Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at the opinions Canadian seniors shared about cannabis, new research on the entourage effect, a jump in cannabis stock prices and more. Enjoy.
Seniors and Cannabis
Older Canadians, specifically men and women aged 50 and older, generally have a positive view of the role cannabis can play in symptom management.
That’s the key finding of a recent study of the perceptions of older Canadians’ when it comes to the effectiveness, safety and accessibility of cannabis used for medicinal purposes. The study also tried to identify factors influencing cannabis perceptions.
The study was conducted by an interdisciplinary team of researchers affiliated with the University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, BC, Canada. A total of 1,615 Canadians participated in the study by completing an online survey. When it comes to gender, 49.7 percent of the respondents were men and 48.5 percent women.
The majority of participants viewed cannabis as a reasonable alternative —65.8 percent—and an effective treatment modality— 70.5 percent — for symptom management in older adults.
Few respondents — 16.4 percent— felt that older adults were at a higher risk of side effects than younger adults and 34.5 percent felt that cannabis is safe to use with most medicines.
While the research team stated that cannabis perceptions were influenced by gender, cannabis use history (prior use vs current use) and reasons for cannabis use (recreational purposes vs medicinal purposes vs both purposes), they did not provide concrete examples in the abstract of the study.
They did, however, offer the conclusion that healthcare professionals should leverage the perceptions gleaned from the survey when discussing cannabis with their older patient populations.
The study appeared in the March 19, 2024 issue of the journal Drugs and Aging. To read an abstract of the study, click on the following link.
link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40266-024-01109-w
Cannabis, Terpenes and the Entourage Effect
A citrusy smelling chemical found in cannabis can reduce the anxiety and paranoia often associated with consuming THC.
So says Ben Adlin, reporting for Marijuana Moment. According to Adlin, a study funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse and published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, found that subjects who vaporized the terpene D-limonene along with a dose of THC experienced less anxiety and paranoia compared to those who consumed THC alone.
In his article, Adlin points out that the researchers noted that the addition of D-limonene—which is found in many citrus fruits in addition to cannabis and smells like oranges—to theTHC used in the study “had little impact on other common acute subjective, cognitive, or physiological effects of THC,” They also found that inhaling the vaporized terpene by itself “did not produce any acute effects that differ from placebo.”
The authors of the study—from institutions such as Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Vashon, Washington-based CReDO Science—wrote that the findings contribute to a better understanding of the workings of the cannabis plant, which could play a factor in both medical treatment and public policy.
The authors wrote, “Given the growing interest in the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes and expanding legalization of cannabis for non medicinal purposes, further understanding of which constituents may increase the safety profile of cannabis by attenuating acute adverse effects (e.g. anxiety and paranoia), and which constituents may exacerbate adverse effects, is paramount for advancing the use of cannabinoids in medicine and, more broadly, protecting public health.”
The research team also contends that their work is “among the first clinical studies to demonstrate the validity of the cannabis entourage effect, which theorizes that THC and other constituents of the plant interact in meaningful ways that alter acute cannabis effects.”
Terpenes, for example, are the molecules that give cannabis and other plants—such as lavender and pine trees— their unique aromas. Some believe they can also have an effect on a person’s emotional state.
The entourage effect is a hypothesis that cannabis compounds other than tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)—such as terpenes—act synergistically with THC to modulate the overall psychoactive effects of the plant.
Adlin also noted that this research is part of a growing field of investigation into the entourage effect in cannabis as well as in entheogenic plants and fungi. While Western medicine typically seeks to identify and isolate a single active ingredient, the findings underscore the potentially powerful interactions of various chemical components contained by the plant.
To learn much more about this and other studies, we recommend reading Ben Adlin’s article in the March 25, 2024 issue of Marijuana Moment.net.
Spotlight on Cannabis and Migraines
A new study offers additional evidence that cannabis can help in the management of the pain and discomfort associated with migraine headaches. It is believed this is the largest study to date to document cannabis product usage patterns and perceived benefits for migraine management in a clinical headache patient sample.
The research team, consisting of individuals affiliated with several institutions, including Hartford HealthCare Headache Center and the Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience (GDP), Yale School of Medicine, collected data from 1, 373 patients from a tertiary headache center. The participants completed a 1-time online survey regarding cannabis use patterns and perceived benefits of cannabis-based products in treating migraine symptoms, clinical features, and risk factors, such as depression and sleep disturbance.
Just over half of the individuals interviewed—55.7 percent—reported using cannabis-based products in the past 3 years and 32.5 percent indicating current use.
The most frequently cited reasons for using cannabis-based products were treating headache (65.8 percent) and sleep concerns (50.8 percent). Inhaled products (smoked/vaped) and edibles were the most commonly reported delivery methods, with THC/CBD (∆9 tetrahydrocannabinol/cannabidiol) blends as the most-cited product composition.
A majority of participants reported cannabis-related improvements in the following migraine headache characteristics:
• intensity: 78.1 percent
• duration: 73.4 percent
• frequency: 62.4 percent
• nausea: 56.3 percent
Participants also reported the following cannabis-related improvements with risk factors associated with migraines, such as sleep disturbance: 81.2 percent; anxiety: 71.4 percent; and depression: 57.0 percent.
Over half of the respondents (58 percent) reported only using cannabis products when experiencing a headache, while 42 percent said they used cannabis most days/daily for prevention.
Also, nearly half of the respondents (48.9 percent)reported that cannabis use contributed to a reduction in the amount of medication they used for headache treatment, and 14.5 percent reported an elimination of other medications.
A minority of participants (20.9 percent) reported experiencing side effects when using cannabis products for headache, most commonly fatigue/lethargy. For those participants who reported no use of cannabis-based products in the previous three years, approximately half indicated not knowing what cannabis product to take or the appropriate dosage.
The research team believes that the findings warrant experimental trials to confirm the perceived benefits of cannabis products for migraine prevention and treatment.
The study was published in the April 2024 issue of the journal Neurology Clinical Practice. To read an abstract of the study, click on the following link.
www.neurology.org/doi/abs/10.1212/CPJ.0000000000200285
Stats of the Week
Increasingly, the cannabis sector is global in nature. Changes in cannabis policy or research findings in one country can cause a ripple that resonates in other countries.
That’s why this week’s magic number is 68 percent. That’s how much Canopy Growth’s stock gained on the news that Germany had finally approved the partial legalization of cannabis in that country.
According to Harrison Miller, reporting for the publication Investor’s Business Daily, the German parliament announced on March 15 that cannabis possession and home cultivation will be decriminalized starting April 1 and cannabis will be officially recognized as a nonnarcotic. The new law allows adults over the age of 18 to possess up to 25 grams of cannabis in public and store up to 50 grams at home for personal consumption. It also legalizes possession of three live cannabis plants at home, allowing users to grow their own flowers.
Miller noted that Canopy Growth (CGC) applauded the ruling in a news release, calling it, “a clear victory for enhanced medical cannabis access” and that the decision by the German government to classify cannabis as a “nonnarcotic” opens the door for patients to engage with their physicians regarding medical cannabis treatments.
It also said the changes present an opportunity for the company to expand its commercial presence in Germany through its German-based Storz & Bickel vaporizer brand, as well as its Canopy Medical medicinal offerings.
Canopy Growth Corporation, formerly Tweed Marijuana Inc., is a cannabis company based in Smiths Falls, Ontario. It currently trades on the Nasdaq exchange.
An early mover in the Canadian market, Canopy Growth describes itself as a multi-faceted cannabis company with a strong investment in brand, market and product differentiation. It sees itself as a “consumer packaged goods organization.” Consumer packaged goods are items used daily by average consumers that need to be replaced or replenished regularly.
Canopy Growth has stated that it wants to “unleash the power of cannabis” to improve lives by expanding personal health and wellness, creating economic opportunity and working on social justice initiatives.
Miller also makes the point in his article that other cannabis companies “joined the party” on the news of Germany’s decision.
For example:
The stock price of Tilray (TLRY) grew 18.5 percent during Friday’s trading and rallied 33.5 percent on the week.
Aurora Cannabis (ACB) jumped 23.5 percent Friday, posting a gain of nearly 50 percent on the week.
Cronos Group (CRON) on Friday gained 9.2 percent for a rally of 24.3 percent over the week.
Canopy Growth’s increase of 68 percent on March 15 marked a gain of nearly 150 percent for the week.
Only time will tell how long the euphoria will last. More news as more news develops.
To learn more, we urge you to read Harrison MIller’s article in the March 22, 2024 issue of Investor’s Business Daily.com.
www.investors.com/news/canopy-growth-weed-stocks-germany-cannabis-legalization/
The Politics of Cannabis
Clearly, not everyone on Capitol Hill sees the “normalization of cannabis” as a good thing.
In an effort to derail marijuana banking legislation and a separate bill to remove past cannabis use as a disqualifying factor for federal employment and security clearances, a policy advisory from the House Republican Policy Committee broadly criticizes cannabis as a “gateway drug” that causes “violence, depression and suicide.”
The report also says that Vice President Kamala Harris was “mistaken” when she said as a 2020 presidential candidate that cannabis brings people “joy”, instead arguing that it is a “hazardous drug with short and long-term impacts.”
According to Kyle Jaeger, who covered the story for Marijuana Moment, in its report the committee cited questionable statistics to argue that state-level legalization is associated with increased violence. And it claimed that marijuana use causes workplace issues such as “decreased productivity, high unemployment claims, and lawsuits.”
In his article Jaeger makes the point that the report included two specific policy recommendations, stating that members should oppose the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking and the Cannabis Users’ Restoration of Eligibility (CURE) Act.
That’s despite the fact that both measures enjoy bipartisan support, and certain members of the policy committee such as Reps. Tom McClintock (R-CA) and Nancy Mace (R-SC) have been vocal champions of marijuana reform. McClintock is signed onto the banking bill and Mace is the lead GOP cosponsor of the federal employment and security clearance measure.
Politics and logic, it would seem, don’t always go hand in hand—particularly when it comes to cannabis.
To learn more, we urge you to read Kyle Jaeger’s article in the March 25, 2024 issue of Marijuana Moment.net. As always, his reporting is clear, concise and on point.
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.
