Enhance Your Life Podcast Wana Brands

In 2015, Dr. Chanda Macias became the African-American woman to receive a medical marijuana license. And her advocacy for the plant hasn’t stopped. Dr. Chanda is CEO of medical marijuana dispensary Natural Holistic Healing Center, first vice chair of lobbying group National Cannabis Roundtable, and CEO of cannabis educational platform Women Grow. In this episode, the cannabis superstar explains why she’s so passionate about the plant, and what her experience has been like advocating for cannabis in places like the White House. She also talks about the special role minority figures have in the industry and where the country is as far as national legalization.

Marianne Cursetjee wasn’t very familiar with cannabis before her cancer diagnosis. But after she was diagnosed in 2015, her friend introduced her to Rick Simpson Oil (RSO)—and she found she was able to eliminate many of the pharmaceutical drugs she was taking in response to her cancer treatment’s side effects. Now she serves as the CEO and co-founder of Alibi Cannabis, a self-funded, top-shelf cannabis company based in Oregon. On the pod, Maryanne talks about her eye-opening experience of using cannabis to help with cancer treatment and what advice she’d give to cancer patients considering cannabis. Marianne also talks about using her business skills to enter the cannabis industry, and how her business is adapting to the increasingly competitive Oregon market.

When Al Morentin was in the sixth grade, he was told his glaucoma would likely cause complete blindness in the future. By the time he was 30 years old, he started losing his vision—which pushed him to figure out alternative medicines and methods that would save him from blindness. His efforts eventually led him to the world of cannabis products—and with a little bit of experimentation, he found a certain extraction process of CBD oils was able to help him keep his vision. In this episode, Al shares his life-changing story and how it inspired some of his entrepreneurial endeavors in the cannabis space. He also talks about the value of holistic medicine and his advice for people considering a holistic practitioner.

In the high-stakes industry of competitive esports, how is cannabis used as a tool to improve performance? To answer that question, Zurich Herbuela joins this week’s episode. He’s an e-sports player, medical cannabis user, and host of cannabis YouTube channel Tools420, and he has plenty of insights to share regarding the intersection of the online world and cannabis usage. Zurich shares his journey of coming to cannabis as someone with Crohn’s disease as well as how he maximizes the positives of cannabis in competitive gaming without losing focus. Plus, he also talks about new and exciting products hitting the vape market.

The health community is constantly finding new use cases for medical cannabis, and Dr. Ann-Marie Wong has certainly found that to be true in her work. After practicing pediatric medicine for nearly 20 years, Dr. Wong started getting involved in the medical cannabis field and now specializes in pediatric medical cannabis at Miami-based Medverde. On the pod, Dr. Wong shares her experience prescribing cannabis to children with autism and other special needs. She breaks down when parents should bring their child to a pediatric medical cannabis doctor, as well as what happens when patients and their parents come for a consultation. Dr. Wong also talks about some of the success stories her patients have had with medical cannabis treatment and the changing attitudes of doctors towards the drug.

As a lifelong athlete, Cory Getz was in perfectly good health—until his near-fatal brain stem stroke. When the life-altering event occurred, Cory completely lost the use of the right side of his body and was told he may never walk again. But with the help of CBD and physical therapy, the surfer managed to make a full recovery and is now helping others heal with cannabis. This week, Corey recounts his incredible story and shares how CBD helped his body recover from the traumatic event. He also talks about how he's helping others suffering from brain injuries, and how changes in the law are making it easier to acquire medical cannabis.