Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at using CBD to treat Alzheimer’s disease, the role corporations can play in shaping cannabis policy, a new breath test to detect impairment from recent cannabis use and more. Enjoy.
Spotlight on Medical Marijuana
Hospitals and other healthcare facilities located in states where medical marijuana is legal may one day be able to allow terminally ill patients to use medical cannabis without jeopardizing federal funding.
That’s the word from Kyle Jaeger, writing for Marijuana Moment. Jaeger reports that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the governor of California’s office are exploring that possibility. This move comes in response to a request from a state lawmaker—California Sen. Ben Hueso (D)—who is pursuing legislation on the issue.
Jaeger points out that confusion about possible federal funding implications for permitting marijuana consumption in health facilities led California’s Governor Newsom—who tends to be pro-legalization—to veto a prior bill that was meant to address the issue in 2019.
Sen. Hueso’s interest in the issue was sparked by the experience of a father—Jim Bartell—whose son died from cancer and was initially denied access to cannabis at a California hospital. Mr. Bartell did eventually find a facility that agreed to allow the treatment, and he recounted that his son’s quality of life improved dramatically in those last days.
Jaeger reports the senator’s bill to resolve the issue in California has already passed the full Senate and one Assembly committee this session. It’s now awaiting action on the Assembly floor before potentially being sent to Newsom’s desk. Mr. Bartell, who helped the senator’s office craft the bill, told Jaeger he is confident the law will be in place by next year.
To learn more we suggest you read Kyle Jaeger’s excellent reporting on the issue. It appears in the August 25, 2021 issue of Marijuana Moment.net.
CBD and Alzheimer’s Disease
There’s hopeful news when it comes to slowing the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. A new study indicates using CBD may be able to help with that.
CBD stands for cannabidiol. It is the second most prevalent of the active ingredients of cannabis—called cannabinoids—but unlike THC, the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis, it does not cause intoxication.
According to Dana Smith, writing for Cannabis.net, researchers from the Augusta Dental College of Georgia say they were able to demonstrate that CBD is beneficial in normalizing the level and function of the key proteins that are vital in helping the immune systems of the brain eat off dead cells as well as other plaque that builds up in patients with Alzheimer’s.
In addition, Dr. Babak Baban, a corresponding author of the study and an immunologist as well as an associate dean for research, reported researchers also found that CBD reduces levels of an immune protein linked to high inflammation (in the brain) among patients with this condition.
Both the elimination of plaque in the brain and helping to reduce inflammation are thought to play important roles in slowing the onset of Alzheimer’s-related dementia.
Dr. John Morgan, a study co-author, a neurologist and director for the Movement and Memory Disorder Programs of the MCG Department of Neurology, explained that at present two classes of drugs are used to treat Alzheimer’s. “But,” he added, “we have nothing that gets to the pathophysiology of the disease.”
It appears the study would contribute to the development of CBD-based drugs designed to do that.
While the results of the study do suggest that CBD may indeed be useful in the treatment of Alzheimer’s, it must be acknowledged that the study was conducted on mice and not humans so it’s not clear if or when researchers would launch additional studies with human subjects.
To learn more you can read Dana Smith’s article in the August 19, 2021 issue of Cannabis.net.
cannabis.net/blog/medical/cbd-slows-onset-of-alzheimers-says-new-medical-study
Cannabis Quote of the Week
“Americans are more accepting of cannabis consumption and federal legalization than ever, and workplaces and organizations that don’t keep up with these shifts in attitudes will be left behind. Public opinion and private-sector pressure influence change at the legislative level. Consider the massive social shift surrounding marriage equality leading up to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 decision to strike down all state bans on same-sex gay marriage. In response to shifting attitudes around cannabis, pro sports leagues have made significant changes. The NBA and NFL have suspended or removed testing for cannabis consumption. The MLB has removed cannabinoids from its list of “Drugs of Abuse” and ended testing requirements for minor-league players. The NHL still tests for cannabis but has no penalties for positive results. …Momentum for ending federal cannabis prohibition is building, but slowly. So it’s up to major employers and companies to step up now and remove outdated screening standards for their own benefit as well as those they employ.”—Steven Hawkins, CEO of the United States Cannabis Council, a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization advancing social equity, ending the federal prohibition of cannabis, modernizing federal and state regulations and promoting high ethical standards within the industry.
Hawkins’ comments are taken from an op-ed he penned for Benzinga in which he described how corporate policies, particularly when it comes to eliminating testing employees for cannabis use, can play an important role in shaping public policy.
To learn more we suggest you read Steven Hawkins’s entire op-ed. It appears in the August 25, 2021 edition of Benzinga.com.
Technology News and Notes
A new test that collects an individual’s breath can help to determine whether a driver or employee is impaired and unable to drive or carry out their job safely after using cannabis.
Researchers at RCU Labs, located in Roseville, CA., working with the Sensabues AB, a leading provider of breath collection technology for the detection of drugs, have created what they believe is the first reliable test method to accurately determine recent cannabis use within the impairment window—roughly three to ten hours after ingesting moderate to high doses of the intoxicating component of cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
It’s believed the duration of this “impairment window” can vary based on the strength of the cannabis consumed and an individual’s experience with cannabis, with the “peak” impairment coming in the first 90 minutes after smoking cannabis. One suspects the increased impairment window of three to ten hours is longer in duration in order to account for ingesting edibles, which take longer to take effect than smoking cannabis and tend to last longer.
Since THC can be detected in a person’s blood for days, if not weeks, after consuming cannabis, it’s hoped this new test will reduce the likelihood of an individual being falsely charged with “driving under the influence” when THC is still detected in their blood but they are no longer “impaired” by using cannabis.
Said John Trainor, CEO at Sensabues, “The increasing worldwide legalization of medicinal and recreational cannabis use has made zero-tolerance and per se limits policies impractical. The RCU Test offers for the first time a low-cost, standards-based, accurate and objective means of assessing cannabis impairment, whilst avoiding the need for costly, complex and sometimes unproven field deployable or hand-held equipment.”
To learn more, you can click on the link that follows which will take you to the RCU Labs website.
Travel Tips
Mature consumers who like to blend their love of travel with their use of cannabis may soon be able to enjoy cannabis grown in Jamaica—by traveling to Germany.
So says Franca Quarneti, writing for El Planteo. Quarneti reports the German government has announced through its drug commissioner, Daniela Ludwig, that it is in favor of decriminalizing possession of up to six grams of cannabis throughout the country.
Quaranti noted that while minimal possession is no longer a crime in some German states, implementing a nationwide plan would help to unify public policy on cannabis possession.
At the same time, with what some may consider typical German efficiency, it was announced Jamaican cannabis will soon be available in pharmacies in Germany.
Cannim, one of Jamaica’s most well-known commercial growers, has partnered with Cantourage, a company based in Germany, that will be in charge of importing, manufacturing and distributing the pharmaceutical products in the European country.
Stuart Marsh, Cannim’s commercial director, recently told High Times, “Our ability to grow high-quality, medicinal-grade Jamaican cannabis that meets the stringent standards of the German pharmacopoeia is a recognition of the experience and expertise of our team in Jamaica.”
To learn more we urge you to read Franca Quarneti’s article which appeared in the August 24, 2021 edition of Yahoo!Finance, as well as Benzinga and El Planteo.
finance.yahoo.com/news/germany-seeks-decriminalize-minimum-possession-175732075.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.
