On the last of this year’s sunny Sundays, Isaac Camacho came over for a talk at the table (photos on IG). I’m doubly grateful to him, because this is actually the second ‘session’ we did. We had a great talk the weekend prior, but my device stopped recording about fifteen minutes in and the rest of that talk didn’t get recorded. Isaac was generous enough to make time to come back over the next Sunday and do it again. I say ‘doubly’ because Isaac is also {trumpet announcement} the first guest of color on the show! Yay!
Isaac is a co-owner (along with two other folks of color) of Kushcart, a cannabis delivery service here in town. His story – from  to Corvalis to undergrad, Masters, and even doctoral (!) work here in Portland – is a great listen.

Our talk starts off with describing his business and how being the son of immigrants (8:00) informs their business model.

We learn about Isaac’s family history at 14:30 – moving from Guadalajara, where his dad was stationed while serving in the Mexican air force, to Corvalis, Oregon. As he delves into his undergraduate studies (19:50) in criminology and criminal justice. At 37:07. we take a cannabis break (his topical, my joint). At 43:00 Isaac talks about the education piece of Kushcart’s mission – get to know terpenes! At 56:58, we begin applying systems theory to the emergent cannabis industry and he tells us about persuing a doctorate in transformational leadership, informed by (59:00) learning the values of the businesses you support.

Lastly, I get some details on how Isaac incorporates cannabis into his mindfulness/meditation practice (1:04:47).

Isaac’s shout-outs:
The CBD Certified program at East Fork Cultivars.
Nelson & Co. Organics, who grow for Kushcart.
Sativa Science Club
CEO and cannaconfectioner Megon Dee-Cave
Freelance multimedia journalist Tiara Darnell, whose “High, Good People” focuses on stories of people of color as they relate to cannabis and the burgeoning industry.
You can listen to Isaac, Megon, and Tiara all talk it out on this podcast episode of Group Therapy, courtesy of local radio station XRAY FM.
Cannabis industry consultant Emma Chasen

 

Interview date – Sunday afternoon, November 18, 2018
Recorded on – Tascam DR-05 [handheld] digital recorder
Edited with – Audacity software

Always appreciated are donations in the form of: graphic design know-how, audio recording/editing know-how, website design know-how.

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Greetings! Last month, I made a “Night Ride” playlist on Spotify, for listening to on my bike after dark. On a brisk Saturday evening, I put it to use after hanging out at Kelly’s house (photos on IG) to record this episode. I almost skipped listening to it because I was still so elated about how our conversation went. It started off good, with some family history, his cannabis history, and a few snippets of east coast cannabis culture. But I had a burning question about the title of this podcast, and what it means for a heterosexual (like me) to use the phrase ‘coming out of the closet.’ I didn’t know whether to ask for queer permission, or atone to a gay person (like Kelly) in person, or what. So when Kelly told me he was open to discussing my title, I was overjoyed. And oh boy, what a turn our conversation took! Hear my mind get blown by the transformation of my gratitude practice! I’ve never been so excited to get a conversation out to you all. It was so heavy for me, that I put it at the beginning of this episode, right after my introduction.

In between Kelly’s two coming-out stories – from 1990 (as gay, at 9:00) and 2018 (as a cannabis consumer, at 13:16) – I share a quick parenting event I had when my son realized his best friend’s two moms were … y’know … a couple … in love with one another (11:17).

Kelly espouses some of the lessons learned and benefits of coming out (19:10), like being a resource for others (30:42). It became quite moving when Kelly began talking about the reason I came into his life at 20:53.

We talk about how the two of us met at 34:09. While telling me about where he came from (Maryland > New York > Massachussets) he gives accounts, at 44:00, of being in Massachussetts for both medical cannabis implementation and adult-use legalization.

At 51:41, we begin Kelly’s personal cannabis [hi]story, including some harrowing circumstances (59:30) he had to endure in the underground market before regulation, which leads to a quick talk about the racial dimensions of cannabis legalization (1:03:00) and what we can all, easily, do to help establish equitable opportunity for marginalized communities.
Also, a quick shout-out to qwoc-owned Oso Verde farms, and Nat’l Expungment Week, carrying though the social justice promise of cannabis legalization.

In a candid moment (1:11:09), Kelly shares a fear he’s had of growing old and not being able to access cannabis.

Interview date – Saturday night, November 17, 2018
Recorded on – Tascam DR-05 [handheld] digital recorder
Edited with – Audacity software

Always appreciated are donations in the form of: graphic design know-how, audio recording/editing know-how, website design know-how.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:15:40 — 60.6MB) | Embed

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