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PTSD and Medical Cannabis: How THC Helps | Illinois Weed Sales Surge | Two Dope Dudes Ep98

Welcome back to The Elevated News Podcast with Two Dope Dudes — YOUR go-to source for Midwest cannabis news, culture, and more! 🌱 This week, Aaron and Dave break down the biggest cannabis headlines with real talk, zero BS.

👉 In this episode:

* 💰 Illinois cannabis sales hit record highs in May – What does it mean for legacy vs. corporate markets?
* 🚨 New Chicago PD policy: Can cops still search your car just for smelling cannabis?
* 🌿 Rand Paul wants to raise the federal THC limit in hemp – Will it save struggling growers?
* 📉 Why only 27% of cannabis businesses are profitable right now (and how we got here)
* 🧠 Dave’s Conditional Cannabis Corner: A deep, heartfelt breakdown of PTSD, trauma, and how cannabis helps
* 🎤 Shoutouts to our favorite commenters and growmies from YouTube & beyond 💚

🔥 Raw, funny, and real — just how you like it.

⏱️ **Timestamps**
00:00 – Intro
00:05 – Catching Up & Community Love
00:17 – IL Cannabis Sales Hit $149M+
00:22 – CPD Eases Weed Smell Searches
00:31 – Rand Paul’s Hemp THC Bill
00:39 – Only 27% of Cannabis Operators Profitable
00:50 – Dave’s Conditional Cannabis Corner: PTSD
01:09 – Wrap-Up


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🧠 UIUC 2025 Hemp Open House Info
https://illinoisnewsjoint.com/2025-hemp-open-house-set-for-july-25/
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🔗 Related Articles
📰 [May Sales Article](https://illinoisnewsjoint.com/may-cannabis-sales-reach-highest-monthly-totals-this-year/)
📰 [Chicago PD Smell Policy](https://www.marijuanamoment.net/new-chicago-police-policy-discourages-searches-based-on-marijuana-odor/)
📰 [Rand Paul’s Hemp Bill](https://www.marijuanamoment.net/rand-paul-files-bill-to-triple-federal-thc-limit-for-hemp-as-house-pursues-crackdown-on-consumable-cannabinoids/)
📰 [Cannabis Profitability](https://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/business-issues-benchmarks/cannabis-business-profit-trends/news/15686501/only-27-of-us-cannabis-operators-profitable-in-2024-whitney-economics-reports)

💬 **Drop a Comment!**
Tell us: Which news story hit you hardest? Got PTSD and using cannabis? We want to hear your story 💚

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#TwoDopeDudes #CannabisNews #MidwestCannabis #PTSDandCannabis #HempPolicy #IllinoisWeed #LegacyGrowers #CannabisCulture #MedicalCannabis #RandPaulHempBill #THCLimits #CannabisPodcast


00:00:00 – intro
00:00:58 – catching up
00:05:02 – plugs
00:07:30 – youtube comments
00:17:41 – May cannabis sales reach highest monthly totals this year
00:21:50 – New Chicago Police Policy Discourages Searches Based On Cannabis Odor
00:31:38 – Rand Paul Files Bill To Triple Federal THC Limit For H3mp As House Pursues Crackdown On Consumable Cannabinoids
00:38:53 – Only 27% of US Cannabis Operators Profitable in 2024
00:50:28 – Daves Conditional Cannabis Corner
01:09:32 – wrapping up!
01:11:03 – outro

The Elevated News Podcast with Two Dope Dudes Ep81| Guest: Mr.CBD LIVE at The HoneyComb Hideout

Join the #twodopedudes for this week’s insightful discussion on #cannabisnews and #cannabisculture .

Join the Elevated News Podcast with Two Dope Dudes as they sit down with special guest Mr. CBD Chicago LIVE at The HoneyComb Hideout in Addison,IL Mr. CBD Chicago shares his expertise on the Illinois legal hemp and cannabis scene, and we discuss the importance of canna advocacy and cannabis activism. Tune in for a fun and informative conversation that’s all about supporting dope people.. The Elevated News Podcast is your go-to source for cannabis updates, news, and more.

————————————————————————————

**Connect With Us**

– Aaron: https://www.instagram.com/lifeofguapo

– Dave: https://www.instagram.com/peaceloveandcope

– HoneyComb Hideout: https://www.instagram.com/honeycombhideoutretreat

– Support Dope People: https://www.instagram.com/support_dope_people

Request your FREE sticker pack at https://www.supportdopepeople.com by submitting your email and mailing address or support the show by purchasing a shirt or hoodie!

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Music credits:

– Outro: Harris Heller/Streambeats

– Intro: Dave Cope and Suno

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the hosts and guests and do not reflect the views of any organizations mentioned. Always consult with legal professionals for specific legal advice regarding cannabis laws and regulations in your jurisdiction.*

The REAL 3C – (MEDICAL)Cannabis Consultation w/ Cope!!!

Must be 18 or older. Cannabis is still federally illegal. None of this is a recommendation. Consult a medical professional before using cannabis as a medicine. I am not a medical professional!

Dear medical cannabis patient or anyone trying to use cannabis as medicine,

Thank you for clicking on this stream. I am here for YOU! I spent 5 years as a budtender in Illinois’ cannabis market, but think I can help you more from here. If you have any questions about how cannabis can help you, why you should use a certain product vs another, or any of the whys, whens, wheres, whats, or hows of cannabis please ask in the comments below or during the live stream!

THANK YOU!
May you smile and feel good, always 🙂

LIVE SCHEDULE
MONDAY – 10AM CST – 12PM CST
THURSDAY – 8PM CST – WHEN WE FINISH

✉ – EMAIL – Peaceloveandcope@gmail.com
👥 – FACEBOOK – https://www.facebook.com/groups/peaceloveandcope/

Music provided by Harris Heller and StreamBeats

The REAL 3C – Cannabis Consultation w/ Cope!!!

Must be 18 or older. Cannabis is still federally illegal. None of this is a recommendation. Consult a medical professional before using cannabis as a medicine. I am not a medical professional!

Dear medical cannabis patient or anyone trying to use cannabis as medicine,

Thank you for clicking on this stream. I am here for YOU! I spent 5 years as a budtender in Illinois’ cannabis market, but think I can help you more from here. If you have any questions about how cannabis can help you, why you should use a certain product vs another, or any of the whys, whens, wheres, whats, or hows of cannabis please ask in the comments below or during the live stream!

THANK YOU!
May you smile and feel good, always 🙂

LIVE SCHEDULE
MONDAY – 10AM CST – 12PM CST
THURSDAY – 8PM CST – WHEN WE FINISH

✉ – EMAIL – Peaceloveandcope@gmail.com
👥 – FACEBOOK – https://www.facebook.com/groups/peaceloveandcope/

Music provided by Harris Heller and StreamBeats

Pot 101: Learn to buy legal weed like a pro in about 8 minutes | Navigating Illinois dispensaries

Mike Malcolm, a cannabis consultant with WTF Media, takes you through the main items you’ll find in a dispensary. If you’re a recreational user intimidated by dispensaries or the products they offer, this video will take you through the process.

Visit Mike’s site at:
https://www.weedtravelfood.com/home

*Please note that cannabis and other related substances are illegal under federal law as well as under state law in certain states and usage may involve individualized health risks. All content in this video is for news and entertainment purposes only and the opinions and advice expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Sun-Times.

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#LegalWeed #RecreationalPot #IllinoisMarijuana

Illinois Becomes 11th State to Allow Recreational Marijuana

Illinois’ new governor delivered on a top campaign promise Tuesday by signing legislation legalizing small amounts of marijuana for recreational use, the 11th state to do so and the first to implement a comprehensive statewide cannabis marketplace designed by legislators.

Legalization in Illinois also means that nearly 800,000 people with criminal records for purchasing or possessing 30 grams of marijuana or less may have those records expunged, a provision minority lawmakers and interest groups demanded.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker, whose election last year gave Democrats complete control over state government again after four years under GOP predecessor Bruce Rauner, signed the bill in Chicago amid a bevy of lawmakers and pot proponents.

Under the measure, residents can purchase and possess up to 1 ounce (30 grams) of marijuana at a time. Non-residents could have up to 15 grams. The law provides for cannabis purchases by adults 21 and older at approved dispensaries, which, after they’re licensed and established, may start selling Jan. 1, 2020. That means possession remains a crime until Jan. 1, a spokesman for Senate Democrats said.

Pritzker’s successful campaign for governor capitalized on growing public sentiment that law enforcement has better things to do than chase pot-smokers and that state government could benefit by regulating and taxing the product as it does alcohol and tobacco.

He claimed that, once established, taxation of marijuana could generate $800 million to $1 billion a year in taxes. He initially estimated that in the budget year that begins July 1, dispensary licensing would generate $170 million, but Sen. Heather Steans and Rep. Kelly Cassidy, both Chicago Democrats who have been advocating legalization for at least four years, were forced to lower that estimate to about $58 million in the final proposal. Cassidy added that the fully implemented program might generate only $500 million annually within five years.

The marketplace portion of the Illinois law also addresses what critics have complained is the decades-long war on drugs’ disproportionate impact on minority communities. State Sen. Toi Hutchinson, a Democrat from Olympia Fields, said it’s a generally accepted statistic that blacks are 4 ½ times more likely to be convicted of low-level pot offenses, but she didn’t know if Illinois’ numbers are higher than typical.

In addition to providing criminal-record scrubbing for past low-level offenders, the law gives preference to would-be marijuana vendors in areas of high poverty and records of large numbers of convictions. And portions tax proceeds must be reinvested in impoverished communities.

Police organizations are wary, concerned about enforcing driving under the influence laws and arguing technology for testing marijuana impairment needs more development. Law enforcement organizations were successful in killing an earlier provision that would have allowed anyone to group up to five marijuana plants at home for personal use. Police said they’d have difficulty enforcing that, so the bill was amended to allow five plants to be maintained only by authorized patients under the state’s medical marijuana law. They previously could not grow their own.

Ten other states and the District of Columbia have legalized smoking or eating marijuana for recreational use since 2012, when voters in Colorado and Washington state approved ballot initiatives. Vermont and Michigan last year were the latest states to legalize marijuana. Vermont did so through the Legislature, the first time it wasn’t done through a ballot initiative, but didn’t establish a statewide marketplace as Illinois did.

Other initiatives have failed. Promising proposals in New York and New Jersey fizzled late this spring. Despite a statewide listening tour on the issue by Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor last winter, the idea never took flight.

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