Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at treating migraines with medical cannabis, a new way to shop for cannabis, medical cannabis in Turkey and more. Enjoy.
Spotlight on Medical Cannabis
There is hopeful news for those who suffer from migraine headaches. A new study indicates that vaporized medical cannabis can offer relief from that condition and that cannabis that contains both THC and CBD offers patients the most “robust” benefits.
So says Ben Adlin, reporting for Marijuana Moment. According to Adlin, a new placebo-controlled medical trial found that people who took either THC or a combination of THC and CBD were more likely to report pain relief after a two-hour period than people who received a placebo.
The website of the Cleveland Clinic states that a migraine is a severe headache that causes throbbing, pulsing head pain on one side of your head. The headache phase of a migraine usually lasts at least four hours, but it can also last for days. Chronic migraine is a condition where you have frequent or long-lasting episodes of headaches and migraines. With chronic migraine, your symptoms can shift daily (or even hour to hour). That can make it hard to tell where one migraine or headache ends and another begins.
In his article, Adlin noted that the results of the study, which were presented at the American Headache Society’s annual meeting, found that more than two in three migraine-sufferers reported pain relief after using a THC product (68.9 percent of participants) or combination THC–CBD product (67.2 percent). Researchers affiliated with the UC San Diego (UCSD) Health Center for Pain Medicine said that this was a significant difference when compared to the experience of the placebo group, 46.6 percent of whom reported pain relief after two hours.
Jeff Craven of Medscape Medical News, which first reported on the study, wrote that participants had a median age of 41 years, with the majority being women (82.6 percent). Also, participants reported a median of 15 headache days and six migraine days per month. In addition, 30.4 percent had chronic migraine.
During the study, for each migraine attack patients received one of four randomized treatments: 6 percent THC, 11 percent CBD, a combination of 6 percent THC and 11 percent CBD, or a placebo. All cannabis was provided through the National Institute on Drug Abuse Drug Supply Program.
Said study investigator Nathaniel M. Schuster, a pain and headache neurologist and University of California San Diego (UCSD) anesthesiology professor, “This is the first placebo-controlled study in this space.”
Added Schuster, “It’s the first real—to me—compelling evidence for the anti-migraine effects of cannabis in humans.”
Adlin points out that Schuster also stated that the findings suggest a combination of THC and CBD could offer patients a viable alternative treatment for pain and other migraine symptoms.
Ben Adlin’s reporting is concise and on point. To learn more, we urge you to read his article in the July 23, 2025 issue of Marijuana Moment.net.
Jeff Craven’s reporting appeared in the July 10, 2025 issue of Medscape.com. Launched in 1995, Medscape.com is a website owned by WebMD offering medical information and continuing education for health professionals.
To access the Cleveland Clinic’s information on migraines, click on the following link.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/5005-migraine-headaches
Cannabis News and Notes
A new way to connect cannabis cultivators with consumers may one day take root in California. That’s the word from TG Branfalt, reporting Ganjapreneur.
Branfalt reports that legislation proposed in California would allow small cannabis producers to ship and sell their products directly to consumers. The bill, called the Small and Homestead Independent Producers (SHIP) Act, would allow the state’s smallest cannabis farmers to mail cannabis products within the state or into other states where cannabis is legal— here’s the catch— if the federal government removes cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act.
The bill was introduced by state Rep. Jared Huffman (D). Huffman represents California’s 2nd Congressional District which ranges from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon border, and includes Marin, Sonoma, Mendocino, Humboldt, Trinity, and Del Norte counties—a region home to many small, independent cannabis cultivators.
Said Huffman, in a press release, “Larger, commercialized cannabis operators are infiltrating the market and squeezing out our local farmers in the process. So when the antiquated federal prohibition on cannabis finally gets repealed, we need to have substantial legislation ready to help these small businesses survive. My legislation would ensure that folks can ship their products straight to consumers, which would both help expand small businesses and ensure farmers stay afloat. When full legalization is guaranteed, we must commit to not leaving our smallest family-farmers behind.”
Branfalt noted that according to the bill’s text, a “small cultivator of cannabis” would include farms that cultivate “one acre or less of mature flowering cannabis plant canopy” outdoors, “22,000 square feet or less of cannabis plant canopy” in a greenhouse, or “5,000 square feet or fewer of mature flowering cannabis plant canopy” indoors. Small manufacturers are defined under the proposal as “a person who produces a manufactured cannabis product,” including salves, tinctures, edibles, or concentrates, with a gross annual revenue of less than $5 million.
The good news is that the bill, if passed, would create an innovative way to connect cultivators with consumers in a manner that would benefit both. The bad news is that given the way the bill is written, this new relationship would be based on the federal government removing cannabis from its current scheduling status, a change that’s not likely to take place in the near future.
To learn more, we suggest reading TG Branfalt’s article in the July 24, 2025 issue of Ganjapreneur/com.
https://ganjapreneur.com/california-bill-would-permit-small-cannabis-producers-to-ship-directly-to-consumers/
Medical Cannabis News and Notes
Demonstrating once again that the use of medical cannabis is a global phenomenon, the Turkish Parliament has passed a law legalizing the sale of low-THC medical cannabis products in pharmacies.
Under the law, the use of medical cannabis products will be strictly limited to prescribed medical treatments.
According to TG Branfalt, reporting for Ganjapreneur, the legislation puts the cultivation and harvesting of cannabis plants under the purview of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, while the Ministry of Health will be tasked with processing, licensing, record-keeping, and pharmacy sales. Medical cannabis sales will be tracked through an electronic monitoring system.
Branfalt notes that Taner Ercanli, a board member of the Turkish Pharmacists’ Association, told the publication Türkiye Today that medical cannabis would be available for its analgesic and antidepressant effects.
Said Ercanli, “We’re referring to pharmaceutical-grade products, not illicit street cannabis. These are approved and regulated by the Ministry of Health and have no place on the black market.”
Branfalt also makes the point that by passing and enacting this legislation, Turkey joins 50 other countries in legalizing medical cannabis products or pharmaceutical medications derived from cannabis.
As always, Branfalt’s reporting is first rate. To learn more, we urge you to read his article in the July 22, 2025 issue of Ganjapreneur.com.
The Shape of Things to Come
Mature consumers and others who find the experience of shopping for cannabis at a dispensary an impersonal, hit or miss proposition might welcome the new shopping model offered by one Chicago-based multi-state operator.
According to Margaret Jackson, reporting for MJBizDaily, Verano Holdings Corp. recently unveiled what it’s calling a “bodega-style” cannabis store in Phoenix, Arizona.
For starters, instead of selecting a product by standing at a counter to talk to a budtender, shoppers at Verano’s Zen Leaf Phoenix-Cave Creek location have the opportunity to browse and choose the cannabis items they want while walking around the store, as if they were shopping in a bodega or local grocery store for fruit or coffee.
Jackson notes that as part of this innovative shopping experience, customers can examine the label on a product to see its detailed description, including the THC and CBD content and terpene profile— something the consumer is less likely to do, the company contends, standing in front of an employee at the counter.
Said Robert Cohen, Verano’s executive vice president of retail, “I think it makes it less intimidating because they’re not walking up to the counter and having a conversation. They’re walking through the store and talking to a cannabis adviser.”
Added Cohen, “They’re having an honest one-on-one conversation in an open and non-intimidating way.”
According to Jackson, customers have told Zen Leaf employees that thanks to this new shopping model they are discovering products they wouldn’t otherwise find.
Said Cohen, “When you allow people to wander or forage in a store, they will encounter things they ordinarily wouldn’t.”
Clearly, efforts to develop innovative approaches to shopping for cannabis will be shaped and limited by state laws. For example, in her article Jackson makes the point that in states where it’s permitted, some cannabis companies offer what’s referred to as a “deli-style” retail experience, where consumers can see and smell flower before choosing to buy.
Said Boston Dickerson, CEO of Show-Me Organics, parent company of Blue Sage Cannabis Deli, which has five locations in Missouri, “When we think about shopping for flower, we think about it as a similar way to shopping for produce. If you’re going to pay a high price, you should know what you’re going to get.”
As usual, Margaret Jackson does an excellent job of unpacking a complicated issue. To learn more, including how these innovative retailers are addressing various challenges, such as consumer safety, we urge you to read her article in the July 28, 2025 issue of MJBizDaily.com.
https://mjbizdaily.com/cannabis-retailers-see-sales-surge-with-new-shopping-models/
Cannabis Quote of the Week
“Prescribing cannabis is not like prescribing traditional pharmaceutical drugs. Unlike medications that follow fixed dosing regimens based on weight or body surface area, cannabis interacts with the endocannabinoid system (ECS), a complex regulatory network that varies significantly across individuals. One patient’s ideal therapeutic dose may cause unwanted side effects in another. Strain profiles, cannabinoid and terpene ratios, and even the patient’s personal goals—like whether they want to feel psychoactive effects or not—all shape the therapeutic response.”— The Cannigma
The quote is taken from an article prepared by the staff of the publication The Cannigma that describes the design and content of a new book, Cannabis for Chronic Pain Relief: A Dual Guide for Patients and Clinicians.
Written by Uwe Blesching, the book is said to combine the latest research with the lived experiences of patients and the nuanced expertise of seasoned clinicians. This trio—data, experience, and preference—is intended to provide a practical and compassionate roadmap for those working with cannabis in the chronic pain setting.
To learn more about the book, which will be available on Amazon, we suggest reading the article in the July 25, 2025 issue of The Cannigma.
https://cannigma.com/physiology/cannabis-for-chronic-pain-relief-clinical-framework/
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.
