B
EVERLY “DOC POTTER” Potter has the kind of life story that sounds almost mythical—part grit, part genius, and part joyful
recounts the story of a panicked police officer who ate an entire tray of cannabis brownies: “Start low, go slow,” Potter repeats. “Half a cookie, not the whole plate.” For Potter, cannabis is not just medicinal—it’s social. She describes modern California dispensaries with “Consumption Lounges,” educational events, and monthly gatherings for seniors. “Older adults get isolated,” she says. “Cannabis brings back laughter. And laughter is healing.” Her advocacy hasn’t always been easy. In the 1970s, when cannabis was placed in the same legal category as meth and cocaine, she received a visit from the FBI for lecturing on its benefits. “I had to be careful. I learned to present the same information differently depending on the audience.” Today, she laughs at the irony: cannabis is now legal in many states, highly researched, and rapidly destigmatized.
rebellion. A self-described military brat, she spent her childhood zigzagging across the United States, attending schools from Nome, Alaska to tiny towns in Georgia. The instability left her academically behind; by eighth grade she was reading at a second- grade level. Yet decades later, she would earn a fully funded PhD from Stanford University—one of only four students in her cohort—and eventually write 38 books while helping pioneer Silicon Valley’s corporate-training movement in the 1990s. Today, Potter has become an unlikely but influential voice in a space that’s finally catching up with her: medicinal cannabis education, especially for seniors. Her latest book, Cannabis for Seniors, is a practical,
“Aging does not mean helplessness. You can learn, heal, and stay independent.”
stigma-breaking guide that helps older adults manage pain, anxiety, insomnia, arthritis, and even neurodegenerative conditions without relying on the heavy, addictive pharmaceutical cocktails commonly prescribed to them. “Seniors are being overmedicated,” she says. “Six, eight, even 12 different drugs a day. It’s overwhelming. Cannabis can replace so many of them—and it’s not addictive like opioids or fentanyl.” Potter’s message is rooted in science. She explains the body’s endocannabinoid system—“Cannabis is practically made for the human body”—and breaks down how hundreds of compounds in the plant interact with mood, pain, inflammation, and neurological health. She emphasizes that learning is crucial: different strains help with different conditions, and delivery systems—from tinctures and topicals to edibles and smoke—affect the body in dramatically different ways. Edibles, she warns, are where beginners often get into trouble. She
otter’s personal experiences deepen her conviction. She recalls soothing a severe toothache using a cannabis tincture applied directly to her gums: “It didn’t cure the abscess—I still lost three teeth—but it stopped the suffering.” She explains how seniors can relieve pain quickly using tinctures under the tongue or smoking, both of which enter the bloodstream within minutes. Her website, docpotter.com, houses videos, interviews, and resources for every book she has written. And though she receives more than 100 emails a day—“Take me back to the ’60s!” she jokes—she remains committed to teaching people how to “become a shaman of their own body.” Her message is simple and radical: aging does not mean helplessness. With knowledge, awareness, and the right tools, Potter believes seniors can remain independent, joyful, and in control of their health. EC
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