Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at CBD scams to avoid, an innovative cannabis delivery system in Oregon, an entertaining list of celebrities in the cannabis industry, a product recall in Michigan because someone licked a pre-roll and more. Enjoy.
Avoiding CBD Scams
Describing the CBD marketplace as the “wild west”—an arena unfettered by regulations— has become a common theme for those reporting on consumers and CBD.
Now, with an eye on helping consumers avoid scams, a blog that reports on all things CBD called Ministry of Hemp has an article with a list of products of questionable benefit just trying to cash in on the CBD label.
According to the article’s author, Kit O’ Connell, CBD-infused mattresses, sheets and clothing are fine examples of products that make little sense when it comes down to how the consumer is actually supposed to experience the benefits of the CBD and the exorbitant prices charged for such products, with a CBD-infused twin mattress clocking in at about $900.
Plus, O’Connell also asks the key question—how is the consumer supposed to know when the CBD in the mattress has become depleted?
The article also shines a light on a number of products that target the anxiety consumers are experiencing because of the pandemic, such as CBD-infused hand sanitizer. For example, O’Connell points out that one leading chain charges $5.00 for an 8 oz. bottle of hand sanitizer. However, the price escalates to $19.99 for an 8 oz. bottle of CBD-infused hand sanitizer, with little to no evidence that those three extra letters—CBD—increase the product’s effectiveness. In addition, there are a number of CBD manufacturers that are said to be offering a similar product for free or for a much cheaper price.
For more tips on how to avoid CBD-related scams when ordering online, read Kit O’Connell’s article in the August 8, 2020 edition of Ministry of Hemp.com.
ministryofhemp.com/blog/cbd-scams-frauds-bad-ideas/
Celebrity Spotlight
Much like mushrooms that sprout up after a heavy rain, it seems that with every passing day there is a new celebrity, whether from sports, music or film, who announces that he or she has entered the cannabis industry.
Now, as a service to mature consumers and others who are entertained by the idea of using a product endorsed or in some cases actually grown or produced by someone who is famous—or almost famous—for other reasons, a website called CelebStoner has created a list of 34 celebrities who have entered the cannabis industry.
The list, compiled by Steve Bloom, starts, as one might expect, with Snoop Dogg and his brand, Leafs by Snoop, which is designed to appeal to “upscale consumers.” The Los Angeles-based rapper, actor and product spokesperson got his start in Colorado partnering with LivWell in 2015. The next year the company expanded to Canada where its products are grown and distributed by Tweed, which is owned by Canopy Growth.
Close behind Snoop on the list is country music icon and cannabis entrepreneur Willie Nelson. Bloom points out that Nelson’s products first appeared in stores in Colorado and Washington in 2016. A line of infused chocolates created by his wife Annie was added in 2017 and Willie’s Remedy hemp coffee in 2018.
As the list goes on readers will find a number of the usual suspects—individuals who have long been associated with both cannabis and pop culture in the public’s mind.
For example, both Cheech (Marin) and (Tommy) Chong have entered the industry, each with his own brand and line of products. The world of rap and pop music is represented by Cypress Hill frontman B-Real, Wiz Kalifa, Wu Tang Clan’s Method Man, Lil Wayne and the Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart.
Former NFL running back Ricky Williams is on the list as is actor/entertainer Jim Belushi who is also the subject of a new reality TV series that documents his work on his cannabis farm in Oregon
Steve Bloom’s entertaining list, which will probably need constant updates, can be found on the June 16, 2020 edition of CelebStoner.com.
www.celebstoner.com/news/celebstoner-news/2019/07/12/top-celebrity-cannabis-brands/
Spotlight on Customer Service
A cannabis delivery service serving the Portland, Oregon area is demonstrating that finding new ways to give the people what they want is an ever increasing theme in the cannabis industry.
In this case, the service—called Pot Mates—is built around an online dispensary that is said to center on the user experience by analyzing existing testing data on different products and describing its inventory in terms of how customers want to feel or the kind of experience the customer is looking for. It also offers what it describes as streamlined pricing structures and home delivery.
According to company founder Hammond Potter, “Every product that’s in the seed-to-sale system that the state (Oregon) uses and reports to has testing results associated with the terpene profile. We use that terpene profile to design a system based on how the customer wants to feel.”
Potter added, “The pricing that we have is as straightforward as possible. You won’t see us price based on perceived quality. I really tried to keep that old-school dealer feel to our pricing.”
Pot Mates delivers anywhere inside Portland’s city limits and has a feature that might be of particular interest to mature consumers. There’s no minimum order. In fact, consumers can mix and match their order, requesting a gram of this or a gram of that.
To learn more, we encourage you to read the article by Brianna Wheeler in the August 23, 2020 issue of Willamette Week.com.
Stats of the Week
A new poll offers some insight into what forms of cannabis sports fans tend to favor. According to the folks at Marijuana Moment, the poll, conducted by Morning Consult, looked at how common cannabis use is among 14 groups of self-identified sports fans. The poll asked about marijuana and CBD use specifically.
Fans of E-sports led the way with 35 percent of fans reporting that they smoke or ingest marijuana often or sometimes, while 29 percent said they use CBD products. UFC fans followed close behind with 35 percent of fans saying they used marijuana while 27 percent said they used CBD products.
By comparison, fans of more established sports leagues were at the rear of the pack, with 20 percent of MLB fans disclosing they consume marijuana while 17 percent said they use CBD.
You can learn more by reading Kyle Jaeger’s article in the August 21, 2020 issue of Marijuana Moment.
www.marijuanamoment.net/poll-reveals-which-sports-fans-use-marijuana-and-cbd-the-most-and-least/
Consumer Safety During the Pandemic
The headline of a recent article in Leafly asks a question consumers may not always consider: “Hey, who pre-licked my pre-roll?”
The article, by Bruce Kennedy, is described as “A cautionary tale in the time of COVID-19.” Kennedy describes a product recall of 3,000 pre-rolled joints manufactured at a facility in Bay City, MI. The recall was sparked when Michigan regulatory agencies received a report that an individual at the Bay City facility “licked a pre-roll marijuana product while making the product.”
According to Kennedy, dispensary workers and other industry veterans interviewed by Leafly were “somewhat bewildered that a cannabis processing professional would do something as boneheaded as lick a pre-roll—especially during the coronavirus pandemic.” Normally, a worker in a professional cannabis processing facility would use something like a moist paintbrush to seal a pre-roll.
Kennedy does an excellent job describing in great detail the steps manufacturers usually take to ensure a consumer’s health and safety—steps consumers rarely consider. His insightful and helpful article appears in the August 18, 2020 issue of Leafly.
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.
