The latest segment of TNMNews, the unbiased marijuana talk radio program from DigiPath, Inc. (OTCBB and OTCQB: DIGP), focuses on how laws based on the War on Drugs have hurt students and families. Orange County (OC) NORML founder and executive director Kandice Hawes, who is also president of Cal State Fullerton Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), describes problems students face around drugs. Later in the program, legendary cannabis cultivator Jorge Cervantes describes his new emphasis on strains that patients can use to medicate without getting them high. Finally, Diane Goldstein of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) and Bianca Barnhill of Spark the Conversation discuss how current drug laws divert funding from education, rehabilitation, and diversion. This exciting program will stream at www.tnmnews.com and be broadcast on select terrestrial stations beginning Saturday, March 14, 2015.
"Kandice Hawes and Diane Goldstein do an excellent job describing how our drug laws hurt students, families, and people struggling with chemical dependency," explains TNMNews host Todd Denkin. "These serious points bookend a lighter conversation with Jorge Cervantes about recent developments in cannabis growing and tips on what to do—or not do—when starting your own grow operation."
Hawes kicks off the program by describing how she founded the Orange County chapter of NORML in 2003 after losing her educational financial assistance package over a drug charge. She was surprised how the conservative community embraced and continues to support the organization, where she has remained its director for a dozen years. She says OC NORML benefits from hundreds of local members and thousands of email subscribers who donate $20 or less to create $10,000 a year in funding.
OC NORML offers many services, including the "Orange Country NORML Classroom," which has tackled important topics such as how to handle yourself during a police interaction, how to create effective court support, and how to be a more effective public speaker. Hawes says her organization's structure and educational programs got OC NORML recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)3—one of the few marijuana advocacy groups in the country to achieve nonprofit recognition.
SSDP is a grassroots organization that helps students lobby on their campuses for change. The organization helps create Good Samaritan laws so students can call for police or medical assistance when a fellow student overdoses without fear of being expelled.
Jorge Cervantes, who has been cultivating cannabis for 32 years, follows. He gained notoriety after publishing his first book, titled "Indoor Marijuana Horticulture." Millions of people have watched the hundreds of videos he has produced and posted on YouTube. Cervantes says that the industry requires regulation because strain names are no guarantee of consistency—OG Kush from one supplier is not the same as OG Kush from another. He also supports safety testing for contaminants in end products. He is now focusing on growing high-CBD medicinal crops that help people feel better but don't get them high.
The program concludes with a conversation with Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) executive board member Diane Goldstein and Spark the Conversation host Bianca Barnhill. Goldstein recants the devastation she witnessed from the War on Drugs during her more than 20 years in law enforcement. Her older brother, whose life came to a tragic end after he was convicted of possession of paraphernalia and unable to rejoin the workforce, was one of the reasons she believes that America needs to stop incarcerating cannabis users and shift resources to education and rehabilitation.
Barnhill began advocating for cannabis after her modeling career was impacted by colorectal cancer at age 29. Two years after she beat cancer, she began using cannabis as an alternative to the 13 medications she was taking. She quickly realized marijuana's medical benefits and decided to make it her life's work to share her experience with the world.
As part of Spark the Conversation's education and awareness campaign, Barnhill has interviewed Melissa Etheridge, Oliver Stone, Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khlaifa, Kreayshawn, NAS, and Damien Marley on the subject. She maintains a blog called "Living the High Life," which is becoming a reality show and is producing documentaries in the cannabis space. Bianca's main objective is to normalize the cannabis consumer to a mainstream audience by using herself as an example and rebranding the counter culture from "Cheech and Chong" and "Reefer Madness" propaganda.
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