Before she started her own medical marijuana company, selling gourmet cannabis treats and products, Mina Carrillo staunchly opposed the use of marijuana.
However, she had a change of heart when she saw the healing effects cannabis had on her daughter, who had chronic diseases from a young age. Guam-born Carrillo now lives in California, and founded one of the only Clean Green Certified, organic medical marijuana farms in Los Angeles.
Her daughter Kristina fell ill at age 6 with brain damage from an unknown cause. Carrillos brother and sister also had children with the affliction, who died at young ages. Kristina was the only survivor.
Kristinas doctors suggested a holistic approach to treatment of her many ailments, rather than using medication which might cause more harm to her body. They wanted to prescribe her cannabis.
Are you crazy? Carrillo asked the doctors. What kind of mom do you think I am to give her cannabis?
Carrillo argued back and forth with Kristinas doctors for 15 years, not wanting to let her try marijuana because of the stigma associated with the drug.
When Kristina was an adult, she decided for herself to give cannabis a try.
Carrillo respected her daughters wishes and made her favorite dish, chicken alfredo, infused with the medical dosage. Carrillo noticed an unbelievable improvement in Kristinas health after trying this new medication. Kristina doesnt need to use a wheelchair or walker anymore, and can feed herself now, after having to be fed through a nasogastric tube. She no longer takes any other prescription medicine.
Were grateful our daughter is doing well now, and I felt really guilty for not giving her this medicine before, Carrillo says. It took us 15 years to really realize that cannabis was the way to go, and I should have done this 15 years ago.
Amazed by the healing effects of cannabis, Carrillo and her husband quit their jobs and got culinary, baking and pastry degrees from Le Cordon Bleu, to start their own edibles company.
We always make sure that the reason why were in existence is because of what happened to our family members, she says. Our company was created based on the children who became ill with seizure disorders in our family.
All-organic treats
Carrillo did research on medical marijuana companies and discovered they used as many, if not more, unsafe chemicals like in Kristinas other medications. She vowed to create a fully holistic and organic company, to create safe products for Kristina and others like her who suffered from disease.
Some patients who cant afford to buy the products will get the products for free, she says. We believe every patient is VIP, so theyll get the products. We give them the same medication our Academy Award winners get.
Since their company is based in Los Angeles, Carrillo says she works closely with many of the top medical facilities in the city, including University of Southern California, University of California Los Angeles and Cedars Sinai, which also treat Hollywood stars.
With her culinary training and degrees in engineering and molecular gastronomy, Carrillo created cannabis-infused products for patients with different treatment needs.
At their healthcare center Restore Collective, patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation can receive products to help regain their appetite and get the rest they need.
Carrillo says cancer patients receiving treatment often cant eat, so Restore Collective offers medicine that can be absorbed into patients bodies.
Restore Collective carries lozenges, vaporized steam and tinctures, which are oils customers can absorb on their tongues with a dropper. After about a month or two, patients usually can taste and swallow food again, she says.
Then comes the fun part: customers can enjoy items from the celebration collection at Carrillos other business, Barons Confections. The company sells high-end gourmet cannabis products, including inverted German chocolate cake, green tea passion fruit treats and joconde raspberry roll-up chocolate mousse cake.
Our edibles have other essential oils in them besides cannabis, like bergamot, which helps with cancer and nausea, Carrillo says. Its similar to how on Guam, we go to the suruhanu when were sick. Our company took it back that way, like how we used to do it back home, which is why we use these essential oils in the products we create.
Plans for Guam
Although Carrillo spent most of her life in California after moving from Guam at age 7, she will always call Guam home. She has a Guam flag flying at her marijuana farm.
She wants to bring her business to the island later this year, since the rules and regulations for medical marijuana were passed in December 2016. People can now apply for medical cannabis business licenses at the Department of Public Health and Social Services. If recreational marijuana is legalized on island, Carrillo says shell sell her products for that type of usage too.
We really feel that by coming back home wed be able to help a lot of our fellow Chamorros and people who live on Guam by bringing good, clean and palatable medicine, she says. And for people who arent able to pay for it, we want to make sure that theyre able to get the medicine too.
Carrillo has already been experimenting with infusing traditional Chamorro food with cannabis. So far, shes made tinaktak, latiya and kelaguen with cannabis and theyre all organic.
We know back home a lot of our native Chamorros have high blood pressure and cancer, she says. Were working to make healthy Chamorro food. We like that fiesta plate, but were trying to cut down and make it more nutritious, and have cannabis in it.
She plans to set up a farm in Toto and a health center in Anigua, on family land, where she lived as a child. Carrillo also works closely with veterans, employing them at her farm, and donates to childrens organizations and schools. She wants to do the same for Guams community.
Dr. Hyo Ji, an anesthesiologist at Guam Surgicenter, shares Carrillos view that medical marijuana can be helpful to people living with illnesses, in moderation.
The cancer rate on Guam is kind of high, so people could benefit from medicinal marijuana, he says. So for people who are in need of medicinal marijuana, a lot of them dont feel like they need to get high, they just want to take the edge off whats ailing them, like pain. When they smoke it, theyre not getting high, they just want to get the edge off so they can have activities of daily living.
Ji says for those who have cancer or other debilitating diseases, cannabis is a better alternative to prescription drugs that make patients too drowsy to function.
They want to have a normal life as much as they can and know their life is limited with cancer, he says. To take the pain out and still have activities like going out with other people. With narcotics, a lot of patients are unable to do that.
To those who might still be skeptical about using marijuana, Carrillo recommends they set their negative notions aside and see the benefits for themselves.
Just try it because its from the earth no one has ever died from an overdose of cannabis, she says. Its very helpful and it does work.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker
Full Article: Chamorro Woman To Bring Los Angeles-Based Medical Marijuana To Guam
Author: Chloe B Babauta
Contact: (671) 472-1PDN
Photo Credit: Drew Angerer
Website: Pacific Daily News
