The number of states that have made it legal for adults to possess and use marijuana is growing like a weed. Now Illinois—which already has a medical marijuana program—has become the 11th state to legalize cannabis for adult recreation and the first state to legalize it through the legislative process instead of through a ballot initiative.
Several provisions of the law can provide valuable insights for mature consumers who wish to advocate for similar legislation in the state where they live.
For instance, starting January 1, 2020, adults 21 and older will be allowed to possess and buy cannabis. Those visiting Illinois will also be allowed to purchase it, but in a smaller amount than state residents will be permitted to buy.
In addition, those who use marijuana for medicinal purposes will be allowed to grow up to five plants at a time. However, non-patients are not allowed to grow marijuana at home and doing so will be punishable by a civil penalty of $200 for growing up to five plants.
Initially, medical marijuana dispensaries will be the only legal sellers of marijuana for recreational use. Beginning in mid-2020, Illinois will grant additional licenses to dozens of new stores, processors, cultivators and transporters. According to Marijuana Business Daily, up to nearly 300 stores could be in operation in Illinois by 2022.
A key sticking point, however, is that county and municipal governments will have the power to decide whether to allow sellers to operate in their area. A similar provision in California law has actually made it more difficult for some seniors to purchase cannabis products by making it necessary for them to travel to another community to do their shopping. This suggests that once marijuana is made legal at the state level, the advocacy battle may have to continue at the local level.
To learn more, visit the reporting by German Lopez in the June 25, 2019 issue of VOX or the article by Vincent Caruso in the June 25, 2019 issue of the website IllinoisPolicy.org.
CBD Consumers Face A Wide Spectrum of Issues
In many ways, the old adage “if you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there” seems like it was coined with CBD products in mind.
For starters, products containing Cannabidiol (CBD)—an active ingredient in cannabis derived from the hemp plant—can be found just about everywhere these days, from high-end boutiques to corner stores. These products are usually promoted as providing a wide range of benefits, from relief of aches and pains to reduced anxiety, better sleep, and an increased feeling of well being.
The challenge facing many consumers, however, is whether or not their lemon ice or face cream really does contain CBD oil and if it does, how much and what kind?
For example, full spectrum CBD, means that the CBD oil listed on the label also contains all other cannabinoids found in the marijuana plant, along with trace amounts of THC. The amount of THC is usually less than 1 percent. As such it would, in most cases result in minimal psychoactive stimulation. It may, however, trigger a positive result for marijuana if the product was tested in the field by law enforcement.
The other prevalent form of CBD, CBD Isolate, is a purified form of CBD that has been extracted from the marijuana plant and isolated from the other cannabinoids. At present, there is at least one case where using CBD isolate is preferred over Full Spectrum CBD. In June of 2018 the FDA approved Epidiolex, a drug made from CBD isolate, for treatment of rare forms of epilepsy. This was the first time the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved a cannabis-derived drug.
However, as Sean Williams reported in the Motley Fool, recent tests performed on mice at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences suggests that extremely high doses of CBD isolate may present a threat to liver function in mice.
The researchers who performed the study did not suggest that this indicated CBD products were unsafe but that further research, particularly of long term use, was warranted. However, as Miller points out in his article, this may help to explain why the FDA has been reluctant to allow CBD additives in food, beverages, and dietary supplements.
A Special Forces veteran once observed that the best advice he ever received was “always know where you are and who you are with.” Similar advice applies here. Always know the source of the CBD product you are buying, it’s purity and it’s track record for addressing the condition you are hoping to correct by ingesting it. Moreover, having the advice of a physician trained in cannabis products is better than having no advice at all.
For a more detailed look at the research on the effect of CBDs on the liver, visit Miller’s article in the June 22 issue of The Motley Fool.
For a comparison of Full Spectrum CBD and CBD Isolate visit Aaron Cadena’s article “CBD Isolate Vs. Full Spectrum CBD” in the September 7, 2017 issue of CBD Origin.
Cannabis and Fibromyalgia Pain
There’s hopeful news for older consumers and others who experience the pain of fibromyalgia. New research indicates treating it with cannabis may offer relief from the pain associated with the condition. Those with fibromyalgia experience widespread musculoskeletal pain along with fatigue, sleep, memory and often, emotional issues. While the symptoms can resemble those of arthritis, the condition actually affects the soft tissue, not the joints. Although the cause is still unknown, risk factors associated with the condition can include traumatic injury, rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune disorders, such as lupus, and genetic factors. In most people, fibromyalgia symptoms go through flares, when symptoms are severe, and remissions, when symptoms are less intense or even absent.
The research study, which was recently published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, was conducted by a team led by Prof. Victor Novack, M.D., of the BGU-Soroka Clinical Cannabis Research Institute in Israel. His team found that medical cannabis—which is legal in Israel—can be an effective and safe treatment for fibromyalgia. It’s believed that the group of 367 patients in the study is the largest group of fibromyalgia patients in the world to be treated with medical cannabis.
Dr. Novack’s team found that after six months of cannabis therapy, just over 80 percent of the patients reported a significant improvement in control of their symptoms, such as sleep disturbances, depression and weakness. In addition, an improvement was achieved in patients’ quality of life and daily functioning.
Said Dr. Novak, “Now we believe medical cannabis is an additional treatment that may benefit these patients effectively and with relatively few side effects in prolonged treatment. I hope that further studies will corroborate our findings in the future.”
More information is available in the June 18, 2019 issue of the website American Associates Ben Gurion University of the Negev [aabgu.org].
Martha Stewart in the Senior Celebrity Spotlight
When asked about her involvement with cannabis, Martha Stewart says it’s all because of her pal Snoop Dogg, her love of animals and her interest in wellness.
In an article for Forbes, Katie Shapiro reported that Stewart told an audience at the “37th Food & Wine Classic” in Aspen that the rapper, entrepreneur, and her co-host on their Emmy nominated cooking show—Snoop Dogg—does a good job of sharing his smoke with her, “and I don’t even smoke.” Shapiro also covered Stewart’s appearance a day later at the second annual World Cannabis Congress in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.
Said Stewart, “I don’t use cannabis myself, personally, but have been using CBD facial creams and body lotions. There are some very high-quality ones in the marketplace right now that I like so we will also be working on [CBD-based] beauty products.”
The “we” she refers to is the Canadian Cannabis giant Canopy Growth.
Stewart acknowledges it was her colleague Snoop Dogg who introduced her to the principals at Canopy Growth in 2018. Snoop’s cannabis brand Leafs is part of the company’s corporate family. That introduction led to Stewart becoming an advisor for a new line of CBD products for people and their pets.
Said Stewart, “The thought here was since my interest lies in animals and beauty, that it would be an advisory position in the CBD arena through a licensing agreement I will personally oversee. We are already working on the development of a sensible line of CBD products for dogs, and hopefully for cats, and then horses and larger livestock. I am very interested in their wellbeing and not keen on serving up pharmaceuticals.”
Shapiro reports Canopy Growth is on track to start delivering Martha Stewart-stamped, hemp-derived CBD products to the U.S. market by the end of the 2020 fiscal year.
For more information, visit Shapiro’s wide-ranging article in the June 24, 2019 issue of Forbes.
The Cannabis Market—How Big Is Big?
While the accepted wisdom is that the cannabis sector in North America is already big and getting bigger, it can sometimes be difficult—for both consumers and investors—to grasp just how big is big. One way to measure it is from the investment angle. Another way is to measure consumption.
For example, reporting for Axios, in one of their AM deep dives, Dan Primack wrote that venture capitalists are investing record sums in marijuana startups, which are growing twice as fast as they did in 2018. Primack contends these investments signify a belief that marijuana will be legalized in the U.S. at the federal level, as it has been in Canada.
Citing the financial database, Pitch Book Data, Axios reports that investment in the cannabis sector grew to $1.3 billion for 2019 through mid-June. That’s up from $1 billion for all of 2018 and $370 million for 2017. The report indicates some of this figure reflects investment in actual cannabis growers, while other aspects of this increase can be found in industry sidelines, such as logistics, finance, retail products and accessories. This brings to mind the notion that many retailers prospered during the California Gold Rush, not by mining , but by selling products the real miners needed.
Focusing on the consumption end, Ed Zwirn, writing in the New York Post, reported that according to the Marijuana Business Factbook from MJBIZ Daily, revenue from both legal recreational and medical cannabis in the US for 2018 was estimated to be between between $8.6 billion and $10 billion.
Said Zwirn, the experts at MJBIZDaily believe it’s likely that by 2020, the amount spent on marijuana will surpass the projected $15 billion in yearly revenue generated by the National Football League.
Said Zwirn, the experts at MJBIZDaily believe it’s likely that by 2020, the amount spent on marijuana will surpass the projected $15 billion in yearly revenue generated by the National Football League.
Senior Cannabis Digest is compiled and edited by Joe Kohut and John Kohut. You can reach them at seniorcannabisdigest@gmail.com or by calling 347-528-8753.