Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at a new crackdown on fraudulent claims made about CBD products, treating PTSD with cannabis, words of wisdom from Willie Nelson and more. Enjoy.
Regulating CBD Products
There’s good news for consumers who use products that contain CBD to address their aches and pains or promote what they believe is an overall sense of well being. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched ‘Operation CBDeficit,” the first law enforcement crackdown on “deceptive” claims being made about CBD products.
So says Tom Angell, writing for Marijuana Moment. Angell reports the new action involves complaints against six companies. The crackdown by the FTC mandates that the firms and personnel associated with them stop making a “wide range of scientifically unsupported claims” about their products’ ability to treat medical conditions. Some of the companies will also have to pay monetary judgements.
According to Angell, the companies targeted in the new action are Bionatrol Health, LLC; Epichouse LLC (First Class Herbalist CBD); CBD Meds, Inc.; HempmeCBD; Reef Industries, Inc. and Steves Distributing, LLC. The FTC contends these companies made “a wide range of scientifically unsupported claims about their ability to treat serious health conditions, including cancer, heart disease, hypertension, Alzheimer’s disease, and others.”
Said Andrew Smith, Director of FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, “The six settlements announced today send a clear message to the burgeoning CBD industry: Don’t make spurious health claims that are unsupported by medical science. Otherwise, don’t be surprised if you hear from the FTC.”
To learn more about the “operation” and its implications for the industry moving forward, we urge you to read Tom Angell’s article in the December 17, 2020 issue of Marijuana Moment.
www.marijuanamoment.net/feds-crack-down-on-deceptively-marketed-cbd-products/
Treating PTS with Cannabis
A new study suggests using cannabis products may offer some relief to those who suffer from the effects of Post Traumatic Stress (PTS).
That’s the word from a team of investigators affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, John Hopkins University, and the University of Colorado School of Medicine. The researchers compared PTS symptoms in cannabis-using patients relative to non-users over a one-year period. Cannabis consuming participants primarily accessed THC-dominant flowers from state-authorized retailers. Their work was published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.
According to the research team, “Participants who used primarily THC-dominant cannabis reported a greater reduction in PTSD symptom severity over time compared to controls.” They concluded “this study provides evidence that the types of cannabis available in recreational and medical cannabis dispensaries might hold promise as an alternative treatment for PTSD. … This study’s primary outcome supports the theory that cannabis should be [tested in clinical trials] as a potential therapeutic for PTSD.”
You can learn more by reading the detailed reporting on the study that appeared in an article titled, “Study: Long-Term Cannabis Use Associated with Reduced Symptoms in Patients with Post-Traumatic Stress”. It was published in the December 18, 2020 issue of NORML.ORG.
Cannabis Corner
If you are new to the world of cannabis, learning about the differences—and similarities—between THC, CBD and other cannabinoids can often leave you feeling like you are being blinded by science—or a big bowl of alphabet soup.
Fortunately, Kelly Burch and Rachna Patel, writing for Yahoo! News, have put together a clear, concise guide to the differences between THC and CBD that is informative without being unnecessarily technical.
Plus, to make sure their content is scientifically accurate they have called on the work of Daniele Piomelli, PhD, director of the University of California Irvine’s Center for the Study of Cannabis. Piomelli is also a professor of anatomy and neurobiology, biological chemistry, and pharmacology.
According to Piomelli, the root of the distinction between CBD and THC comes down to a simple fact: THC is intoxicating and produces the high, stoned feeling associated with marijuana while CBD is not intoxicating and does not have any of the strong mental effects associated with THC.
You can learn much more by reading the article by Kelly Burch and Rachna Patel, “The difference between CBD and THC and the health benefits of each”. It appeared in the December 18, 2020 issue of Yahoo!News.
news.yahoo.com/difference-between-cbd-thc-health-004855330.html
This Week’s Magic Number Is…
This week’s magic number is six. According to Jelena Martinovic reporting for Benzinga, that’s how many cannabis plants a person age 21 or older could legally grow if legislators in the state of Washington pass a bill that has been proposed by Shelley Kloba, a Democrat and Drew MacEwen, a Republican.
The bill also proposes that a single household would be allowed to grow up to 15 plants as long as the grower kept the product that was produced. Once harvested, the cannabis would have to be labeled as homegrown marijuana. The label would also have to include the grower’s name, address, and date of birth, as well as the dates of the planting and harvest.
We assume this will come up for a vote some time in 2021. Jelena Martinovic‘s reporting can be found in the December 18, 2020 issue of Benzinga. Ben Adlin also covered the story. His work can be found in the December 18, 2020 edition of Marijuana Moment.
www.marijuanamoment.net/washington-state-could-legalize-marijuana-home-cultivation-under-new-bill/
Quote of the Week
“Well, I think it’s great. It is a good medicine and I’m glad that it’s being accepted around the country, and I’ll be glad when every state in the union legalizes it, because I think it will be healthy for everybody.” —Country music icon and cannabis entrepreneur Willie Nelson on using cannabis.
Willie’s comments on cannabis come from an interview he did with Jonathan L. Fischer for Slate. Granted, Willie is not a medical professional and at the end of the day it’s just one man’s opinion—an 87 year-old-man who still writes and records, performs live, runs a cannabis company and maintains his martial arts practice. We think it’s safe to call it an informed opinion.
Jonathan L. Fischer’s complete interview with Mr. Nelson can be found in the December 22, 2020 edition of Slate.com.
slate.com/culture/2020/12/willie-nelson-interview-80-over-80.html
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.
That’s all for this year. See you in a few weeks with Vol. 3. Have a great holiday, no matter how you spell it.
