Potcast 185: Pot, Personal Sovereignty and Conscious Consumerism
This potcast is dedicated to Mr. Mike Wilson, my high school science teacher that I absolutely adored. If you’re a long-time listener, you’ve heard me mention Mr. Wilson over the years. He recently let go of his difficult battle with cancer and is off on his next celestial adventure. I spent the week recollecting classes, competitions, and curiosities that shaped my view of the natural world and how I fit in it. I think the greatest gift true teachers give us is the empowerment to ask questions and seek the truth. And to thoughtfully conduct experiments in our lives and respectfully debate the issues to find solutions. Mr. Wilson began teaching me those things in 8th-grade science class and continued to teach, challenge, and inspire me until I flew from the nest in 1994.
Today, the toxicity of social media and cancel culture looms over anyone who dares to voice a less-than-popular idea, question, or belief. I want my platform to be a safe place for you to ask questions or voice ideas. There is room for all of the perspectives. I find that the best solutions arrive faster in judgment-free zones. ✨
I’m happy to be your cannabis lifestyle guide and share what I know and learn with you. So if you feel inspired, please take a beat to rate and review Casually Baked on iTunes or Apple Podcasts. That simple action helps other canna-curious folks find this highly responsible cannabis content.
Kumbaya and cannabis, -Jo 💚
This Potcast Is Covered By MJ Relief
MJ Relief is the muscle rub for what aches and pains you. The pain-relieving, skin-soothing muscle rub I co-created with Dr. Monica Vialpando, is finally out in the wild and ready to enhance your everyday experience. MJ Relief is the same thoughtful Ph.D. formulation we’ve batch produced for friends and family as Casually Baked Muscle Rub for the past four years. But now it’s in a convenient tube so you can avoid messy mishaps, over-using, and contamination from those “double-dipping” fingers. And bonus, it smells like a relaxing dream and will up-level your next massage. I use MJ Relief damn near every day to ease my chronic neck and shoulder tension.
If you’re feelin’ my pain and want some muscle and joint relief of your own, head over to MJ Skin Relief dot com and order a tube for you and another one for your favorite friend or family member. 😘
‘After the Show’ Notes
Way more important than us agreeing is us being able to engage in tough conversations where we can disagree with loving awareness.
What I do know for sure, is that the human body and its regulatory systems are miraculous. We are walking miracles, you and I. And I’m honored to be in the pilot’s seat of this body and to be free to experiment with other miracles of nature to aid in my wellness and everyday experience.
My body is smarter than I am, that’s why I listen to it and follow its lead. That’s why I do my homework and ask direct questions and consider the source.
Is the person giving me advice living the healthy and fulfilling life that I aspire to live?
If they aren’t, I soak up the perspective. If they are, I meditate on the guidance I receive yet still ultimately make my own decision. I make it a practice to go within - to not only consider things with my thinking mind - but energetically by listening and working with my body. It might sound woo to you if you don’t do it. But it is most definitely scientific and practical in nature. And the best part? It affords me the desire and capacity to extend the same unconditional love and compassion to you as I give myself. And that for me, is the ultimate gift and reward of being human.
As cannabis consumers, we’re fighting for our right to choose plant medicine as a lifestyle and wellness tool.
So to blindly cancel members of your own tribe for questioning experimental science goes against everything I believe. And I’ve personally been told by active and published members of the health community that “Young people like you are better off getting Covid and building a MUCH strong immunity than any of these vaccines can provide. People opting for the vaccine will need to get re-vaccinated every two or three years.”
I’m not telling you this to say that there’s a right or wrong answer here. But I am saying that we all have a unique set of circumstances to consider when making such a big decision about our health and wellness. I will never make a decision for me based on what’s best for you. That’s illogical. And in the same vein, I will never judge you for the decisions you make in regards to your body or personal sovereignty. Because that would be immoral. And I don’t pay your bills so it’s literally none of my business.
There is a historical record of cannabis being used by humans for thousands of years for both health and spiritual ceremony without any citations of death. Yet we’re reprimanded for making medical claims about the benefits of cannabis. And the excuse we’re constantly given is that we need more research.
But when it comes to COVID-19, we’re getting a full-court press from the media, celebrities, politicians, and tech billionaires to get injected with one of several experimental vaccines only approved for emergency use. If you don’t find that curious, you’re not paying close enough attention. And as a marketer, I find the social slang and incentive programs around “getting a jab” alarming. Bribing people to get an experimental vaccine in exchange for weed is inappropriate.
You can’t turn on your television and not figure out that big media is bought and paid for mostly by big pharma.
The news and social networks are actively censoring proper discussion on the science of vaccines and on various treatments for Covid-19. And when questioning the safety of the vaccine it’s hard to get a straight answer that feels authentic. John Hopkins is always a hospital that I align with top doctors and research and treatments so I went to their website to see what they said about any vaccine concerns and read that on April 13, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended a pause in the use of the J&J COVID-19 vaccine while they investigated reports of a small number of women in the U.S. who developed a rare and severe type of blood clot within the two weeks following receipt of the J&J COVID-19 vaccine. Ten days later the federal agencies announced that administration of the (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine could resume.
John Hopkins also stated that none of the original vaccine trials have reported any serious safety concerns and are continuously reviewed by the FDA and expert panels. They also stated that the number of serious problems in test participants was very low, and there was little difference between those who received the actual vaccine and those who received a placebo.
But when looking at actual numbers right now, the CDC's Vaccine Adverse Events Reports (VAERs) announced almost 119,000 reports of adverse events following COVID vaccines, including 3,544 deaths and 12,619 serious injuries over a 4-month span between Dec. 14, 2020, and April 23, 2021. Within my network, I heard of a healthy 72-year old man experiencing a paralyzing stroke 4-hours after the vaccine...and the doctor strongly asserted that this condition had "nothing" to do with the vaccine...and no Vaccine Adverse Events Report was provided.
Listen, I don’t care to convince you one way or another about these COVID-19 vaccines but what I am saying is that it’s a big f’n decision for each person to thoughtfully consider for themselves. Especially when Big Pharma isn’t held accountable if something goes wrong. So don’t be an ass hole about it either way.
I’ve been listening to brave women raising hell my whole life about “my body my choice” - but this isn’t just about women’s reproductive rights anymore. This is about every human's right to make their own health and wellness choices.
Respect that we are all on our own journey and that nobody - not one single human - actually knows the long-term implications of the virus or the vaccine.
The Sustainability Roll-up is presented by OCB Rolling Papers. In perfect harmony with natural, sustainable practices, it’s always been the OCB signature to provide the highest quality, responsibly-sourced, and sustainably crafted rolling papers.
In conceptualizing the sustainability roll up, I wanted to not only shine my little light on the roots of the problem but also on hopeful solutions. So much of our culture is focused on a hack or fix instead of actually playing the long game to solutions. The most powerful way we can apply that long-game mentality in our own life is through our spending choices. Which brands get your time and attention and more importantly, who gets your hard-earned cash?
I grew up on a working cattle ranch and in a community with a lot of cotton farms. As a Future Farmer of America, I learned to judge cotton on the fiber length, lint, tinge, and leaf grade… I did not however spend any time judging the practices of the industry or the pesticides used and the implications of that as the cotton moves through the supply chain and into what I wipe on my face or wear on my back or plug up my vagina once a month for that matter. Cotton’s got a bad rap y’all and so does the fashion industry. Particularly, fast fashion is the monster in charge but a close second are teenage girls that think wearing an outfit twice makes it old.
“Clothing production is the third biggest manufacturing industry after the automotive and technology industries. Textile production contributes more to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined” (House of Common Environmental Audit Committee, 2019)
“More than $500 billion of value is lost every year due to clothing underutilization and the lack of recycling” (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017) People are buying, using, and throwing away clothes like toilet paper. Which makes sense because cheap shit doesn’t last. And besides filling landfills, a vast majority of fashion retailers do not clean and reuse water from production facilities, using a - quote - “open-loop cycle” method. Which is their way of not telling you that all of the waste goes straight outside to pollute waters and lands. So it’s essential to know how brands avoid or dispose of waste products in the production process if you’re going to vote with your dollars.
And let’s not forget that fast fashion retailers employ thousands of people from China, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, and other developing nations as a cheap workforce. Not only do these people have to work exhausting hours, but the pay they receive is far from a fair, living wage.
Don’t just look at the tag to see how you’re supposed to wash and dry your clothes. Know how and where your clothes are made. And look for sustainable options utilizing blends of less thirsty fibers like hemp and bamboo. Don’t get stoned and go shopping. Get casually baked and pay attention. Of course, with stupid names like “Forever 21” it shouldn’t be hard to suss out the fast fashion culprits.
Instead of over-buying cheap shit, support local boutiques and makers with ethical and sustainable practices. And support businesses that source organic cotton from regenerative farms.
And remember that those who are creating ethically still have to compete with businesses focused on reducing costs and maximizing profits regardless of the environmental or social implications. Companies like Patagonia and Toad and Co. weave good intentions and give back opportunities into the responsibly created and curated clothing lines they carry.
Does it take more effort to shop like this? Yes.
Does it cost more money? Of course it does.
So I invite you to change your value proposition and let shopping for clothes become an adventure sport instead of a trip to the all-you-can-eat buffet.
Fortunately, you don’t have to look far for sustainable rolling papers. Last year, OCB rolled out America’s first, ultra-thin, slow-burning BAMBOO rolling paper and cones that have been taking the market by storm. The 100% French-milled OCB bamboo is Harvested responsibly, is highly sustainable, Chlorine-free, dye-free, bleach-free, GMO-free and VEGAN. You’ll love OCB even more because they make no tear, even-burning, rolling papers with natural always-sticks acacia gum grown in African fields that OCB has been re-foresting for decades. Of course, you must be 21 and older to buy OCB rolling papers and to follow @ocb underscore usa on social.
DISCLAIMER: You must be 21 and older to buy OCB rolling papers and to follow @ocb_usa on social.
Roll With Me, a new video series launched on the Casually Baked YouTube channel in April 2021, is a collaboration with OCB Rolling Papers. I’ll get lessons and insights on the craft of rolling while chatting about all things hemp and cannabis culture.
Complete This Form to Roll With Me On An Upcoming Episode
We all know practice makes perfect so I’m engaging my cannabis industry friends to coach me. And if you’ve got some rolling tricks up your sleeve, perhaps you, too, can school me on an episode of Roll With Me.
If you too are a joint rolling novice and want to learn the craft alongside me, go ahead and get your supplies ready. Visit ocbusa.com/BAKED to get 4 booklets of OCB and a rolling tray for only $4.99! This bundle is worth 20 bucks and is around for a limited time. But the rolling skills and street cred we’re going to earn together, my friend, makes this bundle priceless as far as I’m concerned. As for you OG’s who can roll a joint one-handed, I challenge you to sample the entire line of OCB products and let me know your favorite.
Get 4 booklets of OCB and a rolling tray for only $4.99! This bundle is worth 20 bucks and is around for a limited time. But the rolling skills and street cred we’re going to earn together, my friend, makes this bundle priceless as far as I’m concerned. ✌️💚
