Cannabis as Medicine:

She Died with a Smile on Her Face

by Linda Swayne, Ph.D.

“Pennsylvania authorized 50 hemp and 25 marijuana licenses for a total of 75 cannabis pioneers. The reason Pennsylvania was so attractive to me is that it aligns with a Federal Pilot Program for Medical Marijuana. That means it’s going to focus on researching the medicinal value of cannabis -- and that will bring credibility to what I want to do,” stated Jessie Johnson. “Having this medicine for our seniors who are in pain and those dying has been my dream since 2006 when I first met Sandie.”

Jessie recounted, “In 2006, I went into a new client’s home – my home care business was doing quite well – and discovered her daughter rolling a joint that she was preparing. The daughter explained that it really helped her mother with the pain of lung cancer. I explained that having a flame so close to an oxygen tank was an explosion waiting to happen! The Department of Social Services would have my license for not reporting a senior who was not safe in her own home. I also knew that if we were in California, or one of the other great 8 states, I could have legal access to medical grade cannabis in six different forms: pills, capsules, food items like candy and cookies, an oil, tinctures, suppositories, and smoke or vape pens.”

"As I cared for Sandie over the course of her disease, she became like family to me. She was mentally sharp, but with lung cancer the patient slowly suffocates even with the oxygen tanks. She asked for marijuana. I took a vacation to California and brought back medicine for her. She died peacefully with a smile on her face in 2010. I truly believe that medical cannabis should be available for anyone who suffers from cancer or any other terrible disease. When Sandie died, I set out to change the way Hospice and Palliative Care engage others like Sandie."