(upbeat music) - Coming up on "Inspire", we discuss the efforts to legalize medical cannabis, the benefits of using cannabis to treat health ailments, and the stigmas that are associated with the legalization, and more inspiring segments featuring women making moves in our community.

Coming up next on "Inspire".

(chiming tone) - [Narrator] "Inspire" is sponsored by Kansas Furniture Mart, using furniture to inspire conversation.

And by the Blanche Bryden Foundation.

(upbeat music) - Hello and welcome to "Inspire".

I'm excited to be here and you should be excited to be here because we're going to learn so much.

Danielle Norwood, Leslie Flueranges, let's go.

- Thank you, Betty Lou.

On today's show, we discuss efforts to legalize medical cannabis and the health impact of utilizing cannabis to manage health ailments like PTSD, seizures, stomach ailments, and cancer.

- Joining us now are Kelly Rippel, Vice President, and Co-Founder for Kansans for Hemp, and Leigh Carr, BSN, RN Co-Founder of Hari Om Hemp.

Kelly and Leigh, welcome to "Inspire".

- Thanks for having us.

- Thank you for having us.

We're so excited to be here.

- [Danielle] There is so much that I don't know and just chatting with you before the show, I'm like, oh my goodness, this is going to be very deep.

So let's start out by talking about what is cannabis?

- So cannabis is a dioecious plant, which means it can express both the male and female aspects.

And we like to have the metaphor of like a dog.

So we know that there are multiple types of dogs.

You have a German Shepherd, a Maltese, they're different but they're all dogs.

So they're like cousins kind of.

The family of cannabaceae, which is where cannabis derives from, is very similar in that way because you have industrial hemp, and you also have cannabis, which is grown for the floral material.

Those are different cousins, but they're of the same species of cannabis.

- [Betty Lou] Oh my god.

So now one of our other hosts was telling us about hemp and that hemp could cleanse the world and make it a better place.

How so?

- There are several different ways and it depends on the way that it's grown, because industrial hemp does grow well with regenerative agriculture practices and what's known as good agriculture practices, GAP.

So that in itself, you're not using as much chemicals, as many inputs, pesticides, herbicides, chemicals, all of that.

So really the ecosystems that are grown with industrial hemp, it's much better for them.

It's known to increase biodiversity both in the soil and with animal populations.

We have studies and research from Kansas that does prove this as well, but there are a number of other reasons why hemp is becoming such a hot commodity for products because it is biodegradable and we're trying to get away from plastic usage and fossil fuels and hemp really can replace a lot of those more harmful products.

- [Leslie] So does that mean that this is good for climate change and global warming?

- Yes.

- Absolutely.

When we talk about needing to sequester carbon and carbon farming, hemp is known to be one of the largest sequesters of carbon.

So we're really drawing all of that out of the atmosphere and putting it into the ground and in the plant.

So anything that's made with it, it's being stored and locked in.

That's what needs to happen.

We need a lot more carbon sequestration and lowering carbon footprints and farming hemp has been known to do that.

- [Leslie] So why are we not doing more of that?

- [Leigh] Well, we just had the 2018 Farm Bill passed, so we were not able to grow hemp in the United States again until 2018 across the board.

So prior to that, hemp was outlawed in 19... - So 1937 was the Marijuana Tax Act.

And 2014 was the original farm bill signed by President Obama at that time and that started a research program, so farmers started researching hemp at that time, but 2018 was really the turning point for things to expand into a commercial aspect.

Yeah.

- So when we're talking about cannabis and marijuana, 'cause I know some of the church ladies are like, "Oh, I'm not putting that on me" talk about the difference between the two.

- Yeah.

I can take that.

So the difference between the two are basically the THC content.

So by definition, hemp has to be 0.3% THC or below and cannabis is anything above that.

Like Kelly said, they both come from the same family of plants.

The way I like to describe it in layman's term for someone simple is we have different types of tomatoes, right?

So we have heirloom tomatoes, we have grape tomatoes, we have cherry tomatoes, they're all the same thing, a tomato, but they look different, they taste different, and they're shaped different.

That's the way it is with cannabis.

So you have broad leaf, you have wide leaf, indica sativa.

You're going to get different effects with different plants that you smoke or consume.

- [Betty Lou] And this is very personal to you and why?

- Well, hemp helped heal me, myself.

So just with hemp products, I was able to get off five daily pharmaceuticals.

I was on a merry-go-round of pharmaceuticals that I relied on daily for pain and anxiety.

And with CBD alone, I was able to get off all five of those.

- And this was because you'd had a car wreck or how many?

- [Leigh] I was in three car wrecks in 33 days in 2011.

The last one left me bedridden for about two months.

I had rotation and shortening in my right hip that took numerous physical therapy, steroid injections for me to get back on my feet and doing some more bedside nursing, but eventually I was no longer able to continue the bedside nursing because of the pain.

- It's amazing.

So I'm still a little confused.

We can use hemp, then there's cannabis, then there's marijuana that you smoke in a reefer.

Is there a difference?

- So cannabis is marijuana.

Marijuana is a name that was given in the "Reefer Madness" age.

I know you know a lot more.

- [Kelly] It was during the anti-immigration sentiment years, the 1920s, 1930s, and really the 1970 Controlled Substance Act was during the Nixon years.

That was really the impetus of the war on drugs, but definitely racism and discrimination, prejudice has been very much part of prohibition since the beginning.

- Cannabis listed in the Pharmacopeia until 1942 for physicians to use as medicine.

Physicians actually fought against them, taking it away from them.

- Talk about the racism element.

- In the years of a lot of immigrants coming from Mexico, there were people like William Randolph Hearst and Harry Anslinger with the FBI and Yellow Journalism and they were able to coin "Reefer Madness" and draw from fear and fear mongering, that certain populations would smoke marijuana and become violent, or they would jump off buildings and a host of horrific behaviors and that demonized the plant ultimately and that's why they outlawed all uses of it.

And I'll just mention that I know about all of this because my father did some research at K State during the seventies and they studied eradication methods of hemp or what they thought was marijuana, but it wasn't, it ended up being hemp.

- Wow.

You guys are fascinating and we are going to learn so much more about it, but right now we need a quick break.

We'll be back with more discussion on medical cannabis.

Stay right there.

(upbeat music) - We're back with Kelly Rippel and Leigh Carr.

In the last segment, we talked about the difference between cannabis and hemp and the impact of the word marijuana and the impact that it's had on society and why it's not legal today.

Fascinating stuff.

I was also of course fascinated by the fact of the racism, because I think that we're seeing so much of that today, where we demonize things just to stop the flow of something.

So can you tell us a little bit more?

How did we get past that?

Or have we gotten past it by bringing hemp and cannabis to the market now?

- That's a great question.

I believe there has been some really strong headway in Kansas by re-introducing industrial hemp for farmers.

That's showing a side of the hemp in the area.

It's showing a side of the cannabis plant that can be utilized and can be used for a host of different end products and things.

I do think though that we still have some paradigm shifts that need to continue moving forward in specific populations and in certain agencies, but we're making some good headway.

- And Leigh, what if somebody's hesitant to go into a store, they have no idea what they need, what they want, where to begin, they don't want to take something and have an accident or?

- [Leigh] Well, I'm actually glad you asked that.

I actually work with area dispensary's on the Missouri side as a cannabis nurse consultant.

I actually offer where I can go in and shop with a patient so that the patient is not misled to something that they're not wanting to consume.

We can go with you up to the counter and find what relief you're looking for.

So the first thing that I always ask the patient is what type of relief are you looking for?

'Cause not everyone wants to get high and marijuana, cannabis is not about getting high.

It's about healing.

And so guiding someone to the correct product that's best gonna work for them.

So if someone's just wanting something for arthritis pain, the best thing's going to be a topical 'cause you have those receptor sites in your skin where it's really going to work deep and penetrate to the inflammation with those cannabinoids.

Or say someone needs something for sleep.

A one-to-one tincture is going to be great for someone that needs to sleep.

And then you have people that are coming with diabetes.

You're gonna want to make sure you're not guiding them to any of the edibles that have high fructose corn syrup or high in sugar content.

So just working with each individual patient, really listening to what they need and guide them to the correct products.

But there are also other ways and that comes back to education and holding the dispensary's liable for making sure that their budtenders are educated and are not misguiding people.

And this is a great place to start the conversation where we're at in Kansas because we do not have legislation.

And we're seeing products pop up that are unregulated, such as Delta-8-THC, and it can actually harm people.

So in Kansas, we're at a disadvantage by not having regulations on certain cannabis products.

- So I was getting ready to ask, is there a cannabis concierge in Kansas since you do it for Missouri, can we find somebody here to do that for us when we're going to a company, a place?

- [Leigh] So there's actually nurses that offer online consulting such as I do.

So I work with two other nurses that we formed Kansas Nurses for Medical Cannabis.

That their names are Amy Reed and Cheryl Komberg and they also offer consulting services such as I online.

So we don't have any really stores to go into yet except for CBD stores, but we can guide you through a Zoom call or whatever as well to work on a product that would best work for you.

- So how soon is that on the horizon since you said "yet"?

- Right.

- Well, it could have happened in 2021, but it unfortunately didn't.

But we're looking at 2022 to see some movement on the policy front.

- Yeah, the Bill's not dead that we all worked on and I know Kelly helped write some of the language in it.

Correct, yes?

- Yeah, we had some amendments that were added on and are part of it now.

- But yeah, we are hoping to get through the finish line next year.

- So I saw the lines in Missouri when the store opened down there.

- I was there at grand opening.

- [Leslie] Were you there for the grand opening?

- I was the nurse outside that day.

I saw about 350 patients.

Some people waited over five hours in line to get their medicine.

And that's medicine.

I mean, those people were waiting.

And Kansas patients are still waiting and we're running out of time for patients.

There's patients that will die waiting this year and that's so unfortunate.

And it's sad.

- [Leslie] If your a Kansas resident, can you go over to Missouri and buy?

Oh boy.

- [Leigh] Nope.

And it's federally illegal to pass back over if you do.

- Oh.

- [Kelly] Yeah, that's one of the reasons why regulations need to be put in place sooner than later, because we need that reciprocation, provision in statute.

And likewise, people who are passing through Kansas or who have family members who live in another state who are coming here- - We are sandwiched by legal states.

We got Colorado on the side of us.

We got Oklahoma, the wild, wild west, and then Missouri.

And Nebraska's working on theirs.

- They're on their way, too.

- They're on their way.

- So we really are preventing people from coming here in state.

I know some people don't want to recognize that, but it's the reality.

And we've also been a part of organizations that have moved families out of state because their child needed medicine in Colorado or wherever.

- They had no more time to wait.

- Yep.

- [Leslie] So like in Colorado, I hear that their tax base has gone up because the sales of cannabis are adding to their revenue in the state.

Is that something that we should be excited about here?

- Colorado is unique in that they were one of the first.

Denver legalized and the state legalized and it has grown from there and they've had many years in this now.

The population alone in Colorado has just skyrocketed.

I've talked with many people.

I'm sure you have, too.

- Even over the last year.

- People who are native to Colorado are moving because the cost of living is so high.

They have a lot of unique circumstances that I don't necessarily think that Kansas will likely have, just given our demographics and our location, all the proximity, all of these things.

But I do think there is a lot on the horizon for revenue and that's one of the things that we've tried to hammer home to lawmakers and our elected officials is this is going to give an economic boost to all of the programs that we've needed to fund and have been cut in Kansas for so many years.

- While doing good for so many people with so many ailments.

- [Leigh] Oklahoma gave back 30 million to their schools.

- Wow.

- Whoa.

- Think what that could do for our schools.

- Kelly and Leigh, thank you so much for joining us here on "Inspire" today and we wish you the best in your efforts to educate Kansans on the benefits of medical cannabis and coming up next, we feature more discussion on cannabis.

See you back here in just a few minutes.

(upbeat music) (invigorating music) - My name is Barbara Waterman-Peters.

I am an artist, specifically a painter, although I work in a number of media.

I paint many subjects.

I paint a figure, I paint flowers, landscapes.

I have done work in many media, oil, water color, printmaking, handmade books, jewelry, I illustrate books.

I could go on and on because I have been an artist for more than 60 years.

I have never wanted to be anything else.

I just assumed I was an artist.

It part of my persona, part of the way I thought of myself and it continues to be that.

In fact, I almost think of myself more strongly as an artist as then anything else.

It's just there.

It's inherent.

Immutable as it were.

I have worked in everything from food service to banking, to teaching.

I have done many different things.

I have done commercial artwork, graphic design.

I taught myself how to do airbrush back in the days before there were computers and Photoshop programs.

So, yes.

I think I have even done childcare now that I think of it.

There had to be other means of income.

We are not among the most 12 paid individuals.

(upbeat music) Working in a bank, I acquired public relations skills, the importance of records, all of that has been very valuable, but it also taught me to observe human nature.

And even when I'm not painting, I'm often looking at people or an object or landscapes, enjoying the way the light hits, the shadows form, the ways of figures moving in space.

So I'm thinking visually, even when I am not actually drawing or painting.

I hope I do.

And they in turn, inspire me.

But I hope by continuing to pursue my art for all these years shows that A, it can be done, B, it's certainly worth it, and that no matter the things you might be up against, if you really, really want to make art, you'll find a way to do it.

Yes.

To answer your question in a nutshell, I do hope that I and the artists in here with me do inspire others to continue.

We won't all be around forever.

We want a new group of artists to come into NOTO or work in their studios and continue creating marvelous art.

I am amazed constantly at the talent in this city and surrounding areas.

I am just blown away by everything we have here and I'm excited and honored to be part of it.

(upbeat jazz instrumental) (upbeat music) - Okay, Danielle, Leslie, we learned so much from Kelly and Leigh.

We need to get this stuff legalized.

- I agree.

My mind has first of all, been blown, and secondly, been changed because so much of what I learned, especially because of religious dogma has been like all of this stuff is evil.

You know, forget the cannabis, forget the hemp, 'cause it's all just weed and you're going to hell and now I'm learning all of these things about how beneficial it is.

And I'm like, well, why haven't we been doing this all along?

So my mind's changed.

- But beneficial for your body, beneficial for the economy.

- Yes.

I mean, I thought that was fascinating.

I mean, all the issues that we have in even our town and our state, and we could be reaping in the cash to pay for all of those things and at the same time, helping people who are in pain and have medical issues that need this solution.

What are we waiting for?

- Right.

Right.

- Well, we tend to be a conservative state.

So what can we do to actually get those who are guiding us and representing us to actually get on board with that?

- We're learning about what it can do for each part of the body.

When Leigh was talking about being in that car accident, three car accidents in a short amount of time, and how that healing effect and we really need to have them back because afterwards and after we went off for just a little bit, it was like, think of the opioid problem that has been plaguing America.

That could be gone and we could have cannabis instead.

- Exactly, because what they were saying to us is that cannabis actually takes away the inflammation and the pain, whereas the opioids just mask the pain and the inflammation.

It's still there, you don't feel it, but people take it anyway.

We can get people off of those horrible drugs and onto something that actually makes a difference and that's what would be a fantastic thing and I'm going to go home and watch "Reefer Madness".

(laughing) It's a 1936 movie and I'm going to go check it out.

I never knew about it.

- [Betty Lou] And how important is it though, 'cause these stores are popping up all over the place, to have somebody like Leigh who knows what they're doing so that somebody behind a counter somewhere doesn't steer you wrong.

- Absolutely.

And I called it the cannabis concierge, but I wasn't kidding because we really need somebody who's knowledgeable to walk us through the process because I don't want somebody who's like, "Yeah, put a couple of these in there."

It's like, no, no, dude.

I need you to have some kind of medical certificate to actually help me on my journey.

So I could feel better and know that it's doing the best it can for me and my body.

And think about you with your company, we were talking about pets.

- It would be great for pets.

The same ailments that people get, pets get.

There's cancer, there's liver disease.

There are all of these.

Arthritis, mobility.

I mean, my goodness.

And so there's a great opportunity here in the animal corridor for all of these companies to be able to manufacture this.

And our farmers, all of the benefits in the soil that we would have.

There's just so many things that our lawmakers need to understand to help us get to where we need to be.

I mean, we are surrounded by everybody else, right?

They said Nebraska, Colorado, Missouri.

And we're still not there.

It's a conundrum.

- [Danielle] And what's it gonna take to get there?

- [Leslie] Exactly.

- I think it was pretty powerful when Leigh mentioned that there are some people who are going to die in Kansas because they're not able to get the cannabis.

That's pretty telling.

- That's very powerful.

That was very powerful statement.

- Well, that's all the time that we have for today.

We sure hope that you've been just as inspired by what we've learned and all these powerful stories and features showcasing the magnificent women, making moves in our community, nation, and world.

And as a reminder, you can watch this program again at watch.ktwu.org.

- And if you're so inspired to learn more about our guests, find out what's coming up on future shows and get access to additional content.

Be sure to visit our website at www.ktwu.org/inspire.

Inspiring women, inspiring you on KTWU.

We thank you for watching.

(upbeat music) - [Narrator] "Inspire" is sponsored by Kansas Furniture Mart, using furniture to inspire conversation.

And by the Blanche Bryden Foundation.