It’s been said that Rufus E. Miles, a federal official in the Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson administrations first coined the phrased “Where you stand depends on where you sit.” Now referred to as Miles Law, it was used to describe where politicians of both parties stood on issues.
Miles Law seems to apply to cannabis policy as well, although his observation may be changed to “depends on who signs your check.” The latest example is former U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary David Shulkin. According to Kyle Jaeger, writing for Marijuana Moment, Mr. Shulkin now agrees that the VA should research the effectiveness of medical marijuana. His “vision on the road to Damascus” seems to have taken place a year after he left office.
In a recent interview Shulkin said, “I believe that the VA should be involved in research on anything that could potentially help veterans and improve their health and well-being.”
While Jaeger points out that the former secretary still said during this latest interview that congressional action is necessary to prompt VA research efforts, he seems to have become decidedly more vocal about the importance of such studies since leaving office.
In a recent interview in Task and Purpose, Shulkin noted, “In particular, with the VA’s focus on suicide as the top priority, people just don’t take their lives because of no reason. They take their lives, often because of issues related to chronic pain, depression, substance abuse, and there is growing evidence that medical marijuana—I’m not talking about recreational marijuana—but properly prescribed, may have some real benefits in anxiety improvement, in pain management, and potentially, in the issue of substance abuse.” [Founded in 2014 Task & Purpose is an American online publication that primarily covers the United States Armed Forces and the defense sector more generally.]
Jaeger also noted that while in office Shulkin resisted providing veterans with access to marijuana by declining to change internal VA policy that could empower its doctors to issue recommendations in states where it’s legal.
His reasoning at that time was that it’s “not within our legal scope to study that in formal research programs or to prescribe medical marijuana, even in states where it’s legal” because of federal law.
You can learn more by reading Kyle Jaeger’s excellent reporting in the October 18, 2019 issue of Marijuana Moment.net.
Senior Celebrity Spotlight
An American music icon who is also a successful cannabis entrepreneur has started to mine a new field in the CBD marketplace—CBD products for pets.
GCH, Inc., the development company co-founded by Willie Nelson and his wife, Annie Nelson, is adding another brand to its portfolio of popular cannabis and hemp product lines: an array of hemp products for internal and external use in dogs, cats and horses.
According to Lake Schatz, reporting for Consequence of Sound, the latest addition to Willie Nelson’s growing cannabis empire is called Willie’s Rescue. Said Willie and his wife Annie in a statement, “As longtime animal advocates and pet owners, our family believes that the hemp plant has benefited our own animals. We want you and your best friends to experience the potential benefits of hemp together.” Schatz says the product line will use the tag line, “Hemp for Your Furry Family.”
The development of the new line of products for animals is being guided by veteran experts in the pet care category, including Greg Forquer, Managing Partner at the consulting firm PetsPhD. He brings nearly three decades of experience in the pet products industry to his role chairing the Willie’s Rescue Advisory Board.
Cannabis industry analysts predict that by 2022 pet and animal CBD product sales will reach an estimated $125 million. That would make it one of the fastest-growing categories in the CBD market.
A portion of each sale will be donated to local animal rescues. Said the Nelson’s “Most animal rescuers are volunteers, doing it out of love. They’re paying vet bills out of their own pockets. But still, they’re out there, all the time, helping people and animals who need each other to find one another. It’s beautiful. This is our way of saying thank you and keep up the good work.”
Willie’s Rescue joins two other brands in the GCH roster: Willie’s Remedy, a line of hemp-infused products featuring full-spectrum hemp oil extract, and Willie’s Reserve, a separate line of licensed THC cannabis products.
To learn more, you can read Lake Schatz’s article in the August 22, 2019 issue of Consequence of Sound or visit the website Willie’s Rescue.com.
consequenceofsound.net/2019/08/willie-nelson-cbd-pets-willies-reserve/
Cannabis and Arthritis Treatment
There is hopeful news for the estimated 54 million adults in the U.S. who have arthritis. There appears to be growing evidence that medical marijuana and CBD can offer relief from the pain, inflammation and mood swings that can accompany the condition.
According to Maureen Meehan, reporting for Weedmaps News, an online arthritis support community called CreakyJoints recently presented a summary of a survey it conducted at the 2019 Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR) meeting in Madrid, Spain. The purpose of the survey was to help the members of the community better understand how arthritis sufferers perceive and use medical cannabis and cannabidiol (CBD).
The summary reported that more than half of the 1,059 people surveyed had tried cannabis to manage their arthritis symptoms. Of those who had tried it, 97 percent of them said it improved their symptoms. Specifically, they had less pain and slept better.
Meehan also reported that the “vast majority of patients surveyed by CreakyJoints” said pain and inflammation were not the only arthritis-related symptoms they treated with cannabis or CBD. They reported that they used it to improve physical functioning and to alleviate the depression and anxiety that can accompany the constant pain from arthritis.
Clearly, those suffering from arthritis experience a constellation of symptoms. Dr. Benjamin Caplan, a primary care family physician in Boston, told Meehan that when someone has pain every day it becomes a disabling condition.
Said Caplan, founder of the CED Foundation and Clinic in Boston, “It’s not like one’s joints hurt just today. When it’s the 50th day in a row of being in agony and not sleeping well, people very soon can start feeling depressed.” Created in 2017, the CED Foundation is dedicated to combating, through education and information, stigmas associated with the usage of cannabis.
CreakyJoints, part of the Global Healthy Living Foundation, also told Meehan that nearly half of those surveyed started using cannabis without their doctors’ knowledge. Many turned to cannabis as an alternative to over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs. There is evidence that abusing such drugs in an effort to combat pain can put a patient at risk for kidney and liver damage.
In her article Meehan told the story of Jean Howell, a dance and tai chi instructor who has suffered from arthritis for the past seven years and recently started to use medical cannabis. Said Howell, “An aspect of arthritis, in fact, all pain, that does not get enough attention is how depressing it can be.The knee pain just getting on and off the bus was enough to put me in a rotten mood for the rest of the day. I’m now using a THC/CBD balm and I can’t tell you how relieved I am.”
To learn more about the Creaky Joints survey findings and other recent research on treating arthritis with cannabis, you can read Maureen Meehan’s article for WeedMaps News which appeared in the October 21, 2019 edition of MarketWatch.
Tips On Managing An Intense Cannabis Experience
It’s not uncommon for mature consumers of cannabis who are new users of medical marijuana to find they are suddenly “too high.” For some, such an event can be frightening or disorienting. The good news is that there are practical steps anyone can take to manage the experience of having gone “one toke over the line.”
An article in the “Cannabis 101” section of the Leafly website by writer Lisa Rough offers several tips for coping with a cannabis high that has become too intense.
She suggests the following: For starters, know your limits before you partake and that means if it’s a social setting, make sure you are with people you know and trust. While she doesn’t mention it, it is also a good idea to know something about the cannabis you are about to consume, such as its strength. If you are consuming cannabis you have purchased from a dispensary it’s likely you already have this information, so to avoid problems, it’s wise to follow the guidance of the dispensing pharmacist, particularly when it comes to how much to consume at any one time.
She also points out that if you are consuming an “edible” it’s important to remember that the onset of the experience can take time. To avoid problems, don’t try try to double the dose, in an effort to hurry things along.
If you do get overwhelmed by the “high,” Rough suggests that it’s important to remind yourself that the condition you are in is temporary and “it will pass.”
She also makes the point that it’s important to hydrate, either with water or juice. This will help to combat dry mouth and allow you to focus on a simple and familiar act—sipping and swallowing. Focusing on and performing a simple and familiar act can help to ground you and manage anxiety. She also recommends avoiding alcohol but recommends snacking on something light—fruits, nuts or cheese—if you are so inclined.
Rough’s other tips range from consuming some black peppercorns (she says Neil Young swears by it), to taking deep breaths and focusing on your breathing, to taking a shower or distracting yourself by watching cartoons or going for a walk, hopefully in an area where you feel safe.
She also suggests that some people find relief by taking CBD. She reports that CBD has a reputation for being an anxiety fighting compound that can affect the way the brain interacts with THC.
For more detailed tips, we suggest you visit Lisa Rough’s article, “8 ways to counteract a too-intense cannabis high.” It can be found in the Cannabis 101 section of the Leafly website.
www.leafly.com/news/cannabis-101/8-ways-to-counteract-a-too-intense-cannabis-high
Cannabis and Parkinson’s Disease.
Following the simple premise that knowing more can be a good thing, the Michael J. Fox Foundation has asked Congress to remove barriers to research that can help scientists to better understand if cannabis (including marijuana and CBD products) could be used to treat Parkinson’s disease.
Fox, an actor best known for his work on television in the series “Family Ties” and on the big screen for his starring role in the “Back to the Future” trilogy, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991 at age 29, and went public with the diagnosis in 1998. Established by the actor in 2000, the Foundation has since become the largest non-profit funder of Parkinson’s disease research in the world, investing more than $650 million in research to date.
According to Andrew Koemeter-Cox, the Foundation’s associate director of research programs, “Current policies hinder comprehensive medical research on cannabis, making it difficult to generate the evidence needed for clear recommendations. This is especially problematic when some products may be unsafe for human use and have the potential for adverse interactions with other medications.”
Koemeter-Cox contends removing barriers for research on medical cannabis is one way in which Congress can help scientists determine what the benefits of medical cannabis might be for Parkinson’s disease.
At present the foundation has gone public with its support for H.R. 4322 / S. 2400: Expanding Cannabis Research and Information Act. This bill reclassifies cannabis from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance and calls for more cannabis-growing sites for research. It also supports H.R. 601: The Medical Cannabis Research Act of 2019, which calls for the elimination of barriers to conducting more research.
To date there has been some research that indicates that those with Parkinson’s disease may benefit from treatment that involves medical marijuana. However, more research is needed. You can learn more by reading the article on eliminating barriers to research. It can be found on the Foundation’s website by clicking on the link below.
www.michaeljfox.org/news/new-legislation-could-eliminate-barriers-medical-cannabis-research
Senior Cannabis Digest is compiled and edited by Joe Kohut and John Kohut. You can reach them at joe.kohut@gmail.com or at 347-528-8753.
