Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at a new resource for understanding the basics of CBD, tips for getting a past cannabis conviction expunged, the booming medical marijuana market in a deeply red state and more. Enjoy.
Spotlight on CBD
There is helpful news for those who want a one-stop approach to getting a comprehensive picture of the latest thinking on the safety, regulation and use of CBD.
A company called Greenwich Biosciences, which describes itself as “the U.S. leader in the field of cannabinoid prescription medicine,” has created a user-friendly infographic that covers the basics of what CBD is and isn’t, how to know what’s in a CBD product and how CBD is regulated.
For example, the infographic walks readers through the distinction between CBD products derived from marijuana and those derived from hemp as well as the process for regulating both. It also provides links to the latest positions held by the FDA on the safety, quality, and science behind CBD products available in the marketplace.
In addition, it contains downloads and links to articles that cover how to separate fact from fiction when purchasing CBD products, how to have what it describes as a meaningful conversation about CBD-based treatment with your doctor and a video that tells viewers what to look for when choosing a CBD product for you or your loved ones.
Adopting a science-based approach to understanding the risks and benefits of using products such as CBD means that what we know and what we think we know may change over time. It does, however, provide consumers with a place to start their own research that is grounded in a more rigorous way to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a product than just the anecdotal opinions of your cousin or neighbor.
That being said, we think this infographic is rich in information and is an excellent way to develop a basic understanding of CBD as a commercial product.
To learn more, simply click on the link that follows.
Legal News and Notes
There’s good news for folks trying to get past cannabis convictions expunged from their records. Anyone who has one knows that it can dog you throughout your life, interfering with job and apartment applications, bank loans, and any other process involving a background check. Now comes news that Checkr, a company focused on making the employer background check process more equitable for the applicant, says it has revolutionized the procedure.
According to Adele Peters, reporting for Fastcompany.com, Checkr has teamed with Lawya, a company that automates legal documents, and the Avenues Legal LLP law firm, to develop an automated tool that has reduced today’s paperwork-heavy expungement nightmare into a short series of questions for the applicant while drastically cutting the legal fees involved.
As Checkr CEO Daniel Lanisse told Peters, “We’re trying to streamline the process as much as possible with automation.” Focusing first on the state of California, Checkr’s tool will reduce legal costs for applicants from about $1,500 to between $350 and $500. Even better, the company will cover the costs for the first 1,000 applicants while it puts its approach to work on their behalf.
Lanisse is convinced that with even further strides in the automation process, his approach will eventually cut costs for applicants to near zero.
Given that cannabis has a brand new image, if you’ve been carrying around the burden of a past conviction, maybe it’s time you took the steps necessary to bring that situation up to date.
You can read all about it, and how companies like The Body Shop are taking a new approach to employee criminal records at Fastcompany.com.
Stats of the Week: Part One
If the rise of Amazon and other online retailers has shown us anything it’s that when it comes to how consumers like to shop, convenience is king. That’s why this week’s week’s magic number—31 percent—should come as no surprise.
According to Elissa Esher, writing for SFGate, a study conducted by a marketing company called Digital Third Coast (DTC,) found that 31 percent of the 1,062 participants they interviewed—nearly a third—thought they should be able to shop for cannabis at their local grocery store.
Whether shoppers hoped to find their sativa in the produce section or near the beer and wine aisle was not included in the survey.
Said Odette Rivera Davis, a Content Strategist at DTC who was involved in the study, “We think people want to see cannabis in grocery stores for the ease and convenience of it, and also likely for the de-stigmatizing effects it would have. We’ve noticed an increase in interest around cannabis by the general public.”
Heather Despres, Director of Patient-Focused Certification at Americans for Safe Access (ASA,) told Esher that, in a hypothetical world where cannabis is sold in grocery stores, medical marijuana patients should continue to consult a healthcare provider before purchasing, and collect their prescribed dose at a pharmacy.
Said Despres, “If medical cannabis were to be sold in grocery stores, the ideal place would be the pharmacy. We are concerned with patient access as well as safety. So, if a grocery store pharmacy was legally permitted to sell medical cannabis to patients, then we would support that.”
To learn more, we urge you to read Elissa Esher’s article. It appeared in the July 2, 2021 issue of SFGate.com.
www.sfgate.com/cannabis/article/Where-s-the-weed-aisle-Study-shows-1-in-3-16289560.php
Stats of the Week: Part Two
There’s another statistic that stood out this week—10 percent. That’s the percentage of residents of the state of Oklahoma who are either registered as a medical marijuana patient or as a caregiver for such a patient.
According to the 2021 MJBizFactbook, the state of Oklahoma is home to 369,247 registered MMJ patients and 2,255 caregivers. Ok, to be accurate, that’s just under 10 percent of the state population. It does, however, represent the highest per-capita number of patients of any state in the nation.
When trying to unpack why the medical marijuana market is booming in this reddest of red states, John Schroyer, writing for MJBiz Daily, identified several factors:
- No specific qualifying medical conditions for patients.
- Low barriers to entry for entrepreneurs who want to get into the industry.
- Consumption of cannabis is allowed anywhere that tobacco smoking is allowed, from public streets to bars.
Yes, you read that last part right—anywhere tobacco smoking is allowed. So much for a restrictive red state approach to medical cannabis.
To learn more, we suggest you read John Schroyer’s article. It appeared in the June 28, 2021 issue of MJBiz Daily.
mjbizdaily.com/why-red-oklahoma-is-home-to-a-booming-medical-marijuana-market/?
Cannabis Quote of the Week
“I’m a hard-working, kid-raising, churchgoing, tax-paying American. And if I work hard all day and want to go home, smoke a joint and stare at my fireplace for three hours, that’s my civil liberty. This is my basic, principled message on marijuana legalization, a cause I’ve promoted for many years.
…It has long been obvious that our nation’s marijuana laws seem to be built on lies and racism and are an affront to civil liberties. As a travel writer and television host, I’ve seen how other nations — such as the Netherlands and Portugal — have tackled the complicated issue of marijuana in ways that are arguably more effective than ours, and at far less cost, both in money and the toll on human lives.…
While it’s true that marijuana, like any drug, can be harmful and abused, it is also true that we can and should have smarter policies about it, based on pragmatically reducing harm rather than moralizing, overreacting and locking people up.—Rick Steves
While best known as a travel writer and public television host, Mr. Steves is also the chair of the board of NORML— The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. His comments here are taken from an OP-ED he penned for the June 30, 2021 edition of CNN.COM.
While his opinions may not seem all that shocking we include them here because Mr. Steves, in his professional life, represents the middle of the middle of the road and his comments may be seen as a measure of just where the needle of public opinion now rests on the issue of cannabis use by adults and—at a minimum—decriminalization if not legalization at the federal level.
If you care to learn more we encourage you to read his entire article. Just click on the link that follows.
www.cnn.com/2021/06/30/opinions/its-time-to-legalize-marijuana-rick-steves/index.html
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.
