Cannabis Perspectives 

Madeline Colli is the Associate Editor for Cannabis Patient Care and Cannabis Science and Technology magazines at MJH Life Sciences.

Meg is the Group Editorial Director for Cannabis Patient Care and Cannabis Science and Technology magazines at MJH Life Sciences.

Articles

Dr. Peter Grinspoon, a primary care doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital, an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and a 25-year cannabis specialist, will be a keynote speaker at the upcoming Cannabis Science Conference Fall taking place September 21-22, 2023 in Providence, Rhode Island. Here, Dr. Grinspoon shares his background and interest in medical cannabis as well some policies he’d like to see changed in the future. 

Meet the Cannabis Science Conference Fall Keynote: Dr. Peter Grinspoon

Hear what the business director of a cannabis testing facility has to say about the future of the cannabis industry!

Insights from a Cannabis Laboratory Business Director: Navigating Opportunities in the Evolving Industry

After serving their country, where do veterans find support once they’re home? Even after a tour of duty ends, the battle may be just beginning. Wounds, both visible and unseen, can make returning to civilian life a new struggle, especially with limited treatment options. However, as Canadian veteran, founder of Marijuana for Trauma, and cannabis advocate Fabian Henry explains, veterans need not struggle alone. After finding relief in cannabis to treat his own PTSD, Henry set out to help ensure no other veterans feel desperate and abandoned. Using his own path to healing as an example, Henry pushed back against the stigma around cannabis and encourages it as a therapy. In this interview, he shares how he brings veterans together into the difficult but beneficial process of holistic healing with cannabis as a catalyst. 

From Warzone to Wellness: How Medical Cannabis Is Helping Veterans Find Healing and Community

When you think of cannabis, you probably don’t think of horses or the potential medicinal benefit to animals. However, the cannabinoids found in cannabis have been shown to provide similar benefits in animals that are noted with human patients. In this interview, Emma Davis, founder of Mikko’s Choice, delves into how some cannabinoids—such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), cannabinol (CBN), and tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA)—have provided medicinal benefits to horses. Davis also discusses her mustang, Mikko, who inspired her to launch her own cannabis and hemp product brand.

Breaking the Reins: How One Mustang Found a Second Chance with CBD

A major focus area when it comes to medical cannabis is patient and healthcare education, or rather the lack of that education and rampant misinformation. When Megan Mbengue, BSN, RN, CHPN, saw this gap in educational resources firsthand for people who are looking to use cannabis as a treatment, she decided to launch Trusted Canna Nurse with a mission to break stigma through education. Voted a Cannabis Nurse Entrepreneur of the Year by Cannabis Nurses Networks in 2022, Mbengue and her team offer cannabinoid education, consultations, and a line of products for the spectrum of chronic illnesses. In this interview, Mbengue shares how and why she provides guidance as a cannabis nurse for symptoms of conditions such as ADHD, cancer, autism, chronic pain, and more. She also describes the difficulties presented by the lingering stigma of cannabis and explains her hopes for the role of nurses in medical cannabis.

Bridging the Gap Between Patient and Medical Cannabis: One Nurse Steps Up to the Challenge


In this recent interview, Bruce Kendall  and Dr. Hinanit Koltai of the Volcani Institute share the inspiring story of the late Michelle Kendall and how her passion for science and research brought them all together to study medical cannabis as a potential treatment for ovarian cancer.

Ovarian Cancer and Medical Cannabis Research: Michelle Kendall’s Legacy of Research, Advocacy, and Change

In this video interview, Dr. Dustin Sulak of Healer.com and Integr8 Health shares his experience with older patients and women who are interested in medical cannabis or psychedelics.

Dr. Dusin Sulak on Older Adults and Women’s Health: The Role of Cannabis and Psychedelics

In this video interview, Dr. Dustin Sulak of Healer.com and Integr8 Health shares what he hopes to see happen in the future for patients interested in medical cannabis and psychedelics.

Dr. Dustin Sulak: The Decriminalization and Safe Legal Access to Medical Cannabis and Psychedelics Will Increase Patient Benefits

One of the recurring challenges in the medical cannabis space is the difficulty in conducting research because of the plant’s Schedule I status. Although there are some researchers diving in with special licenses to conduct clinical studies, there are others that are looking at real-world users to supply data. For instance, Dr. Daniel J. Kruger is a Research Investigator with the Population Study Center at the University of Michigan and Principal Investigator on a study being conducted with the Releaf app. Here, Dr. Kruger shares his interest and background in these types of surveys and his plans for the current study with Releaf on chronic pain.

Chronic Pain Research Endeavors: How an App and University Are Presenting Real-World Patient Data

When a patient isn’t able to access the care or medication that they need in their home country, they aren’t left with much of a choice but to travel to a country that will give them the treatment they need. In part II of this interview series, Nikki Lawley, founder of Nikki and the Plant, LLC, and retired licensed practical nurse (LPN), continues discussing her journey to health, the broken healthcare system hurting medical cannabis patients in the US, and what needs to change to make access better for patients.