Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at a proposal to standardize weight measurement in the cannabis sector, cannabis and pain management, treating anorexia among the elderly with cannabis, and more. Enjoy.
Cannabis Corner
While cannabis remains illegal at the federal level, it appears at least one advisory body wants to make sure consumers get a fair shake when it comes to an accurate measurement of the weight of the products they purchase.
Members of the National Conference of Weights and Measures (NCWM) have approved a proposal governing allowable moisture loss in cannabis products. This decision is aimed largely at ensuring patients and consumers aren’t sold products that weigh less than advertised.
So says Ben Adlin, reporting for Marijuana Moment. Adlin writes that the newly approved policy, which will be added to a federal handbook and provide national guidance to both hemp and marijuana markets despite marijuana remaining illegal at the federal level, says that products can lose up to 3 percent of their weight as the result of moisture loss. It’s a recognition that some plant material may dry out during shipping or storage but that purchasers still deserve their full purchase.
The NCWM stated in its recent agenda, “In the retail Cannabis trade, insufficient attention and guidance is given to moisture migration in or out of some Cannabis packaging and as a result, the contents of some Cannabis flower packaging have been found to be underweight, resulting in the patient/consumer paying for weight they are not actually receiving.”
In justifying its proposal, the committee pointed to the fact that in Oregon, “underweight complaints are the #1 consumer complaint.” “For the fairness and safety of Cannabis consumers,” it said in a statement, a weight variance “based on enforcement of acceptable moisture ranges needs to be established.”
Adlin noted that the new guideline is expected to be published in a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) handbook on packaged goods this coming January.
In his article, Adlin also makes the point that the 3 percent threshold is similar to that for other products, such as flour or dry pasta, though the cannabis proposal would only address moisture loss, not absorption of moisture that would increase net weight.
If you care to learn more, we encourage you to read Ben Adlin’s article in the July 18, 2024 issue of Marijuana Moment.net.
Investor News and Notes
If you’re having a tough time finding a profitable cannabis company in which to invest, you’re not alone.
According to Abbey Higginbotham, reporting for Benzinga, new research from Whitney Economics reveals that only 27.3 percent of U.S. cannabis businesses are turning a profit.
She reports that Beau Whitney, founder and chief economist at Whitney Economics attributed this low profitability to several factors, including high tax burdens and limited access to banking services.
Said Whitney, “Reform, even with rescheduling, will provide tax relief and free up cash flow, helping businesses manage debt better and pay delinquent taxes.” He also contends improved banking access would lower the cost of capital, making the industry more attractive to investors.
While this sounds promising, it’s important to remember that rescheduling is far from a done deal, particularly with a number of Republicans in the House citing the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the Chevron Doctrine and suggesting there should be a role for Congress in a decision to reschedule cannabis.
Cannabis and Pain Management
A growing number of individuals who suffer from chronic musculoskeletal pain are turning to cannabis to manage that pain.
That’s a key takeaway from a study by researchers affiliated with University Health Network, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, Canada. The study, which was published in the Journal of Cannabis Research, didn’t seek to definitively determine whether marijuana effectively managed pain symptoms but instead intended to examine use and self-reported efficacy as well as potential obstacles to use among patients who are non-users.
Experts say individuals with musculoskeletal pain, such as that caused by fibromyalgia or arthritis, sometimes complain that their entire bodies ache and their muscles may feel like they have been pulled or overworked and they can twitch or burn. While symptoms can vary from person to person, the common ones are pain, fatigue and sleep disturbances.
According to Ben Adlin, who reported on the study for Marijuana Moment, researchers found that more than 1 in 5 patients who go to orthopedic surgeons with chronic musculoskeletal pain are using or have used some form of cannabis to manage their pain. In addition, of that group almost two thirds said they felt cannabis was very or somewhat effective, while more than 9 in 10 said it was at least slightly effective.
Wrote the research team stated in its article, “More than half (57 percent) claimed cannabis to be more effective than other analgesic medications, and 40 percent reported decreasing their use of other analgesic medications since starting cannabis use.”
In his article, Adlin noted that the most commonly used cannabinoid was CBD (39 percent), followed by a hybrid of multiple cannabinoids (20 percent). Almost a quarter (23 percent) said they were unaware of their cannabis’s composition. The most frequent modes of use reported by participants were ingestion of oils (57 percent), smoking (36 percent) then vaporizing (32 percent).
Adlin also points out that the pain study comes “on the heels” of a federal research meeting in the U.S. that brought together representatives of federal agencies to discuss the use of cannabis components to treat pain, with a special focus on minor cannabinoids and marijuana terpenes.
If you want to learn more, we urge you to read Ben Adlin’s insightful article in the July 20, 2024 issue of Marijuana Moment.net.
Cannabis, Aging and Anorexia
Here’s some food for thought. A systematic literature review conducted by a team of Italian researchers suggests cannabis may help to enhance the quality of life of older individuals who are at risk for anorexia of aging, often referred to as AoA.
Experts say many older people frequently fail to ingest an adequate amount of food to meet their essential energy and nutrient requirements. Anorexia of aging, defined by a decrease in appetite and/or food intake in old age, is a major contributing factor to under-nutrition and adverse health outcomes in the geriatric population, such as changes in functional autonomy, mood and cognition.
The purpose of the study, which appeared in the Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging, was to investigate the use and outcomes of cannabinoids in addressing AoA, with the goal of providing a comprehensive understanding of how best to integrate cannabis-based medicine into daily clinical practice.
The research team started with 6,100 studies which, after eliminating duplicates and screening titles and abstracts, they eventually cut down to six studies published between 2002 and 2019, involving 869 participants. For the purposes of the project, the research team focused on research efforts that treated older individuals with neoplastic diseases, which can often cause tumor growth and can make these individuals particularly susceptible to AoA .
The review of the remaining studies found that after eight weeks of treatment, patients treated with medical cannabis recorded a significant increase in calorie intake and carbohydrate consumption compared to the placebo group, with some patients also experiencing substantial weight gain.
Additionally, the researchers found that patients treated with THC 2.5 mg reported improved chemosensory perception and increased appetite before meals compared to placebo. No significant side effects were reported in older adults taking cannabinoids.
After completing the review, the team concluded that cannabinoids offer promise in enhancing the quality of life for older individuals at risk for AoA. However, to establish comprehensive guidelines, further research with larger sample sizes is essential.
To learn more, we suggest reading the following abstract of the study which was published in the August, 2024 issue of The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging. Simply click on the following link.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1279770724003865?via%3Dihub
Noteworthy Numbers
This week’s magic number is 50,000. According to a new report from the Minority Cannabis Business Association, that’s the number of new jobs the cannabis industry could generate by 2030 if the federal government follows through on its cannabis rescheduling plan. The group submitted the report as a response to a request for public comments related to the rescheduling plan.
In an article for Ganjapreneur, Graham Abbott notes that the report — signed by MCBA’s President Tahir Johnson and Vice President Frederika McClary Easley — incorporates survey data from 206 cannabis licensees across 32 states, including 171 businesses that directly cultivate, process, manufacture, distribute, test, or sell cannabis products.
Said Johnson and McClary Easley in the report, “Our comprehensive survey and detailed economic analysis projects that rescheduliation {sic} of 55,500 jobs by 2030, generating as much as $2.7 billion in wages and $5.6 billion in new economic activity. We therefore encourage DEA to act with deliberate speed in publishing a final rule moving marijuana to schedule III.”
To learn more, we suggest reading Graham Abbott’s reporting in the July 24, 2024 issue of Ganjapreneur.com.
https://www.ganjapreneur.com/report-cannabis-rescheduling-would-create-50000-jobs/?
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.
