Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at the supposed link between cannabis legalization and obesity, using CBD to treat Social Anxiety Disorder, the weaponization of cannabis in the midterm elections and more. Enjoy.
Cannabis Myths and Misses
A new study seems to take a bite out of a long-standing myth promoted by opponents of legalization efforts that legalizing cannabis will lead to increased obesity rates due to rampant cases of the munchies.
The study, which was published in the the Journal of Health Economics, analyzed obesity data in Washington State from 2002-2018 compared to other parts of the country, after controlling for other factors.
Washington was one of the first states to legalize recreational marijuana, with retailers opening for business in 2014. That made it a likely target for the study, which was conducted by North Dakota State University, the Center for the Study of Public Choice and Private Enterprise and the Metropolitan State University of Denver.
According to Kyle Jaeger, reporting for Marijuana Moment, the study showed that the opening of recreational marijuana dispensaries led to decreases in obesity in Washington State. Specifically, wrote Jaeger, “the state’s obesity rate is an average of 5.4 percent lower than the synthetic counterfactual throughout the post-treatment period compared to an average -0.01 percent difference in the pre-legalization years.”
In a statement, the authors of the study said, “Our primary experiment revealed recreational marijuana legalization, which allowed for recreational marijuana dispensaries to open, resulted [in] decreases in obesity rates for Washington State. This is somewhat surprising given previous literature finding marijuana use is often associated with increased unhealthy food consumption and lethargy.”
The research team acknowledged that one of the key limitations of the study is that it doesn’t determine exactly why legalization seems to be linked to decreased obesity rates, and so future research should seek to identify those potential mechanisms.
Jaeger also noted that a study published in 2019 in the International Journal of Epidemiology determined that people who use cannabis are less obese on average compared to those who don’t consume marijuana.
To learn more, we urge you to read Kyle Jaeger’s reporting in the September 26, 2022 issue of Marijuana Moment.net.
CBD News and Notes
While we continue to be impressed with studies and research that suggest CBD can contribute to an individual’s wellness routine, particularly when it comes to reducing stress, certain types of pain and inflammation, we remain skeptical when a marketing campaign claims cannabidiol can cure everything from warts to whooping cough, all while it washes your car and brews your morning coffee.
It seems the Federal Trade Commission is equally skeptical and they’ve done something about it. According to Lukas Barfield, commenting on a story that appeared in Marijuana Moment for Ganjapreneur, the FTC has announced it will issue refunds to consumers who purchased CBD products sold by Kushly Industries LLC. The agency said it will be refunding 576 people approximately $36 each, totaling $21,000, for products that were marketed by promoting misleading claims.
Barfield notes that the action appears to be related to a 2021 complaint filed by the FTC that claimed the Arizona-based company said CBD could cure everything from acne to cancer.
In a statement, the FTC said consumers who lodged a complaint will receive either a PayPal payment or a check in the mail. The deadline for consumers to cash their checks is November 22, 2022. Consumers needed to claim their PayPal payments by September 23, 2022.
Perhaps this move signals a new degree of consumer protection from the FTC when it comes to how CBD products are promoted.
To learn more, you can read Lukas Barfield’s article in the August 26, 2022 issue ofGanjapreneur.com.
To read Kyle Jaeger’s reporting on the story for Marijuana Moment, please click on the link that follows.
Tale of Two Cities
Two cities that have gaming and luxury hotels as their primary tourist attractions are looking at ways to add access to cannabis as a way to entice visitors.
In the first case, Atlantic City, New Jersey is considering a proposal to create what’s been referred to as a “Green Zone.” The proposal, called the Green Zone Redevelopment Plan, would designate an area where all classes of state-licensed cannabis businesses would be permitted to operate including retail sales, cultivation and manufacturing. The area outlined in the proposal does not go within 200 feet of the city’s famed Boardwalk and does not include residential neighborhoods.
While the public consumption of cannabis would still be prohibited, the current proposal would allow for the development of consumption lounges where patrons could consume legal cannabis. Casinos in New Jersey can risk license problems if they allow cannabis smoking and most hotel rooms and rental properties ban smoking of any kind.
Speaking of consumption lounges, the City Council of the other city in question, Las Vegas, recently voted five to one to allow cannabis social consumption lounges within city limits.
According to Lukas Barfield, reporting for Ganjapreneur, lounge patrons will be limited to purchasing 3.5 grams (or one eighth of an ounce) of cannabis and cannot take unused cannabis from the lounge. Edibles or tinctures containing more than ten milligrams of THC are required to carry a warning label that reads: “Caution — this product is very potent and is not recommended for inexperienced users.”
In addition, lounges must have dedicated smoking rooms although outdoor lounges are also allowed.
Barfield says the Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board (CCB) plans to issue 20 lounge licenses in October. So far, Clark County and the city of Las Vegas are the only localities to allow the lounges in southern Nevada.
Thanks to the ever vigilant Dave Ruth for sending us the tip on the Atlantic City proposal.
To learn more about the plans for Atlantic City, we suggest reading Amy S. Rosenberg’s article in the September 22, 2022 issue of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
www.inquirer.com/business/atlantic-city-cannabis-green-zone-20220922.html?
You can also read Bill Barlow’s article in the September 21, 2022 issue of The Press of Atlantic City.com.
To learn more about the plan in Las Vegas for consumption lounges, we suggest reading Lukas Barfield’s clear and insightful reporting in the September 23, 2022 issue of Ganjapreneur.com.
www.ganjapreneur.com/las-vegas-votes-to-allow-cannabis-social-consumption-lounges/?
CBD Spotlight
There may be hopeful news for those who suffer from social anxiety disorder. A new study suggests CBD may be an effective tool for providing relief from the condition.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is characterized by clinically significant fear of one or more specific social situations in which an individual may feel scrutinized, judged, or humiliated.
The study consisted of a literature review conducted by researchers from the Department of Psychiatry of the Yale School of Medicine. They found that the findings of existing studies provided evidence that CBD, as a medication, may have certain benefits over current pharmacological treatments for SAD because of its absence of sedating side effects when used, reduced chances of abuse and patients’ rapid response to its administration.
However, the researchers cautioned that further research is needed to establish optimal dosing guidelines, assess CBD’s anti-anxiety effects over time, evaluate the consequences of long-term CBD administration, and explore sex differences in CBD for social anxiety.
To learn more, we suggest reading the article by Danielle K.Fliegel and Sarah D.Lichenstein which appeared in Volume 2, Issue 4, of the journal Psychiatry Research Communications. It has a publication date of December 2022. Simply click on the link below.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772598722000551
Weaponizing Cannabis for the Midterms
Former flack for the Trump White House and Honorary Mayor of Crazytown, Kellyanne Conway, has demonstrated once again why she’s known for having only a passing acquaintance with the truth.
According to Josephine Harvey, a senior reporter at HuffPost, Conway, during an appearance on Fox News, attacked Pennsylvania Democratic Senate nominee John Fetterman for his outspoken support of cannabis legalization.
Harvey noted that Conway told Fox News’ Sean Hannity, who introduced the segment by mocking Fetterman’s difficulties with speech since a stroke in May, that there has been a doubling of “overdose deaths in Pennsylvania,” implying the spike in the number of overdose deaths was somehow related to marijuana use.
That’s just not the case.
As Harvey makes clear in her article, according to the Pennsylvania Office of Drug Surveillance and Misuse Prevention, no marijuana overdose deaths were reported by the office while Fetterman has been Lieutenant Governor. There was, however, a 3 percent increase in drug overdose fatalities from 2020 to 2021, the majority of which involved fentanyl or opioids.
Offering more evidence that Conway’s claim was hogwash, Harvey pointed to a graph created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing U.S. drug-involved overdose deaths from 1999 to 2020 that shows no figures for marijuana overdose.
As might be expected, Conway’s “alternative facts” sparked a cascade of comments on Twitter, including one from Cheri Jacobus which read, “If marijuana deaths were doubled, the number would still be zero, you gaslighting cartoon.”
To learn more, we urge you to read Josephine Harvey’s excellent reporting in the September 27, 2022 issue of HuffPost.com.
www.huffpost.com/entry/kellyanne-conway-marijuana-lie_n_6332772fe4b028164521d3b8
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.
