This is the FCB Podcast Network. This is the Jeff Glory and Nick Show. Welcome to the Jeff Luri and Nick Show. This is Darby Olmorrow and for Jeff Luri and Nick Today. I am the producer of this show, but I'll be hosting this week. We have a special interview with Laurence a thunder Bird that we are going to get to right now. All right, we have a very special guest with us today. He is Laurence thunder Birt. First of all, welcome to the show. How you doing. Sorry, hey, thanks for having me my pleasure. All right, Before before we get into the topic of why don't you tell people a little bit about yourself, a little bit about your background and things like that. Yeah, So I'm from Columbus, Ohio, here, born and raised. Most people who know me are familiar with me from sports circles. I played basketball o House State, played in the NBA, and have always been very passionate about education and particularly about social issues affecting black and brown individuals. And my wife and I we started a nonprofit organization twenty five years ago to work with youth and really empower them and give them the tools that they need to be successful in life, and as I always tell people, I'm always about my father's business as a man of faith. All right, absolutely, absolutely, And before we get into it, what teams did you play for in the NBA? Yeah, so I played for the Sacramento Kings for most of my career. My last year was with the Chicago Bulls, and then I played overseas for three years. Played it at Ohio State. But before that I played for this coach named Bobby Knight. It didn't go too well between me and him, and I transferred to Ohio State and then was player of the Year in high school here in Ohio. Came out the same year as a guy they named of Jimmy Jackson who was in Ohio legend. Now I'm on TV, and we teamed up to win a championship at Ohio State together. Awesome, congratulations man, A huge, huge accomplishment, huge accomplishment. So so the topick in hand. We're going to be voting soon here in Ohio on a number of things, but issue too, which is marijuana legalization for recreational use. We already have it some medicinal use, but for recreational use is on the ballot, and you are opposed to a talk about your opposition. Why you're opposed? Yeah, yeah, very much. You know, first of all, when we talk about drugs, I always ask the question, you know why, you know, why are people consuming drugs, Why are they taking drugs? Why do they feel like they need a drug? And I always say, the drug of choice is the result of the pain plug of force. So when it comes to the issue of drugs, and just for full transparency, and I'm okay this because I talk about this in public quite a bit as a as a speaker. I'm a former drug addict, so I know about drugs. I grew up in a public housing, global and welfare, grew up in a single parent home. Didn't know my father all of that, right, So I saw the drug dealers, the gang bangers, the pimps to prostitutes. I saw all that, and I realized that when it comes to drugs, drugs or a means of trying to feel something that is not there. You know, we always seek outside sources to deal with internal deficits. So with the medicinal and now the recreational right, you got to ask why, and if you can get to the roots, you have a better chance with the offshoots. And that's kind of really where I come from because I work with kids all the time, young people smoke weed. All of that grew up around it, played in the NBA. Probably seventy eighty percent of NBA players today smoke weed, and they made this cool without understanding that weed has changed and more importantly, it puts you in an altered state. And then also you never deal with the underlying issues of why you're taking the weed. All it does is lead to more and more problems. So that's kind of in a long wind and answer why I am against issue too, because what are we doing in our society to promote the use of drugs when natural alternatives and particularly as a man of faith, that the fruit of the spirit should be what we use and what we leverage to help people so that they don't have any addictions. And I know addictions very well. And you know the thing that kind of concerns me. I think when people talk about this issue, and when they think about this issue, they think, like, you know, it's still like the regular weed, like the sixties, like the wacky tobacci from back then, and it's not. I mean, the stuff and we've seen this in other states that have done that. I went with the full legalization. The stuff that they're selling is much more potent, much stronger, and it's causing We're seeing more adverse effects versus what we would traditionally associate with marijuana. Yeah. Absolutely, you know, I'm not sure how old you are, but I grew up watching the Cheeching Chong movies back in the day, right, And you see, back then was about seven percent now it could be up to ninety percent. Is THHC tetrahydro carbonyl, which is basically the psychoactive agent in it. And that's what makes it so dangerous because it's all synthetic, and we live in an artificial world already in an altered state. And then the more you depend on these substances, right, the less your body's able to produce them naturally. Well, most people don't know, oh, is that we have our own indocannabinoid system in our body, cannabinoid cannabis. We have it naturally in our body, and if we have a sense of mental harmony, we don't really need it. That's why people use these substances. So weed wouldn't work, cocaine wouldn't work. Opioids wouldn't work unless they hit specific receptor sites in the body, and most people, and particularly the church, they're very ignorant on the body, and we have to deal with the underlying a dresses. I'm not excusing why people do it, but merely explaining why people are turning to outside sources to deal with internal deficits. So let's talk a little bit about that. I mean, obviously, we live in a very pent stress filled world, and you know, people are looking for releases. You know, I think a lot of us are carrying unnatural levels of stress every single day. So talk a little bit about what the aternatives are to deal with with some of that versus you know, current into drugs. Yeah, absolutely, specifically when it comes to weed or dealing with the endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid system it kind of has two receptors. You have CB one and you have CB two. So CB one is really the nervous system, the mood. It also offers neuro protection. CB two is kind of your peripheral system immunity, inflammation and then pain modulation. So it's not surprising that people are turning to these substances. The problem is is that once you do that, you shet off your body's natural ability to produce it on its own. So when it comes to natural remedies, obviously, when it comes to the endocannabinoid system, specifically that it is the traffic cop it is the symphony conductor, it is the family counselor right, it is the club bouncer. It is basically putting things in harmony and position where they need to be so the body can thrive. And that is why people smoke weed and get so much relief from it. The problem is is that shets off your body's natural ability to produce these on his own, in the case of particularly NBA players and many others. And I know attorneys, I know very successful people who smoke weed say man, I'm addicted to weed without ever understanding. And the first question I asked them is do you have a sense in terms of your life's purpose when it comes to your mental balance, which is why people really smoke weed. A lot of them live very disregulated lives, meaning their whole mind and their life is compartmentalized. Your body, in your life should be in harmony, and if it's not, then you have these tensions and this friction between the two. So a sense of life's purpose profoundly will impact people when it comes to this weed debate. Number two is is exercise. Exercise has a great amount to deal with, not only your indocannabinoid system what we're talking about, but seratonin in terms of wellness, dopamine, motivation, your your opioid system or your endorphin system, all these different components. And then eating healthy, getting good sources of fat. Right, you think about it, When people smoke weed, what do they do They get the munchies? Right, I grow up around people always have some doritos or some potato chips or something like that. But these are toxic foods as well. So those are just three things. Your relationships, having things in order. There's a lot of different things. And if you do that, and more specifically, I'm sorry, I've got to go back to the fruit of the spirit. Right, lovejoy, peace, patients, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self control. You have the fruit of the spirit in harmony flowing together in your life, your body, so and your spirit. You don't need any weed. And that's what I'm trying to sell people on. But the problem is is that the church by and large have dropped the ball in terms of this particular issue. So now we're coming against it. But you gotta understand the why before you can address to what and the how. So what do you think the church can do better? Go addresses? Well, you know, Jesus talked about I've come to set the captives free right, uh and and and that is the issue today is that the Church has been very negligent or intentional and not truly setting the captives free right. We we talk about paternally or parentally in terms of the father dynamic. Before the great dreadfu data, Lord, I will send my prophet Elijah. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, the hearts of the children to the fathers, lest I come and strive to earth for the curse. Malachi four five through six. We see that the Church has been very negligent and truly understanding addiction, understanding the body, because they think that if we endorse science, were endorsing evolution, that's that's not true. God created And I always tell people that the that that creation confirms that the Bible is true. But the Bible doesn't have to confirm that that that science is true, and I think that's really where we are. At the heart of the matter is getting the church to understand and the position that we're in and that every drug addiction, every sex addiction, all of these can be traced to some type of root issue, mostly on the relational side, your mother or your father. I know people talk about various things in terms of the whole dynamic of mother and father and traditional roles and all that. The reality is, if you don't have those court side observers right just like you're sitting courtside, if you don't have them, it is going to mess you up. Your mother has mama drama, father papa trauma, You're going to be messed up. And the Church has been negligent. They've missed the mark tremendously and truly said in the Captives Free because they don't understand that you got to look at it relationally, you got to look at it nutritionally, you got to look at educationally, you got to look at inspirationally, you gotta look at parenially. The church preaches an incomplete gospel because it's not holistic. That's really the long and short of where we are today. So now that we're having we're having this, we've we've already I forget how long it's been since it's been here for medicinal use. You already have it for medicinal use, and this is one of the ballot for recreational use. I think another concern is what signal does it tend to children? Because we're seeing like drug use getting younger, starting younger and younger. And do you think that something being legalized, uh, sends a signal to children that it's okay that because it's legal, it means it's okay for them to do. Yeah. I mean, you know, we've all heard that marijuana is a gateway drug. That is absolutely the case. Even in states that have legalized marijuana. It is a mess. I mean, people operating vehicles right in an altered state, injuring themselves or killing others. Uh. One of the biggest things in argument of the African American unity is a lot of our young people. And I've worked with them all the time. I've worked with over thirty thousand young people through the years that they can't pass the drug test, mainly the marijuana. But I always say, let's back up and think about why you need this drug? Right? It stays in your system eighty ninety days, you know, and you can't do toxic you're around people who smoke weed, even by default, you're gonna pick up on that. So we've got to really do a better job of truly understanding all these things. And what signal it's saying or telling our kids is that when you have pain, you can seek outside sources that are artificial, unnatural and then will cause more harm than good. And I always tell people this that if the devil can make life of feeling contests and we fall for it, then he wins. But if we make life a fruit filling conquest through the power of the Holy Spirit, then victory is ours. Our young people are seeking outside sources because they don't have the relationship on the home front. You know, the father may be in a home, but he may be absent emotionally and bio chemically with his child or with his children, and he confuses financial love for emotional love. We interchange fathers and dads, but they're totally different. And then we have all of this and our kids, the social media and the narcissism and all that, and we wonder why our kids are so messed up and that that's why they're engaging in all of these things, not just the drugs, but the sex and the social media and all these different things. We've got to really think about what we're leaving behind for our children, and that it is a terrible state of affairs when our kids have to vape, they have to smoke wheed, they have to drink, they have to do all these other things, even at a time when their bodies and their brains are coming into alignment. We're going to mess these kids up on a permanent basis. And you touched on something in the early part of your answer that I wanted to kind of flesh out a little bit more the issue, particularly in our community. I have heard that too. I've heard the complaint from employee that, you know, when they try to hire some some some particularly young brothers, they are having a hard time finding people that can pass the drug taps. And you know, talk about how even that that heavy youth can can impact you economically. Yeah, absolutely, it certainly can. And you know, I talk, we we do programs all all around all around the state, and and I always the first thing I do is I got to earn my trust with them first. So I tell them about my story and I say, look, I'm one of you. It's just I'm just an older version, you know, more seasoned version. And thankfully, by the grace of God, I've moved out of the immaturity and all those things that kept me back, the hang ups, the hold ups and the hiccups. And I said, look, I said, I understand what it's like, right, I've tried. We didn't like weed, you know. And I think transparency is the best policy when you're trying to help people. But I think we've got to realize that when it comes to where we are in our society, you know, what model are we leaving for our kids to kind of hold on to? And I think it's so important for us to ask ourselves, you know, what are we saying? Why are we condoning this behavior in setting these kids up for failures to be permanent addicts. And it's very difficult once your body is used to it, it's very hard to get away from it. And the fact that our young people not just the jobs, not just they being able to pass the test, but they have so much trauma. But trauma. Just because we go through trauma doesn't mean we have to stay trauma tized. So we can't always use that as in a crutch or as an excuse. We've got to be able to move past that. But our young people, right they are having a lot of issues because marijuana is a drug that I don't I wait to talk to them about it, and I give time for trust because whatever, we always protect what we hold sacred in our heart. So that joint that do be that blunt, however young people wish to describe it today, it is giving them a sense of peace and of harmony and of bliss. And why are they doing that. They got to be in an altered state just to be able to function in life. Same thing with the music. So it's a big problem. And many companies are bypassing the test, the drug test, just to get people to work, but they're going to expose their companies because for liability purposes or whatever. If somebody's operating machinery and they're in an altered state, they're going to hurt someone or kill someone or whatever. And it's a shame that we've allowed our society to get where we are today and now we're playing more defense than we are offensed because of this situation. So I want you to touch on this real quick because I hear this often where people are like, you can't get addicted to we marijuana is an addictive and I've seen people who are addicted who would swear that they're not addicted. So talk a little bit about it. I think we view we view marijuana somehow different than some of the other drugs that we know people can get addicted to talk about it. Can you get addicted to marijuana? Oh yeah, absolutely can be a good addicted to marijuana. I know many weed heads, as they call them, I know them, I see them. I can smell it, right, And you can tell right when you're around someone who's particularly depending on the type of weed right in terms of that, some make you more talkative, some make you more quiet and reserved, you know. So you can pick up on that, and you can tell when I start talking about drugs, right, because a lot of times drugs carry certain spirits or associations with it that there's this resistance when I start talking because they know where I'm going, because I'm starting to uncover, not to expose them, but to uncover the trap that they're in, and they will try to protect it, you know, at all costs. So you can definitely be addicted to marijuana. And then for someone saying, oh no, I can stop marijuana, right, and then you know that you can't because your whole bear essence is dependent upon that. Some people smoke wheat every day. Some people smoke wheat three four times a day. I know many people who actually do that, and they are fidgety or whatever. Once they come off that high, they need it again. Their body, right, is really trying to play catch up, right, because it's saying, look, you give me this outside source and then I can't respond normally, so you got to go get me my fix. And then some do it maybe a few times a week, some do it maybe once a week or whatever. Even someone who's a casual drinker per se, if you say, well I needed to take the edge off, can you say you're an alcoholic. You know, we make so many excuses for what really constitute addiction. The reality is if you can't live without it, if you can't function in a normal state without it, then you have to ask yourself are you an addict of this particular drug, whether it's marijuana or some other drug. And finally, as we get ready wind down here? What do you think happens as as someone who speaks to communities, speaks to the youth, you see what's going on out here. What do you think the impact to our state would be of if issue to pass? Well? I think it's devastating because I think it's sets a precedent that not only do we allow marijuana use right medicinally recreationally now that but you can use it at any given time for whatever the reason may be. And that's the issue, and it is a gateway draw but it's much deeper than that, right when you think about what is what state that is putting you in and then now what is allowing you to do to be able to function as as as an individual? You can live without it. So the precedent is is that it's it's it's saying that we have no bad boundaries anymore, right, and that the guardrails are off. And that's the problem in our society today is that we think we're holding people hostage by not allowing them to do this, when the reality is that drug or this drug marijuana will actually do all the hostage taking. So it's really problematic. I'm very worried that this is even an issue that you know, not just in Ohio, but just in our country. What we've allowed to take place shows you the state of affairs for America and specifically Ohio. Some say as Ohio goes, so goes the Midwest. So I'm big on this particular issue. I've never publicly came out and necessarily endorsed or supported anything, but I realized that marijuana is a problem, and it's a problem because people look at it as this sense of bliss, sense of harmony, when the reality is there's many other ways that you can function and live in a normal and natural sece, we don't need this drug. So I'm very worried about this, and I think that it should be a non issue. Uh, the people can if they have it for a record for medicinal purposes, can get some type of prescription. But now we're allowing it and people say, well, we can use the money or whatever. The reality is is, that's just an excuse. It's just a smokes cream and it's a problem that we've let our guard down because we've lost what it means to have any sense of morality. To save our children. Yeah, I actually think the tax money argument is the week probably the weakest argument. I mean, if you you know, I'm from the inner city too, like that just just might remind Okay, it's just gonna be a drug deal. It's great, Like that just sounds like it sounds that's the same logic that we heard from the dudes on the block, you know what I mean. So that doesn't I think that's probably the weakest of the arguments. Now you mentioned and you said this is twice an I didn't want to close without touching on this about marijuana being a gayweight drug. A lot of people don't believe that anymore. There's been a lot put into trying to dismiss that and say that that's not true. Talk a little bit about that. Why do you believe that that it's still true that that's a gayway drug. Well, I mean, all the research says because most people, you know, yes, they they may look at marijuana as their drug and as their drug of comfort, so to speak. And what's interesting is is that marijuana has shown, based on statistics, that they have used particularly looking for more of a high in life, looking for more a high to go with with their feelings. This is where you see a lot of young people go. So they will transition to the cocaine. They will transition to the opioids if they don't get the fix that they need, and particularly depending on what is in there. I mean, look what they're doing now with the week. They're lacing it with fitanyl. And I know people who are overdosing thinking they got a joint and then lacing with fentanyl, right, or lacing it with cocaine. And anytime you have uppers and downers and all these different things, your body will go in a state of shock. And that is why we have all these you know, cardiac arrests, all these different issues that we're seeing in our society. So marijuana, cocaine, heroin, you know, all the you know, the the psychedelic drugs. Now you know they're they're they're going and they're graduating. That's what happens, right, You start in high school, then you go to college, then you get to the pros, right, and then you wonder, you know why your life is out of order in your body and then and now you're on life support. So it's really it's more than just preventative. It's really being proactive to say no we're gonna protect our children. We're gonna protect our minds, We're gonna protect their bodies, we're gonna protect their spirits. We're gonna do whatever we can to help our young people. And that is why this is a big issue for me. I have two kids, right, I have a daughter at a house state and she tells me all the time she's a big time swimmer. At a house date, she says, Daddy, you wouldn't believe the number of kids who smoke weed, who drink, who do this all this. And then the question that I that I that I'm asking him in my mind, that's what she's saying, is why do they feel like they need to smoke weed? This is a big problem right in sports, professional sports, college sports, high school, even in private school. The biggest drug addicts, and particularly when it comes weak is in suburban communities. Why because they have the money, they have the denero. So this is not just the inner city problem. We've always said that marijuana was the black drug or inner city. That's not true. That is not true at all. And then you look at Harvard, you look on elite college campuses, the drug of choice is marijuana, but it will segue into others once that wears off, once you know you get some type of ingredients in there, that's not really what you need to feel a certain level. You're graduating, you're going, you're going to college, You're going to the pros. You're gonna take it up and take it higher until you basically take yourself off the face of this earth. Wow. Let everybody know if they want to get in contact with you, they want to reach out to you, how they can do that if you're on social media all that good stuff. Yeah, And I'm gonna be in the Cleveland area in March for an event Chris Bussard. You probably know Chris. He's got a big Fathers that's gonna be coming up. I'm gonna be there. I speak all around and I really challenge churches. I don't get invited to a lot of places because the message that I bring is gonna be very convicting. I'm gonna bring I'm gonna bring all Bible, but I'm gonna show the Bible and the connection to the biochemistry and scientifically where we are. So but people can get in touch with me if they go to my website. Mister FUNDI Mr f you n d y dot com. You can also look me up on LinkedIn and some other social media websites as well. So I appreciated my brother for this opportunity. I hope people will come to the census and say absolutely no on issue too. I know I'm a man of faith. If I was gonna say something else before, no, But we can't allow this because that's exactly where we're sending our kids. If we continue to put them in a state where they have to seek anything other than the spirit of God, the fruit of the Spirit, we're setting our kids up for failure. Because once you eat from the tree of the knowledge, you're good and evil. You have to deal with the consequences thereof That's what this whole issue is all about. All right, thank you so much for coming on the show and joining us. Man, I really appreciate it. Thanks my brother, I appreciate it, all right. All right, Thank you again to mister Vunderbirg. Thank you to our audience, and as Jeff always says, keep fighting a good fight and we can all do better. See you next time. Wow. This has been a presentation of the FCB podcast network, where you talk lifts, visitors, online at FCP podcasts dot com, MHM
