First, thank you for five magical years!

So, do you ever wonder about the behind the scenes of The Canna Mom Show? How did we find Dave? Why do we have the intro we do? How does all the magic of podcast distribution work? What are the challenges of social media and cannabis? What could the future look like for The Canna Mom Show? And what will I be doing next year? Well, today you’re going to find out answers to all those questions and more.

Today we are inviting my canna bro David Yas to reminisce about the early days of TCMS and what we’ve learned. Also, if you have ever wanted to do your own podcast, we are going to ask Dave for a few pointers and how Pod617 could be a great place for you to start.

And we’re talking with Kristin Souza whose been working with TCMS this year on our social media and marketing. She’s going to talk about what she’s learned about podcasting this year and how she’s planning to continue TCMS conversations in the future.

And if that were not enough, in addition we are also excited to talk with Dr. Benjamin Caplan about his work educating the medical world on cannabis and the podcast he’s pitching and I’m hoping to contribute to.

Please welcome to the final interview of Season 5- our producer David Yas, our social media manager Kristin Souza and Dr. Benjamin Caplan.

Culture Corner: So, I am not a comic book fan, but I do appreciate the art of storytelling. And I’m Jewish, and always love to support my people. And I’m from Boston, so I had to give a shout out to The Writer, a comic book set in Boston and rooted in Jewish folklore. Created by brothers Ben and Max Berkowitz of the Legal Sea food dynasty, but it was their paternal grandfather, Nathan Glick, who inspired their love of comic books. The brothers teamed up with Grammy-winning and Tony-nominated actor Josh Gad to create the graphic novel. I have not read it, but I love the idea of taking deep Jewish folklore that’s been around for thousands of years and making it like an Indiana Jones adventure. They are celebrating Jewish identity and its broad array, and I think it’s an important story for our times. The Writer, a comic book, available now.

Topics Discussed

(1:10) Welcome!

(3:10) The Canna Nana Favorite Podcast

(3:40) Amie’s Favorite Things

(3:55) Joyce Favorite Thing – Beautiful Ashtray

(4:20) Dave Describing Ashtray – Purchase on Etsy

(5:10) The Culture Corner – The Writer

(6:45) Canna Mom Superhero – Canna Comics

(7:15) Guests Introductions

(8:30) Welcome Everyone!

(8:45) Names, Locations and How Do You Know About TCMS?

(9:45) Musical Salute to Joyce

(13:34) Kristin Souza Intro

(14:56) Dr. Benjamin Caplan Intro

(15:30) Connecting TCMS with The Boston Podcast Network

(16:15) The Podcast Garage

(17:20) Joyce’s Favorite Episode – The Canna Nana

(19:19) Season One in The Pandemic

(21:25) Podcasting Advice from Dave

(23:45) What Dave Learned About Cannabis

(25:15) Autism and Cannabis

(26:45) Dave’s Favorite Way to Consume

(27:50) Kristin Souza Talks About TCMS

(30:30) Creating Social Media for TCMS

(32:45) Future Ideas for The Canna Mom Show Legacy

(37:20) What Kristin’s Doing in Connecticut

(38:04) Cannabis Corner Radio

(39:25) Dr. Benjamin Caplan Introduction

(44:49) Cannabis Science

(45:25) Dr. Caplan’s Podcast

(46:06) Real Stories from Real People

(48:05) The Green Table Podcast

(50:30) A Boy and A Vape Pen

(53:45) Questions for Joyce

(55:12) Kindness and Curiosity in Cannabis

(58:33) Thank You and Goodbye!

The Canna Mom Show wants to thank:

Josh Lamkin and Bella Jaffe for writing and performing TCMS theme music and Fortuna Design for creating TCMS website and Sugar Leaf Creative for marketing and social media.

Aubrey Amatelli is the founder of PayRio, a payment processing solution for businesses in alternative medicine sectors. She founded PayRio on the heels of her successful career as an executive in fintech, which included over a decade with J.P. Morgan. Aubrey’s payments knowledge and her industry experience is incredibly valuable in the cannabis payments space.

In addition, Aubrey has a compelling and inspiring story as she's a single mom of three who's led her first startup to profitability in under a year. I love that we can share her inspiring success story in an industry where female executive leadership and business overall have struggled to survive.

PayRio is on a mission to normalize and stabilize payments for high-risk sectors, ensuring that businesses, whether they are dispensaries, delivery services, seed merchants, or e-commerce businesses, have access to compliant, fair, and reliable payment solutions.​

We have a special segment guest today, Jamie Morey, founder of Parents for Plant Medicine – a grassroots advocacy group working to destigmatize and normalize the use of plant medicine and also fighting for the legalization of psilocybin.

Culture Corner: I want to recommend a rom-com I watched this weekend with Brooke Shields and Benjamin Bratt – Mother of the Bride. I love that Brooke Shields is my age, 59, and is starring in a romance with most adorable Benjamin Bratt. Set as a destination wedding in Thailand for Brooke’s daughter – it reconnects her with the man who broke her heart when she was 22. Fun, romantic and love seeing women my age starring in this type of movie. Mother of the Bride on Netflix.

Topics Discussed

(1:10) Welcome

(2:30) Countdown to Final The Canna Mom Show

(3:50) Jamie Morey – Parents for Plant Medicine

(4:30) Mushroom Beverages?

(6:05) MA Changing DCF Reporting?

(7:25) Canna Witch

(8:40) Culture Corner: Mother of The Bride

(10:15) Aubrey Amatelli Introduction

(11:32) PayRio explained

(12:45) Becoming a Canna Payment Entrepreneur

(17:55) Mom World

(19:50) Mission to Empower Moms

(22:30) Aubrey’s Canna Journey

(25:00) Aubrey’s Linked-In Canna Revelations

(27:15) Introduction Jamie Morey of Parents for Plant Medicine

(33:32) MA Psilocybin on The Ballot!

(34:12) How to Help –

(35:10) Connect with Parents for Plant Medicine – MA For Mental Health Options – Open Circle Alliance

(35:50) Rescheduling Impact on Payment Processing

(38:10) Talking with Her Kids About Cannabis

(41:00) PayRio Business Talk

(47:33) Building A Solution for The Future

(48:00) Favorite Way to Consume

(48:55) Connect with Aubrey at PayRio.co or PayRio.com or Instagram

The Canna Mom Show wants to thank:

Josh Lamkin and Bella Jaffe for writing and performing TCMS theme music and Fortuna Design for creating TCMS website and Sugar Leaf Creative for marketing and social media.

Attorney Maritza Perez Medina is the Director of the Office of Federal Affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance in Washington, DC, the leading organization in the US working to end the drug war. Maritza leads the organization’s federal legislative agenda and advocacy strategy to end the war on drugs. In this role, she lobbies Congress and the Administration on drug policy and criminal legal reform. Maritza is a graduate of the University of Nevada’s Reynolds School of Journalism and UC Berkeley School of Law. She is also a member of the Bar of the District of Columbia, California, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Maritza has been featured in various media outlets including The Washington Post, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Politico, Latino USA, and now The Canna Mom Show.

And Dave gives a recommendation on The Culture Corner for the Netflix Series Eric.

Topics Discussed

(1:10) Welcome

(1:15) Ganja Goddess Gala

(1:38) Revival Wheeler Mansion in Orange, MA

(4:20) Old Cemeteries

(5:00) The Hidden Brain

(7:55) The Culture Corner with Dave – Netflix Series Eric

(10:25) Attorney Maritza Perez Medina Introduction

(11:30) Professional Journey

(15:00) Raised Mormon

(17:00) Work at DPA

(18:30) CAOA Bipartisan Support

(19:20) Rescheduling CSA from 1 – 3

(21:50) Add Your Voice with Public Comment

(25:11) M.O.R.E and C.A.O.A

(26:25) Parabola Center

(31:00) Advocacy Links: Engage in Public Comments

(31:40) Contact Local Representatives in House and Senate

(32:00) Drug Policy Alliance Website

(34:50) MAPS

(35:00) Personal Relationship and Family

(42:15) Marijuana History

(44:00) Is It Marijuana or Cannabis in Policy?

(45:00) Drug Policy Predictions

(49:25) Favorite Way to Consume

(49:55) Washington, DC Canna Status

(51:45) Connect with Maritza on Instagram or on Twitter or Drug Policy Alliance

The Canna Mom Show wants to thank:

Josh Lamkin and Bella Jaffe for writing and performing TCMS theme music and Fortuna Design for creating TCMS website and Sugar Leaf Creative for marketing and social media.