In Depth: Cannabis

LOS ANGELES - Segment One: Hal is joined  by Dr. Ziva D Cooper,  the Director of the  UCLA  Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoids.  Dr. Cooper talks to Hal about what the department does. She says that in addition to research into the benefits and dangers of cannabis products, they do outreach to help educate the public about the items they might find in a dispensary.  Cooper talks to us about the variety of products that are now available and the different modes of administration.

We also discuss "Delta 8" cannabis, which is not licensed for sale in California, but is sometimes being sold in gas stations and convenience stores, even though it’s impossible to tell exactly what’s in it, and there have been few studies on the effect it has on the human body.

Segment Two: Dr.  Ziva Cooper rejoins Hal to discuss some new research on cannabis products such as Cannabigerol (CBG) which is still being investigated, but which can be purchased in dispensaries even though there isn’t that much known about it.  Dr. Cooper says they’re trying to get the science to catch up.

She also talks about the difference in smoking marijuana versus smoking cigarettes insofar as the risk of lung cancer.

Segment Three: Hal speaks to Lauren Fontein, the founder of The Artist Tree Studio Lounge.

The Studio Lounge is the only Cannabis smoking lounge in the area, and one of the few in the entire country. Fontein tells us a little bit about how the lounge got started, how it works,  who patronizes it, and why it might be difficult for others to create something similar.

She says it’s not just a place to ingest cannabis, but they also have comedy nights, yoga, painting and other activities.

Segment Four: Hal promotes his podcast and we end with  a clip from the trailer of "Reefer Madness."