Episode 83 - From Reagan White House Lawyer to Cannabis Business Owner: Ed Weidenfeld's Amazing Journey
An insider's view of Reagan's War on Drugs and how the Trump administration continues to keep that war going in very different ways
This may be the most painful podcast I’ve done, not because Ed Weidenfeld isn’t a compelling guest, but because he suffers from Parkinson’s Disease, which makes speaking enormously challenging. But I urge you to stick with it -- you may have to wait a few seconds for Ed’s responses, but the words and insight that come from his mouth is worth the wait. Also, his is a great story: there aren’t many 70 year olds who once worked as a lawyer in the Reagan (War on Drugs) White House, and who today are unapologetic cannabis advocates and business owners.
On this podcast Ed shares his view from the inside:
The spark that unleashed Reagan’s WoD: “It had nothing to do with drugs or politics. Mrs. Ford had the Equal Rights Amendment, Mrs. Johnson had beautification. When Mrs. Reagan declared “Just Say No” suddenly everyone knew you could please the president by fighting the War on Drugs.”
The hypocrisy of watching a policy he knew was wrong being carried out: “It’s the same message I’ve given to people working on the inside of the Trump administration -- is that with a major policy like the WoD you can effect a change at the margins, maybe... You become immune to the hypocrisy you’re participating in.”
His entry into the cannabis business: “I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s a dozen years ago but I had gone to the University of Wisconsin in Madison and been exposed enough to marijuana that I knew it wasn’t going to do me any harm and, if I bought from the the right people, maybe it would do me some good. Which it has...I became so friendly with the fellow that I bought it from that we formed a partnership and now we’re licensed cultivators in DC and Maryland.”
Why the Trump administration continues to hamper the growth of America’s next boom industry: “I’m just cynical enough to think it’s getting a push from the pharmaceutical industry, the alcohol industry, the tobacco industry, the Evangelical movement, and private prisons.”
And... Where’s Melania? “I don’t have any idea of where she is but I don’t think her priority is finding a project that will improve America.”
PS: Dr. Chin just posted this new blog on Women's Sexual Health and cannabis. It's an emerging topic and the blog is full of great information. Please share it widely.