Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at a new study on the effects of using cannabis as a sleep aid, the legal risks associated with sending cannabis through the mail, a cannabis cookbook from Willie Nelson and more. Enjoy.
Cannabis News and Notes
There may be good news for those who fear that using cannabis as a sleep aid may leave them with a cognitive hangover the following day.
So says Ben Adlin, reporting for Marijuana Moment. Adlin writes that the study suggests that using marijuana before sleep has minimal if any effect on a range of performance measures the next day, including simulated driving, cognitive and psychomotor function tasks, subjective effects and mood.
According to Adlin, the report looked at outcomes from 20 adults with physician-diagnosed insomnia who infrequently used marijuana. Written by 11 researchers from institutions such as Macquarie University in Sydney, the University of Sydney, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, Gold Coast-based Griffith University and Johns Hopkins University, it drew data from a larger study investigating the effects of THC and CBD on insomnia.
In an article that appeared in the journal Psychopharmacology, the research team wrote, “The results of this study indicate that a single oral dose of 10 mg THC (in combination with 200 mg CBD) does not notably impair ‘next day’ cognitive function or driving performance relative to placebo in adults with insomnia who infrequently use marijuana.”
Adlin, in his article, makes the point that the research team acknowledged that, “The use of cannabis by night as a sleep aid is highly prevalent and there are legitimate concerns that this may lead to impaired daytime (‘next day’) function, particularly on safety sensitive tasks such as driving.”
However, according to the researchers the results of the study showed “no differences in ‘next day’ performance in 27 out of 28 tests of cognitive and psychomotor function and simulated driving tests relative to placebo.
Adlin also noted, more specifically, that the researchers found that “None of the simulated driving outcome measures were significantly different between THC/CBD and placebo” and that “There were no impairing effects of THC/CBD given by night on simulated driving performance assessed the following morning at ~10 h post-treatment; coinciding with a time that many people might commute on roads (e.g., driving to work in ‘rush-hour’).”
You can learn much more, including a look at some of the tests administered to the subjects, by reading Ben Adlin’s detailed and revealing article in the May 22, 2024 issue of Marijuana Moment.net.
Stats of the Week
This week’s magic number is 17.7 million. That’s the number of people who told researchers in 2022 that they use cannabis daily. That same study found that 14.7 million individuals said they use alcohol on a daily basis.
So, if you do the math that indicates that in 2022 there were already more Americans who admitted to using cannabis everyday than who admitted to using alcohol everyday.
That’s the word from Graham Abbott, reporting for Ganjapreneur. Abbott writes that the research, which recently appeared in the journal Addiction, was based on data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which is conducted annually by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to provide nationally representative data on Americans’ use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs. Researchers said they used data from 1,641,041 participants across 27 surveys from 1979 to 2022.
Jonathan Caulkins, a Carnegie Mellon University researcher and author of the study, told the Associated Press, “A good 40 percent of current cannabis users are using it daily or near daily, a pattern that is more associated with tobacco use than typical alcohol use.”
Commenting on the study, several experts suggested that daily cannabis use may put more individuals at risk for developing problematic cannabis use or addiction. However, no distinction was made to account for individuals who use medical cannabis on a daily basis.
To learn more, we urge you to read Graham Abbott’s excellent reporting in the May 24, 2024 issue of Ganjapreneur.com.
www.ganjapreneur.com/study-daily-cannabis-use-in-u-s-outpaces-daily-alcohol-use/?
To read Carla K. Johnson’s analysis of the study for the Associated Press.com, simply click on the link that follows.
To read the study itself, simply click on the following link.
Legal New and Notes
Given the growing acceptance of cannabis consumption at the state level it can be easy to forget that even with rescheduling on the horizon, cannabis is still illegal at the federal level and is likely to remain that way for some time.
So the next time you’re thinking of sending your cousin Stacy—or her mom—a particularly tasty edible or a small chunk of “real” hash through the mail, think again.
According to Ross Scully, writing for Leafly, using the U.S. mail to send cannabis flower, edibles, vapes or any other cannabis-related product remains federally illegal. Scully notes that as part of one of the country’s oldest law enforcement agencies, Postal Inspectors still work to identify and prosecute major drug mailers and intercept illegal drug proceeds that traffickers attempt to send through the mail.
In his article, Scully does a masterful job of laying out the legal consequences of mailing cannabis products.
Here are a few of his key points.
• The United States Postal Service is subject to federal law and any illegal use of their services is a felony. That means anything under 50 grams can potentially get you up to five years in a federal penitentiary, and the penalties only increase as the amount grows.
• It should be noted that penalties can apply even if you did not mail the package and are only the recipient. Participation in the planning of the shipping makes you just as guilty as the person who mailed the package.
• If you are thinking of using a private courier, it’s important to remember that FedEx, UPS, and DHL all specify in their terms of service that they reserve the right to open and inspect any package at their own discretion. They all also specify that shipping any form of marijuana remains illegal and “unacceptable.”
• All three of these private couriers and the USPS are willing to ship CBD products and other hemp-based products with a THC concentration of .03 percent or less.
However, if you are thinking that shipping delta-8 THC, a hemp-derived cannabinoid with intoxicating effects that differs from delta-9, presents a loophole, you should think again. Inspectors can impound hemp and hemp-based products while they try to determine if they are dealing with hemp or marijuana and should tests reveal that you shipped a product with a THC level greater than .03 percent—even accidentally—you could be in trouble with the Feds.
• Scully also makes the point that postal inspectors have a long list of signs and tells that help them determine if a package could contain marijuana or other illicit substances.
These include outdated, handwritten or missing return addresses, odd shapes, excessive tape, excessive postage, leaking unidentifiable substances and excessive odor.
We know, you might know a guy who knows a guy who has shipped things through the mail or FedEx for years with no problem. And besides, you are only sending a small amount.
Fine, if you want to play cannabis roulette, that’s up to you, although you might get better odds at a local casino. In the words of Detective Harry Callahan, “Do you feel lucky?”
If you want to learn more, we encourage you to read Ross Scully’s thorough and informative article for Leafly.com. Scully’s reporting originally appeared in the May 18 2022 issue of the publication. However, he has updated it and it can be found in the May 10, 2024 issue.
www.leafly.com/news/cannabis-101/mailing-cannabis-through-usps?
Senior Celebrity Spotlight
Singer, songwriter, actor and cannabis advocate Willie Nelson—a mature consumer if there ever was one—is bringing out a cannabis cookbook full of cannabis-infused recipes, written in collaboration with his wife and a celebrity cannabis chef.
According to Martin Kielty, writing for the publication Loudwire, Willie and Annie Nelson’s Cannabis Cookbook: Mouthwatering Recipes and the High-Flying Stories Behind Them will be published by Gallery Books. It will include recipes for meals and snacks as well as instructions on how to prepare cannabis-based ingredients such as butter, syrups, sugars and salts.
Nelson—who just turned 90—said, “Over a lifetime of study, I learned that pot is more than pleasure. Its positive properties are limitless. It’s a blessing and a blast. It’s good fuel.”
He added, “Together with [Andrea] Drummer, one of the most celebrated cannabis chefs, and my wife, Annie, the most celebrated chef in our home, I’m excited to help you to cook up a whole mess of wholesome meals.”
Said the publisher, Gallery Books, in a release, “Drawn from their favorite meals on nationwide tours, at the ranch, at home and in their favorite cities along the way, these recipes have stories to tell – and what better way to enjoy a good meal than with a high-flying tale and a relaxing buzz?”
The book has a release date of November 12, 2024.
You can learn more by reading Martin Kielty’s article in the May 18, 2024 issue of Loudwire.com.
loudwire.com/willie-nelson-announces-his-cannabis-cookbook/
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.
