Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at the opinions Americans have about cannabis, why gummies in Alabama only come in one flavor, professional sports teams and cannabis and more. Enjoy.
Cannabis News and Notes
A major custodian of the nation’s opinions, the Pew Research Center, has released an updated snapshot—prepared by Katherine Schaeffer—of American’s views of and experiences with marijuana. It’s based on the Center’s surveys and other sources.
Here are several key takeaways.
• Around nine-in-ten Americans say marijuana should be legal for medical or recreational use.
A majority of U.S. adults (88 percent) say either that marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational use (59 percent) or that it should be legal for medical use only (30 percent).
• Public support for marijuana legalization differs widely by age, political party, and race and ethnicity.
Just three-in-ten adults 75 and older say marijuana should be legal for recreational and medical use, compared with 53 percent of adults 65 to 74, the next youngest age category. By contrast, 72 percent of adults under 30 support legalization for medical and recreational use.
Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents are more likely than Republicans and GOP leaners to support the legalization of marijuana for both purposes (73 percent vs. 45 percent).
• Supporters and opponents of marijuana legalization have cited different reasons for their views.
Americans who favored legalization were most likely to cite two reasons as very important: marijuana’s perceived medical benefits (86 percent) and the idea that legalizing the drug would free up law enforcement to focus on other types of crime (70 percent).
Among Americans who opposed marijuana legalization, 79 percent said a very important reason was that they thought it would increase the number of car accidents involving drivers who use marijuana. Around seven-in-ten (69 percent) said a very important reason was that legalization would lead to more people using stronger and more addictive drugs.
• Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia have legalized small amounts of marijuana for adult recreational use as of April 2023.
According to a Pew Center analysis of 2022 population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, 48 percent of Americans now live in a jurisdiction where recreational marijuana is legal.
For a deeper, more detailed dive into the opinions Americans hold about cannabis, we suggest reading the report prepared by Katherine Schaeffer. It was released on April 13, 2023. Simply click on the following link.
www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/13/facts-about-marijuana/
Crime and Justice
Twenty-five may be an elderly German gentleman’s lucky number.
According to The Guardian, a German court recently gave an 82-year-old man a “last warning”—as opposed to jail time—after he was found guilty of selling marijuana.
The defendant, who said he was trying to improve his meager monthly pension of 800 Euros by selling marijuana, received a suspended sentence from a court in the northern town of Aurich.
The retired sailor has 24 previous convictions and an ongoing suspended sentence.
The Guardian noted that German news agency DPA reported that prosecutors had asked the court to impose a prison term of 34 months in view of the man’s lengthy criminal record and an existing suspended sentence.
However, the judges said they would make an exception and classify the latest crimes as “less serious offenses” because of the man’s particular circumstances and the fact that he had health problems.
We can’t say for sure, but a planned change in cannabis policy in Germany may have also contributed to the court’s decision to show some leniency—make that some more leniency—to the criminally-inclined octogenarian.
Back in April of this year, the country’s health minister announced that by the end of the year adults in Germany will be able to grow and consume recreational cannabis privately or through non-profit members’ clubs. This, according to reporting by The Guardian, would actually scale back previous plans to make it legal to sell recreational cannabis in shops or pharmacies nationwide.
Medical marijuana became legal in Germany in March 2017 and individuals with a prescription can purchase it in a pharmacy. In some cases, public and private health insurance will cover the cost of the prescription. It’s been reported that cannabis oil or a tincture is the most popular method for consuming cannabis in Germany.
To learn more about the elderly drug dealer’s last chance, we suggest reading the article that appeared in the June 5, 2023 issue of The Guardian.
And Now You Know
Alabama, which is new to the medical cannabis arena, has decided it will be illegal to smoke medical cannabis or consume it in food. It will, however, be available as tablets, capsules, gelatins (gummies), oils, gels, creams, suppositories, transdermal patches, or inhalable oils or liquids.
However, only peach-flavored gummies will be available.
According to Brian Lyman, editor of Alabama Reflector, legislators reasoned that peach was the flavor that most people would consider least appealing.
Representatives of states known for their peaches, such as Georgia and New Jersey, have yet to comment.
Roll Tide.
To learn more, you can read the article in the June 13, 2023 issue of AL.com.
www.al.com/news/2023/06/alabamas-medical-marijuana-gummies-can-only-be-peach-flavored-heres-why.html
Stats of the Week
This week’s magic number is 27 percent. That’s the percentage of mature consumers aged 55 and older who say edibles are their preferred way to consume cannabis. That number also represents an increase of five percent since last year.
One reason for that growth is that when it comes to cannabis, as with any other product, predictability and convenience rule. According to Dr. Amanda Reiman (Ph.D., MSW), Chief Knowledge Officer, New Frontier Data, “as cannabis continues to be normalized through policy change and public acceptance, the emergence of standardized and properly labeled edibles has made this a fast-growing product category.”
In an article recently published in Cannabis Insights, Dr. Reiman notes that overall, in 2022, 17 percent of consumers in all age groups said that edibles were their most frequently used form of cannabis and 22 per cent said it was their favorite form. In 2023, that rose to 21 percent and 25 percent respectively, while the use of flower in a hand pipe or one-hitter or as a joint fell in both categories.
When citing reasons for this trend, Dr. Reiman pointed to three factors. The first is predictability when it comes to dose. She notes that testing and labeling of regulated products gives consumers assurance that the edible they are consuming is the dose advertised.
The second is the introduction and growth of fast-acting edibles with a promised onset of 10-15 minutes. She contends that this is especially helpful for those individuals looking to use cannabis as a substitute for alcohol or prescription drugs. Said Reiman, “Those using cannabis as a substitute for alcohol don’t want to wait an hour for the effect while those around them are drinking and feeling the effects right away. And when using cannabis instead of a prescription drug like a pain reliever, the relief can’t come fast enough.”
The third factor is convenience. She makes the point that as more people wish to use cannabis outside of the home, products that don’t smell and don’t produce smoke are preferable. She noted that,”It is much easier to pop a gummy during your kid’s softball game than light up a joint.”
She also speculates that the fact that many states already have strict laws against smoking in public, might make edibles an even more attractive way to consume cannabis “as the desire and comfort with use in public increases.”
To learn more about the increased popularity of edibles as a way to consume cannabis, we urge you to read the article by Dr. Amanda Reiman in the June 13,2023 issue of Cannabis Insights, a publication of New Frontier Data.
Simply click on the link that follows.
Spotlight on Sports
There are two stories this week concerning cannabis and professional sports. The first involves professional basketball and the second centers on major league baseball.
According to Zach Mentz, reporting for the online publication Flavor Fix, the National Basketball Association (NBA) will no longer drug test players for cannabis as part of the league’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
Citing a story reported in The Athletic, Mentz notes that under the new CBA, tentatively agreed to by the league and the NBA Players Association (NBPA), players will no longer be penalized for positive drug tests for cannabis. That’s because testing for cannabis has been eliminated from the NBA’s drug testing program entirely.
In addition, under the agreement NBA players will be allowed to promote and/or invest in cannabis companies.
Mentz also pointed out that the elimination of drug testing for cannabis by the NBA comes less than two years after the league announced in October 2021 it would no longer randomly drug test players for cannabis use. That continued a policy the league instituted at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
To learn more, we suggest reading Zach Mentz’s article for the online publication FlavorFix.com. Simply click on the link that follows.
flavorfix.com/news/nba-eliminates-cannabis-testing/
Regarding cannabis and major league baseball, the Kansas City Royals have become the second MLB team to partner with a CBD company. The purpose of the partnership is to promote education about the potential therapeutic benefits of CBD.
So says Kyle Jaeger reporting for Marijuana Moment. According to Jaeger, Kansas City has joined forces with Pure Spectrum CBD, a company that produces hemp-derived cannabidiol products, such as oils and gummies. This makes the Royals the second MLB team to venture into the cannabis sector. Their announcement comes just two months after the Chicago Cubs teamed up with the CBD sparkling beverage brand MYND DRINKS.
Said Sarah Tourville, the team’s executive vice president and chief commercial & community impact officer, “The Kansas City Royals are proud to be just the second MLB team to form a partnership with a company like Pure Spectrum. For this organization, this opportunity gives us a chance to support a brand with Kansas City ties and to educate the community on the benefits of CBD.”
Said Pure Spectrum CEO Dan Huerter,“As someone who grew up in Kansas City, this partnership with the Kansas City Royals is more than a ‘dream come true’ for me. To be able to work with such an iconic organization and to be a part of promoting health and wellness in my hometown community is an incredible honor.”
He added, “Our partnership with the Royals represents a monumental step forward for the entire industry and illustrates just how far we’ve come.”
Jaeger noted that over the last several years Pure Spectrum has established itself within the athletics arena, sponsoring the CrossFit Games in 2018 and partnering with U.S. Olympic governing bodies, such as USA Triathlon and USA Weightlifting.
To learn more about how Major League Baseball’s position on cannabis has evolved over the past few years—as it relates to both players and teams—we urge you to read Kyle Jaeger’s article in the June 7, 2023 issue of Marijuana Moment.net. As always, his reporting is clear, concise and on point.
www.marijuanamoment.net/kansas-city-royals-become-second-mlb-team-to-partner-with-cbd-company/
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.
