Hemp for Victory

As the granddaughter, daughter, niece, cousin, and friend of veterans I have seen first-hand the sacrifices made to fulfill an internal patriotic duty and unfortunately the consequences too.

However, what I have seen pales in comparison to the tragedy a group of veterans I recently spent time with have experienced. This group of veterans, so determined to make cannabis accessible for vets, that they decided to start the conversation in Texas. Arguably, the most difficult state to become qualified for medical cannabis in, with only two dispensaries serving a state that took my family and I twelve hours to drive across. 

West Point graduates, a Major General, Army, Navy, military physicians and nurses. All there for one cause, cannabis. As they began to share their stories, they spoke of opiate addiction,  the VA’s ineffective treatment of PTSD, and the all too many vets they’ve known who have taken their own lives. 

Much different than the industry meetings and scientific conferences I frequent, you could feel the suffering. They weren’t there to talk about sales projections or results of studies, they were there to talk about how cannabis could have healed their friends. Although the losses were vast the energy the group had was greater. These were folks who were not going to stop until cannabis was an option for every soldier. These are the leaders that will make a difference. 

The next event will be held in Kansas City, MO on April 19, 2022 so stay tuned to our social media pages for updates. 

Much love,

April

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Nurses Say Education Should Take Priority

Brandon Dunn, of Greenway magazine, recently met with April Hatch and Dedee Culley to talk about priorities in a medical market and they agree the priority is education. 

“Most of the dispensaries are offering a private area to complete patient consultations in, have printed education, education online, but most of the education takes place when the patient is at the counter determining what products to select,” Hatch explained. “Some are also hosting patient educational events, which is a great opportunity to bring new patients to the dispensary. Some of these are more cannabis-community-focused, and some are more geared to the medical patients,” Hatch said.

For her part, Culley says that while many operators are going above and beyond, there are more who could do better. “Sadly, I see many operations meeting only minimal state requirements,” Culley said. “From a financial aspect, they tend to see the cost of having a healthcare professional available to patients as an expense only, so they don’t hire or partner with these individuals. The truth is that these professionals not only serve the patients but, so far, the statistics that we have shown that these patients tend to return time and time to that facility and spend more money over time.”

To read the full article, click below!

PATIENT EDUCATION TAKES PRIORITY

How Do I Take Medical Cannabis?

Each method of consuming cannabis medicine has its own effect, even when using the same strain of cannabis. Why? Well, different methods involve different physiological pathways.

There’s no best delivery method as each has its usefulness, drawbacks, and therapeutic effects in certain situations. Here are the most common methods for consuming cannabis medicine.

Inhalation: Onset 1-5 minutes; Duration 1-6 hours

  • Smoking it OR preferably, inhaling vaporized flower

Positives: fast onset creates ease in consuming your correct dosage and it’s convenient. It’s also ideal for people with nausea, vomiting or other conditions that make swallowing difficult.

One drawback is that inhaled cannabis is more likely to cause cardiovascular side effects, has a shorter duration, and a higher abuse potential.

Herbal vaporizers using cannabis flower are considered a healthier way to consume cannabis because it greatly reduces the number of harmful substances created compared to smoking. The vapor produced is warm and non-irritating, with little to no smell.

Ingestion by Mouth: Onset within 1-2 hours; Duration 4-12 hours

  • Edibles – Cannabis added to food or drink
  • Capsules
  • These are absorbed through your GI tract and then metabolized by your liver
  • Ingestion changes cannabinoids into a form with longer duration of action

Be very cautious when consuming edibles; start with an extremely small amount like 1 -2 milligrams. To avoid unpleasant after-effects, wait at least 2 hours before ingesting a second dose. If this small initial dose does what you want it to do, stick with it and don’t add another dose. If the effect isn’t strong enough, the next time you consume it, up the dose slightly by only 1 – 2 milligrams and continue to do so until you get a therapeutic effect. People new to cannabis should start SLOWLY with edibles.

Liquid Cannabis Extracts: Onset 10-45 minutes; Duration 2-8 hours

  • Taking liquid extracts; tinctures or oils absorbed through the mouth or swallowed
  • Measure carefully using the metered dropper provided with the bottle and place it in your mouth under your tongue; wait 60-90 seconds before swallowing

One of most versatile methods, this method works well for most people

  • Convenient, discreet and easy to dose correctly

Topicals (External; on skin):  Onset and Duration Variable

  • Applying cannabis lotions, salves or patches to the skin
  • Many can be made at home to alleviate pain, muscle spasms, inflammation, itching and various skin conditions
  • Topicals do not typically produce psychoactive effects
  • “Transdermals” – are a medicated patch you place on the painful body part, have better absorption and will have full body effect. However, they can cost more than other methods.

Raw Cannabis (THCA): Onset 2-45 minutes; Duration 2-8 hours

  • It does NOT produce psychoactive effects; it’s the raw (Acidic) plant material
  • It has a higher terpene content and a broad range of  therapeutic benefits for conditions such as arthritis, epilepsy, chronic pain, digestive disorders
  • Typically taken by mouth in a tincture or spray
  • Fresh raw cannabis flowers can be eaten directly, prepared into an oil, made into “canna cubes” or brewed into a tea

Rectal (Cannabis Suppositories): Variable Onset & Duration

  • These can be useful for treating pain in pelvis and low back
  • They can also be used for people unable or prefer not to inhale or swallow cannabis
  • Limited research shows a wide variability in absorption

Be sure to consult with a qualified Medical Cannabis healthcare provider as well as your personal healthcare provider for more information and assistance.

 

Taru Fisher, Certified NLP Health Practitioner & NLP Coach
Healer Certified Medical Cannabis Wellness Advisor

 

 

Copyright 2021 Jean Taru Fisher

Used with permission

 

Elders & Cannabis

I use the term instead Elder rather than “Senior” or “Boomer” because for me, the title of Elder represents the wise Elder of our human Tribe. Indigenous peoples revere their elders for their knowledge, common sense, and their wisdom gathered over the years. “Senior” is overused and undervalued, and Boomer has become a term of derision on social media. I am very proud to be considered an “Elder” in our society!

Now that I’ve cleared that up, let’s move on to cannabis use and Elders.

Why would an Elder want or need to use cannabis? Perhaps a family member or friend has mentioned their success using it, or they read the recent AARP statement declaring their support of medical cannabis.  If you are an Elder, chances are you’ve heard of cannabis (marijuana) and may have even tried it when you were younger. You may even be using it now.

A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association1 shows a significant increase in the numbers of people 65 and over who use cannabis; in the United States cannabis use increased sharply from 0.4% in 2006 and 2007 to 2.9% in 2015 and 2016.

Adults with a chronic disease, diabetes, had a 180% relative increase in use in 2015. People with 1 or less chronic diseases also had a very significant increase of 95.8% in cannabis use.

They also found an increase in cannabis use by alcohol-using older adults, a trend that bears watching and education about the harm that can arise from using these two substances together.

While the stigma around marijuana that was deliberately created in the early 1900’s still remains but is lessening, multiple cases of anecdotal evidence exist showing it is helpful for relieving insomnia, chronic pain, neuropathy, anxiety, and reducing the overuse of opioid medications and other painkillers, among many others.

There are impairment risks associated with cannabis use in older adults which are dependent on dosing, which cannabis products are being consumed, and how you take them. Some of these are dizziness, lightheadedness and thinking or perception disorders. These can be avoided or relieved with education about dosages, methods of ingestion, and techniques for dampening the unwanted side effects should they occur.

Elders need to become educated about cannabis and find knowledgeable medical professionals who can assist them in their cannabis journey. We Elders so often have several health conditions being treated with multiple drugs, it is very important for us to have sound medical advice about our medical cannabis use to avoid dangerous drug interactions. Of particular concern are blood-thinners and anti-seizure medications. Always inform your medical providers about your cannabis use so they can check for drug interactions, potential problems, etc.

I’ve included a link to Dr. Dustin Sulak’s handout, Healer Medical Cannabis Healthcare Provider Info booklet, https://healer.com/landing/provider-cannabis-guide/. It will be invaluable for helping your healthcare provider understand medical cannabis usage.

Taru Fisher

Healer Certified Medical Cannabis Wellness Advisor 

NLP Health Practitioner and NLP Coach

© 2021 Jean-Anne Taru Fisher

Used with Permission

 

1  Trends in Cannabis Use Among Older Adults in the United States, 2015-2018 | Geriatrics | JAMA Internal Medicine | JAMA Network

 

 

Missouri Medical Refuge

Abby Rowe, medical refuge from Missouri could be in  good company as patient counts surpass 100k in her home state.

What does set Abby apart from many of the other patients is the rare connective tissue disorder she suffers from called Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes. The Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) are a group of hereditary disorders of connective tissue that are varied in the ways they affect the body and in their genetic causes. The underlying concern is the abnormal structure or function of collagen and certain allied connective tissue proteins.  The disorder, among other ways it ravages its sufferers, causes progressive pain, fatigue, and skin problems.  

In an interview in May, Abby said, “In college, the physicality of going to class and studying in the library really started to take a toll on me. My doctors didn’t know how to treat me; it was a disease that they didn’t know much about.” She adds, “Now they know so much more, but at that point, they didn’t.” Abby clarifies that at this point in her early college experience, she was confused and suffering without guidance or understanding from many. 

After a mutual friend suggested that she talk with a medical cannabis advocate, she started to open up to the idea of cannabis as medicine.  It did benefit her. In fact, she eventually got off the other drugs that she says, “I didn’t need anyway,” and that were lowering her standard of living, causing her to live in a haze. She replaced those drugs with medical cannabis. But shortly after, a doctor told her she needed to seek alternative medicine and suggested she move to Colorado in order to legally medicate.  

Abby ultimately made the decision to move so that she could seek the medical care that she desperately needed. She recalls that people called her a “medical refugee” when she moved from Missouri to Colorado around 2013. After five years, she then moved to New Hampshire, where she has been for nearly two years, another state in which medical marijuana is legal.

While she has found legal and safe access to medical cannabis in a different state, Abby looks forward to coming back to Missouri once marijuana is accessible. Given Missouri’s recently legalized medical cannabis program and slow-moving progress will soon ramp up as operators continue to come online and become fully operational. Abby hopes to come back to the state she loves once her needs can legally be met. 

GET YOUR MEDICAL MARIJUANA CARD HERE

Kansas Considers Cannabis

On February 24, proponents of Kansas House Bill 2184 testified before the Federal and State Affairs Committee to advocate for patient access and amendments to the bill. 

Our fearless leader, nurse April, was one of them. During the 3 minutes she was given to speak she shared two stories, the story of her grandmother who suffered due to opiates and the other, a story about a boy diagnosed with autism who has made great progress since he began a high CBD, low THC oil.

April strongly encouraged the committee to allow the sale of dried cannabis flower, home cultivation, to provide patient protections, and to add autism to the list of qualifying conditions.

To read her full testimony and Todd Scattini’s, a veteran and strong supporter of medical cannabis as an alternative to the often ineffective pharmaceuticals prescribed to veterans, visit the state legislature site here.

 Kansas HB 2184 Proponent Testimonies

To read the Kansas Reflector article where both April and Todd are quoted, please follow the link below. 

Read the KS Reflector Article here