Patients

A pioneer in global cannabis research, Professor Raphael Mechoulam died March 9th, 2023 in Israel at the age of 92.

In December 2022, hospital staff in Hays, Kansas reported a terminally ill cancer patient to police for use of a cannabis vape pen.

Steve Ellmore, founder of The Unprescribed nonprofit, is a 20-year Air Force veteran. Here, Ellmore shares how his personal experience led him to become a medical cannabis patient and how his award-winning 2020 film, Unprescribed, documents the stories of veterans, cannabis advocacy, and the fight to end veteran suicide.

Recently, the Cannabis Nurses Network held their 2022 nurse appreciation celebration virtually. Events included an expo hall, a year in review, educational sessions and networking, and the awards ceremony.

Due to inflation and rising costs of living, Leaf411 resumed its affordability program to address the needs of patients seeking medical cannabis.

When she was three-and-a-half years old, Brooklyn Hall was diagnosed with anaplastic ependymoma, class 3, a rare and unique form of brain cancer. Here, her mother Meghan Hall shares how Brooklyn’s prognosis drastically changed with the help of Rick Simpson Oil.

View our interactive July/August 2022 digital edition.

Carla Basante discusses how she began using cannabis about 15 years ago to manage chronic pain from a severe back injury and symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS).

What happens when traditional medicine fails a patient? When all recourses have been tried and the patient still suffers? In part I of this interview series, Nikki Lawley, founder of Nikki and the Plant, LLC, and retired licensed practical nurse (LPN), takes us through her journey from a medical professional in the healthcare industry to a brain injury survivor. Lawley also describes the medical cannabis industry from a patient perspective, learning about the medicinal properties of the plant, and finding what ways cannabis could be beneficial to her symptoms.

Thai Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, announced in a May Facebook post that the Thai government will distribute 1,000,000 cannabis plants for medical purposes to households across the nation for free starting in June.

Last week, CannMed held their 2022 medical practicum and science conference in Pasadena, California from May 3 – 5.

View our interactive March/April 2022 digital edition.

Patient Ellen Lennox Smith shares her chronic pain story and how cannabis allowed her to live her life again.

Many medical professionals still believe in the stigma of medical cannabis use. Oftentimes, a personal experience is the only thing that will ultimately change a person’s perspective on medical cannabis. Nique Pichette, MSN, RN, falls into this category. She was against cannabis until she had a recurrence of breast cancer and was left with little other treatment options. Now in remission, Nique believes in the benefits of medical cannabis for a variety of illnesses and helps educate the medical community. Our discussion talks about her personal journey, the way it impacted her nursing career, her current role as a nurse seeking higher education for medical cannabis, and more.

Dr. Jean Talleyrand discusses how he came to view medical cannabis as another form of alternative medicine. Here, he shares the various research he’s involved in and the challenges in conducting cannabis research in general.

The Veterans Action Council (VAC) recently sent US Attorney General Merrick Garland a request to remove cannabis from the federal controlled substances list.

Americans for Safe Access’s (ASA) State of the States report evaluates each state cannabis program from a patient perspective and assigns a grade that reflects patient rights and access to medical cannabis. ASA has released the report annually since 2014 and included two new core categories in the rubric for 2021. This year marks 25 years since the first implementation of a state cannabis law in the US and 20 years since ASA began working with state officials on medical cannabis laws.

Endosane Pharmaceuticals and the University of California Irvine agree to conduct a set of studies to investigate the efficacy of new compounds for the treatment of PTSD.

Veteran’s advocacy organizations are blazing the trail to overcoming treatment denials, fear of losing benefits, and stalled legislative action. Here Eryck Stamper, Jose Belen, Michael Krawitz, and Ron Millward share their stories.

Realm of Caring is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that conducts their own research such as their endeavor of the Observational Research Registry (ORR) study. They are also involved in advocacy work to help battle the stigma surrounding cannabis. In this interview, Nicolas Schlienz, PhD, Research Director at Realm of Caring, discusses the organization’s efforts to educate the public and healthcare professionals on the research being done on medical cannabis.

View our interactive October/November 2021 digital edition.

Overview of the October/November issue

Nique Pichette, MSN, RN, is a two-time breast cancer survivor who shares her unique journey to find healing with medical cannabis and the life-changing impact it had on her both personally and professionally.

California (CA) Governor Gavin Newsom (D), recently signed a medical cannabis bill, also known as “Ryan’s Law,” into law. Entitled from this new legislation, hospitals are now required to permit medical cannabis use by severely ill patients, if they opt to do so.

Medical cannabis is gaining popularity as a treatment alternative for a variety of health issues. The stigma attached to cannabis is still present, but as more research is done, people can see the positives associated with the medicinal plant. Here, Joseph Mazza Jr., Founder and CEO of Compassionate Clinics of America (CCOA), discusses the organization's role in patient affairs, cannabis education, and advocacy work for the industry.

The publication's first and second print issues were nominated in the "Eddies-Magazine Launch-B2B” category of the annual awards program.

Recently, the National Assembly of Panama voted to approve the legalization of medical cannabis, becoming the First Nation in Central America to do so.

View our interactive August 2021 digital edition.