Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at a quote from Richard Nixon, a new study on seniors and cannabis, using CBD to treat menstrual pain and more. Enjoy.
Cannabis Quote of the Week
“Let me say, I know nothing about marijuana. I know that it’s not particularly dangerous, in other words, and most of the kids are for legalizing it. But on the other hand, it’s the wrong signal at this time.” — President Richard Nixon
President Nixon’s comment is taken from a tape recording of a March 1973 White House meeting that took place about two years after Nixon declared in a press conference that drug abuse in the U.S. was “public enemy number one,” kicking off what’s become known as “the war on drugs.”
As noted by Graham Abbott, reporting on the story for Ganjapreneur, the quote buttresses the admission of Nixon aide John Ehrlichman, in a 1994 interview, that the administration’s motives behind the drug war were political and were not driven by concerns about public health.
For instance, as noted by Tom Angell in an article for Marijuana Moment, Nixon also stated that, “The penalties should be commensurate with the crime.” Nixon was arguing that a 30-year sentence in a cannabis case he recently heard about was “ridiculous.” He went on to say,“I have no problem that there should be an evaluation of penalties on it, and there should not be penalties that, you know, like in Texas that people get 10 years for marijuana. That’s wrong,”
Unfortunately, the public is still paying the price for Nixon’s failed—and very political— “war on drugs.” As can be seen from the current conflict over efforts to reschedule cannabis–Nixon’s cynicism when it came to cannabis and politics didn’t die with him.
To learn more, we suggest reading Graham Abbott’s article in the September 16, 2024 issue of Ganjapreneur.com.
To read Tom Angell’s reporting on the story for Marijuana Moment.net, simply click on the following link.
Cannabis and Seniors
If you are 50 years old or older and have used cannabis containing THC in the last year you are not alone. Far from it.
According to TG Branfalt, reporting for Ganjapreneur, the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging released last week found that 21 percent of respondents aged 50 and older used THC-rich cannabis products at least once in the past year.
In his article, Branfalt notes that relaxing was the number one reason respondents gave for consuming cannabis (81 percent). That was followed by help with sleep (68 percent), to feel good (64 percent), pain relief (63 percent), and for their mental health or to improve their mood (53 percent).
The survey also revealed that a majority of the respondents (56 percent) said they had discussed their cannabis use with a healthcare provider. Said poll director Jeffrey Kullgren, M.D., M.P.H., M.S., “Even if your doctor, nurse practitioner or pharmacist doesn’t ask if you’re using cannabis products, it’s important to offer this information, no matter whether you’re using it to address a physical or mental health concern, or simply for pleasure.”
This is significant, given, as Kullgren noted, that many prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs, as well as alcohol, can interact with cannabis and cause unexpected or unwanted effects. One can only assume that the more your doctor knows, the better—particularly when it involves cannabis.
Branfalt also makes the point that nearly 80 percent of respondents told researchers they believed cannabis today was stronger than it was 20 to 30 years ago.
Ben Adlin, reporting on the same survey for Marijuana Moment, makes the point that the survey revealed that marijuana use by older people in the U.S. has nearly doubled in the last three years—from 12 percent in 2021 to 21 percent who say they have used cannabis in the past year.
To learn more, we suggest reading the article by TG Branfalt in the September 16, 2024 issue of Ganjaprenur.com.
https://www.ganjapreneur.com/poll-21-of-adults-aged-50-used-thc-rich-cannabis-at-least-once-in-past-year/?
To read Ben Adlin’s reporting on the survey for Marijuana Moment.net, simply click on the following link.
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/marijuana-use-by-older-americans-has-nearly-doubled-in-the-last-three-years-aarp-backed-study-shows/
CBD Spotlight
There’s hopeful news for women who suffer from menstrual-related pain and discomfort. A new study indicates that the administration of a broad-spectrum, high-CBD vaginal suppository can help to bring relief.
The treatment is said to have “significantly reduced frequency and severity of menstrual-related symptoms” experienced by study participants as well as the negative impacts the symptoms can have on daily life.
According to an article that appeared in the journal NPJ Women’s Health, a research team comprised of individuals from McClean Hospital Imaging Center and Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts recruited 307 people assigned female at birth, 77 of whom were given the vaginal suppository Foria, which contains 100 milligrams of cannabidiol.
Said the authors in their journal article, “Most CBD participants reported at least moderate improvement of symptoms, with 72.9 percent reporting at least moderate improvement after one month and 81.1 percent reporting at least moderate improvement after two months.”
They also stated, “Increased suppository use was significantly associated with greater reduction of symptoms suggesting a potential dose-dependent response.”
Acknowledging in their article that “historically, cannabis has been used to alleviate gynecologic conditions and symptoms, including menstrual-related pain and discomfort (e.g., dysmenorrhea),” the research team stated that future studies (including replication in randomized clinical trials) assessing pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics, mechanism(s) of action, efficacy for other gynecological indications, and potential adverse events (e.g., drug-drug interactions) are indicated.
To read an abstract of the study, which appeared in the August 30, 2024 issue of the journal NPJ Women’s Health, simply click on the following link.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/383562089_A_survey-based_quasi-experimental_study_assessing_a_high-cannabidiol_suppository_for_menstrual-related_pain_and_discomfort
Medical Cannabis and Health Care Costs
A new study suggests that having access to legal medical cannabis in all 50 U.S. states could save Americans up to $29 billion per year in reduced healthcare expenditures.
That’s the word from Graham Abbott, reporting for Ganjapreneur. He writes that the study, which was conducted by the medical cannabis company Leafwell and published in the journal Applied Health Economics and Health Policy, found that employers in states with medical cannabis programs experienced 3.4 percent lower premium costs for individual coverage plans compared to employers in states without legal access to medical cannabis.
Additionally, the study estimated that employers in states with legal medical cannabis access saved on average $238 per individual insurance premium, per year, and $348 per employee-plus-one insurance packages, per year.
Wrote the researchers at Leafwell, “A company with 50 employees in a state with medical cannabis laws could expect to spend $14,650 less on health insurance premiums per year compared to a similar-sized company in a state without a medical cannabis law.”
You can learn more by reading Graham Abbott’s article in the September 18, 2024 issue of Ganjapreneur.com.
Investor News and Notes
A new survey indicates some investors may be losing confidence in the cannabis sector. So says John Schroyer in an article for Green Market Report. According to Schroyer, a survey from ATB Capital Markets found what analysts described as a “softening sentiment” among investors in both the United States and Canada with regard to the legal marijuana trade.
In the U.S., this “softening” was attributed to “lengthy delays in U.S. federal cannabis reform”. In Canada it was thought to be a consequence of “failed excise tax reform.”
Key takeaways from the survey—which solicited responses from 22 institutional investors between Aug. 29 and Sept. 5—included the following:
• Just 31.8 percent of investors are currently bullish on multistate operator (MSO) cannabis companies in the U.S. That’s down from 83.3 percent in the spring.
• The survey also revealed that 39 percent of investors in Canada are said to be “bearish” following a failed attempt at national marijuana tax changes. That’s up from 29 percent in the spring.
• A majority of respondents indicated that only a major change – such as uplistings to major stock exchanges—over the traditional cannabis home of the pink sheets and Canadian exchanges – would “increase willingness to allocate more capital” to the sector. Federal U.S. marijuana rescheduling is the other prime catalyst investors are waiting for. An uplisting happens when a stock upgrades from an alternative stock exchange to a major stock exchange. For example, a stock may upgrade from the over-the-counter (OTC) markets or a small international exchange to the Nasdaq or New York Stock Exchange.
• The survey found that if uplistings were suddenly allowed, 59 percent of investors would put more capital into cannabis MSOs, and if cannabis rescheduling was completed by the federal government, that would attract almost 32 percent of investors to the sector.
• 68 percent of investors said they were confident that U.S. cannabis rescheduling will be completed within the first half of next year. The biggest concern about rescheduling is that a judge may put an indefinite hold on the rescheduling proposal.
John Schroyer’s reporting is clear and concise. You can learn much more by reading his article in the September 16, 2024 issue of Green Market Report.com.
https://www.greenmarketreport.com/report-investors-losing-confidence-in-cannabis-for-variety-of-reasons/
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.
