Cannabis Nurse Truths

Cannabis is on the move in the United States. From the DEA holding up rescheduling efforts to triple AAA crafting recommendations for policies that affect public health, cannabis is now in the spotlight of American health. With more scientific research indicating that cannabis is indeed a medicine, more public health institutions are taking note that it must be integrated into the delivery of healthcare. With over 75% of Americans ...

As our country shifts its perspectives in so many paradigms, we are now recognizing how harmful pharmaceutical drugs can be for the human body.  Previous research has indicated that autism spectrum disorder affected 1 in 36 children in the US.  However, with Robert F. Kennedy as our new Secretary of Health & Human Services, it was recently reported that that number had changed - we now consider the prevalence of ASD to be 1 in ...

It is almost 420, and for stoners around the world, that means a day of celebration because legend has it that 420 brought 4 teenagers together at a certain time in the afternoon after school to partake. So we can celebrate on one hand that we have come a long way since the 1970s, but we still have a long way to go when we consider how cannabis is still considered illegal at the federal level, and in many cases, in certain aspects ...

Cannabis has been used by humans for over 6,000 years and is considered to be one of the first plants specifically cultivated for human use. In industrial uses, cannabis can be made into fibers, paper, oil, biofuel, animal bedding and feed, and construction materials, like hempcrete, hemp lumber, and hemp insulation.

As a medicine, cannabis can be specifically tailored to treat a disease by targeting the two major actions of cannab...

The human body is an amazing physiological machine. The old adage, “you are what you eat,” has proven time and again to be true, as our body takes what we ingest and turns it into energy and nutrients, while protecting us against harmful bacteria and supporting our nervous system.  

There is increasing evidence that our body’s gut microbiota - bacteria, fungus, and other intestinal microbes - have a beneficial symbiotic relationshi...

To date, cannabis has been legalized or decriminalized in 23 states, and 32 states have passed medical marijuana laws. This means that 74% of Americans live in a state where marijuana is legal for either recreational or medical use, and 54% live in a state where the recreational use of marijuana is legal. Yet within each state lies a hidden population: a group of gun owners who are now considered criminals by the federal government...

Approximately 40 million people worldwide are living with HIV, and more people are living longer because of advances in medicine and pharmaceuticals.  Developed in the late 1980s, antiretroviral therapy is credited with providing better viral control, but these pharmaceuticals are not without their downside, as they are expensive, complex in action, and have many adverse effects. 

As we continue to expand our knowledge about cannab...

Welcome to an emerging post-prohibition world, where cannabis is legal around the globe and consumers are using cannabis in everyday living. Hemp fibers and seeds are used for construction and food, while the compounds that are extracted from cannabis - the cannabinoids - are used as medicine. The industry is growing at a rapid pace, driven by consumer demand which has ignited an unprecedented body of research, innovation and techn...

At the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley lies Elkton, Virginia, a town composed of 1.4 square miles and populated with just under 3000 residents.  But there is a secret operation in this sleepy little rural town - a hemp company run by the Johnson family.  Pure Shenandoah is a true seed-to-sale company, with its three brothers serving as foundational members to provide hemp for not only industri...

Did you know that every cannabis plant sold legally in the United States is tracked from the time it is planted to the moment it reaches the consumers’ hands?  This is a mandated process called Seed-to-Sale, and while the intention of these regulations is to keep legal cannabis off the illegal market while ensuring transparency in the supply chain, there is a growing concern about how Seed-to-Sale data is used and the burdens relat...

Stoner. Pothead. Loser. Couch potato.  These are just a few of the choice names for individuals who choose to use a plant to self-medicate or relax.  The stereotypes related to the cannabis enthusiast have been crafted over decades of lies and deceit, and in the public eye, cannabis is promoted as a harmful gateway drug only used by the lowest elements of our society.

That stereotype is changing fast, as numerous high-profile indiv...

In 1998, a group of researchers proposed a hypothesis known as the Entourage Effect, in which a multitude of the compounds found in cannabis can synergistically work together based on the fact that these effects were also seen in the synergism properties associated with our own endocannabinoids. However, after 26 years, this hypothesis has never been supported clinically, meaning that while we have a lot of proposals and a lot of r...

Welcome back to our Cannabis Nurse Truths podcast!  Lee and I took some much-needed time off for the holidaze but we are back to share more truths about cannabis as we move into a new year.

2024 was a crazy year for the cannabis industry, and in the United States, we anticipate more changes as federal, state, and even global perceptions of cannabis shift dramatically.  In this episode, we reflect on some of the major events that ha...

Several years ago, a medical case appeared that took the scientific and medical community by storm. A patient appeared for surgery who reported never feeling anxiety, depression, or pain, despite numerous injuries and surgeries for which she required treatment.  As scientists analyzed her genetic profile, they discovered something amazing - Joanne Cameron lacked the genetic code that was responsible for transmitting pain and creati...

In the schizophrenic United States of Cannabis, Americans have been denied fundamental Constitutional Rights because of their choice to use a plant. Long after court requirements are satisfied from a marijuana charge, many Americans are denied basic rights like employment, voting, housing, property, child custody, and college loans that keep them from Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. As the laws and regulations regardin...

In order to understand how we ended up in the schizophrenic United States of Cannabis, we have to travel back in time to when cannabis was part of the American experience.  For nearly 150 years after the first colony was established in Jamestown, Virginia, cannabis was utilized for spiritual rituals, rope, fibers, textiles, bird seed, oils and medicine, both for humans and pets. Until one day, a bunch of men in business suits decid...

Previous research has indicated that driving impaired while under the influence of cannabis can increase safety concerns for both driver and passengers, and that cannabis users are more likely to drive while impaired because of the perception that drugged driving is not as risky as drunk driving.

However, prior driving research studies focused mainly on healthy individuals using intoxicating levels of THC, which do not provide real...

Previous research has indicated that driving impaired while under the influence of cannabis can increase safety concerns for both driver and passengers, and that cannabis users are more likely to drive while impaired because of the perception that drugged driving is not as risky as drunk driving.

However, prior driving research studies focused mainly on healthy individuals using intoxicating levels of THC, which do not provide real...

Cannabis users are both considered criminals and protected under federal laws.  What a mess.  One of the most significant issues surrounding cannabis use, especially in states where medical marijuana is legal, is the ability to use state-sanctioned medical marijuana, which is typically protected under disability laws, but yet can also be punitive as employers are allowed to terminate employees for cannabis use. Another pressing con...