“By making something illegal, you're making it more dangerous. It's a classic effect of that. It's similarly with cannabis and what we were talking about with THC, it's about the lack of education and telling people just don't do any drugs, don't do anything.” - Miyabe Shields In this episode, Miyabe Shields shares insights on cannabis as medicine and healing. She discusses the challenges of studying cannabis in the US, biosynthetic and synthetic cannabinoid production, and the importance of proper dosing. Join us as we break down the science behind cannabis and explore its potential benefits. [00:00 - 07:55] Personal Health and Cannabis Industry Breakthroughs [07:56 - 15:05] Cannabis Medicine, Healing, and Spiritual Insights [15:06 - 21:54] Studying Cannabis in the US: A Researcher's Story [21:55 - 28:51] Cannabis Research at the Intersection of Academia and Industry [28:52 - 35:22] Future of Cannabinoids: Biosynthetic, Synthetic, and Natural Pathways [35:23 - 42:18] THC Education and Content Creation amid Censorship [42:19 - 49:29] Neurodiversity, Cannabis, and Science Advocacy [49:30 - 56:23] Exploring Nature's Medicine Cabinet: A Scientist's Journey [56:23 - 01:05:48] Cannabis Bioavailability and Dosing Protocols Uncovered My name is Dr. Miyabe Shields, PhD and I support the responsible, intentional use of any drug from natural products to pharmaceutical prescriptions. (What is responsible?) Cannabis saved my life and continues to save my life to this day; psychedelics made me grateful for it. My personal experience fueled my passion for biochemistry and molecular biology which lead me to my PhD in drug discovery in the system in the brain that interacts with cannabis – the endocannabinoid system. During my PhD, I was lucky to study under formative cannabinoid scientists like Dr. Alexandros Makriyannis, PhD and Dr. Torbjorn Jarbe, PhD, and was honored to receive a PhD research award from the International Cannabinoid Research Symposium in Poland in 2016. After completing my dissertation in 2018, I worked in the cannabis industry starting in demographic research and eventually co-founding my former company Real Isolates LLC where I studied the unique chemistry of cannabis smoke, developed a novel extraction technology which resulted in a method patent, and formulated products that showed unique effects. In 2021 I began using my personal social media page to share my knowledge of pharmacology and destigmatize natural products. I was shocked by how many people were not just interested, but yearning for more knowledge; I was shocked by how tapping into the community made me realize where I was personally lacking knowledge. It’s now 2023 and I want to advocate for fixing that – let’s start the conversation! Shayda Torabi has been called one of the most influential Women in WordPress and now she’s one of the women leading the cannabis reformation conversation building one of Texas’ premier CBD brands. She's currently the CEO and Co-Founder of RESTART CBD, a female-run education first CBD wellness brand. And has formerly held marketing positions at WP Engine and WebDevStudios. Shayda is the host of a podcast for cannabis marketers called To Be Blunt, where she interviews top cannabis brands on their most successful marketing initiatives. When Shayda's not building her cannabiz in Texas, you can find her on the road RESTART CBD RESTART CBD is an education first CBD wellness brand shipping nationwide. restartcbd.com Support the show Get full access to To Be Blunt at tobebluntpod.substack.com/subscribe