I had the pleasure of getting to know Sandra Hinchliffe, an author of some of my favorite cannabis DIY books. Point blank she is dope! Trust me she is your GO TO for everything DIY Cannabis.

 

STAY TUNED TO A GIVEAWAY In Late AUGUST OF Sandra’s New Book “Your First Cannabis Experience”

 

Q: Hey Sandra where do you live?

 

A: I live in Southern Oregon.

 

Q: Tell my readers what do you do in the Cannabis Industry?

 

A: I am the author of 5 cannabis books, The Cannabis Spa at Home, High Tea, CBD Every Day, CBD and Hemp Remedies, and my new book coming in October 2022, Your First Cannabis Experience. I am also the co-author of The CBD Oil Solution along with Dr. Rachna Patel.

I am a home herbal cultivator of many herbs and I've been a practicing family home herbalist for 30 years. I also operate a small spa and aromatics crafting company under the same name as my blog, posy & kettle. I sell mostly at farmer markets and craft shows and through my own website and Etsy seasonally. I’m also Allertrain certified which is a culinary certification ensuring safe service for people with medical food allergies.

 

 

Q: Tell me more about your books and brand etc....

 

A: I write herbal remedy recipe books about cannabis. My first book, The Cannabis Spa at Home (2015), is the first modern text to be published about the external use of cannabis, such as spa, and in preparations like salve, baths, poultice, and lotion. I had been making and using cannabis as a topical transdermal remedy for pain relief since about 2006 when I got my first medical cannabis card in California. It has always been my favorite way to use cannabis. And yes is the answer to “have I ever caught a buzz” from this. I detail a bath recipe in the book that comes with a caveat just for this reason–it has copious amounts of cannabinoid formulated with known penetration enhancer compounds, and the obvious contact with mucosal membranes in a bath.

 

I would say that I primarily write books for people in pain because chronic pain from multiple autoimmune diseases is the thing I know the most about. I would say that most of the space in my books is devoted to liberating people from authoritarian pain management, which is often no pain management, or nannied pain management, and always involves another adult deciding whether or not you are allowed to access pain management that actually works. Pain is subjective. Subjectivity for me means that I am the authority on my pain, and I, as an adult, am capable of managing my own pain in the privacy of my home free from judgment and prying. There is so much stigma around chronic pain. I don’t need an authority figure to grant permission for me to find relief from chronic pain.

Pain management is one of the most common uses of cannabis throughout history. In the 19th century when cannabis medicines were legal, pain management was a primary reason for doctors to recommend this for a patient. Even then doctors knew that this was safer than opioids and just as effective for many people. I never claim that cannabis is a ‘cure’ for any condition or ailment, and sometimes cannabis is not the right medicine for a person who has chronic pain. But, it’s important as an option for people who do find it effective.

           

 

Q: Tell me what do you like to do in your free time?

 

A: Free time? What’s that? lol. This time of year I can’t say I have any free time because it’s the time of year that I tend to my herb gardens. I grow many different herbs, mostly aromatics. I grow most of the botanicals that end up in my spa creations. But apart from that, my dog, husband, bird, and little trips to the beach are my favorite free time pastimes.

 

Q: Tell me about your wake and bake routine ….How do you start your day?

 

A: Wake and bake is something I do if I am very stiff and in severe pain when waking up in the morning. Like most people I start the day with coffee or tea. I take thyroid replacement hormones in the morning because after years of Hashimoto’s disease my immune system has destroyed most of my thyroid gland. Thyroid medication is something I need to stay alive. Once that’s done and the dog is satisfied with enough belly rubs I will move on to other things like cleaning or work.

 

Q: How long have you been smoking or eating cannabis and what made you start?

 

A: I tried it in college for the first time just for fun long before it was legal to do so. But, then I discovered as a young woman how helpful it was for my period cramps and used it a lot during that time of the month. Back then it was the ‘just say no’ era so if you told people that it was an awesome thing that helped your cramps and moodiness they would chuckle like, yeah, sure Jan, you stoner.

And for anyone who thinks “pot wasn’t as strong back then as it is today”-- the Thai Stick I smoked in the 80s rivaled that of anything found in legal dispensaries today.

 

Q: I heard about the infamous Thai Stick lol What do you prefer: smoking in a pipe, vaping, smoking a blunt or eating your weed?

 

A: Transdermal topicals. So anything like a salve, rub, or bath that is helpful for relieving my muscle and joint pain. As I get older I find that the external use of cannabis is my favorite. To accompany that I like a nice oil prepared from homegrown with blends from both THC and CBD flowers. I like my glass service with ice pinches. I like hollowed out citrus used as a pipe when I’m at the beach. I like rose petal blunts. I grow 11 different kinds of rose bushes and have been practicing rolling with these a lot!

 

Q: I also smoke with rose petals. We don’t have a bush so I purchase from the florist and add them to my cannabis. You talk about your pain … I also started using cannabis regularly because of my medical conditions. What medical conditions made you want to use cannabis?

 

A: I have chronic pain from multiple autoimmune diseases (sarcoidosis, orbital granuloma, sjogrens, hashimotos, inflammatory arthritis NOS). When I hit middle age and had my first life-threatening flare which required several years of therapy at Stanford Hospital, cannabis became really important to me.

 

Q: I’m so happy cannabis use helping you manage your pain. What are the changes you noticed in the cannabis industry since you started?

 

A: More states have legalized cannabis, and cannabis as an industry is more respected and less stigmatized. More thought seems to go into the products, and more professionalism.

     

Q: Tell me a story about a strain you love and why?

 

A: This is a really hard question to answer because I am not very loyal to one strain, I like to jump around a lot and I always have something new to try. I love to grow cannabis since it’s legal for me to do that in Oregon. I like growing CBD strains the best. And I like CBD strains that have just a little THC in them, like up to about 5% THC. Cherry Blossom, Berry Blossom, and any of the other Cherry CBD strains are well liked by me. I am also very fond of Harlequin although I’ve never grown it. It’s been difficult to find this at dispensaries lately. And then of course, I’ll never forget the Thai Stick I smoked in the 80s because I’ve never found anything like that at all in the modern cannabis era.

 

Q: You are so lucky to be able to grow in your state freely. Tell me about your grow routine.

 

A: I grow all year round. During Fall, Winter, and Spring I grow indoors in my tent. We are allowed to grow 4 plants of any size in Oregon. I usually grow big flowers on small plants in one gallon pots in my tent. When July rolls around it’s time to grow outdoors. I grow in 10 -15 gallon pots in my backyard behind a locked private gate in an area that gets a lot of sun. The plants get BIG. So the summer crop will last for several months after I grow it. I grow a mix of plants. This year I am growing 1 CBD, 1 THC/CBD mix, 1 CBG and 1 THC plant outdoors. This will be my first time growing a CBG plant so I am very excited to see how it turns out this summer. This is my personal grow, I do not grow commercially or sell any cannabis infused products.

 

Q: How has cannabis impacted your life?

 

A: Cannabis has freed me from authoritarian pain management for my chronic pain. It’s also been the primary reason I’ve written books.

 

Q: Again I love your books! Have you experienced any discrimination being a women in the cannabis industry?

 

A: Being a woman has never prevented my books from being published. But, that’s more ‘publishing industry’ than cannabis industry. I’m not really an insider in the cannabis industry...I’m not sure that I consider myself as part of the cannabis industry. Maybe other women who are more immersed in the cannabis industry than I am would have a different take on this. Publishing is one of the best areas for women, many literary agents and editors are women. My literary agent and editor are both women. I do believe that I have observed disability discrimination in the cannabis industry. I feel that there is still a long way to go in combating ableism in the cannabis industry, even the medical cannabis industry. I wish there were more disabled people and older people working in dispensaries. It always seems to be the most young and able bodied that are given employment opportunities in the cannabis industry. One of the chief complaints I hear from my older readers, and also my chronically ill readers, is the lack of people employed at dispensaries who understand how to serve older, chronically ill, and disabled people.

Also, sometimes I feel like there is a crossover between the toxic “wellness” industry and the cannabis industry. Our first responsibility as cannabis healers is disease acceptance and disability accommodation, not false promises of cures.

 

Q: Wow that was a mouth full and So much truth in what you said! What are your future plans in the cannabis industry?

 

A: I would certainly be interested in employment opportunities in the cannabis industry that could utilize the skills I bring to the table. Also, what I would like to do is cultivate more talent. I’ve met some amazing farmers and other talented people who need to share their gifts with the world. I’m not sure that I will be writing more cannabis books in the future, although I do have a new book being released in October. I would like to take all of this to cultivate talents in others and perhaps that will play out as co-authoring with those people or producing their work.

 

Q: Any last words for our readers?

 

A: Stand up for yourself. The time each of us have on earth can literally be counted in hours. Don’t waste those hours feeling guilty about doing what is right for you. Also, cannabis is not for everyone, and that’s okay too.

 

Check out  more about Sandra Hinchliffe the

Author of CBD Every Day  The Cannabis Spa at Home  High Tea  CBD and Hemp Remedies  Co-author of The CBD Oil Solution  Webmaster of posy & kettle  and Inventor of pretty things for people of sensitive constitution.