Medicinal Mike Boris, Medical Cannabis Activist, USA
You might know him from his Nuglife Radio Show—and if you don’t you should tune in—but Medicinal Mike Boris is an activist with far more than just comedy on his mind. With a heart for kids healed with Cannabis and a mission to bring education and lots of laughs to people everywhere, he is touching lives and impacting the movement by leaps and bounds.
Believe it or not, I started out in Las Vegas as a psychic, doing live shows for Caesar’s Palace and Mandalay Bay—you know, kind of John Edwards style stuff. I also ran the Psychic Eye Bookstore there. It was great for a while. I’m a 5th generation reader; that is, I can literally, legitimately read people. That level of empathy and sensitivity goes way back in my family. It’s both a blessing and curse. You just have to know how to use it and let stuff go. To lighten it up a bit, I started making a lot of jokes while readying people from the stage. At the time, though, it still got very depressing. So, I decided I wanted to be comic and just make it a blast!
That’s when I left Vegas and came out to San Diego. As far as my work “in the industry”, I started out as a security officer at a dispensary! Now, I’d been smoking Marijuana since I was about 15-years old. I had suffered from acute narcolepsy for a long time, which can give you a sort of seizure disorder. When I started using Medical Cannabis—smoking, oils, etc.—all of my symptoms disappeared. So, it was kind of a natural progression. All of my comedy and a lot of my personal experiences revolved around Marijuana and the industry, and I become known as a “Pot Comic”.
I had suffered from acute narcolepsy for a long time, which can give you a sort of seizure disorder. When I started using Medical Cannabis—smoking, oils, etc.—all of my symptoms disappeared…All of my comedy and a lot of my personal experiences revolved around Marijuana and the industry, and I become known as a “Pot Comic”.
I took on the Medicinal Mike name because I was also writing for Nug Magazine and a few others. Then Nuglife Radio came out. I started doing a podcast for them called The Loophole. We had a blast. It was smoking on private property. There was absolutely nothing educational about it. It just centered on hanging out with the most interesting people I could find and trying to capture that golden moment when you’re smoking. It was awesome! I got to talk with Tommy Chong, Doug Benson, Redman—all kinds of celebrities.
It was all fun and games…until I started looking a little deeper into the Cannabis world. I started meeting the children whose lives were changed and saved with CBD oils.
It was all fun and games…until I started looking a little deeper into the Cannabis world. I started meeting the children whose lives were changed and saved with CBD oils. I started paying attention to the number of people imprisoned for 20-years for having an ounce of pot. That’s when everything changed for me. I used to tell people, “If you learn anything from this show, it was an accident!” And we had 50,000 or more views for each show! We were rockin’ it!
Then we made the switch and started including more education. I’ve been doing a weekly show. We got picked up by three stations, making us the first syndicated Cannabis education show on FM radio. We’re FCC regulated and all that good stuff. My co-hosts are Dr. Wayne Kelly and Hopper the Chronisseur. We’re like the Love Line radio show, but for Cannabis. You can catch us Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5-7:00pm PST. We talk with intelligent people about Cannabis culture, policy, and reform. We’ve partnered with Envisage Radio Group, and I expect to be on over 100 stations within the next year.
It hit me that I had a huge audience. Someone came up and asked me, “You have all of these people listening to you. What did you teach them today?” I had nothing, no response. That’s when I realized I had to give them something of value.
It hit me that I had a huge audience. Someone came up and asked me, “You have all of these people listening to you. What did you teach them today?” I had nothing, no response. That’s when I realized I had to give them something of value. That’s when I got involved with the CannaKids. The POW 420 program has an adopt-a-prisoner program. I got involved with that, too. I don’t always have the time myself, but I do my best to post links and give shout-outs to any organization that’s doing selfless work on behalf of the movement, patients, prisoners, etc.
I’m also the first person to be on syndicated television in the Cannabis world. I have 15-minute segment on Scorch’s PFG-TV on the CW-6 called House of Hemp. I talk about current events in Marijuana news and try to call attention to activists whose good work deserves a shout-out. You can find my segments on YouTube, too.
Somehow I ended up in the wrestling world, too. Well, not really, but I do have the first Cannabis Belt! It’s made its way around five different federations. It’s green with gold plates; it signifies the legitimacy of Cannabis therapy over opiate use/addiction for sports injuries. It’s endorsed by all kinds of WWF wrestlers and a couple of UFC guys.
Because of that Belt, I created a white belt, which is called the Unity Belt. It has the Cannabis leaf on it. I’m giving that away for activism four times a year. Activism is, for the most part, a thankless job. So, I’m paying attention to people who are sort of under the radar but putting in countless hours to move ahead the cause. I’ll try to do four a year, but the first one will be awarded October 3 at the Las Vegas Hempfest, hosted by Tommy Chong and I.
When you see a kid who was terminally ill now running around and wreaking havoc and having fun like a normal 5-year old thanks to Cannabis, you have to take note and do something!
My interest was really first piqued by Medical Cannabis when I learned about Landon Riddle, about 3 years ago. His story is pretty famous. You can find his Facebook page and website. He’s 5-years old now, but has gone through chemotherapy for Leukemia. When he was 2-years old, his mom pulled him off all of those standard treatments and put him on Cannabis and CBD therapy. Today the kid is a little firecracker! His recovery really opened my eyes and inspired me. I gave him a role in my comedy TV series called Patience. You’ll be able to see his episode around Christmas time. When you see a kid who was terminally ill now running around and wreaking havoc and having fun like a normal 5-year old thanks to Cannabis, you have to take note and do something!
I recently got to spend the day with another kid. Eli was having 30 or more seizures every day. I talked with the family and just listened, you know. I took in their story of their child’s recovery with CBD and Cannabis. And these are parents who don’t smoke or partake. They’re just doing what works for their child. I got a 3-minute audio interview for my show from that day, and every time I listen to it, I’m in tears at the end.
It’s the kids that really get to me. I meet kids who do end up passing, and it’s devastating. I talk with families all the time who do what they can to move to a legal state to get medicine for their child or other family member, even if it means temporarily breaking up the family.
I’m so thankful for comedy in my life and in my work. Without my show and my work, in general, would just be a tearjerker day after day. We have to find the humor and light in life, too.
If you teach one person a day just one fact about Cannabis, you’re making a positive contribution. And if each of us in the industry/movement do so, then we are doing good work with exponential effect!
On that note, I’m hitting the road, going on tour in September. It’s the Cannabis Education Tour. We have 24 gigs in the US. Basically, I’m taking my comedy and turning it into an ongoing educational seminar. You’ll learn and have fun—the perfect combination. We’ll have the 420 Dating Game, comedy shows, bands, musicians!
Personally, I love pot because it’s recreational and fun. I love Cannabis because it saves peoples lives…especially the kiddos, like I said. I want people to know the positives and negatives. If you smoke weed all day, can’t get off the couch, and aren’t a contributing member of society, you’re setting a bad example for everybody. What I’m trying to do is educate people and let them have fun in the process. It’s incumbent upon all of us to be responsible. What’s right for me isn’t necessarily right for everyone else. We have to make informed choices and be respectful of other people’s choices.
If you teach one person a day just one fact about Cannabis, you’re making a positive contribution. And if each of us in the industry/movement do so, then we are doing good work with exponential effect!
I have two sons myself. I love all the kids I get to work with, but my own children are the foundation that inspires me. I don’t want them to have to deal with the things I dealt with in regard to Cannabis. I got kicked out of the military because of Cannabis. I got kicked out of the Job Corps. I was kicked out of schools. I missed out on so many opportunities, not because I was being reckless…but just because I was found with a joint or had a dirty drug-test.
You know, 50 years from now, all of us making headway for Cannabis will be regarded as having done great work. So just do what you do and help the guy next to you! Avoid the drama and do the good work!
So I keep fighting the good fight…and keep laughing all the way…and hope to keep other people laughing, too. In this industry, it’s essential to have a sense of humor and thick skin. There’s lot of competition, where there should actually be support and camaraderie. But passion makes people edgy sometimes. For anyone involved, just keep your eye on the big picture. There’s plenty for everyone! You know, 50 years from now, all of us making headway for Cannabis will be regarded as having done great work. So just do what you do and help the guy next to you! Avoid the drama and do the good work!
Nobody is cooler than anyone else in this world, so stop hating and start helping. That’s the best any of us can do. And if that’s your MO, you can’t help but bring positive change.
Are you a fan of Mike’s work? Do you have a message for him or a topic suggestion for his show?
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