Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at why some folks say they experience “bupkis” when they consume an edible, the impact the cannabis industry is likely to have on the economy in the coming year, cannabis infused cocktails and much more. Enjoy.
Spotlight on Edibles
Cause I’ve tried and I’ve tried, and I’m still mystified,
I can’t do it anymore and I’m not satisfied.—Elvis Costello
Mr. Costello’s description of the “mystery dance” might also describe the experience some people have when consuming cannabis edibles. What those folks report is that they experience…”nuthin’,” zero, nada or, if you prefer, bupkis.
According to Dan Adams, writing for the Boston Globe, there does seem to be an “unknown portion of the population that appears to be functionally “immune” to edibles, or at least has exceptionally high tolerances.”
Adams interviewed half a dozen individuals he termed “ediblocked consumers.” These folks reported that they experienced no effects even after eating large quantities of cannabis concentrates—enough to send even experienced marijuana smokers on a very long, and possibly very strange trip.
For example, one individual—an experienced cannabis smoker—told Adams he “starts to feel something” when eating around 700 milligrams of THC. That’s about 140 times what most folks consider the standard serving of 5 milligrams.
Dr. Staci Gruber, the director of the Marijuana Investigations for Neuroscientific Discovery programs at McLean Hospital told Adams there is some speculation among researchers that people with an extremely high tolerance to edible forms of cannabis may have an unusual variation of a key liver enzyme could essentially be too efficient at processing ingested THC.
That could mean their liver may be turning the THC in the edible into an inactive waste product before the active form can enter the bloodstream or brain. It’s also possible other people’s enzymes make them unusually inefficient at performing this process, with little THC getting metabolized in the first place.
Said Gruber, ““It’s almost as if they’re skipping the intermediate step. You’re breaking it down so fast it doesn’t have an opportunity to create the psychoactive effect.”
Dr. Peter Grinspoon, a Harvard Medical School instructor who is considered by many to be a “godfather” of cannabis research, told Adams that those who are unusually tolerant of edibles should proceed cautiously. Said Grinspoon,“There’s still a risk of taking too high a dose, and then you’re stuck with it for eight hours.”
To learn more, whether or not you are “edible challenged,” we urge you to read Dan Adams’s insightful and informative reporting. It appears in the May 12, 2021 online issue of The Boston Globe.
Stats of the Week
This week’s magic number is $92 billion. That’s billion with a “b,” as in boy-oh-boy. That’s the amount some experts predict the cannabis industry will add to the U.S. economy in 2021.
So says Andrew Long, reporting for Marijuana Business Daily. Long writes that the $92 billion figure projects an increase of more than 30 percent from last year and may reach as high as $160 billion in 2025.
According to Long, “to measure the industry’s economic impact, MJBizDaily analyzed similar industries and applied a standard multiplier of 3.5 on projected recreational and medical marijuana retail sales.”
Said another way, the $92 billion figure is not a measure of cannabis sales. Rather, it reflects the impact the industry has on the broader economy. In this case, researchers predict that for every $1 consumers and patients spend at retail cannabis locations, an additional $2.50 will be injected into the economy, much of it at the local level.
Said Long. “That impact comes directly from the day-to-day needs of workers in the cannabis industry, including spending on life’s necessities such as housing, transportation, entertainment and more.”
In addition, that $92 billion is bolstered by the hundreds of millions of dollars in state and local taxes paid by cannabis consumers, workers and companies that are used to fund state and local government activities, including schools and roads. The boost real estate receives from new companies’ retail, manufacturing and agricultural businesses moving into an area or established companies expanding, increasing broader demand for commercial properties would also be a factor.
Granted, the $92 billion figure is a projection of a ripple effect. However, what Long’s reporting makes clear is that much like the economic impact of the auto industry can’t be gauged by car sales alone, the economic impact of the cannabis sector can’t be measured solely in terms of retail transactions.
You can learn a lot more by reading Andrew Long’s reporting. He does an excellent job of unpacking an increasingly complex issue. His work appears in the May 11, 2021 edition of MJBizDaily.com.
mjbizdaily.com/marijuana-industry-expected-to-add-92-billion-to-us-economy-in-2021/?
Entertaining Ideas
Slowly, masks will come off, social distancing will no longer be measured in feet—or as we like to say Ramones, since Joey was 6’6″—and humans will once again gather in groups of more than, well, one person and a television. When that happens folks will begin to host what were once called parties.
If you are a mature consumer who is thinking of hosting a summer get-together and would like to serve an alternative to alcohol, Joseph Billions, writing for Cannabis.net has an idea—assuming you live in a location where recreational cannabis is legal—cannabis cocktails.
Billions contends these social beverages offer a number of benefits, such as an opportunity to have a good time without the after-effects of alcohol and a chance to “unleash your creativity” by serving your guests a drink that contains a variety of infused fruits with spices and herbs of your choice.
We do need to mention there is nothing funny about serving such beverages to your unsuspecting Aunt Edna without her knowledge or others without their consent. A host or hostess needs to make clear to guests just what they are ingesting and what those attractive beverages with the cute little parasol contain.
To help, Billions offers the following recipe for a drink called the Lavender Lemon Haze.
Ingredients
– 1 tablespoon of Cannabis-infused glycerin
– 1½ cup fresh squeezed organic lemon juice
– 1¼ cup dried lavender flowers
– Simple syrup (1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water is enough)
– Orange flower water
– 7 cups of water
Instructions
Put your lavender leaves along with sugar and water into a saucepan and boil. Boil the mixture for about 15 minutes, after which you take it off the heat. Let the mixture cool off for about 30 minutes, after which you sieve the lavender leaves out. Pour the mixture into a big pitcher and add cannabis glycerin, lemon juice, water and ice. Stir the mixture and taste. You can put additional lemon juice or sugar, depending on the taste that you desire, and your cocktail is ready. Serve in glasses, and make sure to pop a lemon wedge by the side to give it the classic cocktail look.
According to Billions, since Lemon Haze is a sativa strain, the drink can be, in his words, “quite energizing” and he believes this makes the Lavender Lemon Haze cocktail best for a lively function with a lot of fun activities and dancing.
Now it should be noted that since the drink contains ingredients you may not stock in your pantry, such as lavender and cannabis-infused glycerin, you will have to invest more time and energy than you would if you were just going to offer your guests a bucket of Buds and a bottle opener.
To learn more and for additional recipes, you can read Joseph Billions article in the May 11, 2021 edition of Cannabis.net.
cannabis.net/blog/how-to/alcoholfree-cannabis-cocktails-to-get-your-summer-high-started-early
Business News and Notes
While we are on the topic of beverages, there is news that the folks who make what seems to be everyone’s second or third most favorite beer, Sam Adams, are getting involved in the cannabis craze.
Jessica Bartlett, writing for the Boston Business Journal, reports that The Boston Beer Company—the brewer of Sam Adams—has started a Canadian-based subsidiary focused on cannabis beverages.
The operation would produce non-alcoholic beverages since alcohol manufacturers are prohibited from infusing alcoholic beverages with cannabis.
Said Dave Burwick, Boston Beer CEO, “Innovation is core to what we do, beginning with craft beer, then hard cider, hard iced tea, and now Truly Hard Seltzer. We believe non-alcoholic cannabis beverages could represent a new frontier of innovation and want to be ready for future opportunities in the US.”
Bartlett noted that Boston Beer is not alone in eyeing the cannabis market. Molson Coors Brewing Company, Anheuser-Bush InBev, Constellation Brands Inc., and Heineken have all partnered with cannabis companies in an effort to create cannabis-infused beverages.
You can learn more by reading Jessica Bartlett’s article in the May 14, 2021 issue of Boston Business Journal.
www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2021/05/14/boston-beer-launches-subsidiary-to-innovate-cannab.html?
News for Pet Lovers
Help is on the way for veterinarians who think their patients may benefit from cannabis products—such as CBD—but want more information.
So says Bill Weinberg writing for the website Project CBD. He reports that a new non-profit has been created to advocate for legal standards and clarity on the question of whether or not CBD or other cannabis products should be administered to pets.
Called The Veterinary Cannabis Society (VCS) the organization says its mission is to create “lasting solutions that ensure the safe use of cannabis in pets through education, advocacy, and promoting product standards.”
According to Dr. Gary Richter of Holistic Veterinary Care in Oakland, Calif., the vice president and co-founder of VCS, cannabis appears to be effective in animals for conditions such as gastrointestinal issues, pain, and inflammation.
Richter describes his veterinary practice, which he began in 1998, as “integrative medicine” — incorporating both the conventional Western model along with “alternative” treatments such as acupuncture, chiropractic, and herbal applications. More information for you and your pets is available in Bill Weinberg’s article in the May 12, 2021 edition of Project CBD.com.
www.projectcbd.org/medicine/medical-marijuana-animals-call-standards?
Cannabis Quote of the Week
“This bill takes significant steps to modernize our laws by removing cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act and allowing the VA to prescribe medical cannabis to veterans, in addition to finally permitting state-legal cannabis businesses to utilize traditional financial services.I call on my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stand with us in this crucial effort.”— Don Young, a Republican Congressman from Alaska.
Young was commenting on a bill called “The Common Sense Cannabis Reform for Veterans, Small Businesses, and Medical Professionals Act.” It was introduced by Young and his fellow Republican, Congressman David Joyce of Ohio.
It’s starting to look like fewer and fewer folks, be they Republican or Democrat, want to be left behind once the train leaves the station.
To learn more we suggest you read Kyle Jaeger’s article on the bill in the May 12, 2021 edition of Marijuana Moment.
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.
