Posted by Alan Nye

With an introduction by PP Roxane Cole, Catherine Lewis – Board Director and Director of Education of the Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine – spoke to our Rotary club about Maine’s Medical Marijuana program. Of interest to Rotarians is the fact that Catherine is a past President of the Hallowell Rotary Club and is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine (MMCM) is a trade association dedicated to the support and promotion of safe access to medical marijuana. Catherine spent most of her talk attempting to educate and advocate for the proper use of marijuana to alleviate chronic pain, cancer, seizures, severe nausea, PTSD and other conditions. Catherine explained that after a severe automobile injury left her and her husband with long-lasting injuries and pain, they became medical cannabis patients. The success of this treatment prompted them to become medical marijuana caregivers to help others.

Catherine helped to dispel some of the myths about cannabis and stated that many of us have been lied to for years about marijuana’s potential harmful effects and seldom told about the many benefits that proper use can provide. She stated that most of her patients are elderly and many suffer from cancer, are in wheelchairs, have late stage MS, have Alzheimer’s or spend their days in chronic pain.

Catherine’s business, Homegrown Healthcare, specializes in cannabis and alternative therapies. Her goal is to educate people about the many symptoms that cannabis can alleviate and how it can be used in conjunction with or as an alternative to traditional medicine and medications.

Catherine brought some samples of products to show that cannabis use can be without the stereotypical “joint” that must be smoked resulting in a high. Instead, the medicinal properties of cannabis can be made into other products with no resulting smell or euphoria – so that no one needs know that you’re even using the product. She showed us lozenges in different flavors, tinctures to be placed under the tongue, salves and lotions for external use, bath additives, patches and other products.

For additional information, go to: www.homegrownhealthcare.net

(Photo: PP Roxane Cole, Catherine Lewis and President John Curran.)