Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at a new take on the term “runner’s high,” tips on how to increase safety when smoking cannabis, the potential relationship between cannabis use and an overactive bladder and more. Enjoy.
Cannabis and Exercise
Mature consumers and others who are serious runners may experience a different kind of “runner’s high” thanks to cannabis. That’s the word from researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder who contend that their new study—published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research—indicates using cannabis can make running more enjoyable while helping to pain.
According to Kyle Jaeger, who covered the story for Marijuana Moment, the researchers surveyed 49 runners, asking them to rate various aspects of running, both after consuming cannabis and without using it.
Jaeger wrote that the participants reported that they experienced “less negative affect, greater feelings of positive affect, tranquility, enjoyment, and dissociation, and more runner’s high symptoms during their cannabis (vs. non-cannabis) runs.”
To be fair, the research team acknowledged that the participants did run a bit slower after consuming cannabis—an average of 31 seconds slower per mile, according to the study.
In addition, the researchers also found, “participants also reported lower pain levels after their cannabis (vs. non-cannabis) run,” while, “perceived exertion did not differ between runs.”
Jaeger noted that the researchers concluded, “Results suggest that acute cannabis use may be associated with a more positive exercise experience among regular cannabis users.”
In his article, Jaeger also makes the point that a study that was published in 2020 made the claim that older people who consume cannabis are also more likely to engage in physical activity, while another study that was published in 2021 held that consumers who use cannabis frequently are actually more likely to be physically active compared to their non-using counterparts.
To learn more, we encourage you to read the article by Kyle Jaeger in the July 19, 2023 issue of Marijuana Moment.net. As always, his reporting is first rate.
To read the abstract of the study, which appeared in the online version of the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research on July 13, 2023, simply click on the link that follows.
www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/can.2022.0338
Consumer Corner: Safety Tips
There’s good news for those who still want to consume their cannabis the old fashioned way—smoking it in a joint or a pipe. There are actually several practical steps consumers can take that may reduce health risks and make for a safer, more enjoyable experience when smoking cannabis.
That’s the word from Elana Kirsh who, in an article for The Cannigma, has put together eight tips that she believes can help minimize potential harms from smoking cannabis. Here are two of her tips.
First, don’t hold your breath. According to Kirsh, contrary to popular belief, holding in smoke doesn’t get you significantly higher. She makes the point that two separate studies have found that holding in smoke for 0, 10 or 20 seconds made no significant difference on the classic cannabis high or mood experienced by the smoker.
Actually, she reports that holding the smoke in the lungs for longer periods of time may have diminishing returns for the person smoking, because at some point there are fewer cannabinoids available in the smoke to be absorbed into the lungs.
In addition, holding in the smoke can increase exposure to harmful microscopic particles known as aromatic hydrocarbons. These are abundant in cannabis smoke and carry numerous health risks, though, as she points out, there’s no high quality evidence linking cannabis smoke to lung cancer.
So if you are smoking a joint or from a pipe, Kirsh recommends the following: “Take slow, deep inhalations, allowing the smoke to fill your lungs and then exhaling naturally, without holding it in for an extended period.”
A second tip is to avoid sharing mouthpieces or passing joints among friends or, heaven forbid, strangers. Kirsh acknowledges that there are several aspects of social hygiene that were encouraged during the pandemic that are still relevant today and this is one.
The simple truth, writes Kirsh, is that sharing mouthpieces or passing joints, bongs, or pipes can increase the risk of transmitting harmful bacteria or viruses.
If, however, you enjoy the social aspects of sharing cannabis with a regular group of friends there are ways you can minimize these health risks. For example, each person can roll their own joint or bring their own pipe.
She also describes a device called the Weedgets Maze-X pipe, which features replaceable mouth tips that allow for personal use without compromising the smoking experience.
To learn more, we encourage you to read Elana Kirsh’s insightful, informative and entertaining article. It appeared in the July 6, 2023 issue of The Cannigma.com. Like all articles that appear in the publication, it was reviewed for scientific accuracy prior to publication.
cannigma.com/how-to/how-to-smoke-weed-safer-science-based-tips/?
Medical News and Notes
While many mature consumers find that using cannabis can provide them with a variety of benefits, such as better sleep and less pain, a study conducted by a research team affiliated with Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China suggests that for some, cannabis use may be linked to a medical condition that is a concern for many individuals as they get older—an overactive bladder.
The team’s findings appeared in the American Journal of Medicine.
According to Maria Loreto, reporting for the online publication The Fresh Toast, the research team claims regular marijuana consumers are more likely to suffer from the condition than non-users.
The website of The Mayo Clinic states that overactive bladder is defined as experiencing “a frequent and sudden urge to urinate that may be difficult to control.” Loreto noted it can also include behaviors such as nocturia—the condition that causes a person to wake up during the night to urinate, something that can occur with greater frequency as people age.
It’s estimated that overactive bladder affects up to 33 million adults, including as many as 30 percent of men and 40 percent of women. However, as Loreto points out, that number may be higher because many people may feel embarrassed and won’t get help.
The researchers collected data from 2005 and 2018 on regular and non-regular marijuana users aged 18 to 59, who answered a variety of questions about drug use and kidney conditions.
Loreto recounted in her article that the team gathered over 18,000 responses with 24 percent of respondents identifying as regular marijuana users. These people were more likely to be male, single, smokers, “thinner,” and younger when compared to the other participants in the study.
While the researchers reported that their study showed that regular marijuana users were at higher risk of overactive bladder disorder and are especially at higher risk of nocturia, it is not clear from their journal article just how much more likely cannabis users are to have the condition or if there were factors, along with cannabis use, that can increase the chances of having the condition.
As we often like to point out, correlation is not causation and in this case, it is not clear from the study to what degree having an overactive bladder is caused by using cannabis and to what degree it is associated with a number of other factors, including aging.
For example, Loreto makes it clear that there can be multiple causes for an overactive bladder, including drinking too much fluid, urinary tract infections (UTIs), caffeinated drinks, alcohol, spicy foods, and other bladder irritants, and having certain health conditions, for example, bladder stones or diabetes. In addition, certain medications can lead to the same condition.
That being said, mature consumers who experience an overactive bladder or nocturia would be wise to consider all the possible triggers for the condition and ways they may want to modify their behavior, including their consumption of cannabis. It would also be prudent to discuss the condition with their doctor.
To learn more, we encourage you to read the article by Maria Loreto that appeared in the July 20, 2023 issue of The Fresh Toast.com.
thefreshtoast.com/news/is-marijuana-use-linked-with-an-overactive-bladder/
To read an abstract of the study that appeared in Volume 136, Issue 1 (January 2023) of the The American Journal of Medicine, simply click on the link that follows.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0002934322006672
Cannabis Quote of the Week
“In my opinion, Pennsylvania legalized adult-use cannabis when they legalized the medical program in 2015. I think anybody that is involved in this space at all knows that it’s not difficult to get a medical card. Although it is a step that, you would have to take where you wouldn’t if we just had adult-use recreational.” —Pennsylvania State Senator Dan Laughlin, (R-Erie).
Senator Laughlin’s comment is taken from an interview he did with Ben Wasserstein for WITF, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania’s public broadcasting station.
According to Wasserstein, Laughlin and Senator Sharif Street, (D-Philadelphia) recently introduced a bill that would legalize all modes of cannabis consumption in Pennsylvania and expunge the criminal records of low-level cannabis offenders.
Wasserstein noted that Pennsylvania’s Independent Fiscal Office estimates legalization would generate anywhere from $400 million to upwards of $1 billion a year in tax revenue.
To learn more, you can read the article by Ben Wasserstein that appeared on the website WITF.org on July 25, 2023.
www.witf.org/2023/07/25/legislation-sets-path-for-recreational-marijuana/
Spotlight on Government
Two somewhat contradictory proposals in New York State demonstrate that the path traveled by consumers and regulators after the legalization of adult-use cannabis can often contain a significant number of twists and turns.
In the first case, according to TG Branfalt, reporting for Ganjapreneur, New York cannabis regulators have voted to approve a “cannabis showcase” program that would let cannabis growers sell their wares to the public at events, such as concerts and festivals.
Citing the reporting done by Molly Ormsbee for station WPTZ in Plattsburgh, New York, Branfalt noted that the initiative, called the Cannabis Growers’ Showcase (CGS), will allow for the first legal, in-person sales of cannabis in New York outside of a licensed dispensary.
Specifically, it allows growers to partner with adult-use retailers and processors across New York to organize events for showcasing New York brands and selling adult-use cannabis products to consumers.
It is hoped that the program would allow farmers to process and sell their crops faster and enable consumers to have legal access to cannabis in parts of the state that currently do not have dispensaries.
Sponsors of “Showcase” events will be required to obtain municipal approval unless the event is held at a licensed retail dispensary where cannabis sales typically occur.
So, if the program is implemented as designed, mature consumers and others can head off to a concert or event and purchase cannabis when they get there.
What a time to be alive.
However, if legislation proposed by New York State Senator George Borrello of Jamestown, New York is enacted, consuming that cannabis you just purchased at a concert may get a little tricky.
According to a statement released by the Senator’s office, he has introduced legislation that would prohibit the smoking and consumption of marijuana in public places unless specifically authorized by the locality.
Under Senate Bill 7604, public marijuana use would be prohibited, although cities and towns would be able to enact ordinances regarding whether and where marijuana could be publicly consumed. This is a significant departure from current state law which authorizes public marijuana use anywhere tobacco smoking is permitted. The measure would also establish a $125 fine for violations of the law. Current violations of the public consumption provisions of the law are subject to a $25 fine.
Said Sen. Borrello, “It is important to emphasize that nearly all of the states that have legalized recreational marijuana have limited its usage to private property—one’s home or another private residence or a licensed, designated consumption establishment. That is the more responsible policy.”
The Senator is of the opinion that “the passage of the Marihuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) has resulted in a significant quality of life problem in cities and communities across the state.” He believes it is the duty of the legislature to address this issue and that his proposal is “an important first step.”
A companion piece of legislation has been proposed in the State Assembly.
Hopefully, smart people somewhere will figure out a way for both the Senator and the folks involved in the Showcase program to be able to have their cake and enjoy it.
More news as more news develops.
To learn more about the Cannabis Growers’ Showcase (CGS), we suggest reading the article by TG Branfalt in the July 21, 2023 issue of Ganjpreneur.com.
www.ganjapreneur.com/new-york-approves-plans-to-allow-cannabis-showcases-sales-at-public-events/?
To read a more detailed description of the legislation proposed by Senator Borrello, simply click on the link that follows.
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.
