Maitri pharmacy team: Why I became a medical marijuana Pharmacist

Heather

After working in retail chain pharmacy for 13 years, I was feeling burnt out from long scheduled days in busy stores with little help. I needed a change. I found it in a compounding pharmacy, where medications are personalized for each patient. I helped doctors formulate prescriptions based on individual patient needs from powders, creams and tablets.

It was during this time that I received a letter from a physician asking me to complete a survey about medical marijuana. My interest started here. MEDICAL marijuana? What was this? So I bought books, followed newspaper articles and attended a conference. I was now envisioning the benefits the industry would bring to so many patients and professions.

Shortly afterwards, the pharmacy closed and I went to work at a mail order pharmacy. I was certain within a month that this position was not for me. There wasn’t any patient contact. You didn’t get to know your patients personally and I really missed it.

When I joined Maitri, I knew it was going to be life changing, but I didn’t know how personally it was going to affect me. Every day is a new learning experience. Helping patients find the correct dosage and form and watching them improve has been so rewarding.

I was then diagnosed with breast cancer less than a year after working at the dispensary. I used medical marijuana for symptom control during chemotherapy and radiation with great results. So I wonder did I find medical marijuana?- or did it find me?

Annie

Honestly, I was looking for a change after I had my first child, mostly because of the commute to my old job. When I was on maternity leave, I took a CE (continuing education) course about medical marijuana and was like, “THIS IS SO COOL!” I had the incredibly uninformed misconception that medical marijuana works because it makes you high so you forget that you have pain/neuropathy/past trauma, etc.

So when I learned about the endocannabinoid system and general pharmacodynamics of cannabinoids, I was sold. I also really appreciated (and still do) the autonomy and patient relationships that this type of position provides. Helping patients start and fine-tune a regimen is both very rewarding and, at times, very stressful. I take patients’ responses to medical marijuana very personally. I remember professors in school talking about “working at the top of your license,” and I feel like the complexities of helping patients establish their medical marijuana regimens allows me to do that.

Markita

Throughout college, I found cannabis to be extremely beneficial — both in mental and physical well-being. However, once my consumption became more consistent, so did the judgments. I never felt so alienated alongside my peers. Cannabis was largely frowned upon. I mean we were studying to become Doctors of Pharmacy — drug information specialists — and here I am finding solace and wellness in a Controlled Substance! It was THE biggest secret to keep throughout my career, even with my family.

When I moved back to this place I called home, I continued my career managing a clinical retail pharmacy despite the love for it fading quicker by the day. I no longer felt valued as a healthcare professional. With the health industry becoming a (Big) Business, moving further away from its purpose, I certainly did not feel secure that my role was truly in health and wellness. I felt as though I was advocating the benefits of so many drugs that I personally did not believe in. My parents always joked how can a Pharmacist be so anti-drug, researching all things natural before pharmaceuticals. My heart always wanted to intertwine my love for cannabis with my career, so I began the steps to make it happen.

When the opportunity presented itself, it was Maitri that felt like home. Here I get to be ME. Here I get to prove you can be a board-certified health professional who enjoys medicating with a plant. Cannabis IS my essential business. Not only do I get to advocate for something I believe in, not only do I get to SEE how life-changing this plant is for many, but more importantly for me, I get to take part in curbing the negative connotations associated with cannabis while advocating for professionals, just like me.

Darlene

My ‘why’ began when my now 26 year old son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the young age of 8 (my husband is also a type 1 diabetic, but it is much different when you are dealing with your child who must now deal with this diagnosis.) Vincent had tons of ear infections and allergies since childhood, so I began to do a lot of research into natural remedies. (All of my grown kids friends still come to me if they want a turmeric mushroom latte for pain, a relaxing reishi mushroom hot chocolate before bed or some elderberry to fight a virus to name just a few). The more that I learned, the more I began to realize that natural remedies should play a huge role in our health and overall wellbeing.

I have been a licensed, practicing pharmacist for over 30 years. I was getting burnt out with the 12-14 hour shifts without a break or being able to even sit down for even a moment (I am getting too old for that!). I daily saw the frustration from patients who wished to have a "say" in their health. I was self educated to a small degree regarding the health benefits of cannabis, but after speaking to some acquaintances who used it for their health conditions, I decided to research further. I was intrigued by the complexities of this plant-and the wide range of health benefits that it addresses, which lead, in part, to my decision to take the courses necessary for certification.

It was the best career decision of my life. It gives me great joy to "hand the keys of control of their health" back to the patient. The role of the pharmacist is to educate, counsel and advise-and that's what we do at Maitri. We LISTEN to the patient as an individual, and we allow them to play a major role in THEIR health. We offer education, counseling and advise, but in the end, it is the patient who decides what is best for them (unless, of course, there are certain restrictions placed upon them by their doctor.)

I am daily grateful for the opportunity to be a pharmacist who specializes in cannabis, especially in these exciting times. People are increasingly receptive to using cannabis as real medicine and recognizing it as such.

Terri

I became interested in cannabinoid pharmacology following the death of my son to an opioid use disorder. Through intensive review of the literature and extensive learning about the endocannabinoid system as nature's harm reduction system, I dedicated this half of my career to his memory. Ry is my why.

I found a home with Maitri and daily I am grateful for the opportunity to work with our staff and the patients we serve to bridge the gap between the science of medicine and the real world.

• Cannabis may reduce opioid overdose

• Cannabis may reduce opioid consumption

• Cannabis may prevent the dose escalation of opioids and the development of opioid tolerance

• Cannabis, alone or in combination with opioids, could be a viable first-line analgesic

• Cannabis may be a viable tool in medication-assisted relapse prevention