A new report shows that the medical marijuana arena is not immune to the law of unintended consequences. Specifically, it seems that when states with medical marijuana programs in place legalize cannabis for adult use, the number of those registered in medical marijuana programs declines. That can present those who remain in the program with difficult challenges.
According to an Associated Press story filed by Gillian Flaccus and Angeliki Kastanis, a significant portion of that decline can be attributed to individuals who enrolled in a medical marijuana program because it was the only way to legally purchase marijuana and then stopped participating in the program once cannabis was legalized for recreational use.
The consequence of this drop in membership in the medical program, in states such as Colorado and Oregon, can mean fewer products and higher prices for those who continue to rely on medical marijuana. According to David Mangone, director of Government Affairs for the advocacy group Americans for Safe Access, this problem can be compounded by the fact many people who remain in the medical programs fall in the low-income bracket and are on a fixed income, such as Social Security disability.
Said Mangone, “Some of the products that patients have relied on for consistency—and have used over and over for years—are disappearing off the shelves to market products that have a wider appeal.”
Flaccus and Kastanis’ detailed analysis of the issue can be found in the June 11, 2019 issue of the APNews website.
Seniors, Cannabis and Pain
There’s additional evidence that mature consumers can benefit from using marijuana to help them manage pain. In this case it comes from the results of a research project conducted by the Dent Neurological Institute in Buffalo, N.Y.
The study, which focused on concussion-related chronic pain, found that more than two-thirds of the 204 participants—they had an average age of 81—experienced at least some relief from pain. However, only one-third of them also reduced their use of opioids.
Participants in the study were enrolled in New York State’s Medical Marijuana Program and took various ratios of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to cannabidiol (CBD), the main active chemicals in medical marijuana, for an average of four months and had regular checkups. The medical marijuana was taken by mouth as a liquid extract tincture, capsule or in an electronic vaporizer.
In an interview with Liz Seegert who reported on the study for the Association of Health Care Journalists, Laszlo Mechtler, M.D., medical director of Dent Neurologic Institute and chief of neuro-oncology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute said,“With legalization in many states, medical marijuana has become a popular treatment option among people with chronic diseases and disorders, yet there is limited research, especially in older people.” He added that the findings are promising and can help fuel further research into medical marijuana as an additional option for this group of people (older individuals) who often have chronic conditions. He contends the study’s finding shows that medical marijuana is well-tolerated in people age 75 and older and may improve symptoms like chronic pain and anxiety.
Researchers did caution that the study relied on participant self-reporting of symptom relief, so it is possible that the placebo effect may have played a role.
Seegert’s full article, “Medical Marijuana Growing in Popularity among Seniors,” appears in the March 18, 2019 issue of the Health Journalism.org blog of the Association of Health Care Journalists.
Marijuana and Employment
There may be some hopeful news for mature consumers who fear using marijuana legally may hurt their chances of finding a job. In what may be a trend-setting decision, Nevada has become the first state to ban pre-employment marijuana testing.
State law AB132 makes it unlawful for any Nevada employer to refuse to hire someone if they test positive for marijuana. Said Assemblywoman Dina Neal, the bill’s co-sponsor, “I didn’t want people to be discriminated against about the lawful use of marijuana.” She also said the legislation is intended to parallel the legalization of recreational marijuana in the state.
The bill goes into effect in January of 2020. To learn more, visit abc7.com/politics.
Medical Cannabis: Dollars and Sense
When it comes to using medical marijuana in a cost-effective manner, a little can go a long way. So say several experts who contend many mature consumers are using cannabis products in an inefficient manner and are spending more than they have to when buying medical marijuana.
Reporting for Forbes, Abbie Rosner found older adults pay more for cannabis than any other age group. She cites a new study on cannabis pricing recently released by the Seattle, Washington-based cannabis data analytics firm Headset. On average, Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation tend to purchase higher priced items than Millennials: 10 percent more in the case of Baby Boomers, and 11 percent more for the Silent Generation—those born between 1925 and 1942.
Headset analyst Liz Connors attributed this spending pattern to several factors. For one, she believes many Boomers with significant disposable income are used to paying more to get what they want. She contends another factor is that many mature consumers purchase cannabis products with their well-being in mind and, as such, tend to spend their money on tinctures and topicals which are often more expensive.
However, Rosner also found there are many older consumers for whom spending top dollar on medical marijuana is a financial burden. Fortunately, she says there are ways these same consumers can both find relief and save money. The keys seem to be finding the appropriate product and using it in an efficient manner.
For example, she points to the work of Dr. Laurie Vollen who has nearly 20 years of clinical cannabis experience. Vollen told Rosner that patients need very little THC to get the relief they need and that many of her patients come in to her office with hundreds of dollars of products purchased from dispensaries, none of which are appropriate for them. In many cases she recommends inhaling small quantities of cannabis flower using a high quality herb vaporizing device and she hardly ever recommends spending over $100 a month.
Another expert, Dr. Jordan Tishler, a Boston-based physician who runs a medical cannabis practice for a mainly older adult population, also believes that vaping flower in small doses using a technologically sophisticated convection device is an optimal strategy, particularly for older patients. In some cases he also recommends gummies. Said Tishler, “Older folks are getting taken advantage of by an industry that will tell them what is necessary to sell them more products, and I see this frequently among my medical patients, despite my guidance.”
Rosner’s enlightening article appeared in the Mar 29, 2019 issue of Forbes.
Cannabis Philosophy 101
In a decision that resembles a question on a freshman philosophy final, a California court has ruled that prison inmates can legally possess marijuana. They are not, however, permitted to use it.
The Third District Court of Appeal in Sacramento overturned the convictions of five inmates who were found with pot. Their ruling cited the language of Proposition 64, the 2016 ballot initiative that made possession of less than one ounce of marijuana no longer a felony in the state.The ruling added that prison authorities reserved the right to ban possession to “maintain order and safety in the prisons.”
According to Vicky Waters, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation,“While the court’s decision is still under review, we want to be clear that drug use and sales within state prisons remains prohibited.”
Visit Derrick Bryson Taylor’s article in the June 16, 2019 edition of the New York Times for more information.
Senior Cannabis Digest is compiled and edited by Joe Kohut and John Kohut. You can reach them at seniorcannabisdigest@gmail.com or by calling 347-528-8753.