Background
A long, careful commitment to understanding cannabis and the people who use it.
How this started
Lonnie Painter has been studying cannabis and how it affects older adults for well over a decade. What began as conversations with neighbors in Laguna Woods grew into the Laguna Woods Cannabis Club, founded in 2009, and into a much larger body of research, reading, and hands-on work that continues today.
Along the way Lonnie has attended international conferences, completed formal classes with leading cannabis researchers, paid out of pocket for independent lab testing of flower and finished products, and spent thousands of hours in conversation with seniors who were trying to figure out whether cannabis might help them. The aim has always been the same: clear answers, in plain language, for people who deserve to be taken seriously.
He is not a doctor. He is a community educator with deep, patient experience — the kind that comes from sitting at someone's kitchen table for an hour and walking them through their options carefully.
Certifications & Conferences
A few of the formal courses and conferences Lonnie has attended over the years. These are the ones with surviving paperwork — there are many more that pre-date the habit of asking for a certificate.
Cannabinoid Conference 2013 · Cologne, Germany · September 27–28, 2013
International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines (IACM). Speakers included Raphael Mechoulam, Donald Abrams, Mark Ware, and Arno Hazekamp.
Masterclass Medicinal Cannabis · Leiden, The Netherlands · September 21–25, 2013
A five-day international course on the science behind medicinal cannabis — biochemistry, quality control, endocannabinoids, therapeutic effects, pharmaceutical cultivation, and administration. Organized by Bedrocan, signed by Dr. Arno Hazekamp.
Orange Coast College Advisory Committee
Recognition for serving as an advisor to the college's vocational education curriculum, representing Cafe Zoolu.
Independent product testing
For years Lonnie paid for independent third-party lab analysis of the flower, tinctures, and topicals he recommended to club members. Each batch was tested by a licensed California cannabis lab for cannabinoid content (THC, THCa, CBD, CBDa) and screened for contaminants.
That standard — never recommend a product you have not seen tested — came from one simple belief: seniors deserve to know exactly what is in what they are taking.
Press & Recognition
Lonnie has been interviewed and referenced in coverage of cannabis and older adults going back to 2009, including AARP, CNN, NPR, the Associated Press, ABC News, the Orange County Register, Voice of OC, Leafly, VICE, and Al Jazeera.
AARP Bulletin · October 29, 2010
“Older Adults Increasingly Use Medical Marijuana for Nausea, Pain” by Peter Jaret. One of the earliest national pieces to quote Lonnie about cannabis use among seniors. Photo by Daryl Peveto / LUCEO.
For the full list of press coverage — including CNN's Sanjay Gupta documentary, NPR's coverage of the Laguna Woods “cannabus,” and the Associated Press wire stories — see the Press & Media page.
Have a question?
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