BY RUTH HILL R.N.
If you didn’t attend one of the lectures at the Palm Springs Cannabis Film Festival and Summit put on by the Palm Springs Cultural Center you missed an outstanding cultural event. Every lecture and movie decimated the myths about cannabis and purposefully refused to talk about marijuana, the slang word for the cannabis, cultivated in Mexico in the 30’s and 40’s. It is also enlightening that our state calls the commission that regulates legal cannabis the California Bureau of Cannabis Control (CBCC). Lori Ajax, the Cannabis Czar, gave everyone a lively update on the regulations effecting the market.
What I found unique was a no holds barred discussion exploring cannabis sex and intimacy by Dr. Nick Karras and Alicia Rose. Dr. Karras holds a Doctorate degree in Sexology from the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality (IASHS) in San Francisco. He is a regular contributor to Culture Magazine, Fusion, Vice, and Dope Magazine, and is a speaker at the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS) and the Association of Sexual Energy Professionals (ASEP).
Alicia Rose founded HerbaBuena in 2015 to help define the new cannabis culture and to serve the needs of health-conscious adults looking for the same level of purity and quality in their cannabis as they’ve come to expect in their organic food and fine wine. Alicia has an advanced degree in environmental science and a 15-year tenure in the wine industry. HerbaBuena’s products have the distinction of achieving the Demeter Certified Biodynamic Cannabis label.
Demeter International standards form a common legal foundation and agricultural framework for Biodynamic practice worldwide. Note that cannabis cultivators cannot label a product Organic because the term organic is regulated by the federal government not the states. California does not have regulations for organic labeled products. Any label as such will be subject to investigation for violating federal law.
Both Nick and Alicia explained how anandamide, the TCH we make in our body is called Bliss from the Sanskrit. Getting high is not always a negative event. There are four thousand strains of cannabis cultivated all over the world. Trying to find the strains that work takes a journey. A user develops a relationship with the plant, by becoming sensitive to minor reactions from smoking or ingesting. Only a small toke or dose is required. (a toke is Mexican slang for an inhale of a cigarette)
HerbaBuena develops vaginal sprays, elixirs, extracts and topicals. Products are beneficial for all kinds of symptoms, but HerbaBuena specializes in sexual arousal, menstrual cramps, and other effects on the reproductive system. Nick counsel’s clients who want to rekindle the intimacy they have lost from their relationship. He discussed how our culture has become so dependent on technological machines we have lost the ability to be intimate with touch.
Both discussed the uses of cannabis as a pleasant enhancement to sexual encounters. The myth of orgies is not the goal. THC, or anandamide, stimulates our creativity, enhances our alertness, is not meant to make us stoned. Every competent professional teaching cannabis will tell you less is more. Being buzzed or stoned is all dose dependent.
Nick weaved the conversation around the user learning how this plant affects different thoughts and feelings and is an experience worth exploring. Goal is improved health benefits not becoming dysfunctional. Knowledge improves our experience. Response is strain specific to the user’s genetics. He discourages long inhales of the flower if you are smoking or vaping. A small toke is enough. Go into a dispensary and ask for three different strains. Every strain has different terpenes and flavonoids responsible for scent and flavor. Listen, feel, taste and smell the plant. Grow your own. Become a gardener again.
Send questions to hilruth@gmail.com
Correction: the April 4th, 2018 issue of Cannabis Corner incorrectly labeled the bill that many CA legislators voted nay on The Cures Act when in fact it was the Right to Try bill. Two thirds were needed to pass on March 13, received 259-140. March 21st it passed with changes 267-140. It is now in the Senate awaiting committee to coalesce both the Senate bill that passed 94-1 in 2017. Trump will sign.
