Women to Watch: Hannah Berg of N’Bliss
The cannabis industry is one that sometimes seems custom made for people with a passion, but unlike traditional industries, many of those in cannabis today have a “why” that brought them to the place in their lives where they chose a career that closely mirrors their own experience with this incredible plant medicine.
Hannah Berg of N’Bliss is one such passionate team member. Berg’s “why” began with seeing her mother suffer from progressive Multiple sclerosis, or MS, which allowed her to see first hand traditional medical treatment protocols – a world of pharmaceuticals that seemed to be more overwhelming than solution-oriented.
While there is not a cure for MS there are many pills that are prescribed to provide relief that come with their own variety of complications that can arise for an MS patient. “Having seen this first-hand, gave me an immense empathy for people being over-medicated to treat symptoms when there was potentially another option,” said Berg.
“Cannabis has been shown in several medical studies to decrease the symptoms of MS. In 2008, Marinol, a synthetic cannabis pill allowed by the FDA was on the market then, yet now in Missouri, we are on the forefront of making real change for patients that have lived their lives being overmedicated for symptomatic diseases without a definite cure. Even though my mother has now passed, she has given me an amazing gift of persistence in seeking the best care for myself and others. This now extends to the patients I serve while working with Nirvana Investments and N’Bliss Dispensaries.”
As a young woman, Hannah has a long career in cannabis ahead of her, and we wanted to know her feelings about the representation of women in Missouri’s cannabis industry.
“Women are making their mark in the cannabis industry. I am thankful that the incredible teams I have had the opportunity to work with across the state maintain strong female leadership.” She says that watching the industry evolve is front and center in shaping Missouri’s market, being present for Missouri’s first retail sale at N’Bliss just over a year ago and seeing how quickly we’ve been able to shape the patient experience is a huge piece of her marketing work.
Given a magic wand to wave over Missouri’s program, Berg is emphatic, “The biggest thing that needs to change is over-regulation by the state. We have seen many rules passed down from DHSS without proper notice, which has caused confusion for patients and businesses. This, in my opinion, should be corrected, so that our patients can have public access to information regarding their medication.”
Finding out the “why” behind what brings people to this critical and essential industry always takes the conversation to a place where we discuss what it takes to be a success in cannabis. Hannah’s response was aligned with many others we’ve spoken to, “The key to success for me has been passion through empathy for the patients we serve. To be successful in cannabis, the patients HAVE to be first priority. They are the reason we’ve reached this point in legalization and will be the reason we can continue into an adult-use market. Each patient is unique with their own background and reason for coming to medical cannabis. These individuals are what give me passion every day to continue to strive for inclusion for all to be served with respect and empathy.”
We’re confident this is only the beginning for this young and bright woman and will continue to watch her rise.
