Kala Sanmartin. (Submitted photo/Kala Sanmartin)

By Jennifer Olson

health care

Compassionate, personalised care is a focus for medical cannabis nurses

Dec 22, 2023 | 7:00 AM

A groundbreaking training program for nurses is helping to reshape the approach to medical cannabis in Canadian health care.

In collaboration with the Canadian Institute of Integrative Nursing and Education (The CIINDE), Kala Sanmartin, RN has created the Holistic Cannabis Nurse Program, an accredited continuing education program for nurses, the first of its kind in Canada.

The program covers cannabis history, the Canadian Cannabis Act, the anatomy and physiology of the endocannabinoid system, various phytocannabinoids and terpenes, and routes of administration for cannabis. Nurses are instructed on how to use a holistic nursing perspective to support those who are curious about cannabis, as well as experienced cannabis users. The program emphasises the importance of customised care tailored to individual patients and their unique endocannabinoid systems.

“Cannabis is a powerful tool that can be used to support an individual’s endocannabinoid system, but there is more to it than just teaching people how to use cannabis,” explained Sanmartin.

“It is about meeting individuals where they are at, valuing their human experience, and facilitating education and care of the endocannabinoid system with the use of cannabis and other healthy living behaviours.”

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While regulated medical cannabis has been legal for 22 years in Canada, there is still stigma surrounding its use. Part of dismantling cannabis stigma is through education.

“Our program addresses stigma by examining the history of cannabis, current trends in Canada regarding cannabis use, and the impact on society from an epidemiological perspective,” Sanmartin outlined.

“This background gives the nurses the confidence they need to advocate for clients that are currently using cannabis or wanting to explore the use of cannabis for various reasons. The nurses are taught to use correct language when speaking of the plant and to avoid using stigmatised terms like marijuana or ganja. Each nurse is taught to review the history of cannabis with their clients and to explore the client’s experience with stigma, as well as their own personal biases. The goal after consultation is that the client will feel educated, empowered and relatively unapologetic of their use of cannabis for wellness reasons.”

Medical cannabis is sought after by some of the country’s most vulnerable demographics who are seeking alternatives to conventional treatments. The medical cannabis approach is nuanced and compassionate, and personalised care is emphasised.

“Statistically, we know that those that come to medical cannabis in Canada tend to be over the age of 55, on multiple medications, and are likely accessing cannabis because their previous treatments did not work, or had negative side effects,” Sanmartin stated.

“This paints a picture of a very vulnerable individual. There are many nuances to finding the right regime, the right products, the right cannabinoids, the right routes of administration that fit into those vulnerable individual’s lives. Having a nurse present to listen, educate, guide and support massively increases the efficacy of this plant and also helps the individual to engage in healthy behaviours outside of cannabis use to support the endocannabinoid system.”

Sanmartin’s program highlights the importance of empathy, personalised care and destigmatisation in order to transform and improve the current approach to cannabis in health care.

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info@westernbuzz.ca