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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.

Foreign.

Welcome to the Cannabis Health Radio podcast. I'm Ian Jessup. In the early months of starting this podcast, in 2016, Corey Yelland and I interviewed a man who made an incredible recovery from lung cancer using cannabis oil. He was in remission for eight years, but then the cancer returned and metastasized to his brain. He's with us today to tell his incredible story. And joining us from Washington state is Richard Luss. Richard, welcome. It's truly an honor to have you here.

Hello.

Good. For those who didn't hear your original interview, tell us when your health first started to cause you some concern.

Well, obviously, like I said, I was always a cigarette smoker, so I was always concerned about lung cancer. But in 2013, I was in Kansas visiting my mother and I had an accident and I thought I broke a rib, went in and had it X rayed, and they told me I had mass, you know, lumps, whatever they call them, on my lungs and had them MRI and biopsy, and they were cancerous. That was in the right lung. So it was removed and felt fine. But I had to come back to Minnesota, or not to Minnesota, to Washington, just because that's where I was lived for 30 years. My mom was fine. So I came back here and in that time in 2013, it had become legal and I was just, wow, I come back here and there's pot shops everywhere. And I had known about cannabis. I am an old hippie and known about cannabis oil for an RSO for quite a while. And so I went and started getting it at the shops and decided, well, I can make this myself. So I started making it anyways first. So I started one gram a day. And that was in 2013, I think, or 2014. Then 2014, after an MRI, these MRIs slowly showed the tumors shrinking until, like, 2015, they were gone. Okay. It's in remission. So 2019, my mom had a stroke and I had to go, you know, and I was out the whole time. I was taking one gram a day of cannabis oil. 2019, you only had.

You only had one lung, right?

Right now I only got one off. Two thirds, whatever. They only took out the top third. Yeah.

Okay.

And so I had to go back to Kansas to take care of my mom. Of course, Kansas is illegal state, so there was, you know, very little available. I did sneak to Colorado a couple times, but could not get the quantity that I needed. And in the four years I was down there, the cancer came back and metastasized to my brain. And I believe that is because I did not have cannabis oil available to me. Anyway, that's my theory. I'm sticking to it. So I came back. I'm esthetized with the brain. I came back here, ooh, 2022, because I had to come back to Washington to get the Cannabis Oil. But December 2022, I came back and I was having problems with my family, having problems walking. And on December 31, I fell down and they took me into the emergency room and they did an mri. The tumor was bleeding, so I was scheduled for surgery December 1, 1920, or not 19, 20, 23. And they removed the apple, small apple sized tumor from my brain, did some radiation, and in the meantime have developed tumors in my remaining lung. Still taking my cannabis oil. I've done several treatments, therapies of chemotherapies and different other stuff. And what they're telling me now it's. It's stabilized is what they're telling me until I get my next. I got a PET scan scheduled for next week or this Friday, and I'll find out a little bit more. But as far as I've never been sick except for the therapy and the pills they give me, you know.

Yeah. Now, when you were diagnosed with the brain tumor, what were the doctors telling you and what were you thinking?

I was thinking, that sucks. But they were just telling me, yeah, you got a mass in your brain. They did a biopsy. But this is what saying, because I had to get out of Kansas, this just was not a state for me. I've been here in Washington 40 years. Only reason I was there is for my mother. But I had to come back to Washington to get the cannabis oil that I needed.

So when you started taking the cannabis oil, I'm just thinking now, Richard, when you went to Kansas, obviously you weren't taking any cannabis, and that gave your body an opportunity to. Gave the cancer an opportunity to start coming back. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I tend to think you're right. Now, were the doctors, once they did the remove the tumor from your brain, were the doctors aware that you were using cannabis?

Only my oncologist, I told them I was using cannabis oil. My oncologist, and she just said, I don't believe in that. And that's all I ever said. After that, but no. As far as the surgeon and the brain people know, I don't know unless they pass it off in their records from one doctor to the next. But the only person I ever physically told was my oncologist.

Yeah. And your oncologist gave you the response that most oncologists give? I don't believe in it because it doesn't conform to their form of therapy.

Right. They don't want to listen, you know, I'm sitting right here, you know.

Yeah.

What am I, you know? Anyways, yeah, that's the only one they've ever mentioned it to.

Did they give you a timeline of how much time you had left?

Well, no, not a timeline. They have told me it's not curable.

But you know better than that, right?

Well, yeah, I mean, I did once and it's stabilized now. And, you know, I have the quantity. I am up to my gram of oil a day. Fortunately, I live in Washington State, where it's legal for both Cannabis and Everclear. 190 proof Everclear?

Yeah. So you take a gram a day orally?

Yeah, a little bit at a time. I got it. I know. Can I show you on the phone or not?

Well, I don't think, you know, we don't do video on the podcast.

Okay. Anyway, yeah, I make it into little, about a quarter gram balls, third gram balls, and take three or four, five of those throughout the day if anything's left over. I take that last part at night.

Yeah. Do you get high at all?

I don't anymore. I'm a old hippie and a high tolerance. I do get a body high off it, but. No, not like the old days of smoking. No.

Can you. This may sound like a pretty dumb question, and probably it is, but can you sense that the cannabis is working when you start to take it? You don't have that feeling?

No, no, I didn't really particularly have any feelings, like, say, feeling bad, you know, to begin with. The only reason I knew I had the tumor, they did an X ray. I never felt it or hurt or pain or nothing like that. You know, like you said I had copd, or they tell me I do, or did, or have, but no, it's been fine.

Yeah. And the only way that you knew you had a brain tumor was you fell down, went to the hospital, but other than that, you didn't have any symptoms?

Didn't have a clue? No. No symptoms at all?

Yeah. So it's. Did you make any changes to your diet at all over this period?

Yeah. I'm diabetic too, so I did have to change my diet a lot because of that, but not necessarily because of the cancer.

Yeah. Did you lose. Lose some weight?

No, that's been stable. Yeah, that's been real stable. I've never been a big eater. I try to stay at 150. I try as my goal, but I'm usually around 145 for 6:1. I guess they consider that a little bit thin, but 6:1.

Yeah, you're. You're a little thin.

Yeah, but I've always been that way.

Yeah. You mentioned before we went on the air that you were a construction worker. Heavy concrete for years.

35.

Yeah. That's a tough job. It's harden you, harden your body.

Yeah, yeah. Got lucky. I knock on wood. I never really got badly hurt. Had a few accidents, but back is fine. Throw my neck out and it goes out once in a while, but it's not anything on a regular basis or daily. So, yeah, I consider myself very lucky.

Getting older sucks, doesn't it?

Oh, yeah. Beats the alternative, though.

Yeah, that's right. It does. It absolutely does. Yeah. When. What has been the most difficult part of this journey for you, Richard? The physical or the emotional part?

Actually, the physical part is actually the worst because the emotional part, I can deal that with the oil, the depression, the anxieties, that kind of stuff. The marijuana deals with that. But the physical stuff, like my eyesight and my balance, it doesn't really affect help that much that I noticed.

Well, since your brain tumor, is it starting to get better, though, your balance and your physical aspect of it?

Well, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It was one of the reasons I knew I had a brain tumor or something was wrong is down in Kansas, I was seeing double. I noticed on tv, like, there's, you know, two news people up there on the phone, and I lost the peripheral vision on my left side, which is a. Another reason that I had an X ray. I, you know, found that. Oh. Then they called me after, when I was up here in Washington. The doctors called me from Kansas and told me they're going. I was in the hospital, already had the tumor removed, and they called me to set up an appointment for surgery to have it removed down there. That's why I left Kansas. I'm not downplaying any state over the other, but.

No, you got to go where you. Where your medicine is beneficial.

Yeah. I mean, it's a Republican state and I don't know. But they did legalize it in Missouri and Oklahoma. Right. Anyway. But I'M familiar. I was here in Fortune 40 years, so I know this area.

Here's a tidbit for you. Did you know that Oklahoma has more cannabis stores than any state in the.

US I did not know that.

Well, there you go.

It doesn't surprise me, but, yeah, there are. Yeah, there are different laws in different states are very restrictive, depending. Yeah, I don't know. They are nice. Like I said, it was like, you know, walking into. When I came back, first pot store, I went. It was like the pearly gates opened up and going, ah. You know, like that. I was really amazed.

Yeah, you've been on a really interesting journey, my friend. I mean, you've had the, you know, the lung cancer removal part of your lung and then the remaining lung. You got lung cancer.

Oh, did I tell you about the adrenal gland? Sorry. They removed my adrenal gland, too, because there was a mass on my adrenal gland that was back in 2014 or something like that.

Oh.

Yeah, I forget about that one. That's kind of a, you know. Oh, yeah, I forgot the mass on the adrenal gland. And they took that out, the right adrenal gland.

So your right adrenal gland's gone. You have part. Only part of your second lung. Right.

Or did they take my right one?

Right lung. Only part of your right lung. Your left lung got cancer.

Yep.

And cannabis oil dealt with that. And then what happened is you got a brain tumor. And so you've dealt with lung cancer, adrenal gland cancer and brain cancer.

Yes.

God, you've gone through more than most people do in a lifetime.

Yeah, I guess. And I have never felt sick badly. You know, the only reason I know I have cancer, because they tell me I have. Or they can show it on the MRIs. And you know the size of the tumors? I think the biggest one is about the size of a pencil eraser. They tell me there's four of them in my left lung. So whether the treatments I've been going through or the cannabis is stabilizing it, I believe more in the cannabis, but I am not a complete idiot. I don't know. I do know some of that's got to be helpful. You know, those chemo and the other treatments, I'm not gonna say they aren't.

Yeah, it's hard.

I don't know cannabis oil is. I do know cannabis oil is. And it does help with any of the symptoms that any of those treatments and prescriptions give you.

Yeah. I interviewed a woman in Ontario, Canada, who had what Was it In November of 2013, she was diagnosed with 11 tumors in her brain. She went into cannabis heavily, got rid of them, and then in November of last year, eight more tumors developed and she went into the. The cannabis protocol that she's on, which is similar to yours, you know, gram a day or even more. And the tumors started shrinking, started disappearing. And over the course of the years on this podcast, I think We've interviewed about 25 people, 26 people who have had brain cancer and including one gentleman in eastern part of the US who had a very rare form of cancer, brain cancer. And it was one of the rarest forms in the world. And he's still alive about 16, 17 years later. And of all the people we've interviewed, all but two of them are alive today. And you can attribute that to the use of cannabis, the grandma day that you were talking about?

I believe it, yeah.

I mean, look at you. If it wasn't for cannabis, where would you be today?

Dead.

Yeah.

I believe. I mean, who knows? You don't really can't predict that, but that's what I believe. I would be dead. Yes.

Yeah.

If I'd have stayed in Kansas.

Yeah. Washington State kept you alive.

Well, the legal is. Yeah, legalization of cannabis kept me alive.

Yeah.

Doesn't matter what state it's in. I mean, I, you know, take off to Denver there, but it was such. It was like an 800 mile drive round trip. So I didn't do that too often. And it was after I left that Missouri legalized and that was closer, but I'd already left. But, yeah, it's the legalization of cannabis that saved my life.

Yeah. Isn't it interesting that cannabis is still illegal in most parts of the world and in, I think about half the states in the U.S. and federal. Federal government. Yeah. But it has never killed anyone, ever.

Well, yeah, I know it hasn't. I imagine there's probably someone got their stone and walked into a hole, you know, somewhere in history, you know.

Yeah.

But not like I say now, like you say, just from the drug itself. No, I believe nobody's ever been killed. Exactly.

Yeah. Now there are people listening right now who might be newly diagnosed and terrified about using cannabis. What would you say to someone just starting their cannabis journey for cancer?

It can't hurt. Like I say, it's never killed anybody. It's never done anything damage. As far as, you know, you consider any of the other drugs, the opiates, the alcohol and the other drugs that are available, that they give you are. Have proven to be bad for you. They've never proven that cannabis oil has any. You know, I mean, that's, that's one thing, it can't hurt. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. But, you know, I mean, you know, because everybody is affected different by all drugs. I mean, I'm sure I've always been a hippie, always enjoyed cannabis since, you know, 60s. I would tell them, it won't hurt, you know, it ain't gonna kill you, it's not gonna hurt. And it's cheap. It's not that expensive if you can in the right place.

Yeah. Richard, do you meditate, visualize, pray, or have any personal healing routine other than cannabis?

Not a routine. I like to think positive. That's. Keep a positive attitude is my philosophy. Always has been. Don't dwell on the negative. I can see my grandson the other day, 16 or something like that, and I was kind of complaining about my health issues, and he said to me, grandpa, it could be worse. Yeah, that's it. That's how I like to think of stuff. Yes, it could be worse.

How has your family been with your. With your illness?

Very helpful, very concerning, very helpful, you know, very loving. Definitely a plus. I would not be able to do this by myself, that's for sure.

Yeah, yeah, It's. You have to have a supportive family. And if you don't have a supportive family, it's. It's really trouble.

It is supportive family, friends or whatever, but you do. Can't do it alone. That is the problem with any illness, is not best to deal with it alone, especially cancer.

Yeah. You know, I interviewed a woman in England a couple of weeks ago, and she was giving her. She was dealing with melanoma herself on her face, and she got rid of it through the use of cannabis and changed her diet. But her mother had Alzheimer's and what she would do was give her mother some cannabis in her food. Her daughter didn't like it, and as a result of that, her daughter reported her to authorities. Because it's illegal there.

Yeah.

And so she went through the whole process with the authorities. And I said, when was the last time you talked to your daughter? And she said, about nine or 10 years ago. So it's, you know, there are people with. Could be people within your family circle who are entirely opposed to what you're doing, but it's your health, you have to deal with it in the way you want and the way you feel is best.

Yes, that's true.

Yeah.

I mean, yeah, I know my body Better than anybody, you know, personally, you know your body better than anybody. And I know what works and what's making me feel better and what doesn't make me feel better. I think everybody's like that.

Yeah. What sort of restrictions do you have as a result of your illness?

Well, driving, eyesight, balance. Yeah, I have fatigue, chills, panoramic, stuff like that. Which are more side effects from the chemo treatments and pills I'm taking to counteract the chemo treatments than from cannabis oil.

How many chemo treatments did you have?

Oh, I've had since 2013, about eight or nine. I'm on my, what, 1, 2, 3. Started fourth different treatment. I just started two weeks ago. But yeah, I've always gone with them as far as. Because originally when I got cancer, I heard about the oil being good for symptoms, you know, for the nausea and depression. So that's when I started doing it. And the MRI showed me that it was shrinking the tumors. And so I went from there, did more research and. And the rest of it goes from there. Started the one gram a day.

And you're alive and kicking today.

That's loving my grandkids. Enjoying the sun, playing with the dog. Yeah.

Have you noticed that as you get older and there are more years behind you than there are in front of you that you get a better appreciation for life?

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. This isn't my first go around close encounter with death in my lifetime, so, I mean, it's not an unfamiliar feeling, but. Oh, yeah, knock on wood every day when I woke up.

That's right. How long was the brain surgery for you?

Oh, it was. Well, I say they did it on New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, 2022 or 2023. I imagine it was only a couple hours. You know, really annoys me. As I asked, the neurosurgeon came by after the surgery and I asked him, you know, on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate my brain? And he only gave me a six and a half. He wouldn't even give me a full seven.

Did you ask why he only gave you six and a half?

Yeah. You know, they always ask you rate this on a 1 to 10. I wanted to do that to one of them doctors, so I finally got to do it. He didn't give me a 10. You should have given me a 10.

That's interesting.

That's my attitude. I like to keep a pot of humor music. Love makes this world go around.

Yeah. Yeah. Richard, it was great to talk to you again. It's good that you're recovered from your brain tumor and lung cancer and things are going well for you. And keep up the good work, my friend, and we'll see you in a few years.

Sure, I'll keep in touch. Like we're going to. How do I advise friends to watch this or see this or whatever?

Well, it's on our website, cannabushealthradio.com.

Okay.

And I can send you a link to the website.

I got the website. I just put my name in there like last time. It's still there.

Sure.

Yeah. I don't know what episodes you're up to now, but.

Oh, I think 450something.

I was episode 42 or something.

42? Yeah. Yeah, you were in 2019. Yeah. So we've completed. You are now episode 454.

Okay.

Goes to show you how long we've been doing this and how long you've.

Been alive and kicking and hopefully it continues and we will get some of these federal laws changed and people will get their head out of their ass and realize the cannabis is not the, you know, devil's weed.

Absolutely. Getting their head out of their ass is good.

It's a natural medicine, you know.

Yeah.

Well, so thank you. Yes, I do.

Yeah.

Love to get the word out there that people don't be afraid of cannabis oil. If you have cancer, it ain't gonna kill you.

No.

I guarantee I'll make you feel better.

Right. Good. Thanks, Richard. Appreciate it.

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Sam.