THE weed & wellness ISSUE
38
FROM STIGMA C
ANNABIS has long been a polarizing topic in the medical community, but 2023 marked a pivotal moment for its integration into health care. That September, the American Nurses Association (ANA) — an organization representing more than 5 million nurses nationwide — officially recognized Cannabis nursing as a specialty. Less than a year later, in June 2024, the ANA and the American Cannabis Nurses Association (ACNA) jointly published “Cannabis Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice,” solidifying the role of Cannabis nurses in the broader health care system. “This is huge,” said Dr. Deanna Sommers, PhD, RN, CPNP, incoming ACNA president-elect for 2025 and one of the lead authors of the publication. “If you look at other specialties, they all have a scope and standards. Now we finally do too.” The publication addresses the unique challenges nurses face in providing safe and ethical care for patients using Cannabis. From educating patients about its potential benefits and risks to navigating the complexities of federal and state laws, Cannabis nursing aims to bridge a critical gap in modern health care.
leafmagazines.com
A N E W FRO N TI E R
Nursing is often described as the backbone of health care, with nurses consistently ranking among the most trusted professionals. Cannabis, however, has long existed in a legal and cultural gray area, creating serious challenges for both nurses and patients. “Nurses are the most trusted organization through and through, and most people don’t go to their physician and say, ‘Hey, I was thinking about trying Cannabis,’” said Nicole Foss, MBA, RN and current president of the ACNA, during our conversation. “No, they’re going to talk to the nurse.” That means, whether they like it or not, nurses are already on the front lines of guiding Cannabis-using patients. The ACNA’s new specialty scope and standards give them the tools to do it responsibly. So, what is a Cannabis nurse? Cannabis nursing is officially defined “WE NEED as a specialty TO EMPOWER practice focused on the care of health NURSES SO care consumers THEY CAN seeking education and guidance in EMPOWER the therapeutic use PATIENTS.” of Cannabis. This encompasses everything from discuss-2024 ACNA PRESIDENT ing Cannabis’s poNICOLE FOSS, MBA, RN, tential benefits and ON THE IMPORTANCE risks to ensuring its OF EDUCATION safe integration with AND ADVOCACY other medications.
jan. 2025
The ACNA was founded in 2006 by visionary leaders, the late nurse Julia (Ed) Glick and Mary Lynn Mathre, during the Fourth National Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics. It began as a collective of passionate nurses supporting medical cannabis patients when the field was still deeply stigmatized. According to Foss, the group’s earliest efforts centered on “helping patients figure out how to navigate Cannabis when it was very, very taboo,” but it soon evolved to address bigger hurdles, such as outdated school policies, inconsistent regulations and a lack of formal education in nursing curricula. F ROM TAB OO TO T EXT B OOK
With education at the head of their mission, the ACNA stepped in to begin formal
"Cannabis Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice" outlines 18 standards, divided between the traditional nursing process (assessment, diagnosis, outcomes, planning, implementation and evaluation) and professional performance (ethics, collaboration, research, education and more).