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Michael Benanav is a writer and photographer who traveled with nomads through the Himalayas and the Sahara desert. His books capture the human struggle of remote cultures in unfamiliar settings. from Bluebird Botanicals // Music from Brett Van Donsel // Birdsong from Lang Elliott

Johan Lolos is a photographer of travel and far off places. His book, "Peaks of Europe," captures the beauty and mystery of that continent's landscape. He's traveled widely, did a great Ted Talk, taught workshops on photography, and now works on assignment for major publications. This episode describes his journey, his method, and the experiences he's had along the way.   from Bluebird Botanicals Music from Brett Van Donsel Birdsong from Lang Elliott

Terpenes are our on the tip of everyone's tongue and today Dr. Susan Trapp explains how terpenes function within organisms and how we might reap those benefits for ourselves. http://susanctrapp.com/   from BlueBird Botanicals // Music from Brett Van Donsel // Birdsong from Lang Elliott

Emily Pennington is The Brazen Backpacker. She's a mountain climber and solo hiker who sought adventure in Peru, the USA, and Nepal. A travel writer, she shares about her experiences in major magazines. Today she tells us what it takes to live like she does: How to train and what to pack, what books to read, and how to get ready for the great outdoors.   from Bluebird Botanicals // Music from Brett Van Donsel // Birdsong from Lang Elliott

Hyasynth Bio is hacking yeast cells to produce THC and CBD. They're hoping to find an efficient scalable process to revolutionize the industry. Kevin Chen talks about the ups and downs of genetic manipulation, and why you should learn about bio-hacking. Twitter: @Hyasynthbio Instagram: @Hyasynthbio Facebook: from Bluebird Botanicals // Music from Brett Van Donsel // Birdsong from Lang Elliott

Epic stories from a psychonaut who's seen it all. He escaped the Holocaust, helped Tim Leary run the Concord Prison Experiment with LSD, worked on Aerosmith's first album, got a PhD from Harvard, and hung out with Alan Watts, Alan Ginsberg, and Ram Dass. These are tales of adventure, curiosity, betrayal, and triumph. Gunther Weil shares with us a life of stories and adventures from political uprisings, government drug experiments, and his first-hand view from the start of a cultural revolution. https://twitter.com/valuementors from BlueBird Botanicals // Music from Brett Van Donsel // Birdsong from Lang Elliott

Kim and Hayley from AgriScience explain how they test cannabis products for THC, CBD, and harmful contaminants. We learn about the ever-changing world of regulation, the omnipresent eye of the narcotic panopticon, cutting-edge innovations in chemistry, and why cannabis products are safer than ever.   from BlueBird Botanicals Music from Brett Van Donsel Birdsong from Lang Elliott

Jen Fiser talks about Psychedelic Assisted Therapy and the somatic body-centric approach used at Innate Path in Denver. Using ketamine or cannabis under the guidance of a trained therapist can allow for wonderful work unlocking the trauma stored in the unconscious and the body. Jen talks about her own trauma, which medicines work best for her, and how to build your own path out of trauma. from BlueBird Botanicals // Music from Brett Van Donsel // Birdsong from Lang Elliott

Mila Jansen is the counter-cultural icon who revolutionized hash production. After starting in fashion world of Amsterdam in the 60's, she hitchhiked to India with her daughter, raised her family there and then came back to Europe and had the breakthrough that revolutionized the creation of hashish. Now she sells those machines worldwide. Today she tells her story. from BlueBird Botanicals // Music from Brett Van Donsel // Birdsong from Lang Elliott

Dr. Martha Rosenthal is a neuroscientist who teaches about cannabis and sexuality at The Florida Gulf Coast University. Her cannabis courses are so effective that businesses are calling to hire her students. This is a vivid chat with a passionate public speaker who's far ahead of the curve on cannabis. And please enjoy her excellent TED talk on sexuality. Her TED Talk   from BlueBird Botanicals // Music from Brett Van Donsel // Birdsong from Lang Elliott

Robert Laurie is a lawyer, a writer, a psychonaut, a Freemason, and a board advisor to MAPS Canada. Headquartered in Vancouver, BC and with a law practice that's been at the forefront of legal activism, he's the perfect guest to help navigate the legal labyrinth as we move cannabis from prohibition to decriminalization and legalization. from BlueBird Botanicals // Music from Brett Van Donsel // Birdsong from Lang Elliott

Join us for our first episode of a brand new type of storytelling show. Today we take a tour of the Verde Natural production facility - a fully organic grower of cannabis in Denver. You'll hear how to grow cannabis well, how best to harvest for the preservation of those delicate terpenes, and the various extraction techniques that can be applied to create the array of concentrates. The techniques used by modern manufacturing companies are very sophisticated but they're still based on millennia of experimentation and expertise. This is your chance to learn about the equipment, processes, personalities, and the history behind cannabis cultivation and production. from BlueBird Botanicals // Music from Brett Van Donsel // Birdsong from Lang Elliott

Sometimes drug dealers cut their product with cheaper and dirtier alternatives. That's why Adam Auctor founded The Bunk Police, and started selling test kits. Today he talks about the dangers of laced drugs, what kind of chemicals you'll find lurking in your psyhoactives, and how the establishment is still resisting something as sensible as drug-testing kits. LINKS: their site: their app: their Youtube channel with hundreds of reaction videos: FB: IG: Twitter: from BlueBird Botanicals // Music from Brett Van Donsel // Birdsong from Lang Elliott

Dr. Ingrid Walker wants to change the way we talk about drugs and the people who use them. It's good that society is embracing the medical uses of psychedelics but what about so-called recreational users? Spiritual trippers? Or those who want to tweak their performance? Why do they have to hide in the shadows? Let's break out of the "criminalization vs medicalization" paradigm with this writer, professor, and cultural studies scholar. LINKS:   from BlueBird Botanicals // Music from Brett Van Donsel // Birdsong from Lang Elliott

Dr. Ken Tupper explores the relationship between capitalism and psychedelic-spiritualism, the linguistics of terms like "drug" and "addict," and the educational value of altered states. Dr. Tupper is Director of Implementation & Partnerships at the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use. from BlueBird Botanicals // Music from Brett Van Donsel // Birdsong from Lang Elliott

Lia Arnsten is a professional runner who mixes cannabis and sport. She also teaches courses on how to incorporate cannabis into a self-optimization regimen. Lia and Lex talk about meditating with marijuana, the life of competitive running, the social aspect of sports, and how Lia got where she is today.     from BlueBird Botanicals // Music from Brett Van Donsel // Birdsong from Lang Elliott

The research scientist Dr. Mike Tagen talks about cannabis and the brain. This is a deep dive into neuroscience, the endocannabinoid system, pharmacogenetics and the effects of cannabinoids on the human body. Mike Tagen has worked in oncology, immunology, and neuroscience. from BlueBird Botanicals // Music from Brett Van Donsel // Birdsong from Lang Elliott

Lakshmi Narayan is developing a documentary about Ibogaine as a tool against opioid addiction. This ancient entheogenic plant medicine initiates a classic inner journey which profoundly transforms the person. Lakshmi explains what it's like for an addict to embark on that journey. She also discusses the film-making process, her own experience with the Iboga plant, and why this message is so important today.   from BlueBird Botanicals // Music from Brett Van Donsel // Birdsong from Lang Elliott

Kayvan Khalatbari is running for mayor of Denver, Colorado. He helped decriminalize cannabis possession in Denver in 2005 and is a successful businessman. His campaign is all about seizing economic opportunities for the city and mobilizing those who have been trampled by the drug war and inequality. http://www.kayvanfordenver.com/ from BlueBird Botanicals // Music from Brett Van Donsel // Birdsong from Lang Elliott

Len May matches the genetics of humans to the active chemicals of the cannabis plant. His research at Endocanna Health aims to help customers find the cultivars that will produce the most desired effect for each individual. Len has long been an activist and educator for the cannabis plant. He's helping to overturn the outdated dichotomy of "Indica versus Sativa" and replacing it with fine-tuned research that does justice to the complexity of our relationship with cannabis. links: Twitter: @LenMayDay from BlueBird Botanicals // Music from Brett Van Donsel // Birdsong from Lang Elliott