Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at cannabis and exercise, what consumers look for when shopping for high-quality cannabis, a cannabis company that takes its cues from Costco and more. Enjoy.
Cannabis and Exercise
There are those who would argue that overindulging in food and drink during the holidays, followed by post-holiday resolutions to work out and lose weight, are now accepted as part of the normal cycle of modern life.
The good news is that there may be an unexpected resource that can help you keep to your exercise routine and get the results you are looking for—cannabis.
That’s the word from Jordan Smith, reporting for The Fresh Toast. Surprising as it may sound, Smith writes that some workout warriors are finding that the anti-inflammatory properties associated with cannabis can enhance muscle relaxation and support longer, more productive trips to the gym.
Smith also cites a 2019 study that appeared in the journal Frontiers in Public Health. In that study over half of respondents surveyed said that making cannabis part of their exercise regimen helped motivate them to work out. In that same study, 70 percent of respondents reported that cannabis makes their workouts more enjoyable.
Another study mentioned by Smith contends that making CBD products part of your post-workout routine may help to reduce inflammation and aid in your body’s recovery after you exercise, eliminating one more excuse to avoid returning to the gym.
Now none of this should be seen as an excuse to ask for more gravy—on everything—or another piece of pie. It does suggest, however, that for some, cannabis may be a resource that can actually help to keep them on the straight and narrow when it comes to keeping their resolution to hit the gym on a regular basis.
Jordan Smith’s entertaining and informative article appears in the November 15, 2021 issue of The Fresh Toast.
thefreshtoast.com/cannabis/how-working-out-with-weed-can-help-ward-off-unwanted-holiday-weight/
Cannabis Quote of the Week
“We understand that people have identified a number of possible uses of marijuana and marijuana-derived products. For example, AIDS wasting, epilepsy, neuropathic pain, treatment of spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis, cancer, and chemotherapy-induced nausea… And I had the chance to prescribe some of this in my cardiology practice in people with extreme heart failure who get a wasting cachectic syndrome.”—Dr. Robert Califf.
A cardiologist and clinical trial specialist, Dr. Califf has been nominated by President Biden to be the new commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). His comment here is taken from remarks he made at a cannabis-focused conference back in 2016.
According to Nina Zdinjak, who profiled Califf in an article for Benzinga, if approved as commissioner, it appears likely Califf will support more research focused on the medicinal uses of cannabis that will enable companies to bring safe, effective and quality products to market. Such research may bolster the effort to get the DEA to reschedule cannabis and cannabis-derived drugs.
While it may not be accurate to describe Califf as a cannabis advocate—at least not yet—it is fair to say that he has at least witnessed its potential benefits in his own medical practice and appears amenable to gradually including cannabis products as part of the medical mainstream.
To learn more, we suggest you read Nina Zdinjak‘s article in the November 15, 2021 issue of Benzinga.
Stats of the Week
This week’s first magic number is 34 percent. According to a recent deep dive into cannabis consumer behavior in North America by Deloitte, 34 percent of those queried in Canada said that the price of a product was the factor that most influenced their decision when shopping for cannabis. In the U.S., that number dropped to 25 percent of consumers who said price was, for them, the most important factor.
The same survey revealed that for some, the taste of a product was key. In Canada 32 percent of consumers surveyed said a product’s taste or flavor was the factor that most determined the products they purchased, while in the U.S. 37 percent of consumers said a product’s taste/flavor was the most important factor.
When asked how they determined the quality of cannabis products, 57 percent said it was the product’s THC or CBD content, 35 percent it was aroma, 29 percent said it was taste or flavor, 34 percent said it was the duration of the high while 48 percent reported that it was the quality of the high.
Matthew O’Brien, editor of the newsletter Four PM—now known as The Green Paper—thinks the survey revealed that, as one might suspect, there are consumers who are willing to pay a premium for products they perceive to be of higher quality. He also believes that Canadian producers would be wise to focus on increasing the perceived quality of products instead of reducing prices as a way of spurring sales.
We are fans of Mr. O’Brien’s work and wish him well with The Green Paper. To learn more about the survey you can go to the November 5, 2021 issue of Four PM.
www.fourpm.co/p/quality-cannabis?
You can also go directly to the survey itself by clicking on the link that follows.
Marketing Trends
There was once an advertising campaign that used the phrase “membership has its privileges” as its tagline. Now, one major cannabis retailer in Canada is embracing that philosophy and applying it to its retail operation.
Calgary, Alberta-based High Tide has announced it is transitioning to a “discount club” model. In this approach it would provide products to members at a discounted price.
In an interview with Matt Lamers that was published in MJ Biz Daily, the company’s CEO Raj Grover said, “We’re building a club membership loyalty (model), and we hope to turn this into a North America-wide community and then a global community, eventually.”
The company claims its Cabana Club already has 270,000 members in Canada.
Acknowledging that this new approach was “sort of inspired by Costco,” Grover told Lamers that the company is providing club members with what he claims are the most discounted prices you can get in Canada.
The company produces 75 percent of the 5,000 accessories it carries in its catalogue. Using the membership model, it is now providing these accessories, along with what Grover describes as a “curated selection of Premium cannabis products,” at a significant discount to its member customers.
In the interview, Grover emphasized that the discounts aren’t applied to just overstocked or “value items.” Membership enables customers to select products from the company’s full extended catalogue at discounted prices.
To learn more about the loyalty model and Grover’s opinions on the cannabis industry, we urge you to read Matt Lamers’s interview with Raj Grover. It appeared in the November 11, 2021 issue of MJBizDaily.com.
mjbizdaily.com/how-cannabis-retailer-high-tide-plans-to-leverage-discount-club-model/?
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.
