Montel chats with Steven Jung on this episode of Let’s Be Blunt. Steven began his career as a Captain in the United States Army where he held both strategic and tactical roles. He has served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Weedmaps, the leading tech company serving the canna industry, and prior to that he worked at Twitter where he was a member of the leadership team responsible for scaling the company’s revenue operation. He holds a BS in Economics from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an MBA from Columbia Business School. He is now the Chief Operating Officer at PAX and heading up their Veterans Initiative in partnership with Weed for Warriors.
Montel talks with Jeremy Smith on this episode of Let’s Be Blunt. Jeremy had a near death experience after medication he was prescribed caused blood clots to form in his neck. Lucky for him he was working in a hospital at the time or he would not be here today to tell his story. He suffers from Crohn’s disease and Eosinophilic Esophagitis. After he started using medical canna, he was able to decrease his opioid use from 14 a day down to 1-3 per day. He has since founded Les Munchies Inc and is on a mission to change the canna laws in Canada.
STATE BY STATE MEDICAL CANNA REPORT | DEBBIE CHURGAI
On this episode of Let’s Be Blunt, Montel talks with the Executive Director of Americans for Safe Access, Debbie Churgai, about the newly released “2021 State of the States Report: An Analysis of Medical Cannabis Access in the United States”. The report is compiled by Americans for Safe Access, the nations largest medical cannabis patient organization. Although we have made great progress in the past several years at the state level regarding patient access to cannabis, there is much room for improvement which the report details.
WHAT PHSYICIANS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CANNA | COREY BURCHMAN, M.D.
On this episode of Let’s be Blunt, Montel speaks with Dr Corey Burchman. Dr Burchman received his undergraduate education at Cornell University, his medical degree at the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and his residency and fellowship training at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He is a nationally recognized expert on clinical cannabinoid therapeutics and has chaired multiple national and international conferences on the use of medical cannabis for therapeutic purposes. He is an anesthesiologist and pain management physician, having been in military, private and academic practice for over 35 years, and is also the Chief Medical Officer for Acreage Holdings.
Montel talks with Danielle Simone on this epsiode of Let’s Be Blunt. Danielle is a canna-mom working to destigmatize cannabis use, particularly for mothers. A few years ago she wouldn’t have self-described as a “weed mom” but she’s found her sparkle in writing about cannabis to inform, uplift, and occasionally challenge her readers while helping push the conversation forward. She is a freelance writer and the author of Weed Mom: The Canna-Curious Woman’s Guide to Healthier Relaxation, Happier Parenting, and Chilling TF Out. Her articles have appeared in numerous publications including New York Times, The Week, Civilized, Vice, Double Blind, What’s Up Moms, and Scary Mommy. She holds a BA from Dartmouth College and an MA from American University.
On this episode of Let’s Be Blunt, Montel speaks with Valentina Valentine, owner of Synchronicity Holistic, an elevated dispensary catering to senior women. Valentina was a successful commercial real estate agent and mother when a medical diagnosis forever changed her life. In 1989, after suffering from symptoms that were first thought to be a brain tumor, she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. She refused to let the diagnosis define her and set about to learn everything she could about the disease and treatment options.
On this episode of Let’s Be Blunt, Montel talks with Niambe McIntosh, daughter of the legendary Reggae artist Peter Tosh. Niambe has a background in engineering and public education, and has now turned her focus full time to cannabis activism. A true renaissance woman, she serves many roles including the head of the Peter Tosh Legacy & Brand, Managing Member of Tosh Holdings LLC, Board Chairperson for the Peter Tosh Foundation and President of PT Capital LLC. Her family has a long history of activism that she carries forward. She lost her brother Jawara due to a brutal attack while serving time for a minor cannabis offense. She collaborates with several organizations such as The Last Prisoner Project and Minorities for Medical Marijuana in hope of ending the suffering brought about by cannabis prohibition.
On this episode of Let’s Be Blunt, Montel talks with the lead vocalist and one of the founding members of the legendary hip hop group Cypress Hill, B-Real.
Cyprus Hill was the first hip-hop group to have multi-platinum and platinum albums, having sold over 20 million albums worldwide and garnering critical acclaim for their first five albums. All of the group members have advocated for medical and recreational use of canna for many years. B-real is the owner and founder of Dr. Greenthumb, a chain of canna dispensaries in California, and the host of a canna-themed podcast under the same moniker.
Four activist entrepreneurs thought there should be a consistent way consumers could trust their cannabis and cultivators could improve their products. The idea: develop testing and certification standards that could be built into the cannabis production process, at scale. On this episode of Let’s Be Blunt, Montel talks with two of the founders of SC Labs, Jeff Gray, and Josh Wurzer. In 2010 they opened SC (Science of Cannabis) Labs in Capitola, California along with two other partners and developed the industry’s first testing standards. These guidelines are now widely adopted by the cannabis community, regulators, governments, and many organizations. As the industry transforms, they continue to support standards — helping clients meet new challenges, and advocating for common-sense regulation.
On this episode of Let’s Be Bunt, Montel talks with a cancer survivor, Christy, and her caretaker Kelly. Christy was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and given a prognosis of three to five years to live. She underwent traditional cancer treatment for years, only to have the cancer return time after time until the treatments stopped working altogether. She decided to try cannabis as a last resort even though it is not legal in her home state. Her doctors are amazed and told her to keep doing whatever it is she is doing, as her cancer hasn’t progressed. She credits canna with her ability to leave hospice and move back home and continue to lead a productive life while keeping her cancer at bay.
Over the past two decades, Montel Williams has been among the cannabis reform movement’s most prominent advocates having become a medical cannabis patient after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999. Along the way, Williams has taken an active role in legalization battles in almost every state where legalization has succeeded in states such as Pennsylvania, Arkansas, New York, Florida, New Jersey, Connecticut and his home state of Maryland. Williams has also spent two decades interviewing a wide variety of stakeholders in the movement. His keynote will draw from his personal journey and the expertise he’s accumulated along the way as he talks about the work ahead for the industry and the future of the cannabis reform movement.
On-Location in Denver Montel catches up with his friend Redman while they are both in Denver, CO for 420 celebrations. Redman talks about the song he dropped on 4/20 titled “Jane”, the latest on The NCP, and his new role on The Dab Roast.
Canna tourism is on the rise globally. A 2020 report found that 29% of ALL active leisure travelers want to partake in canna-related activities on vacation! Montel talks with Chris Chiari on this episode of Let’s Be Blunt. Chris is the founder and president of The 420 Hotels. He is a canna advocate, investor and film producer. He is the owner and operator of the historic Patterson Inn in Denver, CO. He currently serves as the deputy director of the Colorado Branch of NORML and the president of the American Millennium Investment Corporation.
On this episode of Let’s Be Blunt, Montel sits down with Nathaniel Janowitz. As a journalist for VICE magazine, Nathaniel shares his first-hand experience with “Brick Weed” from Paraguay. Referred to as the “world’s worst weed”, this chemical-ridden canna can leave you feeling nauseous. Despite this, this canna is sold all around South America at cheap prices. Montel and Nathaniel discuss the current situation in Paraguay and what the future of the canna market could look like if nothing changes.
On this episode of Let’s Be Blunt, Montel speaks with Leah Heise, former government attorney whose life was changed after being diagnosed with pancreatitis. After being told by doctors that there was no cure, she retired from her job and started a high-level opiate regimen to ease her pain. However, after turning to canna in hopes of a healthier alternative, she never looked back. Leah has since committed her time and efforts to helping others in a similar situation and is now working in the canna industry.
On this episode of Let’s Be Blunt, Montel welcomes Dispense King and Dispense Queen. King and Queen are a couple who have both personally found relief through canna and are working to educate others through their business platform. They created their own canna edible and wellness brand named “Dispense Throne”. The Dispense Throne is now on a mission to be the first fully black-owned dispensary in Baltimore.
On-Location Long Beach, California
On this episode of Let’s Be Blunt, Montel talks with Heather Manus, a registered nurse that specializes in medical canna care. Heather is a founding member of Canna Nurses Network, which is comprised of over 3,000 nurses. Heather works in training new nurses for the organization and expanding their influence. In this episode, Heather shares how she started off as a nurse, as well as what led her to holistic medicine and working with canna.
