In this episode, we pull back the curtain and share some our own stories of how the plant called us into this space.

From harm reduction and patient advocacy, to chronic pain, migraines, and the quiet frustration of being dismissed in the doctor’s office each of us followed a different road. But the common thread is connection. The plant didn’t just relieve symptoms; she shifted our perspectives, revealed truths we couldn’t ignore, and opened the possibility of healing on deeper levels.

This episode isn’t about giving you a one-size-fits-all answer. It’s about reminding you that there are choices, and that healing isn’t just about quick fixesit’s about slowing down, listening, and reconnecting with yourself.

What We Talk About in This Episode

• The harm reduction frontline and what it taught us about preventable loss
• Living through migraines, chronic pain, and the opioid treadmill
• Gentle first encounters with the plant and what shifted afterward
• How stigma silences women and patients, and why that has to change
• The role of meditation, mindfulness, and holistic care alongside cannabis
• Why respect, patience, and “starting low, going slow” matter more than ever
• The bigger medicine: connection to self, to others, and to possibility

Why This Matters
Too often, women’s pain is dismissed, masked with pills, or met with silence. By sharing our stories, we want to open doors for conversations, for new pathways, and for anyone who has ever wondered if there’s another way forward.

Resources & Mentions

• Harm reduction and patient advocacy in Australia https://www.harmreductionaustralia.org.au/
• Research around CBD and beta-caryophyllene in addiction and recovery
• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8173061/
• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8026612/

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Support the show

Connect with Kyla de Clifford
Instagram: @cannacuriousaus
TikTok: @cannacuriousau
YouTube: @cannacurious

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, share, and leave a review - it helps the podcast reach more curious minds just like you.

Disclaimer:
We are not doctors, and this is not medical advice. Everything shared here is based on our personal lived experiences and the stories of others. Always speak with a qualified healthcare professional before making any changes to your health or wellness routine.

In this solo episode of Canna Curious, Kyla gets personal about grief, self-care, and the choices we make when life gets heavy. She unpacks one of the oldest debates: alcohol versus cannabis.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why alcohol is responsible for 2.6 million deaths a year globally, while cannabis has zero overdose deathsrecorded.
• How cannabis-related harms are often tied to polydrug use or accidents, not toxicity alone.
• The gender double standard: wine marketed as “self-care,” cannabis framed as “irresponsible.”
• How alcohol worsens hot flushes, mood swings, and sleep in perimenopause — while cannabis may support relief.

Key Takeaways:

• Alcohol is normalised but deadly. WHO reports show millions of deaths annually.
• Cannabis carries risks but far fewer. And no deaths from toxicity alone.
• Context and gender matter. Women are pushed toward alcohol, even though it worsens health outcomes in midlife.
• Narrative is everything. Stigma has shaped laws and culture more than evidence ever has.

Statistics:

Breakdown of Cannabis-Related Deaths in Australia (2000–2018)

This comes from a retrospective review of coronial records via Australia’s National Coronial Information System, as reported by Emma Zahra and colleagues at NDARC, UNSW Sydney

Manner of Deaths (out of total 559 cases):

• Accidental injury: 29.9% (~30%)
• Suicide: 25.0%
• Polysubstance toxicity (i.e., cannabis plus other substances): 17.0%
• Natural disease: 16.1%
• Natural disease plus drug effect/toxicity: 7.9%
• Assault: 3.0%
• Unascertained (unknown): 1.1%
• Cannabis toxicity alone: 0%—no deaths were attributed solely to cannabis toxicity

Polydrug Involvement

• In 81.4% of cases, other drugs were noted alongside cannabis in the cause of death citations.
• The most frequent co-detected drug was alcohol, appearing in 47.2% of these cases

Resources & References

• Zahra E., Darke S., Degenhardt L., Campbell G. Rates, characteristics and manner of cannabis-related deaths in Australia 2000–2018. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2020.
• World Health Organization (2024). Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health.

"Send us a message"

Support the show

Connect with Kyla de Clifford
Instagram: @cannacuriousaus
TikTok: @cannacuriousau
YouTube: @cannacurious

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, share, and leave a review - it helps the podcast reach more curious minds just like you.

Disclaimer:
We are not doctors, and this is not medical advice. Everything shared here is based on our personal lived experiences and the stories of others. Always speak with a qualified healthcare professional before making any changes to your health or wellness routine.

What does it mean to grow up in a medical household, rebel against it, and then return to plant medicine as the very thing that brings peace, presence, and healing?

In this episode, I sit down with my friend Christina McMullan, an instigating rebel and the voice behind Aus Canna Reviews and the Aus Canna Podcast.

We start by going back to the 90s, when cannabis first entered her life on a hill in Texas, and follow her journey through grief, motherhood, and advocacy.

Christina speaks candidly about:

• Her first encounters with cannabis and the cultural stigma in the American South
• Growing up in a family of doctors where cannabis was never discussed
• Using the plant during her father's end-of-life care and the conversations it unlocked
• Navigating pregnancy nausea and the decision to use cannabis with the support of her doctor
• The role cannabis played in helping her slow down and show up more fully as a mother
• Why she believes in fighting for access to the plant, especially at the end of life

This episode is honest, reflective, and full of those quiet truths that often go unspoken. Whether you're new to the plant or have a long-standing relationship with it, Christina's story is a reminder that healing is not always loud, and rebellion is not always visible.

Christina hosts the Aus Canna Podcast you can find her here: @auscannareviews

Or you can find her on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.

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"Send us a message"

Support the show

Connect with Kyla de Clifford
Instagram: @cannacuriousaus
TikTok: @cannacuriousau
YouTube: @cannacurious

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, share, and leave a review - it helps the podcast reach more curious minds just like you.

Disclaimer:
We are not doctors, and this is not medical advice. Everything shared here is based on our personal lived experiences and the stories of others. Always speak with a qualified healthcare professional before making any changes to your health or wellness routine.