Ready to earn your (unofficial) Ph.D. in cannabis? So are we! Let’s get started.

Our staff writer Kat Hearons is taking the class Demystifying Cannabis: Discover the Truth About the Profound Physical, Emotional & Spiritual Healing of This Ancient Plant Medicine, created and led by Dr. Pepper Hernandez. The course is offered by The Shift Network, whose stated mission is: “Upgrade our human operating system in order to co-create a healthy, peaceful, sustainable, just, and prosperous world.” To learn more about the class, click here.

With Shift’s permission, Kat will be passing along some course highlights, shared in the recurring segment “Head Magazine at Cannabis University.” For the full experience – one we enthusiastically recommend – contact Shift to inquire about access to course materials. In the meantime, you can check out the Head articles cited below that reinforce points made by Dr. Hernandez.

“It’s not a mystery; it’s just a plant. The universe has provided for us. The earth has provided for us.” – Dr. Pepper Hernandez

Dr. Hernandez emphasizes acknowledging cannabis’s existence as something that comes from nature. As a cannabis farmer herself, she’s an expert in what goes into breeding and cultivating it, so she knows cannabis at both the molecular/chemical and Earth levels. Head shares that perspective, and we summarized our own research into the plant’s history on Earth in “Cannabis’s Ancient Voyage West: How a Plant Native to China Found Its Way to Wherever You Are.” 

How does anyone outside northwest China have access to cannabis? The answer to that question goes back millions of years, as we explain in “Cannabis’s Ancient Voyage West: How a Plant Native to China Found Its Way to Wherever You Are.” / Photo by Fred Dunn CC BY-NC 4.0 via Creative Commons

“Cannabis is a very sacred medicine. When we use it spiritually, it’s better for our system.” – Dr. Pepper Hernandez

Dr. Hernandez cites numerous examples of civilizations across the millennia that embraced cannabis as an entheogen used in spiritual ceremonies. Among these are the Ayurvedic, traditional Chinese, Egyptian/Sumerian and other medicine systems. At Head, we’ve written extensively on how you can use cannabis spiritually, including:

Head takes you back in time with a fascinating look into the ways cannabis was used throughout the world in “Medical Cannabis and Ancient Wisdom.”

“After being politicized and criminalized for more than 30 years, cannabis needs a chance to heal.” – Dr. Pepper Hernandez

Dr. Hernandez goes into the history of how cannabis went from being used all over the world to being strictly prohibited. She comments on how different generations in the USA were brought up to view cannabis negatively, and how that stigma extends even to the point of obstructing cannabis research. We examine these effects in several of our articles as well, including:

We critique how U.S. culture normalizes opioid use when cannabis consumption would be equally – if not more – effective in pain management in “Morphine vs. CBD.” / Image Credit: Katarzyna Białasiewicz/123RF.com

Look for Part 2 of this series, coming soon!

The information in this article and any included images are for educational purposes only. This information is neither a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional legal advice or medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about laws, regulations or your health, you should always consult an attorney, physician or other licensed professional.

Kathleen Hearons is a writer, editor, linguist and voice over actor from Los Angeles. She specializes in creative writing and research-intensive analysis and reporting.

 

 

Sources and Suggested Reading

Connor, Kerri. “A Brief History of the Spiritual Use of Cannabis.” Head Magazine. Accessed July 8, 2025. https://headmagazine.com/a-brief-history-of-the-spiritual-use-of-cannabis/.

Connor, Kerri. “Sensual Spirituality: Through the Senses with Cannabis.” Head Magazine. Accessed July 8, 2025. https://headmagazine.com/sensual-spirituality-through-the-senses-with-cannabis/.

Darkwah, Joel. “Medical Cannabis and Ancient Wisdom.” Head Magazine. Accessed July 8, 2025. https://headmagazine.com/medical-cannabis-and-ancient-wisdom/.

“Demystifying Cannabis: Discover the Truth About the Profound Physical, Emotional & Spiritual Healing of This Ancient Plant Medicine.” The Shift Network. Accessed July 8, 2025. https://theshiftnetwork.com/Demystifying-Cannabis.

Hearons, Kathleen. “Cannabis’s Ancient Voyage West: How a Plant Native to China Found Its Way to Wherever You Are.” Head Magazine. Accessed July 8, 2025. https://headmagazine.com/cannabiss-ancient-voyage-west/.

Hearons, Kathleen. “Growing Up in the ’80s.” Head Magazine. Accessed July 8, 2025. https://headmagazine.com/growing-up-in-the-80s/.

Hearons, Kathleen. “Marijuana and the Americans with Disabilities Act: How Does the Controlled Substances Act Affect Disabled Americans?.” Head Magazine. Accessed July 8, 2025. https://headmagazine.com/marijuana-and-the-americans-with-disabilities-act-how-does-the-controlled-substances-act-affect-disabled-americans/.

Hearons, Kathleen. “Morphine vs. CBD.” Head Magazine. Accessed July 8, 2025. https://headmagazine.com/morphine-vs-cbd/.

Hearons, Kathleen. “Reefer Madness: The Story Behind An Anti-Cannabis Classic.” https://headmagazine.com/reefer-madness-the-story-behind-an-anti-cannabis-classic/.

Hearons, Kathleen. “The Illogic of Illegal Weed: A Comprehensive Analysis.” Head Magazine. Accessed July 8, 2025. https://headmagazine.com/the-illogic-of-illegal-weed-a-comprehensive-analysis/.

Hearons, Kathleen. “When Did Cannabis Become the Bad Guy? What We Didn’t Know.” Head Magazine. Accessed July 8, 2025. https://headmagazine.com/when-did-cannabis-become-the-bad-guy/.

“Our Mission.” The Shift Network. Accessed July 8, 2025. https://theshiftnetwork.com/about.

The Shift Network. Accessed July 8, 2025. https://theshiftnetwork.com.