Vol. 4, No. 42, November 10, 2022

Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at how voters in two states responded to cannabis-related ballot initiatives, an ad campaign that urges consumers to “Buy Legal,” using cannabis to treat the pain of fibromyalgia and more. Enjoy.

Stats of the Week

After the midterm elections, the two magic numbers this week are 48 percent and 74 percent. According to J.J. McCoy, Senior Managing Editor, New Frontier Data, with passage of adult use legislation in Maryland and Missouri, 48 percent of Americans now live in states that have legalized recreational cannabis markets. Overall, 74 percent of the country has legal access to either adult-use or medical cannabis, with 26 percent of the states maintaining a medical use only posture.

Said Amanda Reiman, New Frontier Data’s chief knowledge officer (CKO), “The success of legalization initiatives in Maryland and Missouri versus the failures in Arkansas, North Dakota, and South Dakota shows that having an established and visible medical cannabis program is a crucial springboard towards adult use.” 

She believes that the experience of seeing cannabis dispensaries and consumers as contributing members of a community is an important step towards normalization, and the states that passed adult-use reforms had that advantage.

In Maryland, the state legislature will have to identify and implement taxes and regulations for its new market. Officials have not yet set any tax rate or structure for its cannabis market, nor have any bills identified a licensing or regulatory framework for vendors. All that means implementing legal access will take a while.

Missouri’s situation is different. The amendment to the state constitution that passed defines matters of possession, consumption, use, manufacturing, sales, delivery, taxation, and justice reforms regarding personal use of cannabis by adults ages 21 and older. The folks at New Frontier Data report that based on a 6 percent retail tax, state officials in Missouri project that initial revenues will be beyond $21 million, with the state getting $7.9 million and local governments receiving $13.8 million.

As always, the analysis by the staff at New Frontier Data is clear, concise and helpful. To learn much more, we urge you to read the article in the November 9, 2022 issue of Cannabis Insights, a publication of New Frontier Data. Simply click on the link that follows.

newfrontierdata.com/cannabis-insights/elections-expand-adult-use-cannabis-markets-to-nearly-half-of-us/

Cannabis and Crime

Critics of legalizing cannabis for adult use at the state level have often claimed that legalization will lead to an increase in crime and delinquency, somewhat akin to the crime waves depicted in movies such as “Reefer Madness,” “Devil’s Harvest” and “Assassin of Youth.”

Unfortunately for those who make that argument, it just doesn’t seem to be the case.

According to a recent study of crime rates in two states that were among the first to legalize cannabis for recreational use—Colorado and Washington—there was no indication that legalization led to an increase in crime.

The authors, Alexis J. Harper of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Colorado and Cody Jorgensen of Boise State University at Boise Idaho, analyzed state level data covering years 2000–2019 using what’s described as the synthetic control method. This is a statistical method of analysis that is used to evaluate the effect of an intervention in comparative case studies.  

The authors found that legalizing marijuana for recreational use in Colorado and Washington was generally not associated with variations in index crime rates. In addition, they reported that their findings substantiate prior research.

Their work was published in the November 2, 2022 online issue of the publication, Journal of Drug Issues.

To read an abstract of the study, simply click on the link that follows.

journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/00220426221134107

Celebrity Spotlight

Yet another well-heeled entertainer has taken the plunge into the cannabis sector.

Sean Combs, also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Diddy or Puffy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, record executive and fashion designer who can soon add cannabis entrepreneur to his list of titles.

According to Jennifer Maloney, reporting for the Wall Street Journal—yes, that Wall Street Journal—Mr. Combs, who once said, “You have to be somewhat crazy, if you want to be successful,” has agreed to pay $185 million to acquire licensed marijuana operations in three states that will be spun off as a result of the merger of multi-state operators Columbia Care and Cresco Labs. 

Maloney notes that the deal, if approved by U.S. and state regulators, could create the largest Black-owned and licensed cannabis company in the U.S. Mr. Combs said he wants to use the business as a platform to increase Black participation in the cannabis sector.

According to TG Branfalt, who reported on the deal for Ganjapreneur, the new company, which will be controlled by Mr. Combs, will acquire nine retail stores and three production facilities in New York, Massachusetts, and Illinois. Combs’ company will pay $110 million in cash and $45 million in debt financing, plus additional money based on what were described as certain market-growth milestones. Cresco and Columbia  Care agreed to merge in March of 2022 in a $2 billion deal.

To learn more, you can read Jennifer Maloney’s reporting in the November 4, 2022 issue of the Wall Street Journal.

www.wsj.com/articles/sean-diddy-combs-to-buy-cannabis-operations-in-new-york-two-other-states-for-up-to-185-million-11667557802

We also suggest reading TG Branfalt’s article in the November 4, 2022 issue of Ganjapreneur.com.

www.ganjapreneur.com/sean-diddy-combs-agrees-to-purchase-cresco-labs-and-columbia-care/?

Cannabis Corner

When it comes to how and where some folks purchase their cannabis, old habits seem to die hard. That could be one of the key reasons that in this day of legal cannabis in many states, some folks still prefer to purchase their cannabis from illegal sources.

That may be why the U.S. Cannabis Council—a trade group—decided enough is enough and launched an ad campaign that urges consumers to “Buy Legal.”

According to TG Branfalt, who covered the story for Ganjapreneur, the campaign was launched during the Black CannaBiz Expo in New Orleans, Louisiana. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) is featured in the campaign, calling on consumers to “Buy Legal.”

Said Governor Murphy, in a statement, As states like New Jersey continue to refine a regulatory framework for adult use of cannabis, our local businesses and consumers would greatly benefit from the resources that the Buy Legal campaign provides. This campaign will help protect the ability of local, regulated cannabis enterprises to continue to do business in a way that is safe and accountable, and protect the safety of consumers while reinvesting in communities.” 

He added that, it is “an honor” to be the first elected official to participate in the campaign.

Branfalt also pointed out that former NBA great Al Harrington,  the founder and CEO of the cannabis company Viola, is also participating in the campaign. Harrington said the initiative “comes at such an important time in the cannabis industry.”

He added, in a statement, “To truly create equitable opportunities for generational wealth in our community, things like this must be done. Now more than ever it’s imperative to educate consumers on the importance of buying regulated, safe products.”

According to Bramfalt, the USCC hope’s to recruit a broad range of legal cannabis businesses to implement the Buy Legal seal across e-commerce, in stores, and at industry conferences and events.

To learn more, we encourage you to read TG Branfalt’s article in the November 4, 2022 issue of Ganjapreneur.com.

And while you are at it, buy legal.

www.ganjapreneur.com/u-s-cannabis-council-launches-buy-legal-campaign/?

Cannabis and Pain Management

There may be hopeful news for women who suffer from the painful condition known as fibromyalgia. A study conducted by a group of Israeli researchers indicates adding cannabis to the treatment routine of women who have the condition may help to improve their quality of life.

The research team, consisting of individuals affiliated with Wolfson Medical Center, Holon, Israel and the Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel, used the  World Health Organization’s Quality of Life Bref questionnaire (WhoQoL-bref) to determine the impact, if any, cannabis had on the treatment of individuals who participated in the study.

The study cohort consisted of 30 women aged 18-70 years old diagnosed with fibromyalgia who had exhausted pharmacological treatment for their condition and started treatment with medical cannabis. The WhoQoL-bref was filled out before cannabis treatment was initiated and one month following treatment.

According to Shaharum Vehadi, PhD, who did not participate in the study, the WhoQoL-bref is a 26-item instrument used to collect information on four domains of an individual’s life: physical health (7 items), psychological health (6 items), social relationships (3 items), and environmental health (8 items); it also contains Quality of Life and general health items. 

The physical health domain includes questions on mobility, daily activities, functional capacity, energy, pain, and sleep. The psychological domain measures include self-image, negative thoughts, positive attitudes, self-esteem, mentality, learning ability, memory concentration, religion, and mental status. The social relationships domain contains questions on personal relationships, social support, and sex life. The environmental health domain covers issues related to financial resources, safety, health and social services, living physical environment, opportunities to acquire new skills and knowledge, recreation, general environment and transportation.

The research team found that participants who took part in the cannabis treatment for 30 days showed a marked improvement in general quality of life, general health, physical health and the psychological domain.  Financial resources and home environment were not influenced by cannabis treatment.

The researchers felt the results suggest a potentially significant role for medical cannabis in the treatment of women with fibromyalgia whose condition has been resistant to other forms of treatment and that early cannabis treatment may result in a beneficial short-term effect on the quality of life through its influence on pain, sleep, physical and psychological domains. They also felt that further studies are needed to better understand the potential of this course of treatment and its long-term beneficial impact.

To learn more you can read an abstract of the study results that appeared in the November 4, 2022 issue of the journal Pain Practice. Simply click on the link that follows.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/papr.13179

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.