Olivia Newton-John: From Sandy to Cannabis Supporter

Olivia Newton-John finds help herself then opens center to help others. 

Olivia Newton-John is likely best known for her iconic role as Sandy in the classic Grease movie which inspired good girls to rebel. What she’s not as well known for is her battle with breast cancer. When diagnosed in 1992, Olivia went through a treatment regime including a mastectomy, breast reconstruction, chemotherapy, as well as holistic add-ons like acupuncture and meditation. For those who have experience with breast cancer, the road to recovery is long and arduous, as well as physically and emotionally exhausting. Nevertheless, she persevered and found herself in remission eventually.

Unfortunately, in 2013, her breast cancer returned, having attacked her shoulder, and with it, severe pain from a tumor in her sacrum. She described it as “months and months of excruciating, sleep-depriving, crying out loud pain.” The pain was so intense, that not only was she unable to walk unassisted, but the impact to her career manifested in the inability to perform. Her medical team treated her with morphine for pain, but she made the decision to wean herself off of the dangerous drug by using cannabis oil. She was astonished at the side benefits it offered such as helping with anxiety and sleep and her husband now grows her medicine.

Today, she’s vocal about touting cannabis as a game changer, and swears by its effectiveness for pain management. Her own journey with cancer inspired the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Center in Melbourne, which she supports in caring for cancer patients and conducting clinical trials.

a guide to cannabis and cancer

OK Road Trip

OK Road Trip | The Cannabis Care Team of Kansas City, MO

I could never convice my grandmother to try cannabis, but many Okies (and Missourians) are.

When will Medical Marijuana Dispensaries be open (in Missouri)?

If I had a dollar for every time I was asked that question I’d be close to owning that farm house on 20 acres I’ve had my eye on.
“I don’t know” doesn’t really evoke confidence in my patients, but it is the truth, could be August 2020, Nov 2020, or June 2021.

For now I discuss the best legal options for them and the one that seems to work best is to take a road trip to Oklahoma. Of course I would love to send some Missouri caregivers business, but most of my patients are cannabis-naïve and have no idea what will work for them and how much they will need.

Fortunately, for me I lived in OK for 10 years and when my grandparents were in their 80s and 90s I would take frequent trips on short notice, sometimes going there and back in less than 24 hours. My grandparents lived in Claremore and I hear there is dispensary on every corner now. It does make me feel a bit sad and angry and grateful too. When Medical Marijuana came to Oklahoma I tried so hard to have that conversation with my grandmother. For the last few years of her life she was physically addicted to opiates that didn’t really seem to help the pain much. She was taking them just to prevent withdrawal symptoms.

I attempted to have a few conversations with her about trying cannabis and I was not only shot down, the next time I was there she showed me a book that was the 2015 version of “Reefer Madness.”

Once Oklahoma implemented a strict opioid monitoring program getting her Norco filled every month became a source of extreme anxiety. Every 30 days a woman who was 93 would have to plan for someone to take her to the doctor to answer questions like “Do you get anxious if you run out of pain medication?” “Yes.” Do you experience any of these withdraw symptoms? Diarrhea, Abdominal Pain, Outbursts of Anger.” “Yes, yes, and yes.”
Her physician actually talked too much, very friendly, but one time kept her in the office for over two hours talking about politics, “tree huggers,” opioids, and just about everything he had an opinion on. She sat there, probably not listening to much of what he said, wondering when she could get that script. She always got her prescription, but not before she felt like an addict and that something was wrong with her because she experienced pain.

Now onto the pharmacy. Hot off the prescription pad she takes her script to the Wal-Mart pharmacy. If she’s lucky the doctor appointment coordinated with being able to get her refill, which also meant she had about a days’ worth of Norco, not an amount she was comfortable with.

As usual, the pharmacy refilled her script. Then it was back home to count the pills to make sure she had the 120 the script was written for.

During the last few years of my grandmother’s life she didn’t go to her Wednesday hair appointments or many shopping trips, but she did have to get out and go get her Norco.

There was a point when she thought she needed to cut down on the meds. So she did, but not as slowly as she needed to. One day she was laying in her bed and told me she was dying. She had told me that she was not afraid to die and wanted to go on her own terms. I asked if she was ready. She said she was, but she was in too much pain and could not take it any longer. She wanted to go to the hospital. She was admitted for opiate withdrawal and cardiac changes. Unfortunately, she passed away.

It could have been so different with cannabis. I wish I could have taught her what I am now teaching patients, how to heal without getting high. My grandmother trusted me and wanted my opinion on everything related to her medical issues but unfortunately she couldn’t overcome the stigma of marijuana

So now back to the point. When will the dispensaries open? Well they are, but you’ll have to take a drive to Oklahoma and pay $100 to get that temp card. Enjoy your road trip because I know I enjoyed mine even when I wasn’t able to convince my grandmother that a little cannabis chocolate could really help her manage her pain.

See below for a link to apply for your temporary card in OK. 

OMMA Temporary card Application

The Hochstein’s Find Hope

Cannabis & Epilepsy | The Cannabis Care Team of Kansas City, MO

A Nebraska family advocates for the use of cannabis.

Medical marijuana has been making a sweep across our nation as legalization efforts bring the medicine that shows remarkable results to patients in need. While some have been using marijuana as medicine for decades, in recent years, we’ve heard about families with small children who feel as if their children with epilepsy have run out of options without medical marijuana.


The Hochsteins of Nebraska, are one of these families. Son Jayen, aged 10, has intractable epilepsy and suffered from his first seizure at just 4 months old. Jayen had brain surgery in 2014 and has a VNS which is like a pacemaker installed in 2019 and now his family contemplates another brain surgery to stop his seizures.


They have tried every treatment offered to them, but few have been fully successful. Many treatments carry side effects or have not been approved yet for minors. Balancing risk and reward is a balancing act for the family. After a year of steroids, another seemingly viable option at the time, the couple said the seizures returned. Other medications have only worked for a short time.


Nicole Hochstein said she isn’t sure her son can endure many more procedures or unsuccessful treatments. However, she said she also fears he could succumb to sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP).


The youngest Hochstein’s use of cannabis treatment could lead to other benefits, according to his father.


“If he had alternatives such as medical marijuana, it could be possible to take him off some of his current medications that have side effects,” he said. The Hochsteins have become some of the largest and most active voices in Nebraska in terms of legalization efforts and like in many other states, parents of children who have debilitating diseases have found themselves in the role of advocates for an industry they never considered relevant for themselves.


Read more about this family by visiting mom Nichole’s blog. http://nicolehochstein.blogspot.com/

Read their blog here

Cannabigerol: The Next CBD

CBG is now available in all 50 states.

Cannabigerol (CBG)- Gaining much popularity because growers have identified how to grow plants high in CBG with very little THC, thus making it available in all 50 states. CBG has been shown to kill epithelioid cancer cells and “is the next most effective phytocannabinoid (a cannabinoid that comes from plants) against breast cancer after CBD” (Russo, E. 2011). Research has shown it may useful for the treatment of psoriasis, MRSA, pain relief, and depression, and potentially a muscle relaxant.

Where can you find it?

Try your local CBD store that carries products that have a Certificate of Analysis (COA) so you can verify it doesn’t contain any contaminants.

Click below for more information on the Certificate of Analysis.

how to read the COA

Why I am so passionate about cannabis.

Four years ago, I picked up my teenage son from a football game he had played in and the first thing he said to me was “My head is killing me.” I had ibuprofen and Tylenol in the car so I had him take two Tylenol and we went home. He showered, ate, and went to sleep for the night.

At 3 am he was in my room crying, and grabbing both sides of his head, saying “it hurts so bad!” Twelve hours later he had been evaluated by a Sports Medicine doctor and was in the ER awaiting a CT. His diagnosis was a concussion and I was just thankful it wasn’t a brain bleed. We were given concussion discharge instructions and told it should resolve within a few days. It didn’t. Four weeks later he was continuing his speech and physical therapy, and under the care of a psychologist and a neurologist, being prescribed migraine and anti-depressant medications.

It was the worst time of my life to see my son suffer so much and honestly to see him change overnight. He became aggressive, suicidal, and there were two occasions I found him in unconscious in unusual places and he had no idea how he got there. He just remembered feeling dizzy.  

I left my full-time job and we battled Post-Concussion Syndrome for over a year. He saw the best specialists in Kansas City and eventually his dizziness, nausea and vomiting became less frequent, but we just couldn’t find anything to help with the migraines and severe depression. That was until he started consuming marijuana on a regular basis. As a parent I had many concerns, but I could see it was working.

I no longer had to get his migraine meds refilled and he wasn’t punching holes in the wall. He showed me studies and we discussed it with his doctors. They told us that if it was helping, then to keep doing it. Four years later, I have my son back. He’s happy and cheerful and I don’t have to worry about the late night calls I would get from him telling me he wanted to die.  

In the last four years I have read anything and everything I can get my hands on regarding the medical use of cannabis. Working as an RN for 15 years now, I cannot believe it’s taken so long for patients to legally consume the only thing that often gives them hope.  

I am scared to think about what would have happened to my son if he didn’t find cannabis. I truly believe it saved his life.