As sports fans know, rooting for your favorite team, particularly a team that is not successful, can lead to sadness, a sense of hopelessness and in some cases rage. At least one person in Ohio thinks those emotions should be grounds for a prescription for medical marijuana—especially if you are a fan of the Cincinnati Bengals or Cleveland Browns.
At present Ohio has 78,000 patients with medical conditions eligible for treatment with medical marijuana. Those 21 conditions range from AIDS to multiple sclerosis to pain that is either chronic and severe or intractable.
According to an article that appeared in Cincinnati’s CityBeat publication, in 2019 the Ohio Medical Board received 28 petitions asking it to consider new conditions that would be eligible for treatment by medical marijuana. To include a new condition, the board requires support from physicians and testimony from relevant medical experts.
At least one person thought the pain associated with being a Bengals or Browns fan should be considered as a condition the medical board should include in the marijuana licensure program. The Cincinnati Bengals went 2-14 in 2019 while the Browns went 6-10.
The public will have to wait a while to see if the condition as put forth in the petition qualifies. The CityBeat writers report a committee of the medical board is scheduled to meet Feb. 12 to consider petitions for adding new conditions, which this year include anxiety, depression, severe social anxiety, insomnia, lupus and a number of other ailments. That committee will draft recommendations to the full medical board, which will vote on any new additions this summer.
To learn more, visit the January 7, 2020 issue of CityBeat.
CBD Spotlight
As we have noted before, a growing number of individuals report they are self-medicating with CBD to treat a variety of conditions, ranging from aches and pains to anxiety.
Unfortunately, many are doing this without a doctor’s guidance. This can be problematic, particularly when it comes to the way CBD may interact with other medications.
According to Maria Loreto, writing for The Fresh Toast, studies have shown that CBD has the potential of interacting with certain medications and altering the way in which the liver processes those meds.
For example, CBD can speed up the liver process or in some cases, slow it down. This can force the body to expel medication too quickly, which can render a drug ineffective. It can also slow down the metabolization process. This can result in the medication spending more time in the body than necessary, skewing the dosage and possibly resulting in harmful or uncomfortable side effects. Loreto warns that this is another reason to let your doctor know if you are taking CBD.
To learn more, visit Loreto’s article in the January 3, 2020 issue of The Fresh Toast.com.
thefreshtoast.com/cannabis/can-cbd-negatively-affect-how-your-body-processes-medication/
Cannabis Hacks
Mature consumers who have been using cannabis for some time may think they have nothing new to learn, but according to Terry Hacienda reporting for Benzinga, that is not the case.
Hacienda writes that no matter how long a person has been using cannabis in one form or another, there are always new things to try that can make the experience more pleasurable or the consumption of cannabis more efficient.
For example, Hacienda says eating a mango 45 minutes or so before consuming cannabis will allow the body to absorb THC more quickly and the state of intoxication will stay with the user longer. For some, the intoxicating feeling will be slightly more intense.
Hacienda points out that the tropical fruit is packed with myrcene, a terpene that interacts with THC. Myrcene is also thought to have anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic properties. Additionally, it is said to lower the resistance across the blood brain barrier, allowing itself and many other chemicals—such as THC—to cross the barrier both more easily and quickly.
To learn about other hacks for mature consumers suggested by Hacienda, visit his article in the January 9, 2020 issue of Benzinga.com
Tech Talk
A decision by the folks who run the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas cast a spotlight on a high-tech device designed for storing marijuana. It also brought attention to the conflict between the way Nevada treats marijuana use and federal restrictions on the same drug, as well as what that means for high-tech companies that manufacture cannabis-related products.
According to Catie Keck, reporting for Gizmodo, KEEP Labs, a company that manufactures a facial recognition-protected cannabis storage device, was named as an honoree in the Home Appliances category of this year’s CES Innovation Awards by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which puts on the annual trade show.
KEEP Labs is a Canadian tech company focused on responsible cannabis storage with over forty years of combined experience building and working with technology companies across the U.S., including Silicon Valley, Canada and internationally.
However, the company decided against exhibiting its product at CES after the trade show reportedly told it that it had to remove any mention of cannabis from its marketing and display materials on the showroom floor. Keck acknowledges this conflict was first reported by TechCrunch.
Keck also points out that a spokesperson for CTA responded to Gizmodo’s request for comment about the incident by pointing to federal laws banning recreational use of cannabis and Nevada state laws restricting its use in public spaces such as hotels, further claiming that this is the reason there is no cannabis category at CES.
Clearly, cannabis tech presents a challenge for CES in terms of exhibiting products or displaying their functionality. Once the show decided to censor KEEP Lab’s marketing presentation, the company felt it couldn’t accurately represent its award-winning product at the trade show.
You can learn more by reading Catie Keck’s article in the January 6, 2020 issue of Gizmodo.com. You can also visit the website of KEEP Labs to learn more about its products.
gizmodo.com/ces-must-be-high-1840832850/ap
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.
