Cannabis & Parkinson’s: A Nurse’s Perspective on Healing, Access, and What Texas Gets Wrong
By Courtney Holmes, Eleeo Health & Wellness
When my husband Joe was diagnosed with Young-Onset Parkinson’s at age 40, we were handed a script for prescriptions and a bleak roadmap. But no one — not one provider — talked to us about inflammation, lifestyle, or cannabis.
So we built our own path. And it changed everything.
Today, Joe is managing his symptoms — naturally — through a personalized, integrative approach rooted in nutrition, movement, spiritual alignment, plant medicine like cannabis, and psychedelic therapies. He hasn’t taken a single Parkinson’s medication. And he’s thriving.
Let me be clear: Cannabis didn’t cure him.
But it has played a powerful role in his ability to live, move, and show up fully for our family.
Why Cannabis?
Cannabis helps Joe manage:
Muscle stiffness and rigidity
Anxiety and sleep disturbances
Pain and movement fluctuations
Neurological symptoms without prescription drugs or side effects
We use a variety of intentional, therapeutic formulations including:
High CBD:THC gummies (microdosed, self-titrated)
Vaporized flower (for fast relief, especially for pain, anxiety and tremors)
Transdermal patches (long-acting support without impairment)
Topicals and tinctures (for sustained, whole-body effects)
When it comes to vape products (often labeled as disposable pens or cartridges in dispensaries), we believe the only options that should be promoted are solventless formulations like live rosin — clean, full-spectrum concentrates made without harsh chemicals. These products preserve the plant’s natural healing compounds and offer a safer, more therapeutic experience.
As a nurse, a certified expert in Cannabis Healthcare and Medicine, and a caregiver, I’ve seen the results firsthand. This isn’t hype — it’s healing.
Let’s Talk Science
Cannabis supports the endocannabinoid system (ECS) — a regulatory system every human body has. It helps maintain balance in:
Pain
Mood
Inflammation
Sleep
Neurological signaling
Whole-plant cannabis (not isolates) works best — thanks to the entourage effect, where cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids synergize for greater therapeutic impact. Cannabinoids like CBD and CBG play an essential role in this synergy — offering anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and calming effects that are especially important in chronic illness care.
What Texas Is Getting Wrong
Until recently, Texas’ medical cannabis program was one of the most restrictive in the country. But things are shifting — and fast:
In June 2025, Governor Abbott signed HB 46, expanding the Compassionate Use Program to include new conditions and delivery methods (like tinctures, topicals, gummies, patches, and inhalers).
Meanwhile, SB 3, which aimed to ban Delta-8 and other hemp-derived THC products, was vetoed. Abbott instead called for a regulated, alcohol-style model to protect consumers and preserve industry access.
A special session is now underway to refine standards for product testing, dosing guidance, youth access, and packaging.
This is a huge opportunity — but only if we approach it with truth and precision.
Policy Update (July 2025): Why SB 5 Still Gets It Wrong
Texas lawmakers are now considering SB 5, a sweeping bill that would ban all cannabinoids except CBD and CBG — including THCA, full-spectrum tinctures, and solventless products that come directly from the cannabis plant.
Let me be clear:
I do not support synthetic cannabinoids like Delta-8 or Delta-10. I believe they are risky, chemically altered, and not true plant medicine.
But SB 5 goes too far in the opposite direction — banning not just synthetics, but also the whole plant itself. That’s where it fails.
While certain hemp-derived cannabinoids have value, we have seen firsthand that full-spectrum, cannabis-derived medicine provides deeper, more reliable relief — especially for complex neurological conditions like Parkinson’s.
What Texans need isn’t prohibition — it’s education, regulation, and access to real, full-spectrum cannabis under the guidance of informed, ethical professionals.
If we truly care about patient safety, we must stop criminalizing the actual plant — and start regulating it with wisdom, science, and compassion.
The Real Risk: Synthetic Substitutes
Because of outdated restrictions, many Texans are turning to synthetic, poorly regulated cannabinoids like:
Delta-8
Delta-10
HHC
THCO (federally banned as a Schedule I controlled substance)
Unregulated vapes and edibles
These products are chemically altered, lack safety testing, and pose real risks — especially for kids.
That is not cannabis’s fault. That is the consequence of policy failure.
Let’s be honest:
Cannabis has never caused a fatal overdose.
Opioids kill 80,000+ people annually.
Alcohol kills 140,000+.
This plant is not the poison. The system’s fear, misinformation, and overregulation are.
What Real Regulation Should Look Like
Texans deserve safe, ethical, and informed access — not prohibition disguised as protection.
That means:
Protecting access to vaporized flower, transdermal patches, solventless rosin, and full-spectrum formulations
Allowing providers and certified professionals to guide usage — not politicians or retailers
Recognizing that cannabis is self-titrating, meaning dosing is individualized, not one-size-fits-all
Replacing stigma with science — and anecdotes with data
From the Front Lines: A Message to Lawmakers, Clinicians, and Advocates
Joe’s healing is the result of many tools — not just cannabis. But cannabis has been a lifeline. It gave us mobility, peace, and presence — without prescriptions.
We need policies that reflect:
What the research shows
What patient outcomes prove
What families like ours are living every single day
As someone who’s walked both the clinical and caregiver path, I’m not here to speculate. I’m here to speak truth — with evidence and conviction.
Because lives are on the line. And this conversation is far too important to get wrong.
Where the Conversation Goes Next
These aren’t just opinions. They are observations from the front lines — as a nurse, a certified cannabis medicine professional, and a caregiver navigating Parkinson’s every single day.
Texas is at a tipping point. The science is here. The stories are here. And the opportunity to build something better — safer, smarter, and more compassionate — is right in front of us.
This is the moment to elevate the conversation.
We need more medical voices, more lived experience, and more truth at the table — in policy discussions, in clinical trainings, and in every room where decisions are being made.
If you're creating that space — I’m ready to show up.
