Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at the VFW’s support for cannabis beverages, the role soil health plays in cannabinoid development, a federalist approach to legalization and more. Enjoy.
Veterans News and Notes
A maker of hemp-based beverages has struck a deal with the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) national organization to make VFW-branded hemp THC beverages available at VFW posts throughout the U.S., where such products are legal.
The branded beverages, made by Torch Beverage Company, are expected to be available at select VFW posts this year, alongside education programs and responsible-use initiatives tailored for veterans and their families.
According to TG Branfalt, reporting for Ganjapreneur, the proceeds of the licensing agreement will directly support VFW initiatives such as the National Veterans Service program, which provides no-cost assistance to veterans navigating the Veterans Administration (VA) claims process, and Veterans & Military Support Programs, which deliver financial assistance to military families.
Branfalt noted that VFW National Commander Carol Whitmore said the partnership will help the VFW “raise funds for those vital programs” while also allowing the organization “to explore better ways to meet the needs of an evolving veterans’ community.”
Said Whitmore, “The VFW’s top priority is ensuring that veterans and their families receive the care, benefits and support they have earned through their service.”
Branfalt also reported that Collin Kerrigan, co-founder of Torch Beverage Company, said in a statement this new partnership is part of the company’s “mission to support the men and women who serve the United States in uniform while promoting ongoing research and discussions about innovative health solutions.”
Said Kerrigan, “Torch Drinks is proud to work with the VFW to provide veterans with a safe, federally compliant, social alternative that is like none other.”
As always, Branfalt’s reporting is clear and concise. To learn more, we urge you to read his article in the October 8, 2025 issue of Ganjapreneur.com.
https://ganjapreneur.com/veterans-of-foreign-wars-partnering-with-hemp-beverage-brand-on-thc-drinks/
Spotlight on Soil
Vintners and wine enthusiasts often use the French word terroir to describe how the relationship between soil, climate, topography and surrounding plants contributes to the unique characteristics of a particular grape or wine.
In a similar manner, a new study suggests the soil in which a plant is grown can affect the THC, CBD and terpene levels in a particular strain of cannabis.
According to Aaron Houston, reporting for Marijuana Moment, the researchers who conducted the study believe this means farmers may be able to fine-tune cannabinoid levels with soil conditions and management, not just genetics. Their findings can apply to cannabis grown by mature consumers as well as commercial operations.
The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Penn State College of Medicine and the state-licensed medical marijuana business PA Options for Wellness. Members of the research team were affiliated with the Penn State College of Medicine and Keystone State Testing Laboratory.
Wrote the research team, in an article that appeared in the peer-reviewed publication The Journal of Medicinally Active Plants, “The outcome of this study provides outdoor growers with information on the effects soil health can have on cannabinoid and terpene content in hemp.”
The study compared cannabinoid levels in two different strains of cannabis plants (Tangerine and CBG Stem Cell) grown in two different environments — one was a field with a cover crop that wasn’t tilled, while the other was a field with no cover crop that was tilled.
Houston writes in his article that the Tangerine strain grown in conventional (tilled) soil produced cannabidiol (CBD) levels about 1.5 times higher than those grown in cover crop soil. But in the CBG Stem Cell variety, the opposite was true — CBD levels doubled in the cover crop field. The precursor cannabinoid cannabigerol (CBG) was 3.7 times higher in plants grown with cover crops, while THC, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis, was up to six times higher in plants from the tilled field.
Houston makes the point that soil itself is an ecosystem of microbes, fungi, minerals and organic matter that feeds and communicates with plant roots. Practices, such as cover cropping and no-till farming are known to enhance this biological web, improving carbon retention and nutrient cycling.
The new study adds chemical composition of the resulting plants to the list of factors potentially shaped by soil: Wrote the researchers, “Soil health or soil quality are often used interchangeably; however, soil health focuses not just on the inorganic properties of soil but also on the biological properties of the soil and its abilities to promote life.”
It would appear from their research that different approaches to soil management can result in different levels of specific cannabinoids in particular types of plants. Different stains grown in different types of soil will make for different results when it comes to CBD, THC and terpene levels.
Aaron Houston does an excellent job of unpacking a very complicated story. To learn more, we suggest reading his article in the October 8, 2025 issue of Marijuana Moment.net.
A Federalist Approach to Legalization
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) says it’s time to create a regulatory framework for marijuana that includes a federal excise tax. His approach would allow states to “opt in” to legalization if they so choose. He also stated that he’s “not an anti-cannabis person” but stressed that he believes certain rules need to be implemented.
So says Kyle Jaeger in an article for Marijuana Moment. According to Jaeger, the Senator’s position is shaped by concerns he has with a North Carolina-based tribe that legalized cannabis and markets the product despite the fact that the state itself has not yet moved forward with marijuana reform.
Jaeger notes that in a recent interview with McClatchy, Tillis said, “We need to get rid of flavorings, eliminate Chinese imports, let states opt in, if they choose, and have rules of the road with excise tax and everything else.”
Jaeger points out that Tillis said last month that the federal government needs to “step up” and explore a regulatory framework for marijuana — and that should include a pathway to explore the “efficacy” of cannabis for certain health conditions.
In addition, at a separate Judiciary Committee hearing in June, Tillis said opponents of marijuana legalization “have lost” the fight to maintain prohibition and that “it’s time” for lawmakers to address that reality by creating a regulatory framework treating cannabis “in the same way that we do with alcohol and tobacco,” so that states can set their own policies without federal intervention.
Jaeger also reports that when discussing the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), which legalized marijuana within its territory in North Carolina, the senator has said he’s displeased with the tribe’s marketing approach, which extends beyond its borders.
Said Tillis, “I mean, gosh, when you’re doing the ads in Charlotte: ‘One of the country’s biggest dispensaries,’ and you’ve got a really cute app and you’re advertising all these fruity names and everything, and you’re an island — I mean unless you’re going there and having one hell of a weekend, we all know that people are taking it and bringing it back. People need to know the minute they leave the boundary (of tribal land), they’re breaking the law.”
As always, Jaeger’s reporting on the Senator’s position on cannabis and federal policy is on point and revealing. To learn more, we urge you to read Kyle Jaeger’s article in the October 10, 2025 issue of Marijuana Moment.net.
Cannabis Quote of the Week
“I think all of us, collectively, would say we want more regulation—not less. We want age-gating, we want testing, we want all of the rules of the road that have allowed the alcohol industry to become a $250 billion a year category, with everything included: Countless jobs and tax revenue associated with that.” — Jason Dayton
Mr. Dayton is co-founder of the cannabis beverage company Trail Magic. His comment is taken from remarks he shared with Kyle Jaeger for an article that appeared in Marijuana Moment.
Dayton was commenting specifically on the decision by the retail giant Target to begin selling THC-infused beverages at select stores in Minnesota, and what that decision means for his industry.
Said Dayton, “Given everything that’s going on around hemp and the conversations about regulation versus prohibition, Target getting into it now is monumental. And this is a moment that shows that regulation works.”
Referring to the decision by Target as, “one of the latest examples of the normalization of cannabis in mainstream commercial marketing,” Jaeger noted in his article that the move comes as Congress is debating legislation to recriminalize hemp-derived products with a quantifiable amount of THC, and as states across the country continue to evaluate their own laws.
Jaeger reported that according to Dayton, the THC beverage brands now being sold at select Target stores in Minnesota include Birdie, Cann, Gigli, Hi Seltzer, Indeed, Señorita, Stigma, Surly, Trail Magic, Wonder, Wyld and Wynk.
In a post on the X platform Aaron Edelheit, the CEO of Mindset Capital, called Target’s decision ” monumental news for the hemp beverage space” and “a great day for hemp beverages!” Mindset Capital is based in California and invests into agribusiness and cannabis industries across the United States.
Jaeger points out that in 2022 Minnesota’s Gov. Tim Walz (D) signed legislation making it legal for all hemp-derived cannabinoids, including CBD, to be sold in food items, beverages, topicals and more—as long as the products contain less than the federal limit of 0.3 percent THC. Edible and beverage products are limited to a total of 5 mg THC per serving and 50 mg per package.
He also cites new polls that show that a majority of Americans believe marijuana represents a “healthier option” than alcohol and that most also expect cannabis to be legal in all 50 states within the next five years.
As always, Kyle Jaeger’s reporting is insightful and informative. To learn more, we suggest reading his article in the October 10, 2025 issue of Marijuana Moment.net.
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/target-to-begin-selling-thc-infused-cannabis-drinks-as-congress-debates-possible-hemp-law-reversal-companies-say/
Cannabis and Highway Safety
Many prohibitionists who argue against legalizing cannabis cite fears that it would fill the highways and byways with intoxicated drivers who would cause vehicular mayhem and more.
Unfortunately for their argument, a new study shows that such fears don’t stand up to scientific scrutiny. According to a study conducted by a team of researchers affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine and Loma Linda University, cannabis legalization and dispensary openings did not significantly impact motor vehicle accident rates in Connecticut, which was the geographic target of their study.
The researchers conducted what they described as an “ecological study” to assess the impact of opening recreational cannabis dispensaries on motor vehicle accidents in Connecticut after legalization on January 10, 2023.
They analyzed crash data from Connecticut and Maryland (as a control) for two 24-week periods before and after legalization in Connecticut. At the dispensary level, they compared motor vehicle accidents within an 800-mile radius, eight weeks before and after the opening of recreational cannabis dispensaries in the state.
After adjusting for what they referred to as “autocorrelation and seasonal variations,” the researchers found in their state-wide analysis that when they compared two 24-week periods before and after the legalization of recreational cannabis in Connecticut, there was no significant effect on motor vehicle accident rates.
When they adjusted their focus to compare accident rates within an 800-mile radius of 13 dispensaries over 8 weeks before and after their openings, the research revealed no significant change in motor vehicle accident rates.
In an article in the August 8, 2025 issue of the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research that described their work, the researchers argued that continued research should investigate local changes in motor vehicle accident patterns near cannabis dispensaries in other parts of the country to inform local policy decisions and other research opportunities.
To read an abstract of the study, which includes an in-depth look at the methodology employed by the team, click on the link that follows.
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1177/25785125251366791
Senior Cannabis Digest is compiled and edited by Joe Kohut and John Kohut. You can each them at joe.kohut@gmail.com and at 347-528-8753.