We all know we’re supposed to get more sleep, just like we know we should reduce our stress. It’s one thing to know we need to be getting more or better sleep and another thing to understand the risks of not improving one’s sleep (and decreasing one’s stress). This piece is just going to focus on cannabis and sleep, but of course if you’re consuming cannabis regularly for sleep, it can also reduce your anxiety as well as relieve pain and other conditions.

Cannabis is the most exceptional of medicinal plants because we are in an intimate relationship with this plant. We both have Endocannabinoid Systems (“ECS”) which produce cannabinoids. In our bodies the cannabinoids are called endocannabinoids. In the plant they’re called phytocannabinoids.  The two most well-known phytocannabinoids are THC and CBD. As we age, and at other stressful times in a body’s life, scientists have been able to observe that the production of cannabinoids in our body declines and with it, our health.  Our ECS is no longer being sufficiently fueled. That is where the plant’s cannabinoids come in to replenish our deficient supply.

Connect with the power of an ancient cannabinoid, from plants that were selectively bred to produce a previously unheard-of amount of THCV. Whether one takes a dose sufficient to alter one’s consciousness or not, reported benefits include an uplifting, clear headed sensation, that is both calming and energizing, assisting with getting through our “to do lists” or inspiring creativity. It is our human right to experience the gifts of this sacred healing plant and “Free the V’ is an exceptional cannabinoidal encounter.

All plants are here to help us, but we are in a more intimate relationship with cannabis. We both have endocannabinoid systems which produce cannabinoids: the chemical compounds found in our bodies and in the cannabis plant, of which THC and CBD are the best known. To receive these cannabinoids, our bodies contain an abundance of cannabinoid receptors, located everywhere throughout our bodies. This is why this plant works so well for us: our bodies are primed to receive her benefits.

Your Endocannabinoid System regulates and controls your most critical bodily functions including pain, memory, inflammation, mood, appetite, stress, sleep, metabolism, and ability to fight infections. The system relies on your having sufficient cannabinoids to operate, but your body loses cannabinoids with age, illness, stress. Supplementing with a Daily Dose of cannabis provides your body with the cannabinoids it needs to do its most essential job.

Industrial agricultural practices decimate the soil health, pollute the atmosphere and produce toxic and nutrient-poor food that leads to a myriad of health issues. The practice of regular tilling not only destroys the soil, but spews carbon into the atmosphere. Regenerative organic farming practices both actively pull carbon out of the atmosphere and sequester it in the soil, as well as feeding the soil producing nutrient-rich, non-toxic healthy food and medicine.

Industrial Indoor Cannabis Cultivation is one of the worst industries in the nation for creating greenhouse pollution, belching out massive amounts of carbon due to the excessive energy use required. There is no more reason for cannabis to be grown indoors than for tomatoes or corn to be grown indoors! It is wrong to permit this industry to begin in NY, thoroughly undermining our efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

Ongoing studies are revealing that THCA and CBDA have similar antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and all the other benefits of their counterparts THC and CBD. But since THCA differs from THC in that the former isn’t psychoactive, it means you can consume as much as you need to restore your endocannabinoid tone without getting high.

Toni and I are but two founding members of a seven-member team at Terra Mater Farma. The other five members are plants. Four of our founding partners grow on the farm. We didn’t plant them; they showed up on their own. They are gifts from the earth. They have declared their wish to partner with us so that we may share what we’ve learned with others while we share the beneficence of their gifts as well. Cannabis was the only member who was consciously planted, but she’d already called out to us to partner with her years before. We recognize and assume our responsibility to respond to their calling by caring for them and giving back to Mother Earth - Terra Mater.

The wise elder woman matriarch, a Crone, existed in cultures across the world for thousands of years. Before the rise of Patriarchy, humans everywhere revered the goddess as the mother of all, the one who witnessed, supported and aided birth, death and rebirth. The women elders possessed the acquired knowledge, wisdom, healing skills, and their moral leadership was relied on by their communities. Crones were revered.

We begin here by taking back the title, Crone. A little background for those who aren’t familiar.

Cannabis is a powerful amplifier with a tendency towards an uplifted amplification. She helps invoke appreciation for life. She helps open our hearts. We humans intuitively crave that sense of connection and cannabis offers us a direct portal into the world of our senses, relaxing us and awakening us so that we are better able to let go into our inner stillness and feel connected.

The best medicine is always whole plant medicine, containing all the cannabinoids from the plant, and not a processed cannabis product where CBD or THC has been added in, costing you more money but without any more benefit.

The sacramental use of cannabis is part of a more than 3,000 year old spiritual Hindu tradition. Using cannabis as part of one’s meditation practice gets one “in touch with the lived reality of your body in this moment rather than the ideas you might have about reality in your mind.” -- Will Johnson Cannabis in Spiritual Practice.