Cannabis vs Marijuana - Branding Bud Live Episode 40

 

THE SUMMARY

Join Branding Bud Live co-hosts, David Paleschuck and Adriana Hemans for an exciting episode titled "Cannabis vs Marijuana", as they delve into the nuanced and evolving terminology surrounding cannabis, shedding light on how context and intent are crucial in understanding these terms. As cannabis professionals, it’s imperative to understand the impact of these words and how they can help us foster informed discussions, dispelling outdated stigmas and paving the way for a more inclusive and progressive cannabis landscape.

THE CO-HOSTS

David Paleschuck, Adriana Hemans

THE TRANSCRIPT

DAVID PALESCHUCK

Welcome to Branding Bud Live, the live stream that’s 100% THC and 0% WTF.  Every week we speak with business people about the business of cannabis. I’m David Paleschuck, founder of Branding Bud Consulting Group and author of the first book on cannabis branding. I’m joined by my co-host Adriana Hemans, Director of Marketing at Green Meadows and my BCF (Best Cannabis Friend). Hi Adriana!

ADRIANA HEMANS

Hi David. Thank you for that intro. I’m so excited to co-host the show with you. We’re bringing amazing guests from across the cannabis ecosystem to share their perspectives. My favorite thing about Branding Bud Live is that we focus on building community - and we encourage audience participation. It’s not just about us talking, it’s about all of us building something together. So feel free to drop your questions and/or opinions in the chat, and we’ll share them too.

DAVID PALESCHUCK

We’re here to build community, educate and entertain … so let’s jump into today’s show, "Cannabis vs Marijuana". Today, we’ll be chatting about the words we misuse in the industry and why as cannabis professionals, it’s imperative to understand the impact of these words and how they can help us foster informed discussions, dispelling outdated stigmas and paving the way for a more inclusive and progressive cannabis landscape. Some of the topics we’ll cover are:

  • Cannabis vs Marijuana

  • Adult-use vs Recreational cannabis

  • Strain vs Cultivar

  • De-schedule vs Reschedule 

And while we’ll only touch upon these topics today at a high-level, there’s so many more that deserve attention which I give them in my book by the same title, due out for Holiday 2023.

ADRIANA HEMANS

I’m excited to chat about this! As long as I’ve known you, and especially on our show, you’ve always been a stickler for words. So, it doesn’t surprise me you’d write a book about this.  Acknowledges the audience. 

DAVID PALESCHUCK 

Acknowledges the audience. 

Let’s do it!

ADRIANA HEMANS

OK … let’s jump into it. What’s the purpose of the book? And why the title, “Cannabis vs Marijuana”. 

DAVID PALESCHUCK

The purpose of the book is to get the industry on the same page and to use a lexicon that’s meaningful – not only to industry insiders, but to others outside of the industry. If we seek to bridge the gap and hope for legalization, we must use a language that is understood and respected by those outside of the industry. The title is thought-provoking and implies a gap between the two. I look at Marijuana as a word of the past and at Cannabis as a word of the future.

ADRIANA HEMANS

So let’s get into the topics. What’s up first? Let’s do “Cannabis vs Marijuana”. Tell us about the conflict between the two.

DAVID PALESCHUCK

I’ll keep this at a high-level. Marijuana has a long history of denigrating people not only for their consumption, but for their skin color. It’s safe to say that marijuana is a racist term – at least in the US. Whereas, cannabis is a scientific/botanical term that specifically relates to the plant genus. To use the word marijuana is to foster it’s history and wrongful intent. There’s no reason for us to continue to use the word marijuana.

ADRIANA HEMANS 

Let’s jump into “Adult-use vs Recreational” – what’s the issue here?

DAVID PALESCHUCK

For starters, it’s more therapeutic than anything else. To call it recreational implies something different. The definition of Recreational is Recreational means relating to things people do in their spare time to relax. Recreation can imply children’s activities as well. The opposite of recreational  is professional, job-related, or occupational. The more appropriate term is adult-use, implies there’s an age limit and that it is being used responsibly. Many patients consume cannabis for medicinal and therapeutic reasons – not for recreation. Further, when seeking to convince opponents of cannabis, you can understand why the word, “recreational” can be less than convincing.

ADRIANA HEMANS

Interesting.

As we do every week, let’s jump into our first audience participation. Here we go …

How many Schedules are there under the DEA’s Controlled Substance Act (CSA)? 

A.    1

B.    3

C.    5

D.    None Of The Above 

Audience. It's your chance to shine! That's right.

ADRIANA HEMANS

The answer is: C. 5

DAVID PALESCHUCK

That’s right, there are 5 Schedules. Let’s go over them briefly to get a sense of what we’re talking about – and where cannabis fits in.

Schedule I

Schedule I drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Some examples include heroin, LSD, marijuana (cannabis), ecstasy, and peyote.

Schedule II

Schedule II drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with a high potential for abuse, with use potentially leading to severe psychological or physical dependence. Some examples include cocaine, methamphetamine, oxycodone, fentanyl, Adderall®, and Ritalin®.

Schedule III

Schedule III drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence. Some examples include Tylenol® with codeine, ketamine, anabolic steroids, and testosterone.

Schedule IV

Schedule IV drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with a low potential for abuse and low risk of dependence. Some examples include Xanax®, Valium®, Ativan®, Talwin®, Ambien®, Tramadol®.

Schedule V

Schedule V drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with lower potential for abuse. Some examples include Robitussin AC®, Lyrica®, and Lomotil®.

Source: https://www.dea.gov/drug-information/drug-scheduling

ADRIANA HEMANS

Cool. OK, on to the next topic … “Strain vs Cultivar” … hit me.

DAVID PALESCHUCK

The debate surrounding the use of the word “Strain” is fairly straightforward. Within the realm of science, the term 'strain' finds its application solely with microscopic entities such as bacteria and viruses, for example. Employing this term for cannabis is a linguistic misalignment. Cultivar comes from the words cultivation and variety – implying man’s manipulation of the plant.

ADRIANA HEMANS

So why is this important?

DAVID PALESCHUCK

It’s important because we’re using words incorrectly. That will only confuse people – including consumers, scientists, and researchers. As the industry progresses, globalizes, and connects with other industries, it’s important to use the same lexicon so that people understand each other.

ADRIANA HEMANS

Entourage Effect vs Ensemble Effect is next. I’ve heard the Entourage Effect used so many times by many people, what’s wrong with it?

DAVID PALESCHUCK

The problem with using “Entourage Effect” is that it focuses on one main character – namely THC. And the truth is that there are approximately 150 identified cannabinoids and about 200 terpenes present in cannabis. So to only focus on THC is misleading. Experts such as Dr. Ethan Russo and Dr. Lester Greenspoon have both revised the way they describe the effect to the “Ensemble Effect”. Others like Swami Chaitanya now call it the “Symphony Effect”.

ADRIANA HEMANS

Let’s segue into Audience Participation #2

DAVID PALESCHUCK

Let’s do it!

ADRIANA HEMANS

Here we go …

What state recently changed its labeling requirements from calling it “marijuana” to calling it “cannabis”? 

A.    Washington

B.    Colorado

C.    California

D.    None Of The Above 

DAVID PALESCHUCK

Audience: It’s your turn to shine!

ADRIANA HEMANS 

The answer is: A. Washington 

DAVID PALESCHUCK

After being pressed by the state industry, the Washington State LCB (Liquor & Cannabis Board) moved to substitute the words “marijuana” and “cannabis”.

ADRIANA HEMANS

So after all the issues we just went through, what’s the big takeaway from this conversation?

DAVID PALESCHUCK

Language is important and evolving. The words we use, especially when trying to get people on the same page – BOTH the industry and those against it – is critical. Together, we can build bridges, and create a lexicon that is positive and meaningful to everyone.

ADRIANA HEMANS

Amazing! When will the book be available?

DAVID PALESCHUCK

The manuscript is complete and now I’m waiting for a few industry people to share their quotes which will be peppered throughout the book. They include Swami Chaitanya from Swami Select, Jeff & Bill Levers aka The Beard Bros and a few others. I also say that I’m thrilled and lucky to have Dale Sky Jones, Chancellor of Oaksterdam University and longtime activist writing the Foreword to the book. It’s pretty exciting.

ADRIANA HEMANS

That was awesome. Thank you!

DAVID PALESCHUCK

Thank you! And a big thanks to our listeners as well. And as I always say, “that was the fastest 45 minutes of my week!”

DAVID PALESCHUCK

That’s our show for today. We’ll be taking the next two weeks off to prepare a number of online courses that should be available by year-end. They include, “Creating A Meaningful Cannabis Brand” and “Cannabis Marketing 101”. We’ll return Thursday, September 7th, with two of my favorite people in the industry, Swami Chaitanya and Nikki Lastreto, co-founders of Swami Select.

ADRIANA HEMANS

If you miss us in the meantime, you can re-watch today’s episode, or any of our previous episodes, on our LinkedIn page, Branding Bud Live, or on our YouTube channel. Please give us a follow on LinkedIn to stay on top of everything Branding Bud Live. Please check us out there if you've missed any of our previous episodes.

DAVID PALESCHUCK

You can find our podcast on most podcast platforms including Apple, Google, Amazon, and Spotify. And of course, don’t forget to check out cannabis’s best-kept secret at www.brandingbud.com. Thank you everybody!


Please check us out there if you've missed any of our previous episodes.

Apple Podcast: 
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/branding-bud-live/id1690912840

Amazon Music For Podcasters: 
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/49fe991a-9424-4dd2-a2b5-30a5cdb8f2f1/branding-bud-live

Spotify: 
https://open.spotify.com/show/3gJDNBDnmaYZz8df5b6JWs

Google Podcasts: 
https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9kZTJkOTQ4Yy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw

CastBox: 
https://castbox.fm/app/castbox/player/id5462736

Linktree: 
https://linktr.ee/brandingbudlive

DAVID PALESCHUCK

And don’t forget to check out cannabis’s best-kept secret at www.brandingbud.com

Thank you everybody!

ADRIANA HEMANS 

Thanks for joining everyone. Please follow us!

DAVID PALESCHUCK

Thank you everybody. We'll see you next week. And don't forget to check out cannabis is best kept secret at www.brandingbud.com. Until then! 

ADRIANA HEMANS 

Bye


Branding Bud Live – weekly productive distractions for the cannabis industry, where business people come to talk about the business of cannabis. 

🌿Find out more about the best-kept secret in cannabis at👇

www.brandingbud.com

LinkedIn | YouTube

David Paleschuck, MBA, CLS | Author & Cannabis Brand Expert

With over twenty years of product development, brand-building, and consumer marketing experience serving American Express, MasterCard, PepsiCo, and Microsoft–and over ten years in the legal cannabis space at Dope Magazine and as a consultant to the industry’s top national manufacturers, Paleschuck has played a part in developing many of today’s best-known cannabis brands. As Founder of BRANDING BUD CONSULTING, LLC, David consults within the legal cannabis industry on product development, branding & brand licensing, positioning, packaging and promotions. His writings on cannabis branding and marketing have been featured in Dope Magazine, High Times, PROHBTD, Cannabis Dispensary Magazine, The Cannabis Industry Journal, New Cannabis Ventures, among others. His work has been noted and quoted in Forbes, Kiplingers, The Brookings Institution as well as interviewed by Wharton School Of Business Entrepreneur Radio; CannabisRadio; among others. David’s book, “Branding Bud: The Commercialization of Cannabis” – the first book written on cannabis branding – is set to release in April 2021.

To purchase his book and/or find out more about his work, contact him at david@brandingbud.com or visit brandingbud.com.

https://brandingbud.com/
Previous
Previous

Cannabis & Spirituality - Branding Bud Live Episode 41

Next
Next

Cannabis & Adaptogens: New Science - Branding Bud Live Episode 39