Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at tips for international travelers, the impact of the cannabis sector on the economy, treating chronic pelvic pain with CBD and much more. Enjoy.
Tips on Trips: Know Before You Go
For many, summer is a time for traveling to international destinations. To help travelers navigate a complex and changing legal landscape, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has used the latest version of its Yellow Book—a resource for healthcare professionals—to provide international travelers with expert guidance for safe and healthy international travel concerning both diseases and restricted medications, including cannabis-based products.
Specifically, the Yellow Book cautions travelers that, “Although U.S. and international policies have become more lenient concerning the use of cannabidiol (CBD), a compound found in the cannabis plant, international travelers should be aware of local laws when packing CBD-containing products, including but not limited to gummies, lotions, oil, and vape cartridges.”
It goes on to acknowledge that while CBD is not psychoactive and is often classified as an herbal supplement, it is still a controlled substance in some countries.
In addition, even if CBD is legal in a country, the CDC cautions, a CBD-containing product may be illegal if it also contains tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), another compound found in the cannabis plant and the main psychoactive component of marijuana. For some countries, the percentage of THC in a CBD-containing product, it states, determines whether it is legal.
The Yellow Book also warns international travelers returning to the United States that the TSA’s online guidance states: “Marijuana and certain cannabis infused products, including some CBD oil, remain illegal under federal law except for products that contain no more than 0.3% THC oil on a dry weight basis or that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration.”
Because domestic and international laws are evolving, travelers need to remain up to date on regulations or avoid packing CBD-containing products altogether.
Travelers planning a cruise need to review cruise ship policies prior to departure. For example, marijuana and cannabis products with less than 0.3 percent delta-9-THC (e.g., cannabidiol or CBD) may not be allowed. Similarly, reviewing the legal status of marijuana and cannabis products with less than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC in a destination country is important prior to departure.
We urge anyone planning an international trip to read the latest version of the CDC’s Yellow Book for guidance on how best to travel with products and medications that may be restricted at your destination country or when you return home. Simply click on the link that follows.
Notable Numbers
This week’s notable number is $123.6 billion. That’s how much the cannabis sector is likely to add to the U.S. economy this year.
So says Andrew Long, reporting for MJBizDaily. According to Long, that figure, which is about 9 percent higher than last year, is taken from the latest edition of the MJBizFactbook.
According to Long, the Factbook projects that direct medical and recreational marijuana sales are estimated to reach $35.3 billion in 2025, with an additional $88.3 billion added to the broader economy.
Long makes the point that there are a wide variety of businesses in the cannabis sector, including agricultural, manufacturing and retail operations, as well as companies that don’t handle the plant directly but support the efforts of those that do – such as lighting suppliers and accounting firms.
He also notes that the cannabis industry significantly influences the broader economy, both locally and nationally. The Factbook projects that for every dollar spent at adult-use shops and medical marijuana dispensaries, an additional $2.50 circulates through the economy, much of it benefiting local communities.
Plus, the industry creates jobs for individuals who spend their wages on essentials such as housing, transportation, entertainment and more.
In addition, the real estate sector can benefit when new cannabis retail, manufacturing and agricultural businesses move into communities or as existing companies expand – boosting overall demand for commercial properties.
Moreover, Long writes, each year, marijuana companies, patients and consumers contribute hundreds of millions of dollars in state and local taxes that help fund essential government services, including education and infrastructure.
It should be noted that all of these contributions to the economy are being made by an industry that still faces a patchwork of differing state laws and regulatory uncertainty at the federal level.
This cannabis thing may be for real after all.
To learn more, we urge you to read Andrew Long’s article in the April 28, 2025 issue of MJBizDaily.com.
https://mjbizdaily.com/marijuana-industry-will-add-123-billion-to-us-economy-in-2025/?
CBD and Chronic Pain
There may be hopeful news for women who struggle with chronic pelvic pain associated with fibromyalgia. A new study indicates women who treat their condition with CBD experience an improvement with pain management as well as improved sleep, mood, fatigue and overall health.
The study—conducted by a team of researchers affiliated with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Colorado and the National Fibromyalgia Association—was described as a cross-sectional study that collected data on 1,382 participants from an online survey distributed through the National Fibromyalgia Association between April and May of 2020. A secondary analysis was limited to participants with concurrent chronic pelvic pain diagnoses.
Survey participants were also asked about their history of CBD use and sub-grouped by use patterns: never used CBD (501 participants) past use but not currently using (404 participants) and a current use group (477 participants).
Of the 477 respondents in the current use group, 80.9 percent (n = 386) reported pain improvement. The most common reasons given for current cannabidiol use were pain, insomnia, and anxiety.
The research team found that participants who reported pain improvement were also more likely to report improvement in sleep, anxiety, depression, fatigue, overall health, and the substitution of cannabidiol for at least one other medication than those who reported no pain improvement.
About half of participants reported side effects, most of which were minor with the most common being drowsiness (n = 138, 29 percent).
Based on their findings, the research team concluded that, in general, women with chronic pelvic pain associated with fibromyalgia who used CBD experienced improved pain management which correlated with improvement in other symptoms and aspects of life, such as sleep, mood, fatigue and overall health. In addition, a large proportion of those using CBD reported substituting it for higher risk medications.
The study was published online in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada, on April 10, 2025. To read an abstract of the study, click on the following link.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1701216325000799
Cannabis News and Notes
The cost of getting high from legal, regulated cannabis is dropping in New York City and the rest of the state. That’s the word from Carl Campanile, reporting for the New York Post.
According to Campanile, the legal cannabis industry is booming across the state and that is spurring competition as more outlets open—and competition is bringing lower prices.
For example, he notes, according to an analysis by the state Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), the prices for concentrates and vapes are each down 15 percent over the last year, while edibles and flowered cannabis decreased by 14 percent and 5 percent, respectively.
Translated to dollars and cents, the average price of 3.5 grams of flowered cannabis has dropped from $41.13 to $38.96.One gram of concentrate has moved from $58.92 to $50.30 and one gram of a vape product decreased from $64.89 to $55.35, according to the analysis.
Said John Kagia, OCM’s executive director of market policy, innovation and analytics, in a comment to the Post, “As the market has grown to over 500 brands and nearly 370 stores open, we have begun to see average retail prices fall in several leading categories, including Flower, Edibles, Concentrates and Vaporizers.”
Kagia contends the decline in prices is likely due to an increase in the number of brands with value pricing and lowering costs as they compete for shelf space and market share.
He added that, “Retailers are adjusting their prices as part of their competitive strategy as more locations have opened.”
Said Osbert Orduna, CEO of The Cannabis Place in Middle Village, “Everyone is competing for a smaller piece of the piece. It’s good for consumers to make the price more competitive with the illegal market. It creates an alternative for consumers.”
In his article, Campanie reported that according to the OCM report, retail sales in the state are on pace to reach $1.5 billion alone for calendar year 2025.
At some point, it becomes less about the novelty of legal cannabis and more about the laws of retail, regardless of the product.
Carl Campanile’s reporting is concise and insightful You can learn much more by reading his article in the April 27, 2025 issue of the NewYorkPost.com.
Cannabis, Insurance and the Law
While there appears to be a growing appreciation of the potential benefits of medical cannabis, compelling an insurance company to pay for those benefits in federal court can be another matter.
Case in point: a federal court in New Mexico has ruled that health plans from Blue Cross & Blue Shield of New Mexico aren’t required to pay for cannabis to treat behavioral health conditions.
According to Ben Adlin, reporting for Marijuana Moment, plaintiffs in the case—New Mexico Top Organics v. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico—asked the court to rule that medical marijuana “should be fully covered by health insurance, both for individuals with Medicaid insurance and for individuals who have private insurance.”
They argued that the aggregated effect of the state’s medical marijuana law and a state tax law prohibiting insurers from imposing cost-sharing on behavioral health services created an obligation to cover patients’ medication.
Judge Martha Vazquéz of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico did not agree. She held in her decision that state law does not require insurance to cover medical marijuana. And if it did, she added, “such a requirement would be preempted by federal law.”
Judge Vazquéz makes it clear in her ruling that her decision should not be seen as an opinion on the medicinal benefits of cannabis. Wrote Vazquez, “Even accepting as true for the sake of argument that cannabis does have medical value, state law still does not compel Defendants to provide coverage for it.”
She makes it clear in her ruling that state law includes “some behavioral health treatments that are explicitly covered and some that are explicitly not covered.” She then added, “The fact that medical cannabis is not explicitly covered in the state’s Benchmark Plan signifies that state law does not mandate coverage of it.”
In addition, in her opinion Vazquez acknowledged that while some state courts in New Mexico have ruled that medical marijuana should be covered under workers’ compensation law, federal judges in the state have not agreed with that reasoning.
“Like other federal courts,” she wrote, “this Court is not bound by the decisions of the New Mexico Court of Appeals.”
In her closing comment, Judge Vazquez said, “This Court finds that New Mexico state law does not compel insurance coverage of medical cannabis, and that, even if it did, such a law or laws would be preempted by federal law, under which cannabis, as a Schedule I drug, is deemed illegal and not medically useful. For these reasons alone, the Court must dismiss the First Amended Complaint and need not consider the remainder of Defendants’ arguments in favor of dismissal.”
Moving forward, rulings such as this can have a real impact on the health and pocketbook of mature consumers who turn to cannabis for relief from a wide variety of medical symptoms.
As always, Ben Adlin does an excellent job of telling a story with a lot of moving parts. To learn more, we urge you to read his article in the April 25, 2025 issue of Marijuana Moment.net.
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.
