Surfjack Talk Story Sessions: Getting Real About Medical Cannabis

Learn about the misconceptions of cannabis and become an informed community member. Discussion will include how cannabis interacts with pharmaceutical drugs, Hawaii’s policy reform based on scientific research, and the challenges start-up dispensary leaders are facing to meet the need of patients island wide.

Panel includes:

Me Fuimaono-Poe, FNP-BC, is a Family Nurse Practitioner with 17 years of experience in health care in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Her scope of practice encompasses health promotion, disease prevention, diagnosis and management of common and complex health care problems including diabetes, chronic pain, depression, hypertension and much more. In 2016, Me opened the first nurse-led cannabis clinic in the state of Hawaii. The Malie Cannabis clinic is a patient-focused clinic, specializing in cannabis as treatment for patients who have a qualifying condition in the state of Hawaii.

Wendy Gibson is a Field Organizer with the Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii and a Registered Nurse. She has worked in the health care field for over 30 years and is striving to promote the use of alternative medications, such as cannabis, which is showing promise as a safer and more effective treatment than many of the current pharmaceuticals. Wendy has been a staunch advocate for the use of medical cannabis in Hawaii and involved in the transfer of the Medical Marijuana program from the Department of Public Safety to the Department of Health.

Tanya Johnson is the COO of Manoa Botanicals. Johnson has served as the company’s vice president of Operations since August 2016. As COO, she is responsible for overall operations, including process improvement, human resources and logistics. Previously Johnson was the Pacific West & Pacific Islands principal at SWCA Environmental Consultants and founder of Integris Consulting, both in Honolulu.