Welcome to this week’s issue of Senior Cannabis Digest. Inside you will find stories on a study on CBD and aging, tips on cannabis and relationships, a resource that rates CBD products and drones used to transport cannabis. Enjoy.
CBD and Aging
There may be hopeful news for older individuals and those who care for them—and it involves CBD oil. One of Canada’s largest medical and recreational cannabis companies, Canopy Growth, along with its subsidiary Spectrum Therapeutics, is testing medical cannabis as a possible treatment for seniors suffering from pain or cognitive issues.
So says Jennifer Barr in her article for CBC News. Barr reports the goal of the research is to determine how effective cannabidiol—better known to consumers as CBD—is at treating some of the ailments common to seniors, and whether there are side effects.
According to David Greb, the director of continuing care with Canopy Growth, “A lot of seniors struggle with three key areas: pain, mood and sleep. And the potential for cannabis to address a lot of the potential issues around aging is really the biggest population that could see benefit.”
Barr tells of one patient in the study, a 90-year old pianist named Carmen, who told her that pain from arthritis prevented her from playing. She reported that within six weeks on the cannabidiol treatment she could feel a difference, her pain was subsiding and she was playing again.
However, not everyone has found relief with the treatment. Dr. Rhonda Collins who works for a network of seniors residences across Canada told Barr that so far the results of the trial have been mixed.
Said Collins, “In my practice I’ve seen people have amazing responses to cannabis. I’ve seen people have zero response. And I also have seen people have negative responses. So that’s why it’s so important to me that rather than have a few scattered stories from across different sites, we have some rather robust evidence. Like any other drug that we use, any medication that we use — Tylenol, Ibuprofen, you name it — what works for you may not work for me.”
To learn more you can read Jennifer Barr’s detailed and informative article in the February 17, 2020 issue of CBC News.
www.cbc.ca/news/health/national-cannabis-cbd-oil-seniors-aging-study-1.5436526
Stat of the Week
According to the Colorado Department of Revenue, cannabis shops in the state reported sales of nearly $1.75 billion during 2019. That set an annual sales record for the state and generated more than $302.4 million in tax revenue.
To learn more you can read Alicia Wallace’s reporting in the February 18, 2020 edition of CNN.com.
www.cnn.com/2020/02/18/business/colorado-cannabis-record-sales-2019/index.html?
Cannabis and Relationships
Many mature consumers are finding that, much like differences over politics or religion, using cannabis for recreation or even medical reasons can sometimes put a strain on a relationship.
According to Ashley Keenan, who addressed the topic in an article for Leafly, legalization has “changed the game” and discussions about cannabis are now more common for those who are dating or in a relationship.
Keenan spoke with CannaSexual founder Ashley Manta who told her there can be a number of valid reasons that an individual may want to avoid having cannabis in his or her life. Said Manta,“One common dealbreaker is if one of the partners has compelling legal or career reasons for not wanting cannabis around them or in their space.”
As with any other aspect of a relationship, when it comes to using cannabis, communication and compromise can be key. For example, Manta suggests that if smoke in general is an issue, the consuming partner may want to consider a different method of delivery, such as cannabis-infused edibles, oils or beverages.
To learn more, read Ashley Keenan’s insightful article in the February 7, 2020 edition of Leafly.
www.leafly.com/news/lifestyle/what-to-do-when-your-partner-hates-weed
CBD Spotlight
There is good news for mature consumers and others who fear they are flying blind when it comes to selecting a CBD product. According to Javier Hasse—who does an excellent job covering all things cannabis for Benzinga—a new resource has been created that’s designed to help consumers get the information they need to make more educated decisions when buying CBD products.
Called CBD Validator, it’s an independent digital resource that rates CBD oils and tinctures. Hasse reports that each product receives a score based on how it meets key criteria outlined in a proprietary 50-point rating system. This rating system evaluates CBD products on the product’s source, the price per dose, safety, quality and the manufacturer’s transparency.
The rating system—which is updated daily—was developed by scientists, farmers, and extraction experts and now has a database of more than 1,300 CBD oil products. The company has used it to create a Top 100 list of products.
Hasse writes that many companies rated on CBD Validator, in addition to those that scored in the Top 100 list, have readily made changes or updates to their product and website information to further increase transparency.
CBD Advanced Science, the company that created CBD Validator, told Hasse the top product on the Top 100 list is Bravo Botanicals, a small company in Vermont. They contend this shows that a company doesn’t have to be a big player or have a large marketing budget in order to score well. CBD Validator does not take money from the companies it rates.
To learn more, visit Javier Hasse’s article in the January 30, 2020 edition of Benzinga.
Tech Talk
You know that reccuring dream you have about a UFO delivering cannabis right to your door? It may be getting closer to reality.
According to Zach Harris, writing for Merry Jane, tech company GRN Holding is preparing to debut a fleet of drones that will be used for business-to-business cannabis deliveries in the state of Washington. GRN is adamant that the drones will be used only for transportation between wholesale distributors and dispensaries and will not be available for direct-to-customer delivery. To that we say “yet.”
It’s projected the cost to operate a drone with the capacity to carry a payload in excess of 80 pounds will be 1/10 of the cost of operating a delivery van.
No word on what Skynet thinks of a fleet of robots being used to deliver cannabis.
You can learn more by reading Zach Harris’s article in the January 10, 2020 edition of Merry Jane.
merryjane.com/news/weed-delivery-drones-are-coming-to-seattle-this-spring
Senior Cannabis Digest is compiled and edited by Joe Kohut and John Kohut. They can be reached at joe.kohut@gmail.com or 347-528-8753.
