Episode 457: The CEO Who Goes Blind in 7 Days Without His Own Cannabis Oils

Welcome to Cannabis Health Radio, where we share powerful real life stories from people around the world who are using cannabis as medicine. The goal of this podcast is to raise awareness of the healing potential of cannabis and is not intended as medical advice. And now, here's your host, Ian Jessup.

Welcome to another episode of the Cannabis Health Radio podcast. I'm Ian Jessup. Today's guest is someone whose story feels like it belongs in a movie, but it's real. Al Morentin didn't become a cannabis visionary through inspiration. He became one through desperation and blindness. After glaucoma stole his eyesight, doctors told him there was nothing they could do, but he refused to accept that fate. Armed with determination and a refusal to give up, Al created his own Rick Simpson oil formula and not only restored his vision, but also eliminated decades of chronic migraines and pain in the process. But what is mind blowing, at least for me, is that if he stops taking his own oils for even a week, he goes blind again. And here to tell his story is Al Marentin. Al, it's good to talk to you. I. I didn't realize until you sent me an email yesterday that we interviewed you, boy, eight and a half years ago. And I don't think I really appreciated your story at the time because Corey and I were just starting this, and I just think it's crazy what you've done, in a good way, crazy what you've done over the years in restoring your eyesight. When did your eyesight start to deteriorate on you?

When I was 30 years old, I was told that my glaucoma was active and it started deteriorating, like probably in my 40s, early 40s. And I finally figured it out. Took 17 years to figure out. The solution. About 47 years old, is when I was figured it out, what did, what.

Did the doctors tell you about your, your prognosis?

It was just basically that I would go blind one day. You know, like, they give you the drops, they. And they do all these different things, but I never took them, you know, because of my father. You know, he went down that route. He had glaucoma, and he did all their, you know, medications and surgeries and even shots directly into his eyes, like needles in his eyes. And he still went blind and they still wanted to do stuff to him. So I, I refused all that. I'm a holistic health practitioner, so I looked for natural solutions.

Were you a cannabis user prior to this?

Oh, yeah. I've been involved with cannabis and holistic health since 1980. 7.

Boy, you don't look that old, Al. Come on, now. You don't even have gray hair.

Yeah, I'm 59 years old.

59 years old.

Yeah. I'll be 60 this year.

Well, tell us about the use of cannabis and how you started using that to eradicate your glaucoma.

So I started losing my eyesight, like, very rapidly, you know, like when I got into my late 40s. And I had tried all kinds of different things. I had worked with cannabis, you know, in a. In a different light, you know, prior, and I was helping people overcome all their conditions in. With my. You know, with my practice. But it was like a evil kind of joke that I couldn't help myself. And I saw the Rick Simpson oil, you know, online, and I was researching it, and I saw it for cancer and for a bunch of different things, and nobody had glaucoma success. But I remembered back in 1977, the first person that got the federal okay for using cannabis was a glaucoma person. So I was like, hey, you know, this oil helps people with cancer. And this guy got help, so maybe this will help me. And that's how I started it.

Yeah, I remember he was a user. They used to send him cannabis. And he smoked it, correct?

Yeah, yeah, he did it by smoking it. Yeah, supposedly he went. He went outside and he smoked a joint, you know, with his buddy. He was a teacher or something. He was. And he looked at. He looked at the lights, and they were, like, doing, like, these starbursts, you know, which happens with glaucoma. And the starburst went away when he. When he smoked a joint, and he was like, hey. And then he. And then he. He was a professor or whatever, so he. He got the okay.

Did you try smoking it initially?

Oh, I. Yeah, I smoked it for a long time. Time, you know, like from. From 87, from the time I was 21 till about 2006 or 8 or 10, somewhere in there. And I. And I stopped for a few years, and that's actually when my glaucoma started advancing. I didn't put the two together at that point, though, you know, and then later on with the Rick Simpson Oil, that's when I put it together.

So what other health issues were you experiencing at the time besides your deteriorating eyesight?

I had hardcore migraines. My glaucoma actually comes with migraines. There's two different kinds. One is the silent thief, and the other one that has hardcore pain that goes along with it. And I have the One with hardcore pain. So I've had migraines pretty much my whole life. And then national level power lifter, I like, I won nationals twice and things like that. So I had a bunch of injuries along the way and had hardcore chronic pain, like low back and different, you know, areas, shoulders and stuff like that. You know, if I drove too long, I would get numbness and stuff and was able to overcome all that. It's pretty crazy.

Yeah. So you started taking the cannabis oil. Did it work for you initially?

So with, with a glaucoma, it's, it's, it's. It's not going to work, you know, right. Right away. But the, the lucky thing that I had in an unlucky kind of fashion is that I had, I had the migraines. I had at least a headache every day, and I was going in the daily migraines, and I eventually did go into daily migraines, which sucked. But so the first time that I took it, I woke up and I didn't have a headache, right? And I was like, there was something strange. And I'm like. And like, wait a minute, my head is not in pain and my neck's not in pain. So I was like, hey, the only thing that different was the rso. So if, if I could only have that, if I could be free of migraines, you know, and, you know, regardless of what helps the eyesight, then I'll still take it. So I, But I just kept on taking it. I call it being patient, persistent, and consistent with your efforts, giving things a fair shot. But having no pain was awesome. So I just kept on doing it and then I was able to at first stop it. And then I learned how to overcome afterwards.

When you were using the cannabis oil initially, did your glaucoma. Your pain dissipated somewhat, but did your glaucoma dissipate as well or halt. Halt its deterioration?

Okay, so what I like to tell people with glaucoma is the first thing that you try to do is stop it from progress progressing, and then you try to, you know, make it better. You know, like, especially with people have the cloudiness or those starbursts or different things like that. Like the older people that you see with the welding shades and stuff like that, they have glaucoma and they have to, they have. They can't get light in from any area because that's why those kind of shades. But yeah, so I, I was able to stop it. And I was, I didn't have a abundant source at that time. So I was only able to take so much of it at a time and, and that's all I was able to do. And then later on I was able to, when I had to start making it myself and I lost my source and I had to, had to start doing it and I had to start the, the other cannabis company. I had an abundance of it and I, I was able to like macro dose it and, and learn how to overcome the situation and make my eyesight better, you know, because I actually went completely blind to my right eye, you know, and, and was losing in my left and, and I was able to get my vision back, you know, and like I, I, like I moved from California to Arizona a couple years ago. I took my driving test and they, and I passed, you know. Super awesome.

Yeah, that's amazing. So when you started dabbling with various formulations of the cannabis oil, did you find one that was bang on for you?

Yeah, yeah, for sure. So I'm like patient zero over here at my company. And so if I have bad stuff, then I'll start to go blind right away because like you mentioned before, like I'll go blind in about a week and if I stop taking my stuff, so if I have bad stuff then, then I'll start to go blind as well. Like my bridging box starts to break apart in about 24 to 48 hours. It starts to fractal. And so I've tested a bunch of different ways of doing it, you know, even different kinds of solvents and things like that, you know, besides the ethanol. But like the honey oil looking stuff, like the more amber stuff that doesn't work for me, like in order to get to that point, you have to pull out a little bit of the components that are in the raw oil and, and it's almost like a distillate at that point or a honey oil. And I'll go blind off of that. It takes a little bit longer, but I'll still eventually lose my eyesight off of that. For some reason. It has to be the true raw oil. The darker, the darker stuff that has the chlorophyll and, and the terpenes and the flavonoids, isoflavones, all the components, not.

Just the cannabinoids, the stuff that looks really like tar. Black tar.

Yeah.

Yep. Yeah, that's, that's really fascinating. How long did it take you to formulate the proper formulation?

It, well, it took probably about three to five years somewhere in there to get the, exactly what, what I needed. And then because we tried a bunch of different things and, and to where the point we are today, it took about three to five years. And I was, you know, working with some. Some other extractors as well, you know, and I've been formulating stuff since 1992, you know, but. But I've been working with other extractors. And then one thing that's really cool that I. That I've done since our last interview.

Yep.

Is because I had pretty much perfected it by that time. You know, we were right in the process of that. And. And that's how I was able to get my eyesight back and see clear. And like, even today, right now, I see better today than I did in that interview back then, you know, But. But the cool thing that I've made is a high CBD version of the rso. And so it doesn't get you high. And it's not just a regular plant, like a high CBD plant that's extracted with the RSO strategy. There's specific thresholds of cannabinoids that have to be in there. Like five different cannabinoids, I'll tell you. Thc, cbd, cbc, cbg, and cbn. And they have to be naturally occurring at specific thresholds as you test it in the plant and then in the oil. And. And if they don't come out at those thresholds, then we just sell the oil to another company and get. Wait till we get to the one that has that. Because. Because that will save my eyesight. If it doesn't have all those five cannabinoids at specific thresholds, I'll go blind. In other words, you know, like, it's really strange. So it's. It's even a more specialized oil than the high THC version. And as far as I know, I'm the only one that has it too. But we have a lot of success with it and it helps people. Like, so you could take the RSO throughout the day and take the high CBD version during the day and not get high, take the high THC version at night, get the best of both worlds and all that kind of stuff. It's super, super awesome. So it allows me to work during the day and still take it.

And the stuff that you give away to other companies is still good oil.

Yeah, it's super, super awesome. It's like, beyond organic biodynamic stuff. It's. It's crazy awesome. It just doesn't have that specific stuff in there. So it'll still help with people with, like, pain and anxiety, stress Depression, panic attacks, sleep, all that kind of stuff, but it won't help with my glaucoma.

Al, have you discovered any other unintended benefits of the cannabis oil that you take for your glaucoma?

The hugest one is the, the, the confidence that, that, that it gives you. It sort of helps you to feel good inside your own skin. And that's, that's the greatest thing that, that I found with it is it like, helps with stress and anxiety, like, like I just mentioned, but for some reason, like, it just helps you to be centered and like, like, or at least me, you know, like, and tons of other people that I know that are in our community as well, but it helps me to, like, make decisions and be confident with them, not second guess myself. And just like, it's not like an arrogance, just like the inner confidence where you just feel good about yourself. It's really awesome.

Yeah. Well, instead of knowing that your glaucoma is steadily deteriorating, you know that it has gotten better. And the fact that you passed your driver's test in Arizona is just absolutely remarkable because I had a friend that I worked with a number of years ago, and he had to quit work because he had glaucoma and depression. And we would go for coffee sometimes and he would say, I've got to leave. My demons are getting me. And unfortunately, he jumped off the balcony of his condo and committed suicide. And I thought, damn it, if he just knew today what, you know, now he could probably take the oil and regain his sight and who knows what it would have done for his depression.

Yeah, for sure. Yeah. And people don't realize that too, like, that when you have a chronic illness, you know, no matter what it is, if it's cancer, lupus, you know, glaucoma, that depression goes, is a huge part of it. And, and people, people just don't realize that. And this stuff helps greatly with that. You know, just, just, just having to overcome that is a huge thing. Because of what happened to your friend?

Yeah.

You know, which is.

How did you turn this into a business?

Well, like I said, I've been, I. Working in holistic health since 1987. You know, I've been helping people to, you know, get healthy and stay healthy. And then I, when I got that, the, you know, glaucoma thing, I started help working with people that had more severe conditions, and I was able to help them overcome all kinds of stuff. And then, you know, with just food and, you know, natural ways, you know, supplements and stuff. But I, I couldn't that didn't have, you know, success with me. So I just, you know, opened up this, the second company, which is Movida. You know, my Fitlife is my first company and Movida is actually Spanglish for more life. And because I couldn't get what I wanted out of my Fitlife, so I started that and I just, for whatever reason, like I said, my brain just knew what to do with it. And I started doing these public speaking events all over. Yoga studios, you know, like medical supply stores everywhere. And I just built this huge following of people and I would. And people would have started coming and I would give away stuff and just do all these things and just spread the good word and you know, alternative and holistic health and was able to build, you know, a business where we able to help a lot of people, thousands of people now.

Yeah. And your work has helped over 12,000 people. I understand. Transition of pharmaceuticals, which is just amazing. What are some of the powerful success stories that people have told you?

Well, there's a. There's different categories, right? Like if you talk about cancer, there's a. There was a woman, Patty, that she had one of the most hardcore cancers, you know, pancreatic cancer. And she was sent home with two months to live, you know, like, like, no, no, like, no more medication, no more nothing, just take care of your affairs. And she came and saw me. I was speaking at a gym, like a CrossFit style gym of all places. And she came to me and she said after the event and she had like the scarf on from doing the chemo, you know, you know that you had. She had lost her hair and she had somebody with her because she couldn't. Could barely walk. And she goes, I've found your YouTube channel. I watched all your videos. I got over 100 Glaucoma Hope videos. She goes, I know you could help me. And she was smiling. Even though she was so deteriorated, she was smiling. And so I said, I'll do my best. And long story short, she did our stuff and she went to the doctor with her daughter about like eight months later. And the doctor was like, who are you? And she's like, I'm Patty. And he's like, I thought you were dead. You know, like, like, you know, like so. And then he was like, my God. He goes, are you good? And he started testing her again and, and stuff like that. And. And then he put her back on chemo and which. Which we didn't want, really want her to do, but she believed in, in or she believes in, in the, in medical stuff. So, so, so we support people with that. And her cancer was inoperable. A year later, they did the surgery, operated on her, and success. And then last year, I got an email from her friend that took her to that event and said, I took. I met you that day. You know, we had hope. And I. Not only did she have success, you know, like, where she was living, but she actually was able to. I'm able to go out with her, have lunch with her, have dinner with her, enjoy the movies. You gave me my friend back and her life back and like, it made me cry, you know, and so, so stuff like that.

Yeah, that sort of stuff is really, really powerful, isn't it?

I mean, yeah, it's amazing.

As you know, we've interviewed, I think you are episode 457, and, you know, when you hear stories of the transition people have made from near death to life again, it. It's very emotional. And, you know, there are times when, when Corey was crying through some of these podcasts and I had tears in my eyes because it's so remarkable to see the transformation of someone who is near death to getting their life back. And they have the joie de vivre again. And it's, it's remarkable and it's very emotional. Brings tears to your eyes.

Yeah, it's. It's crazy awesome, you know, and I, I can't. I can't leave this, you know, because of that. You know, it says, people literally tell me, like, what's going to happen to me if you die? You know, because they depend on our stuff, you know, and, and they know that, you know, my mind has to be good because I'll go blind if I don't have good stuff, you know, so, so. And, and I'm just that way, period, you know, like, I've written books, you know, on, on holistic health and organic and biodynamic farming and all kinds of stuff like that. I, I eat that way, you know, so, so the oil is the same way, you know, it's, it's, you know, beyond organic biodynamic, you know, everything, like the Solvents, you know, 200 proof, 100% organic, you know, ethanol, you know, done in the lab, you know, it's super, super awesome.

Al, with using your stuff with other glaucoma patients. Have they recovered their eyesight?

Yeah, it's super cool. One of the biggest things that happens with the glaucoma when you start to go blind is you get this big fog and haze and it becomes really cloudy to see, and then it becomes shadows. Then you go blind. And then. So people, like, they'll take it and they'll. And they'll break through that fog, you know, and, and they're able to see again. It's really, it's really, really super awesome, you know, like, we had one guy that had. He was blind, completely blind, like, no shadows, nothing for two years. And his son, he didn't speak English, didn't know what CBD or THC or anything was that. He's from Cuba and is from outside New York. And his son, again, like, we watched all your Glaucoma Hope videos, blah, blah, blah. I think he could help my dad. And he, he, his, his dad took the stuff and he had other stuff like heart medication, high blood pressure medication, all kinds of different stuff like that, right? And he started like. And he was also in pain. He had. No, he started, I guess pain started going away and he started feeling good and he started telling his son that he wanted to stop taking the other medication because the new medication was, was working better. So. So the doctor was eventually was able to take him off his heart medication and blood pressure medication. And then one day about, like it was about seven or eight months after he started taking it, he. They were driving in because it was one of those things again where he's in. He's not in pain, he's happy, and he's off his medications. We're going to keep him on it regardless, you know, whether it helps his eyesight. Right. So. So, so he was lucky that he did that. So seven, eight months in, they're driving into the city in the New York City. And his dad goes, hey, are we going into the city? And he goes. And they're all, yeah, we're going in to your, to your sister's birthday party, you know, to his aunt's birthday party. And, and he goes, why, why, why do you ask? He goes, because I could see. Because I could see the lights and they're like, what? And. And about like six months later, so I got text messages, blah, blah, blah. Six months after that, I got another text message saying, hey, my dad's going to the eye doctor right now to get glasses.

Wow.

You know, because he could see, you know, you couldn't see. Couldn't see perfect, you know, obviously, but he could. But he went from blind to seeing something. So you can see his grandkids now and his son and all that stuff. It's crazy.

Yeah. That's got to be really emotional for you. When you hear stories like that.

Yeah, and it's emotional for them too, you know, like. Oh, yeah, yeah, it's. But yeah, it affects me hard.

What advice would you give to someone who's judgmental or skeptical about the use of cannabis oil or cannabis generally?

Well, just to do some research on the history of it, you know, like, I'm sure that, you know that like, not, not just using it for rope or, you know, industrial purposes, but for actual, for healing purposes. It dates back 3,000 to 5,000 years B.C. right. You know, and, and at one point, before the American Medical association was established and all that, it was the most prescribed substance in the world, you know, it was an ayurveda, it was in homeopathy, it was, was in everything, and it was even in modern medicine up until the 1930s, you know, so, so do, so do that research, you know, and, and, and see the success. And then also for people that do decide to try it, then to, to give it a fair shot, you know, because there's immediate effects and there's cumulative effects that happen, right? Especially like, like, like, like as far as the pain and things like that, those things will come quickly, but like overcoming like a hardcore chronic illness, like, especially like cancer, you could see, like benefits fairly quickly sometimes, sometimes not just depends on the person and their biology, but like glaucoma and lupus and different systemic conditions like that, sometimes it takes a few months. So, you know, so there are the immediate effects, the cumulative effects. So give it the proper amount of time, like six months or something, and be patient, persistent and consistent with the efforts. Like, don't skip days, don't skip doses. And, you know, and when you do that and you, and you see the benefits, then you'll be hooked, you know, but if you don't do that, then you won't, you know, like if you're not patient, persistent and consistent and with the efforts and do it day in and day out, that that's how you see success. And I've, I've had people say, like, I don't see it. Are you doing it day in and day out? Like, like, well, I did skip a couple. I'll do it this way. And they're like, oh, my God, you know, and then. And they see it. Yeah, you know.

Yeah. The interesting thing is it's also an educational trial, isn't it, in the use of cannabis? Because so many people, the majority of people, I would say, are skeptical of it because they have this vision in their own mind that the government created that somehow Cannabis is bad. Alcohol is good. Cannabis is bad. But alcohol is a drug. Cannabis is a plant. Well, tell me plants that are bad. Poison ivy. Sure, but nobody eats poison ivy, right?

Yeah.

I mean, it's really ridiculous. And I think that's one of the reasons we started this podcast, and I've mentioned it many, many times, is to hear stories from people who have used cannabis to help themselves, because stories are so powerful, and your story is extremely powerful because glaucoma people, once people get glaucoma, they go into a state of depression because they know eventually they're going to go blind.

Yeah.

They're not going to see again. And that's a horrible thing to think about constantly, day in and day out. But you have given people a new lease on life. Many people. How has this relationship with cannabis changed you personally, both emotionally and spiritually?

It's changed me dramatically. So before I found cannabis because I, Because I bought into everything, you know, when I was a. When I was younger, you know, because I was a 70s kid, you know, the, Your. Your brain, you know, like, like, you know, like the, the eggs frying in the pan, you know, commercial, all that kind of stuff is your. Is your brain on drugs and all that kind of stuff. So. But I was always, like, super high stress, you know, and, And I got angry a lot, and I had, like, very little patience for things, you know, and when I started smoking marijuana, I was 21 years old. I waited till I was 21, and there was like, this immediate relief, you know, before I would listen to, like, like a Pink Floyd album, to try to relax or something. But. But that this gave me a calmness and, and it, and it was almost like it was like a missing link in my life. Like, I, like, cannabis is a part of me, and that's why I, like, stayed with it since 1987, you know, and, and like a. Dramatically, you know, changed my life that way. And then I didn't realize that it was the thing that I needed, you know, to save my eyesight as well. And thankfully, I was able to discover that, you know, because the oil is just a more concentrated form of the herb that you smoke, you know, and, and that's sort of what you need for the glaucoma and, and for, you know, other. Other conditions as well, you know, to get the beneficial result, especially sooner than later, you know.

Yeah. Al, what's the one message you'd like people to take away from our conversation today?

That getting healthy naturally is possible, you know, is if you have the right Stuff, and, and also the right path, you know, the right protocols and things like that, you know, to follow. Because it's not always just having the right stuff. It's, it's following the right protocol. Right. You know, on how to take it. Like I said, like, for, for me, there was a certain point that I was taking it where I stopped the glaucoma, but I was able to actually get my eyesight back and do different things like that by doing more and developing these protocols. So that's one thing that I've done for a number of different conditions is develop protocols. And they're not specific. They're within ranges of what people have had success with through the thousands of case studies that I've done. But, you know, give natural health a try. It's much better than, you know, the side effects of medical, you know, find somebody that has success with people, you know, and find, you know, legitimate products and give it a fair shot, you know, especially if it's a hardcore condition. Give it three to six months. That's what I would say.

Yeah. Legitimate product is really a key because there's so many people on the Internet who are selling crazy prep. Absolutely crap.

Can I say one thing?

Absolutely.

Okay, so, so I, I've been getting. Because at any given time, like, I, I, I deal with hundreds and hundreds of people and any given time, I'm dealing with like 100 or more people with cancer at any given time. Right. And I, I have consultations almost every day and people are coming to me saying that they're going to Rick Simpson oil.com and buying stuff. And that's not a legitimate website. So I just wanted to put that out there on, on this thing. It's not Rick Simpson that has that. He's not the owner of that website. The C of A's on their website are fake. You know, I, I could look at him like within five seconds and know that. And, and, and I've talked to like at least a dozen people that have taken their stuff and, and either hasn't worked or they've had bad side effects. So, so I just want to warn people about that. He says that he does not sell to anybody at all.

Right. Yeah. Tell us about your companies and how people can contact you. Because I think it's really important that people get the proper product if they want to deal with a serious health issue.

Okay. It's, myfitlife.net is the main website and YouTube.com forward slash, myfitlife has a ton of videos on RSO that, and that's, that's the best way. And I give free consultations, right. So like, so there's no obligation for anything, you know, and, and we go over, it's like a 30 minute consultation for free. And then just so people know too, if people buy and they're doing the protocols and stuff like that, you know, we give the protocols for free. We don't charge for those either. And, and we give free consultations beyond the purchase. So if they, if they purchase and they have questions or they have, you know, like something, you know, good or bad happens, you know, and they're concerned about something or whatever, you know, they can call or schedule another appointment, you know, for a consultation and we'll walk you through that, you know, and it's just part of the service that we have.

Al, it was wonderful to talk to you again and I really appreciate what you're doing and how you're helping people. You are just a wonderful gift for others around the world and I want to thank you very much for doing this.

Yeah, thank you to. You know, what you're doing is beyond fabulous and fantastic. You know, it's, it's super, super amazing what you're doing. And one thing too is we greatly miss Corey. You know, like. Oh yeah, Corey Yelland is, was a, such a treat, you know, like she was a feisty, you know, like. But, but I, but I got to know her a little bit, you know, I hear, you know, by, by. Because I still stayed in contact with her over the years, I was able to do that, you know, even send a couple people her way that. Because, you know, because she was really, you know, had a lot of success and things like that. So, so thank you. Thank you. Thank you both of you for, for, for your efforts as well.

Well, we thank you and we'll, we'll keep doing this as long as we can. Appreciate it.

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