Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at consumer opinions about the threat to health posed by cannabis use and alcohol, a new type of CBD product, consumer differences between men and women when shopping for cannabis and more. Enjoy.
Cannabis Corner
A poll provides a snapshot of the opinions of those polled at a moment in time—and the information gleaned from a poll can easily change over time for a variety of reasons. That being said, a majority of Americans now believe regular alcohol consumption is more harmful than regular marijuana use.
However, before you start looking for consistency, in that same poll, more adults say they prefer drinking alcohol to consuming cannabis despite the health risks.
That’s the word from Kyle Jaeger, reporting for Marijuana Moment. According to Jaeger, the poll, conducted by a British international Internet-based market research and data analytics firm called YouGov, asked a series of questions about the two substances, one of which is federally legal while the other remains prohibited.
Jaeger noted that when asked which substance they feel is “more harmful to a person’s health,” 58 percent of those responding said alcohol is more dangerous than cannabis, compared to 19 percent who said the opposite is true. Another 10 percent said neither is more harmful than the other, and 13 percent said they weren’t sure.
Looking inside the numbers, Jaeger found that when broken down by party, 64 percent of Democrats, 59 percent of independents and 52 percent of Republicans described alcohol as more harmful than marijuana.
Jaeger also reported that the poll found that 27 percent of adults “personally enjoy” drinking alcohol more than {consuming} marijuana, while 13 percent said they prefer cannabis. Five percent said they enjoy both substances equally and 48 percent said they don’t personally enjoy either.
It should be remembered that while 48 percent of respondents said they don’t enjoy either, that doesn’t mean they don’t or won’t use it in the future, given that things do change.
According to Jaeger, the YouGov poll consisted of interviews with 19,918 American adults on March 10.
To learn more about this poll and several others, we encourage you to read Kyle Jaeger’s excellent reporting in the March 11, 2025 issue of Marijuana Moment.net.
CBD Spotlight
Whether it’s to reduce inflammation, relieve pain or to keep stress and depression at bay, there are a number of reasons why consumers use CBD, and the list of potential benefits and how to consume the cannabinoid continues to grow.
According to WebMD, CBD (cannabidiol), a non-psychoactive compound found in cannabis, is used for its perceived health benefits, including pain relief, reducing anxiety, and anti-inflammatory effects.
Now, a California-based company has come up with an innovative way to take the drug, but it may not be for the faint of heart.
According to Lester Black, cannabis editor at the publication SFGate, a company called Pico IV is selling a purified version of CBD that is designed to be injected into the bloodstream through an intravenous infusion. The Sacramento company has testimonials on its website that say the CBD IV therapy can help treat chronic pain, Crohn’s disease and arthritis.
At this point, the product is not available for regular retail sale; only “physicians, providers, and IV therapy clinics” can purchase vials of the injectable CBD, according to the company’s website.
Said Black in a recent article, the FDA has warned Pico IV in a letter that it is breaking the law by marketing CBD as a “dietary supplement,” even though it is explicitly designed to not be ingested and instead, be injected.
Black also wrote that the agency said the product is “especially concerning” because injectable drugs “can pose risks of serious harm to users.” The FDA said injecting anything directly into a person’s bloodstream can “lead to serious and life-threatening conditions.”
In his article, Black makes the point that Pico IV’s website states it offers the world’s first injectable CBD product and that the product is produced from American-grown hemp plants, and is “completely sterile and safe for intravenous use.”
Said Pico IV CEO Joe Young, “We are confident in the safety profile of our product and are working diligently to provide the FDA with the necessary information to resolve their concerns.” Added Young in a statement to the publication, “Public safety is our top priority” and that the company’s product undergoes a process “designed to ensure sterility and safety.”
Lester Black’s reporting on the topic is first rate. To learn more, we urge you to read his article in the March 13, 2025 issue of SFGate.com.
https://www.sfgate.com/cannabis/article/california-injectable-cbd-gets-fda-warning-20219801.php
Gender and Consumer Behavior
Gender may not be destiny when it comes to professional or social roles, but it does appear to play a part in shaping a person’s preferences and habits as a cannabis consumer.
That’s a key takeaway from a new study conducted by the analysts at the cannabis analytics firm New Frontier Data. According to that study, there is a growing amount of evidence that 96 percent of women who use cannabis use it to treat a “women’s health issue,” such as PMS, endometriosis or the symptoms associated with menopause. During the investigation, 40 percent of consumers told researchers that cannabis is a very effective way to address those issues.
This most recent study also took a deeper dive into the part played by gender differences when it comes to the cannabis shopping experience and the role gender may play when it comes to issues such as spending habits and dispensary loyalty.
Key findings included the following:
• In general, men acquire cannabis more frequently than women. Across all markets, thirty two percent of men said that they acquire cannabis at least a few times a week, compared to 25 percent of women.
• The study found women spend less on cannabis. Looking at consumer behavior across state markets, 6 percent of women say they never pay for cannabis, compared to 3 percent of men. Thirty five percent of men and 43 percent of women typically spend less than $50 when they purchase cannabis. The study also revealed that although only 1 percent of each gender typically spends $400+, 29 percent of men say they typically spend over $100, compared to 21 percent of women.
The New Frontier analysts contend that the fact that women report acquiring cannabis less frequently than men and paying less when they do, suggests that women are more intentional about their decision to buy cannabis and are likely buying in smaller quantities.
• Women are more likely to report that they stick with the same dispensary because they are familiar with it (62 percent vs. 55 percent), and men are more likely to say that they shop around to find a better price or unique products and strains (35 percent vs. 30 percent).
The New Frontier analysts who prepared the study suggest the lingering impact of stigma during cannabis prohibition may contribute to the experience of comfort when it comes to women choosing dispensaries that are familiar to them. At the same time, increased acquisition frequency and typical spending patterns may influence a man’s decision to shop around and look for something unique.
As always, the analysts at New Frontier have done an excellent job of unpacking a complicated issue. To learn more, we urge you to read the study, “Gender differences and cannabis purchasing behavior.” It appeared in the March 18, 2025 issue of Cannabis Insights, a publication of New Frontier Data.
https://newfrontierdata.com/cannabis-insights/gender-differences-and-cannabis-purchasing-behavior/?l
Cannabis News and Notes
According to research conducted at the University of Arizona Health Sciences, terpenes from the Cannabis sativa plant may offer a promising way to treat fibromyalgia and post-surgical pain without the chronic psychoactive attributes associated with THC, another compound found in cannabis. The findings were published in the journal Pharmacological Reports.
Terpenes are aromatic compounds that give cannabis and other plants their distinctive smells and flavors. These compounds contain no THC, but may help with pain management. The researchers acknowledged that this study builds on earlier research—led by Dr. John Streicher, a member of the Comprehensive Center for Pain & Addiction—which demonstrated the pain-relieving effects of terpenes in models of inflammation and chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain.
According to an article by the research team that appeared in the publication SciTechDaily, Streicher and the team members tested four terpenes found in moderate to high levels in Cannabis sativa: geraniol, linalool, beta-caryophyllene, and alpha-humulene.
They found that each of the terpenes resulted in high levels of pain relief in mouse models of post-operative pain and fibromyalgia. Geraniol provided the most significant level of pain relief, followed by linalool, beta-caryophyllene, and alpha-humulene.
Said Streicher, “Our findings show that terpenes may be a viable treatment option for fibromyalgia pain, which could potentially have a large impact and make a difference for an under-treated population.”
These two types of pain, pain associated with fibromyalgia and post-surgical pain, were identified as research targets for specific reasons. Both have an impact on a significant portion of the world’s population.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic musculoskeletal disorder that affects up to 5 percent of the world’s population, according to research published in Healthcare (Basel) in 2023. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health estimates about 4 million U.S. adults have fibromyalgia, which affects women more than men.
Post-surgical pain straddles the line between acute pain and chronic pain. It is usually short in duration, but it also involves physiological changes such as increased inflammation and sensitization of the body’s pain system that contribute to the pain. Globally, approximately 310 million major surgeries are performed each year, according to 2020 research published in the International Journal of Surgery.
Said Streicher, “Opioids do a good job controlling post-surgical pain, but they can cause constipation that can increase the chances of post-surgical complications such as adhesions. We are always looking for better options, and this study suggests that terpenes could be a novel therapeutic for post-operative pain.”
Added Todd Vanderah, PhD, director of the Comprehensive Center for Pain & Addiction at the U of A Health Sciences and professor and head of the Department of Pharmacology at the U of A College of Medicine – Tucson, “The research that is being done by Dr. Streicher’s lab on terpenes and their potential to help those who suffer from chronic pain demonstrates the importance of basic research. There are hundreds of unique chemicals that plants make, including the Cannabis plant, that are undiscovered.”
The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health. Given that it involved the use of “mouse models” suggests it could be a while before products based on the research are brought to market. Still, it does offer a promising direction for further research that might benefit a significant number of individuals.
To learn more, we suggest reading the article that appeared in the March 13, 2025 issue of SciTechDaily. Just click on the following link.
To read an abstract of the study, click on the following link.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43440-024-00687-1
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.
