Cannabis Wellness
A Nurse’ s Week in the Life of Purpose,
Cannabis, Community, and Courage by Sammie Pyle, RN, Cannabis Nurse Educator
For a nurse and cannabis educator, some weeks feel heavier than others. Not because of exhaustion alone— though that’ s real— but because of the weight of what you’ re trusted to carry. The stories, tears, unanswered questions, and the quiet courage people place in your hands and whisper,“ Please, don’ t drop this.”
Some weeks don’ t just pass through you; they stay and settle into your bones. They follow you home and sit with you in candlelight and soft music, reminding you why you cannot afford to look away. This was one of those weeks, and if I’ m honest, it wasn’ t just a week— it’ s a reflection of a life lived in service.
Moving Between Worlds
In a matter of just a few days, I moved between planning sessions and sacred conversations, meetings and moments of vulnerability— because people were searching for guidance, answers, and hope.
Hours were spent in virtual meetings with Missouri leaders helping build cannabis education programs to support first responders, veterans, EMS, and law enforcement— people who have spent their lives running toward danger while the rest of the world runs away. People who carry invisible wounds long after the sirens fade.
Our conversations weren’ t about business. They were about people and how we care for the caregivers. They were about how we support those who never learned to rest and how we create systems rooted in compassion rather than shame.
I also spent time with women working to open doors into the cannabis industry— creating pathways for those who feel called but unsure, hopeful but hesitant.
On the 15th of this month, We Are JAINE( connects women in cannabis) has created its first-ever CannaBiz Expo in Columbia, MO, designed to empower and welcome new voices into the cannabis space because access, representation, and community matter.( For more information about the JAINE CannaBiz Expo see page 31.)
At the same time, it is making room for a women’ s cannabis retreat— an intentional space for women to land, breathe, heal, and remember themselves. A place where burnout is met with understanding. Where exhaustion is met with empathy. Where strength is allowed to soften. So many women spend their lives pouring out. This is about helping them pour back in.
The Stories That Stay with Me
Then there are the moments that never make it onto a calendar. A patient living with a debilitating birth defect, learning— every single day— how to navigate their own body, limitations, and strength.
A veteran working through the long, complex process of reintegrating into civilian life. Learning how to feel safe in a world that no longer resembles the one he left.
A dear nurse friend watching her teenager battle cancer— balancing professionalism and heartbreak, strength and fear, hope and exhaustion.
Another nurse friend was recently diagnosed with oral and throat cancer. After years behind hospital walls, she chose peace over chaos, presence over procedures. Comfort and clarity through cannabis rather than chemotherapy and radiation. Her choice is deeply personal and driven. Brave. Intentional. And worthy of respect.
26 March 2026