June 13, 2025
Rewriting the Cannabis Conversation: From Stigma to Science with Dr. Abe Benavides
Send us a text Confused by CBD, THC, and everything in between? Dr. Abe breaks down the science, busts myths, and shares practical tools for providers and patients ready to embrace cannabinoid therapy with clarity and confidence Cannabis isn’t just a plant — it’s a precision wellness tool when used correctly. In this episode, Dr. Abe shares how he turned personal adversity into global advocacy and coaching, helping patients and providers harness cannabinoid therapy safely and effectivel...
Confused by CBD, THC, and everything in between? Dr. Abe breaks down the science, busts myths, and shares practical tools for providers and patients ready to embrace cannabinoid therapy with clarity and confidence
Cannabis isn’t just a plant — it’s a precision wellness tool when used correctly.
In this episode, Dr. Abe shares how he turned personal adversity into global advocacy and coaching, helping patients and providers harness cannabinoid therapy safely and effectively. From understanding the endocannabinoid system to decoding terpenes and selecting the right cannabis type, this conversation is a deep dive into how cannabis can support chronic conditions, mood, pain, and more — without the high.
Whether you’re cannabis-curious or ready to integrate it into your practice, this episode equips you with science-backed insights and actionable guidance.
By the time you finish listening, you’ll discover:
- How the endocannabinoid system works and why it matters for pain, mood, and inflammation
- Key differences between THC, CBD, and CBG (and when to use each)
- How providers can get started with cannabinoid education and research
Resources & Links Mentioned:
- Dr. Abe’s Website & Portfolio: drabe.io
- CBD Oracle: cbdoracle.com
- Cannakeys Research Tool: cannakeys.com
- HashDash AI Platform: hashdash.com
LET'S KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING
- Loved the episode? Screenshot and tag me @drtamarlawful I’d love to repost your takeaway!
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E...
00:00 - Understanding Cannabis Beyond Stigma
09:30 - Dr. Abe's Journey Into Cannabis Medicine
17:10 - Endocannabinoid System and Body Balance
23:30 - Five Types of Cannabis Explained
29:06 - Personalized Cannabis Coaching Approach
35:46 - Resources for Healthcare Providers
WEBVTT
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There are five types of cannabis known to science.
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Most people think that there's just one, and so you need to find a place that does the right lab reporting for you so that you can verify that it's safe.
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If you want to break the mold of traditional pharmacy and healthcare, you are in the right place.
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Welcome to the Pivoting Pharmacy with Nutrigenomics podcast, part of the Pharmacy Podcast Network.
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Here's a little truth bomb.
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We're all unique, down to our DNA, so it's no wonder we react differently to the same medications, foods and environment.
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Here's a million dollar question how can you discover exactly what your body needs, which medication, what foods or supplements and which exercises are right for you?
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How can you manage chronic conditions like diabetes without more medications?
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How can you lose weight and keep it off?
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How do you tap into your genetic blueprints so you can stop surviving and start thriving in health and life?
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That is the question, and this podcast will give you the answer.
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I'm your host, Dr.
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Tamar Lawful, doctor of pharmacy.
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Let's pivot into genomics and bring healthcare to higher levels.
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Welcome back to Pivoting Pharmacy with Nutrigenomics.
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I am your host, dr Tamar, lawful doctor of pharmacy and certified nutritional genomics specialist.
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Today we're diving into a topic.
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I am your host, Dr.
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Tamar Lawful, Doctor of Pharmacy and Certified Nutritional Genomic Specialist.
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Today we're diving into a topic that might just shift the way you think about wellness, chronic conditions and even how we care for ourselves and others.
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Let me ask you something.
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When you hear the word cannabis, what comes to mind?
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For a lot of people it's a mix of curiosity, confusion and maybe even some old school stigma.
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Well, today we're clearing all that up with someone who knows this field inside and out Dr.
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Abraham Benavides, aka Dr.
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Abe.
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Dr.
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Abe is a cannabis health coach and a medical advisor behind some of the most trusted cannabis education sites worldwide.
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He's helped educate over 1.5 million readers and he works every day with patients and providers to make cannabinoid therapy more approachable, evidence-based and, most of all, personalized.
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But what I love most is that Dr Abe doesn't just teach this stuff.
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He's lived it from his great-grandmother's herbal wisdom in Costa Rica to facing bias in the medical system and navigating his own health challenges.
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Dr Abe brings heart, lived experience and serious science to the table.
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So whether you're wondering if CBD could help your patients, want to understand the difference between THC and hemp, or just want to feel less overwhelmed by all the cannabinoid talk out there, you're in the right place.
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Friend, listen in, dr A.
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Thank you so much for joining us on Pivoting Pharmacy with Nutrigenomics today.
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It's my pleasure to have you here.
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Thank you.
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It's a pleasure to be here with you and share the insights with your audience.
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Thanks for having me.
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You're welcome Now.
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First, I want to congratulate you on being recognized as Costa Rica's leading cannabis scholar.
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Could you share with our audience a bit about your journey and what motivates you in the field of cannabinoid therapy?
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Yeah, so, like I mentioned, my great-grandmother was a big inspiration for me for being a tropical remedy healer in this town where she actually helped found.
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So I live in rural Costa Rica and she was inspiration for me to study botanical medicine.
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When I got to medical school, I saw that there was just a lot of stigma still going around, and even in my own interactions with my own doctors, and that stigma was very steeped in lack of medical education.
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So when I was in medical school, I started the very first medical student-run cannabis-focused education group in the country at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
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This was in 2016.
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And I also led a research study that was published that showed that more than half of the medical students were encountering a patient who had a question about medical cannabis.
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But that same proportion, which is a majority of students, felt entirely unprepared to counsel the patient on the benefits and hazards of medical cannabis.
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But they also indicated that they want to learn more, which gave me more fuel for our group and also more, you know, hope for the future of cannabis medicine and I've also been personally affected by the drug war and the racisms that you know really fueled that in the first place and something that I encountered in during my time in family medicine residency.
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And I think what's important about that is to educate people about the history of the drug war because, you know, one of the questions my patients have is like, you know, I have so much stigma about taking this, and even it's hemp oil, and I'm like, once you understand the stigma that it's rooted in something that is in fact, racist and was meant to disparage and oppress, you know, black and brown people like us, then you might come around and understand, oh, that stigma really shouldn't be there in the first place and that, I think, really helps click for patients like oh, the stigma is a bad thing and you know it's a racist thing, and the reason, you know we should use it is because it's a natural plant, you know it's grows from the earth and there's no reason that it should be, you know, criminalized.
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And so all of these things, personally, have been part of my, you know, story and my journey.
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And then when I was, you know, affected by the long-term disabilities from serving on the front lines in the COVID pandemic, that's when I discovered my new life's purpose was to teach and reach as many patients and providers as I can, and I'm now going on educating.
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You know I've educated over 2 million patients by now, including other thousands of other doctors and providers.
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This all stemmed from my passion to change the conversation around cannabis in medical school.
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Oh my gosh.
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Thank you, dr Abe, and for those listening, let me tell you Dr Abe's story is nothing short of inspirational.
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It just gives you so many aha moments and I wish we were like a two hour podcast where we could just dive more into his background and what led him to what he's doing today.
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But thank you so much for sharing that cliff note for us, because you're very inspirational, what you've been through and what you've overcome, and now to today, trying to help others understand the importance of being able to use cannabinoids in therapy for medical purposes.
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So thank you so much for sharing that with us.
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Thank you, and people who want to read more about my personal story can just go to my blog on my website or on the Very Ill website.
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If you want to read more about that, it's all written there nicely for you.
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I'm sorry.
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What was the website?
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Can you let us know what that is?
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You can check out my portfolio on my website, draveio slash portfolio or just go to drabeio and you will see all of my written works, including autobiographical pieces and very informative evidence-based writing aimed at both patients and providers.
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Great.
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Thank you so much so you guys check that out.
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Now you know for those.
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Some of us may be new to the subject of cannabinoids, dr Abe.
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So can you briefly explain what cannabinoids are and how they interact with the human body, particularly with an endocannabinoid system?
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Yeah, I love to, and this is a big part of what I do with patients.
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I'd say over half the time you spend on patient education.
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Cannabinoids can be divided into two big categories.
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There are phytocannabinoids, no-transcript or some other signal endocannabinoids can respond are the messengers that come from the receiving nerve in a retrograde transmission to the sending neuron and say basically hey, thanks, I got the message, can you turn it off now please?
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And that's the way the endocannabinoid system is supposed to work, and so when these things go awry, you can get things that you can resemble what is a leading theory called clinical endocannabinoid deficiency, which is essentially the theory that, well, if something is wrong with one of the three components of the endocannabinoid system, logically that leads to disease, as we see in many other organ systems.
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And the three components of the endocannabinoid systems are basically the cannabinoid receptors, cb1, cb2, the endocannabinoid system enzymes that make and degrade endocannabinoids, and then the third component are the endocannabinoids themselves, and so we can basically use cannabis medicine to target one of those three areas of the endocannabinoid system, either the receptor directly or the enzymes, and so things like CBD can slow down the degrading enzymes that increase endocannabinoids and thereby increasing the third component of the endocannabinoid levels in our body that are meant to help be there to help control our systems from going arrive with pain, inflammation etc.
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And so the idea of clinical endocannabinoid deficiency is that you get overlapping symptoms.
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You can tell patients who might have this from overlapping symptoms, things like things like fibromyalgia, things like migraines, things like irritable bowel syndrome.
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These are conditions in which we don't have good explanations for in modern western medicine, and but what we do see when we look at chemical analyses is that these patients have altered levels of endocannabinoids in their system, as well as patients who have autism and other psychiatric disorders.
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So altered levels of endocannabinoids correlate a lot with these diseases, not necessarily that they're causing them, but they are often a compensatory mechanism also.
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So if there are upregulated CB2 receptors, it's because the body is needing anti-inflammatory energy and we can directly target these receptors with phytocannabinoids, right, so they can then interact with the same pathways that our endocannabinoids are working on, and so in some way with fibromyalgia.
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Essentially, what we're doing is that we are replacing the endocannabinoid system with THC, which is direct CB1 agonist, whereas with CBD you don't really have appreciable CB1, cb2 activity.
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Instead, you're working on the background on 65 other molecular targets, things like serotonin receptors, dopamine receptors, gpr55, tnf alpha, et cetera.
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These are all dealing with inflammation, pain and mood processing, and so having the two of them is a very great complementary approach, because CB1 and CB2 work well right away, but CB1 gets people high, which really limits the applicability during the daytime.
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So if it's not practical for a patient to be high all the time, and so instead you should reach for hemp-based products, things that are rich in CBD, or, even better, cannabinoid acids, things like CBDA or CBGA, because they're better absorbed in the body, they're more interactive with receptors, and so you're going to get a lot more efficacy out of them, and you can also use them during the daytime as well as the nighttime.
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And I also like to try to time the dosing, to be giving them twice daily to match the pharmacokinetic profile of the cannabinoids.
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Basically, they'll last six to eight hours, and then we self-titrate the dose week by week, and so in this way we try to target your symptoms and track them over time and then see if we're improving your health and your symptoms.
00:11:17.328 --> 00:11:21.285
Okay, thank you for that in-depth explanation and also with those examples.
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I never realized the difference between the type 1 and type 2, 2 receptors.
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So definitely you guys.
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Having a provider that understands the science behind it is very important.
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That way you can not only just treat whether it's pain or whatever the condition is, but also still be functional in your day-to-day life.
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It's very important to make sure you're choosing someone that has that knowledge and understanding of how it's going to affect you.
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Now, dr Abe, in your experience, what are the most significant misunderstandings or myths regarding cannabinoid therapy that you find yourself dispelling as you're educating people?
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So number one getting high.
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You don't have to get high.
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There are plenty of hemp non-impairing options that people don't realize they have legal access to, whereas you typically need a THC recommendation, or what's called medical cannabis recommendation in your state.
00:12:12.065 --> 00:12:23.750
There are 24 states that have adult use, so patients may be going out and getting this stuff on their own, but basically the biggest myth is that you have to get high and that you have to smoke cannabis, and so smoking cannabis is totally optional.
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There are better ways.
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There are non-inhalational routes.
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I prefer things like tinctures because they're going to be better absorbed than edibles and they're going to act faster than edibles, and they are also going to avoid the airway side effects, and so these are things that people pretty much need to know.
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And then also the myths surrounding the stigma and basically the overplayed propagandist health misinformation about it'll fry your brain, etc.
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Things like that, the overplayed risk of dependence and things like that, which are possible, but they're very, very low and they're really over-exaggerated by people who perpetuate these kinds of myths.
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Some things that I've thought myself as well, you know, not understanding the true use of them.
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And the science has really caught up to show cannabinoids are really great for brain health and particularly, you know, fighting things like Alzheimer's and dementia and things like that at least in preclinical models and also basically for symptomatic relief of those conditions as well.
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Including THC may make schizophrenia worse or trigger it in somebody who is susceptible at an earlier age than somebody else, but it doesn't necessarily mean that it's causing a schizophrenia, because otherwise we would see massive increase in rates all around and that's just not what we're seeing.
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We're just seeing diagnoses happen in an earlier age, but then the overall rates of the population it matches the general population.
00:13:40.535 --> 00:13:42.881
Okay, thanks for clarifying that as well.
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I know there are some genetic tests, like what I do, that would pinpoint or identify certain genetic variants that would say that you're more likely to have psychosis when it comes to cannabis use, and I've known of people who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia after using cannabinoids for quite some time.
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Yeah, I would say that it's best to identify which patients are high risk for psychosis or manic episodes and essentially you want to avoid high THC products in those patients.
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But things like CBD, cbda are things that enhance endocannabinoid signaling and have antipsychotic effects, and so, while type 1 cannabis, the THC-dominant cannabis, is bad for schizophrenia and mental health issues, especially in susceptible patients, other forms of cannabis that are rich in CBD and CBDA things like type 3 and type 4 cannabis, which is CBG-dominant cannabis these are very, very low THC that don't have psychoactive effects and rather the CBD and CBG enhance endocannabinoid signaling, which provides more antipsychotic effects, and so it's very interesting, some schizophrenia patients will still use cannabis without understanding why it's helping them, and it may be that there's a better balance of CBD in there, but really, for those patients, avoid high THC and choose high CBD products instead.
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Thank you for clarifying that and, once again, the beauty of choosing a practitioner that knows the effects of this herbal medicine and what's best for you.
00:15:11.504 --> 00:15:14.556
Now, dr Abe, you have a global audience.
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You speak at international conferences, so I'm curious to know, you know, from country to country, how do you see the acceptance and integration of cannabinoid therapy differing across these countries?
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Yeah, I think at first it starts with population acceptance, and what's really exciting is to see the increase in people in the United States, particularly now we have almost 70% of Americans supporting legal cannabis, and so having that support is great, but it also putting the cart ahead of the horse, so to speak, because now you have patients demanding all this cannabinoid therapy and you don't have providers who are up to date on what is this stuff, how do you gauge the quality of products, how to use, what to take, how much and how often, and what routes to use?
00:15:57.941 --> 00:16:23.138
And so there is still a major disconnect between people wanting to use cannabinoid therapies and medical and education healthcare systems being like we don't recognize that yet, so we don't have any information for you, and so it's great that that comes first, because it creates the demand for that kind of education to happen, which is what happened with me and what I've been trying to drive across the world, and so in the United States it's becoming very well adapted.
00:16:23.177 --> 00:16:35.852
You've got, I believe, 34 states that have medical cannabis laws enacted and another nine states where you have very limited medical cannabis enacted, so you have access in most states now, and then you have hemp.
00:16:35.852 --> 00:16:41.033
That's legal in all 50 states, and so that's what allows me to do cannabis coaching across the united states.
00:16:41.033 --> 00:16:59.482
And then we also have hemp program, uh, here in costa rica where I live, and so basically I see it as starting, as acceptance of the medical programs come first generally, and then optionally you have adult use for what's called recreational programs, which are now in 24 states, almost half the United States.
00:16:59.482 --> 00:17:05.859
That's kind of how it evolves, with population demand driving business, driving medical education.
00:17:05.859 --> 00:17:08.653
It happens at different rates in different countries.
00:17:09.355 --> 00:17:12.819
Right Some more, except where it's been accepted a little bit longer.
00:17:12.819 --> 00:17:15.952
It's much further along than in countries that it's not.
00:17:16.114 --> 00:17:21.733
Exactly Like Israel and Germany, are light years ahead of us in their understanding and research of cannabinoid therapies.
00:17:22.676 --> 00:17:24.181
Now you mentioned cannabis coaching.
00:17:24.181 --> 00:17:31.384
Dr Abe, can you give us insight into what personalized cannabis coaching actually looks like, and how do you tailor your approach to individual patient needs?
00:17:32.230 --> 00:17:33.295
Yeah, I love it.
00:17:33.295 --> 00:17:37.060
I still love working with patients very much, even though I'm remote here.
00:17:37.060 --> 00:17:42.915
So what I do in the cannabis coaching is it's not the same as a doctor's visit where you take a blood pressure and you're prioritized on.
00:17:42.915 --> 00:17:44.461
You know what's going to kill your patient first.
00:17:44.461 --> 00:17:55.516
My focus is on understanding what their life situation is and asking them basically to tell me what are the top two or three things you think I can help you with, and that really helps the patient to prioritize.
00:17:55.516 --> 00:17:58.803
What are the major symptoms that I really want this provider to address?
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Is it pain?
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Is it anxiety?
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Is it depression?
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Is it my IBS?
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And then they list them and that also helps keep the visit focused and organized and also helps keep the visit on time, helps keep the visit focused and organized and also helps keep the visit on time.
00:18:12.737 --> 00:18:16.211
And so when I hear about what their life situation is, I want to try to understand are they working or are they retired?
00:18:16.211 --> 00:18:20.085
Are they caretakers for, you know, adults or children dependents?
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What does their schedule look like?
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What does their eating schedule look like?
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Are they well hydrated?
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These things play into my decisions of how well can the patient tolerate THC during the daytime.
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Are they only going to be able to use it at nighttime at work, so we'll need a different plan during the day.
00:18:35.236 --> 00:18:43.161
Are they a cancer patient with severe needs that needs round types of cannabis known to science, because most people think that there's just one type one cannabis, or THC dominant cannabis.
00:18:43.161 --> 00:18:57.420
This is the type that most people think of when they picture medical marijuana.
00:18:57.420 --> 00:19:04.823
This is the type that gets you high and this is the type that's most often pushed by dispensaries because it's very much in demand for medical and recreational benefits.
00:19:04.823 --> 00:19:06.355
Type two is much rarer.
00:19:06.355 --> 00:19:08.196
This is a one to one THC CBD.
00:19:08.196 --> 00:19:14.645
This one is definitely best for things like sleep, so insomnia for sure, and then also muscle spasms as well.
00:19:14.645 --> 00:19:20.298
So those two uses are very specific, but it's very rare to find in nature like as natural plants, so you're going to need to find a formulation.
00:19:20.829 --> 00:19:24.490
Type 3 cannabis, like I mentioned, the CBDA and CBD dominant cannabis.
00:19:24.490 --> 00:19:26.772
This is a low THC variety of what we call hemp.
00:19:26.772 --> 00:19:30.538
Then we have CBGA and CBG dominant cannabis, defining type four.
00:19:30.538 --> 00:19:36.086
Then you have type five cannabis, which is essentially this is fibrous type cannabis or industrial hemp.
00:19:36.086 --> 00:19:38.900
This is really good for t-shirts construction.
00:19:38.900 --> 00:19:50.775
These are devoid of any cannabinoids and so you just really use these for textile and other industrial applications, and so when I'm talking to patients, most patients are either in the type one camp or the type three camp.
00:19:50.775 --> 00:20:02.041
Now this is where it's really helpful to strategize, because if they're just in the type one camp, they don't understand that they probably should be moving towards three and four, and the reason for that, like I mentioned, is the expanded receptor activity.
00:20:02.430 --> 00:20:10.359
With THC you're having CB1 and CB2 pretty much almost exclusively, maybe one or two other anti--inflammatory targets, but not a whole lot other.
00:20:10.359 --> 00:20:27.694
That's going to do well for anxiety, depression, things like that, and so THC really good for I use them more for like nausea, pain, appetite, things like that, and so people will often find some relief with the type 1 strain or something like that, and then they'll come to me or a type 3, which is a CBD sometimes CBD product.
00:20:27.694 --> 00:20:41.451
Oftentimes, unfortunately, patients will run into like very low quality CBD products, and so they'll need my help to select a new CBD manufacturer, because you don't want to buy a CBD from, like a gas station or even a grocery store.
00:20:41.451 --> 00:20:42.935
They don't really have high quality products.
00:20:42.935 --> 00:20:52.539
You need to find a place that does the right lab reporting for you so that you can verify the results for yourself and ensure that what's on the label is what your patient is taking and that it's safe.
00:20:53.171 --> 00:21:08.194
So definitely with cannabis coaching, definitely keeping your patient informed and educated and really tuning in, dialing in to what it is that they need and what form would actually be the most beneficial and safe for them.
00:21:09.015 --> 00:21:14.759
Yes, and then to take it to the next level, first I choose the cannabinoids type and then I select the terpenes.
00:21:14.759 --> 00:21:18.080
Terpenes are organic compounds that are also present in cannabis.
00:21:18.080 --> 00:21:20.583
Each cannabis plant will make 30 to 50 of them.
00:21:20.583 --> 00:21:22.203
Cannabis species can make 200.
00:21:22.203 --> 00:21:24.566
Most cannabis plants will have one dominant terpene.
00:21:24.566 --> 00:21:27.327
That's like 35%, and the top four are 72%.
00:21:27.627 --> 00:21:34.573
Terpene profiles are what helps separate things that people call indicas and sativas and hybrids that you've probably heard these terms before.
00:21:34.573 --> 00:21:36.561
Those are really baseless names.
00:21:36.561 --> 00:21:42.923
What really matters and what drives the diversity behind the types of cannabis and the effects of each strain is understanding terpene profiles.
00:21:42.923 --> 00:21:49.884
When you have terpene profile that's higher in things like myrcene or linalool, you're going to get a much more sleepy profile, a much more sedated profile.
00:21:49.884 --> 00:21:59.861
Those are the things that people classically associate with couchlock or indica type.
00:21:59.861 --> 00:22:02.851
And when people talk about sativas, what they're really enjoying are high citrus type that are very energizing terpenes.
00:22:02.871 --> 00:22:07.986
And also pinene is also a very it's acetylcholinesterase, butylcholinesterase inhibitor, basically a weaker form of a drug we give to people with Alzheimer's.
00:22:07.986 --> 00:22:27.366
And so when people talk about having like a clear headed high or you know something where they can still think very clearly and be productive or creative, but they're really having is a strain that's higher in pyrene, and so understanding that what the terpenes are the main ones and what they do can really help you to accentuate and customize that blend to tailor to your patient's needs.
00:22:27.366 --> 00:22:29.098
So patient has really bad anxiety.
00:22:29.098 --> 00:22:46.199
I'm going to choose a product that's higher in, not only in CBDA and CBGA, but the next level from that is selecting terpenes like linolool and mercine, and then for depression, really good limonene, for short-term memory, like I mentioned, pinene as well, and then, if they have inflammation, definitely need beta-carofaline.
00:22:46.199 --> 00:22:51.199
And so all of these are some of the most common examples that we have, and if you want to read more about them, it's all on my website.
00:22:51.219 --> 00:22:54.365
Thank that we have, and if you want to read more about them, it's all on my website.
00:22:54.365 --> 00:22:55.467
Thank you for sharing that, dr Abe.
00:22:55.467 --> 00:22:57.310
Now let's talk about technology and cannabinoids.
00:22:57.310 --> 00:23:07.914
You know, with digital platforms playing a significant role in information dissemination and patient interaction, how do you envision technology shaping the use and understanding of cannabinoid therapy?
00:23:08.635 --> 00:23:12.738
Yeah, well, if anyone has paid attention to the news, we are in an AI arms race right now.
00:23:12.738 --> 00:23:19.923
Everyone is racing to develop the latest and greatest tech for AI, and that includes in the cannabis space and personalized cannabis industry.
00:23:19.923 --> 00:23:32.951
One of them is, as you mentioned, dna kits people that will test your DNA to look for metabolizing enzymes, engage your metabolism profile, check for possible interactions and things like that, and that is all very useful.
00:23:32.951 --> 00:23:37.954
The other thing that you use some people like for example, I work with a client called HashDash.
00:23:38.355 --> 00:23:41.726
Hashdash is an AI algorithm strain matching platform.
00:23:41.726 --> 00:24:04.886
You make a free account and you answer some basic questions and then, based on that and the data that's over 600,000 data points from over 5,000 cultivars that they've compiled together will help to create like a list for you, a suggested list for you, kind of like Netflix does, of what you should try next, and then also help out you and tell you where you can buy the product, what the features are.
00:24:04.886 --> 00:24:17.258
People can also discuss the merits of every specific strain that they want to, and then there's also a gamified education channel, which I've contributed a lot of educational content there, and so, if you want, you can go read it.
00:24:17.258 --> 00:24:29.101
Take quizzes, become a more reputable member of the hash dash community, and your reviews will carry more weight with more educated you are, and so all of that plays together to help consumers make more informed choices.
00:24:29.101 --> 00:24:31.728
So really, that's where I see the AI going.
00:24:33.855 --> 00:24:34.256
Yeah, I love it.
00:24:34.256 --> 00:24:35.338
The consumer making the choices for themselves.
00:24:35.338 --> 00:24:36.402
There's nothing wrong with that.
00:24:36.402 --> 00:24:37.484
Let me clarify.
00:24:37.484 --> 00:24:40.317
Informed choices for themselves, right?
00:24:40.317 --> 00:24:41.721
They want to be well informed.
00:24:41.721 --> 00:24:51.799
Now, dr Abe, if a healthcare provider wanted to start leveraging cannabinoid therapy in their practice, what would be your top three practical pieces of advice for them?
00:24:52.801 --> 00:24:55.949
Number one find reputable and up-to-date sources.
00:24:55.949 --> 00:25:14.285
So start by reading the portfolio on my website, my doctor's corner blog, my Cannabis Across Life series, you can read more about the specifics of the endocannabinoid system and something called the endocannabinoid dome, which we didn't mention yet but is essentially the expansion pack of the endocannabinoid system that we now recognize.
00:25:14.285 --> 00:25:23.622
Essentially, it means all cannabinoid-sensitive targets in the body and the interaction of the gut, brain, microbiome and bone axis as well.
00:25:23.622 --> 00:25:36.778
Also check out my CBD Oracle works to learn more about specific cannabinoids and comparisons about CBD versus CBG, THC versus CBD and understanding all the nuances of each cannabinoid and differences between them.
00:25:36.778 --> 00:25:42.840
Also read about terpenes, so I have pages on the top eight most common terpenes in North America.
00:25:42.840 --> 00:25:46.819
You can read the specifics about them and what they do to try to help guide your selection.
00:25:46.819 --> 00:25:48.222
And then CBD Oracle.
00:25:48.222 --> 00:25:49.125
I'll also help them.
00:25:49.125 --> 00:26:16.426
I was one of the expert panel to help them develop a product quality evaluation framework, and so if you're a provider who's just starting on, you don't know which products are good or safe for your patient, use the CBD Oracle framework, because it will ask you a series of questions and put you through kind of like an algorithm to determine whether you should be able to recommend this product or not, and this is based on input from 22 experts, including myself and FDA advisors, and so I think it's a pretty good framework if you're just starting out.
00:26:16.909 --> 00:26:21.222
The second point I would say would be to find reputable hemp and cannabis manufacturers and suppliers.
00:26:21.222 --> 00:26:35.265
There are a lot of bad actors out there who are selling snake oil and things that are improperly labeled, carry toxins, carry other things, and the reason for that is because we don't have good regulatory oversight of all manufacturing of those products.
00:26:35.265 --> 00:26:47.096
So finding a good, reputable manufacturer means learning how to read a certificate of analysis, which is essentially a lab report from an independent third party that the company should post on their website or have available at the dispensary.
00:26:47.096 --> 00:26:55.682
That proves that what you get, what you're paying for, is what you get, and that it is tested for all sorts of contaminants, from microbes to metals, etc.
00:26:55.682 --> 00:26:59.596
And so you should never buy products that don't have COAs available.
00:26:59.596 --> 00:27:03.586
That includes things at grocery stores, gas stations.
00:27:03.586 --> 00:27:14.045
If you can't verify it, you cannot buy it, and so a lot of patients will come to me and they'll be trying unregulated products and I'm like look, you really have no idea what the dosing is of that is probably could be a lot stronger.
00:27:14.045 --> 00:27:15.689
It could be a lot weaker than what we're thinking it is.
00:27:15.689 --> 00:27:23.205
We need to pick a high quality product and start your dosing all over again, because we don't actually know the truth, and so that's something to consider as well.
00:27:23.634 --> 00:27:26.880
If you want to find very easily the reputable, I have cannabis suppliers.
00:27:26.880 --> 00:27:34.691
I have a list of affiliates on my website and a list of affiliate promo codes with them as well, so I would definitely recommend Miriam's Hemp as my number one.
00:27:34.691 --> 00:27:41.964
I probably refer to them 90% of the time because that's the only place where I can find that we can do these custom blends for patients.
00:27:41.964 --> 00:27:48.717
Other ones I would recommend Rare Cannabinoid Company is also good, but then just check out my website to get a good start of what you need.
00:27:48.717 --> 00:28:00.075
And then the last one I would say is if you're like, if you're serious about research, if you're serious about getting next level, if you're serious about treating patients with this, get a subscription to Canikeys Canikeys 360.
00:28:00.855 --> 00:28:02.142
I'm the medical editor there.
00:28:02.275 --> 00:28:03.801
It's essentially a pub med of cannabis.
00:28:03.994 --> 00:28:05.401
I've been medical editor there for three years.
00:28:05.401 --> 00:28:12.107
It is a research database that is organized by medical condition, organ system, cannabinoid, terpene and more.
00:28:12.107 --> 00:28:23.521
You can even select by receptor key phrase or other molecular target, and then we have co-written up-to-date research summaries written by Dr Uwe Blesching and also myself.
00:28:23.521 --> 00:28:27.818
So we co-author all of the research and then I update it periodically.
00:28:27.818 --> 00:28:31.876
So I've already been through all 200 plus medical conditions on our website.
00:28:31.876 --> 00:28:47.721
It took me three years to get through, and now I'm starting from the top again, back at the A's, and so if you want to be able to see very specifically what is the research regarding cannabis and X syndrome or Y disease, you definitely got to use CannaKeys.
00:28:47.721 --> 00:29:02.084
We also have treatment algorithms that are specifically geared for providers, and all the research summaries have all the nitty gritty details about the molecular pathways, the level of evidence that the data presents and the dosages used, and so it gives you just a lot of.
00:29:02.084 --> 00:29:07.746
You can glean the insights of what you need to get started right away using the subscription to CannaKeys.
00:29:08.095 --> 00:29:10.436
And can you spell the name for us, CannaKeys.
00:29:10.836 --> 00:29:20.464
Yeah, cannakeys is C as in Carlos A, as in Apple N as in Nancy N as in Nancy A, as in Apple K as in Keys E-Y-S.
00:29:21.045 --> 00:29:21.766
CannaKeys.
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