Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at medical cannabis and pain management, home values and legalization, a town with its own official gummy and more. Enjoy.
Cannabis and Pain Management
A new study indicates that medical cannabis can be an effective treatment option for chronic pain patients.
That’s the word from Ben Adlin, reporting for Marijuana Moment. The study, published in the journal Pharmacy, demonstrated that patients with chronic pain who used marijuana for at least one year “exhibited significantly lower healthcare utilization” compared to non-users, reporting fewer visits to urgent care and emergency departments (EDs) as well as having a better quality of life.
Adlin also noted that the study found that hospitalization rates were lower among chronic pain patients who used medical marijuana, although the authors of the report found the rates were not low enough to be statistically significant.
The researchers at the Miami-based cannabis telehealth company Leafwell and George Mason University in Virginia who authored the report wrote, “Exposure [to cannabis] was associated with a 2.0 percentage point reduction in urgent care visits, a 3.2 percentage point reduction in ED visits and fewer unhealthy days per month.”
Added the research team, “The findings of this study suggest, in line with existing research, that medical cannabis is likely an effective treatment option for patients with chronic pain. This underscores the potential for not only [quality of life] gains associated with medical cannabis use, but also positive downstream effects on the healthcare system resulting from treatment.”
According to Adlin, in all, the research team looked at 5,242 chronic pain patients, including 3,943 with past-year cannabis use and 1,299 who reported no past-year use.
Said lead author Mitchell Doucette, in an interview with Marijuana Moment, “We looked at a large set of real-world data, where we compared medical cannabis users who we knew used for at least one year and people who had never used cannabis. When we compared those groups, we found that medical cannabis users who had used (it) for at least one year had lower rates of emergency room visits, lower rates of urgent care visits and, importantly, increased quality of life.”
Added Doucette, who has a doctorate in health and public policy from Johns Hopkins and is now senior research director at Leafwell, “When we combine those outcomes, it suggests that medical cannabis is not only leading to better quality of life for chronic pain patients but, again, potentially better health outcomes.”
Ben Adlin’s reporting is clear and concise. You can learn much more, including findings from related studies, by reading his article in the July 15, 2025 issue of Marijuana Moment.net.
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/medical-marijuana-is-an-effective-treatment-option-for-chronic-pain-patients-improving-quality-of-life-new-study-shows/
Cannabis and Real Estate
There may be good news for home owners who live in a state where recreational cannabis is legal. A recent study found that home values in states with adult-use cannabis laws significantly out pace home values in states where cannabis remains prohibited.
According to Graham Abbott, who reported on the study for Ganjapreneur, the analysis by the real estate platform Clever Offers found that over the past fifteen years, home values in states with adult-use cannabis laws have increased on average over $60,000 more than the home values in states where cannabis remains prohibited.
Additionally, wrote Abbott, of the 10 states that saw the biggest average increase in home values, the only state without adult-use cannabis reforms was Idaho. Meanwhile, only one state (Illinois) among the 10 states with the lowest increase in home values had enacted adult-use reforms.
Wrote the authors in their report, “Cannabis isn’t dragging down home values. It’s helping them grow, and states that have yet to legalize it are missing out on thousands in potential home value appreciation.”
Abbott noted in his article that the findings of this most recent study mirror the results of a 2023 report that found home values in states with adult-use cannabis laws outpaced the home values in other states by nearly $49,000 from 2014 to 2023.
Wrote NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano, in a comment on the study, “These data should mitigate concerns that the establishment of regulated adult-use marijuana markets negatively impacts community safety and prosperity. Rather, cannabis legalization is a proven economic driver. Regulated markets create jobs, disrupt the underground marketplace, and provide for new tax revenues that are redirected back into the local community — resulting in greater economic growth and prosperity, in addition to safer communities.”
To learn more, we encourage you to read Graham Abbott’s reporting in the July 16, 2025 issue of Ganjapreneur.com.
To read the study itself, click on the following link.
https://cleveroffers.com/research/cannabis-legalization-and-home-values-2025/?
Cannabis News and Notes
Long known as “The Big Apple,” Manhattan might one day be known as “The Big Gummy.” That’s because according to a survey commissioned by cannabis brand Jaunty, edibles have become the most popular type of product among cannabis consumers in New York City.
TG Branfalt, reporting for Ganjapreneur, wrote that the survey revealed that 40 percent of respondents said they consumed edible products more than vape products (21.8 percent) and flower (17 percent).
In his article, Branfalt also pointed out that the survey found that price was the leading factor in the consumer purchasing decisions made by New Yorkers, with 28.4 percent of respondents saying product cost was the biggest influence when purchasing cannabis, followed by product effects (26.9 percent) and convenience (23 percent).
Jaunty co-founder and CEO Nicolas Guarino called the survey “especially illuminating”, adding, “It’s clear that most New York consumers want economically priced, approachable options that taste great with predictable effects.”
Branfalt also reported that survey respondents were nearly split on whether they understood the differences between concentrate types (distillate, live resin, and live rosin), with 35.2 percent saying they were confident in their knowledge, 30 percent saying they have a basic understanding, and 33.8 percent saying they were unsure of the differences between these different kinds of edible products.
To learn more, including what consumers in New York believe to be true about product labeling and product testing, we urge you to read TG Branfalt’s excellent article in the July 17, 2025 issue of Ganjapreneur.com.
https://ganjapreneur.com/survey-finds-edibles-are-the-most-popular-cannabis-products-in-new-york/?
Cannabis and Local Government
In a new spin on the courteous behavior some have taken to calling “Minnesota Nice”, the city of Eden Prairie, Minnesota has asked residents to submit names for a new, government-branded cannabis gummy product that will be sold at municipal liquor stores.
According to Ben Adlin, reporting for Marijuana Moment, officials at Eden Prairie Liquor recently asked members of the public to submit their “best, brightest or weirdest name idea” for the THC-infused gummies.
Adlin notes that the city says the gummies will be berry-flavored and contain 5 milligrams of THC and 30 mg of cannabinol (CBN) apiece, with 10 edibles per package. The products are “crafted specifically for sleep,” according to a description, which may explain the relatively high CBN content.
Suggested names for the gummies will be accepted through the end of July 29. Three top entries will be posted to Eden Prairie Liquor’s Facebook page for the community to vote on. Voting will take place the week of August 4, with a winner set to be picked at 4 p.m. on August 8. The winning name will be printed on the product package, and whoever submitted it will also receive a free package of the gummies.
Eden Prairie Liquor operates three municipal liquor stores for the city. The stores’ website states that “Municipal liquor stores have been in operation since the United States government repealed prohibition in 1933, giving individual states the responsibility and authority to regulate liquor sales. At that time, the Minnesota legislature gave cities the option of issuing liquor licenses to private businesses or providing municipal alcohol dispensing services. Eden Prairie, along with more than 300 other cities, chose to operate municipal liquor stores.”
Under Minnesota law, edible cannabinoid products can be sold at municipal liquor stores. However, a municipal liquor store may not sell cannabis products other than lower-potency hemp edibles.
To learn more, we urge you to read Ben Adlin’s informative and entertaining article in the July 18, 2025 issue of Marijuana Moment.net.
News for Cannabis Growers
The phrase “in for a penny, in for a pound” is taking on a new meaning at the California State Fair. Visitors to the fair can obtain a bag of cannabis seeds for a penny.
According to James Taylor, reporting for the CBS television affiliate in Sacramento, California, adults entering the California Cannabis Experience at the State Fair can now get a packet of cannabis seeds to take home and start their own grow.
“We’ve already given away thousands of seeds,” said Dustin Moore, the co-founder of Embarc, a company that operates a number of cannabis dispensaries in California. “Under California law, we have to sell them for a penny to be compliant.”
Added Moore, “It’s important, as we normalize cannabis in a responsible way, to encourage folks to grow at home.”
Said Scott Vasterling, founder of Humboldt Family Farms, a cannabis company, “We would love nothing more than to have as many people as possible popping these seeds in their backyard and getting some experience with this beautiful plant.”
Taylor noted in his reporting that cannabis cultivation is still illegal under federal law, but in California, up to six plants are permitted for personal use, although some places don’t allow them to be grown outdoors.
The California State Fair already presents Golden Bear awards for California’s best cannabis in a variety of categories. Folks picking up seeds this year could be winners next year in a new category for home growers. It’s expected organizers will hand out 15,000 seeds,which come from the Humboldt Seed Company in Northern California, at the fair this year.
To learn more, visit the article that was posted on the CBS 13 website on July 16, 2025. Simply click on the link that follows.
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.