Episode 76 - We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Programming...
...to keep abreast of cannabis in the age of COVID. To keep this podcast relevant we'll be doing a series of shorter interviews with colleagues around the world, who speak personally and professionally about the challenges they're facing. In this episode we take you to Tel Aviv and Denver, where life has taken dramatic turns.
In the last weeks COVID has had me on the run, physically and mentally. I know I’m no different than most of you. Some days I find myself glued to my screens -- going down the rabbit scroll I call it. Other days I’ll escape through movies and TV series – my latest distractions included The Valhalla Murders (if you’re a fan of Nordic noir crime thrillers this one will keep you in its grip for 6 hours. It’s set in Iceland, which looks like nowhere else on earth, so it’s a great visual, virtual vacation from HazMat gear and face masks) and Fabulous Fungi, if you’re interested in the healing powers of mushrooms, psychedelic and otherwise. I’m also meditating daily, sometimes twice daily. It helps keep my agitation at bay and occasionally offers insight into the nature of my anxiety. If you’ve been thinking about meditating or getting into a regular rhythm, I can recommend Sam Harris’s Waking Up app – the first month is free to ease your entry into the practice.
We’ve all been inducted into a war of sorts and we all need to take care of ourselves and those around us. ‘Self care’ is now ‘Us care’. And, it goes without saying, if cannabis helps, by all means use it. Given COVID’s penchant for attacking the lungs, I’ve been using edibles, tinctures and vaporizing over smoking.
Finding focus has been unusually difficult. I’m struggling with keeping abreast of the cannabis world, but unable to ignore COVID and I was searching for a way to keep this podcast relevant on both counts. That’s how I came up with the idea of doing short interviews with colleagues in the cannabis world. How are they coping personally and how are their businesses coping? How have their lives changed and what, is life like on the ground in Denver, Tel Aviv, Seattle, Germany, New York, Thailand, etc… That’s what we’re bringing you in this and the next few episodes -- a personal, on the ground view of how people in cannabis are coping, and how they’re helping their communities. That’s my small contribution to helping us stay sane and stay connected.
In this episode you’ll be hearing from Avihu Tamir, CEO and founder of Kanabo Research. We recorded the day Israel announced total lockdown, going so far as to cancel all public transportation. You’ll also hear from Ricardo Baca, CEO and founder of Grasslands Public Relations. I got ahold of Ric the day the mayor of Denver, capital of the first state to legalize, shuttered all adult use dispensaries, on grounds that are not essential businesses -- total madness given that cannabis, no matter what type of dispensary it is sold in, is clearly medicine for millions of people. Let’s say Ric had some “feelings” about this edict. I also speak in depth about my own sudden departure from Mexico, where as recently as last week the president was urging the population to hug and kiss each other. That’s not a joke.
Listen in and stay connected, listeners. It’s good to know you’re out there.
PS: This just in from the ever amazing Dr. June Chin, working in the epicenter of US COVID in Westchester, NY:
As New York State and the Department of Health mobilize every available resource to fight one of the greatest public health threats of our lifetimes, I am asking for your help.
COVID-19 has already stretched and strained state resources and our existing healthcare system. Healthcare workers in every corner of the state have been making sacrifices to provide the best care for the rapidly increasing numbers of people who will need it.
Healthcare workers rely on personal protective equipment to protect themselves and their patients from being infected and infecting others. But shortages are leaving doctors, nurses and other frontline workers dangerously ill-equipped to care for COVID-19 patients, due to limited access to supplies such as gloves, medical masks, respirators, goggles, face shields, gowns, and aprons.
Shortage of personal protective equipment are endangering health workers worldwide.
Nurses, Doctors, healthcare staff, are pleading for Masks on Social Media. As supplies have dwindled, doctors and nurses have improvised ways to make their stock last.
An intensive-care nurse in Illinois was told to make a single-use mask last for five days.
An emergency room doctor in California said her colleagues had started storing dirty masks in plastic containers to use again later with different patients.
A pediatrician in Washington State, trying to make her small stock last, has been spraying each mask with alcohol after use until it breaks down.
But even with the unwavering commitment of our dedicated healthcare professionals, we know they cannot stand a chance to care for our loved ones without the proper equipment.
With large sectors of our operations and assets in the manufacturing, pharmaceutical, and medical industries rooted throughout Asia, Canal Five Corp. has assisted at the forefront of the global pandemic during initial disruptions. In partnership with Canal Five Corp. we are providing guidance, supporting secure supply chains, and delivering critical equipment to countries in need.
To date, we have donated 15,000 N-95 masks; 10,000 isolation gowns; 25,000 medical goggles; and 10,000 gloves to NYC's COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund.
We will continue to allocate our efforts and be a resource to medical facilities and agencies in all countries effected with supplies and aid that is essential for the preservation of public health in our state.
Click on this link to place an order for your hospital, medical center, urgent care clinics. We can’t stop COVID-19 without protecting health workers first.
Pricing and sizing may vary. May ship from US or international locations based on availability. All shipping via UPS tracking.
Prices start at:
3-ply mask $1.50, N95 $3.50, Isolation gown $18.00, Protective Goggle $3.50, Face shield $5.00
With gratitude, Junella Chin-Camacho, M.D.