622: How Cannabis Changed My Life And Can Change Yours with Joe Sheehey, CEO of CURED Nutrition

Summary

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Achieve Your Goals with Hal Elrod — Episode 622

Guest: Joe Sheehey, CEO of Cured Nutrition
Date: January 28, 2026
Episode Title: How Cannabis Changed My Life And Can Change Yours

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Hal Elrod sits down with Joe Sheehey, founder and CEO of Cured Nutrition and former NASA contributing aerospace engineer, to discuss the transformative impact of cannabis on their lives and the lives of millions of others. The conversation explores cannabis’s stigmatized history, its scientifically-backed benefits, personal stories of healing, the specifics of cannabinoids like CBD, CBN, and THC, and the urgent legislative threat to the full-spectrum hemp industry. Joe also shares his personal journey from depression and crisis to purpose-driven entrepreneurship and advocacy.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

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1. Joe Sheehey’s Journey: From NASA to Cannabis Entrepreneurship

• Early Passion & Engineering Path ([03:32–08:18])
  • Joe’s fascination with engineering began as a child building with LEGOs.
  • Pursued aerospace engineering, driven by his pilot father’s influence.
• Struggles with Mental Health ([04:10–05:30])
  • Joe recounted a near-suicide experience at age 21.
  • Saved by a passerby and, after hospitalization, prescribed anti-anxiety meds and antidepressants, which worsened his condition.
• Turning Point: Alternative Healing & Resilience ([05:48–10:29])
  • Joe discovered bodybuilding and fitness as alternative therapies.
  • Landed a job at Lockheed Martin, contributing to major NASA projects.
  • Felt unfulfilled in corporate life—describing it as “[dying] the death of quiet desperation” ([08:18]).
• Cannabis as a Catalyst for Change ([09:56–10:29])
  • After Colorado legalized cannabis, Joe noticed colleagues’ reactions and began exploring non-intoxicating cannabinoids.
  • CBD helped his anxiety, sleep, and overall recovery, facilitating a positive life change.

Notable Quote:
“I was slowly living this, like, I was dying the death of quiet desperation.” — Joe Sheehey ([08:18])

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2. Breaking Stigma & Redefining Cannabis Users

• Challenging Perceptions ([14:18–16:10])
  • Joe discusses the stigma associated with cannabis—“Are you labeled the stoner? Are you part of Cheech & Chong Culture?”
  • Realized many used cannabis for genuine wellness but were afraid to admit it.
• Origin of Cured Nutrition ([16:10–18:25])
  • Joe received a “permission slip” from an employee services therapist, inspiring him to leave engineering and start Cured Nutrition.
  • Founded Cured in August 2017 with his savings and a mission to create credible, research-backed cannabis solutions.

Notable Quote:
“You’re looking for permission from everybody in the outside world, but nobody’s going to give it to you besides yourself.” — Joe Sheehey’s therapist ([16:24])

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3. Cannabis in Hal’s Journey: Healing Through a Plant

• Hal’s Chemotherapy-Induced Pain Relief ([22:52–25:15])
  • After a chemo injection mishap caused 11 days of excruciating migraines, no opioids (including morphine, OxyContin) relieved his suffering.
  • Two small inhalations of cannabis provided immediate and miraculous relief—restored his appetite and ended the pain.
• Frustration With the Medical System
  • Expressed anger that a natural plant, not used or recommended by doctors, provided the relief that pharmaceutical drugs couldn’t.
  • Key message: Separating plant-based medicine from stigmatized “drug” labels.

Notable Quote:
“I was so angry that… you’re pumping me full of all these chemicals… when I was two hits away from a plant that grows in the ground.” — Hal Elrod ([24:21])

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4. Breaking Down Cannabis: CBD, CBN, THC ([30:26–34:37])

• CBD: Non-intoxicating; anti-inflammatory, promotes recovery and calm, aids sleep.
• CBN: A degradation product of THC, more sedating, provides “weighted blanket” effect on the body, enhances deep sleep.
• THC: Psychoactive at higher doses, but in micro-doses (as used in Cured products), offers pain/anxiety relief without intoxication.
• Full-spectrum hemp combines trace THC with other cannabinoids for entourage effect.
• Importance of dosage: high-dose THC can cause anxiety, while micro-dosing avoids intoxication and negative side effects.

Notable Quote:
“CBD calms the mind… CBN calms the body… at low concentrations, THC is actually not intoxicating.” — Joe Sheehey ([30:38])

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5. Legislative Threat: The Looming Hemp Ban ([35:33–43:42])

• Legal Shift
  • The 2018 Farm Bill defined hemp as <0.3% THC by dry weight; recent legislation (Nov 2025) further limits THC to <0.4mg per container, making most current products illegal.
• Industry Challenges
  • Many reputable and non-reputable companies swept into the same category.
  • High-dose, synthetic cannabinoids in gas stations cause confusion and risk to children.
  • Alcohol and marijuana industries lobbying against hemp, seeing it as competition (alcohol sales reportedly down $840B due to low-dose THC alternatives).
• Advocacy Response
  • Joe formed the National Coalition for Responsible Cannabinoid Access (NCRCA) to lobby for reasonable regulations that protect access to safe, non-intoxicating products.

Notable Quote:
“The full spectrum hemp industry is dead unless something changes.” — Joe Sheehey ([38:43])

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6. Community Impact & Call to Action ([44:31–50:35])

• What’s at Stake
  • Millions rely on low-dose THC and full-spectrum hemp for health and well-being—removal would force many back to pharmaceuticals or reduce their quality of life.
  • Real customer testimonies highlight these stories, including Hal’s 93-year-old grandmother whose pain medication usage halved with CBD ([48:32–49:11]).
• Getting Involved
  • Share personal testimonials at NCRCA.us.
  • Donations welcome to help lobbying efforts.
  • The goal: Protect farmers, maintain supply chain, and ensure continued access to meaningful relief for those in need.

Notable Quote:
“What matters is that there’s a future for this industry.” — Joe Sheehey ([47:06])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Permission & Change:
  “You’re looking for permission from everybody in the outside world, but nobody’s going to give it to you beside yourself.” — Therapist to Joe ([16:24])
• On His Healing Experience:
  “I took two hits of marijuana… my headache is virtually gone. I have an appetite, I feel fine… I go, that marijuana you gave me, it’s a freaking miracle.” — Hal Elrod ([24:21])
• On Stigma:
  “There’s this visceral reaction to it, which is not founded on anything that makes sense to me… it’s become my mission to change this narrative.” — Joe Sheehey ([25:35])
• On Industry Threat:
  “95% of the products in the industry… become illegal in November of this year… the full spectrum hemp industry is dead unless something changes.” — Joe Sheehey ([38:43])
• Call to Action:
  “If any type of product has impacted you in a way similar to the products that Cured have… I just ask you to share your story.” — Joe Sheehey ([47:06])

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Important Timestamps

• Joe’s Mental Health Story & Turning Point: [04:10–05:48]
• Transition from NASA to Cured Nutrition: [08:18–18:25]
• Hal’s Story of Cannabis and Cancer: [22:52–25:15]
• Cannabinoids Explained (CBD, CBN, THC): [30:26–34:37]
• Details on Pending Hemp Ban: [35:33–43:42]
• Advocacy and Action Steps: [44:31–50:35]
• Hal’s Grandmother’s Story: [48:32–49:11]

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Actions & Resources

• Share your testimonial: NCRCA.us
• Support advocacy: Donations help fund travel and lobbying to protect the industry.
• Try Cured Nutrition: Visit curednutrition.com/HAL and use code HAL for a discount if interested in their products.
• Spread Awareness: Share this story to help shift public perception and policy.

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Final Thoughts

This episode is a powerful blend of personal testimony, education, and urgent advocacy. It challenges deeply embedded stigmas around cannabis, provides practical explanations of cannabinoids, and puts a human face on the legislative threats facing the hemp industry. Both Hal and Joe urge listeners to reconsider what they know about cannabis, share their own experiences, and support efforts safeguarding access to these important wellness tools.

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Transcript

[A]

Hello and welcome to the achieve your goals podcast, the show that empowers you to wake up to your full potential and achieve your biggest goals and dreams. I am your host, Hal Elrod and I invite you to join us each week as we share actionable strategies to take your life to the next level, as well as interview world class experts and entrepreneurs who have achieved extraordinary goals themselves. And we ask them to give you a peek behind the curtain and teach you exactly what you need to do to do the same. Ready? Here we go. Foreign. Changed my life and it can change your life too. If you struggle with sleep, you deal with pain or anxiety. There's so many things that the miracle plant that is cannabis can help you with. And today I'm talking with someone who knows this very well. He is Joe Sheehy, the founder of Cured Nutrition, formerly a NASA contributing aerospace engineer. And today we're talking about why the cannabinoids, cbd, CBN and THC in very small doses specifically have such a transformative effect on the human body. I'm going to share my story of how at the most painful moment of my life, when a nurse accidentally injected chemotherapy into my nerve, aiming for my spine. Missed the spine and I went through 11 days of horrific migraines. How a tiny bit of cannabis completely eliminated my pain, gave me my appetite back and set me on a road to recovery. Also, my grandmother, why she is now using cannabis because I convinced her that the stigmas attached with marijuana from the old days do not apply to the reality of what research has proven the cannabis plant can do for human beings. Human beings for all of us. So dive in today if you're cannabis curious or you think it's bad because you grew up in the 80s and you were told it was a drug and whatever other beliefs were established at some point in your life, I think today you will find very, very interesting and informative and helpful on your health journey. Here we go. Joe. What's up, brother? Good to see you again, man.

[B]

I know, it's so good to be back here.

[A]

I had you on two years ago. It was episode, I think 5, 26 and we're on like 621, so. So it's been a couple years, man.

[B]

I know, I know. I feel like we just like dove right back in. I appreciate who you are in the way we connected on that first episode. And like, right when we got back on, I was like, oh man, got a lot of love for Hal, feels like a brother.

[A]

I appreciate you, man.

[B]

Even though I've only spent A little time with you.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, there, there's those soul connections. I think we were like, this is an authentic human being who's doing good work in the world. And I think that we're all on the same team if that's the case.

[B]

So 100%.

[A]

So there's something that I really want to get into with which you're kind of moving into, almost into politics in a way, advocating for some changes the government's trying to make that would put your company at risk, put products that have changed my life at risk. I want to get into that. But actually, for those that don't know who you are, I want to start with your background with NASA. Right. So you were an aerospace engineer who worked on NASA projects through Lockheed Martin. And now you run a plant based wellness company based in cannabis called Cured Nutrition, which I'm a fan of. In fact, I had you guys, you sponsor my podcast now. But that's a huge leap, right? From NASA aerospace engineer to entrepreneur running your own company. How did that leap occur?

[B]

Yeah, so when I was in college, if I, like, went back before college, I was the LEGO guy. Like little kid Legos building things. I always wanted to understand how things worked. My dad was a pilot and I had terrible vision and I was like, oh, so my pilot aspirations are. They're not going to come to fruition.

[A]

Got it.

[B]

So I'll figure out how to build things. And that's what led me down the engineering route and I got really interested in space. And so I went to school for aerospace engineering. But like many people that go into college, like, I was very lost. I knew I was like, okay, this is where I think I want to go.

[A]

And.

[B]

And I was good at math and I was good at science, and so I was like, okay, cool, this is what I'm doing. And I got to a really dark place in college. And one night in 2012, I actually found myself on the edge of a bridge. I had climbed over a guard rail and I went to go jump off of the bridge to end my life.

[A]

And this is at what age I.

[B]

Would have been 21.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

And somebody was below that bridge. He stopped me. He said, hey, can I come up there and talk to you? And he pulled me back over the guardrail after he climbed up all the rocks and wow. I just completely broke down. And my girlfriend at the time was way behind me, but had caught up to me. He, Ben, who saved my life, handed me off and my girlfriend walked me home. And when I got home, I Took a handful of Xanax. And the next day I woke up in the hospital. I was under surveillance for, for suicide watch. And my parents came to the hospital and I remember the doctor asking me, we're going to run some tests, is there anything we're going to find in your system? And like, the truth was there, they were going to find a lot. And, and when I said that, I saw the life just get sucked out of my parents because not only like, did they almost lose their son the night before, like, they saw that their son had like completely lost himself.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

I was in such a dark place. And then the weeks and months afterwards, I instantly went the traditional route. Orange bottles, white caps. There was no question. It was like, this is what you're going to take and this is what's going to make you better. And things just got worse.

[A]

What were you taking, by the way? Do you remember antidepressants or what was it?

[B]

Both. Yeah. So I was prescribed anti anxiety medication, benzos, and then after, but that was before. So I was struggling with anxiety, but I was also drinking. And if anybody knows, like, you do not want to combine those two. And that's why I blacked out consistently. And then I got put on SSRIs, antidepressants, and things just got worse. I was numb, I was disconnected. I was like, this is not the path. And so that was really what started to spark like this interest in an alternative path. But at the same time I was trying to finish up my engineering degree and start a career. And so I was like, I got to get my act together. And my parents were said the exact same thing. They pulled me out of school, out of Boulder. I moved back home and finished my last year of college, like from their house, driving up to school, coming home. And at the same time was when I had first scored with like the luck of God, an internship at Lockheed Martin. And I was like, okay, I like have to get my act together because I've worked so hard to get this degree and I'm like teetering on the edge of being alive or not. And thankfully over the next year and a half I found the bodybuilding and the fitness world and I just left my friend group and I, I like restarted my life and thankfully ended up graduating and then getting a full time job at Lockheed Martin. And then I spent seven years at Lockheed Martin. I was working on projects, contributing to. I worked on one called Maven, which was a Mars orbiter, Juno, which was a Jupiter orbiter. Wow, Insight, which was a Mars lander. And then I worked on Orion for a little bit. And my job was I worked in a lot of mechanisms. So anything that moved on a spacecraft, spacecraft legs that deployed on a lander, solar arrays that deployed and powered spacecraft to travel to Jupiter or Mars. And I was slowly living this. Like I was dying the death of like quiet desperation. Like, it was like, I worked so hard to get here, but I showed up every day and sat in my cubicle and I looked around and I was like, I worked so hard for this. And I see my colleagues that have been there 25, 30 years, a lot of them just feel like they just kind of like gave up. It's like, this is how it is. They were sour. And I was like, man, this doesn't feel good. Like I'm not excited to be here every day, but this is like what I thought I was supposed to do.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And I like saw this image of like where the next 30 years could have led. And I was like, I gotta figure out something that's going to feel like I'm creating a tangible impact in this world. But then also like feeling fueling, like, what is my soul? And feeling like I'm living like purposeful. Because I tell people I work for NASA, they're like, what? I was like, I was like, yeah, it was like, it was awesome. The missions that I worked on were incredible. But I sat in my cubicle and I worked on this little part so I couldn't like feel the impact of that whole mission.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And I started listening to Rogan a bunch and I was like, okay, like, what would it look like to carve my own path? And a couple years into working at Lockheed Martin, cannabis was legalized in Colorado. I remember they sent out. Lockheed Martin sent out like corporate wide communication. Like, just because it's legal in Colorado, this is a federally funded company and you cannot use this substance because you get randomly drug test and you work for the government, essentially. Yeah. And I remember watching my colleagues reactions to reading that email and some being like closing their, like holding their lips, like, I don't want to say anything because I don't want to like, give away if I ever used it or not. And like, what are people going to think about me? And I had used cannabis in while I was in college, but I was also combining it with a bunch of different substances. Yeah. And so I had spent several years in sobriety after a very dark place, but I still had questions. I was like, this industry is interesting to me. And then I started seeing CBD and non Intoxic cannabinoids that were helping people with relaxation and recovery. And I was like, in pain.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And sleep. And I was like, okay. And for myself, too, I like, I was like, okay, I'm going to take a non THC product because I know I get drug tested for thc.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And hopefully I don't get drug tested. And like, some, for some reason they're testing for CBD now. But it started helping me with my anxiety, with my racing mind, which then helped me sleep, which then helped me recover, which then, like, showed up in every area of my life because I was sleeping good. And that helped my mental health in combination with, of course, exercise and diet and everything else.

[A]

Are you like me in that you want to optimize your energy and your focus? Well, if that is you like I do, then I highly recommend that you check out Cured Nutrition Flow Gummies. I'm telling you, I said this last week. I think I'm, like, addicted to these things. I take them every morning. In fact, yesterday I took em twice. Took em in the morning first thing. And then I took em before my workout as well. Four functional ingredients that will help you increase your focus and energy. It's lion's mane that improves mental clarity, focus and memory. Ginkgo biloba enhances cognitive speed and memory and boosts blood flow to the brain. Green coffee increases alertness, reaction time and enhanced mood with 48 grams of caffeine. Very minimal caffeine, Just enough to give you that edge. And then Huperzia serrata supports neurotransmitter function, memory, and learning. And they're all in these delicious apple gummies. I take two gummies in the morning to get into my flow state, and I highly recommend that you do the same. Head over to curednutrition.com how that is cured nutrition.com HAL and use the code HAL at checkout for 20% off your entire order. And if you do a bundle or you do a subscription, it stacks on top of that, so you get an additional 20% off. Check out the flow gummies and their other products as well@cured nutrition.com HAL and enjoy the rest of today's episode.

[B]

My mom had introduced me to Dr. Andrew Weil a couple years after I had first been prescribed antidepressants. And he was one of the original individuals who wanted to study marijuana and like the medical benefits of it. And he ran the center for Integrative Medicine. I think it's at. I don't know if it's at ASU or U of A. It's in Arizona. He also started True Food Kitchens, if you've ever been to True food. That was Dr. Andrew Wilde.

[A]

Oh, he did start True. I forgot about that. I read his book Living Foods for Optimum Health in my early 20s, and that totally, totally transformed my view on using food as fuel and diet and all of that.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's so good. I think the book that my mom gave me was. It was like Spontaneous Healing.

[A]

Okay, I've read that too. Yeah.

[B]

And it was like, okay, like, can you use high dose fish oils and vitamin D and herbs? And I was like, this is so interesting because I was quickly prescribed antidepressants and I know I'm not alone. I know that there's this whole world of people out there that are looking for an alternative option. And so finally, like seven years into my engineering career, I had been playing around with the idea of what would it look like to start my own business? And I saw this cannabis industry coming to fruition in California, in Colorado, and I had such an interest in it, but I was like, I don't know how, like, what am I going to do in this? I don't know. I'm an engineer. Like, I'm an engineer and I'm very interested in the health and fitness industry. And I had started a podcast.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Because I was like, this is like a way to create a community and maybe I could become an entrepreneur outside of this or this could lead to something. And I. And I called it podcast. It was called Higher Health. And what the definition was, it was like not to get high, but it was like, really? Like, what is health at a higher level of consciousness? Because I was looking at the health and fitness industry and I was like, okay, well, all these, like, pre workouts and like, everybody on steroids. I'm like, that's not really health to me. So, like, what's like this higher consciousness or higher level of health? And I started to talk to people about cannabis on that podcast. It was like left and right. People were raising their hand and a lot of times they wouldn't want to talk about it on the podcast, but we'll talk about it after. I was like, there's something here. There's a lot of interest, but there's also a dis. Fear.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Of the stigma.

[A]

The stigma. That's it.

[B]

What are people going to think about me if I'm like, I've used cannabis and it helps me sleep? Like, okay, are you labeled the stoner? Are you part of, like, Cheech And Chong Culture. Are you like. And I was like, here it is. Like, this is. I need to change the face of an industry to then change the perception of who can use this product to then reach a completely different demographic. Because I saw person after person saying, yes, I'm just using this for stress relief. I'm using this for sleep. I'm using this to calm my mind. But, like, they didn't want to tell anybody else about it. So I was like, if I can package this in a way that changes the narrative around who a user is and what the effects of cannabinoids are, then I think there's something here. And I was like, half. One foot in, one foot out in engineering at the time. And when I look back on the time, I could recognize that my boss could tell. But at first, I was like, your boss what? He could tell that I was one foot in. He was like, I was like, one foot in, one foot out, out. I wasn't producing results in my engineering career like I would expect of myself. And one day, my boss just completely belittled me in front of a bunch of my colleagues. And I went and saw an employee services therapist because I was starting to get depressed. I was like, there's, like, this path that I want to take. I was very interested in becoming an entrepreneur. And then there was who I really was. Like, there was the path that I wanted to take, and there's who I really was and caused this massive dissonance. And I believe that when you live in that world of, like, who are you really? Who do you show up as every day? And then if there's a gap between that and who it is you really.

[A]

Want to be, your soul is crying out to be.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That's like, I'm not yet who it is I want to be. I'm trying to portray to the outside world that I am this other person, but my actions aren't showing it.

[A]

Yeah. And sadly, so many people never have the courage to do what you're about to share. Right. Which is like, they just. They live their whole life there.

[B]

Like, a hundred percent.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

100. So when I went and shared with my therapist, I saw this therapist one time, and I was sharing it with him. Like, I had a relationship that had fallen apart. I was, like, not happy in my career. I had worked so hard, and I was getting depressed again, but I had been depressed before, so I could, like, look back and say, okay, that's. Something's going on here. I'm this person. I'm not who I really want to be. And I sat with him for about 30, 45 minutes, and he just stopped me, said, joe, like, can I give you something? And I was like, yeah. Like, he's like, I'm gonna give this to you. I don't think you're ever gonna come back as a client, though. And he turned to his desk and he pulled out a card, and he wrote something on it, and he handed it to me, and on the back, it just said permission. And he was like, joe, like, you're looking for permission from everybody in the outside world, but nobody's going to give it to you beside yourself. That day, I left the therapist office, put in my letter of resignation, and the next day I started Cured. And I had no idea what I was doing, but I had never felt more free in my entire life before. I had, like, six grand worth of savings and an idea. And that was in August of 2017. And now we are here in 2026. And on this bookshelf behind me, you can't really see it, but, like, there's a card on that picture, and that's the permission slip. It just sits there. It's like the card that I always look to because I just had to give myself permission, and I jumped, and I haven't looked back since I left the corporate career in the corporate grind. And we've been focused on creating an alternative path for health for the millions of Americans that are looking for that solution, but have been conditioned to believe that cannabis is something that it's truly not. And that's what we do at Cured every single day.

[A]

If you struggle to fall asleep or stay asleep. I have a supplement that I take that I've taken for about three years now, virtually every single night. I highly recommend it. It's called Night caps by Cured Nutrition. It is a CBN and CBD oil supplement. And CBN supports your body's natural sleep rhythms throughout the night for deep restorative sleep that leaves you feeling refreshed and ready to rise in the morning. Highly recommended. I book in my days with Cured Nutrition. I take their flow gummies in the morning. I take nightcaps at night, and you can get 20% off of both of those products. As a listener of the achieve your goals podcast, head over to curednutrition.com HAL that's curednutrition.com HAL and use the discount code HAL for 20% off your entire order. And if you do a subscription, which I do, a monthly subscription for both of those products, you get an additional 20% off that stacks on top of the 20%, as a listener, so you can save a bunch of money, and it'll help you fall asleep and stay asleep again. Cured Nutrition, nightcaps in the evening. And I start my day with flow gummies every single morning. And I hope these products will help you and enhance your life as they have for mine. Enjoy the rest of the episode. I love that man. And there's so many things I want to say and I want to ask you. In fact, my grandma is on CBD now, so your products are helping my grandmother deal with pain. She fell and broke her back and cracked her skull, these things. And she was on pain meds. I go, grandma, would you try something if I sent it to you? It's CBD. And I think she actually did. She's 93. And I think she went, wait, like marijuana? Hell, no, no, no. That's bad. You know? And I go, grandma, I said, the government told you it was bad. They told you it was a drug, and it's a plant, and it was made by God, if you will. Like, if you want to go there, right? Like, it comes from the earth versus the things that are chemically made in a lab that have long worse side effects than the benefits. In fact, I want to take a minute. I don't know. I might have shared this story with you last time we spoke. I don't remember. But I want to share this with my audience, because if anybody listening trusts me and they're just getting to know you, like, I want to bridge this gap. So, yeah, when I had cancer, one day, a nurse intended to stick chemotherapy in my spine with a big, thick needle. That alone was like. I'm like, this is what. What have I got in my stomach? Okay. You know, it's like, this is what we got. We're here. Okay? So she attempts to stick chemotherapy in my spine, and she misses my spine and injects it into my nerve. And the next, I think it was 11 days. Might have to ask my dad. I was so out of it. I don't know if it was 9 or 11. It was somewhere in that range. I had the most horrific migraines 24 hours a day, every single day. Did not stop. And I grew up with migraines, so I've had migraines. I've never had migraines like this. And they were nonstop. Usually I have it for the day, sleep it off. And they tried morphine. They tried OxyContin. They tried every hardcore pain med and not even morphine. Nothing Worked. And then they finally kicked me out of the hospital because they needed my bed for the next patient. And I was like, I've got earplugs in. And my dad's, like, pushing me in a wheelchair. And we go back to this apartment by the hospital, and. And my poor dad is watching his son. You know, I'm already. I'm on chemo. I'm bald. I'm skinny. I'm. I'm on death's doorway. And now I can't eat. I can't stomach food. So he's watching. I'm already on death's doorway, and I can't eat. And he's, like, trying to get me to eat things, and he's bringing me things, and. And I'm telling him, like, dad, don't even talk to me. I can't. It hurts so bad when you talk to me. And one day he says, hal, what about that marijuana that your friend dropped off when you first started this cancer journey? Do you want to try that? And, like, something inside me, I go. And I hadn't done marijuana in years. And I said, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, let's try it. And so the funniest thing, it was flour. My dad's never put marijuana into a bowl, so he's like, how do I do this? And I'm like, I got one eye open on the bed. My earplugs are in, and I'm. I'm going, okay, dad, put, like. Just fill it to the top. And I get a lighter. I take two hits of marijuana again in my mind. Not a drug, a plant that grows in the ground. To me, it's so important to shift that paradigm in people's mind. We were told it was a drug. Cocaine's a drug. Heroin's a drug. Marijuana is a drug. You know, it's like, well, no, no, no, no, no. Some of these are made in the lab. One of them grows out of the ground, right? So anyway, so I take two hits of marijuana, and my dad leaves. And keep in mind, my wife had not talked to me in 11 days because I couldn't bear to hear sound or see light. So all she's getting is these updates from my dad. And she's calling my dad, how's Hal doing? And she's distraught, crying, my dad, we're all a mess. And two puffs of marijuana. And my dad closes the door and white noises on earplugs. And he leaves. Five minutes later, I open my eyes. I sit up straight. My headache is virtually gone. I have an appetite I feel fine, and I take out my earplugs. I walk out in the living room, I go, dad, I'm starving. And he, like, the look on his face, he goes, what the what? Like, you haven't been able to move in 11 days. How are you. Like, his brain couldn't even comprehend. I go, that marijuana you gave me, it's a freaking miracle. It's a miracle. And I pick up the phone, I call my wife. I go, hey, sweetie. She goes, how are you talking right now? I go, I took two hits of marijuana, and five minutes later, I feel fine. And simultaneously, Joe and I know you can relate to this at some level. Very quickly that day, I felt very angry with our medical system that I was two puffs away.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And for somebody doesn't want to smoke marijuana, which I don't smoke it anymore. It's like I take. Yeah, mostly cbd, very small thc, Right. But I. And it's like, through Cured Nutrition, it's through either gummies or capsules or oil or whatever. But anyway, regardless, I was so angry that I go, man, you're pumping me full of all these chemicals that are just destroying my liver. And you're doing that with millions of people across the country when I was two hits away from a plant that grows in the ground that has little or no side effects in that small of a dose from complete relief. So it was both a miracle. And so. And I actually. I never went down that road, but I actually thought, man, maybe this is my path. Maybe being an advocate for cannabis is so. And maybe someday that will be my path. And indirectly, as someone who really supports Cured Nutrition, I use your products every day. And you guys sponsored the podcast. That's like my indirect way of supporting the cannabis movement, man. But, yeah. Any thoughts, man? I. I'll give you some space.

[B]

That is such an incredible story. I don't think you told me that whole thing last time on how the chemo missed where it was supposed to be, which is what caused it. And that even adds to what you. Like, literally what you just said. It's like you take a full spectrum extract cannabis. Like, the side effects are you might sleep more.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And. But like, this other route. And like, of course, modern medicine, there's like this. Yes. And yeah, we need so much of it. Right. Like, my mom literally just. Well, now she is free of cancer in her body, but she had breast cancer and she had to get a double mastectomy. And I sat with her with every appointment with the oncologist, the first Thing that I got, I was like, I want to be here to help my mom through this process. But. But the first question I got was, what are your qualifications? I was like, I want to be here with my mom, first off. And second, I run a cannabis company, and I know the properties of cannabinoids. I know how it can help my mom. And all I'm going to ask is, are you open to me helping my mom and her taking some of our products? And it was interesting how I was met, but I'll keep that as an aside. But it's. I couldn't agree with you more that there's, like, this visceral reaction to it, which is, like, not founded on anything that makes sense to me. Yeah. And that's why it's became. Become my mission, like, quite literally. That's why it become my mission to. To change this narrative, to allow so many people that are maybe, like, a couple steps away from interest in trying it, but have this fear that is founded on propaganda and a narrative that it's existed for far too long, which has put, just like you said, marijuana in the DARE program and has classified it no differently than heroin. And just recently, there have been some shifts at the federal level where we've moved it from a Schedule 1 controlled substance to Schedule 3, now saying that it has medical benefits, but at Schedule 1, it was never considered that way. And so it's like, I pray about this all the time, Hal. I do believe that this is a part of the purpose that God has put on my life. And I was really, for some time questioning if that was true, because I'm very involved in my church, and I started a small group, and I was like, should I even disclose that I run this company? And I prayed about it a lot, and then like, okay, maybe I should step away from this business. And then this hemp band went through, and I've prayed about it every day. And God has showed me that this is part of the purpose that he's put on my life and that this thing is from Him. This plant is from Him. This mission that I'm on and that we're on is necessary. And of course, it's going to be met with resistance. Yeah, of course. So every single day, like, I couldn't agree with you more. There's this deep, like, drive and energy that I have to help people. But you can only do it through stories like yours that help start to shift the perception that has been ingrained in so many people's heads.

[A]

Yeah, absolutely. All right, let me ask you a question. How many apps are you using for your personal development? Maybe a meditation app like Calmer Headspace, an affirmation app like I Am, or Think Up, a book summary app like Blinkist, a journaling app like 5 Minute Journal, a visualization app like Envision, an exercise app like 7 Minute Workout, and maybe even a habit tracking app to keep it all together. That is a lot to manage and a lot to pay for. What if you could replace all of them with just one app? Yes, it is called the Miracle Morning app and it is essentially seven apps in one. Hundreds of guided meditations and breathwork tracks, a full library of affirmations, plus tools to create your own visualization prompts for 10 key areas of your life. Guided workouts from 2 to 10 minutes long, book and audiobook summaries of top personal and professional development books and a journaling tool with guided prompts. The Wheel of Life or a blank page to write freely. It simplifies your morning, saves you money and helps you start every day with clarity, purpose and energy. And it's one of the only apps in this space with a 4.9 out of 5 star rating. Try it free for 7 days. Just search Miracle Morning in your app store or go to miracle morning app.com to get started. All right, back to the show. Before we get to the him band, which I want to talk about. Talk for the folks that aren't aware of what are the benefits of the cannabis plant. And I know what's one important thing about cured nutrition is it's the whole spectrum, right? It's the whole plant. But talk about like CBD for example. I have taken your night oil, the CB and night oil. This is a part of like I struggled with sleep for six months after I did three years of chemo. Something inside my brain snapped around November 2019 and for the next six months I slept two to four hours a night. This is actually, I think, how I discovered cured nutrition, if I remember correctly. And I was I tried every sleep supplement off Amazon. I tried everything, different combinations. I did research trying to figure out what can help me get through a night. And this was one of the main products and I've taken this every night I think for the last six years. Something along those lines. Your night oil.

[B]

It's incredible.

[A]

I like your new dream gummies too, by the way. But yeah, so talk about what are the benefits of cbd, cbn, thc, any other aspects of the plant? What are the differences? What are the benefits? Etc.

[B]

Yeah, so the best place to Start is that there's over a hundred known cannabinoids in the cannabis plant. We extract all of ours from the hemp plant, which used to be defined as having less than 0.3% THC. That definition was changed, which is what will lead us to another conversation. But in full spectrum hemp extract, what you get is high doses of CBD and then you can get lower doses of thc, you can get cbn, you can get several other cannabinoids, cbc, cbg. But to just zoom in on cbd, CBN and thc, because those are the ones that we use the most. CBD is non intoxicating. It has anti inflammatory like properties, so you can use it over the course of time for recovery. And it also has an ability to help calm your body. It interacts with the GABA receptors in your body, which helps your mind calm down and helps you get to sleep. And if you just kept it there, like calm your mind sleep and then recovery, kind of take it like a vitamin where it helps your body achieve homeostasis and helps with your stress response. That's cbd. Non intoxicating. CBN is similar to CBD and lives kind of between THC and cbd. I'll go to THC real quick and then come back to cbn. THC is what is in typically what people associate with marijuana. It is the intoxicating cannabinoid at certain concentrations. So at very low concentrations it's actually not intoxicating. But it is the thing that gave you that instant relief when you smoked it. It was thc. You got the instant relief. That's what a lot of people use for like pain and for quicker relaxation, quicker onsets. The problem however though with THC is most people, if they've ever tried it for the first time, they go into dispensary, they take a 5, 10 milligram edible and they're looking for calming properties. They get too much thc, they get anxious, they get turned off and then they never come back. They're like, this is what I thought it was and that's been confirmed and I don't want to try this ever again. For cured. We put about a milligram of THC in most products, which is a fifth to a tenth of a standard dose that you would get in a dispensary. It's non intoxicating, but it gives you the more instantaneous relief. So that's like CBD and THC on two spectrums and then CBN is more sedating. So I always explain CBN as like THC actually degrades into cbn. And so CBN is actually. It's a cannabinoid that when you take it, it almost feels like you have a weighted blanket over your body. Yeah. Yeah. If you think about CBD kind of calming the mind, CBN would be more calming the body.

[A]

Interesting.

[B]

And when you get both of those in combination, it really helps your overall sleep. Because if you ever, you know, you wear your whoop or your aura, there's the deep sleep component, and then there's the REM sleep. And I learned this from Dr. Mindy Pels. She said the deeper deep sleep you get, the more REM sleep you typically get. So if we can get into deep sleep, then our overall sleep score and our overall recovery is going to be better. But to get into deep sleep, you really need the whole body to slow down. And so when people take cbn, they notice that their deep sleep score first gets better, and then their overall sleep score gets better. But you would never take CBN in the middle of the day because it is more sedating and more heavy. And it is closer to, like, almost the intoxicating realm. But it's so nuanced because all of these cannabinoids can show up and in full spectrum hemp extract. And that's where, like, this greater conversation on, like, what is legal and where is this industry going to go goes. But that's how I explain those three. Do you want to zoom in on any of those a little bit?

[A]

No, man. I think that's helpful. Let's talk about the ban. I mean, right now, your mission is at risk, right? Your mission is at risk. The plant that has helped me and millions and millions of people, the cannabis plant is at risk. The hemp plant's at risk. Talk about what's going on and what are you doing. Actually, before you do that, let me just say if anybody wants to get cured nutrition, I grabbed all my products that I take off the shelf. Serenity Gummies, Flow Gummies, Rise, Nootropic, on and off. Go to curenutrition.com HAL and use the code HAL at checkout. And again, I was a customer before y' all were a sponsor. I think it's important. Like, I do not take on sponsors unless I use a product. I love the product and I want.

[B]

To share it with folks.

[A]

So again, cured nutrition.comhal and use the discount code H for 20% off your order of that. Let's talk about the mission that you're on now to protect the mission that you feel God's given you yeah.

[B]

So we talked briefly about, like, marijuana and marijuana concentrations of thc, and those marijuana is sold state by state in dispensaries, and that's how it's controlled. And hemp, like hemp and marijuana, are both Cannabis. But in 2014, it started, but then 2018, it really defined. The 2018 Farming Bill defined hemp as cannabis with less than 0.3% THC by dry weight. So it's essentially marijuana and hemp are both cannabis, but one has a much lower concentration of thc. Marijuana is regulated state by state in dispensaries. And then hemp had the ability to be sold at the federal level as long as the concentrations of THC were meeting that.03% per serving. So what has happened, and this is wild and just shows you how frustrating it can be and how that visceral reaction is so founded. The bill that reopened the government in November 2025, there was a provision slipped into that bill at the very last minute that redefined hemp. So I just gave you the old definition of hemp.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

A provision was slipped into that bill that reopened to the government, and there's all this pressure to get the government back open. There's all these other language in the bill, but it changed it to less than 0.4 milligrams per container. So we have a. One of those bags in front of you has 60 gummies in it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And about a milligram per gummy. For that to be legal after November of this year, it has to have 0.4 milligrams of THC in it. Right now we have essentially 120 times that much THC in it. In the bag, you're saying in the bag. Wow. So there is, in one gummy 1 milligram of THC, which is not enough to get you high. It is enough to get you relaxation and relief. But it was basically just. The definition of hemp was just changed literally to reopen the government. And so now, when that happened, it created a ticking time bomb, which is basically in 365 days from when the bill that opened the government was. Was signed, saying that hemp is essentially banned. There can be no essentially 0thC in any hemp product. The problem is, is that is quite literally impossible because the hemp farmer, when the hemp farmer is growing the hemp plant, THC is going to show up in it at very low concentrations. And then as soon as you go to extract the extract from the plant to get cbd, they're not saying that CBD is illegal. But they're saying that any concentration of THC is essentially legal. As soon as you extract the cannabinoids from the hemp plant, it is going to have THC concentration in it and it is now deemed illegal.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

So right now what's happening is basically 95% of the products that are in the industry, that are being sold online become illegal in November of this year. And the hemp, full spectrum hemp industry, I should say it that way, the full spectrum hemp industry is dead unless something changes. Wow. Now, the problem is, is that in 2018, when that bill went through in the farm bill, it opened up this ability for things to happen, which you mentioned before we started the podcast. And if you live in Texas and several places, you'll see this happening. You can walk into a gas station and you can buy a 20 milligram edible of something called Delta 8 THC, which is synthetic and is not naturally occurring THC. You can also get Delta 9 at 20 milligrams. That is a serious problem because a kid could walk into a gas station and buy it and they could be high as a kite. And that was never intended to be our mission at Cured, ever. But there are so many companies that have basically exposed the ability to do that and are now essentially becoming marijuana operators without any rules. So they're selling high dose edibles online, they're selling them in gas stations. No supply chain third party testing rules, nothing. So you could literally have heavy metals, pesticides, everything showing up these. And it is a serious problem.

[A]

So.

[B]

And then like the other component of this, which is actually probably a really important thing to talk about, is that over the last four years, alcohol sales are down $840 billion.

[A]

Interesting.

[B]

And people are using low dose THC products as an alternative for alcohol.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So there's a couple things happening right now. The bourbon industry is lobbying hard against the hemp industry.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

The marijuana industry is lobbying hard against the hemp industry because they have been regulated state by state and sold products in dispensaries, which is where those high dose products should go. And I completely agree with. Yeah, but they've been paying taxes at the state level at a absorbent amount. But the operators that are basically like, oh, we can do the same thing online basically exposed a loophole in like the tax component of all of this. So there's like infighting in the cannabis industry, which is a problem. Then there's the bourbon industry, that's lobbying against the hemp industry, and then there's the hemp Operators like myself that have sold low dose THC full spectrum products that are non intoxicating, that are intended to get people relief and relaxation without getting high. But we got swept up in this whole thing because we're not being treated any differently than the companies that are selling these high dose edibles online in the gas station. And so like the problem is very complicated and if we don't do something within the next 11 months up into November, our business is gone. So we have started public advocacy group. It's a 501C4 called the National Coalition for Responsible Cannabinoid Access. And our mission is to go to D.C. and present a framework that is viable, non intoxicating, protects children, has clear testing regulations and creates a viable future for the full spectrum hemp industry, which is where we live. But it is a long road ahead of us.

[A]

Yeah. Did you co found this advocacy group or is this something you started yourself?

[B]

Yeah, I started it myself. I'm the chair. I didn't know I was getting into politics in November of last year. And now I also run a non profit which is separate from Cured, but it's on the same mission. Like companies that operate like Cured, we're inviting all of them to join us because we're all being threatened and we all have a mission to help people. And I've met a lot of the operators that operate their business just like us and we're like, yeah, this is frustrating because like we can agree with so many components of like the synthetic cannabinoids, the high dose edibles that are in gas stations. Like that has to go away. Yeah, that's not how this should work. But like is the answer to make all of it go away or is it the answer to create a real framework that's saying, okay, as long as it's non intoxicating, yes, it could be sold online. As long as it has childproof packaging, yes, it could be sold online. So yes, I started it and it is a mission of ours at Cured to obviously support this public advocacy group because we run both. But we will take this public advocacy group to Washington D.C. with within the next several months here.

[A]

Well, I was telling you before we started recording, right. That it reminded me of Vonnie Hari, the food babe known as the Food online. And how she all of a sudden went from being an entrepreneur with Truvani that had a very line of health products that don't have any pesticides or dyes or any toxins in them and she was successful. And I feel like that's where my energy is right now for you, man, is that you're going to make a huge impact, make a difference. I love what you said about how when you pray about this, you get this, hey, this is your mission and it's going to come with resistance, right? Like that's part of most meaningful missions. You've got to overcome challenges and adversity along the way. And Joe, I believe you're the person to do that, man. Like just hearing your heart and that you use these products to help your mom with her cancer journey, which I can so relate to that as someone who did the same on my own journey. Yeah, man, thank you for the work that you're doing.

[B]

Thank you. And thank you for having me here. And I remember the first time we talked and you shared a bit of the story that you shared earlier. I'm like, man, like that's what it takes. We have to hear those use cases because here's what's being threatened. Millions and millions of Americans that rely on low dose THC products are going to lose access to something that is helping their, not just like to have a livelihood but like their life. Because like first off, it's going to allow them to move through the day, to sleep, whatever, and then allow them to work. So like we put this out to our community and we said, you know, we asked the question, like, what would losing access to low dose products, how would it impact your life? And man, I gotta tell you, like when I was reading through what people were saying, it was like I would have to result to pharmaceuticals. Yeah, my quality of life would be gone story after story after story after story. And it was just like, man, I got the chills because I was like, that's why we're doing this. And man, it feels scary and it feels big because it feels like exactly like you said. Like, I know I'm going to be met with a lot of resistance and I would have never expected myself to be like, okay, now I have to run a political movement and I have to do it quick. Yeah. But it does feel like my purpose and I could have never imagined that it led to this point. But now as I look back, I'm like, of course it did. Of course it was going to have to lead to something, to this. So that's our mission right now, man.

[A]

Is there anything that folks watching can do to support right now or is this really just something that is beyond the average person person, what they're going to do? And it's up to you and the other operators in Your industry.

[B]

Yeah. So obviously the more Cured can set the example of how we believe the companies in this industry should operate, the better. So we're aggressively growing our company right now and we would love to support as many people as we can through our company. But NCRCA us is the URL to our public advocacy group. And on there there's really two calls to actions to one, share a testimonial and two, if you feel so inclined to donate five, ten dollars, like we're going to get as many people as we possibly can that represent Cured as part of the public advocacy group out to DC to create noise and really get the attention of the right politicians. Because the truth is it's to no fault of their own, but they don't really understand the intricacy of the industry.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

And so what happens is like lobbying happens, bourbon comes in with a lot of money and bam, cool. This can make it into the bill that reopens the government. And just, and so we just have to create awareness. We have to get as loud as possible. So my ask would be to one, just like share with as many people the products that can help people through a non intoxicating path. And whether it's cured or not, like that doesn't matter to me really. What matters is that there's a future for this industry. And so we will be creating more noise around ncrca. And if any type of product has impacted you in a way similar to the products that Cured have. If you're listening to this, I just ask you to share your story. And what we're doing through Cured and through the public advocacy group is sending out emails so you can contact your local politicians and congressmen and women. Because the more noise we create, the more at every level the politicians will say like this is something that really needs to be considered and talked about and that will help us at least get an extension. Because if we don't get an extension, I fear that like it could be a little bit chaotic towards the end of this year. And right now the other piece of this is like the extension is what's going to support the farmers because the farmers have to start putting their crops in the ground here in the next couple of months and if they don't do that, the entire supply chain for the industry is just gone.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. Well that's interesting to think about, like how it trickles all the way back and how many people are affected. And my grandma's one of those 93 year old customers that so she was on all these pain Meds. And I said, grandma, have you thought about cbd? And that's when I had to explain that it was a part of the marijuana plant. She didn't know anything about it, you know, and then she got, oh, no, I don't know. And this was just a few months ago. And I said, I'm going to send you a bag of these gummies. Try them and let me know if they help you. I didn't know, but she's like, I take this pain medication every day. And I forgot what it was, but whatever it was, I'm like, oh, grandma, you should cut back on that and see if you can find something natural. And now she, by taking. I think it's just your CBD oil. She cut her pain meds in half, which is wild.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

So immediately, like, within the first month, she's like, I cut my pain medication in half because you said it's not healthy for me and this is better for me. And so, yeah, I mean, so that's like a real life example. And, dude, I will come to Washington if you need somebody to speak and share that story I shared earlier. I will bring my grandma.

[B]

Like, let's go, dude. I would love to enroll you. I mean, I just want to thank you for allowing us to. Like, of course. You are so enrolled in this. But I still have to thank you because having the ability to share these stories on platforms like yours is going to help us. So, you know, when you ask, like, what can we do? Like, just literally this message and creating this space and sharing your testimonial, you know, is the momentum that we need to make a change happen. And I'm confident we can do it. I know we'll be met with resistance. We already are. But I see on the other end of this that when I pray about this and I view the future, I see Cured as the gold standard in the full spectrum hemp industry. And I believe that because you could just rip the curtains back. And I'm not afraid to share anything that we do. Our supply chain, our testing, our everything, our formulations, how we believe this industry should be ran, which means our margins get compressed all the time because we move slower because we have to do those things. Yeah. So, yeah, it's just from me to you and everybody that listens to podcast, just thank you. Because we just got to get the message out there.

[A]

Got it, brother. Thank you. And everybody listening again, Cured Nutrition. If you want to try the products, Serenity Gummies, Flow Gummies, Nightcaps, Rise. I mean, so many I'm looking at all of them. And obviously, if you're a fan of the show, I talk about cured nutrition every week on the podcast. So I appreciate you, Joe. Thank you so much, man. And let's not take two years for this. Let's have you back next year after the work you're doing has come to fruition and we can celebrate together.

[B]

Thank you, Hal. I appreciate it.

[A]

You got it.

[B]

Thanks for listening.

[A]

To learn more about the Achieve your.

[B]

Goals podcast and to get access today's show notes, transcript and exclusive exclusive content from hal Elrod, visit Halelrod.com podcast thanks again for joining us. Be sure to tune in next week for another episode of the Achieve your Goals podcast.