Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at cannabis-themed vacations, treating anxiety and depression with CBD, the nation’s first cannabis ombudsperson and more. Enjoy.
Vacation Ideas
If you’re a mature consumer who enjoys visiting cannabis-related destinations when on vacation, you’re not alone.
Research from MMGY Travel Intelligence recently estimated that approximately 72 million Americans are part of the cannabis-motivated leisure travel audience. In 2022, Forbes estimated cannabis tourism to already be a $17 billion industry.
Increasingly, such tourists are making California’s Cannabis Trail part of their travel plans.
The publication Travel Agent Central notes that The Cannabis Trail was formed to celebrate the cultural heritage of California’s cannabis tradition by marking historic spots in the state, stretching from Santa Cruz in the south to the Emerald Triangle in the north. Similar to the Napa Wine Road, it’s designed to offer adults an opportunity to enjoy a curated adventure showcasing cannabis culture, landmark attractions and experiences.
Recently, The Cannabis Trail announced new collaborative relationships with Visit Oakland, Visit Mendocino County and Humboldt County Visitors Bureau—and with good reason.
In its article, Travel Agent Central makes the point that Oakland is home to the first cannabis equity license issued in the world, as well as several important cannabis landmarks. The city has a decades-long history of providing medical cannabis to patients.
At the same time, the contiguous counties of Mendocino, Humboldt and Trinity are collectively known as “The Emerald Triangle,” an area considered by many to be perfect for cannabis cultivation due to its hot summers, ample water and lush terrain. This is where back-to-the-land enthusiasts flocked in the 1960s and ’70s to take advantage of inexpensive land to live free lives that included growing and consuming cannabis.
Visitors to The Cannabis Trail can experience immersive cultural storytelling highlighting legacy cannabis craft, tales from the war on drugs, and human rights stories including patient access, social equity and inclusion. In addition, for the first time ever, visitors are being allowed to meet legacy craft cannabis farmers as the visitors tour the farms that are home to cannabis and other crops.
Said Peter Gamez, president and CEO of Visit Oakland, “This is an extremely important time in the cannabis travel and tourism industry as the visitor experience continues to evolve with legalization. Working in partnership with Humboldt and Mendocino counties, we have created unique, enjoyable opportunities for visitors while increasing overall value for cannabis travelers.”
To learn more we encourage you to read the article that appeared on the website Travel Agent Central on May 23, 2024.
To learn more about The Cannabis Trail, click on the following link:TheCannabisTrail.com.
Travel Tips
If you are thinking of bringing cannabis gummies on your next flight, you may want to think again. That’s because even if your gummies are legal in your state, it’s illegal to bring them on a plane.
So says Natalie B. Compton, reporting for the Washington Post. Compton points out that in the United States, air travel falls under federal jurisdiction, so airports and airplanes follow federal marijuana law. According to that law, having any marijuana products (gummies, mints, tinctures, etc.) that contain more than 0.3 percent THC on a dry weight basis is illegal.
Said John McGowan, a managing partner at Kinner & McGowan, a cannabis law firm in Washington, D.C., “Even if it’s for medical purposes, it’s still federally illegal.”
However, the good news, according to Compton, is that airport security isn’t designed to hunt down and confiscate your cannabis gummies. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) spokesperson Lisa Farbstein notes that TSA officers are trained to detect potential threats to aviation, not look for illegal drugs.
Should a TSA officer come across some cannabis during the screening process, they may confiscate it or ask the traveler to throw it away in a cannabis amnesty box. If the TSA officer discovers large amounts of marijuana, he or she may refer the matter to law enforcement officers.
Compton closes her article by pointing out that in addition to it being illegal to carry cannabis gummies on a plane, so is being really high at the airport. She cautions against overdoing it with a last-minute dose before your trip.
Said Washington aviation attorney Mark Lindquist,“It should be noted that under Section 121.575 of the Federal Aviation Regulations, the airline should not allow a person to board ‘if that person appears intoxicated.’” He added that while this usually means drunk, but it also means stoned.
To learn more, we suggest reading Natalie B. Compton‘s article in the May 30, 2024 issue of The Washington Post.com.
www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/flying-with-edibles-weed-gummies-medical-marijuana/
CBD News and Notes
Those who suffer from anxiety, depression and have trouble sleeping may find some relief by taking an oral solution that contains CBD.
That’s a key finding of a paper that appeared in the journal Asian Journal of Psychiatry. It was penned by a seven-person research team consisting of individuals from Asha Hospital and Leiutis Pharmaceuticals LLP, both in India, and New Jersey-based Biophore Pharma Inc.
According to Ben Adlin, who reported on the study for Marijuana Moment, the industry-backed research into the potential anti-anxiety effects of cannabidiol found that an oral CBD solution effectively treated mild to moderate anxiety, as well as associated depression and poor sleep quality, with no serious adverse events observed.
The authors of the paper wrote, “Our findings indicate that administering 300-600 mg of nanodispersible CBD oral solution for 12 weeks is effective in treating mild to moderate anxiety disorders and associated depression and sleep quality disturbances. These findings align with the growing body of evidence indicating that CBD may have anxiolytic effects if administered for a longer duration, ranging from 4 to 12 weeks.”
An anxiolytic is a medication or other intervention that reduces anxiety. Such medications are used for the treatment of anxiety disorders and their related psychological and physical symptoms.
Adlin noted that the research team believes their findings support the importance of investigating the potential effectiveness of nanodispersible CBD oral solution in treating other forms of psychiatry disorders and exploring its possible applications in clinical practice.
In his article, Adlin offers a very detailed and revealing description of how the research was conducted and provides comparisons to similar research projects.
To learn more, we encourage you to read Ben Adlin’s excellent article in the May 29, 2024 issue of Marijuana Moment.net.
www.marijuanamoment.net/cbd-is-effective-in-treating-anxiety-depression-and-poor-sleep-study-finds/?
Spotlight on Terpenes
We usually don’t address cannabis research that involves animal subjects because there can be a long wait to see the results applied to humans, but in this case we are making an exception.
That’s because there’s a new study that brings hopeful news for those who suffer from neuropathic pain due to chemotherapy. The study suggests terpenes—the compounds that give plants their aroma and taste—may offer an alternative form of pain relief without any side effects. This is thought to be the first study to examine the side effects of terpenes in their role as potential pain relievers.
According to TG Branfalt, writing for Ganjapreneur, the research—which appeared in the journal Pain—used a mouse model of chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain, which occurs when highly toxic chemotherapy medications cause nerve damage that results in pain.
Branfalt noted that the terpenes were tested individually and compared with morphine. Eventually the team found that each terpene was successful in reducing the sensation of pain at levels near to or above the peak effect of morphine.
In addition, when the terpenes were combined with morphine, the pain-relieving effects of all five terpene and morphine combinations were significantly increased.
Said John Streicher, PhD, a member of the Comprehensive Center for Pain & Addiction and a professor of pharmacology at the College of Medicine who led the research team, “We looked at other aspects of the terpenes, such as does this cause reward? Is this going to be addictive? Is it going to make you feel awful? What we found was yes, terpenes do relieve pain, and they also have a pretty good side effect profile.”
Added Streicher “This brings up the idea that you could have a combination therapy—an opioid with a high level of terpene, that could actually make the pain relief better while blocking the addiction potential of opioids.”
As always, TG Branfalt does an excellent job of unpacking a complicated story. We encourage you to read his reporting in the May 30, 2024 issue of Ganjapreneur.com.
www.ganjapreneur.com/study-terpenes-may-offer-pain-relief-for-chemo-induced-neuropathic-pain/?
Consumer News and Notes
The State of Connecticut has taken a unique step to make sure cannabis consumers have access to safe products. It has appointed Attorney Erin Gorman Kirk to be the state’s—and the nation’s—first Cannabis Ombudsperson.
In addition to being an accomplished lawyer, consumer advocate and entrepreneur and helping to develop cannabis and hemp policies in several states, including Connecticut, Kirk is also a medical marijuana patient herself.
According to Brian Scott Smith, reporting for the online publication Connecticut News Junkie, as the state’s ombudsperson Kirk has no statutory powers to make growers and producers change the way they conduct business, particularly when it comes to quality control and product testing.
However, she believes her professional reputation, her own use of cannabis products, and experience working with state agencies such as the state Department of Consumer Protection, which licenses and oversees the adult-use and medical-marijuana markets in Connecticut, will enable her to work with all the players in the sector to promote safety and testing standards.
Said Kirk, “I am not a lobbyist. Never have been. I’m an advocate. I do probably 750 to 1,000 hours of pro-bono a year. I’m the only lawyer in the country who did every application on a pro-bono basis for social equity candidates. That’s how much I care about people and patients.”
Scott-Smith notes that her commitment to patients and knowledge of the industry are likely part of the reason she was selected for the role of ombudsperson, which is “an official who investigates complaints (usually lodged by private citizens) against businesses, public entities, or officials.”
As Kirk points out, if you’re a medical marijuana patient you either have some kind of compromised immune system or other health issue. That means it’s vital for you to know what’s in the medical marijuana product you’re consuming.
“After all, it’s your medicine, she told Scott-Smith, “just like taking any other medication prescribed by your doctor.”
To learn more, we suggest reading Brian Scott-Smith’s article in the May 29, 2024 issue of Connecticut News Junkie.com.
ctnewsjunkie.com/2024/05/29/connecticut-hires-first-in-the-nation-cannabis-ombudsperson/
Senior Cannabis Digest is compiled and edited by Joe Kohut and John Kohut. You can reach them at joe.kohut@gmail.com and at 2347-528-8753.
