Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. In this issue you’ll find concerns raised by specialists on smoking marijuana during the pandemic, news of women outpacing men as consumers of cannabis, an introduction to CBG and tips on growing cannabis in your home garden. Enjoy.
Smoking Marijuana and COVID-19
First, do no harm. It appears the aphorism long shared with medical professionals should also be embraced by mature cannabis consumers, particularly during the current pandemic.
For example, concerns about how smoking marijuana can be an impediment when it comes to diagnosing COVID-19 were at the core of two recent articles.
Both Hannah Sparks, writing for the New York Post, and Sandee LaMotte, writing for CNN, cite comments by pulmonologist Dr. Albert Rizzo, chief medical officer for the American Lung Association and Dr. Mitchell Glass, a pulmonologist and spokesperson for the American Lung Association. Both professionals urge caution when it comes to smoking marijuana during the current health crisis.
Said Rizzo, “What happens to your airways when you smoke cannabis is that it causes some degree of inflammation, very similar to bronchitis, very similar to the type of inflammation that cigarette smoking can cause “Now you have some airway inflammation and you get an infection on top of it. So, yes, your chance of getting more complications is there.”
Glass added that, “since a dry cough is a key sign of COVID-19, any cough caused by smoking a joint of weed could easily mimic that symptom, making diagnosis more difficult.”
Glass also voiced concern that while using marijuana may help to reduce anxiety it may also, in his opinion interfere with an individual’s ability to be clear headed during the diagnostic process.
Neither doctor addressed whether using other forms of cannabis, such as edibles or tinctures, can be a suitable alternative to smoking or whether THC or CBD can suppress the immune system, a concern raised by other professionals.
As with many other challenges faced by older consumers—many of whom are also considered to be particularly susceptible to the COVID-19 virus because of a compromised immune system—using cannabis to address pain management and other conditions may involve a series of tradeoffs.
However, to do no harm, or at least less harm, it may be time to explore alternatives to consuming marijuana by smoking.
You can learn more by reading Hannah Sparks’ article in the April 10, 2020 issue of the New York Post and the article by Sandee LaMotte in the April 10, 2020 issue of CNN.com.
nypost.com/2020/04/10/both-cigarette-and-marijuana-smoking-raise-coronavirus-risk/
www.cnn.com/2020/04/10/health/smoking-weed-coronavirus-wellness/index.html
Women Are Buying More Cannabis Than Men
According to data collected before the advent of the pandemic, women, across all age groups 18-55+ drove cannabis sales in the first quarter, 2020. Plus, the average amount spent by women increased by 50 percent in March.
That’s the word from Akerna (Nasdaq: KERN). The company is described as a leading compliance technology provider and is said to be the developer of the cannabis industry’s first seed-to-sale enterprise resource planning (ERP) software technology.
The company’s most recent press release says total cannabis sales—as measured by the company’s software—increased in the first quarter of 2020 by 16 percent over the fourth quarter of 2019.
Aryeh Primus, Akerna’s vice president of analytics, said, “Repeat buyers are consistently spending much more per visit, with the size of women’s shopping carts growing even more than men.”
He added, “In March, the average basket size for women hit an all-time high above $105, while for men basket size was below that for March 2019.”
More information is available in the analysis contained in the company’s press release published in the April 3, 2020 edition of Globe News Wire.
mjplatform.com/press-release/akerna-flash-report-in-q1-2020-women-outspent-men-on-cannabis/?
Cannabis Use Spikes In March
More people are turning on after locking down. So says Kristine Owram writing for Bloomberg. She also notes that cannabis use hit an all-time high in March. Owram attributes the trend to people “having more free time with less to do,” as the lockdown policy began to spread across the country.
Citing research by Cowen & Co., Owram says that in March of 2020, 12.8 percent of respondents said they had used “pot.” That was up from 12.5 percent, which was the average in 2019.
More on the study is available in Kristine Owram’s article in the April 9, 2020 issue of Bloomberg published in MSN.com.
As a side note, we think the headline writer was particularly tickled by the opportunity to describe pot use as reaching “an all time high.” Good for you.
CBD Use by FBI Agents is Under Review
The FBI’s policy prohibiting CBD use by agents and other employees may be changing.
So says Kyle Jaeger in an article written for Marijuana Moment. Jaeger reports that it seems the FBI is open to loosening rules for CBD use, which has become more widely available since hemp was federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill. In particular he cites a recent comment by a member of the FBI’s Newark office who said in a Twitter interview that “The policy regarding CBD oil is currently under review.”
To learn more you can read Kyle Jaeger’s entire article in the April 3, 2020 issue of Marijuana Moment.
marijuanamoment.net/fbi-policy-on-cbd-use-by-agents-is-under-review/
A Closer Look At CBG
If you are a mature consumer whose interest in cannabis starts with THC and ends with CBD you may be in for a surprise. The possible therapeutic uses of another cannabinoid has garnered the interest of a growing number of cannabis companies.
Renato Capelj, writing for Benzinga, reports that companies and brands such as Avicanna Inc. (OTC: AVCNF) are taking a closer look at cannabigerol (CBG). It’s thought this non-psychoactive molecule may have therapeutic benefits in over-the-counter and pharmaceutical applications. That’s because in testing, the molecule acts as an anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial agent that regulates mood and has the potential to mitigate disease-related pain.
This may be good news for consumers and for companies such as Avicanna which has found ways to breed seeds that offer higher yields of CBG.
To learn more, visit Renato Capelj’s article for Benzinga which appeared in the April 3, 2020 issue of Yahoo Finance.
finance.yahoo.com/news/next-big-thing-cannabigerol-cbg-201851569.html
Tips On Growing Cannabis In A Home Garden
There’s good news for mature consumers who would like to grow cannabis in their garden at home—provided they live in a state where that is legal—but don’t know where to begin.
Johanna Silver—a writer for Leafly—is growing a set of marijuana plants from seed to harvest in her backyard in Northern California and recording her progress—complete with practical tips—on social media. Readers can check in every week for a new post by following #Leaflyhomegrow on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
She is starting with three strains, four seeds for each strain. Her first tip is to label each seedling with the type of strain. Silver recommends using a Sharpie Extreme for the labeling. She says they are the only type of marker that is actually permanent in outdoor conditions.
For a more detailed account of her garden project you can read Johanna Silver’s first installment in the April 7, 2020 edition of Leafly.
leafly.com/news/growing/leafly-marijuana-homegrow
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.