Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1488734
29 patient focus cannapatientcare.com november/december 2022 | cannabis patient care in the cultivation, processing, or distribution, partnering with apothecaries and dispensaries or even making it a hybrid in- dustry of canna-pharma culture," he said. "From a patient point of view, I do want to see regulation. I would like to see the US Food and Drug Administration [FDA] get involved in cannabis. It would help keep it regulated, and I do believe they do right." As the idea of choosing plant-based and holistic treatment over pills takes root, the challenge for adequate research on treatment grows too. Conducting research that could illus- trate the positive effects of cannabis is difficult, as exempli- fied with Dr. Sue Sisley, who is mentioned in Unprescribed as the principal investigator for the only FDA-approved study looking into cannabis for treating veterans with combat-relat- ed PTSD. Frustrated by roadblocks to her research, Dr. Sisley filed a lawsuit against the US Drug Enforcement Administra- tion (DEA) in 2019 for restrictions on the cannabis it allows for official research. "Because it's so tied to DEA and Big Pharma," Ellmore explained, "the government sees research as a threat and the only studies being approved are the ones that focus on the dangers. If you want to get a study that tells you about all the bad, they'll almost give you the grants and the mon- ey to do it. But if you're trying to study the efficacy or the pos- itive sides of it, they're going to stonewall you. Dr. Sisley was persistent enough to continue to fight, fight, fight, fight. To do everything they said, no matter how ludicrous it was. But she got it done." The mission of The Unprescribed is still primarily rooted in plant medicine, so above all else Ellmore promotes the use of plant medicine in its natural state. "We're also seeing a lot of companies doing research so that they can make the synthet- ics," he said. "To me, that defeats the whole purpose of the plant over pills. Why are you going to synthesize something that comes out of the Earth?" Furthermore, using cannabis to treat physical and men- tal injuries can be complicated, especially without access to a medical provider's guidance that comes with taking a pre- scribed pharmaceutical drug. In his own journey as a patient, Ellmore has learned about the importance of understanding how to address and balance the deficiencies our bodies may have. "Learn about the endocannabinoid system and how our bodies actually are connected to the plants," he explained. "We all have deficiencies, and it's important to understand that we're missing something." As one example of how to do this, Ellmore explained how DNA testing kits from Cherissa Jackson's company We Decode helped him gain new insights into how cannabis can work well on a molecular level. "It basically shows genetic indicators of traits you might have, from PTSD to alcoholism and a doz- en others. Knowing these indicators allows me to better take care of my needs. It opened up my mind," he said. "It's sup- posed to measure your metabolism and digestion so you can find out which strains and terpenes work best for you and how you metabolize them. You could see, for example, if edibles are even good or if you should get tinctures or whatnot." As cannabis legalization continues across the country, how does integrative medicine find its place? As many cannabis advocates experience, there are obstacles to overcome before making progress in changes like this. From Propaganda and Stigma to Legalization of Medication Throughout his mission to reach veterans struggling with finding effective treatment, Ellmore runs up against decades of damage done by the War on Drugs. He and others with his nonprofit face an uphill battle to undo the stigma that still clings to cannabis to- day. "We're not everything that the D.A.R.E. program and the 1970s drug acts told us we were," he said. "That was all propaganda, and that's why we need to change the public's mind about cannabis, and show them how they've been lied to. It was a way of con- trolling people, and it's time to change that. We need to fight that propaganda and stigma and realize this is an unjust war on drugs." The stigma and other obstacles to cannabis legalization adds more to the struggle veterans and other patients already face in their need to access medication. "We're asking to get off of the pharmaceuticals," Ellmore explained. "The best way forward to end that stigmatization is for the VA to recognize it. They were the same way with chiropractics, yoga, and holistic healing, and they've embraced those." Building on the mission with his films, plus the work his foundation does promoting alternatives to damaging pharma- ceuticals, this added layer of advocacy work is to change per- spectives and preconceived notions. "I speak to cannabis as the plant of manna from heaven, and that's my philosophy. That's how we're changing the misconceptions and the bias, by showing that we're not drug addicts," he said. The Unprescribed table at a screening at The Bullpen in Washington, D.C. Left to right: Steve Ellmore, Zoe Ellmore, Olivia Ellmore, and Mike Walker. Photo courtesy of Steve Ellmore.