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Patients Out of Time - Veterans for Medical Cannabis
Mary Lynn Mathre and Al Byrne - Patients out of Time and Veterans for Medical Cannabis Access - October 11, 2013
Photo: Newsle
Mary Lynn Mathre, RN, MSN, CARN is an educator and clinical addictions consultant to industry and the pharmacological sector. She was the Founder and Director of the Council on Marijuana and Health; a past Board member of NORML; the Founder and past President of the Virginia Nurses Society on Addictions; the past National Secretary of the National Nurses Society on Addictions. She is the co-founder of Patients Out of Time; the editor of Cannabis in Medical Practice: A Legal, Historical and Pharmacological Overview of the Therapeutic Use of Marijuana (1997); the co-producer of the award winning video Marijuana as Medicine; and the co-author of “Women and Cannabis: Medicine, Science and Sociology” (2003).
M. L. Mathre, RN, MSN, CARN, CNLC is the Founder and President of the American Cannabis Nurses Association (ACNA), a national non-profit that specializes in educating US nurses about the clinical applications of cannabis.
Mathre was the author of the first US “white paper” in support of medicinal cannabis published in 1994 by the Virginia Nurses Association replicated by the American Nurses Association on two occasions.
Chosen by the ANA as a “Nurse Leader of the Century” Mathre is the most respected and well known cannabis nurse expert in the world.
Mathre sits on several editorial advisory boards of professional health care organization journals.
Mathre served as a nurse in the US Navy for 5 years during the Vietnam war and is a Founding Board member of Veterans for Medical Cannabis Access (VMCA).
Al Byrne is co-founder, COO and Secretary-Treasurer of Patients Out of Time, a national non-profit (501c3, educational charity) and Virginia corporation devoted to educating health care professionals and the general public about the therapeutic uses of marijuana. He works with the four remaining federally supplied cannabis patients, who are enrolled in the Compassionate Individual New Drug (IND) Program. As the son of a cancer patient who used cannabis in 1966 to relieve the negative aspects of cancer chemotherapy, he has maintained activism in reforming cannabis laws since that time. He served on the Board of Directors of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) from 1989 to 1994 acting as Managing Director of the organization during 1991 and 1992 and as the National Secretary 1992 to 1994.
Mr. Byrne is a United States representative of patient advocacy for the European based International Academy of Cannabis Medicine (IACM). He sits on various Boards of cannabis orientated organizations. He has moderated a large number of debates and conferences about cannabis reforms including the on-going clinical conference series of Patients Out of Time. Mr. Byrne has co-produced the award winning video “Marijuana as Medicine” and consulted on other documentary projects to Warner Bros., “Bullshit”, Len Richmond Films, Jed Riffe Films and more. He has written articles, essays and opinion pieces for varied journals and publications including Kush Magazine, High Times, Talk of the Town, Medical Cannabis Journal and Teaching Yourself. He is continually quoted in cannabis articles and has been interviewed by dozens of radio and television stations. He is a consultant to several state representatives actively engaged in writing legislation to reform cannabis prohibition. Byrne has been certified by the DEA as a medicinal cannabis expert. He is a co-host on American Freedom Radio/iHeart Radio network weekly “Healthy Mondays” on “Time for Hemp” with a radio audience of over two and a half million listeners.
Mr. Byrne is a retired Naval officer of 24 years service (Lcdr) with a logistics specialty concentrated in the special warfare/Seabee specialty. For 5 years he worked as an outreach counselor in Appalachia to Vietnam Veterans for the Agent Orange Class Assistance Program/VA and is a unique source for information concerning cannabis use for PTS affected Veterans.
Commander Byrne has co-founded Veterans for Medical Cannabis Access, a 501c 24 designated as a Veteran service organization. VMCA is responsible for the Veterans Health Administration issuing a Directive 2011-004 of January 31, 2011 that allowed Vets in “legal” states and DC to use cannabis medically in VA treatment protocols.
More information on the Veterans for Medical Cannabis Access can be found at: Veteransformedicalcannabis.org