"Weed brings slack to the ever-tightening vice inside my body."

"Weed brings slack to the ever-tightening vice inside my body."

Author: David Bienenstock March 26, 2025 Duration: 50:44
Faced with the rare neurodegenerative condition Friedreich's ataxia, John Cernosek decided to become a patient-advocate and write a book about his healing journey with cannabis. He's currently headed to Las Vegas as an invited guest of the National Ataxia Foundation, where he will present an excerpt from his book at their annual conference. This is a huge step for a conference that has never before addressed the issue. John will also be speaking with the hundreds of patients, caregivers, doctors and researchers who attend the conference and generally spreading awareness via his grassroots advocacy group Cannataxia.  I first met John because he's a GMIWH supporter on Patreon, and signed up to do a secret sesh with me over Zoom. As he heads to the desert to spread the good word about medical cannabis, I'm proud to share our original interview from 2023. PATREON Please support Great Moments in Weed HIstory on Patreon. Supporters get exclusive access to video versions of this podcast and private seshes, plus cool rewards like a signed book. And it truly helps us make the best show possible. EPISODE ARCHIVE Visit our podcast feed for 150+ episodes of Great Moments in Weed History, and subscribe now to get a new weekly podcast every Weednesday.

Great Moments in Weed History delves deep into humanity's 10,000+ year relationship with cannabis (a.k.a. marijuana) to explore the humor, heart, and historical importance of the planet's most revered and maligned plant. Hosted by David Bienenstock.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Great Moments in Weed History
Podcast Episodes
Bob Dylan Got the Beatles High for the First Time [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:51
In 1964, in a NYC hotel room, Bob Dylan met the Beatles for the very first time and turned them on to cannabis. Sounds like the stuff of legend and lore, but it really happened, and a rock journalist of the era was on ha…
Ramon Reyes Went From Slanging Dime Bags to Leading an Industry [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:19
Ramon Reyes started out selling herb on the streets of NYC as a teenager and subsequently climbed through the ranks of the underground, the gray market and the legal industry to now run a licensed dispensary in the same…
From 'Blair Witch' to GrowGirl [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:36
In 1999, this week's guest starred in one of the most financially successful films of all time, but the circumstances around the making and marketing of Blair Witch Project meant that her incredible accomplishment actual…
Holidaze Special: Santa's A Psychedelic Mushroom Shaman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:18
Celebrate stony seasonal traditions old and new with our GMIWH Holidaze special. In addition to our annual retelling of the story of Santa's origin as a Siberian psychedelic mushroom shaman, we also enjoy Santa's Secret—…
In Search of A Cannabis Utopia [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:39
Back when cannabis was barely legal, an eco-minded off-the-grid ganja farm strived to create a sustainable vision of decentralized, utopian agrarian life that put people and the planet above profits. Return to a moment i…
The Cornbread Mafia: Backcountry Weed Outlaws [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:55
How did a bunch of farmers from Kentucky create the biggest pot growing and smuggling syndicate in American history? We hear that barn burning story straight from Jim Higdon, author of Cornbread Mafia: A Homegrown Syndic…
Weed Shall Overcome (w/ Dr. Mariana Hoyo) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:47
Weed history teaches us to overcome the forces of oppression with the help of our favorite plant ally. In this episode we talk with Dr. Mariana Hoyo, a bright young physician who started out fearing weed because of a bun…
Hunter S. Thompson Ran for Sheriff on A Freak Power Platform [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:57
Election season anxiety? Take a break from the horserace and travel back to 1970, when the Gonzo author of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas ran for Sheriff in Colorado on a "free weed" platform as part of the newly formed…
Weed Voter Guide + Secret Tapes Reveal War on Marijuana Was A Fraud! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:35
This episode includes a recently discovered audio tape exposing the War on Marijuana as a total fraud, a state-by-state guide to voting for weed in the 2024 election, an up close look at how Democratic Vice Presidential…