From Chronic Pain Survivor to Passionate Cannabis Advocate

• 00:00 – Teaser
• 01:42 – Welcome and introductions with guest Amy Nussbaum
• 02:38 – Amy wrote to me, saying, “Cannabis gave me my life back.” Dive into her story here and discover why she calls cannabis her Holy Flower.
• 03:03 – Her experience dealing with chronic pain for the past ten years after getting injured on the job working as a Registered Nurse. This resulted in several surgeries, including three spinal fusions, a diagnosis of scoliosis, and severe chronic pain.
• 06:00 – Finally, in 2018, she went to the Mayo Clinic for a full spinal fusion which helped to restore her ability to stand up straight. In 2019 she had a full knee replacement. Finally, a dear friend noticed she was not getting the relief she needed with traditional pharmaceuticals and offered her cannabis to try. She found immediate relief, and her life changed forever. She vows to never take another prescription if she doesn’t need it.

• 09:45 – What the medical marijuana scene is like in Wisconsin, where she lives.
• 13:30 – Her perspective as a healthcare provider in today’s medical system and what needs to change. We need to see Federal legalization. We must eliminate the Schedule 1 classification that cannabis contains “no medical value.” Her experience working in the ICU, ER, and cancer treatment center has given her the insight that Big Pharma is behind this madness. We need to bring care for humanity back to healthcare. We all know someone who needs more help.
• 16:07 – How cannabis should be treated as a first intervention before moving to prescription medications with more harmful side effects. Then we fall into the rabbit hole of using another drug to counteract the side effects of the first, which snowballs into problems with polypharmacy. We can use cannabis to manage many of these issues with basic education.

• 19:04 – Amy shares more about her research into certain strains to manage certain conditions. She researches strains, side effects, alternate medications, symptom categories, research studies, and more to create an incredible resource for her readers.
• 20:23 – Where she is today and how she works with others through her business, Sammy’s Place 420. She turned her pain into her purpose, which turned into an incredible business she truly loves. She works with individuals and their particular situations to create a unique Sammy Strain to help their specific conditions. She helped a woman with 17 health issues and 52 medications PER DAY find relief with cannabis and get off all her medications over time. Now she wants to help more people feel as amazing as she does.

• 26:16 – What would the world look like if we could take care of our own health and heal ourselves and each other? When you feel better, you do better. When you do better, you can go out into the world and help others become the best version of themselves.
• 27:55 – Final four questions
• 32:46 – Where to learn more about Amy’s work with Sammy’s Place 420.

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Full Transcript

Amy: Take care of your overall health, your mind, your body, your soul. Do everything in moderation, laugh often, and make sure you get plenty of sleep. And if you can avoid alcohol, do it. Your body will thank you.

Announcer: Welcome to the Well With Cannabis Podcast, a show dedicated to telling the life-changing stories of those who live well with cannabis all while teaching you how to do the same. Meet your host, Emily Kyle, a registered dietitian nutritionist turned certified holistic cannabis practitioner. Emily changed her life for the better with the help of the cannabis plant, and now she’s committed to helping others do the same.

Tune in each week to hear heartwarming stories and gain the knowledge you need to feel connected, inspired, and supported on your own cannabis journey. Whether you’re a new cannabis consumer or a lifetime lover, you’ll benefit from these uplifting tales of real-life journeys that will show you how you, too, can live your best life well with cannabis.

Disclaimer: Hi there. Before we jump into today’s episode, I wanted to share a note on potentially sensitive content. The episodes on the Well With Cannabis Podcast are created for adult audiences only. We will, at times, cover sensitive topics, including but not limited to suicide, abuse, mental illness, sex, drugs, alcohol, psychedelics, and the obvious use of plant medicine. Explicit language may be used occasionally. Please refrain from watching or listening to the show if you’re likely to be offended or adversely impacted by any of these topics.

The information on this show is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice. If any of the content on this podcast has brought up anything for you, please reach out or speak to a professional or someone you trust.

Amy: I’ve been so excited about doing this. And I have a lot of people that are very excited to see this or hear it, and as I said, I can’t wait to share it.

Emily: Oh, I’m so excited. And I’m really interested in your story because it sounds like cannabis has just been a game-changer for you.

I’m really excited to introduce you, Amy, to the Well With Cannabis Podcast. Thank you so much for being here. And I’d love to start; let’s start with your story. And these words stood out to me, and you said, “It gave me my life back,” and I’d love to learn more about that.

Amy: Absolutely, I cannot say enough about this powerful, awesome plant. In fact, I have renamed it Holy Flower because it has become a part of my every single day from morning to night.

I am grateful to have it in my life because, for the last decade, I have dealt with chronic pain. And I’m going to take you back to when it all initially began.

Emily: Perfect.

Amy: I was working in an ICU unit at a hospital in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and I was taking care of a morbidly obese patient and ended up tearing three discs in my lower back.

Emily: Oh gosh.

Amy: And very, very excruciating. I had to stop doing patient care. I had to go through all kinds of very excruciating tests, procedures, you name it.

And, of course, they wanted to give plenty of prescription meds to counteract the pain, which in essence, they just had to keep titrating up the dosages because they weren’t helping. I had my first initial spinal fusion in 2009, and that fusion was a failure.

In 2011, I went back in, more tests and more procedures. Mind you, about 2011 was when I had yet another spinal fusion, and they went up even further on my spine. This one is also a failure. So I was still dealing with tons of chronic pain and was just miserable.

Then they had another spinal fusion in 2013. This time the neurosurgeon ended up cutting me completely wrong, which ended up causing the fusion to separate when they put the titanium in and completely came apart in my back. The metal pieces were spread out throughout my back.

Emily: Oh my God.

Amy: And what ended up happening? Oh, it was a party and a half, let me tell you.

Emily: Oh, you poor thing.

Amy: So then what happened was I ended up having scoliosis. I went from being 6’3″ down to 5’9″.

Stood at a 45-degree angle, my left knee inverted in. And I can’t even describe the type of pain it was. And with being in Wisconsin, if you’re familiar with the weather here, I call it the frozen tundra.

In the winter, if it can get down to -30, tons of snow and, of course, thunderstorm days. All of these types of weather conditions were making the chronic pain horrific. I would be in a fetal position in bed, asking God, “Please take this pain for me; I cannot handle it anymore.”

Finally, I went to the Mayo Clinic in 2018 in Rochester, Minnesota. I had my entire spine fused and by Dr. Jeremy Fogelson, an awesome neurosurgeon. And he gave me back my height. I’m actually back to my 6’3″.

Emily: Yay.

Amy: I’m standing tall and straight and in great shape. Then the following year, in 2019, I had my left knee totally replaced. Trust me when I tell you, my middle name should have just been chronic pain at this point.

I had a great friend who came to visit, and she said, “Look, I know these prescription meds are not helping you; why don’t you try using flowers?” And I’m telling you, and I know you can relate to this, and anybody else who’s 420s can totally relate.

The moment that you start using it, it kills the pain. I’m telling you, with everything in me, I believe so strongly in what this plant can do and the potential it has for not just chronic pain but all health issues. And I would never touch another prescription pill in my life ever again if I didn’t have to. I will strictly use the Holy Flower, and that’s it.

Emily: Oh, I am so happy that that friend came into your life and introduced you to cannabis and gave you this relief. I also have my medical marijuana card for chronic pain, and while mine is nothing like what you have went through, I just know that chronic pain is terrible.

It affects every single aspect of your life. And to find something that can relieve it, I can’t imagine we’d keep this away from people. Your story; imagine if you didn’t find that relief?

Amy: Exactly. And that’s why I’ve told everyone who knows me well and knows how honest and truthful I am that if I believe something so strongly, I will share the good word on it.

If my story can help anyone else out there, my God, I will be happy to talk to them myself and educate them and show them the beauty of this plant and not anything horrific that the stigma has been placed on it. I’m a true believer in what this plant can do.

Emily: So now you said you were working in healthcare. Was there a time that you were anti-cannabis?

Amy: Actually, I started smoking it in my teen years and all throughout my adulthood. I really was never anti-marijuana or anything like that. I mean, my mother was a hippie, and so she believed in it.

My father was definitely against it. To me, I didn’t see anything bad with it. It was just because working in the hospital setting, as you know, you cannot obviously use it. Due to it being an injury from working in the hospital, I had to go under the care of the doctors and be prescribed medications like morphine, Oxycontin, the Oxycodone, which, as I said, were just literally taking the life from me. And it was awful.

Emily: Now you said you’re in Wisconsin. Is Wisconsin cannabis-friendly?

Amy: In Wisconsin, they allow you to have CBD with some THC in it. We have the Delta-8, and I know they’re starting; we’re hoping they will go completely legal, but when we don’t know.

Emily: It’s so hard to wait. I feel like some of us just get to a point we’re like, we’re just going to live our lives normally, whether we’re waiting for it or not, whether it’s legal or not. I mean, especially when you hear your story

Amy: Exactly.

Emily: To hear how much your quality of life has improved with cannabis, it would seem like any doctor in the world would say, “That’s a no-brainer; you, of course, should have cannabis,” it’s crazy.

Amy: Absolutely. In fact, I live close enough to the Illinois border that it’s nothing for us to just drive to a dispensary and get the right recreational. There are people there I know who have medical cards, and they get a discount on the medicinal side of the dispensaries.

I look at it this way; I’m in control of my own body. I’m not going to have a doctor or any government agency tell me you can’t utilize this plant to take care of your health. I’m sorry; after what I went through for the last decade, and had no relief.

When I took the situation into my own hands by treating my own health with, like I say, the Holy Flower, I am so active now. I have my black lab, Sammy, who is five years old, and we walk six times a day up to five miles.

I’ve dedicated my life to my work, which is Sammy’s Place 420. I absolutely love what I do, and I’ll certainly explain more about that. But because of what the flower has done for me, this is what has changed my life completely. When I say it’s given me back my life, absolutely, a billion percent, it sure has.

Emily: I have goosebumps. I’m just so happy for you. Whenever I connect with somebody like this, it truly fills me up. I am so happy that somebody has found relief.

I just hope that anybody listening to your story can connect with you, especially if they’re living in chronic pain and can be brave like you and try something, whether it’s legal or not, and see if it can really help them because you are just the epitome of living your best life and making your own decisions. I’m so glad you said it that way.

Amy: Exactly. And like I say, I am happy to speak with anyone; I don’t care where they are in the world. I will take the time to educate you and share with you my entire experience, how it has completely changed my life and made me the person I am today, and how awesome I feel.

If anyone out there can feel as awesome as I do on a cold winter day or when it’s a thunderstorm and no pain whatsoever, please take the chance and try it. Do you know what I mean?

Emily: 100%, and that’s exactly why I wanted to do this podcast is because stories like yours need to be told, and your amazing transformation, if that can help other people, I just feel like it is so worth sharing your story and everything that you’ve been through.

Amy: Absolutely. I think the medical system that we currently have in place is because they’re so dependent on big pharma and whatnot. I think there needs to be a drastic change.

Look at what you’re talking about, what I’m talking about, and so many others who are supporters of it; listen to what we’re saying, and realize that this needs to be a full-blown option.

Emily: Yes, absolutely.

Amy: Do away with it being illegal on the Federal level because saying that on the Schedule 1, that there’s no medicinal value, that is a complete and utter lie. I will debunk that any day of the week.

Emily: I agree, and as someone else with a background in healthcare, it is so maddening to really realize that our current healthcare system truly does not care about people.

As someone who worked in it, believed in it and went to school for it, it really was a hard pill to swallow for me. I don’t know if you felt the same way, or I also had a bad experience in a hospital, and as a healthcare provider, I almost felt like the healthcare profession turned its back on me and left me behind. Did you feel the same way?

Amy: Absolutely, I absolutely do. I didn’t just work in an ICU; I had worked in several different hospitals in the past. I worked in a cancer treatment center, in the ER, and what I seem to notice is as long as the people have the insurance and they’re paying for it, they’re going to get all the treatments that they can possibly get.

But like you say, there’s not the care about humanity as a whole when it comes to healthcare. And that to me is disturbing because everyone on this planet is dealing with one health issue or multiple. And these are our fellow family members and friends; we all know someone.

Emily: Absolutely, and if we could provide that relief for them with a simple plant that doesn’t have the side effects that the prescription medications have, and I never really want to dog prescription medications too much because if there’s someone out there and they truly help them, I’m happy for them.

I just want people to feel relief. But if you could find relief, not have the negative side effects, and live a better quality of life, I just don’t see why this isn’t a first option of intervention rather than a last for most people.

Amy: Correct, because if you look at most prescription medications, they all have a laundry list of side effects. As you know, you have to take and counteract that with more medications. I’m sorry, but I just don’t want to do it.

Using the plant is so much cheaper; you don’t have the side effects. The most you’re going to have is your dry mouth, your dry eyes. And if you cannot tolerate a higher THC, then you’re going to have a few other things, headaches or anxiety.

But that’s when you want to maybe play around with a few different strains. Find the one that’s the right fit for you.

Emily: Absolutely, and I feel like people, maybe people who aren’t familiar with cannabis or don’t really realize that when we say cannabis, I mean, there’s a million, literally a million options when it comes to cannabis.

Cannabis is just not one thing. I feel like for most people who are familiar with our traditional Western culture where our prescription medication is one thing, it’s so hard for people to understand the nuances of cannabis and the strains and the cannabinoids and how a little tiny chemical difference can make a huge difference in your impact and your outcome.

Cannabis is just so much more intricate, I think, than we give it credit for.

Amy: I completely agree, completely agree. Like you said, the cannabinoids and breaking those down. If you are to take and look at it, say, okay, THC is going to help with certain health issues.

CBD is going to benefit certain health issues; CBG, CBC, THCV, CBN, and so on and so forth. They all have their own characteristics that will potentially help to effectively treat certain health issues.

It’s just a matter of having the education on that and the knowledge to put it into motion because, like I say; there are a lot of people that are not well-versed in it. They’re not obviously dedicating their every moment to the research on it, like, say myself is, and when I speak to them about it, it’s going way over their top, their heads. So I understand that part of it.

Emily: Definitely, there are definitely two camps of people. There’s a camp I found who says, “I don’t care about any of the information; I just want to feel better; give me that magic pill.” And then there’s I feel like the camp like us where we’re like, “Oh my God, you just opened Pandora’s box, and there’s so much to learn, and I want to learn it all.”

Amy: Oh, absolutely, absolutely. Another thing I have found, what I do is research health issues. I have found, at this point, 310, to be exact, health issues and all their symptoms. Then I researched the strains for each symptom category.

Emily: Oh my gosh.

Amy: And then I have a huge list that in these papers that I write, I include all that information because you know as well as I, not every strain is available in your location. So this gives the potential client the opportunity to go through the strains.

Then they can go to their dispensary and have the budtender help them with their expertise, or if they have the Green Thumb, they can order the seeds online from a reputable breeder and grow their own, which I think would be a great option as well.

Emily: Absolutely, and let’s come and focus on what you are doing and how you have used your experiences to really make a big difference in the world. Give me a little bit about where are you today and how are you making an impact.

Amy: Where I am today at this point is roughly three years ago, I started this passion project, as I stated, is Sammy’s Place 420. I took my pain and turned it into the purpose that it is with the health issues.

I just started letting that snowball into the 310 health issues and just started dissecting the health issues, everything about them that I could possibly find. Then I also researched all the prescription medications that would be prescribed to the patient, including their side effects.

Documenting all this information, I take and the list I stated the Holy Flower strains by symptom category. I also have scoured the internet for research studies that can back up what I’m stating about each health issue and then give also other studies to show the reader that this is what is being done behind the scenes.

These are all going to be available on the website that I’m building. Yes, and so because my thing is I want to have as many people be able to access this information so they can make a level-headed decision. And if I can provide that for them, I’ve done my job.

Emily: That is amazing. I mean, to do all that research and then just out of the goodness of your heart to help other people like that is so sweet, Amy.

Amy: I’d love to be able to help people. My thing is, if you can feel as great as I do and not be in pain, I’m happy to help you. I have actually worked with quite a few different individuals, and what they’ve done is they’ve let me into basically their health issues and given me the information.

What I would do is then find out what symptoms they’re dealing with and find out the best strains that would work with them in this particular area where I live. Then I would take and create what’s called Sammy strains out of the strains that I would basically work together.

Then I would decarb them and infuse them into what I call Sammy butter. Then I would make edibles, do the dosing, and have them basically test them out and see how they work with them and always would have positive results. To me, it was also part of my research and development for my company as well.

Emily: I think that’s awesome. I see such a need for that in the marketplace. That hand-holding, that one-on-one. Who are you, and what does your body need? What does your unique situation look like? Offering that that’s everything that’s missing from traditional healthcare, and I feel like that’s why it’s going to be so impactful for people.

Amy: I agree. I mean, for example, one, I’ll call her my client, I had one client that had 17 different health issues, was on 50 different medications per day, 52, excuse me, 52 different medications per day, and the cost alone for that was ridiculous, out of pocket.

Emily: I can’t imagine.

Amy: And she wanted, her goal was to get off of all the prescription medicines altogether and strictly go holy flower. And I said, “You know what? I will help you with this. We will create Sammy strains that we can have that will help you, and you can benefit from them.”

We had worked for a while together with this. I created, for this particular person, four different strains. There were two Indicia, one Sativa, and then a super-hybrid, which had four different strains that I combined together to create for her. She had told me for the first time in 20 years; she was able to get a good night’s sleep.

Emily: Oh, that is amazing.

Amy: I get chills even just talking about it because just, I mean, she was dealing with pain and arthritis, fibromyalgia, anxiety, depression, migraines, ulcers, constipation, insomnia, menopause, you name it, this person was dealing with it.

It was horrible to hear everything that she was going through. As I said, I know how great I was feeling. When she first came to me, I gave her a sample box of edibles that I had created. I said, “Let me know how these work for you.” She came back about a week later and said, “I would love to work with you because I need to do something.” I said, “Absolutely, let’s do it.”

Emily: That is amazing, and I truly think woman to woman or person to person, it’s that special relationship, one person to another, let me help you out, let me make you feel better, that creates that ripple effect that I think will be the change that we need to see in the future.

I don’t think we’ll see it from the government or healthcare institutions, but if people like you out there who are being so kind and compassionate and empathetic for people and helping one person, I mean, that makes all the difference in the world.

Amy: Exactly, and I can’t agree with you more. Suppose we all started doing that and helping each other out. Just think about how it would spread like wildfire, the changes that could be made. And with the plants that we all love so much.

Emily: Right, and I just feel like when you feel better, you do better. Just your situation in and of itself is the perfect review of that when you feel better, you can go out and do better in the world, and that does create a ripple effect.

Now your client feels better and can go out and be a better version of herself in the world and hopefully help someone else along the way. It really does give me goosebumps; it’s incredible what you’re doing.

Amy: Well, thank you, thank you so much. I really appreciate that. And like I say, you’ve given me the opportunity to share my story, and what it is I do on this podcast, and I really hope whoever hears it will take it into consideration, and I am happy to speak with them as well. And help them find a solution.

Emily: I really feel like someone is going to be listening to this somewhere and being like, “Amy is the angel I need in my life.” I hope that the universe puts you together in the perfect match possible.

I really just thank you so much for being so kind and so helpful and so honest and transparent, and I want to be respectful of your time. So before I let you go, I’ve asked all of my guests the same four questions. Are you ready to play with me?

Amy: I am; I thought about those over the last-

Emily: Awesome, very good.

Amy: During last week, and I said, you know what, I want to put some time and thought into these questions, and so yeah, definitely.

Emily: Fabulous. So first up, what are you most proud of to date?

Amy: What I am most proud of, I would have to say I took my decade-long battle with the agonizing chronic pain and completely turned it around into a purpose to help others other than myself here on earth.

Through my pain and my strength and courage to overcome my physical and mental challenges, because of it is why I’ve dedicated all my time to Sammy’s Place 420 and being able to help others and just the feeling and the goodness I have from doing it. I would definitely say that’s what I am most proud of.

Emily: That is absolutely something to be proud of. Thank you for sharing that. If you could go back 10, 20, or 30 years and give yourself a little piece of advice cannabis-related, what would you tell yourself?

Amy: As far as going back ten years, I would say to my 10-year-old self, I would say go after your dreams, ignore any negativity that someone may try to project onto you because that’s their own issue, and believe in what you know you believe in. Be kind to others and treat others how you want to be treated.

My 20-year-old self, you’ve made it to adulthood; now it’s time for you to face the world. Not everyone’s going to be honest and trustworthy, but don’t let anyone stop your progress in achieving your goals, and take care of your overall health, your mind, your body, and your soul.

Do everything in moderation, laugh often, and make sure you get plenty of sleep. And if you can avoid alcohol, do it. Your body will thank you. And last of course, but not least, my 30-year-old self, I would say heal your broken heart and the person that broke it; they were a lesson and not meant to be in your life, and just look past it. Forgive, keep pushing, and be grateful for every day you have to keep doing the work you’re doing and make changes.

Emily: Oh, that’s perfect. If you didn’t have cannabis in your life, what do you think it would look like today?

Amy: If I didn’t have it in my life, it would be utterly painful and agonizing. I wouldn’t have the company that I’ve certainly put all my time and energy into. I wouldn’t have my knowledge and wisdom on the plant to share with others.

I mean, I can’t even fathom my life without it. It’s my favorite topic to speak on. I love everything about plants; I love learning about them. I love the 420 vibes that others have, and we share. Life would be like a bland meal with no seasoning or a miserable cold day without heat. I mean, the holy flower is life.

Emily: Absolutely, it’s a perfect way to say it. I love it, a cold day without heat. The same here. I do too, and I’m so glad we can connect over it. It’s really amazing that this one plant just brought us together to have this conversation in the first place, which I find super-special.

Amy: I think it’s awesome. As I say, I’ve followed you online, and I’ve seen your website and everything I say, the opportunity for us to discuss our plant is awesome and amazing, and I am so happy to be here to do that with you. It’s a true honor.

Emily: Oh, the honor is mine. And it’ll be a perfect segue to our last question. If you can be remembered for just one thing, what would it be?

Amy: The one thing to remember is to never give up and to fight for what you strongly believe in. Be real and be honest about it, be yourself. And so, that would definitely have to be what I would say I would like to be remembered for, that I never gave up on myself. I put forth the effort and remain true to what I’m saying.

Emily: Oh, I feel like people are just going to listen to your words and soak them in. I feel like I am having a little moment with you, Amy. I just love this conversation. Thank you so much for being honest and vulnerable and talking. And if people want to learn more about Sammy’s Place 420, how can they find you online?

Amy: Okay, well, if they would like to learn more, presently, the website is being built, which will be www.sammysplace420.com. We will make an announcement ahead of time, but in the meantime, you can find me on Facebook under my Sammy’s Place 420 page or on Instagram @sammyplace420, I’m there, or they can certainly email me at SammysPlace420@gmail.com.

Emily: Awesome, I’m going to make sure that all of these links are available so people can find you because I just have no doubt people are going to flock to Amy and want your wisdom. I thank you so much for sharing it with me today, and I really just appreciate your time.

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