Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we have a statement from a former DEA agent who has seen the light on medical marijuana, the number of full-time workers employed in the cannabis industry, a hockey legend who has endorsed CBD, a new study on legalization and traffic safety and more. Enjoy.
Cannabis Quote of the Week
“So, it was with a sense of irony and guilt that I recently agreed to my doctor’s suggestion to try medical marijuana. I was suffering from back pain after three back surgeries; the pain was so great that I could hardly walk or sleep. Other medications, including opioids, have not worked. But after taking a marijuana extract, the pain disappeared. I got my normal life back….I do not think we should lock up Americans who are small-time users. But most important of all, marijuana can have extraordinary medical value for the treatment of pain and myriad other pathologies. Those who deny it are stuck in a mindset they should have abandoned long ago.” —Robert Stutman
In the 1960s, Mr. Stutman was the first federal drug agent to arrest a student on a college campus for the sale of marijuana. In the 1970s and ’80s, he was the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England office. In the ’80s and ’90s, he was the Senior Agent in Charge of the agency’s New York field office. Since then he has been an educator and consultant on drug-related matters.
His comments come from an op-ed article he authored for the December 28, 2020 issue of The Hill. In that article Mr. Stutman acknowledges that he still has reservations about legalizing cannabis for recreational use. However, his opinions about the potential medical benefits of cannabis have changed dramatically, based on his personal experience.
To learn more we suggest you read the article by clicking on the link that follows.
thehill.com/opinion/criminal-justice/531841-a-retired-dea-agents-plea-time-to-reschedule-marijuana
Cannabis, Pain Management and the NFL
The National Football League and NFL Players Association want to learn more about the potential marijuana and its components, such as CBD, have as alternative treatment options for pain. They are also said to be interested in how cannabis use affects athletic performance.
So says Kyle Jaeger writing for Marijuana Moment. Jaeger reports the league’s goal is “to identify investigators who have the current capability to carry out studies aimed at supplementing the NFL-NFLPA Pain Management Committee’s (‘PMC’) knowledge about pain management and athletic performance in NFL players.”
Specifically, the League and the Player’s Association are seeking information on the following:
“1. The potential therapeutic role of medications and non-pharmacological interventions that are considered to be alternatives to opioids in routine pain management of NFL players. Medications may include, but are not limited to, cannabinoids such as cannabidiol (“CBD”).
2. The impact of cannabis or cannabinoids on athletic performance in NFL players.
3. The potential therapeutic role of medications and non-pharmacological interventions that are considered adjunctive to routine post-surgical orthopedic pain management in NFL football players.”
Jaeger points out this new request for information does not commit the NFL to funding any particular studies but it is meant to help the league find qualified scientists if it does move forward with research projects on these issues. Interested parties have until March 31 to submit relevant information.
If you want to learn more we suggest you read Kyle Jaeger’s article in the February 18, 2021 issue of Marijuana Moment. As always, Mr. Jaeger’s reporting is clear, concise and on point.
Stats of the Week
The magic number that drew our attention this week was 321,000—the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs supported by legal cannabis in the U.S. as of January 2021. That’s the word from Bruce Barcott, Beau Whitney, and Janessa Bailey writing for Leafly on that publication’s annual report on cannabis jobs in the U.S.
The authors point out that the 321,000 figure means that in the United States “there are more legal cannabis workers than electrical engineers. There are more legal cannabis workers than EMTs and paramedics. There are more than twice as many legal cannabis workers as dentists.”
The 321,000 figure includes both plant-touching and ancillary jobs—or as the authors put it, “everyone from budtenders to bean-counters.”
The figure comes from the annual Leafly Jobs Report, which is produced in partnership with Whitney Economics, and is described as the nation’s cornerstone cannabis employment study. Whitney Economics, is a leading consulting firm that specializes in cannabis economics, policy, and business consulting. It has partnered with Leafly on the project since 2019.
To learn more we urge you to read Barcott, Whitney and Bailey’s reporting in the February 16, 2021 issue of Leafly. Their article also contains a link to the employment report itself.
www.leafly.com/news/industry/cannabis-jobs-report
CBD Celebrity Spotlight
Another sports celebrity has stepped forward to promote the benefits of an emerging CBD brand. In this case it’s someone known to fans everywhere as “The Captain.”
According to Jelena Martinovic, reporting for Benzinga, hockey legend Mark Messier is joining NXT Water as an equity partner and brand captain. Its new product is described as an all-natural plant-powered beverage containing 10 milligrams of broad-spectrum hemp-derived CBD.
Los Angles-based NXT launched AKESO Hemp Powered Hydration— which has no sugar or artificial additives—in September.
Messier’s NHL accomplishments include six Stanley Cup championships, ranking third all time in points scored and being the recipient of two Hart Memorial trophies as the league’s Most Valuable Player. He is the only professional athlete ever to captain two different franchises to championships.
Said Messier,”Twenty-six years of playing professional hockey at the highest level takes its toll on you both mentally and physically, and when I retired from the sport, I made a commitment to educate myself on the best natural ways to keep both my mind and body in the best possible condition, including healing my body from inflammation.” He also said once he met the NXT Water team and tried AKESO, he knew he had to become involved in the brand.
Messier, who says he discovered CBD upon retiring, has agreed to work with AKESO on branding as well as advertising and marketing campaigns.
To learn more, we suggest you read Jelena Martinovic‘s article in the February 22, 2021 issue of Benzinga.
Driving Under the Influence…or Not
A new study suggests legalizing cannabis may not significantly increase the number of marijuana-related automobile accidents after all. The effects of legalization on driver and public safety have long been concerns of many, and rightly so.
The study, “Marijuana Legalization and Rates of Crashing Under the Influence of Tetrahydrocannabinol and Alcohol,” appeared in a recent issue of American Surgeon. It’s objective was “to determine if statewide marijuana laws impact upon the detection of drugs and alcohol in victims of motor vehicle collisions (MVC).”
Researchers collected data at trauma centers in Arizona, California, Ohio, Oregon, New Jersey, and Texas between 2006 and 2018. The percentage of patients testing positive for marijuana tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was compared to the percentage of patients driving under the influence of alcohol (blood alcohol level >0.08 g/dL) that were involved in a motor vehicle collision.
Investigators found there did not appear to be a relationship between the legalization of marijuana and the likelihood of finding THC in patients admitted after a collision. As a result they concluded “there was no apparent increase in the incidence of driving under the influence of marijuana after legalization.”
Let’s be clear, no one is suggesting mature consumers or anyone else throw caution to the wind, light up and head down the road to nowhere. The study does not suggest it is particularly safe to use cannabis and slide behind the wheel. What it does suggest, however, is that the legalization of cannabis, by itself, is not likely to turn a state’s highway into a collision course—a key finding for policy makers.
To learn more we suggest you read the synopsis of the story that appeared in the February 15, 2021 edition of American Surgeon.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0003134821995053
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.
