Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. In this issue we take a look at using cannabis to manage pain, a proposal in Ukraine to legalize medical cannabis, using CBD to treat osteoarthritis in dogs and more. Enjoy.
Cannabis and Pain Management
Researchers believe a new study offers evidence that cannabis can be an effective tool when it comes to managing chronic pain. This may be welcome news to those who are seeking an alternative to using opioids to achieve pain relief.
The Canadian study, which was published in the journal Pain Medicine, conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 people living in Ontario, Canada. The participants all used cannabis therapeutically to manage chronic pain.
The researchers—all of whom are associated with McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada—reported that those living with chronic pain reported important benefits associated with use of cannabis for therapeutic purposes, including reduced pain, improved functionality, and less risk of what the respondents described as harmful results they associated with the use of prescription opioids.
The study did reveal several areas of concern. For example, some respondents reported experiencing grogginess from using cannabis and others were concerned about coughing from smoking cannabis. Others reported that financial costs and the social stigma they thought was still associated with using cannabis were important barriers to its use.
While the small size of the study group—13 individuals—suggests further research is needed, the results reported by participants do indicate there is no question that for some, using cannabis can be an effective way to manage pain.
To learn more, we suggest you read the article, which appeared in the June 2, 2022 issue of Pain Medicine. Simply click on the link that follows.
academic.oup.com/painmedicine/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/pm/pnac085/6598805
Career Tips
Mature consumers who are looking for a second career working for an employer who will increase their wages in response to inflation may want to send Snoop Dogg a resume.
That’s the word from David Propper, writing for the New York Post. Said Propper, the rapper, actor and cannabis entrepreneur Snoop Dogg has a full-time employee on the payroll whose only job is to roll his blunts. For the uninitiated, a blunt is a cigar that has had the tobacco removed and replaced with marijuana. Blunts can also be rolled using tobacco leaf wrappers.
According to Propper, Snoop, in response to a tweet from the account UberFacts, said that he recently adjusted the salary of the person he employs to roll his blunts to account for inflation. The employee now brings in between $40,000 and $50,000 yearly—to roll blunts.
Snoop later reposted a tweet about the pay raise that said, “Employers: Take notes from @SnoogDog.”
Propper noted that in addition to rolling cannabis, the employee is also expected to be able to anticipate when his employer is in need of another blunt. According to Snoop Dogg, in this regard, his employee’s timing is “impeccable.”
The position’s fringe benefits include being able to consume as much of Snoop Dogg’s cannabis as he or she cares to and access to whatever swag, in the form of clothes and collectables, that Snoop accumulates while on tour.
One can only wonder if school guidance counselors know of this career path.
To learn more, you can read David Propper’s article in the June 12, 2022 issue of the New York Post.
nypost.com/2022/06/12/snoop-doggs-blunt-roller-gets-a-pay-raise-thanks-to-inflation/
Russel Falcon also covered the story for Nexstar Media Wire. His article appeared in the June 12, 2022 issue of The Hill.
thehill.com/news/wire/3519241-snoop-dogg-gives-full-time-blunt-roller-a-raise-cites-inflation/
Caring for Your Cannabis
Mature consumers who prefer to use cannabis flower may be pleased to find that it is possible to rehydrate cannabis that has gone dry. This will be welcome news since smoking dried out cannabis can make for a less than pleasant experience.
According to Jessica Reilly, writing for The Cannigma, not only does dried cannabis lose flavor due to terpenes evaporating, but it also makes for a less enjoyable smoking experience. Dry cannabis can burn unevenly, harsher and hotter, all of which can lead to coughing and throat irritation.
Reilly reports there is research that identifies the optimal moisture content of dried bud at around 10 percent. She also notes that proper storage is key when it comes to making sure cannabis doesn’t dry out before its time. She goes on to offer several tips on proper cannabis storage including:
- Keep it away from light
- Store in an airtight container, such as a stash box or an airtight glass or stainless steel container
- Clean and dry the container before you use it
- Keep the cannabis in a cool, dry spot
- Use humidity packs.
Her tips on what not to do if you want to avoid having your cannabis dry out include storing it in the fridge or freezer, keeping it in a plastic bag, leaving it exposed to light, opening the container too frequently and handling the buds more than necessary.
Reilly also lists several old time DIY approaches to keeping cannabis moist that she says have no merit, such as keeping a piece of orange peel or a lettuce leaf in your cannabis container, letting your cannabis rest on a slice of bread or mixing your old, dry cannabis with a fresher batch. We don’t care what the older guys on the corner told you, the answer is no, no and hell no.
Her personal recommendation for avoiding dry cannabis is adding a hydration pack, such as Boveda, to your cannabis storage container. She says this way the humidity from the packs is slowly released into the air within the closed container and that humidity is then absorbed by the dry cannabis.
She cautions that the process can take between three to seven days, or longer, so no peeking. If you open the container you can lose the humidity that has already been released into the container. She also acknowledges that the time for the process to take effect can vary, based on container size and size of humidity pack.
To learn more, we suggest you read Jessica Reilly’s informative and entertaining article in the May 25, 2022 issue of The Cannigma.
cannigma.com/plant/how-to-rehydrate-dry-cannabis/
Cannabis Quote of the Week
“We understand the negative effects of war on mental health. We understand the number of people who will need medical treatment due to this exposure. And we understand that there is no time to wait.”—Viktor Liashko, Ukraine Health Minister
Mr. Liashko is speaking about a bill—which has the backing of the Ukrainian government—to legalize medical cannabis. His comments, which come from a press release, are taken from an article by TG Branfalt, reporting for Ganjapreneur.
According to Branfalt, the proposal lists more than 50 qualifying conditions, including cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), neurological diseases, and neuropathic chronic pain. It also proposes strict controls on cultivation, production, and sales. There are provisions in the legislation for licensing for economic activities and for the cultivation of strains for medical purposes and scientific research.
In 2021 the government legalized the use of three THC-based synthetic drugs – dronabinol, nabilone, and nabiximols, a cannabis extract developed by GW Pharmaceuticals.
In a 2020 poll, just under 65 percent of Ukrainians backed reforms that would legalize medical cannabis.
Perhaps the next time a U.S. legislator suggests this really isn’t the time to consider legalization at the federal level, he or she should be encouraged to contact Mr. Liashko, Health Minister of a country that is fighting for its very existence. Somehow, between the rocket strikes and shelling, the Ukrainian government is finding time to pursue legalization.
To learn more, we urge you to read TG Branfalt’s article in the June 9, 2021 issue of Ganjapreneur.com.
www.ganjapreneur.com/ukraine-health-minister-announces-bill-to-legalize-medical-cannabis/?
CBD and Dogs
There may be hopeful news for dog parents whose canine companions suffer from osteoarthritis. A new study indicated CBD may offer their dog some relief from pain.
Researchers in Chile conducted a systematic review that summarized the evidence of efficacy and safety of the use of cannabis for the treatment of animal disease.
The review process consisted of a literature search for studies published prior to March 16, 2021 in five databases. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that reported the efficacy or safety of cannabis in the treatment of animal disease were included.
The study, which was published in Cambridge Core, a publication of Cambridge University Press, found CBD significantly reduced pain and increased activity in dogs with osteoarthritis. Moreover, there was also what the researchers described as limited evidence that CBD significantly reduced the frequency of seizures in dogs with epilepsy and the aggressive behavior of dogs.
The researchers acknowledged that given the small sample size of their study, there was a need for further research.
To read an abstract of the review, we suggest you visit the June 15, 2022 issue of Cambridge Core.
Senior Cannabis Digest is compiled and edited by Joe Kohut and John Kohut. You can reach them at joe.kohut@gmail.com and at 347-528-8753.
