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Episode 7 – Kelly G.

Posted on by comingoutoftheemeraldcloset

Thank you for coming by. Are we still in quarantine? Sheltering in place? Well, masks up – we’re heading out. Out to a lovely afternoon with a lovely photographer – sunny and green like a May afternoon in Portland, Oregon should be.

Kelly & I met at the afterparty for the National Cannabis Diversity & Awareness Conference (NCDAC). In conversation during the ride home, I realized the Kelly was a brainiac (and I mean that in the most affectionate way), which meant I could rely on her for good conversation.

This episode starts with an extended (almost 19-minute) introduction, starting off in summer 2019 – my favorite songs, the musicians who played them, and my gushing review of Broccoli magazine’s In Bloom festival. Things didn’t slow down in October, as I basked in wonderful speakers and side-splitting comedy. (All the names, dates, and locations are in the episode.) I turn serious for a couple minutes as I address a blunder I made in the intro to the previous episode – #6 with Mss_Oregon. Next, I lay out my intention to include consumption-site reviews, and list all the municipalities I would be open to visiting, should any of you generous listeners offer an invitation. Lastly, I shout-out the culture I’ve been vibing with: the books, the music, the movies and the podcasts I’ve been getting stoned to.

Then we launch off into the conversation I had with Kelly last May (2019), plus a couple short chirps from her cellphone notifications and a quick question from photographer Jacoby. First thing, we hear how Kelly self-identifies (21:25). This is the first of many synchronicities between the ambient sounds – in this case the construction crew working next door – and our conversation; as Kelly begins detailing her constructing of a new life since moving here, a drill audibly fires up next door. The first story Kelly shares (25:33) is her contribution to the MyFirstTime narrative – the time her big brother introduced her to smoking pot. Another humorous synchronicity at 24:25 – the nail gun next door starts popping off as Kelly describes her brother’s talents at MacGuyver-ing a pipe together out of disparate household components. That bubbling sound at 29 minutes is the beginning of our smoking.

At 36 minutes, Kelly begins our dialogic foray into visibility and normalization, and how that relates to shifting taboos of both queerness and cannabis. Shortly after (41:30), we unpack our opinions about what constitutes abuse of cannabis, which leads into an exploration of what cannabis helps her with (spontaneous ambient accompaniment – a large vehicle in the street releasing its airbrakes).

By the time we get to Is cannabis queer? (52:26) you know we’re in deep . Two closets; how similar are they? Kelly had only recently (when we recorded this) come out of both closets, and was still “new to being out and open.” After Kelly [the brainiac] flexes some etymology, she deduces that cannabis is queer because “it’s both peculiar and magical.” The 59:30 collective swoon of birdsong around us indicates some agreement.

Around the one hour mark, we poke around issues such as whether it is possible to keep gender & sexuality separate, and how we unlearn gendered affectations. Then, at 1:12:30 – I blow it. I misgender Kelly. Actually, it’s the third misgendering, if you listen close enough; but this is the one where I wave my hands in a ‘wait a minute’ gesture to address the elephant in the room – how tolerant do I expect Kelly to be with my speech habits. If you’ve ever wondered how to handle a misgendering, may I present exhibit A. Please, feel free to dissect our exchange. This is what my podcast is here for. As embarrassed and frustrated as I was once I caught myself doing it (in this case, ending my sentences with “, man.” “, dude.” and “, bruh.”) Kelly meets me with compassion. Plus, she invents the term ‘bro-ettes.’ This exchange – which I believe is the heart of this episode – leads into some talk about unconscious bias, which I distill into the assumption of “I’m always gonna act in accordance with my morals, right?”

We wind down easy with Kelly’s shout-outs. First up is the Q Center, a culturally, emotionally, and physically safe space for LGBTQ2SIA+ community. I apologize for the awkwardness when I express interest in visiting – Kelly handles me well. Her next shout-out is PopMob, where she met a lot of new friends in her new city. Then we fade out to birdsong and our closing theme.

Thanks for spending time with us. I hope you enjoy.

Rise wise.

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A Personal History of Cannabis in Film – part 1

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I never heard people talk about smoking pot when I was growing up. Nobody ever spoke about it – at least, not in any self-referential way. ‘Smoking pot’ was ‘doing drugs’ was ‘breaking the law’ was ‘throwing your life away.’ No one (adult or child) could risk admitting to smoking pot, or even having smoked pot in their past. As my teen years ticked by, and I grew curious interested in it, myself – I had to search art, literature, music and cinema in order to get any first-person accounts. I kept my eyes peeled for any mentions or depictions of cannabis consumption.

In my northern Virginian suburb of Washington, D.C., we got the Washington Post delivered every morning. Each Friday, perhaps to help cultured denizens plan their weekends, there was a special extra section to the paper called “Weekend.” I loved it. Extended film reviews, concert / theater reportage, pieces on (and pictures of) the latest museum exhibits. Metropolitan life. I followed the Movies section closest. I loved movies and wanted to know all about what was playing and where.

My point being – cinema depictions of smoking pot have always caught my eye. Whether I wondered what they were doing, judged their skills, whet my own appetite to get high, watched what other cultures do, or rolled my eyes at harmful cliches and predictable tropes ; I noticed. And sometimes I took note. What follows are my memories around ‘when I took note.’

#1.) “Back to the Future”

This came out during the big 1950s craze of the mid-’80s. I was in 5th and 6th grade, with no interest in cannabis. The first several times I watched this movie, I didn’t even notice that cannabis was not only on the screen, but being addressed in the dialogue. It goes like this … During the film’s finale, at the Enchantment under the Sea dance, musician Marvin Berry and his band The Starlighters are on a set-break, smoking a joint in their car. A coterie of henchmen for antagonist Biff is dragging our hero (Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly) across the parking lot and throw him into the trunk of – whose car? – Marvin Berry’s. “What the hell are you doin’ in my car?” asks one of the Starlighters. One of the henchmen – a character named 3-D – taunts Marvin with a racist epithet – “Beat it, spook. This don’t concern you.”

So, there are a few ‘firsts’ for me, in this scene. For starters, I did not know what ‘spook’ meant. I had to ask – was it my older sister? was it my best friend? his mom or brother? I don’t know. Eventually, I was told “it’s a bad name for black people.” Fair enough. By 10 years-old, I regret to admit, I had learned a few of those already. It was a little confusing, to be honest – spook sounded like ghost, which made me think of a white sheet, which made me think of … white. I did a little research, and the origin has something to do with paranoid whites not being able to see dark skin in the nighttime – hence, ghosts. Go figure. But it was widely used, and very derogatory. A little harsh for a white filmmaker to throw into a PG-rated family film.

After 3-D slings the slur, the car doors open, and the rest of Marvin’s [black] bandmembers exit the car, with a ‘we heard that’ look on all their faces [see above photo]. A few clouds of smoke billow and clear while Marvin coolly sasses “Who you callin’ ‘spook,’ peckerwood?” This was my second ‘first’ – peckerwood. Having never heard it before, I just thought it was a generic insult. So I tried using it a couple times. (I hope none of my [white] friends’ parents overheard me). Eventually, I was told that ‘peckerwood’ is an anti-white slur. This blew my 10-year-old mind – there are anti-white slurs? I had never thought of that, but it made sense. The more I thought about it, actually, the more sense it made.

Having just been counter-threatened and counter-slurred, 3-D tries to save a little face and backs off, saying “We don’t wanna mess with no reefer addicts.” A skuffle ensues, and the film’s climax continues to build.

First of all, as far as I cared to notice, that was a cigarette Marvin was smoking. Not uncommon for a 1950s musician on a break – unremarkable, so it went past me. But that word … “reipherattick” … or, wait … what was that word? I liked the sound of it. I kind of wanted to start using it, but wasn’t quite sure what it meant.

Turns out there’s a “t” at the end, and it’s two words. After – again – asking around, I learned that reefer was marijuana. In my mind I connected marijuana to drug, drug to addict. Ah, of course! A reefer addict. It made perfect sense. That puzzle piece slipped right into place. But that’s as far as I thought about it – What is it? Oh, that’s what it is … Like I said, I had no interest in cannabis at the time and went about my 10-year-old life – riding dirt bikes and microwaving boxed food. I probably didn’t even think about cannabis again until I saw it in another movie, a swashbuckling romantic adventure called “Romancing the Stone.”

By the next scene, the Starlighters are back onstage singing & performing – mentally unimpaired by any reefer. Heck, they even do a great job backing up Marty McFly’s guitar shreddery with nothing more than his direction to follow his “blues riff in B, and try to keep up.” Some aspects of the scene have not aged well – a white guy telling black musicians to ‘keep up’ while he invents rock & roll – but that, too, went right over my head and I cheered our hero’s victory over formidable plot-structural odds.

Bonus “reefer” mention – I didn’t think twice about learning the word reefer until it came up in another ’50s (okay, 1962) send-up – John Waters’ “Hairspray,” a couple years later. Our heroes, who just want to racially integrate the dancefloor, are on the lam. They find refuge in a ‘beatnik pad,’ where Pia Zadora (as Beatnik Chick) plays bongos, sings a quick chorus of “The Banana Boat Song,” and gives them the third degree for how square they are; while a wigged-out Ric Ocasek (as Beatnik Cat) struggles with an abstract painting he’s working on. Beatnik Chick recommends they “get naked & smoke,” which excites Beatnik Cat to the extent that he punches his head through the canvas of his painting-in-progress, exclaiming “Reefer?!?” This time, I got the joke! As our protagonists proceed to make their hasty exit, Beatnik Chick begins reciting Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl” to/at them.

The scene is farcical and over-the-top – imagine that, in a John Waters movie. The pot-smokers are one-dimensional caricatures, gushing painfully outdated slang. In “Hairspray”‘s case, though, it works completely within the satiric nature of the movie, and all the actors seems to be hamming it up with a good sense of humor – they’re clearly in on it. The silliness is worth a chuckle, instead of an eye-roll or groan. And John Waters is an American treasure. For years after this, my friends & I would imitate Beatnik Cat – “Reefer?!?” and then pantomime punching our head through a stretched canvas – anytime an outrageous idea was proposed.

Episode 6 – Ms. Oregon

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It’s been a while – what, seven months?!? Sheesh. Well, I’m glad to be back and I’m happy you’re here. This episode’s guest is everywhere. She going to places and doing things before most of the rest of us even know what’s going on. Put simply, Ms. Oregon knows everybody; and if you don’t know her … well, you just don’t know.

After this epidsode’s introduction, she & I meet up on a May afternoon, here at the same table I shared with Isaac, David and Elena (as seen in the IG pictures). After ironing out some technical glitches, we kick right off (4:33) with a couple surprising observations on gender in the cannabis industry – who is leading what parts of the industry. This leads to me bringing up some of my racial assumptions (12:30) about how we comport our bodies and voices around one another. At 19:26, I tell a story about shopping at a local hip-hop dispensary and share my thoughts & feelings as a white person walking into a black space.

As luck would have it, Ms. Oregon is the CEO of Ambit, LLC – a consultation company that provides diversity training. We’re fortunate to hear – there is no hiding of secret techniques here – how to make sure everybody is everywhere, in your company.

One of the many feathers in her cap is the National Cannabis Diversity Awareness Conference [NCDAC) in The Redd. The first of its kind – though I foresee it being adopted by each new municipality that legalizes cannabis. There was a stage with performers all day – mostly local, but a few folks from out of town. A few organizations relating to cannabis and diversity had booths. There was food being cooked in The Redd’s kitchen. All in order to draw in the common, everyday consumer. And they came. And packed the place. (Some even came in through side doors). But the story she tells (starting at 30:00) is ultimately about who came through, who didn’t, and all the fortunate happenstance that an event of such scale requires.

We talk a little about the realities of public housing (42:39), as it relates to medical patients who use cannabis. You can hear me get shocked – time and time, again – with each PreviousJob Ms. Oregon tells me about, from leasing vehicles for Ford (53:58) to counseling for adventurous couples (1:01:18).

I’m glad you’ve hung out with us. You can hear the sound of folks getting together, getting along – even enjoying ourselves – as we share stories across our gender differences, racial differences, and more. We honestly had a good time hanging out, and you can hear it. Thanks for showing up.

Interview date – March or April, 2019
Recorded on – Tascam DR-05 [handheld] digital recorder
Edited with – Audacity software

Always appreciated are donations in the form of audio recording/editing know-how.

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5th Episode – Isaac

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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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Episode 4 – Kelly

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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.

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3rd episode – David

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Oh, good – you’re here!

This is the last of the three interviews I did the month after legalization, i.e. over two years ago. While I have since refined the trajectory of this podcast, they (the interviews) still do a good job of reflecting those first concerns that come up when yesterday’s crime becomes today’s … hmmm … today’s what? Today’s pioneering? Today’s toleration? There has been very little envisioning of what successful legalization is. The good news is that we (and by we I mean you) get to define what lawful, effective cannabis consumption looks like.

While David is a cis-het white male, he is also a single dad, of a 4-year-old son. While it might be a stretch to qualify him as a “marginalized” voice, it does qualify as a voice that isn’t often included in the Conversation around cannabis use and law reform. David is also a master at empathetic listening (paying attention to another person with emotional identification, compassion, insight) – which is gold in my line of work. Just talking with him helped me tighten up my game.

After 5:17 of introduction, our conversation begins with a check-in about what has[n’t] changed since the full implementation of Measure 91, where we end up sharing stories about interactions with our respective neighbors.  By 15 minutes in, we’ve taken a turn toward the philosophic – what is therapeutic, what is a vice? Because let’s face it, it’s time to move past ‘I know it when I see it.’ It’s time to name it. Once we’re into the narrative arc of David’s booze ⇒ cannabis transformation,  at 28:00 is my favorite quote of the interview – reflecting on the creeping suspicion that smoking early in the day (instead as the topping-off of a night out drinking), David reflects ” … maybe it’ll be great.” The perfect attitude! Our response to cannabis is so often dictated by how we approach it. David’s positive curiosity proves the cornerstone of his advantageous, thoroughly enjoyable relationship to pot nowadays.  At 37 minutes in, he paints a picture of his ‘dealer’ which flies in the face of the negative stereotypes we’ve been taught. After that topic, I wind up walking David through the conversations I’ve had with my own [10 year-old] son regarding marijuana [and my use of it] over the years – what we talked about, at what age, etc. ‘Normalization’ is a bit of a buzzword now, and at 44:00, David points out how an exchange I was describing exemplifies how to normalize cannabis through honest dialogue. Then he tells a story about what consumption looks like in his household. After some speculation on how Washington D.C.’s radically different strategy of legalization might be playing out, we touch on (at 58:00) what I feel to be the heart of this podcast – how the exchange of self-narratives  best prepares us for integrating [with] the status quo. This leads to a humorous tangent about how not to engage across difference. We go a little bit into how much we reveal on social media, until we end with speculations on what else legalization may bring.

Interview date – August 2015 (two months into marijuana legalization)
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.

This show is recorded in full compliance with the Cole Memorandum.

 

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Episode 2 – Elena

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Good to see you!

Elena was a podcaster’s dream – just wind her up [with a short prompt] and let her go [regale me with real events]. She brought not only her own experiences, but remembrances of the people around her: clients she cared for, family, local community. Barely a minute & a half into her interview, we meet Everett; and through him we begin our walk through the first social experiments figuring out how post-prohibition cannabis plays out, aka Denis Peron’s California. Around the 10-minute mark, Elena & I share a couple quick observations on the interaction of cannabis consumption and fitness regimens. In future episodes, I’d like to invite athletes on the show to talk more about how they integrate cannabis into their work-outs. In between a couple recollections of her days fronting Sacramento punk band Local Chaos, she spoke one of what were to be several short, basic phrases which struck me as heavy at the same time. “Honesty is at the core of coming out.” And then a couple minutes later – “Act like it’s normal and it’s perfectly acceptable.”  Simple sentiments, practically obvious, yet significant and often unapplied to our lives. And if you listen closely, at 25:49, you can hear me bite my tongue when she calls [the] east coat pot [I grew up on] “shwag.”  {ouch!}

We really kick into high gear when the conversation turns toward public consumption sites. Elena was right there when the law was getting “stretched” further with each of Peron’s successive locations. At 35:30, we touch on the topic of who cannabis is not for, while also noting “tell your children that something is forbidden, you might actually be tempting them to try something they didn’t care about at all.” From there on out she must have really had my number, because she was answering every question of mine by introducing me to somebody new – one of her own adult children, or a spunky senior like Hazel, Mary, Pat, Brandy or Pearl. Signing off, Elena walks us through her favorite cannabis recipe, the one that’s treated all the people/patients we’ve met thusfar.

 

Here is the study by Dr. Harvey Feldman (which Elena mentions at 27:15) on the social interaction piece of cannabis-based health regimens. Madeline Martinez has also spoken & written about this.

Interview date – August 30, 2015 (two months into marijuana legalization)
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.

This show is recorded in full compliance with the Cole Memorandum.

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First episode – Lasse

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Howdy!

I’m so glad you’ve made time for us.

I gotta warn you. This interview was edited with a heavy hand. There is nothing wrong with your listening devise or the mp3 file. What you’re hearing is the sound of my crash course in audio-editing software. But the content is strong – again, thank you Lasse – and there’s a good amount of it to chew on.

The interview begins at 4:48. First, we get into our relationships with (and strategies for dealing with) our parents. His and mine reacted quite differently to suburban conformity – and you can hear how it influences our own views. Once we start smoking at 29:00, there’s a story which illustrates what problematic pot use looks like, then a couple more stories about the decisions surrounding getting high with siblings (or not). Forty-seven minutes in, I describe how I saw the Drug War propaganda effect not only kids, but their parents, significantly. Things lighten up as Lasse details how he uses cannabis today, then I ask him how he approaches the topic of cannabis with his kids. Around the 58-minute mark, you can hear a wonderfully well-timed Doppler effect from a train as it approaches and then recedes. Feel free to skip the BoringGrowerTalk at four minutes past the hour. And it wouldn’t be a proper session without some spiritual philosophies – for us, it was around the nature of stress, and the practice of gratitude.

Interview date – August 9, 2015 (one month into marijuana legalization)
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.

This show is recorded in full compliance with the Cole Memorandum.

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Why Storytelling?

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Our stories – “how I came to where I am” – are our series of interpretations of & about the world. Stories are where we store what is meaningful and valid. They are our current renditions of reality; and as such, are the primary reference points for how we choose to behave. The oral tradition of recording observational data in the form of story has been with us since humans have had language. Even today, our cultures and traditions are constantly being written, rewritten, and revised.

This is where we jump in, folks. And by we, I mean you. This podcast is a wedge, splitting the edifice of prohibition’s master narrative. My stories, your stories, our stories, are the antidote for the well-intentioned, yet ultimately poisonous ideology of this master narrative. So far our public story [when we talk cannabis] has been an unrealistically dichotomous one – total abstinence vs. corrosive dependence, squandered potential, neutralized ambition, and negligent parenting; incompatible with academic, athletic, or professional success.  For those of use with a fair amount of exposure to cannabis use, we know that responsible adult use is not a unique outcome. Unfortunately, one-sided research has set the rules and chosen what it will support as true; in this case, the stories of addiction, over-indulgence and vice.

We empower ourselves when we become critically aware of the master narratives that we live … and that live us. My goal is to foster liberation and emancipation from the devaluing and disempowering master narratives. Story-sharing is the remedy I employ. Drug policy is in flux right now. During this process of reinvention, it is squishy and malleable. The conditions are ripe for transformation. A crucial piece of the system of cannabis policy has been the voices of consumers. The conversations which occur during these interviews are the sound of our voices being set free. You are hereby invited into the creative act of meaning-making.

“The creative act of meaning-making”? What does that look like?

Well, one could collect stories. Dialogue is dense with all sorts of information (emotional content, hidden assumptions, living data of tested hypotheses, etc.) which influence the component parts [of policy] while they reorganize themselves. As we engage with one another, with society at large, and with the communities we’re embedded in, we are able to further articulate the healthiest behaviors and approaches for this new post-prohibition era.  The conversations on this podcast are our bids to influence the change process, to coauthor a revision of the existing, outworn narrative. In the interviews I’ll be posting, we’ll be exploring stories beyond the one in which we were trained. As we share them, we find some stories don’t fit like they once did – which is good, since they may prevent optimal success.  In its truest good, dialogue takes us past our own stories, into a new, freshly revised realm which didn’t exist before. It is only called forth when two or more are gathered with the willingness to be changed by what they’ve heard.

If we really want to participate in changing public perceptions of cannabis (and its consumers), our best bet is to tell a believable story, that challenges people’s perceptions. This is what it means to take part in the creative act of meaning-making.