The medical cannabis industry is one of the fas­ test growing in Florida and across the na琀on. Along with this growth and the increase in users, cannabis nursing is a specialized health care profession emerging within the industry.

Cannabis nurses can provide care, educa琀on, assessments, and support for pa琀ents that use medical cannabis products. They collaborate closely with physicians who can legally rec­ ommend cannabis as medicine.

Since becoming one of the first qualified med­ ical marijuana physicians in Florida, Dr. Joseph

Rosado has seen his pa琀ent load grow to where he now sees 25 to 30 pa琀ents daily. When he heard of the emergence of “medical cannabis nurses,” he didn’t ques琀on whether there was a demand for such a posi琀on. He instead said, “I welcome the prospect of the cannabis nurse educator profession gaining a place in my line of health care.”

 

Sandra Guynes and Ivory Davis are the kind of medical cannabis nurses Dr. Rosado has in mind. Both are registered nurses and well­edu­ cated on the human body’s endocannabinoid system and how it reacts to legal cannabis­ or CBD­infused medica琀ons. The endocannabi­ noid system plays a central role in regula琀ng sleep, pain control, inflammatory and immune responses, mood, appe琀te, and memory.

Ms. Guynes and Ms. Davis are co­founders of Cannabis Nurses of Color, which focuses on providing nurses with reliable and evidence­ based informa琀on on medical cannabis and the endocannabinoid system to help guide pa琀ents through treatments. They also are members of several other groups interested in the medical marijuana industry.

The field of cannabis nursing is so new that there is no cer琀fica琀on program for it yet. S琀ll,

Ms. Guynes says the Na琀onal Council of State Boards of Nursing has issued guidelines for nurses interested in working with medical mar­ ijuana doctors and pa琀ents.

 

“They basically require nurses to understand the endocannabinoid system, how to work with pa琀ents that are using cannabis, how to provide non­judgmental care, and how to be an advocate and an educator,” Ms. Guynes says.

Con琀nuing educa琀on courses and cer琀ficate programs help prepare licensed nurses or stu­ dent nurses who want to work in cannabis health care.

Ms. Davis has taken an ac琀ve role in geng her profession more involved in cannabis health care policy. In her home state of Louisiana, she sup­ ported a bill allowing nurse prac琀琀oners to rec­ ommend medical marijuana. The bill was signed into law and went into effect on Aug. 1, 2022.

While several states empower nurse prac­ 琀琀oners to recommend cannabis treatments, Florida limits that ability to only qualified med­ ical marijuana physicians. The Florida Depart­ ment of Health’s Office of Medical Marijuana Use lists more than 2,200 qualified physicians at www.knowthefactsmmj.com.

Ms. Davis would like to see a standard nursing curriculum cover the endocannabinoid system just as it does the cardiovascular system and have it include educa琀on on medical cannabis.

“This is a unique 琀me to shape health care,” she says. “I like to tell people to get ac琀ve with your nursing organiza琀on on the local levels, be­ cause this topic is going to eventually come up, and you want to be at the table, especially as an advocate.”

Ms.Guynes says for those nurses looking to enter the cannabis nursing profession, make sure to s琀ck to your state’s policies and laws.

“I always say, follow the guidelines, just like any­ thing else. You always want to stay within your scope and standard of prac琀ce. On the Ameri­ can Cannabis Nurses Associa琀on website, they have a scope and standard for cannabis nurses. We have all these resources on our Cannabis Nurses of Color website as well,” says Guynes. “Use the guidelines, and also research your state’s posi琀on on cannabis for your state board of nursing.”

Visit h琀ps://bit.ly/CannabisNursing to watch

MMERI’s Conversa琀ons on Cannabis Virtual Forum featuring Dr. Joseph Rosado, Ivory Davis MN, RN, and Sandra Guynes MSN, RN discuss cannabis nursing. For more informa琀on on medical marijuana and to sign up for the MMERI news­ le琀er, go to h琀p://mmeri.famu.edu.