Journalist and story teller, HELEN KAPALOS’S journey into cannabis

BM: What does truth and speaking the truth mean to you?

HK: Speaking the truth is sometimes easy, but most often, tough. Although I am a pretty direct person, I do not like upsetting people. I like pleasing them, which of course, means setting boundaries is a big theme in my life. At its worst, speaking the truth can alienate and divide, and at best, it is the ultimate act of emancipation,

In my case it unshackled me from a career that was threatening to erode my values and stepping away from that, and into this new world, where I had no idea what was next, or how I would get on in the world, was an unscripted adventure. Losing control of everything I had known – the safe life, the safe job, the steady income, the comfortable world I had settled into, meant I had to form a different relationship with the world.

It is  where I came to realise the next truth in life; that we have a lot less control than we think, and that missteps, sidesteps, falling down and getting up again are non-negotiable truths, not just for me, but for everyone. Some people might like to think of these u-turns in binary terms like success and failure.

However, I learned that speaking my truth was the passport to a fulfilling life, and that it would sometimes invoke painful consequences along the way, and that’s how it had to be. What was seen (for me, this new freedom to create my own destiny) could not be unseen.

BM: What was the hardest truth you had to accept in your journey within this industry?

HK: I think the hardest truth is one that remains prescient for many of us; that not everyone’s actions reflect their mission truthfully, despite the story they tell.  It’s easy to go off course when there is a commercial reality involved, I get that. So truth has to be the anchor. A lot of industry players have been beguiled by the early and rapid success of the market – which questionably is not capturing or reaching the segment of market it was intended for, in this case middle Australia. The stats tell us a different story.

I thought the whole purpose of legalising medicinal cannabis was to provide a fundamental human right to community; to inform patients about every available healthcare option and choice in their personal treatment journey. To exercise this truth, involves educating lawmakers, the medical profession and the public, who deserve to know and understand the credible research and science behind plant medicine.

That’s a herculean task when you consider the biggest elephant in the room remains stigma.

BM: How do you feel we can transform this industry through a lens of truth?

HK: I love that you asked this question, because I think the answer is simple. Just stay in your truth. In business terms, it means staying true to your company’s purpose, which should not amount to corporate speak on a website, or words that form the tagline of a brand.

Sometimes it is really tough to stay centred in all the noise, when it appears others are running off with the spoils, but the universe can and does accommodate all of us. What’s infinitely more satisfying than ‘owning’ a huge slice of the market through nefarious means, is being part of an organisation that is guided by ethical leadership and visionary ideals that embraces communities everywhere.

We have to remember this is still a pretty new industry and it needs good actors and model citizens at the forefront. The clearest person wins.