While we are months away from the opening day of baseball season, a decision by Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association ( the player’s union) has signaled it may be a whole new ball game when it comes to cannabis and professional baseball players.
According to Dakin Andone, writing for CNN, Major League Baseball will remove marijuana from its list of “drugs of abuse,” as part of its updated drug program.
However, the league and the players union said in a news release players will be tested for opioids, fentanyl, cocaine and synthetic THC, along with the other substances listed under “drugs of abuse,” which includes banned substances and drugs classified as a Schedule I or Schedule II under federal law.
Andone reported that natural cannabinoids, such as THC, CBD and marijuana, will be removed from the list of “drugs of abuse,” under the new program. He added that going forward marijuana-related conduct will be treated like alcohol-related conduct and subject to a treatment program that includes mandatory evaluation and voluntary treatment. There’s still the potential of discipline for what the league and the association referred to as “certain conduct” involving marijuana.
This was not the only news indicating there may be a sea change of sorts involving marijuana and professional sports. TG Branfalt, writing for the website Ganja Entrepreneur, reported the fledgling XFL Football League has announced it will not include cannabis among its drug testing protocols when the new league launches next spring.
This decision has led to some speculation that the lack of testing for cannabis could make the fledgling league an alternative for players who have left the NFL for cannabis use. Retired NFL player Martellus Bennett has estimated that 89 percent of players in the league use cannabis.
Last year, the league denied free agent running back Mike James a therapeutic use exemption for cannabis to manage pain; however, James was not included in the XFL draft.
In October, 71 players were drafted to eight XFL teams. Once rosters are filled there are expected to be about 500 players throughout the league. The league is scheduled to begin play on February 8, 2019.
According to ESPN, of the 123 teams across the four major sports, 45 play in states or provinces where recreational marijuana is legal and another 56 play in jurisdictions where medical marijuana is legal . That means over 80 percent of teams (101 of 123) play in areas where players can legally buy either medical or recreational marijuana — a number that’s likely to increase as more states move forward with legalization.
To learn more, you can read Dakin Andone’s article in the December 12. 2019 issue of CNN.com and TG Branfalt’s reporting in the December 9, 2019 edition of Ganja Entrepreneur.com.
www.cnn.com/2019/12/12/sport/mlb-changes-drug-program/index.html
www.ganjapreneur.com/xfl-wont-include-cannabis-in-drug-testing-protocols/
Cannabis Industry News and Notes
Most consumers who need information about a medication would probably avoid seeking advice from the clerk behind the counter. Yet many consumers of medical marijuana are forced to do the equivalent when they ask a budtender—the person behind the dispensary counter—to recommend a strain that might address a particular ailment.
That’s the opinion of Rachel Roubein writing for Politico. According to Roubein, more than half the states with medical cannabis allow budtenders—those helpful folks behind the counter—to assist patients as they choose products to address anything from back pain to chemotherapy side effects. Other states require the dispensaries have pharmacists, doctors or a nurse practitioner on site, or on call — but those health professionals may not have a full picture of the patient’s medical history, medications and treatments.
Roubein points out that states have a variety of approaches when it comes to prescribing cannabis. Some are strict. For instance, in Minnesota, only a licensed pharmacist can suggest products at retail locations; in Pennsylvania, it must be a pharmacist or other licensed medical professional at the dispensary.
Maryland lets budtenders give general information about medical cannabis, but only physicians, pharmacists or nurse practitioners employed by the shops can provide more specific advice.
However in other states, such as Arkansas, New Jersey and Illinois, rules are more lax and budtenders can actually recommend specific products. That concerns some doctors, who worry their patients may be getting advice from someone behind the counter with limited knowledge of the patient and his or her medical history.
Roubein contends this patchwork approach to training and education of dispensary staff is one of the consequences of the federal government lagging behind the states when it comes to setting professional standards for those who work in the cannabis industry.
She also believes it demonstrates the need for more physicians to develop a working knowledge of how medical marijuana can be of use to patients with conditions that respond to marijuana-based treatment.
To learn more about how the industry got here and how patients may benefit from increased training and education of staff, you can read Rachel Roubein’s article in the December 12, 2019 issue of Politico.
www.politico.com/news/2019/12/07/the-budtender-will-see-you-now-077314
CBD and Small Businesses
In addition to reducing stress and promoting a sense of well being, some say CBD can help to repair an ailing local economy.
That’s the opinion of Mark S. Lee, President & CEO, The LEE Group, a strategic consulting firm. Writing in Crain’s Detroit Business, Lee took the position that the growing acceptance of CBD among consumers and advertisers is a good thing for the Detroit economy, particularly since many small businesses are helping to fuel this CBD growth. Experts say Michigan is among the top 10 fastest-growing CBD markets in the United States. According to Lee, the growing acceptance of CBD by consumers has led to growth among CBD retailers, such as Mother Earth Natural Health, which Crain’s recently reported is expecting year-over-year sales growth of 300 percent to 400 percent this year.
Lee contends that much of this growing acceptance stems from savvy marketing campaigns, such as those conducted by CBD Marketing Hub, an Ann Arbor-based company specializing in the CBD market.
Founded by Larry Berg, a longtime Detroit-area executive, in August of 2018, the company is credited with helping new CBD businesses “move from Main Street merchants to the larger economy” via highly targeted marketing campaigns such as those that took place over Cyber Weekend, which includes Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions.
Recently, Berg’s CBD Marketing Hub released the first-ever CBD Confidence Survey, which found that 55 percent of the survey’s respondents planned on being involved in Black Friday and/or Cyber Monday specials.
Berg believes this signals a growing acceptance of CBD’s place in the mainstream market, its positioning among consumer-packaged goods and an increased willingness on the part of advertisers’ to accept CBD ads.
Lee argues that advertising over Cyber Weekend helped CBD companies gain exposure in what retail-industry analysts call the kickoff weekend to holiday spending. They also saw traction in starting relationships with curious consumers who dipped a proverbial toe in CBD products because of discounts or special offers.
Lee also believes including more CBD advertising in holiday packages and, ultimately, in homes throughout Metro Detroit can be good news for Detroit-area small businesses.
To learn more about how small businesses can realize big benefits by promoting and selling CBD products, read Mark S.Lee’s article in the December 10, 2019 issue of Crain’s Detroit Business.
www.crainsdetroit.com/other-voices/cbd-ads-go-mainstream-propelling-small-business-growth
CBD Really Is Everywhere
Rap pioneer Grandmaster Flash once observed, “Rap is like the polio vaccine. At first no one believed in it. Then, once they knew it worked, everyone wanted it.” The same seems to be the case with CBD.
While the jury may still be out on some of the benefits attributed to it, CBD really does seem to be everywhere, an ingredient in everything from skin cream to smoothies.
Those still not convinced of CBD’s mass market acceptance may want to consider the following. A retail chain known for its low-priced bargains—Dollar General— has announced it will begin selling approximately 20 CBD products in over 1,000 stores in Tennessee and Kentucky. It also plans to expand the availability of CBD products in its stores in seven more states —Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas and Vermont—by spring 2020.
At present, the CBD assortment available at Dollar General stores is limited to topical cosmetic products including creams, ointments, bath bombs, bath salts and face masks located—one assumes—somewhere between the kitchen tools and the back to school supplies. The company does not have current plans to provide ingestible or edible CBD merchandise.
Jason Reiser, Dollar General’s executive vice president and chief merchandising officer, said the addition of CBD items is an extension of the company’s ongoing commitment to provide customers with a curated and affordable assortment of the products they seek.
No information is available yet on the source or type of products available, as far as whether they will be broad or full spectrum or carry purity guarantees.
A second story underscoring the notion that before too long CBD is likely to show up in your socks and underwear is the fact that a bed maker called ZBD has announced the introduction of what appears to be the first CBD infused mattress.
The fabric of the ZBD cover is said to be infused with HEMP-based CBD during the finishing process. The company says its CBD technology can penetrate through one layer of fabric over the mattress to offer the full benefit of the cannabinoid.
Aside from describing the purported benefits of CBD in general terms, the company is not very specific when describing just how consumers ingest CBD other than saying, “By infusing our mattress with hemp-based CBD, the ZBD mattress is able to diffuse CBD through contact and can help you sleep better and easier.”
The company says that if after washing the mattress cover you no longer feel the effects of your ZBD Mattress, you will be able to purchase a new zippered cover with fresh CBD.
To learn more about Dollar General’s decision to offer CBD products, visit www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191210005303/en/
To learn more about the ZBD Mattress, visit the company’s website at zbdbed.com/products/cbd-infused-mattress.
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.