Hemp therapists and hemp therapy

Last update: March 7th, 2024

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As one of the world’s most useful plants, in addition to its culinary or industrial uses, hemp also has therapeutic applications. Despite the growing number of physicians specializing in hemp therapy, who are usually accepted at hemp facilities, there is still a shortage of specialists in this field. That’s probably why we’re hearing more and more about hemp therapists, that is, people who have gained qualifications to conduct hemp therapy. Who exactly they are and how they get their training is explained in the following article.

As of 2017, we can legally treat ourselves with medical marijuana in Poland. Medical cannabis, or medical marijuana, is available at the pharmacy by prescription. Thus, it is the doctor who decides on the qualification in a patient to start cannabis therapy. In order to start treatment and obtain the pharmaceutical raw material needed in the form of dried cannabis, it is necessary to contact a doctor qualified to issue an RPW prescription. The next step is to contact a cannabis therapy specialist, who will guide further treatment, select dosage and decide the length of therapy. Recently, more and more such specialists are appearing on the Polish market, some of them are doctors of other specialties who have decided to gain new qualifications, but there are also people who did not graduate from medicine.

A hemp therapist – who is it?

Basically, it is a competent person in the context of conducting hemp therapy. A hemp therapist is qualified to select the type of hemp therapy for the disease entity present in the patient. Thus, he has knowledge of the condition itself, its course, traditional (pharmacological) treatments, knowledge of the cannabis plant, its use, its effect on the human body and whether it can interact with existing treatment. It is also necessary to choose the appropriate dosage of cannabis, the form in which the raw material will be administered, the route of administration, the types of active substances extracted from cannabis, possible support of treatment with other extracts extracted from fibrous hemp. A cannabis therapist works with the patient, and is responsible for guiding therapy and supporting the patient’s path to recovery or improved well-being. Sometimes this requires consultation with other specialists, including doctors from other specialties. It is worth noting that to become a hemp therapist you do not need to graduate from medicine.

Who can become a hemp therapist?

The professional qualification of a hemp therapist complements the knowledge of a medical doctor or pharmacist. As you know, not only a diploma in academic medicine guarantees the acquisition of comprehensive knowledge of the functioning of the human body and its treatment. Quite a number of specialists in natural medicine, also called alternative medicine, with diplomas of naturopaths, specialists in cellular medicine, functional medicine, phytotherapists, doctors of eastern medicine, such as Chinese medicine or Ayurveda, are people who have many years of education behind them and often decide to expand it with the specialization of a hemp therapist. Also, people who work with patients in other capacities, such as nutritionists, physiotherapists or massage therapists, can gain additional qualifications on how to conduct hemp therapy with their clients. It turns out that hemp has such a wide range of applications for various health problems that incorporating it as a support for treating depression, reducing weight or treating back pain gives specialists in various fields the opportunity to provide additional help for their clients.

What are the certification centers in Poland?

In Poland, we currently have 4 certification bodies that offer reliable education on hemp therapies. The first is the Santa Herba Foundation, which has already trained thousands of doctors and pharmacists in Poland. Their educational platform includes webinars divided into many modules that make up a comprehensive course on hemp therapy. These include: Fundamentals of Hemp Therapy, Cannabidiol in Hemp Therapy or Santa Herba Therapy Method. Another institution is the Institute of Polish Herbalism and Natural Therapies, which offers a specialized professional course entitled. “Hemp in medicine and phytotherapy”, after which one obtains the occupation code 323090 – hemp therapist. The course program covers a variety of subject areas – from the history and botany of hemp, through the use of the plant and its compounds in numerous areas (e.g. oncology, psychiatry, neurology), to extraction methods, standardization of hemp products and the current legal status in Poland. The third entity is Spectrum Therapeutics, a distributor of medical cannabis to Polish pharmacies, which offers training courses for healthcare professionals. The newest creation is the Institute for Promoting Health, which has created the Academy of the Cannabis Expert, a professional course for those who want to professionally take up holistic therapies in their practice. After completing the course, which consists of 8 weekend sessions and passing an exam, a person obtains the occupation code 323090.

What is hemp therapy? What does it look like?

As we have already mentioned – hemp therapy can proceed very differently, because hemp is an extremely versatile plant in alleviating various conditions. As a general rule, hemp therapy must be preceded by a thorough medical diagnosis and identification of the condition or group of conditions, that is, the weak points of the body in question. The cannabis therapist then decides which cannabis compounds should be used, that is, which of the known cannabinoids should form the basis of the treatment and which should support it. This will determine the type of drug, for example, the type of dried drug from the pharmacy, as well as the form of administration (inhalation, such as vaporization, or oral – in the form of an oil extract, topical, such as suppositories or ointments). Once the appropriate dosage is determined, the patient begins therapy, usually combined with drug treatment or a new, healthier diet.