Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week you’ll find articles on how to make sure you are getting real CBD and when to take it, a chance to observe 4/20 with Willie Nelson, why cannabis may be a remedy for constipation and more. Enjoy.
Spotlight on CBD
For many older consumers, CBD has become the preferred way to deal with inflammation, aches and pains and stress. However, it is still important for consumers to make sure they are getting the real thing or the product they paid for.
Writing for The Fresh Toast, Mike Adams warns that research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that around 40 percent of CBD products purchased online do not contain as much CBD as they claimed. And some—about 26 percent—included higher concentrations than they were supposed to contain.
Fortunately, Adams offers some tips on how consumers can protect themselves from CBD scams.
First, he suggests consumers should do some research and look for cannabis companies that employ strict testing standards. According to Adams this list from the U.S. Hemp Authority is a good place to start.
Next, when possible he recommends buying your CBD from a reputable dealer in a legal marijuana state where such products are held to testing standards.
That way you can save the trips to the convenience store for beef jerky and lottery tickets.
To learn more, you can read the complete article by Mike Adams in the April 16, 2020 issue of The Fresh Toast.
thefreshtoast.com/cannabis/that-cbd-you-just-bought-might-be-bogus/
Senior Celebrity Spotlight
Just because you are in quarantine doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate all things cannabis on April 20 of this year. That’s because country music and cannabis icon Willie Nelson has agreed to host ‘Come and Toke It’ , a variety show that will stream live on April 20, 2020—that’s 4/20 for those who observe the holiday.
According to Daniel Kreps, writing for Rolling Stone, the online broadcast will feature musical guests, comedians, chefs, and cannabis experts —all of whom will be in quarantine—as well as Nelson himself, who promises to partake in the festivities.
The 4-hour-and-20-minute livestream, will take place at 4:20 p.m. central time. You can stream the event live over at the Luck Reunion website in association with Nelson’s “Willie’s Reserve” cannabis line.
The broadcast will also raise money for the Last Prisoner Project, a nonprofit coalition of cannabis industry leaders, executives and artists dedicated to bringing what it describes as “restorative justice” to the cannabis industry.
To learn more and find out how you might be selected to wish Willie a happy birthday on the broadcast, read the article by Daniel Kreps in the April 16, 2020 issue of RollingStone.com. Nelson turns 87 on April 29, 2020.
And if you are looking for a last minute 4/20-related gift idea, Brandt Ranj, also writing for RollingStone, has profiled a number of specialty items, such as the LEVO II Herbal Oil Infuser for infusing butter or oil with cannabis, various bongs, a vegan, gluten-free chocolate edibles kit, and more.
rollingstone.com/music/music-country/willie-nelson-420-livestream-985531/
rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/best-cannabis-gift-guide-985758/
How and When to Take CBD
As we have said before, consumers are taking a wide variety of CBD products for numerous reasons. However, just as not all CBD products are made with equal attention to detail and purity, it seems that the time of day you take CBD can have an effect on whether or not you get the results you desire.
So says Mary Sauer, reporting for Benzinga Cannabis. She notes that finding the right time of day to take a dose of CBD could improve its effectiveness and help users achieve the results they desire.
To help, Sauer offers these suggestions: If you are taking a CBD product to feel energized, it is probably best to take it with your morning meal or at lunch time to increase the chance you will feel its effects throughout the day. It also makes it less likely you will experience a sleepless night.
If you are looking for the calming properties attributed by many to CBD, she suggests considering waiting until the evening meal to take it.
The way you ingest CBD can also determine how long it will take before you experience its effects. For example, if you are taking it in a capsule or an edible, such as a gummy, it can take 1 to 6 hours to reach peak CBD levels in the bloodstream. And it’s always a good idea to take this form alongside food since it can help to get the CBD into the bloodstream faster. When taken in an oil or tincture that is placed under the tongue, the CBD is likely to enter the bloodstream somewhere between five and 20 minutes after use.
Mary Sauer’s detailed and informative article is available in the April 12, 2020 edition of Benzinga Cannabis.
Also, once you have exhausted all of the arguments over which actor made the best Batman and want to move on to more pressing issues, such as whether it’s better to use alcohol or cannabis to get through a period of self quarantine, Maria Loreto offers her arguments for using cannabis in the April 9, 2020 issue of Benzinga Cannabis.
benzinga.com/markets/cannabis/20/04/15785309/cbd-whats-the-best-time-of-day-to-take-it?
Legal News and Notes
Virginia has decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana and in doing so has become the 27th state to either decriminalize or legalize marijuana.
According to German Lopez, reporting for Vox.com, Gov. Ralph Northam (D) has approved a bill that will eliminate jail time for simple marijuana possession.
Lopez points out, however, that under decriminalization lower-level penalties, such as a fine, remain in place and sales remain illegal.
German Lopez’s look at what this decision does and does not mean for mature cannabis consumers in Virginia can be found in the April 13, 2020 edition of Vox.com.
vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/4/13/21158103/virginia-marijuana-legalization-decriminalization
New Product Trends
While it has been a turbulent year for many cannabis companies, one positive trend has been the growth of joint projects to create cannabis infused beverages. For instance, one of the most recent entries into this market segment involves the world’s third-largest brewing company.
Molson Coors Beverage Company and the cannabis company HEXO Corp. have formed a joint venture in Colorado to explore opportunities for non-alcohol, hemp-derived CBD beverages. The joint venture is called Truss CBD USA and will operate as a standalone entity with its own board of directors, management team, resources, and go-to-market strategy.
In announcing the deal, Molson Coors President of Emerging Growth Pete Marino said, “CBD beverages are a growing segment within the non-alcohol beverage category and this JV (joint venture) provides us an opportunity to build capabilities in Colorado.” He added that they chose Colorado as a site for the project because of its established regulatory framework for CBD.
According to the press release announcing the project, the decision to explore hemp-derived CBD beverages is part of Molson Coors’ strategy to grow beyond the beer aisle with wine and spirits and non-alcohol drinks. In addition, Molson Coors and HEXO have another joint venture to produce non-alcohol cannabis-infused beverages for the Canadian market called Truss Beverages.
You can read more about the joint venture in the April 15, 2020 edition of Business Wire.
businesswire.com/news/home/20200415005395/en/Molson-Coors-HEXO-Corp-Expand-Partnership-Joint
Health Matters
Whether it’s from a lack of exercise, a low-fiber diet, not drinking enough fluids or the side effects of the prescription and OTC drugs they take, many older individuals experience constipation. Fortunately, there is some indication using cannabis may offer some relief.
To get to the bottom of things, Meg Hartley, writing for Leafly, interviewed medical cannabis expert and integrative medicine physician Dustin Sulak, D.O. According to Sulak, “Endocannabinoids absolutely do affect motility, both directly and indirectly. The most powerful way in which cannabis could help a person defecate is by helping them to relax and get into a more parasympathetic state.”
The parasympathetic state is associated with many aspects of healing and health maintenance — including digestion.
Hartley also spoke with well-known psychopharmacology researcher Ethan Russo, M.D. Russo added, “A lot of people note easier bowel movements after cannabis. This can alleviate both constipation or diarrhea associated with irritable bowel syndrome, a presumptive clinical endocannabinoid deficiency syndrome. THC also positively alters the gut microbiome and this effect should not be discredited.”
The body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS) is thought to be a vital molecular system for helping the body main systems stay in balance.
In her article Hartley also cited a 2019 study which found that cannabis consumption was associated with a 30 percent decrease in constipation.
Meg Hartley’s entertaining and informative article appeared in the April 13, 2020 issue of Leafly.
leafly.com/news/health/does-marijuana-make-you-poo
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.
