Schedule 1 Status Hurts Patients Like My Dad
Written By Melanie Rizzo
At first, my dad was wholly against trying any cannabis products. However, his pain continued, as did his refusal to take any narcotic pain relievers. He started low and slow and worked his way up to a full 10mg. His mood lifted, and best of all, he was eating and sleeping soundly.
This progress came to a screeching halt when he was hospitalized for the treatment of his leukemia. A broken, overregulated system prevents patients from receiving their medical cannabis as part of their treatment regimen at most hospitals. Doctors can be prosecuted for prescribing cannabis to their patients because of the plant’s Schedule 1 status.
The possibility for cannabis to aid those suffering from a multitude of ills is still not fully understood, but when our loved ones are benefiting from the use of a harmless, natural herb like cannabis, it’s nearly unfathomable to believe that this plant has been cursed by our government for nearly 100 years.
How on earth is it possible that we regularly ingest toxic substances in our food, in our water, and in our pharmaceuticals, but a friendly green plant is vilified? It makes you wonder – how many nefarious things are going on behind the scenes, unbeknownst to the majority of us?
An Interview and Weeding Announcement with Penny Lane
Written By Mike Robinson
November is Epilepsy Awareness Month, and thus a great time to talk about how our beautiful fat nugs get used by patients and people in the cannabis industry that use the plant to stop seizures. The world went nuts with the Weed Series on CNN that featured kids battling through the grips of this complex neurological issue that's known for taking 50,000 lives a year. Many don't consider the adults in the World of Purple as they paint their faces and hair that color this month to celebrate their continued life, their will, and their ability to overcome.
Penny Lane is one of those adults. Let's talk with Penny Lane about her Mary Jane and how it changed her life.
Americans for Safe Access Launch “Air Shred For ASA” Challenge Calling for Cannabis Brands to Participate
Written By Bri Smith
The Air Shred for ASA Challenge models after the ALS ice bucket challenge, but thankfully you won’t have to be doused in freezing water to participate. To take part in the challenge, participants are asked to post a video of themselves “air shredding” in whatever creative way they come up with. Some choose to air shred their invisible guitars to music, others shred paper with stigmatized messages on them, while some shred cheese - because why not? There’s no limit to the creative application of the term shred. Then, share the video through social media, tagging #ASAChallenge and #AirShredforASA, before nominating several friends or colleagues to join in the challenge.
All Cannabis Use is Therapeutic: The Medical vs. Recreational Cannabis Debate
Written by Jason Bird
Cannabis is one of the oldest known and most used plants on the planet, with evidence of this dating back almost 10,000 years according to recent archaeological findings near East Asia. With numerous uses as a source of medicine, food, fuel, and fiber, it’s really not a stretch then to say that all cannabis use and uses have therapeutic value for us in the physical, emotional, and spiritual realms.
From Red to Pink - Part II: The Backstory
Written By Lindsey Gunter
THE BACKSTORY: Have you ever seen that movie, “The Wolf of Wall Street”? You know the part where Leonardo DiCaprio’s character is dragging himself for dear life to his car on quaaludes? Yeah, some of us watch that and can’t laugh nor stare in disbelief; we only remember seeing our loved one(s) like that in real life. Watching that scene immediately transported me to the parking lot of my middle school in Houston.
My dad, who was having a major back spasm and seizing inside the open trunk, was asking me to not tell mom I had to drive us home (again). I was waving the rich girls of the local neighborhood off with a smile, dismissing the situation as handled, just so they could walk the short distance home to their own lovely, messed up lives where they threw themselves down flights of stairs to frame new stepmothers.
Can a Nurse Flourish in the Cannabis World?
Written by Natalie Goldberg
I am in the midst of a major transition. A few years ago, I took a job as a cannabis nurse. I felt burnt out by psychiatric nursing after having dispensed opiates and narcotics to patients that showed up monthly with little to no improvement in their health, despite years of trying. Feeling indifferent about being a nurse took over my entire attitude. At the time, I was living far from my hometown because of an attempt at living in a recreational-cannabis state. Unfortunately I ended up working in a non-recreational state. Inspired by my loneliness and defeat, I decided to look for work back home in Florida.
It was 2019 and Florida’s medical marijuana program had really taken off. When I found a clinical position for medical personnel, preferably a nurse, to provide treatment and education on the endocannabinoid system, I freaked out. I interviewed and they were excited that I was a fan of cannabis and that I could also give vitamin injections, so they hired me. I was in shock. My life changed in seconds as I began the transition from psych nurse to cannabis nurse.