Vol. 1, No. 15, August 8, 2019

Those who use marijuana regularly and have surgery scheduled need to tell their surgeon and make sure their nurses and anesthesiologists also know they use cannabis. That’s because marijuana use may affect a patients’ responses to anesthesia on the operating table and either help or hinder the patient’s recovery

That’s the word from Colorado, where a group of patients were the subject of a study published in May in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. The study found marijuana users required more than triple the amount of one common sedation medicine, propofol, compared to nonusers.

According to Kate Ruder, reporting for Kaiser Health News, the study’s findings have led its senior author, Dr. Mark Twardowski, and others, to ask more questions about the relationship between cannabis use and anesthesia. For example, if those who use marijuana need more anesthesia, are there increased risks for breathing problems during minor procedures? Are there higher costs with the use of more medication, if a second or third bottle of anesthesia must be routinely opened? And what does regular cannabis use mean for recovery post-surgery?

Dr. Joy Hawkins, a professor of anesthesiology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and president of the Colorado Society of Anesthesiologists,  told Ruder anesthesiologists have noticed that patients who use marijuana are more tolerant of some common anesthesia drugs, such as propofol. Propofol is used to help people fall asleep during general anesthesia or stay relaxed during conscious “twilight” sedation. However, higher doses can increase potentially serious side effects such as low blood pressure and depressed heart function.

Ruder also reports that medical professionals in Colorado are finding patients are avoiding opioids and using marijuana to treat post-operative pain. This can be problematic given that depending on the source of the cannabis, the amount of THC in the marijuana is often unknown and can make for unexpected interactions with other drugs post surgery.

To learn more, visit Katie Ruder’s article in the August 1, 2019 issue of NBCnews.com.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/if-you-smoke-pot-your-anesthesiologist-needs-know-n1038191

CBD Products and Drug Testing

If you are engaged in a job hunt or have a position that requires occasional mandatory drug testing, it’s important to remember that the CBD oil you are using to treat muscle pain or inflammation may contain a gift that keeps on giving—THC.

Both CBD and THC are compounds known as cannabinoids. THC is known for being the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana; it’s what gets users “high” or “stoned.” CBD, however, is not psychoactive. In other words, CBD alone will not get you high.

It turns out, however, that it’s not uncommon for CBD products sold as wellness aids to contain some THC. In fact, Danielle Koscecki reports in CNET that when Penn Medicine researchers analyzed the ingredients of CBD products they purchased online they found that about one in five contained up to 6.4 mg/ML of THC. Unfortunately, that might be enough to trigger a positive for THC on a drug test.

It is important to remember that THC is fat-soluble, so when you ingest it orally as part of a CBD product it’s absorbed along with other fats and can be stored in your body’s fatty tissue. Depending on how much THC you are consuming along with your CBD, how often you consume it, your body weight and your diet, Kosecki says it’s possible —not likely but possible—for THC to accumulate in your body and trigger a positive drug test. 

The good news is that given the amount of THC present in most CBD products, the chances of a positive result are on the low end of the spectrum. The bad news is that many CBD products purchased over the counter may not be as benign as many consumers think they are and may contain ingredients that are not accounted for and may even result in unintended consequences.

Danielle Kosecki’s article can be found in the August 6, 2019 issue of CNET.

https://www.cnet.com/news/can-cbd-make-you-fail-a-drug-test/

Etiquette Tips

Lizzie Post is the great-great-granddaughter of Emily Post, co-president of the Emily Post Institute and author of  Higher Etiquette (Ten Speed Press). The book is described as a guide to the world of cannabis, “from dispensaries to dinner parties.” Here, in an excerpt from a wide-ranging conversation with Luke Winkie for Vox, she offers three essential etiquette tips.

What are three basic rules of cannabis etiquette that everyone should know?

“The most important thing is the act of sharing cannabis is at the forefront of the entire community. So if you happen to be in a group of people, and you do have weed, and you are about to light something up, offering to share it with someone is pretty huge. Beyond that, it’s very specific to the different methods, but making sure you’re not holding on to something that is burning, or that you’re wasting weed.

Third, not getting rid of something before asking everyone if they’d like the rest of it. I might think a joint is done at a quarter-inch of the filter, but I’ve got buddies who’d think chucking that was a cardinal sin. I would also say, right up there with finishing it is when you’re starting [a joint]. Being aware of fresh green is very important.”

To learn more, read Luke Winkie’s entertaining interview with Lizzie Post in the August 2, 2019 issue of Vox.

https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/7/26/8930668/weed-marijuana-cannabis-legalization

Tech Talk

There’s good news for mature consumers of cannabis who are finally ready to ditch that fake can of shaving cream that never fooled anyone any way and find a new way to store their buds and edibles.

From a company called Trova there’s what’s described as a “sleek, ultra-modern” personal storage device designed to prevent “inappropriate audiences” from accessing your personal objects.

About the size of a portable battery charger, the device wirelessly connects via Bluetooth to an app that only allows registered users to unlock it using biometric scanning, such as a thumb print or retina scan, or pin code. There is also a feature that will notify you on your phone if the box is opened or disconnected. It can even use your phone’s GPS to mark a last-used location, so you don’t have to worry about it getting lost.

The personal safe does clock in at a hefty $249, but those who value their security and privacy will probably think it is money well spent.

To learn more you can read Melissa Locker’s article in the August 2, 2019 issue of Fast Company or visit the company website at www.trovaofficial.com.

https://www.fastcompany.com/90384310/trova-a-portable-biometric-safe-keeps-legal-weed-private

https://www.trovaofficial.com/features.cfm

Business Trends

There was a time when those who smoked cannabis would whisper the word tea as slang for marijuana. It seems things have come full circle with the announcement that the maker of Arizona Tea is entering the cannabis market, starting with vape pens and THC-infused gummies that will be sold through licensed dispensaries.

Arizona Beverage, a privately held company, has reached a licensing deal with Dixie Brands, which makes and sells drinks, chocolates, gummies and topical creams that contain marijuana. The deal, which gives Arizona the right to buy a stake of up to $10 million in the cannabis company, is thought to be one of the first examples of a major consumer company entering the cannabis market.

This follows  Constellation Brands—the maker of Corona beer—taking a nearly 10 percent stake in Canopy Growth Corporation, the world’s largest publicly traded cannabis company in 2017, and California-based Lagunitas Brewing, which is owned by Heineken, launching cannabis-infused sparkling water to be sold in select California locations.

However, analysts believe the fact that Arizona Beverage is privately held gives the company more freedom in developing the cannabis dimension of its business.

Said company chairman Don Vultaggio, “The cannabis market is an important emerging category, and we’ve maintained our independence as a private business to be positioned to lead and seize generation-defining opportunities exactly like this one.”

More information is available in Jasmine Wu’s article in the August 7, 2019 issue of CNBC.com

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/07/arizona-tea-maker-enters-the-cannabis-market.html

Senior Cannabis Digest is compiled and edited by Joe Kohut and John Kohut. You can reach them at joe.kohut@gmail.com or by calling 347-528-8753.