Eloise Theisen, AGPCNP-BC, is a board-certified Adult Geriatric Nurse Practitioner with over twenty years experience in nursing. She started her own cannabis practice in 2014 and she has treated over seven thousand patients using cannabis.
Eloise was one of the first pioneers in healthcare professionals to bring a clinical dosing regimen to the cannabis space and has assembled the knowledge and data to use cannabis therapeutic treatment options to treat a broad range of conditions and disease, especially those that commonly afflict seniors—pain, insomnia, anxiety, and depression.
Eloise is the President of the American Cannabis Nurses Association and will serve as its president through 2022. Eloise is currently an instructor at the Pacific College of Health and Science, San Diego.
She has been featured in publications such as: the Nurse Practitioner Schools Blog, Healthline, San Francisco Bay Nursing Association and now with us, Hopegrown.
Let’s Welcome Eloise Theisen!
What is your personal story and mission that motivated you to work with cannabis?
I came to cannabis through my own personal journey with chronic pain.
I was experiencing chronic pain that was not well managed through
traditional therapies and I was seeking alternatives.
I was introduced
to cannabis nine years ago and at that time, there were very few resources
for patients. After I spent a lot of time researching and exploring
cannabis for myself, I started to discover that many of my patients were
also looking for guidance.
There was a lot more misinformation than quality information. I made it my mission to help others who wanted to explore cannabis as a treatment option so they could make informed choices for safe and effective use.
Do you think cannabis education for medical professionals and healthcare providers is lacking?
Absolutely! It is the biggest challenge we have- most providers are lacking even the most basic cannabis education and patients are using resources like the internet, their friends or dispensary staff to get their medical questions answered.
What kind of cannabis research is needed that hasn't been covered yet?
Research has been stifled due to the status of cannabis as a Schedule I drug. We are in need of the gold standard, double blind placebo studies, particularly with doses and routes of administration. Many things regarding cannabis onset, duration, drug-drug interactions is theoretical and has not been established in large clinical trials.
Where do you see medicinal cannabis in five years?
I hope to see it federally decriminalized. Many patients still do not have safe access and in states where they do, they often cannot afford the medicine since it is not covered by insurance.
Federally decriminalizing cannabis can open up many of the barriers that hinder our ability to make progress with cannabis medicine.
What is the best advice you can give to a first-time cannabis?
Be sure to know your resources and if possible, work with a knowledgeable cannabis clinician that can help guide you to use cannabis safely and effectively. The motto- start low and go slow, still works.
About Eloise Theisen
Eloise Theisen, MSN, AGPCNP-BC
Board Certified Adult-Geriatric Nurse Practitioner
President American Cannabis Nurses Association (ACNA)
Chief Executive Officer, Radicle Health
Founder of Radicle Health Clinician Network (formerly Green Health Consultants)
Chief Nursing Officer, Leaf411
Patient Care / Education / Advocacy
