We recently connected with Sherri Mack and have shared our conversation below.
Sherri , appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
On September 27th, 2023 The American Nurses Association (ANA), representing the interests of the nation’s more than 5 million nurses, announced the formal recognition of cannabis nursing as a nursing specialty. Cannabis nursing is led in America by the American Cannabis Nurses Association (ACNA), a membership organization dedicated to education, advocacy, collaboration, and care excellence so that our specialty nursing practice focuses on meeting the needs of consumers seeking education and guidance in the therapeutic use of cannabis.
My name is Sherri Mack and I am Chief Nursing Officer and co-founder of Holistic Caring and The Green Nurse. The Green Nurse is a holistic Cannabis Nurse specializing in educating about the endocannabinoid system and the safe use of cannabis for medicinal purposes, alongside other strategies to bolster the endocannabinoid system and the broader endocannabinoidome for holistic well-being. The Green Nurse was born upon the discovery that I had an endocannabinoid system and this is my story of becoming a cannabis nurse.
Like many in the cannabis arena, I experimented with cannabis in college and enjoyed the ability to relax and laugh more at the world. As a dedicated nurse striving for excellence in Boston’s teaching hospitals, cannabis had no place in my life at that time. This all changed in 2012 when I found myself on the other side of the bed, and nearly died at 47 years old. I had contracted Chronic C-Diff from the hospital I worked in, and despite multiple procedures and pharmaceuticals, nothing gave me relief. Making it worse, I developed an autoimmune condition, PMR also known as polymyalgia rheumatica and was in constant pain that no medication or alternative therapy relieved. My mental, emotional, and spiritual health suffered, and I developed crushing anxiety, panic disorder, depression, agoraphobia, and a diagnosis of “failure to thrive”.
Miraculously, a retired Registered Nurse paid me a visit, and generously shared her knowledge about the rich history of cannabis, and how her pharmacist father stocked cannabis formulations in his 1920’s pharmacy. She revealed that she had been utilizing cannabis since she was 17, and at age 70, took no pharmaceuticals and had not been hospitalized. She got me to take a couple of puffs off a joint, and for the first time in years my pain suddenly stopped. I got my medical cannabis certification card and began experimenting with these new healing options that were taught to me from the caregiver community. I learned everything I needed to know to grow, extract, and make my own medicines from the legacy caregivers and growers in the community.
It took time to figure out the products, compounds, ratios, dosing, and timing with my other treatment regimen. I had to work through my own stigma about using cannabis daily as medicine, but when I researched the science of cannabis I was both shocked and relieved. I knew that if I could figure this out for myself, I would help others and declared that I would be called The Green Nurse!
Over time, I learned that cannabis was a much safer alternative to opioids and other pharmaceuticals. Studying the reports of the risks associated with chronic opioid use, I knew that I was lucky to escape their grip on my condition. Not only was I managing my pain, I was simultaneously promoting systemic homeostasis in the rest of my body. Pharmaceuticals only robbed me of function and wholeness, and cannabis was now healing my body-mind-spirit in unimaginable ways. Based on the comprehensive analysis of over 35,000 scientifically valid articles, I now shared the wealth of evidence of the profound healing properties of cannabis.
As I began to regain my health, I delved into cannabis research and discovered the Endocannabinoid System and how it influences all of our biological processes and organ systems. Understanding how cannabinoids can correct cell signaling for root healing was an eye-opening revelation, especially since I was never taught this in my BSN curriculum at Boston College. Cannabis once held a prominent place in mainstream medicine, but the racially motivated Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 removed access to the extracts carried in pharmacies since 1850.
The American Medical Association (AMA) objected to this taxation as it targeted physicians, retail pharmacists, and medical cannabis cultivation/manufacturing. Physicians were perplexed by the term, unaware that “marihuana” would now remove the cannabis extract, a pleiotropic workhorse in family medicine. This drove medicine to only focus on the synthetic medications preferred by the prohibitionists and drug developers who were set on removing cannabis as competition to the new pharmaceutical products that they sold.
Cannabis has been utilized by humans worldwide for at least 5,000 years to promote whole body health, without any recorded incidents of death. Cannabis established itself as a safe and efficacious remedy suitable for all ages and is now reclaiming its status as a healing element with an unparalleled safety profile. It remains my mission to live my life as a testimony to help others learn to heal so that they can become their own hero, and then go help heal the world.
The American Cannabis Nurses Association, (ACNA) established in 2006 as an extension of the Patients Out of Time Conference in Santa Barbara, California. It represented the growing field of cannabinoid therapeutics to nurses, providing scientific and educational opportunities. Nurse Mary Lynn Mathre, the Patients Out of Time co-founder, formally established ACNA as a 501c3 organization in 2010. The ACNA Mission Statement is to advance excellence in cannabis nursing practice through advocacy, collaboration, education, research, and policy development. I am proud to serve as a Board Member for the 2022-2024 term.
The Cannabis Nurses Network™, (CNN) established in 2015 as a professional development organization for nurses around the globe. By educating nurses on the science behind the plant and providing a global network, nurses are supported and empowered to implement their knowledge within their community. The mission of CNN is to Empower Nurses through Education, Opportunity, Recognition and Advocacy. I became a founding member in 2018 and am grateful for the opportunities provided by Nurse Heather Manus. Check out the speakers bureau training and the amazing educational and social events allowing nurses to connect and collaborate, elevating our consciousness for healing.
These two organizations were my support system as I built The Green Nurse platform before merging with Elisabeth Mack at Holistic Caring. I invite you to explore both organizations and to join us as a Cannabis Nurse Health Coach!
Live Your Best Life & Help Others Do The Same
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Holistic Caring, founded in 2015 by Elisabeth Mack, RN, BSN, BA, MBA, emerged as a result of her personal journey to heal herself from orthopedic issues that conventional pharmaceuticals failed to address. She built a private practice to guide patients through the complexities of the healthcare system and educate her fellow nurses to develop comprehensive training tools and resources.
The Green Nurse, established in 2015 by Sherri Tutkus RN, BSN, experienced her own transformative healing journey with plant therapeutics. Overcoming a near-death experience, Sherri discovered hope and restoration through cannabinoids, leading her to create a practice dedicated to guiding patients and building a community of advanced nurses.
The strategic merging of Holistic Caring and The Green Nurse brings together the most comprehensive programs and services available to transform how we access, utilize, and understand medicinal cannabis to optimize health. The curriculum and programs reshape our thoughts on this plant – wrongly demonized for 100 years, inspiring you to learn the deep science on why these compounds nourish and restore us, tackling root causes of disease. You’ll learn the modern products available along with the pharmacology and protocols of how they work in the body.
The educational offerings are further complemented by necessary programming for healthcare professionals, empowering them to integrate this knowledge into their practice. By becoming part of this network, practitioners gain a competitive edge in Health 3.0 principles, combining the best from every category of healing to foster a holistic approach to patient care. You’ll learn how Cannabis 3.0 is in tandem, as massive industries are experiencing revolutionary changes.
Holistic Caring & The Green Nurse have created the ultimate destination for nurses and all practitioners seeking to enter the medicinal cannabis world. By enrolling in the Licensed Cannabis Health Coach Certificate Program or other courses, participating in masterminds, exploring the Green Nurse Approved marketplace, accessing wholesale CBD products, and receiving business-building guidance, healthcare professionals can embark on a transformative journey, while being mentored by industry leaders.
Both Nurse Sherri and Elisabeth had storied careers in conventional hospital and healthcare management before discovering cannabis therapeutics. Since 2015 Sherri and Elisabeth doubled down on cannabis nursing & coaching, and in creating educational systems for patients and professionals to follow their lead to guide millions of new medical cannabis patients. Elisabeth wrote a book, Cannabis For Health: Become a Coach, which led to her programs and curriculum development. Sherri counseled patients, mentored health professionals, and created her 4x award-winning Green Nurse Podcast.
Together they purchased Bloom Hemp to control the supply chain they offer to their patients. Elisabeth Mack, the new CEO of Bloom Hemp, expressed her enthusiasm about the acquisition, stating, “After years of vetting CBD brands and formulating products for others, we are excited to perfect the customer experience ourselves, ensuring high quality, safety, and value for exceptional patient care.”
Bloom Hemp boasts an extensive range of USDA Organic CBD products, including tinctures, extracts, capsules, gummies, creams, lotions, and purified isolates. Formulations are meticulously crafted to target specific symptoms and provide customers with natural healing compounds they can trust.
Bloom Hemp goes beyond delivering exceptional products – offering unmatched customer service and support. All customers benefit from Free Email Care Plans and a dedicated Nurse Line, staffed by trained Holistic Cannabis Nurses who can provide valuable insights into CBD’s effects on the body, discuss health goals, and help choose the most suitable products tailored to their specific needs are also available.
“We take pride in beginning as an independently owned and operated Hemp CBD company and with the acquisition, we remain a female and nurse-owned company that is committed to revolutionizing healthcare options, and offering a natural, alternative solution for our customers, providing them with much-needed relief.” says Sherri Mack, the Chief Nursing Officer of Bloom Hemp CBD who runs clinical operations for both Holistic Caring and The Green Nurse and Bloom Hemp CBD.
Nurse Sherri and Elisabeth have a four time award winning podcast that is streamed on Youtube and Red Coral Universe to help educate and empower consumers on the power of plant medicine and to decrease stigma around what it means to feel good and be HIGH. They share compelling stories of healing and share both patient and providers stories on hope and inspiration for growth and healing using plant medicines.
H- Hope
I – Inspiration
G – Growth
H – Heailng
The Green Nurse Podcast on
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@thegreennurse
Red Coral Universe – https://www.redcoraluniverse.com/the-green-nurse-podcast
“Our unique identity lies in being a women, nurse, and LGBTQ-owned business. We’ve established an ecosystem to combat the four D’s – Disconnect, Distrust, Disorganization, and Dosing issues. Our solution lies in the 4 P’s, and we’ve crafted a method to deliver programs and trusted products to healthcare providers and patients alike.”
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I have built my audience on social media by being authentic and transparent and sharing my healing journey publically. I have created youtube videos and tik toks to share what it means to live authentically using plant medicines. Living My Best LIfe and Helping Others Do The Same!
Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?
We have bi-monthly educational newsletters and bi-monthly podcasts and webinars.
We have a nurse line and encourage consumers to call us for FREE – 970-404- HOPE (4673)
We have a private FREE newtwork off social media that is run by our pharmacist and nurses and fosters Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging.
Free Network – https://network.holisticcaring.com/
Our Websites
www.HolisticCaring.com – Educational Programs and Coaching for both patients and providers
www.BloomHemp.com – Organic CBD Products with a free nurse line, free care plans and support
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bloomhemp.com
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thegreennurse
- Other: Bloom Hemp
www.bloomhemp.comHolistic Caring & The Green Nurse
www.holisticcaring.com
