Photo Credit: Erica Mallory
While some consider cannabidiol (CBD) to be an “old wives’ remedy,” Erica Mallory proves that medical knowledge can lead to helpful uses for CBD products. Initially employed as a pharmaceutical sales representative, she became a certified emergency medical technician (EMT) while she attended nursing school. As a registered nurse, she now works in operating rooms. The second, unexpected part of her life is what she does at home thanks to her family’s farming background. In between healing people with modern medicine, she soothes them with CBD.
“Through my medical experiences, I have always felt that utilizing alternative therapies can help people,” Mallory explains. “I spend each day now thinking about patients and how cannabidiol could address some of the problems they are experiencing.”
She identified many issues that CBD can help with, such as sleep problems. “I don’t want a cancer patient in pain, and I don’t want a soldier with PTSD to feel like there are no other alternatives to help them. As hemp growers, as healthcare providers, we have an immense opportunity to make an impact and truly help people.”
Along with her husband, Mallory purchased a small farm in 2016 and took part in a state pilot research program by growing hemp. The decision came after she attended a conference from the Michael Fields Institute about growing hemp in Wisconsin.
“This conference personally had my heart on fire to grow and help. I saw how this crop could be an alternative to struggling dairy farmers in our state. I researched further and saw how CBD-rich hemp could benefit so many of the people I interact with daily as a nurse,” she says.
With her one acre of hemp, Mallory is aware she can’t make a big dent in the issues Wisconsinites face, but as she puts it, her family has “enough land to help a lot of people. There’s no reason why we can’t grow this and make a difference.” In particular, she grows two strains from Oregon—bleu genius and remission—which focus on relieving tension and clearing the head.
‘We are Only as Effective as What We Know’
While cannabis is not new, it is a controlled substance, which makes scientific research about its effects difficult and impractical. Mallory does not despair, however, and she tries using her background in medicine and farming to learn about the benefits of cannabis and sharing them with her peers and the community.
“Medically, we are only as effective as what we know, and I strive to bring facts and research—not sales pitches—to people,” she says.
All medical research, including Mallory’s own, seems to indicate cannabis is beneficial to some degree to the human body, but medical professionals have to comply with federal restrictions on cannabis products. “I have dreams that Wisconsin will have a cannabis nurse association where we can learn together to better serve our patients,” she says. “While I’m sure the gas station clerk selling CBD gummies to a customer had a positive experience with them, I don’t feel like that same clerk should be providing dosage information.”
To further serve the community, she decided to create an hour-long presentation about hemp to keep people safe and to fight misconceptions—of which there are many. It will cover “a history of hemp in the United States, cannabis plant species information, details about how CBD works within the body and what body systems play a role in utilizing CBD, possible drug interactions with CBD, how to involve your doctor with considering CBD for your health and current laws surrounding CBD.”
Erica Mallory will speak at Alice Baker Library, 820 E. Main St. in Eagle, Wis., at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 25. For more information, visit herbamoreherbs.com.
