Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at the new cannabis kid on the block—Delta-8 THC. There’s also a TV show built around cooking with cannabis, news that Kevin Costner has decided to take a break from marijuana and more. Enjoy.
Cannabis News and Notes
A growing number of mature consumers who do not have access to medical marijuana, or want the benefits of using cannabis without the intoxicating effects of Delta-9 THC, are experimenting with a relatively new product called Delta-8 THC. They may want to think again.
That’s because in many cases products labeled Delta-8 THC are marketed as containing no THC. Unfortunately, that may not be the case. In addition, the process used to create Delta-8 THC often requires the use of hazardous chemicals. As a result, consumers could be inhaling more than they realize.
So says Kristina Etter, writing for The Marijuana Times. To find out what all the buzz over Delta-8 THC was about, Etter interviewed Josh Swider, a co-founder of InfiniteCAL, a company that offers a range of analytical services to the cannabis sector, including Cannabinoid Potency Testing, Terpene Profiling, Pesticide Screening, and more.
According to Swider, products appearing in the market today do not feature plant-derived Delta-8 THC. That’s because in the natural world, the cannabis plant produces only very small amounts of Delta-8 THC. As a result, to make enough Delta-8 THC to be commercially viable, producers are synthetically creating the compound in a lab.
Swider cautions that companies are synthetically creating Delta-8 by converting Cannabidiol (CBD) isolate into Delta-8 Tetrahydrocannabinol. So the material in the vape cartridge that claims it’s 90 percent Delta-8 Tetrahydrocannabinol was not extracted from the plant; someone in a lab created it.
Not only are there safety and purity concerns when purchasing such products, Swider points out that the process of synthetically creating cannabinoids is expressly forbidden by law. According to the DEA final ruling, “For synthetically derived tetrahydrocannabinols, the concentration of D9 -THC is not a determining factor in whether the material is a controlled substance. All synthetically derived tetrahydrocannabinols remain schedule I controlled substances.”
Said Swider, “It’s misleading to consumers not to identify that these products have been made in a lab instead of extracted from the plant, and it’s even more misleading to claim that the product is ‘THC-Free’ when tetrahydrocannabinol is in the name of the compound being sold.”
Given these complications, it will be interesting to see how long the buzz about Delta-8 THC will last.
To learn more, we urge you to read Kristina Etter‘s detailed and informative article in the March 16, 2021 edition of The Marijuana Times.
www.marijuanatimes.org/california-lab-offers-cautionary-notes-regarding-delta-8-thc/
Cooking with Cannabis
There is good news for mature consumers who want to add a little special spice to their culinary creations but don’t know where to begin.
According to Brian Steinberg, reporting for Variety, the folks behind the successful Food Network show “Chopped” have a new show coming where chefs will use cannabis in the kitchen. The show, called “Chopped 420,” will air on streaming-video hub Discovery Plus.
In “Chopped 420,” comedian Ron Funches will challenge four chefs to create an appetizer, entrée and dessert from a mystery basket of ingredients—including cannabis. The challengers will compete for a $10,000 grand prize. The series marks the first time cannabis has been used in the “Chopped” franchise.
The Food Network’s president Courtney White told Steinberg that while several networks have refrained from running commercials for cannabis products because such purchases are not legal nationwide, on a streaming service subscribers can choose what they want to see and avoid content they feel isn’t for them.
All five hour-long episodes of “Chopped 420” start streaming Tuesday, April 20 on Discovery Plus. You can learn more by reading Brian Steinberg’s article in the March 17, 2021 edition of Variety.com.
variety.com/2021/tv/news/chopped-cannabis-discovery-plus-food-network-1234932480/?
Stats of the Week
The statistic that drew our attention this week is 51 percent. According to a new study by the folks at New Frontier Data, 51 percent of those surveyed said they have friends or family who use CBD.
The study also revealed the variety of reasons individuals gave for using it. Of those queried, 41 percent said they use it primarily for pain, while 33 percent said they use it for relief from anxiety. Others said they used it for what they described as “medical” reasons or to promote general wellness.
Whatever their reasons, U.S. consumers aren’t shy when it comes to spending their money on CBD products. The study also found U.S. consumer spending on CBD reached $3.8 billion USD in 2020.
To learn more, you can read Trevor Yahn-Grode’s analysis of the study. It appeared in the March 22, 2021 edition of Cannabyte, a publication of New Frontier Data.
newfrontierdata.com/cannabis-insights/dogged-cbd-demand-seems-destined-to-run-on/?
CBD Spotlight
A growing number of mature consumers who choose to use CBD to help them recover from their aches and pains after a workout, to help manage anxiety or to promote heart health or general wellness, are turning to a product called CBD water.
According to Joseph Billions, reporting for Cannabis.net, producing this product is more complicated than just adding some CBD oil to a glass of water.
Since oil and water don’t mix—even CBD oil and water— companies that produce CBD water use a process called Nano Emulsion Technology. This enables the CBD in the water to be broken down into microscopic droplets. The size of the droplets make it difficult for the oil to separate from the water. It’s also believed this technological process makes it possible for people to absorb CBD into their bodies more quickly.
That’s because CBD water is said to have a higher bioavailability rate than CBD oil alone. Bioavailability is a measure of how easily and quickly nutrients can be absorbed and used by the body after consumption. Simply consuming particular nutrients or taking healthy supplements does not guarantee that they will safely make their way through your intestinal tract, to your bloodstream, and ultimately to your cells.
As with many other CBD products, consumers who want to purchase CBD water need to make sure they are getting what they pay for. Billions recommends checking the CBD water for its “Certificate of Analysis” (COA). This certificate shows that the product has been tested and certified for commercial use.
He also suggests checking the water’s label to ensure that the company got the CBD dosage right: water brands should have between two and five milligrams of CBD per serving.
To learn more, we suggest you read Joseph Billions’s article in the March 17, 2021 issue of Cannabis.net.
cannabis.net/blog/medical/what-is-cbd-water-exactly
Cannabis Quote of the Week
“Yeah, for 40 years I had a really good time smoking. A really good f–king time. I mean, I never smoked when I woke up. And I never smoked habitually. I did it to have a good time when I felt like I was going to have a good time……About five years ago, I wasn’t having a good time anymore, so I just stopped. Which is kind of my motto. If I’m not having a good time doing something, stop doing it….I was raised in a very conservative way, but I remember when I started smoking, I have to tell you honestly, I started thinking differently. All of a sudden… The conservative thing flew right out the window. I saw things in a different way. And I think it actually helped me come to that decision internally, which is, ‘Who are you?’ You know, ‘Who are you?’”—Actor and former mature cannabis user Kevin Costner.
As some of you may already know, we do not contend that cannabis is right for everyone. We are not cannabis advocates as much as we advocate for mature adults having the information they need about cannabis use, both medical and recreational, to make intelligent and informed decisions.
That includes taking a break from using it recreationally, as Costner has done, when it is no longer a pleasurable experience or you no longer perceive a benefit from using it. Those who use it medically for pain management or as a sleep aid may want to consult with a physician about alternatives before discontinuing its use.
Costner’s comments are taken from a longer interview he did with Rolling Stone that originally ran in June of 2019. An abbreviated version appeared in an article written by Jon D.B. that ran in the March 21, 2021 edition of the website Outsider.com.
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.
A Weekly Roundup of Cannabis News for the Mature Consumer