Shaking Up the Cannabis Comedian Status Quo With Addie Martin

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]A[/dropcap]t the crossroads of the cannabis movement and the stand-up comedy scene, is where you’ll find Addie Martin. Being a smart, beautiful and outspoken woman making her way in two of the most notoriously male-dominated, and largely misunderstood industries, has not and will never hold her back from accomplishing her two-fold mission: To make people laugh, and to spread the truth about the benefits of the plant that she only half-jokingly refers to as her “best friend.” Never one to shy away from the spotlight, Martin was as animated as always, and as down to Earth as ever, as she shared with CULTURE her personal experiences behind the mic, and the water pipe. In all seriousness, Martin considers the combination of laughter and cannabis to be the best medicine.

What is your personal comedy style, and what should the audience expect when attending one of your shows?

The first rule of comedy is to talk about what you know. I speak a lot about my upbringing. My Mom is a Brazilian Catholic Republican, so I talk about her a lot, but it’s just funny stuff she does. It is in no way to insult her. I talk about my daughter. I’m married now, but I talk about what it was like to be a single mother, growing up with my daughter who is so much smarter and more mature than me. I’m like, drinking chocolate milk and watching Spongebob while she’s busy being a total genius kid. I definitely tell a lot of “stoner” stories. When things happen in real life that make me genuinely laugh out loud, and I need to tell someone about it, I save those moments for the stage. The stage is my Facebook. The things most people only tell their therapist, I say on stage to a room of drunk strangers.

You’re not only an advocate for cannabis legalization, you are also a longtime medical cannabis patient. Do you mind sharing why you use cannabis medicinally, and how it helps you?

I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, and eventually found out that I also have Multiple Sclerosis. The minute I found that out, I started researching RSO (Rick Simpson Oil), and just cannabis in general. Even my grandmother in Brazil told me, “Between you and I, it (cannabis) is the best thing for you.” So, if my grandmother tells me that, I’m obviously going to listen!” I haven’t used pharmaceuticals since I was 17, because they made me feel like a zombie. I didn’t feel good. I had bad stomach pains and nausea from them. Obviously, none of that happens with cannabis! I have Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS), and when I’m in a relapse, cannabis is my best friend. It really helps with the pain, the muscle spasms and the fatigue.

Which are you more proud of—the comedy you’ve created or the attention you have brought to the cannabis movement?

I’m pretty blessed that I’ve been able to merge comedy and cannabis. I feel like I’m probably going to leave a bigger mark on the cannabis community. As much as I love comedy, I have much more passion for cannabis. It provides me with good health and good energy, to be a good mother. It’s the only way I can function physically, mentally, emotionally, without the pain, depression, and fatigue that comes with my two diseases.

Do you have any upcoming shows or projects?

I’ll be doing comedy at HempFest in October. My husband and I are starting a strain review show here in Las Vegas, called Bake N Wake. It’ll be a YouTube show to bring light to Las Vegas, to highlight what people here in this community are doing to contribute to the cannabis movement.

www.theaddiemartin.com

For more information about Multiple Sclerosis, please visit www.nationalmssociety.org