Cannabis Science Podcast

In this episode we take a deep dive into some of the most fascinating aspects of cannabis that not even I had heard of before. We sit down with Dr. Alex Guenther and Dr. William Vizuete of Pacific Environmetal Analytics, to explore the increadible role plants play within our complex atmosphere. But most importantly, how within the entire plant kingdom Cannabis stands out as a particulalry unique and valuable species.

Cannabis Science Podcast is deeply influenced by radio and music. What better way to blend these two things together than to have some Bonus music from our very own DJ Paperwave and Brentwoods with one of their new tracks calle Lo-Fi Juke. Enjoy!Additional resources and informationhttp://www.cannabisconciencia.orghttp://www.coopradio.orgMusic by Brentwoods x Paperwave

As humans, we need certain temperatures and humidity levels in our environment for our bodies to be at their best, and Cannabis Sativa is no different. When conditions drift outside these ranges, bad things usually start happening. For today’s episode we wanted to invite an engineer and expert in heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, and dehumidification to help us better understand all this. Roberto Battiston, Chief Technology Officer for Inspire Transpiration Solutions, explains how ideal temperature, moisture, and technology interact to help plants stay healthy and thrive. Tune in to learn more one of the industry’s best kept secrets for happy and healthy plants!Additional information and references:https://cannabisconciencia.org/http://www.coopradio.org/

Throughout North America’s heartland, farmers are once again turning to hemp cultivation as a cash crop. To improve overall crop quality and yields, farmers have begun relying on enterprising start-ups like Dewey Scientific to help them achieve the best results. With state-of-the-art genomic analysis, Dr. Jordan Zager and Dr. Mark Lange, can peer much deeper into the inner workings of cannabis plants than ever before. This work has also led to fascinating discoveries within the field of cannabis physiology, biochemistry, and genomics that are invaluable to the future of this industry. So, for this episode I decided to sit down with both of them to discuss their ground-breaking research on the inner workings of cannabis trichomes, how this affects cannabinoid and terpene synthesis, and how their new company aims to use all this in overcoming current industry challenges. Get ready to put your science helmet on for this one because it’s going to get intense.Additional information and references:https://cannabisconciencia.org/http://www.coopradio.org/

From coast to coast and all across the world there are two things that consumers have been focusing on extensively during this crisis, toilet paper and cannabis. As COVID-19 cases soar worldwide, so are cannabis sales in places where this is legal. Today we’re going to cover one of the bright spots in our current economy that hasn’t slowed down due to the virus. Additional information and references:https://cannabisconciencia.org/http://www.coopradio.org/

Ever wondered what would happen if you used cannabis before a run, lifting weights, or playing a sport? Does cannabis help or hinder performance? As an athlete myself, I have been very curious about these exact questions as well as many others. Today we’ll be taking a look at what the science has to says about cannabis use in sports and fitness. If you are an elite athlete or just a physically active person who enjoys cannabis, this episode is for you.Additional information and references:https://cannabisconciencia.org/http://www.coopradio.org/

The Canadian Government in the last few years has been on the global vanguard of cannabis industry regulations. A critical job within this new Canadian cannabis industry is that of Quality Assurance Person (or QAP). This science focused position forms the foundation for the operations of all licensed producers and cannabis processing facilities, but what does it actually entail? Today we speak with Dr. Cris Alves, CSP member and long-time QAP for various companies. We discuss requirements to become QAP, what the job entails, and both the good and bad of the position in our current cannabis industry. Join us in the first episode of our ongoing series exploring Cannabis Science Jobs.Additional information and references:https://cannabisconciencia.org/http://www.coopradio.org/

I’m sure many people have heard about the “Entourage Effect”, also known as synergism between cannabinoids and other compound in cannabis. But is that actually true? Can the compounds in cannabis really come together to create a significantly different effect or is it just that these compounds are each beneficial and are able to coexist together. Each one having a specific beneficial effect that is simply present or not depending whether you have the compounds there or not. In essence, is the saying “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” an old stoner folktale or scientific fact? In this listener requested episode we’ve decided to bring in to the studio Dr. Cris Alves to help us properly answer this fascinating question. Additional information and references:https://cannabisconciencia.org/http://www.coopradio.org/

Stephen “Steve” Goldner was a pharma wunderkind. At age 22 he and his mentor created the modern formulation for methadone used as standard treatment for opioid dependence worldwide. Since then, he and his team have gotten 100’s of drugs and medical devices approved for sale around the world. Yet, as a child of the 60’s Steve saw first-hand the lasting horrors of the the Vietnam War on many of his closest friends and school mates. Driven to act by their unending suffering, Steven wanted to find a way to help his buddy’s and many others like them. His research led him to focus on cannabis as a viable option for the debilitating PTSD and chronic pain affecting many of these aging veterans. With his extensive drug development background Steve founded Pure Green, a company dedicated to creating novel clinically tested pharmaceutical-grade cannabis-based medicines. Join Steve and myself as we discuss some of the ground-breaking work being performed at the intersections of the cannabis and pharmaceutical industries! Steve is always searching for talented young scientists to join him in this mission. If this sounds like you, go to https://cannabisconciencia.org/ to learn more.

The cannabinoids created within cannabis flowers in their raw form are inactive. It is only when they are “activated” that they become therapeutically useful to us. This process is commonly known as decarboxylation. In this episode we take a look at the chemistry of cannabinoid decarboxylation. We cover the best methods to decarboxylate your cannabis at home, as well as those used by large cannabis companies to produce there medicinal products. It’s a deep dive into a critical, yet often underappreciated aspect of the cannabis world. Additional information and references:https://cannabisconciencia.org/http://www.coopradio.org/

Dr. Cris Alves discusses the latest in cannabis science and industry news. Today he reviews an amazing paper from various universities around the US. Focusing on the coal producing areas of the Eastern States. The paper titled; Enhanced tolerance of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) plants on abandoned mine land soil leads to overexpression of cannabinoids, published in the journal PLOSONE.Husain R, et al. Enhanced tolerance of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) plants on abandoned mine land soil leads to overexpression of cannabinoids. PLOSONE. 2019Additional information and references:https://cannabisconciencia.org/http://www.coopradio.org/

Dr. Cris Alves discusses the latest in cannabis science and industry news. Today he reviews a paper from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel. The paper titled; Lettuce Chlorosis Virus Disease: A New Threat to Cannabis Production published in the journal VIRUSES.Hadad L, et al. Lettuce Chlorosis Virus Disease: A New Threat to Cannabis Production. VIRUSES. 2019Additional information and references:https://cannabisconciencia.org/http://www.coopradio.org/

As more countries begin to open their markets to cannabis, a group of products stand to become the next multi-billion-dollar segment of this industry. Topical cannabis is big business in the modern era, but its uses go at least as far back as 2000 BCE and likely much earlier. Salves, creams, ointments, and bars are just a few of the cannabis-infused products being created by prestige skincare and cosmetic brands. Besides the money being made, the potential benefits are very promising. Yet one question seems to be on everyone’s mind…do these products really work? In this episode the team explores the science to answer these questions and more. Are these products really the “crème de la crème”?Additional information and references:https://cannabisconciencia.org/http://www.coopradio.org/