I dove into the medical cannabis movement before I learned the science behind why cannabis helps! WOW! I had no idea why cannabis helped so many but once I understood more, I developed even more reasons to have the passion I have for cannabis.
I believe that United States citizens have been denied access to a medication that is far safer than aspirin and useful for so many conditions and cannabis is the only thing that works for some. Once Oklahoma passed 788 I knew I wanted in this industry but didn’t know in what capacity.
I just dove in and had faith that my path would become apparent. I educated myself on the Endocannabinoid System and immersed myself in cannabis knowledge. I’ve always dreamed of working for myself, writing and teaching. The longer I was in the movement, the more I saw a need and decided to go for it and fill that need!
A large professional nursing organization that was pro-cannabis needed to happen in Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Cannabis Nurses Association was born from this need and my passion.
Our mission is “To Advance Cannabis Medicine Through Education, Advocacy, Partnership and Research.” We are a non-profit organization that will be funded solely by the generosity of the people!
Our non-profit structure will include political activities that involve educating lawmakers in ways to improve patient access and rights. Our charity work will include Uncle Grumpy’s Hemp for Hospice, where a hospice patient in the State of Oklahoma will not have to pay for cannabis medicine.
We also plan to assist the Oklahoma Veterans Cannabis Collective to ensure affordable access to Oklahoma Veterans. Once I have a steady salary for this work, I will donate a percentage of my salary to fund Nurse Laura’s Education Endowment, which will help people who want to work in the industry to afford educational training but can’t afford it.
Our partnerships will include discounts at participating establishments who offer discounts to OCNA members. OCNA will be teaching classes at various locations also.
Once Cannabis is removed from schedule 1, I envision conducting nursing research to develop evidence-based practices to set the standard for Cannabis Nursing as a specialty.
There is much work to be done, but it sure doesn’t feel like work when it’s your passion.