The Power of Collaboration in Cannabis: Debi Wimberley's Vision for Effective Cannabis Education In this episode of the Bodacious Women in Cannabis podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Debbie Wimberley, the visionary founder of Effective Cannabis and the Effective Cannabis newsletter. Debbie shared her powerful and inspiring journey from being abandoned by doctors during the opiate crisis to discovering the life-changing benefits of medical cannabis. Her personal battle with chronic regional pain syndrome and severe lung conditions led her to become a passionate advocate for medical cannabis education.
In this episode of the Bodacious Women in Cannabis podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Debi Wimberley, the visionary founder of Effective Cannabis and the Effective Cannabis newsletter. Debbie shared her powerful and inspiring journey from being abandoned by doctors during the opiate crisis to discovering the life-changing benefits of medical cannabis. Her personal battle with chronic regional pain syndrome and severe lung conditions led her to become a passionate advocate for medical cannabis education.
Debbie discussed how she transitioned from being in a wheelchair with a 24-hour caregiver to regaining her independence and significantly improving her health through the use of medical cannabis. She emphasized the importance of proper education and the need for collaboration among experts in the field to provide accurate and accessible information to patients.
Effective Cannabis curates a newsletter that collaborates with certified educators, doctors, scientists, and patients to share research and firsthand stories about the benefits of medical cannabis. Debbie highlighted the challenges of educating the public about medical cannabis, including the lack of interest from dispensaries and restrictions on advertising.
Despite these obstacles, Debi and her team of volunteers are dedicated to making a difference by providing valuable resources and support to those in the medical cannabis community. Her unwavering commitment to her vision and her belief in the power of collaboration make her a true inspiration.
To learn more about Debi Wimberley and subscribe to the Effective Cannabis newsletter, visit effectivenewsletter.com. Thank you for joining us on this enlightening episode, and stay tuned for more stories of bold and brilliant women in the cannabis industry.
https://www.effectivenewsletter.com/
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Announcer:
Welcome to the Bodacious Women in Cannabis podcast, the show where the bold and brilliant women cannabis business leaders share their journey and their expertise. Here's your host, Susan Burns.
Susan Burns: Hello, this is your podcast host, Susan Burns. As a cannabis lawyer by profession, what could delight me more than showcasing bodacious women in the industry? Well, glad you asked because it's nothing. Today, we are talking with Debbie Wimberly, and she is the visionary founder of Effective Cannabis and the Effective Cannabis newsletter, which provides educational information about medical cannabis, something we all need and love. Welcome, Debbie.
Debbie Wimberly: Thank you very much for having me. I appreciate this opportunity to speak with you.
Susan Burns: Yeah, it's a pleasure to have you. So medical cannabis, there has to be a story behind why you started educating people and providing a forum. So talk to us about that, how you started, why, what's the driver for it? What's the inspiration?
Debbie Wimberly: Great question and should always be asked. Thank you. I think that I found, I don't think I know, I found myself in the middle of the opiate crisis, having chronic regional pain syndrome for over two and a half decades. And doctors decided they would no longer treat me in the middle of a serious lung infection that we didn't know what it was. And so they abandoned me. and left me with no options. And so I wanted to use medical cannabis, but before I could even get started, I found myself in a hospital fighting for my life because they were forcing me off of my opiates at a high rate. And I was at 240 milligrams a day when this all started. And I had been following doctor's rules, everything they wanted me to do for decades. It's just that they felt they couldn't do it anymore because of the opiate crisis. And in that moment, laying in a hospital bed, when I was able to be thinking and breathing for myself again, I made a decision that I would do everything in my power to make sure no one ever found themselves here in this space, fighting for their life, when there's access to medical cannabis that can actually prevent any of this from happening.
Susan Burns: Wow. Powerful moment, huh? Very. Yeah. Life-changing.
Debbie Wimberly: Well, you have to understand at the time- And thank God you're still with us. Yes, the thing you have to understand is at that moment, I was in a wheelchair, unable to take care of myself at all, had a 24 hour caregiver when they made this decision and was just pretty much left for dead. So being able to sit here and talk to everyone today and share this story is truly my mission because you can make a difference when you learn to apply medical cannabis therapies correctly.
Susan Burns: What an inspiration. Thank you. So do you mind sharing a little bit about how you got out of a wheelchair and being able to sit up in 24-hour care and being able to be here with us? Did you know something about cannabis at that moment? Or did you start having to learn everything? And how long ago was it? Was it a year ago or five years ago?
Debbie Wimberly: This was eight years ago now when this all started.
Susan Burns: So there wasn't that much information.
Debbie Wimberly: No, there wasn't. I had learned quite a bit about what they called marijuana in the 70s, working in the cancer field for two amazing cancer doctors. And we wanted to utilize it for sleep and for pain, we had no understanding what it really could do at that time, because there wasn't enough research on it or available. And so I knew a little bit about it. But at that moment, I knew nothing other than that. So I had to learn. And so It took me about a year to get my pain under control. And then I started realizing I wasn't having difficulty breathing because I had COPD, had developed MacLung disease, some serious health, had asthma my whole life. And so I was on 28 pharmaceuticals that I've now reduced and no longer use for my breathing and was submitted for a lung transplant and denied because of opiates. So it was, all of a sudden I found myself being able to get up and not use all of my breathing treatment medications that I have been using for decades. And I kept getting mad at myself at the end of the day because I wasn't following doctor's rules. And you have to realize I'm medically trained. I'm a medical technologist. So, you know, I, I come from the school of pharmaceuticals and using them. And so it's a little bit of a mind shift and getting into using plant medicine only.
Susan Burns: And it's a beautiful expression. How did you get off of breathing from cannabis, breathing assistance from cannabis?
Debbie Wimberly: Well, I started realizing I wasn't having difficulty breathing. And this was after I had learned to do flower vaping. And so I would get mad at myself for not taking my medicine. And I started realizing I need to be listening to my body. It's telling me something. And so I started eventually weaning myself off of them. and no longer use any of them. I use one at night now just to help get me through the night long enough because I don't want to wake up to medicate. I have to medicate a little bit more often than say maybe somebody else does to deal with my breathing and the inflammation in my lungs. But it's actually made a huge difference because I'm not on oxygen 24 hours a day anymore. I still have lung conditions that I have to deal with. I'm not healthy by any means. But it has given me the opportunity to establish a life again that I never thought I would see ever. And doctors had given me at the most five years when they decided to stop treating me. Wow. And I'm eight years in. Bravo.
Susan Burns: Good for you.
Debbie Wimberly: Yes. Thank you.
Susan Burns: So you have a newsletter to help educate people about medical cannabis. And what does Effective Cannabis do? Does it produce a newsletter? Does it provide other services? Or what does the company do?
Debbie Wimberly: Effective Cannabis actually curates the newsletter by working with and collaborating with other certified educators, coaches, doctors, scientists, pharmacists, and patients because we bring together the true research and the stories with the firsthand stories so that we can show how, okay, here's the research. Now we have this person that's saying based on this, that they're using cannabis and this is the results that we're getting. I first got into effective cannabis for research because I believe that the research is so important and the research is us, the patients. because we are the ones that are actually out there doing the work and determining how it's working for us because it's, I don't believe traditional research will ever work within medical cannabis because we're all so different. Our ECS is so different here. Yeah.
Susan Burns: So being able to do endocannabinoid system.
Debbie Wimberly: Yes, yes, yes. Excuse me. Yes. So, you know, get used to. Yeah. And I forget that. Sorry. Yeah. But, you know, understanding that your system is unique to you is the number one key to you then finding results instead of trying to follow the path of someone else or what they've done. It's so important to understand that. So we want to bring together the experts in this field and become the leaders in medical cannabis, because that's a big void that we have right now. in this industry, you can find people that can talk to you about grow, you can find people that can talk to you about production, you can you can get training to be in the dispensaries. But to actually understand and make sure that you can find good quality access to medical cannabis education is hard. And no one should have to go through what I went through to learn. you should be able to have access and know, OK, that's the resource I want to rely on. There is no one person that is the expert on everything in cannabis. It's just like the medical field. We need heart specialists. We need lung specialists. We need the same thing in the cannabis industry field. And so we need those expertise to come together and actually provide this wealth of information to the world, because I believe that education should be free. And I believe all of us that are committed to advocating for this medicine and that can educate on it should be building to work together if we want to make the impact for generations to come.
Susan Burns: I agree. Wow. That's a powerful tool you have. And I always ask at the end where we can find you, but how do people subscribe to your newsletter?
Debbie Wimberly: You can go to effectivenewsletter.com and right there you can sign up. If you're interested in being part of the ECN advocate, as we call it, you can do that there as well.
Susan Burns: Thank you so much. So you've been learning and educating yourself and now working with this industry and bringing experts to the people. And I've noticed since the advent of medical cannabis legalization, there's a proliferation, at least that I see of doctors that will just, you know, take your 200 bucks and certify you as as a medical patient without and without the education of or working with you and your system. And I think that's a major disservice to people, which I'm guessing you agree with me. So when did you start your effective cannabis company in your newsletter? When did you start that?
Debbie Wimberly: Effective Cannabis, which was the research part of my business, studying different medical conditions and understanding how we're all finding similarities maybe through symptoms and things like that. started in 2017. Effective Cannabis News, Effective Cannabis Newsletter began two years ago. It's almost actually two years ago, we started building it. So in January of this year was our one year anniversary of delivering the newsletter to inboxes. Happy anniversary. Thank you. And we we shared 107 pieces of content from all different places around the, you know, different industries, sharing how medical cannabis can be used, we have one big platform, one big heading of a issue like this next month's May's issue is neurological disorders. So there's a lot of things that can fall in under that umbrella, we're never going to run out of things to write about.
Susan Burns: I'm sure you won't. So in your work, have you met with challenges in growing and expanding?
Debbie Wimberly: There's always challenges when you work in medical cannabis, and especially when you're trying to teach medical cannabis. First off, It's not something the dispensaries are interested in. They just want to sell the product. So we can't, I've been trying to break into that where we can get them to at least share this newsletter with everybody that comes into the dispensary. They're not really interested in the teaching this. They only have a certain amount of time to get somebody in the door and out. So that's, we've ran up against that. You can't advertise anything about cannabis and you get shut down. Our social medias get shut down. So having, and that's the reason we created the newsletter though, so that people can subscribe and get it into their inbox. And they don't miss this valuable information because we don't have the freedom to educate about it the way that we should without complications. So growing this business, connecting with people, because one of the things everybody needs to understand, I'm still really sick. I work probably 65 hours a day a week, which is great, but I have an immune system that's destroyed. So I have no ability to fight off infection. So everything I do is from this spot right here and connecting with people around the world and providing this information around the world.
Susan Burns: So you have a safe environment. Correct. And then that you are, you have your own bubble there.
Debbie Wimberly: Yep, exactly. But it's a bubble I'll live in every day over the three decades that I live so sick. And doctors could have never provided what I've got now.
Susan Burns: Yes, yes. Oh, you're such an inspiration. What have you learned in overcoming your obstacles? Or is it just you just keep at it? Or how do you keep yourself going with that?
Debbie Wimberly: I believe I have today. And today I wake up and I give everything I have to today, whatever that may be. I don't look beyond that. I mean, I try to plan, but I don't push myself beyond each day. Having lived the life that I've lived, being able to be here right now and share with you what I have is so important that I need to be in this moment. And I need to be able to share that with the world and let them know that there is something available to you if you're willing to be open and receptive and put away all the things that you've learned in the past or been told in the past.
Susan Burns: So inspirational. I'm in awe of you, Debbie. That's amazing. And to be able to stay in the present moment is truly a gift. It sounds so simple, and it's the hardest thing.
Debbie Wimberly: It used to be hard. It's not so hard anymore. I'm thankful that I get this opportunity. If I impact one person today, I've done my job. You've done your job. You've impacted me for sure.
Susan Burns: I'm sure there will be many more that listen to this and will be impacted. Thank you. So this will be an investment of your time that will bring many rewards to many people. So thank you. Thank you. How about as you go along have there been any moments that were so inspirational to you or that you thought that something happened that you're like wow I just never imagined that that could have happened when I started this journey that you know maybe you had an impact or maybe somebody impacted you or something that just was so amazing to you that made, it's kind of like it all makes sense why you're doing what you're doing.
Debbie Wimberly: I agree with you on that. It makes sense what I'm doing. Yes. Um, there've been so many moments that it would be so hard to even begin to put them out in the short amount of time, but there have been some individuals that I have met along the way that have believed in me. And that is the most critical piece, believing in this vision. I've had this same vision since the day I started. It has not changed and it will not change. It will be this vision that we will educate about medical cannabis and move it around the world because it's so important. So finding people that actually believed in my vision, was so critical. Amy Matthews is one of those. And she actually believed in me so much. She gave so much of herself to help me put this business together for the newsletter. And it was an amazing piece. She had to step away because of health issues. And that's the other thing that we do is that we know that everybody that usually works in this space came to this space because of some health issue they had. And I always tell my team that I work with that if we don't respect that, because that's what we preach, that we need to give people that space to take care of themselves and get well and healthy again. So those are the things that we have to keep in mind when we're talking about this is that we all have health challenges at some point in our life, and we need to be respectful of that person that needs to take that step aside, but hold them up and be there to help them along the way.
Susan Burns: So true, it's a great model that we should all be able to take care of ourselves first, because we know what happens if we don't. Do you operate, Debbie, with volunteers? Do you have paid staff? How do you function?
Debbie Wimberly: Interestingly enough, my whole team is all volunteer. At the moment, I said, I think we should create this effective cannabis newsletter as a collaborative. And there was five people that raised their hand and said, I want in. And so they volunteered. We've been together for two years. And there's four of us still together. So I think that's pretty powerful. And I think that speaks volumes that everybody's committed to what we're doing. That does speak volumes.
Susan Burns: Agreed. And does everybody just support themselves and pay their own way if they're going to visit somewhere? Or how do you fund the operation?
Debbie Wimberly: Um, everything we do is virtual. So we don't do anything in person. If we do go to have some people in our team that go to conferences and stuff, I try to support that and fund that as much as I can. That's what the EC and advocate business toolkit is about is us helping them grow their business. Cause we have a whole bunch of tools we've put together that most people that are in this industry don't know how to run a business. that get into it as a coach or an educator. And there's so many things you have to learn. If you had to think about how many things I had to learn to get this all going, it's amazing what you have to learn. And so we've put together great tools to help you along the way. And our job is to make your business grow. That's our whole mission, is to help educate medical cannabis and to help anybody that is an educator, coach, medical professional, scientist, whoever in this field to grow their business. And they then can contribute content to the newsletter. And we will honor them and feature them.
Susan Burns: What a great resource. Wow. So besides educating, you help with business. And I think you're exactly right. The cannabis plant and all its many wonders is complex in and of itself, the interaction with the human body and all. And then you have the legal issues. And then you have the operating business issues. Right. And that's a lot for anybody. And no one of us has all those skills. Correct. And we need each other for that. So that's a wonderful resource. And information about that is available on your website?
Debbie Wimberly: Yes, it is. If we have a section that's called collaborate with us and you can learn about the ECN advocate there.
Susan Burns: That's incredible. Are you a nonprofit organization or you haven't registered as a nonprofit? You just operate?
Debbie Wimberly: Yeah, we are not a nonprofit. I debated that long and hard. The amount of work that it takes to run a nonprofit is tremendous and I was a one woman show at the time. And the resources, I have to continue to stay up on education, research, all of those pieces to keep my business going and to keep me going myself and my own health. My health changes and I have to make adjustments and I need to understand what's coming out and what's the latest and greatest now. So, you know, feeling that I needed to run a nonprofit on top of that is just not the bandwidth that I have. It's still not the bandwidth that we have.
Susan Burns: Yeah, there are a lot of different rules for running a non-profit. You're right. Good choice. Debbie, tell us about your unique brand of bodaciousness. What makes you uniquely bodacious?
Debbie Wimberly: My uniqueness is that I believe all in collaboration. Collaboration is the one thing that is going to bring us together to actually make change. I find everyone is out there trying to work within this cannabis space. And I hear all the time, even like from my doctors, when I'm trying to educate about my health and they see the improvement in my life, believe me, they just say you're one person. And when you're just one person, you can't make a change. But when we become together as a collaborative, and we become that powerhouse, believe me, we will make change. It is possible.
Susan Burns: I think that is powerful, and I do kind of want to pick a point with you, Debbie. OK. Because without you one person, there would be no collaboration. So I think if you hadn't pursued your passion or your dream, There would be no Debbie to collaborate with.
Debbie Wimberly: Well, that's very true. And I appreciate you saying that, but I never have looked at this, never will look at this as a me. We are a whole. We're together. We're a team. We're a collaborative. Our voices matter as a team, as a collaborative. And so, you know, I could very easily just walk away and be Debbie Wimberly. at this age and do nothing, especially having found myself again and being able to do things. This is too important. This matters. This affects people today, tomorrow, and for generations to come. And we have the ability to actually improve and prevent health conditions if we do this right.
Susan Burns: Amazing. I know I keep saying that, but I'm truly in awe. Thank you so much, Debbie. Thank you. So well-spoken, and I can't think of another thing to add to what you just said. So everybody, Debbie Wimberly, Effective Cannabis at EffectiveNewsletter.com. Thank you so much.
Debbie Wimberly: Thank you. I appreciate this opportunity. Thank you.