Reflections ►
Cannabis Nurses
On a Mission From God !
by Dolores Halbin , contributing writer
“ I don ’ t want you dead ,” author Ali Waj said . “… Invest in joy . You have to make the intention , and almost like exercise , you have to put in the discipline ... to say I deserve to be happy . I want you to live long and be happy . And if I invest in joy and find joy , it means I ’ m happy , my family ’ s happy . The next generation of writers , authors , activists are looking at my model and saying , oh , this is attractive to me and sustainable . And this is how we will win .”
It was a sweltering day last summer when my phone rang , showing “ ML ,” bringing an instant smile to my face . I could hear the highway rolling by in the background . “ I want to stop by !” she shouted into the phone . “ Send me your address .”
Eight hours later , my over-heated old friend and her over-heated fur mama pulled in my driveway . We got the fur mama cold water and let her lay down in front of the fan . The big , soft , fluffy yellow lab has the look and feel of an old , well-loved blond teddy bear . She was a 12-year-old comfort dog in uncomfortable heat when their AC went out , and I am lucky to call them both my friends .
ML , founder of Patients Out of Time ( POT ), was heading home to Virginia from visiting family in North Dakota . During the drive , she was deciding where to hold the POT 2022 conference . As an exuberant “ HERE ” escaped my lips , my brain engaged to hit the verbal brakes too late . Kansas is one of the last three states with no protection for patients . We have a vibrant cannabis community in Missouri . Of course , we wanted the conference here .
We could do this !
By the time ML toured Kansas City , met our nurses April Hatch , RN , MSN , owner-operator of Cannabis Care Team , and Leigh Carr , RN , Kansas Cannabis Coalition , and been shipped to Karin Spinks and the rest of our community at the MOCann Biz Fest last August , Kansas City was a done deal . ML called on the road from St . Louis and said , “ My God , you guys have an army !” To my recollection , this was the moment God got involved .
Now My Work is Done
April Hatch and Dolores Hablin , The Blues Nurses . ( Photo by Clayton Stallings )
As we passed the end of January and the team coalesced , volunteer Karin Spinks , owner / operator of Imaginarium Events , laid out a pretty long and expensive journey on which we were about to embark . I realized I was out of my bailiwick during our first zoom when I had to google “ what is a lanyard .” I happily assumed the role of a passive participant . I have made no bones about my desire to retire and have a simple relationship with plant consumption . Then the restaurant happened .