gardening, it's
all about the gardening part of it.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
You know, it's all bad. And I love your toe bag.
It says you grow tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, and hamp and panty. Well,
where do you stand vegetable fruit herb? What is it?
Speaker 8 (21:24):
I'm going to call this a culinary herb. It is
also a medicinal herb. And believe it or not, it's
sort of a beautiful ornamental plant. I wouldn't call it
a vegetable because you don't eat it for nutrition per se,
but for health added. There's no calories in it. You're
not going to get sugars for any you know, anything
like that. But I'm going to call it a culinary herb,
(21:44):
and it's a medicinal herb. What there are other culinary
herbs or regulo time that have powerful medicinal properties. They
don't get you high, so we don't sometimes in our
own lexicon categorize them like that. I love to enjoy
eating cannabis. You got to remember that there's very low
levels of cannabinoids in the leaves. It's really in the
(22:06):
female flower buds. It's the only place you're going to
find the cannabinoids, whether they're in the acid form or not,
in the flower bud. But you know, here's a hot tip.
You can take those little tiny leaves and chop them
up real fine and a shiff a nod and throw
them on the top like a pasta dish with fish
small amounts. It's going to give it a nice, fresh,
(22:28):
slightly bitter herbal flavor and you will get some health
benefits from it from the raw or the acid form
of the cannabinoids, anti inflammatory, they're going to be pain managing.
It's great stuff.
Speaker 1 (22:39):
Now. A lot of our listeners who are curious about
it and new to cannabis, especially older adults, they remember
the really rich kind of skunk smell and some people
don't like that. So if you are having the raw
and do what you just suggested, does it have that
strong aroma.
Speaker 8 (22:56):
Nope, not at all. So here's another thing that happened
in the seventies. It was completely illegal, so we were
getting poor quality, old, oxidized, seedy, weedy lee cannabis that
wasn't fresh. It was burda, you know. So it's like
a very different plant when you grow it in your garden.
You've got these fabulous new cultivars. Emily's part of the
(23:19):
forefront of breeders who are breeding for excellence in both
scent and cannabinoids, and they're good, strong grain plants. It's
a very different plant altogether. It doesn't smell like skunk
at all in my garden. The fragrance that I usually
detected my cannabis is it smells like just fresh sometimes
like the ocean, like pine, like lemon, often like them
(23:41):
like strawberries or rose, and all of the scents sort
of mingle together. But there is that sharp, wonderful herbal
essence kind of undergirding to all cannabis, but there's not
a variety.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
Nice So when you talk about the quality and you
mentioned Emily, it's a perfect segue because Emily, I want
you to explain to everybody when we come back on
our consumer tips and insights about growing from home and
your farm. But we had a wonderful video clip and
(24:15):
I'd like to throw to it, so here we go.
Speaker 7 (24:21):
So grow it from Home provides commercial farmers across the
country with high CBD flower headplants commercially, and we offer
the same variety of hemp to you as a backyard
gardener as these.
Speaker 4 (24:33):
You are a commercial farmers, so you're.
Speaker 7 (24:35):
Getting the same tried and true, tested commercial variety headplants,
but you get to grow them at home as a
backyard gardener. So we've already put the years of research
and development into making nationally known it's called craft flower headplants,
and we're now making them available to you in your backyard,
just like if you were to buy an organic road broccoli.
Speaker 4 (24:58):
At your local Burphery store.
Speaker 7 (25:00):
These are organically grown us the organic Certified head plants,
so we're really proud to be part of that program.
Speaker 4 (25:06):
We try to be excellent stewards of our land.
Speaker 7 (25:09):
Were right on the Applegate River in southern Oregon, so
we're very aware of what we're.
Speaker 4 (25:14):
Putting into the ground and being good stewards.
Speaker 7 (25:16):
So we have very precise protocols for how to care
for these plants and steward them and the environment that
they're grown in so that they are produced organically. I've
always loved gardening, like mom was a little kid, I
girt with my mom as a part of my chores
as a kid in California and my mom's backyard, so
those on my earliest memories as a little kid, having
to pull the bits from underneath the growth bushes, and my.
Speaker 4 (25:39):
Mom maintained a big flower garden and vegetable garden.
Speaker 7 (25:43):
I just grew up being outdoors with her, and I
loved eating the fresh food and I loved being outside
with her and my sister gardening. And when I moved
to San Francisco and started grad school to my PhD
at the University of California, San Francisco.
Speaker 4 (25:57):
During my PhD, I had a great time.
Speaker 7 (26:00):
Building public parks and working with the neighborhood to create
these green spaces.
Speaker 4 (26:04):
And when I left San Francisco to come.
Speaker 7 (26:06):
Run my farm, I let everyone know why I was leaving,
and I have to say, all the little old ladies
in the garden were like, Wow, Emily, I never thought
you'd leave San Francisco to run a plot farm. But
tell me more about CBD and about cannabis. I'm really curious.
And I was just so surprised that everyone came up
to me after the announcement and wanted to talk to
(26:26):
me about this forbidden fruit. I left San Francisco to
start a commercial pet nursery and I've been working with
farmers for the last few years, and it wasn't until
last year I literally got calls for regular gardeners all
over the US that found me through my commercial website
asking me, Hey, could you send me plants that's okay?
Speaker 4 (26:45):
And I was just floored.
Speaker 7 (26:47):
I never thought I'd be able to work with backyard
gardeners again. And I love being able to help folks
with this plant. So when you receive your plants that
US Griganic furtified. You get a lab result that comes
with your plants showing that it's legally classified as hemp.
Speaker 4 (27:02):
That's part of our requirement actually for shipping plants.
Speaker 6 (27:05):
And you get a quick Start guide.
Speaker 7 (27:06):
So it's a beautiful one two three quick start guide
to help you get started with your plants. And we
encourage everyone to share their grow over the season with
us on Instagram and Facebook, and in order to come
out with better new varieties every year, we maintain a
research and development program on the farm, so we're all
about trialing, testing, really understanding how to improve the plant
(27:31):
for both commercial farmers and for backyard gardeners.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
And that is how we described growing from a home.
And I love the Quick Start Guide. It's you've got
to read Penny's book. There's no placing that the book
is phenomenal, but when you receive those plants, it's you know,
I'm one of those people want to have to put
kids toys together before on Christmas Eve. I don't want
(28:12):
to read the instructions. I want to read a whole book.
But you got to read the whole book to get
it right. But the Quick Start Guide, you go right
to the quick Start guide. She really really gets you
feeling confident and like, Okay, I could get this plant growing.
Bringing you guys back. You know, we've explored the why
behind cannabis garden and how so many seniors are are
(28:36):
are doing it and they're turning to him. So let's
dig into the house. So, whether you're starting with a
seed or a plant, or even just a sunny patio
and a little curiosity, I want you guys to give
us some trusted tips to help people grow with confidence.
So I think we can start with with Emily. Emily,
(29:01):
what should people look for when they're buying cannabis seeds
and plays?
Speaker 7 (29:06):
So yeah, so cannabis seeds. Don't be afraid of them. Okay,
don't be afraid everybody. Cannabis seeds. They're like sunflower seeds,
broccoli seeds, ratish seeds. Size wise, they're very similar. There's
a little diagram I just did for people in our classes.
There's so much misinformation on the internet. Start your cannabis
seeds just like your broccoli or your radish. Do not
(29:29):
follow the you know, no paper towels, no domes, no
heat mats, and we have all this information on our website.
So the first thing is follow good gardening practices. If
you're starting from seed, start them like you would any
other quality garden. Seeds and Pennies textbook, you know, I
call it textbook, but like it's our textbook for the class. Really,
I do really highly recommend Penny's book. It has such
(29:51):
fantastic information. It makes a great gift and it's just
it's practical gardening advice that is a little more cannabis specific,
but just a pl good gardening which is throughout Penny's book.
And you will grow fabulous plants. And then when it
comes you know, in terms of if you don't want
to start seeds, you're the kind of person that's like,
(30:12):
you know, I buy my plants at the local shop
and then I tuck them into the ground. That's totally
a possibility. You can order plants from us. I would say,
there are some caveats to where you order supplies, and
I can wet Penny chat about that. Our company just
works really hard to make sure that you're getting a
quality product that every year, you know, you grow our
(30:33):
afternoon Punch, you get Afternoon Punch and it is a vigorous,
super happy, easy to maintain, easy to harvest plants.
Speaker 6 (30:41):
So my main thing is like, don't be afraid.
Speaker 7 (30:44):
They are just seeds like all the other seeds you
can get at the garden shop. If you buy them
from us, they're gonna be quality, high germination rate, and
afternoon punch gives you afternoon punch every time, which is
a problem in the cannabis industry in terms of quality.
So we feel I feel very lucky can bring quality
stuff to gardeners. The same expectations I have when I
buy sand Marzona tomato seeds I have for my cannabis
(31:07):
seeds too, and I think everyone should. And they're easier tomatoes.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
I love that you call them san Manzano tomatoes because
in my Italian household, we just call them gravy tomatoes,
and we call it gravy, not sauce, because we're Italian
East Coast. But yeah, turning to you, Penny, can you
talk to us about giving some tips about how to
find reputable sources and talk a little bit about, you know,
(31:35):
tips for older adults or first time gardeners in terms
of container gardening. You know, soil blends water light, so.
Speaker 8 (31:47):
Easy to let me just say this. My book is
essentially a garden book, but it's a garden book about
one plant. But here's if you want to be the
best gardener you can, here's all you need to know.
As a garden You've got one job to do. Give
the plant what it needs. That's your whole job. Now,
what Emily and I talk about a lot is well,
(32:08):
what does this plant need?
Speaker 1 (32:10):
Right?
Speaker 8 (32:10):
That's most of what my book is, or half of
it anyway. So what a cannabis is is a tall
summer growing annual. It goes from a seed to a
very and within a couple of months. So you need
to give it number one full sun. You want to
give it big, rich soil, So you're going to want
(32:30):
to use the best quality soil. If you're going to
put it into a container. You can do that in
a raise bed or in ground, but nice quality soil
that has a lot of nitrogen in it, full sun,
and then just keep it watered. That's kind of all
you need to know. So if you are interested in
growing cannabis, you don't need a yard. It's great if
(32:50):
you have one, but you don't have to have one.
You can grow in a container. So, especially for people
who have limited space or they're not used to lifting
heavy things, no problem. You want a fifteen gallon container.
Grow bag is great ones with handles. And then you're
going to want to use the best quality soil you
can It's called Recipe four twenty is my favorite to use.
(33:13):
It's by eb Stone. It's readily available. But if you
can't find that, no problem. Go to your local nursery
and they're going to tell you the right soil to
put into your grow bag. You plant a plant in it. Now,
a plant that is strong and well grown and well
bred seeds is going to make your gardening the easiest
that you can that you can do. So you start
(33:34):
with great genetics because that will determine a lot about
not just what's in the resin at the end of
the year, but the end of the season, but how
strong that plant is going to be, how disease resistant
it's going to be. I don't recommend growing from clones
or rooted cuttings because they have a couple of limitations
with them, So I always recommend growing from seed. It's
super easy. Like Emily said, when you're if you're going
(33:58):
to grow in a garden, a lot of older people
know how to garden good. You are ahead of the
game if you've gardened, if you've grown a tomato, grown
a vegetable garden. Easy, it's it's just like growing that.
But you need to make sure you get your cannabis space.
So imagine us three foot white circle around that plant.
That's how much space you're going to need to give it.
And my hot tip for growing in ground is to
(34:20):
add compost about a week or two before you actually
plant the plant. Super hot tip worm castings. You want
to add worm castings or well composted chicken or rabbit
or steer manure. It's going to give your plant all
that it needs to grow really well throughout the season.
Speaker 6 (34:42):
Yeah, my totally, Penny.
Speaker 7 (34:44):
You are kamboo spond We teach these classes together and
it's again everything said Pitt.
Speaker 6 (34:48):
It's gardening.
Speaker 7 (34:49):
So whether you're one hundred years old or twenty years old, you.
Speaker 6 (34:52):
Can grow this plant.
Speaker 7 (34:54):
It's so amenable in a container petite ten fifteen gallons or.
Speaker 6 (34:58):
You want to go in the ground. It's what works
for you.
Speaker 7 (35:02):
Okay, there is no limit on your enjoyment in a
sense of this plant. Don't let people tell you, oh
you're too young, too old, too big, too small.
Speaker 6 (35:12):
This and that.
Speaker 7 (35:13):
About growing about growing cannabis, it is really not fickle.
Speaker 1 (35:17):
And you know, the seeds go a long way. I
was I was shocked. I didn't believe you. Emily. You
gave me a consumer insight and tip and some Maria,
you only have the plant one or two, you're gonna
be the zucchimi lady. Your you know, giving it away
to all your neighbors.
Speaker 7 (35:36):
Oh my god, I had a bag with me. I
should have brought a bag over here. You know you're
gonna get full disclosure with my home garden. I am
a neglectful, benign neglect kind of gardener.
Speaker 6 (35:50):
And having now worked.
Speaker 7 (35:52):
For years with folks across the country that are somewhat
benign neglect gardeners as well, I can say with data
pound a pound and a half of dried flower, I
mean you become, yeah, the zucchini lady, because you have
a pound.
Speaker 6 (36:05):
It is like a pound, a massive amount of flour.
Speaker 7 (36:08):
You will never you know, you buy grams, you know,
ounces at your dispensary. You're now getting pounds of the stuff.
So one plant is for like your whole family, you know,
like it's like an entire bounty.
Speaker 1 (36:22):
I was shocked, at the I was shocked at the mouth.
Speaker 6 (36:25):
Yeah, no special stuff, no baby sitting this.
Speaker 9 (36:28):
Plant, no elite, extreme genetics, no pro setup, no optimal environment, batguano,
sunlight by the moon. Whatever I mean it is put
the plant in the ground with the the nutrients.
Speaker 6 (36:45):
You went for a.
Speaker 7 (36:45):
Tomato at the right time of the year and you
walk away.
Speaker 1 (36:51):
Yeah, what Patty said, just give it what it needs.
Now we're not that mouthing the the art and the
science to it, but that's where these ladies have done
that for us. So now you get it delivered to
your door. And for the consumer insights and tips and
for more of those, they offer workshops. So can you
(37:14):
tell us a little bit about the workshops that you give.
And I believe Emily that you even during the season,
the growing season and f four twenty, you've got a
lot of exciting things that additional events that you do
in Los Angeles. So tell us a little bit about
(37:34):
the workshops where you give them, I know in the
Bay area, in the southern Cali area. Tell us a
little bit about those.
Speaker 6 (37:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (37:41):
So they're sponsored by the USDA, and in giving these
workshops with Penny over the last two years now we've
really come to appreciate there's this sort of community celebration
of cannabis that we want to help organize. So in
addition to our gardening workshops and medicinal herb workshops and
DIY edibles classes, we are kind of helping organized Cannabis
Week and the ideas it's an exploration of the plant.
(38:03):
You know, you can go to an event and you
can you know, pick up seeds and get gardening like
that's very fun.
Speaker 6 (38:10):
But you can also maybe go to a.
Speaker 7 (38:12):
Plant friendly yoga event. Or we're having a pet parade
and wellness market at Benny Boy Brewing on four to
twenty week and on Sunday, and it's about celebrating wellness
and pets getting access to CBD for their various conditions
that are veterinarian improved in a very practical, information based
(38:34):
way that sort of helps destigmatize it. So we're gonna
have a big pet parade at a brewery and have
wellness practitioners there, answering questions about physical therapy and massage,
and have lots of giveaways. So it doesn't have to
be this in the closet thing. It doesn't have to
be in this dispensary thing.
Speaker 6 (38:53):
It doesn't have to be.
Speaker 7 (38:54):
Let's just get really stoned and listen to music or
you know, like I mean, parties are great, but like
the ideas that people are using it and celebrating the
plant in soy different ways, and we're through our workshops
learning about all these ways and we're just trying to
help people get access. So we've got go to Cannabis
Week dot org. There's a bazillion events that are listed.
So if you know you're not into high yoga, but
(39:16):
you're into pottery or you're into the pet parade, you know,
there's lots of different things to do. There's a big
comedy night, like it's just there's so many things.
Speaker 1 (39:28):
And that'll be on Sunday at for five at Benny's
Brewery in Los Angeles, Penny Boy Brewing, and you can
meet Emily. Now to meet Penny, Penny, tell us a
little bit about the workshops that you and Emily give
throughout the year and where they are and.
Speaker 8 (39:52):
Emily and I. So when Emily and I teach, we
realize that we're both gardeners, and where do gardeners go
to get stuff? While they go to nurseries? But until
Emily and I put a couple of intellectual things together
and spoke with one nursery here in the Bay Area.
We convince them to let us come and give a
(40:12):
class on how to grow cannabis in the garden. It's
in the Bay Area, so people were already doing so,
and they knew that, but they also were able to
sell Emily's seeds in the nursery. So Emily and I
have been starting with one and now dozens, twenties, twenty
five nurseries. We go to local nurseries and we show up.
(40:33):
We teach everyday gardeners in a nursery setting how to
grow cannabis in the garden. We talk about containers, raise
beds in ground, how to grow, when to grow, at
how tall it grows, how to manage the very few
pests that it might give. People are able to learn,
they're able to buy the soil amendment that they need,
the bags, and most importantly, for the first time ever,
(40:57):
Emily and I are able to sell her fine quality
the seeds in a nursery. Before Emily and I put
these two pieces together, people gardeners would go to a
nursery to buy everything else, and they'd have to go
to a dispens or or an online resource to get seeds.
So we teach in nurseries, which is exactly where we
should be teaching. We've had to tell a lot of
new stories though about this plant. There's a lot of
(41:19):
hesitation in the somewhat conservative nursery world about letting us
come in and teach about this plant. But we've gotten
overwhelmingly positive reception. We've had up to maybe fifty people
at a nursery there. We taught a class two weekends ago.
We've got weekends coming up and this will be teaching
in San Francisco, throughout the Bay Area, and back in
(41:41):
Los Angeles again. And then here's the cool part. It
doesn't end with growing because Harvest has a whole other
section of classes in the Los Angeles area, in the
Bay Area, and you know, our goal is to make
this available throughout the nation. Wouldn't it be cool if
we could get this throughout the entire nation. We got
to get people growing this garden, maybe this plant in
(42:02):
the garden, and then they're gonna go, wait, this isn't
a scary plant. Those those stories that I was told
really weren't very true, and I think that we're gonna
snowball in the right direction if we can convince people
to grow this plant in the garden and then they
use it. And then, by the way, come holiday gift time,
you're gonna be the most popular gift giver in your
(42:23):
whole community. It is the best thing you could possibly
you can trade for somebody who's got lemons. Well, guess
what you've got. You've got hot quality home grow.
Speaker 1 (42:33):
And and and Penny and Emily. We'll start with Penny.
What do you do with this quality homegrown? What are
some of the things you make with it? And how
do you use it? And Emily, and then we'll come
to you because I know that you've got you have
a great dog treat recipe to add some of the flour,
(42:56):
and we even did a video of that. But Henny,
what are some of the ways you use it in Yeah, I.
Speaker 8 (43:02):
Teach this through another company that I co found, it
called Wondering about Weed. We're all about teaching grown ups
how to use cannabis and to enjoy it. So I
like to say that I use cannabis all day long,
and I'm rarely stoned. Now let me elaborate that a little.
Speaker 1 (43:17):
Bit So have you have you at cannabis today?
Speaker 6 (43:19):
Yes?
Speaker 8 (43:20):
Every morning to me too. Wow, you don't look stone.
It's as I'm not. Let me tell you. One of
the cheap things I do with it is that I
make a pincture. Is just it's just moving the good
stuff in the flower on the cannabis in altcohol and
(43:42):
then you can take it. So every morning I could
take a raw tincture that has both th HC A
and CBDA in it. So that's the first thing I do,
and I'm often just put the role leaved in the water.
Speaker 1 (43:55):
You infuse the water yourself.
Speaker 8 (43:57):
The raw cannabis flower bud flower, bud flower butt in
alcohol a high alcohol. And this is where my book
has more about gardening. It also tells you how to
make three key extractions. The first one is in an
alcohol based tincture. Super important. You can precisely dose it.
(44:20):
It's available at all times. Second, my second way that
I use cannabis daily is in a salve. Now, a
salve is a place where it's just a fat based topical.
That's my own magic salve, and I throw a whole
bunch of cannabinized in it. In this case, I'm using
THHC and CBD, but in a whole, full spectrum RSO
(44:43):
or cannabis concentrate. It just works magic. And again the
cannabinitized do not get into the blood system, they don't
make it to my brain. It's incredibly helpful at help
at localized pain and inflammation. And then I also make
cannabis oil. I'll often put this in little chocolates that
I'll eat at night to help me go to sleep. Whatever.
(45:05):
And then the last thing you can do with the
inhale it. So I like instead of rolling a joint,
I like using a whole flower vape. My favorite is
made by Mighty Plus. It's a Mighty Plus by stores
and Buckle, but there and Packs makes them as well.
So there's all sorts of stuff you can do with it.
You can bake with it, you can put it in drinks,
you can make little treats and enjoy it as you need.
(45:28):
So I'm in charge of the plant after it gives
me what it so generously offers.
Speaker 1 (45:33):
So, l Emily, what are some of the uses you
use it for? Personally?
Speaker 7 (45:39):
Personally, I would say everyone in my life requires the
CBD salve from Penny's book.
Speaker 6 (45:45):
I have to make that.
Speaker 7 (45:46):
In very large quantity for everyone from twenty year olds
in my family running marathons to ninety three year old
my grandma with arthritis. So the CBD salve and then
now mixing in some tea C with the SAB to
help people with additional pain. Leaf is the most frequently
made product in my house from the plant. So personally,
(46:11):
I use THC to sleep. It helps me with my
inflammation and pain. And I found that for me THHC A,
So the raw form of or the it's the raw form,
let's just call it. That of THC in the plant
actually for use during the day really helps with my energy,
(46:32):
my inflammation, and my pain. So it actually kind of
gives me an up when I when I use THC
A personally. So that's kind of how I use it
and the way I like to consume it. I have
very damaged lungs from from cancer basically, and I like
an edible.
Speaker 6 (46:48):
You know.
Speaker 7 (46:48):
I've been making these little mints in classes now I'm
teaching these classes, and the classes started because everyone in
my life now also wants the MITS. So it's the
CBD sab and now it's the MITS and you can
make the mint using the tincture formulas and pennies book
to do a THHCA mint, a CBD mint, or a
THHC mint, so you can make all the different kinds. Yeah,
(47:10):
and once you have the tincture, you just go from there.
And now that I can make these mints for folks.
Now everyone in my life wants the mince. So I'm
like a candy manufacturer in my kitchen. And now we're
teaching classes on it too, because it turns out I
talk to our gardeners about it and they're like, oh,
I want to make the mints too, So now we're
teaching people how to make these little candies that are
(47:31):
so portable, very low dose, and who doesn't like a
little mint in the car, you know, and they're on
their way somewhere. It like freshens your breath, it's nice.
And they can be very low dose whichever cannabinoid you want,
you know, and they're easy to make and require very
little equipment. So those are really my top go toos.
I don't, like I said, I can't smoke. It doesn't
(47:52):
work for my lungs, So that's why I take it
and supply everyone to make with sav And now candies basically.
Speaker 1 (48:00):
Yes, and if you can't smoke well, Penny talked about
the dry Herb vaporizer. We have them at Greenbee live
By stores and Bickl stores and bikel is one of
the premier great brand and a dryer vaporizer if you're
gonna go that route. But thank you for sharing that
(48:21):
with us. I'm i'm, i'm, I'm just so inspired that
you are a cancer survivor and I knew you before
I knew you. Laughter, And you haven't missed the beat,
my friend though.
Speaker 6 (48:36):
Thanks Marian, I'll say.
Speaker 7 (48:38):
And I was even you know, even you know, even
as a pot farmer, you know, myself and coming from
a very liberal houseld like we talked about this episode,
you know, I was very hesitant to start personally using cannabis.
Speaker 8 (48:51):
I thought, oh, I don't need this and I'll.
Speaker 7 (48:53):
Be fine, and oh, I see it has these health benefits,
but I'm okay. And then once I kind of let
myself the plant and learn what worked for me, I
was like wow, and it really even for me not
having the stigma talking to gardeners who were coming to
me saying, hey, I want to grow this plant because
(49:14):
I want to get high, or I need to treat
my crone's.
Speaker 6 (49:16):
Disease, you know, for whatever the reasons were.
Speaker 7 (49:18):
And I just kept getting story after story after story
from these folks across the country, of all different ages.
Like I said, you know, from twenty to one hundred
people want to use this plant for different reasons once
they feel they can, and then it's affordable and accessible.
So I think it was really even just doing my
work and seeing how much it helped so many people
that I kind of let myself get helped by the
(49:40):
plant as well. So you know, don't think it doesn't
have to be a big deal, and you're not alone.
If you look at the pictures on our Instagram, you
know the classes that Pain and I teach people of
all ages, all backgrounds, using it for all different reasons.
(50:01):
So don't feel like you're alone in this or that
you have to take it a certain way or.
Speaker 8 (50:08):
It should be easy for you.
Speaker 7 (50:10):
You know, it wasn't easy for me to start using
cannabis medicinally. So there's a big community of people you
don't even know about that now Penny and I know
about because we chat with them. You know, it's totally your
Presbyterian Church Bridge Club ladies, you know, like there are
people in your life that you don't even know that
are benefiting from cannabis in their life, whether it's you know,
(50:33):
medicinal or recreational, however you want to call it. So
it don't feel alone. It doesn't have to be this big,
this big thing.
Speaker 1 (50:39):
And that's why going to your workshops are so empowering.
I mean, they're limited to California at this point in time,
but what I was thrilled to hear was that you're
doing them online as well, opening them up so you
have them online as well. So right, so people can
visit grow it from Home dot com. It's grow it
from Home dot com or Pennybarthel dot com, Forward Slash
(51:05):
Events Penny p e n n Y barth l b
A r t h e l dot com. Now all
of this information is going to be on our show page.
So we've got so many resources to provide from from
both of you, because you're both prolific and uh you
put out wonderful, wonderful, wonderful information and content and you're empowering.
(51:31):
And we're coming up to the five minute warning on
this show, and I'm telling you, we could have gone
on and on and on. I really want to have
both of you back. We could do a whole hour
spotlighting your products. Penny, your book, The Cannabis Gardner. It's
available on Amazon, Pennybarthel dot com, Emily grow it from home,
(51:59):
your seeds, your plants. You have other wonderful, wonderful products
on there.
Speaker 7 (52:05):
You know. The other thing too, we cover We've talked
a lot about gardening and DIY and how empowering it
is to take control of kind of the plant for
economic reasons, health reasons.
Speaker 8 (52:16):
We'll say too.
Speaker 6 (52:17):
You don't have to do it all.
Speaker 7 (52:19):
You know, if you don't want to start seeds, order plants,
if you want to first try topicals with CBD, order
some sav flower you know from our website and make
your own sav or. You know, get Pennies book as
a primer. You don't have to cook every recipe in
the book. That's okay. I haven't I cooked every recipe
(52:40):
in your book, Penny, A full disclosure, I need to.
I have it, okay, So even if you don't cook
every recipe in the book, get the book, read through it.
You know, if you're more comfortable starting off purchasing something
and having that be kind of your entry point.
Speaker 8 (52:54):
It's okay.
Speaker 7 (52:55):
You don't have to do it all everybody, you know,
we're just trying to give you the RULs. Whether you
want to start from a seed a plant, or buy
flower or just come to a workshop and make with us,
it's okay.
Speaker 4 (53:09):
That's the point everything.
Speaker 1 (53:12):
And you can grow it purely as a conversation starter.
You don't even have to son.
Speaker 6 (53:17):
You have so many gardeners.
Speaker 7 (53:19):
That's the other funny thing I learned recently. So many
people we work with don't grow for themselves. They grow
because it's a cool plant, because they can and it's
been illegal, or because they have a friend, a neighbor.
Speaker 6 (53:34):
Somebody else that they want to gift it to. They
don't even use it themselves, or they need it for
their dogs.
Speaker 4 (53:39):
They make treats for their dog like it has They
do not require it personally.
Speaker 6 (53:44):
But they want to grow it and give it.
Speaker 8 (53:46):
As a as a bountiful thing. And that's how I
got my start is growing. It's exactly that is that
I helped a friend grow it for her friend who
had cancer. We had hilariously bad luck that year, but
dill cannabis is resilient, and I do have friends who
just like growing the herb. They don't really use it
A whole lot. Is I that cannabis creates community. It
(54:09):
is a plant that's so generous that if you grow
one plant, maybe your friend grows a different type you
can trade. You can then maybe you're a really great cook,
and so you can get into your kitchen and you
can make a tincture or something like that you can trade.
I've got a friend who I make little custom ghost
chocolates for him, and he's a wine collector, so he
(54:31):
offers me wine. We trade. It's just I love how
it creates community and we share from each other. There
is never a class that Emily and I teach where
I don't learn something from the people who come. How
are you using it? Why do you care? There is
a woman who came while she had had a traumatic
brain injury, three of them. In fact, it was helping her.
(54:52):
Another one helping her get back into life with CBB
and the anti inflammatory effects. There people with the central
tremor disorder, people who have skin rashes Exama. A person
came to like, I cannot wait to make this into
a sav for my skin, which I have to wait
until the fall. After it's drive and I said, no,
(55:13):
buy some of Emily's fine quality CBD flower. It's a
huge bargain compared to buying stabs or buying United dispensary.
So there's just tons of flexibility, yep.
Speaker 1 (55:25):
And it's it's quality. They always say, make it when
it comes back to the Italian Sunday gravy, make it
progress or make it yourself, make it from Emily, grow
it from home, growing yourself. But guys, we're gonna have
to wrap. I'm gonna have you back, you know, as
we wrap up today's show. You know, fifty is the
(55:47):
new four to twenty. And by the way, I've been
to your workshops and I'm so impressed. I mean, I
there's more senior citizens there. I would say at least
the ones I Attendant than the Nansen citizens. But we've
taken quite the journey. You know, we've looked back at
a time when cannabis you couldn't even say it. You
(56:08):
had to use code four twenty. It was shared in secret.
You know, there was stigma was the rule, not the exception.
And you know, we've reflected on a generation that helped
shape the counter culture and now the returning to cannabis,
not to really we lived the past, but to reclaim,
(56:29):
as I said, the wellness, the connection and the clarity
and plants evolved to something you know you could proudly
plant it, cultivate it and share it. If you're in
a state that's legal. Got to check down to your county.
That's another show. But whether it's in your garden, your gummies,
(56:50):
or your your gratitude practice. And now I want to
hear from you, I want to hear from the listeners.
I want to know what four twenty What does that
mean to you today? And is it a memory? Is
it a turning point? Is it a ritual? Tag us
on social media, share your stories or drop a comment
(57:11):
on the episode page at greenbey life dot com, forward slast,
just say no and you'll find today's resources there, including
links to Penny's book, The Cannabis Gardener, Emily's Growed from
Home links, She's got top shelf, premium lab tested really
real equality products. And there's on our site a full
(57:34):
library of educational content, curated tools, and cannabis and insights.
So whether you're here to grow, to learn, to consume,
or to share, greenbey Life is your hive for cannabis
clarity and community, because cannabis it isn't about getting high,
it's about getting well, being informed and living fully. And
(57:58):
here I just say no, We're Riosity is queen. We'll
always keep it real and relevant and rooted in truth. Ladies,
I hope you will come back. This has been just
fantastic everybody. If you're in the Los Angeles area on
four to twenty, be sure to go down to Emily.
(58:19):
It's called Benny's.
Speaker 6 (58:21):
Brewery, Benny Boy Brewing.
Speaker 7 (58:24):
Really check out Cannabisweek dot org. So Cannabis Week dot
org and that's where all the events are at. There's
a ton of events that are happening. The Benny Boy
Brewing event is my personal favorite because I'm going to
get to run a dog parade and hand out CBD.
Speaker 6 (58:40):
I just went out. They're called chill Paccinos.
Speaker 7 (58:44):
Or something like little CBD puppcinos, like from Starbucks.
Speaker 4 (58:47):
They're gonna bring them to hand out and that's.
Speaker 1 (58:50):
My Yes, Starbucks does that.
Speaker 7 (58:55):
Dog, So like that's my personal favorite. But there's like yoga,
there's a comedy night, there's intentional soundbathwork, like pottery. I mean,
it's just soweek dot org. Find your flavor of fun,
lots of it.
Speaker 1 (59:08):
Time, all right, and people can find that on Growing
from Home dot com as well on your events. Okay,
all right, guys, thank you so much. I look forward
to having you back. Everybody, happy, healthy, safe, four twenty
that's also my birthday. But that's another episode that I put.
(59:30):
The five in the fifty is the new four twenty.
It's really sixtys taking it out. Just Say No is
a greenbee Life presentation, airing live weekly on Friday afternoons
from four to five pm Pacific on kca Radio and
(59:52):
KCAA TV. Archived'io episodes are on greenbeelfe, greenbelife dot com, com, iHeartRadio, Spreaker,
and most third party major platforms. For archived videos, check
them out on
Hello, Hello, and welcome to Just Say No, where we
shine a light on cannabis.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
With Hello, Hello.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
And welcome to Just Say No, Where we shine a
light on cannabis with clarity, curiosity, and a commitment to
credible conversation, spotlighting the people and products shaping the legal
cannabis movement. I'm your host, Maria Calabrey's and you're listening
on KCAA Radio ten fifty AM, one O six point
(01:03):
five FM, or wherever you tune in for your podcast. Hey,
today we're turning the top the dial back people. We're
turning it back to all the way back to the seventies,
and we're turning into a whole new wave of cannabis curiosity,
this time from the generation who helped spark it in
the first place. We're calling this episode fifty is the
(01:27):
new four to twenty because baby boomers are blazing the comeback,
not out of rebellion, before relief, restoration and reconnections. And
I'm old enough to remember seeing the first Terminator hit
theaters back in eighty four. Wartzenegger's I'll Be Back Right
(01:47):
became iconic, but by the sixth movie Let's be Real,
it might as well have been all my ating back
ten while some of us, especially today's guests, were two
young For Woodstock, we definitely grew up in its glow,
where peace, love and a little Puff Puff pass set
(02:08):
the tone for a new way of thinking. On screen,
Cheech and Chong gave us our first glimpse of cannabis
through clouds of smoke and punchlines. Back then it was
more of a joke than a wellness prescription. And who
remembers the love Boat right? Friday Nights with the Love
Boat our weekly cruise into escapism, romance and umbrella drinks.
(02:32):
Now instead of my ties and Captain Strubing, we've got dispensaries,
microdosing mints and both soaks made from full spectrum CBD.
It's not about going back, it's about coming full circle,
and this time with intention. And that's exactly why so
many of us are coming back to cannabis, not to
(02:55):
relive the past, but to reclaim our well being. Before
we dive in, let's clear up a little cannabis code
why four twenty. The story starts in nineteen seventy one
with a group of five high school friends in sam Rafael, California,
who called themselves the Waldos. Now. Legend has it that
(03:18):
every day after school at four twenty sharp, they'd meet
by a statue of Lewis Pistar, spark one up and
hunt for a rumored hitting cannabis crop. Now, why were
they hunting for this and not just growing their own?
Hintin spoiler alert, one of the topics of today's show.
(03:39):
Rumor has it one of the brothers back in the
seventies was a little too paranoid to grow his own.
We're going to continue to talk about that in a bit.
But they never found the stash. But what they did
find was a legacy. Their inside joke became an after
school ritual, and with a little help from the Grateful
(04:00):
Dead and High Times magazine four twenty, became a global
code for cannabis culture. Fast forward to today, and cannabis
is no longer a secret handshake. It's a symbol of connection, creativity,
and community. According to recent research, cannabis use among adults
(04:23):
sixty five and older has tripled in the past decade,
making baby boomers and seniors one of the fastest growing
groups of cannabis consumers in the US. As the late
Great Carl Sagan once said, cannabis helps produce the serenity
and insight, sensitivity, and fellowships so desperately needed in this
(04:46):
increasingly mad and dangerous world. And today, oh that serenity
and insight is growing in backyards, garden beds, and window
boxes thanks to women like my guest. Returning to the
show is Penny Barthel, author of The Cannabis Gardener, who's
(05:07):
on a mission to bring peace, purpose and plants back
into our homes and routines. Also joining us is doctor
Emily Gogel, founder of Grow It from Home, a scientist
turned gardener, making cannabis cultivation as easy and normal as
growing tomatoes. We'll leave the science to her. She's got
(05:29):
us covered. We'll explore the healing power of gardening, how
older adults are reclaiming cannabis as part of their wellness journey,
and why growing your own is one of the most
empowering things you can do, no matter your age. So
whether you're growing your first seed or lighting your first
(05:50):
joint in decades, you're not late to the party. Let
me tell you something, Yeah, right on time.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
By Think of America and Merrill Lynch estimate that will
grow to thirty five billion dollars, and many experts believe
it could eventually reach two hundred billion dollars each and
every year.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
On this same one of disco, I.
Speaker 5 (06:29):
Can see so much Father, your Monosi, your Moses. I'm
a butterfly who is gonna be gone, taking me a
while to get it.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Had to live and cry to appreciate your life.
Speaker 5 (06:53):
And what do you give his word when you're holding
me here, when you hold me so close, someone better
and you skin want to leave them live so.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
That I can be so you remember what.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Welcome back and thank you for joining us here on
just say no, hey, before we jump into the garden
with our guests, I'm going to bring them on their backstage.
Let's take a moment to remember where we've been. Because
the path to legal cannabis it wasn't paved and pot
leaves and good vibes. For many baby boomers, cannabis wasn't
(07:35):
just controversial, it was criminal. We grew up under the
shadow of reefer madness with its fear based messaging and
cartoonish portrayals of cannabis turning teenagers into monsters. I don't
know that they need a cannabis for that, but anyway,
then came the war, then cave the warm drugs launched
(07:56):
by the Nixon administration in the seventies, which just portunately
targeted communities of color. They've fueled mass incarceration, and it
solidified this stigma surrounding this poor plant. But in spite
of it all, this plant survived behind closed doors, in
garage grow rooms and tucked inside record sleeves. Cannabis culture
(08:20):
lived on in headshops, in secret stashes and whispers passed
between friends. Fast forward to today, and boomers aren't just
revisiting cannabis. Let me tell you, they're redefining it. Many
are turning to cannabis for plant based relief from arthritis,
chronic pain, anxiety, and sleep disorders, trading in prescriptions for topicals, tinctures,
(08:42):
and low dose edibles. As noted in a recent Emerald
magazine article, Throughout history, cannabis has powered creativity, resilience, and
even royalthy. From warriors to wise elders, this plant has
always had a place, and that place it's now on
this ensory shelves, in self care routines, and yes, in
(09:04):
beautifully curated backyard gardens. Cannabis today is infused into everything
from skincare to sparkling beverages, and it's no longer just
about getting hot, it's about getting well. Boomers may have
entered cannabis culture through rebellion, but they're returning with purpose,
intention and a whole new vibe. And speaking of vibes,
(09:25):
let's bring in two women who are just phenomenal and
they're doing their part of this evolution. They're actively cultivating it.
So we're going to bring in We're going to be
talking with Penny Barthel, author of The Cannabis Gardener, and
(09:48):
Emily Gogel, founder of Growth from Home, for a grounded
and empowering look at how cannabis is changing from the
roots up. Oh hey, Emily, welcome, Welcome, say having us well,
(10:08):
thank you for being here. We've got so much to discuss.
So on the topic of fifty being the new four twenty,
maybe I'm gonna start with Emily. Emily, tell me what
your first memory of cannabis was.
Speaker 6 (10:25):
Yeah, that's great. I'll say.
Speaker 7 (10:27):
I come from California, super liberal family. Everything was discussed
and open, and as a consequence, in high school, my
experience with cannabis was like, I don't have time for that.
That is something my friends do after school and they
go hang out at Taco Bell and they are wasting
their time. I have the SATs to study for and
(10:50):
I don't want to have anything to do with that.
Speaker 6 (10:51):
You know.
Speaker 7 (10:52):
They're dopey, you know, and even though they are my friends,
and I think that attitude really came from seeing how
they use.
Speaker 6 (10:59):
Cannabis and also it not being this illicit thing. You know.
Speaker 7 (11:02):
It was talked about in my household along with other things,
and it was like not a big deal. It was
always be safe and be careful who you get into
a car with, you know, kind of thing. And that's
just how I viewed cannabis. That was kind of my
first experiences with the plant. So it really wasn't until
(11:22):
much later in life that I rediscovered it for cannabis
for what it can be in many different ways to
help people and to be part of their lives. So
I that was my first kind of introduction to cannabis.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
So how about you, Penny, do you you remember your
first memory of cannabis?
Speaker 4 (11:44):
Oh?
Speaker 8 (11:44):
I sure do. I mean, I was I'm a I'm
a gen xer and so for me, cannabis was something
that Teach and Shong did I thought it was hilarious,
but it was very foreign. I was in a pretty
straight laced home, and I knew about these you know,
intriguing people in junior high. In high school, we called
(12:05):
them stoners and they would go do stuff. They were
sort of, you know, exotic creatures in some respect. I
had some interaction with them, but not a whole lot.
I tried weed a little bit when I was in
high school, but that was sort of it for me,
and I got a you know, as I've come to
cannabis later on in life. It was like a very
different experience. I was really confused about why it was.
(12:29):
I had these ideas, but all throughout junior high highchool
in particular, Man that was just beginning the Reagan era
and the War on drugs was in full force, so
it was it really did a number on my on
my attitude about it. So I'm a little older than Emily,
and it was not an open discussion. It was just
(12:49):
something that other people did, and it was not a
good thing that they did.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
Exactly exactly. I'm a little older, yep, I'm a little
older than you guys, and I'm a recovering Catholic. So
none of this was on the table. And I remember
those Nixon era days and the Vietnam War protest and
(13:15):
a lot of the the making you a schedule one
in a felony h was convenient because then the hippiest
couldn't vote who were protesting the war, because if it's
a felony, you can't vote crazy crazy crazy. And it's interesting, though,
because your perspectives they shifted, and you know, you obviously
(13:38):
view it very differently now. So how do you see
cannabis differently now? And what challenges do you think older
adults who were indoctrinated with all this stigma face in
terms of accessing or understanding today's legal cannabis environment. And Penny,
(13:58):
I'd like to start with you and then bring Emily in.
Speaker 8 (14:02):
Yeah, of course. I mean this is the heart of
what I teach in with my classes at Wondering about weed.
Here in the Bay Area. A lot of adults enjoyed
cannabis when they were in high school or college in
the seventies and eighties, and it was fun and it
was just for pleasure. Now they're older, they might have
some health concerns or just they want to try it again,
(14:22):
but they don't know what to do because it changed
for them. It's come out of this war on drugs.
Everybody had the mental constract that cannabis is bad, it's
not something to do, but now they want to try it.
So the biggest thing, you know, when I was growing
up and those who are a little older than I,
(14:44):
we had a number done on us. We were told stories,
and the story was drugs are bad and cannabis is
a really bad drug. It's on Schedule one't It wasn't
an obvious story. No one actually said those words to me,
but I got the message it was not something good.
But now we're having to retrain ourselves with a new message.
(15:04):
As cannabis comes out of prohibition and there's these fabulous
stories called dispensaries. People have to sort of hold two
stories in their heads at the same time. One is
cannabis is a terrible drug and it's going to hurt you,
and the other is cannabis is a gentle herb and
it can really help you. So that's probably I think
the biggest challenge for older adults is getting rid of
(15:25):
the old story and writing a new story about this
plant in their heads. I know I had to do
that and My current journey in cannabis was really helping
a friend put some cannabis plants in her garden so
that she could help a friend of hers who had cancer.
And so it was sort of an interesting way for
me to re enter this world of cannabis. I'm glad
(15:47):
I did in that regard, and now I'm just I
fell headlong in love with this plant.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
And that's a very powerful why. And we're going to
get the workshops that you teach on growing. Do you
think growing your own helps with changing that narrative introducing
people to the plant backyard gardeners.
Speaker 8 (16:09):
Oh, for sure, because it recontextualizes the plant. The plant
itself tells its story to me. It says, look at me,
I'm not a dangerous, horrible drug that's going to mess
up your life. I'm a beautiful plant that grows in
your garden. And once you get to know the plant
for itself, and then you get to experience the benefits
from it. Oh, no one needs to tell you another thing.
(16:31):
The plant tells you its story. In that regard, It's
a wonderful way to learn about cannabis is to grow it.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
I'm going to bring Emily in on the topic of
growing it, because that is definitely her alli you introduced
it to me, Emily. I was fascinated when I met
you and knew you as a scientist. But then tell
us a little bit about your mission about I mean
(16:58):
kind of the why why should people grow it at home?
Speaker 6 (17:03):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (17:03):
Oh my gosh, Marie, there are so many reasons. I'll
just say the kind of why of my mission is
during my PhD, I helped build public parks and community gardens,
so I'm really an urban egg advocate, food access, public
green spaces kind of person. And then I moved and
started this cannabis farm, and folks from all over the
(17:24):
country were getting in touch with me saying, Hey, how
do I grow this plant? There's so much bad information
on the internet. Why is it so unlike gardening anything else?
And as a scientist and a backrod gardener and someone
who just wants to help people get access, I think
it's silly they don't have access. I was like, oh
my gosh, I have to help these people. So my
(17:46):
why and mission is really to help just people get
what they need. I listen to what they need, and
people needed seeds that were high quality and produced either
CBD orc or both, and that were quality garden plants,
you know, like when you grow a sand Marzano tomato
that you picked up at your local garden shop, when
you grow your afternoon punch cannabis plant, you want it
(18:09):
to be just as vigorous and healthy. So I started
getting people gardening as opposed to worrying about the information
on the internet and treating it practically like the plant
that it is that belongs in the garden. So that's
really my why. And it's just like gardening any other plant.
(18:31):
When it comes to the garden, when it comes to
the laws, it's a bit different. And when it comes
to how to fetch your body, it's similar to some
plants and different than others. But from a gardening perspective,
it's easier than putting in a tomato plant.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Well, I gotta tell you, your timing is perfect because we're
almost coming into twenty minutes on the shew and on
the top of the fifty being the new four twenty,
it'll be four twenty here in LA And at four twenty,
I like to drop a knowledge bomb. We're gonna take
time to have a little quick hit. So Emily, I'm
(19:05):
gonna ask you. Is it true? Someone said to me,
did you know? Did you know cannabis is a vegetable?
Is that true?
Speaker 7 (19:16):
I mean, I'm not like a food bought in a
special spot. Say, I mean, tear gone isn't a vegetable.
It's an herb. It's a flower, and it's a vegetable.
I guess you could say it's all three things. Right.
If you're cooking the leaves, you know, I know folks
that wrap dumplings in the leaves, that kind of makes
it a vegetable.
Speaker 6 (19:36):
I know folks use it as herbal medicine.
Speaker 7 (19:39):
You know, they're using it in their teas, They're using
it in topicals and oils, ingesting the flour itself and recipes.
Speaker 6 (19:47):
That's definitely an herb.
Speaker 7 (19:48):
And it's one hundred percent of beautiful or smoking it,
you know, it's an herb. And then one hundred percent
it's a beautiful flower. My grandmother not a recovering Catholic,
very much a Catholic, very conservative. I would after I
started my cannabis farm and she came to visit, She's like, Oh,
this smells so good. If I wore this to mass
(20:09):
like the priest would love its raspberry and you know
nectarines and oh I love the smell. Emily, could I
get one of these for my patio to smell at night.
Speaker 6 (20:22):
You know your grandmother.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
Was not far off because there are references dating back
to the Bible can of bossom, the Hebrew root caana
for cannabis, bossom for aromatic and some people, I think
grandmas know, wonder what's in that incense in the church.
Speaker 7 (20:44):
You know, it can be like many plants, a rose,
you know, like cannabis, has smell, has medicinal use, and
you can eat you can eat it, right, you know, cannabis.
You can eat it, you can smell, you can use
it medicinally. You can treat it like a vegetable, treat
it like an herb. And it's beautiful in your garden.
(21:06):
It's really so versatile. So I read, Yeah, gardening, it's
all about the gardening part of it.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
You know, it's all bad. And I love your toe bag.
It says you grow tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, and hamp and panty. Well,
where do you stand vegetable fruit herb? What is it?
Speaker 8 (21:24):
I'm going to call this a culinary herb. It is
also a medicinal herb. And believe it or not, it's
sort of a beautiful ornamental plant. I wouldn't call it
a vegetable because you don't eat it for nutrition per se,
but for health added. There's no calories in it. You're
not going to get sugars for any you know, anything
like that. But I'm going to call it a culinary herb,
(21:44):
and it's a medicinal herb. What there are other culinary
herbs or regulo time that have powerful medicinal properties. They
don't get you high, so we don't sometimes in our
own lexicon categorize them like that. I love to enjoy
eating cannabis. You got to remember that there's very low
levels of cannabinoids in the leaves. It's really in the
(22:06):
female flower buds. It's the only place you're going to
find the cannabinoids, whether they're in the acid form or not,
in the flower bud. But you know, here's a hot tip.
You can take those little tiny leaves and chop them
up real fine and a shiff a nod and throw
them on the top like a pasta dish with fish
small amounts. It's going to give it a nice, fresh,
(22:28):
slightly bitter herbal flavor and you will get some health
benefits from it from the raw or the acid form
of the cannabinoids, anti inflammatory, they're going to be pain managing.
It's great stuff.
Speaker 1 (22:39):
Now. A lot of our listeners who are curious about
it and new to cannabis, especially older adults, they remember
the really rich kind of skunk smell and some people
don't like that. So if you are having the raw
and do what you just suggested, does it have that
strong aroma.
Speaker 8 (22:56):
Nope, not at all. So here's another thing that happened
in the seventies. It was completely illegal, so we were
getting poor quality, old, oxidized, seedy, weedy lee cannabis that
wasn't fresh. It was burda, you know. So it's like
a very different plant when you grow it in your garden.
You've got these fabulous new cultivars. Emily's part of the
(23:19):
forefront of breeders who are breeding for excellence in both
scent and cannabinoids, and they're good, strong grain plants. It's
a very different plant altogether. It doesn't smell like skunk
at all in my garden. The fragrance that I usually
detected my cannabis is it smells like just fresh sometimes
like the ocean, like pine, like lemon, often like them
(23:41):
like strawberries or rose, and all of the scents sort
of mingle together. But there is that sharp, wonderful herbal
essence kind of undergirding to all cannabis, but there's not
a variety.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
Nice So when you talk about the quality and you
mentioned Emily, it's a perfect segue because Emily, I want
you to explain to everybody when we come back on
our consumer tips and insights about growing from home and
your farm. But we had a wonderful video clip and
(24:15):
I'd like to throw to it, so here we go.
Speaker 7 (24:21):
So grow it from Home provides commercial farmers across the
country with high CBD flower headplants commercially, and we offer
the same variety of hemp to you as a backyard
gardener as these.
Speaker 4 (24:33):
You are a commercial farmers, so you're.
Speaker 7 (24:35):
Getting the same tried and true, tested commercial variety headplants,
but you get to grow them at home as a
backyard gardener. So we've already put the years of research
and development into making nationally known it's called craft flower headplants,
and we're now making them available to you in your backyard,
just like if you were to buy an organic road broccoli.
Speaker 4 (24:58):
At your local Burphery store.
Speaker 7 (25:00):
These are organically grown us the organic Certified head plants,
so we're really proud to be part of that program.
Speaker 4 (25:06):
We try to be excellent stewards of our land.
Speaker 7 (25:09):
Were right on the Applegate River in southern Oregon, so
we're very aware of what we're.
Speaker 4 (25:14):
Putting into the ground and being good stewards.
Speaker 7 (25:16):
So we have very precise protocols for how to care
for these plants and steward them and the environment that
they're grown in so that they are produced organically. I've
always loved gardening, like mom was a little kid, I
girt with my mom as a part of my chores
as a kid in California and my mom's backyard, so
those on my earliest memories as a little kid, having
to pull the bits from underneath the growth bushes, and my.
Speaker 4 (25:39):
Mom maintained a big flower garden and vegetable garden.
Speaker 7 (25:43):
I just grew up being outdoors with her, and I
loved eating the fresh food and I loved being outside
with her and my sister gardening. And when I moved
to San Francisco and started grad school to my PhD
at the University of California, San Francisco.
Speaker 4 (25:57):
During my PhD, I had a great time.
Speaker 7 (26:00):
Building public parks and working with the neighborhood to create
these green spaces.
Speaker 4 (26:04):
And when I left San Francisco to come.
Speaker 7 (26:06):
Run my farm, I let everyone know why I was leaving,
and I have to say, all the little old ladies
in the garden were like, Wow, Emily, I never thought
you'd leave San Francisco to run a plot farm. But
tell me more about CBD and about cannabis. I'm really curious.
And I was just so surprised that everyone came up
to me after the announcement and wanted to talk to
(26:26):
me about this forbidden fruit. I left San Francisco to
start a commercial pet nursery and I've been working with
farmers for the last few years, and it wasn't until
last year I literally got calls for regular gardeners all
over the US that found me through my commercial website
asking me, Hey, could you send me plants that's okay?
Speaker 4 (26:45):
And I was just floored.
Speaker 7 (26:47):
I never thought I'd be able to work with backyard
gardeners again. And I love being able to help folks
with this plant. So when you receive your plants that
US Griganic furtified. You get a lab result that comes
with your plants showing that it's legally classified as hemp.
Speaker 4 (27:02):
That's part of our requirement actually for shipping plants.
Speaker 6 (27:05):
And you get a quick Start guide.
Speaker 7 (27:06):
So it's a beautiful one two three quick start guide
to help you get started with your plants. And we
encourage everyone to share their grow over the season with
us on Instagram and Facebook, and in order to come
out with better new varieties every year, we maintain a
research and development program on the farm, so we're all
about trialing, testing, really understanding how to improve the plant
(27:31):
for both commercial farmers and for backyard gardeners.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
And that is how we described growing from a home.
And I love the Quick Start Guide. It's you've got
to read Penny's book. There's no placing that the book
is phenomenal, but when you receive those plants, it's you know,
I'm one of those people want to have to put
kids toys together before on Christmas Eve. I don't want
(28:12):
to read the instructions. I want to read a whole book.
But you got to read the whole book to get
it right. But the Quick Start Guide, you go right
to the quick Start guide. She really really gets you
feeling confident and like, Okay, I could get this plant growing.
Bringing you guys back. You know, we've explored the why
behind cannabis garden and how so many seniors are are
(28:36):
are doing it and they're turning to him. So let's
dig into the house. So, whether you're starting with a
seed or a plant, or even just a sunny patio
and a little curiosity, I want you guys to give
us some trusted tips to help people grow with confidence.
So I think we can start with with Emily. Emily,
(29:01):
what should people look for when they're buying cannabis seeds
and plays?
Speaker 7 (29:06):
So yeah, so cannabis seeds. Don't be afraid of them. Okay,
don't be afraid everybody. Cannabis seeds. They're like sunflower seeds,
broccoli seeds, ratish seeds. Size wise, they're very similar. There's
a little diagram I just did for people in our classes.
There's so much misinformation on the internet. Start your cannabis
seeds just like your broccoli or your radish. Do not
(29:29):
follow the you know, no paper towels, no domes, no
heat mats, and we have all this information on our website.
So the first thing is follow good gardening practices. If
you're starting from seed, start them like you would any
other quality garden. Seeds and Pennies textbook, you know, I
call it textbook, but like it's our textbook for the class. Really,
I do really highly recommend Penny's book. It has such
(29:51):
fantastic information. It makes a great gift and it's just
it's practical gardening advice that is a little more cannabis specific,
but just a pl good gardening which is throughout Penny's book.
And you will grow fabulous plants. And then when it
comes you know, in terms of if you don't want
to start seeds, you're the kind of person that's like,
(30:12):
you know, I buy my plants at the local shop
and then I tuck them into the ground. That's totally
a possibility. You can order plants from us. I would say,
there are some caveats to where you order supplies, and
I can wet Penny chat about that. Our company just
works really hard to make sure that you're getting a
quality product that every year, you know, you grow our
(30:33):
afternoon Punch, you get Afternoon Punch and it is a vigorous,
super happy, easy to maintain, easy to harvest plants.
Speaker 6 (30:41):
So my main thing is like, don't be afraid.
Speaker 7 (30:44):
They are just seeds like all the other seeds you
can get at the garden shop. If you buy them
from us, they're gonna be quality, high germination rate, and
afternoon punch gives you afternoon punch every time, which is
a problem in the cannabis industry in terms of quality.
So we feel I feel very lucky can bring quality
stuff to gardeners. The same expectations I have when I
buy sand Marzona tomato seeds I have for my cannabis
(31:07):
seeds too, and I think everyone should. And they're easier tomatoes.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
I love that you call them san Manzano tomatoes because
in my Italian household, we just call them gravy tomatoes,
and we call it gravy, not sauce, because we're Italian
East Coast. But yeah, turning to you, Penny, can you
talk to us about giving some tips about how to
find reputable sources and talk a little bit about, you know,
(31:35):
tips for older adults or first time gardeners in terms
of container gardening. You know, soil blends water light, so.
Speaker 8 (31:47):
Easy to let me just say this. My book is
essentially a garden book, but it's a garden book about
one plant. But here's if you want to be the
best gardener you can, here's all you need to know.
As a garden You've got one job to do. Give
the plant what it needs. That's your whole job. Now,
what Emily and I talk about a lot is well,
(32:08):
what does this plant need?
Speaker 1 (32:10):
Right?
Speaker 8 (32:10):
That's most of what my book is, or half of
it anyway. So what a cannabis is is a tall
summer growing annual. It goes from a seed to a
very and within a couple of months. So you need
to give it number one full sun. You want to
give it big, rich soil, So you're going to want
(32:30):
to use the best quality soil. If you're going to
put it into a container. You can do that in
a raise bed or in ground, but nice quality soil
that has a lot of nitrogen in it, full sun,
and then just keep it watered. That's kind of all
you need to know. So if you are interested in
growing cannabis, you don't need a yard. It's great if
(32:50):
you have one, but you don't have to have one.
You can grow in a container. So, especially for people
who have limited space or they're not used to lifting
heavy things, no problem. You want a fifteen gallon container.
Grow bag is great ones with handles. And then you're
going to want to use the best quality soil you
can It's called Recipe four twenty is my favorite to use.
(33:13):
It's by eb Stone. It's readily available. But if you
can't find that, no problem. Go to your local nursery
and they're going to tell you the right soil to
put into your grow bag. You plant a plant in it. Now,
a plant that is strong and well grown and well
bred seeds is going to make your gardening the easiest
that you can that you can do. So you start
(33:34):
with great genetics because that will determine a lot about
not just what's in the resin at the end of
the year, but the end of the season, but how
strong that plant is going to be, how disease resistant
it's going to be. I don't recommend growing from clones
or rooted cuttings because they have a couple of limitations
with them, So I always recommend growing from seed. It's
super easy. Like Emily said, when you're if you're going
(33:58):
to grow in a garden, a lot of older people
know how to garden good. You are ahead of the
game if you've gardened, if you've grown a tomato, grown
a vegetable garden. Easy, it's it's just like growing that.
But you need to make sure you get your cannabis space.
So imagine us three foot white circle around that plant.
That's how much space you're going to need to give it.
And my hot tip for growing in ground is to
(34:20):
add compost about a week or two before you actually
plant the plant. Super hot tip worm castings. You want
to add worm castings or well composted chicken or rabbit
or steer manure. It's going to give your plant all
that it needs to grow really well throughout the season.
Speaker 6 (34:42):
Yeah, my totally, Penny.
Speaker 7 (34:44):
You are kamboo spond We teach these classes together and
it's again everything said Pitt.
Speaker 6 (34:48):
It's gardening.
Speaker 7 (34:49):
So whether you're one hundred years old or twenty years old, you.
Speaker 6 (34:52):
Can grow this plant.
Speaker 7 (34:54):
It's so amenable in a container petite ten fifteen gallons or.
Speaker 6 (34:58):
You want to go in the ground. It's what works
for you.
Speaker 7 (35:02):
Okay, there is no limit on your enjoyment in a
sense of this plant. Don't let people tell you, oh
you're too young, too old, too big, too small.
Speaker 6 (35:12):
This and that.
Speaker 7 (35:13):
About growing about growing cannabis, it is really not fickle.
Speaker 1 (35:17):
And you know, the seeds go a long way. I
was I was shocked. I didn't believe you. Emily. You
gave me a consumer insight and tip and some Maria,
you only have the plant one or two, you're gonna
be the zucchimi lady. Your you know, giving it away
to all your neighbors.
Speaker 7 (35:36):
Oh my god, I had a bag with me. I
should have brought a bag over here. You know you're
gonna get full disclosure with my home garden. I am
a neglectful, benign neglect kind of gardener.
Speaker 6 (35:50):
And having now worked.
Speaker 7 (35:52):
For years with folks across the country that are somewhat
benign neglect gardeners as well, I can say with data
pound a pound and a half of dried flower, I
mean you become, yeah, the zucchini lady, because you have
a pound.
Speaker 6 (36:05):
It is like a pound, a massive amount of flour.
Speaker 7 (36:08):
You will never you know, you buy grams, you know,
ounces at your dispensary. You're now getting pounds of the stuff.
So one plant is for like your whole family, you know,
like it's like an entire bounty.
Speaker 1 (36:22):
I was shocked, at the I was shocked at the mouth.
Speaker 6 (36:25):
Yeah, no special stuff, no baby sitting this.
Speaker 9 (36:28):
Plant, no elite, extreme genetics, no pro setup, no optimal environment, batguano,
sunlight by the moon. Whatever I mean it is put
the plant in the ground with the the nutrients.
Speaker 6 (36:45):
You went for a.
Speaker 7 (36:45):
Tomato at the right time of the year and you
walk away.
Speaker 1 (36:51):
Yeah, what Patty said, just give it what it needs.
Now we're not that mouthing the the art and the
science to it, but that's where these ladies have done
that for us. So now you get it delivered to
your door. And for the consumer insights and tips and
for more of those, they offer workshops. So can you
(37:14):
tell us a little bit about the workshops that you give.
And I believe Emily that you even during the season,
the growing season and f four twenty, you've got a
lot of exciting things that additional events that you do
in Los Angeles. So tell us a little bit about
(37:34):
the workshops where you give them, I know in the
Bay area, in the southern Cali area. Tell us a
little bit about those.
Speaker 6 (37:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (37:41):
So they're sponsored by the USDA, and in giving these
workshops with Penny over the last two years now we've
really come to appreciate there's this sort of community celebration
of cannabis that we want to help organize. So in
addition to our gardening workshops and medicinal herb workshops and
DIY edibles classes, we are kind of helping organized Cannabis
Week and the ideas it's an exploration of the plant.
(38:03):
You know, you can go to an event and you
can you know, pick up seeds and get gardening like
that's very fun.
Speaker 6 (38:10):
But you can also maybe go to a.
Speaker 7 (38:12):
Plant friendly yoga event. Or we're having a pet parade
and wellness market at Benny Boy Brewing on four to
twenty week and on Sunday, and it's about celebrating wellness
and pets getting access to CBD for their various conditions
that are veterinarian improved in a very practical, information based
(38:34):
way that sort of helps destigmatize it. So we're gonna
have a big pet parade at a brewery and have
wellness practitioners there, answering questions about physical therapy and massage,
and have lots of giveaways. So it doesn't have to
be this in the closet thing. It doesn't have to
be in this dispensary thing.
Speaker 6 (38:53):
It doesn't have to be.
Speaker 7 (38:54):
Let's just get really stoned and listen to music or
you know, like I mean, parties are great, but like
the ideas that people are using it and celebrating the
plant in soy different ways, and we're through our workshops
learning about all these ways and we're just trying to
help people get access. So we've got go to Cannabis
Week dot org. There's a bazillion events that are listed.
So if you know you're not into high yoga, but
(39:16):
you're into pottery or you're into the pet parade, you know,
there's lots of different things to do. There's a big
comedy night, like it's just there's so many things.
Speaker 1 (39:28):
And that'll be on Sunday at for five at Benny's
Brewery in Los Angeles, Penny Boy Brewing, and you can
meet Emily. Now to meet Penny, Penny, tell us a
little bit about the workshops that you and Emily give
throughout the year and where they are and.
Speaker 8 (39:52):
Emily and I. So when Emily and I teach, we
realize that we're both gardeners, and where do gardeners go
to get stuff? While they go to nurseries? But until
Emily and I put a couple of intellectual things together
and spoke with one nursery here in the Bay Area.
We convince them to let us come and give a
(40:12):
class on how to grow cannabis in the garden. It's
in the Bay Area, so people were already doing so,
and they knew that, but they also were able to
sell Emily's seeds in the nursery. So Emily and I
have been starting with one and now dozens, twenties, twenty
five nurseries. We go to local nurseries and we show up.
(40:33):
We teach everyday gardeners in a nursery setting how to
grow cannabis in the garden. We talk about containers, raise
beds in ground, how to grow, when to grow, at
how tall it grows, how to manage the very few
pests that it might give. People are able to learn,
they're able to buy the soil amendment that they need,
the bags, and most importantly, for the first time ever,
(40:57):
Emily and I are able to sell her fine quality
the seeds in a nursery. Before Emily and I put
these two pieces together, people gardeners would go to a
nursery to buy everything else, and they'd have to go
to a dispens or or an online resource to get seeds.
So we teach in nurseries, which is exactly where we
should be teaching. We've had to tell a lot of
new stories though about this plant. There's a lot of
(41:19):
hesitation in the somewhat conservative nursery world about letting us
come in and teach about this plant. But we've gotten
overwhelmingly positive reception. We've had up to maybe fifty people
at a nursery there. We taught a class two weekends ago.
We've got weekends coming up and this will be teaching
in San Francisco, throughout the Bay Area, and back in
(41:41):
Los Angeles again. And then here's the cool part. It
doesn't end with growing because Harvest has a whole other
section of classes in the Los Angeles area, in the
Bay Area, and you know, our goal is to make
this available throughout the nation. Wouldn't it be cool if
we could get this throughout the entire nation. We got
to get people growing this garden, maybe this plant in
(42:02):
the garden, and then they're gonna go, wait, this isn't
a scary plant. Those those stories that I was told
really weren't very true, and I think that we're gonna
snowball in the right direction if we can convince people
to grow this plant in the garden and then they
use it. And then, by the way, come holiday gift time,
you're gonna be the most popular gift giver in your
(42:23):
whole community. It is the best thing you could possibly
you can trade for somebody who's got lemons. Well, guess
what you've got. You've got hot quality home grow.
Speaker 1 (42:33):
And and and Penny and Emily. We'll start with Penny.
What do you do with this quality homegrown? What are
some of the things you make with it? And how
do you use it? And Emily, and then we'll come
to you because I know that you've got you have
a great dog treat recipe to add some of the flour,
(42:56):
and we even did a video of that. But Henny,
what are some of the ways you use it in Yeah, I.
Speaker 8 (43:02):
Teach this through another company that I co found, it
called Wondering about Weed. We're all about teaching grown ups
how to use cannabis and to enjoy it. So I
like to say that I use cannabis all day long,
and I'm rarely stoned. Now let me elaborate that a little.
Speaker 1 (43:17):
Bit So have you have you at cannabis today?
Speaker 6 (43:19):
Yes?
Speaker 8 (43:20):
Every morning to me too. Wow, you don't look stone.
It's as I'm not. Let me tell you. One of
the cheap things I do with it is that I
make a pincture. Is just it's just moving the good
stuff in the flower on the cannabis in altcohol and
(43:42):
then you can take it. So every morning I could
take a raw tincture that has both th HC A
and CBDA in it. So that's the first thing I do,
and I'm often just put the role leaved in the water.
Speaker 1 (43:55):
You infuse the water yourself.
Speaker 8 (43:57):
The raw cannabis flower bud flower, bud flower butt in
alcohol a high alcohol. And this is where my book
has more about gardening. It also tells you how to
make three key extractions. The first one is in an
alcohol based tincture. Super important. You can precisely dose it.
(44:20):
It's available at all times. Second, my second way that
I use cannabis daily is in a salve. Now, a
salve is a place where it's just a fat based topical.
That's my own magic salve, and I throw a whole
bunch of cannabinized in it. In this case, I'm using
THHC and CBD, but in a whole, full spectrum RSO
(44:43):
or cannabis concentrate. It just works magic. And again the
cannabinitized do not get into the blood system, they don't
make it to my brain. It's incredibly helpful at help
at localized pain and inflammation. And then I also make
cannabis oil. I'll often put this in little chocolates that
I'll eat at night to help me go to sleep. Whatever.
(45:05):
And then the last thing you can do with the
inhale it. So I like instead of rolling a joint,
I like using a whole flower vape. My favorite is
made by Mighty Plus. It's a Mighty Plus by stores
and Buckle, but there and Packs makes them as well.
So there's all sorts of stuff you can do with it.
You can bake with it, you can put it in drinks,
you can make little treats and enjoy it as you need.
(45:28):
So I'm in charge of the plant after it gives
me what it so generously offers.
Speaker 1 (45:33):
So, l Emily, what are some of the uses you
use it for? Personally?
Speaker 7 (45:39):
Personally, I would say everyone in my life requires the
CBD salve from Penny's book.
Speaker 6 (45:45):
I have to make that.
Speaker 7 (45:46):
In very large quantity for everyone from twenty year olds
in my family running marathons to ninety three year old
my grandma with arthritis. So the CBD salve and then
now mixing in some tea C with the SAB to
help people with additional pain. Leaf is the most frequently
made product in my house from the plant. So personally,
(46:11):
I use THC to sleep. It helps me with my
inflammation and pain. And I found that for me THHC A,
So the raw form of or the it's the raw form,
let's just call it. That of THC in the plant
actually for use during the day really helps with my energy,
(46:32):
my inflammation, and my pain. So it actually kind of
gives me an up when I when I use THC
A personally. So that's kind of how I use it
and the way I like to consume it. I have
very damaged lungs from from cancer basically, and I like
an edible.
Speaker 6 (46:48):
You know.
Speaker 7 (46:48):
I've been making these little mints in classes now I'm
teaching these classes, and the classes started because everyone in
my life now also wants the MITS. So it's the
CBD sab and now it's the MITS and you can
make the mint using the tincture formulas and pennies book
to do a THHCA mint, a CBD mint, or a
THHC mint, so you can make all the different kinds. Yeah,
(47:10):
and once you have the tincture, you just go from there.
And now that I can make these mints for folks.
Now everyone in my life wants the mince. So I'm
like a candy manufacturer in my kitchen. And now we're
teaching classes on it too, because it turns out I
talk to our gardeners about it and they're like, oh,
I want to make the mints too, So now we're
teaching people how to make these little candies that are
(47:31):
so portable, very low dose, and who doesn't like a
little mint in the car, you know, and they're on
their way somewhere. It like freshens your breath, it's nice.
And they can be very low dose whichever cannabinoid you want,
you know, and they're easy to make and require very
little equipment. So those are really my top go toos.
I don't, like I said, I can't smoke. It doesn't
(47:52):
work for my lungs, So that's why I take it
and supply everyone to make with sav And now candies basically.
Speaker 1 (48:00):
Yes, and if you can't smoke well, Penny talked about
the dry Herb vaporizer. We have them at Greenbee live
By stores and Bickl stores and bikel is one of
the premier great brand and a dryer vaporizer if you're
gonna go that route. But thank you for sharing that
(48:21):
with us. I'm i'm, i'm, I'm just so inspired that
you are a cancer survivor and I knew you before
I knew you. Laughter, And you haven't missed the beat,
my friend though.
Speaker 6 (48:36):
Thanks Marian, I'll say.
Speaker 7 (48:38):
And I was even you know, even you know, even
as a pot farmer, you know, myself and coming from
a very liberal houseld like we talked about this episode,
you know, I was very hesitant to start personally using cannabis.
Speaker 8 (48:51):
I thought, oh, I don't need this and I'll.
Speaker 7 (48:53):
Be fine, and oh, I see it has these health benefits,
but I'm okay. And then once I kind of let
myself the plant and learn what worked for me, I
was like wow, and it really even for me not
having the stigma talking to gardeners who were coming to
me saying, hey, I want to grow this plant because
(49:14):
I want to get high, or I need to treat
my crone's.
Speaker 6 (49:16):
Disease, you know, for whatever the reasons were.
Speaker 7 (49:18):
And I just kept getting story after story after story
from these folks across the country, of all different ages.
Like I said, you know, from twenty to one hundred
people want to use this plant for different reasons once
they feel they can, and then it's affordable and accessible.
So I think it was really even just doing my
work and seeing how much it helped so many people
that I kind of let myself get helped by the
(49:40):
plant as well. So you know, don't think it doesn't
have to be a big deal, and you're not alone.
If you look at the pictures on our Instagram, you
know the classes that Pain and I teach people of
all ages, all backgrounds, using it for all different reasons.
(50:01):
So don't feel like you're alone in this or that
you have to take it a certain way or.
Speaker 8 (50:08):
It should be easy for you.
Speaker 7 (50:10):
You know, it wasn't easy for me to start using
cannabis medicinally. So there's a big community of people you
don't even know about that now Penny and I know
about because we chat with them. You know, it's totally your
Presbyterian Church Bridge Club ladies, you know, like there are
people in your life that you don't even know that
are benefiting from cannabis in their life, whether it's you know,
(50:33):
medicinal or recreational, however you want to call it. So
it don't feel alone. It doesn't have to be this big,
this big thing.
Speaker 1 (50:39):
And that's why going to your workshops are so empowering.
I mean, they're limited to California at this point in time,
but what I was thrilled to hear was that you're
doing them online as well, opening them up so you
have them online as well. So right, so people can
visit grow it from Home dot com. It's grow it
from Home dot com or Pennybarthel dot com, Forward Slash
(51:05):
Events Penny p e n n Y barth l b
A r t h e l dot com. Now all
of this information is going to be on our show page.
So we've got so many resources to provide from from
both of you, because you're both prolific and uh you
put out wonderful, wonderful, wonderful information and content and you're empowering.
(51:31):
And we're coming up to the five minute warning on
this show, and I'm telling you, we could have gone
on and on and on. I really want to have
both of you back. We could do a whole hour
spotlighting your products. Penny, your book, The Cannabis Gardner. It's
available on Amazon, Pennybarthel dot com, Emily grow it from home,
(51:59):
your seeds, your plants. You have other wonderful, wonderful products
on there.
Speaker 7 (52:05):
You know. The other thing too, we cover We've talked
a lot about gardening and DIY and how empowering it
is to take control of kind of the plant for
economic reasons, health reasons.
Speaker 8 (52:16):
We'll say too.
Speaker 6 (52:17):
You don't have to do it all.
Speaker 7 (52:19):
You know, if you don't want to start seeds, order plants,
if you want to first try topicals with CBD, order
some sav flower you know from our website and make
your own sav or. You know, get Pennies book as
a primer. You don't have to cook every recipe in
the book. That's okay. I haven't I cooked every recipe
(52:40):
in your book, Penny, A full disclosure, I need to.
I have it, okay, So even if you don't cook
every recipe in the book, get the book, read through it.
You know, if you're more comfortable starting off purchasing something
and having that be kind of your entry point.
Speaker 8 (52:54):
It's okay.
Speaker 7 (52:55):
You don't have to do it all everybody, you know,
we're just trying to give you the RULs. Whether you
want to start from a seed a plant, or buy
flower or just come to a workshop and make with us,
it's okay.
Speaker 4 (53:09):
That's the point everything.
Speaker 1 (53:12):
And you can grow it purely as a conversation starter.
You don't even have to son.
Speaker 6 (53:17):
You have so many gardeners.
Speaker 7 (53:19):
That's the other funny thing I learned recently. So many
people we work with don't grow for themselves. They grow
because it's a cool plant, because they can and it's
been illegal, or because they have a friend, a neighbor.
Speaker 6 (53:34):
Somebody else that they want to gift it to. They
don't even use it themselves, or they need it for
their dogs.
Speaker 4 (53:39):
They make treats for their dog like it has They
do not require it personally.
Speaker 6 (53:44):
But they want to grow it and give it.
Speaker 8 (53:46):
As a as a bountiful thing. And that's how I
got my start is growing. It's exactly that is that
I helped a friend grow it for her friend who
had cancer. We had hilariously bad luck that year, but
dill cannabis is resilient, and I do have friends who
just like growing the herb. They don't really use it
A whole lot. Is I that cannabis creates community. It
(54:09):
is a plant that's so generous that if you grow
one plant, maybe your friend grows a different type you
can trade. You can then maybe you're a really great cook,
and so you can get into your kitchen and you
can make a tincture or something like that you can trade.
I've got a friend who I make little custom ghost
chocolates for him, and he's a wine collector, so he
(54:31):
offers me wine. We trade. It's just I love how
it creates community and we share from each other. There
is never a class that Emily and I teach where
I don't learn something from the people who come. How
are you using it? Why do you care? There is
a woman who came while she had had a traumatic
brain injury, three of them. In fact, it was helping her.
(54:52):
Another one helping her get back into life with CBB
and the anti inflammatory effects. There people with the central
tremor disorder, people who have skin rashes Exama. A person
came to like, I cannot wait to make this into
a sav for my skin, which I have to wait
until the fall. After it's drive and I said, no,
(55:13):
buy some of Emily's fine quality CBD flower. It's a
huge bargain compared to buying stabs or buying United dispensary.
So there's just tons of flexibility, yep.
Speaker 1 (55:25):
And it's it's quality. They always say, make it when
it comes back to the Italian Sunday gravy, make it
progress or make it yourself, make it from Emily, grow
it from home, growing yourself. But guys, we're gonna have
to wrap. I'm gonna have you back, you know, as
we wrap up today's show. You know, fifty is the
(55:47):
new four to twenty. And by the way, I've been
to your workshops and I'm so impressed. I mean, I
there's more senior citizens there. I would say at least
the ones I Attendant than the Nansen citizens. But we've
taken quite the journey. You know, we've looked back at
a time when cannabis you couldn't even say it. You
(56:08):
had to use code four twenty. It was shared in secret.
You know, there was stigma was the rule, not the exception.
And you know, we've reflected on a generation that helped
shape the counter culture and now the returning to cannabis,
not to really we lived the past, but to reclaim,
(56:29):
as I said, the wellness, the connection and the clarity
and plants evolved to something you know you could proudly
plant it, cultivate it and share it. If you're in
a state that's legal. Got to check down to your county.
That's another show. But whether it's in your garden, your gummies,
(56:50):
or your your gratitude practice. And now I want to
hear from you, I want to hear from the listeners.
I want to know what four twenty What does that
mean to you today? And is it a memory? Is
it a turning point? Is it a ritual? Tag us
on social media, share your stories or drop a comment
(57:11):
on the episode page at greenbey life dot com, forward slast,
just say no and you'll find today's resources there, including
links to Penny's book, The Cannabis Gardener, Emily's Growed from
Home links, She's got top shelf, premium lab tested really
real equality products. And there's on our site a full
(57:34):
library of educational content, curated tools, and cannabis and insights.
So whether you're here to grow, to learn, to consume,
or to share, greenbey Life is your hive for cannabis
clarity and community, because cannabis it isn't about getting high,
it's about getting well, being informed and living fully. And
(57:58):
here I just say no, We're Riosity is queen. We'll
always keep it real and relevant and rooted in truth. Ladies,
I hope you will come back. This has been just
fantastic everybody. If you're in the Los Angeles area on
four to twenty, be sure to go down to Emily.
(58:19):
It's called Benny's.
Speaker 6 (58:21):
Brewery, Benny Boy Brewing.
Speaker 7 (58:24):
Really check out Cannabisweek dot org. So Cannabis Week dot
org and that's where all the events are at. There's
a ton of events that are happening. The Benny Boy
Brewing event is my personal favorite because I'm going to
get to run a dog parade and hand out CBD.
Speaker 6 (58:40):
I just went out. They're called chill Paccinos.
Speaker 7 (58:44):
Or something like little CBD puppcinos, like from Starbucks.
Speaker 4 (58:47):
They're gonna bring them to hand out and that's.
Speaker 1 (58:50):
My Yes, Starbucks does that.
Speaker 7 (58:55):
Dog, So like that's my personal favorite. But there's like yoga,
there's a comedy night, there's intentional soundbathwork, like pottery. I mean,
it's just soweek dot org. Find your flavor of fun,
lots of it.
Speaker 1 (59:08):
Time, all right, and people can find that on Growing
from Home dot com as well on your events. Okay,
all right, guys, thank you so much. I look forward
to having you back. Everybody, happy, healthy, safe, four twenty
that's also my birthday. But that's another episode that I put.
(59:30):
The five in the fifty is the new four twenty.
It's really sixtys taking it out. Just Say No is
a greenbee Life presentation, airing live weekly on Friday afternoons
from four to five pm Pacific on kca Radio and
(59:52):
KCAA TV. Archived'io episodes are on greenbeelfe, greenbelife dot com, com, iHeartRadio, Spreaker,
and most third party major platforms. For archived videos, check
them out on
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Are You A Charlotte?
In 1997, actress Kristin Davis’ life was forever changed when she took on the role of Charlotte York in Sex and the City. As we watched Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte navigate relationships in NYC, the show helped push once unacceptable conversation topics out of the shadows and altered the narrative around women and sex. We all saw ourselves in them as they searched for fulfillment in life, sex and friendships. Now, Kristin Davis wants to connect with you, the fans, and share untold stories and all the behind the scenes. Together, with Kristin and special guests, what will begin with Sex and the City will evolve into talks about themes that are still so relevant today. "Are you a Charlotte?" is much more than just rewatching this beloved show, it brings the past and the present together as we talk with heart, humor and of course some optimism.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.