Reflections ►
Why Support Cannabis Educational Conferences and Trade Shows ?
THE JUNE PATIENTS OUT OF TIME CONFERENCE WILL EDUCATE HEALTHCARE ABOUT CANNABIS AS MEDICINE .
by Dolores Halbin , contributing writer
Because we are all tired of being stigmatized , stereotyped , fingerprinted , and incarcerated . Because I want to be able to go to a restaurant after using my CBD vape and NOT be accosted by the person at the next chair asking , “ Have you been smoking marijuana ?” in front of my family and grandchildren . That person then proceeded to ask the rest of the patrons in the restaurant , “ Don ’ t you think she smells like marijuana ?” Which , trust me , gets followed by a lecture on being socially and legally unacceptable in the fair State of Kansas .
A few weeks ago , the CBS Morning Show had a report on the stigma of cannabis . Tony Dokoupil , one of the morning show hosts , took his microphone to the street to try to get people to admit to using marijuana . Even people coming out of “ legal ” dispensaries were reluctant to comment . Tony ’ s observation , “ It ’ s going to take a long time to get rid of the stigma .” I appreciated the courage it took for him to say at the end of the program , “ I feel the stigma .” We need more journalists willing to speak the truth to power .
It is so much easier to teach the truth to those who have not heard lies . When the truth has been buried , as with the cannabis plant , for over three generations , lies give birth to stigmas like rabbits and spread like crabgrass pretending to be something good . As one of the sixth-grade girls at my school said once during a student conflict , “ Nurse , the truth is still back there lacing up its shoes while the lies are running down the hall .” Nailed it .
The Power of Education
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world . Education is the first step for people to gain the knowledge , critical thinking , empowerment and skills they need to make this world a better place .
— Nelson Mandela
Education is not the learning of facts , but the training of the mind to think .
— Albert Einstein
When we have trained enough minds to think , we will no longer have to fear being called out publicly for smelling like the lovely terpenes in the cannabis plant . Instead , we will be using terpenes in our oil infusers . We will have little marijuana leaf car fresheners like the little pine trees scented in our favorite terpenes . Whoever does that first , take the idea but send me a lifetime supply .
Community Economic Benefit
Where cannabis educational events like the Patients Out of Time Conference is concerned , we are also good for local economies . We lease VRBOs , fill local hotels and diners , and increase sales for artisan
craft shops . When the local people get a whiff of that sweet smell of colitis lingering in the air , they know sales are imminent . The jovial mood of cannabis visitors spreads that contagious Bugs Bunny joy of teaching about and ending the stigma , thus propagating our plant . Despite the cannabis plant remaining federally illegal , the economy of cannabis is the fifth leading industry in the United States today . Imagine what we can do when we get off the Federal Schedule !
Why Educate the Industry ?
“ An investment in knowledge pays the best interest .” — Benjamin Franklin
We love our industry events in Missouri , and granted , they are all educational opportunities , but this is an educational conference . Sending your staff is a business expense write-off . Donating on the sponsor deck is tax deductible . This event is an investment in knowledge , which will lead to sales because we have a product that never fails .
Some of you may be reading this article while at the Blaze industry expo in St . Louis operated by Karin Spinks , owner / operator of Imaginarium Enterprises . You may not know that Karin will be packing up from her four-day event at Union Station in St . Louis and heading to Kansas City to volunteer her time for the next four days to Patients Out of Time ( POT ) Conference .
Karin is a sharp businesswoman who understands education is a good business investment . She has invested hours and hours of her time , talent , and her crew to bring the 15th Annual POT Conference to Kansas City . God Bless you , lady .
If you ’ re at The Blaze show , stop by our POT table and register for the conference ; then , don ’ t unpack the suitcase ; just roll on up to KC with the rest of us .
Preaching to a New Congregation
We preach to the choir , the educated , a lot . The POT Conference is a unique opportunity to teach physicians , physical therapists , respiratory therapists , and registered nurses who have never practiced cannabis medicine . Many will be learning about the endocannabinoid system for the first time . How exciting !
This new demographic doesn ’ t know how cannabis medicine is dispensed to patients .