Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at a new study designed to establish safe consumption levels for CBD, legalization and mental health, cannabis infused beverages and more. Enjoy.
CBD Spotlight
Before health-conscious consumers can once again purchase banana nut muffins that contain CBD, those muffins will need the blessing of the FDA. To help move that approval process along, a coalition of leading CBD companies has responded to a request for information from Congress so the FDA can establish guidelines on just how much CBD an adult can safely consume in a day.
The coalition, known as ONE HEMP, has submitted a study to U.S. officials showing that upper intake levels of 70 milligrams of CBD per day are safe for healthy adults and that up to 160 milligrams per day are safe for healthy adults who are not trying to conceive, are pregnant, or lactating.
According to TG Branfalt, reporting for Ganjapreneur, the study was submitted following a Request for Information from House and Senate committees and was specifically designed to address concerns previously raised by the FDA that CBD is potentially harmful to liver and reproductive health.
Establishing safety guidelines such as these is essential before the FDA can approve the use of CBD as a dietary supplement and an ingredient in food products such as baked goods or dairy products.
It’s estimated that currently about 15 percent of Americans use CBD regularly at consumption levels ranging from 20 mg per day to 1,000 mg per day.
Branfalt noted in his article that Dr. Rayetta G. Henderson Ph.D., senior managing scientist at ToxStrategies LLC, which conducted the study, said the research found the suggested upper intake limits for CBD for healthy adults “closely correspond with the recommendations put forth by leading regulatory bodies,” including Health Canada, Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration, and the U.K.’s Food Standards Agency.
Said Dr. Marcel Bonn-Miller Ph.D., chief scientific officer at Charlotte’s Web and part of the research team, the study “will help to inform legislators and regulators as they determine manufacturing and labeling requirements for supplement products containing CBD.”
Bonn-MIller added, “Implementing scientifically based safety limits is crucial to protecting consumers. This research is also aligned with ONE HEMP’s recommendations for accurate product labeling and, ultimately, holding CBD companies accountable for manufacturing and selling quality and safe products.”
Branfalt pointed out that Jared Stanley, co-founder and COO of Charlotte’s Web concurred with Bonn-Miller, saying the CBD market needs “clarity and stability” and that “it is time for Congress to clarify the FDA’s mandate and definitively regulate CBD products as dietary supplements once and for all.”
The peer-reviewed study submitted by ONE HEMP was published online in the August 25 issue of Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology. The FDA has stated that it does not comment on specific studies.
ONE HEMP is an industry working group made up of CBD market leaders such as Charlotte’s Web and Canopy Growth, among others. Its founding mission is to demand regulatory standards by Congress and the FDA that treat CBD products as dietary supplements and serve as a leading scientific resource to policymakers to ensure consumer safety and consistency.
To learn more, we suggest reading the article by TG Branfalt that appeared in the September 20, 2023 issue of Ganjapreneur.com.
www.ganjapreneur.com/cbd-industry-group-submits-study-on-cbd-intake-limits-to-congress-fda/?
Legalization and Mental Health Treatment
Let’s start with one of our favorite cautions—correlation is not causation. That being said, Alberto Ortega, a researcher from Indiana University, Bloomington recently conducted a study that found that shortly after a state adopts cannabis legalization, it experiences a significant drop in mental health treatment admissions.
Perhaps the most significant aspect of this finding is what legalization does not lead to—more on that later.
Ortega’s work is the focus of an article by Emily Earlenbaugh, writing for the online publication Leafly. Earlenbaugh acknowledges that research on how cannabis impacts mental health is mixed, with some studies finding cannabis helpful for some mental health conditions, while other studies suggest cannabis has the potential to worsen certain conditions.
However, she believes Ortega’s work is clear—states that legalize recreational cannabis report fewer admissions at institutions for mental health treatment.
Earlenbaugh reported that Ortega analyzed data on mental health admissions from state mental health facilities’ Uniform Reporting System. This included data on patients ages 13 to 65, over 12 years from 2007 to 2019. During this time, 10 states passed recreational cannabis laws.
By comparing each state’s data, in the years before and after voters adopted the new laws, she believes Ortega uncovered a clear pattern. Shortly after a state adopts cannabis legalization, it experiences a significant drop in mental health treatment admissions.
More specifically, Ortega found that in the first few years after a state adopts a recreational cannabis law, it experiences a 37 percent drop in mental health admissions, on average. The results stayed fairly consistent across all ages under 65, with even the youngest group (13-20), seeing reductions in admissions. The correlation also proved relatively consistent between men and women, who experienced a 42 percent and 37 percent reduction in admissions, respectively.
However, Earlenbaugh makes the point that Ortega is clear that the results of his research “should not be conflated with improved mental health.” She acknowledges that while cannabis may directly help with mental health, it’s also possible that self-medication with cannabis deters a person from seeking help, without actually improving their mental health. In addition, Ortega is also aware that unknown factors could also lead to these results.
In her article, Earlenbaugh also makes the point that one limitation of Ortega’s study is that it doesn’t actually tell us who used cannabis, and how their mental health fared. It only looks at large-scale trends at the population level, which cannot replace medical research looking at mental health outcomes from cannabis use.
We would like to believe that fewer individuals seeking treatment from over-taxed institutions may mean that the institutions are able to provide better quality care for those patients who do receive treatment, but that is speculation at best.
However, if the best that can be demonstrated by Ortega’s study is that legalization of adult-use cannabis does not lead to an apocalyptic surge of individuals seeking treatment for mental health problems, we’ll take it.
To learn more, we suggest reading Emily Earlenbaugh’s insightful article in the September 8, 2023 of Leafly.
www.leafly.com/news/health/legalization-mental-health-study-2023-analysis?
To read the study, which appeared in the June 30, 2023 issue of the journal Health Economics, simply click on the link that follows.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hec.4726
Treating Cancer Symptoms with Cannabis Products
There may be hopeful news for cancer patients who experience pain, nausea, and anxiety and other physically taxing symptoms. A new study conducted by researchers from Ohio State University and UCLA found that cannabis-based treatment may be helpful in reducing the severity of these symptoms.
It is believed that this study is the first to track the use of CBD as well as marijuana by cancer patients.
As part of the study, adult cancer patients attending 8 clinics at a large, National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center between 2021 and 2022 completed a detailed, cannabis-focused questionnaire. Eligible participants were diagnosed with invasive cancer and treated in the previous 12 months.
Out of a group of 934 participating patients, approximately 15 percent of participants (142) reported current cannabis use, which was defined as “use within the past 12 months.” Among that group, 75 percent of participants reported that they used cannabis in the past week.
In addition, among current cannabis users, 39 percent of the group (65 participants) reported that they had used CBD products.
Current users reported using cannabis a median of 4.5 days/week, 2.0 times per use/day, and for 3 years (0.8-30.0). Use patterns varied by route of administration.
Overall, the participants reported what they described as moderate to high relief of symptoms with cannabis use.
The researchers contend that this study is the most detailed to date in terms of cannabis measurement and provides information about the current state of cannabis use by active cancer patients. The research team believes that future studies should include complete assessments of cannabis product use, multiple recruitment sites, and diverse patient populations.
We urge those who want to learn more to read the article in the September 11, 2023 issue of the journal Cancer Research Communications. Simply click on the link that follows.
aacrjournals.org/cancerrescommun/article/doi/10.1158/2767-9764.CRC-23-0233/728993
The Shape of Things to Come
Maybe they’re reading a special set of tea leaves or they just think the reward is worth the risk. Or, it could be just another example of what many are starting to refer to as the “normalization of cannabis.” Whatever the reason, a record number of banks and credit unions are now working with the cannabis industry.
And they are doing this without the protections contained in the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act which is scheduled to come up for a vote in the Senate in late September.
So says Kyle Jaeger, writing for Marijuana Moment. According to Jaeger, the latest quarterly report of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) shows a notable uptick over time in the number of financial institutions that are willing to service state-legal marijuana businesses despite federal prohibition. The agency has been tracking cannabis banking trends for the better part of the past decade.
Jaeger notes that a total of 812 banks and credit unions reported actively working with marijuana companies in the second quarter of the 2023 fiscal year. That’s up from 807 in the first quarter and 773 in the prior quarter.
FinCEN compiles this data based on financial institutions filing requisite “Suspicious Activity Reports,” or SARs, for marijuana-related business (MRB) clients. FinCEN stopped including hemp-only businesses in its quarterly reports since the crop was federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill.
In his article, Jaeger contends there are several possible factors that could help explain the increase in banks working with cannabis businesses, including the fact that more states, such as Connecticut and New York, have launched adult-use marijuana programs since FinCEN’s last update.
Another possibility, he notes, is that financial institutions might be increasingly comfortable taking on cannabis clients given that bipartisan congressional lawmakers are working to enact broader protections for marijuana banking under the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act.
The SAFE Banking Act would give federally regulated banks and credit unions legal cover to take cannabis dispensaries and growers as customers.
As a wise man once said, if you want to know what’s going on, follow the money.
If you want to learn more, we urge you to read the article by Kyle Jaeger in the September 18, 2023 issue of Marijuana Moment.net.
New Product Showcase
Little by little, the phrase “let’s have a cold one” is taking on a new meaning as a growing number of cannabis companies have started to produce cannabis-infused beverages.
The latest example comes from Curaleaf, a leading international provider of consumer cannabis products. The company recently announced the launch of a new brand of THC drinkables in fast-acting, easy-to-use formats.
The brand is called Zero Proof. Its inaugural product offering, called Squeeze, consists of a form of cannabis oil designed to dissolve evenly into any beverage. The product comes in an easy-to-pour dispenser designed to deliver 2.5mg of THC per dose for discreet enjoyment on the go. Initially, the product will be available in four flavors: Dash of Cherry, Dash of Orange, Dash of Lime and Dash of Sweet.
Made by using nanotechnology that turns cannabis oil into tiny water-soluble molecules, Squeeze is said to provide “a truer-to-flower experience.” These tiny molecules in the THC compounds in Squeeze dissolve evenly into any beverage and are more rapidly and efficiently absorbed into the bloodstream, with effects felt in as little as 15-30 minutes, which is significantly faster than traditional edibles.
Said Matt Darin, CEO of Curaleaf, “Zero Proof exemplifies our commitment to providing high-quality, consistent consumer products in familiar and approachable formats that model traditional consumer packaged goods. Curaleaf has been on the forefront of creating sophisticated cannabis experiences which we believe will ultimately redefine the way people socialize. We’re proud to bring Zero Proof Squeeze to our patients and customers in Illinois first before expanding to additional markets.”
Curaleaf says its brands, such as Zero Proof Squeeze, are seeking to redefine how people socialize by delivering a fast-acting, sessionable alternative to alcohol. This comes at a time when, according to a new Gallup poll, the rate of alcohol consumption in the U.S. continues to decline with 62 percent of adults under age 35 reporting they drink alcohol, down 10 percent from two decades ago.
Zero Proof Squeeze is now available at all Curaleaf dispensaries in Illinois as well as wholesale dispensaries across the state.
For more information on product availability, please visit: www.drinkzeroproof.com.
To learn more, you can also visit the press release about the product that appeared in the September 5, 2023 issue of Cision, a publication of PR Newswire.
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.
