Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1403381
20 cannabis patient care | vol. 2 no. 2 cannapatientcare.com patient focus Proposition 64 (13), and the lack of accessibility and afforda- bility of medical cannabis, I have to cut my dosage to con- serve the supply I can find from California growers who still cater to the medical cannabis market. If I have the extra funds and run out of medicine, I am limited in availability and op- tions of strains and CBD/THC ratio, and have to travel more than hour to the nearest dispensary. A 1: 1 RSO (Rick Simpson oil) from a dispensary can cost between $80-$160 a gram and that's not including tax." Overcoming Obstacles: Tough Choice for a Trained Medical Professional Another medical cannabis patient, Deborah McCauley, BSN, CRRN (CRRN is a type of rehabilitation nurse certification) comes from a unique background within the medical communi- ty, having served as a combat medic for the U.S. Air Force. But her interest in medicine began much earlier. "I start- ed my medical career when I got my first CPR card at the age of 10 from the Babysitters Club of America," McCauley said. "That's where my stage was set. I volunteered in an emergen- cy room when I was 16 and subsequently joined the United States Air Force when I was 19." McCauley was a combat medic for two years, diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy before being honorably separat- ed from the Air Force. She returned home to northern Virginia, where she continued to work as a medical assistant until she met her husband. "He encouraged me to go back to school to obtain my RN," she said. But it wasn't until 2014 when a friend told her that cannabis could be beneficial for the pain she had been dealing with as a rehabilitation nurse working with heavy patients. "Of course, my 'just say no' training gave me pause," McCauley said. "But it wasn't very long before I gave it a go." McCauley was using various pharmaceuticals at the time to maintain control over her epilepsy. "I used to take a lot of pharmaceuticals. I mean, over the years I have probably tried ever y seizure medication possible and I kept going back to one ver y old medication," she said. "But I had no idea how it was affecting me. I was personally unaware of the side ef- fects until my husband asked me why I was acting so dumb, I was experiencing severe cognitive difficulty, which was af- fecting our communication. I had no idea that there were other options out there." She slowly transitioned over to only cannabis for both her pain and her epilepsy, with her neurologist's approval. She said that using cannabis helped bring mental clarity to her studies as she worked on getting her Bachelor of Science in nursing degree. "It got my nursing brain working," she said. "How did cannabis work so well? Why did it work so well? Why were we all lied to?" She eventually connected with the local Virginia NORML chap- ter, then reached out to both the American Cannabis Nursing As- sociation (ACNA [14]) and the Cannabis Nurses Network (15). "I lobbied at the Virginia State Capitol in January of 2019. Our ask was to 'Let Doctor's Decide,'" she said. "I have been integrating myself into the field and really putting myself out there as an activist and an advocate for the needs and the rights of patients." McCauley is currently in pursuit of a Juris Master's from Florida State University School of Law with a focus in health- care regulation. It is here she hopes to gain more insight on how to positively change the perception surrounding entheo- genic plant medicines. Fighting Negative Perceptions At first, it wasn't easy to make the choice of treating herself with cannabis. "I struggled with discontinuing my medication because of that stigma that was ingrained within me," McCau- ley said. "But after learning more and seeing that the conver- sation was being had, that's when I joined several associations and started to understand more. It was truly eye opening. I've been on a mission ever since to dispel the lie that was told to us so long ago. Cannabis is now the only medication I use to maintain control over my epilepsy and my other ailments, like my chronic pain, my ADHD, and all of the fun perimenopausal symptoms that I'm experiencing as I age gracefully." McCauley retired from bedside nursing in 2018 due to inju- ry and burnout. "Most of the comments I get is that I'm just Nurse Deb McCauley on Active Duty at Travis Air Force Base (AFC), CA in 1999.