Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at access to dispensaries and opioid use, cannabis education for physicians, cannabis use and cognitive health and more. Enjoy.
Cannabis Availability and Opioid Use
A new study indicates that counties that have marijuana dispensaries see an average of 30 percent fewer opioid-related deaths compared to counties without legal cannabis shops. So says Kyle Jaeger, reporting for Marijuana Moment.
According to Jaeger, Harvard University economics student Julien Berman used data from the University of Michigan that identifies dispensary locations at the county level to compare opioid overdose trends over 10 years in jurisdictions where cannabis became legally available compared to those without regulated access.
Said Berman, “The theory is straightforward: making cannabis more available—and reducing its cost—could induce people to shift from opioids, which are super dangerous, to marijuana, a significantly safer alternative. Existing opioid users seeking pain relief can choose marijuana instead of heroin, especially in counties where recreational use is legal and access is easy. And new potential users might never turn to opioids at all if they could get marijuana instead.”
Jaeger noted that other factors were taken into account to support the conclusion, including comparisons of opioid mortality rates in counties within a legal state where some allow retailers to operate and others have chosen to opt out.
Leaving aside matters of causation and correlation for the moment, Berman did acknowledge that there are some limitations to the analysis, including challenges with the “enormous number of messy business records” maintained in the University of Michigan dataset that could have misidentified certain businesses. And it’s possible counties that were assessed could have separately implemented other programs to address opioid use during the timeline that was studied.
In his article, Jaeger also points to another study authored by an eight-person research team from the British Columbia Centre on Substance Abuse as well as the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University that was published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Review. That group of researchers found that among drug users who experience chronic pain, daily cannabis use was linked to a higher likelihood of quitting the use of opioids—especially among men.
As always, Kyle Jaeger’s reporting is first rate. To learn more, we urge you to read his article in the August 6, 2025 issue of Marijuana Moment.net.
Cannabis Quote of the Week
“By permitting home growing, states can effectively dismantle the illicit market in a way that no amount of enforcement ever could. Think about it: when thousands of citizens can legally grow their own cannabis, the economic foundation of illegal operations crumbles. Why would anyone risk buying from underground sources when they or someone they know can legally produce clean, personalized cannabis at a fraction of the cost?
In effect, home growing creates a distributed network of micro-suppliers that serves as a natural check on both the illicit market and corporate monopolization. When your neighbor can grow exceptional Blue Dream or Granddaddy Purple, corporations can’t get away with selling substandard products at premium prices.
This model also fosters agricultural innovation and knowledge-sharing. In states with mature home grow cultures like Oregon and Colorado, the level of cultivation expertise among ordinary citizens is remarkable. These skilled home growers often become the next generation of master cultivators for the commercial industry, bringing with them innovative techniques developed outside corporate R&D departments.
For those concerned about quality and safety, remember that home growers have the strongest possible incentive to produce clean, contaminant-free cannabis – they’re growing it for themselves and their loved ones. Compare this to large-scale commercial operations where the bottom line may sometimes compete with quality considerations.”—Reginald Reefer
Mr. Reefer’s comment is taken from an op-ed he penned for Cannabis.net. While his nom de plume may seem a bit goofy, his analysis is worth serious and sober consideration.
In his article he acknowledges that even widespread home cultivation would not destroy the legal cannabis industry. Quite the contrary. He argues that given the time and effort required to grow quality cannabis, many consumers will always prefer the convenience of purchasing rather than producing. He compares it to home brewing, arguing that commercially brewed craft beer continues to thrive because many appreciate quality products without wanting to make them personally.
Reefer also contends that growing your own cannabis introduces true market competition, stating that when consumers have the option to grow their own, commercial entities must offer genuine value to earn customer dollars.
He closes his missive by stating that home growing is the linchpin of genuine cannabis legalization and that home cultivation recognizes cannabis for what he believes it truly is – a plant that belongs in our gardens as much as in our dispensaries.
To learn more, we suggest reading the op-ed by Reginald Reefer that appeared in the August 8, 2025 issue of Cannabis.net.
The Shape of Things to Come
There’s good news for mature consumers in Hawaii who rely on medical marijuana for their well being. Cannabis regulators have announced the introduction of a series of courses designed to educate physicians and other healthcare professionals about medical marijuana.
According to Tom Angell, the editor of Marijuana Moment, the new Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Continuing Education (CE) courses, provided for free through the state Department of Health (DOH), are “designed to give healthcare providers a foundational understanding of the endocannabinoid system, the largest signaling system in the body, and the clinical application of medical cannabis and cannabidiol (CBD).
Said the regulators, through a press release, “Through these courses, healthcare providers can gain a better understanding of the pharmacology of cannabinoids, potential therapeutic benefits and appropriate dosing strategies. Equipping providers with this knowledge can improve care for patients who are already using cannabis or who may benefit from its use.”
In his article, Angell notes that this effort comes roughly a month after Gov. Josh Green (D) signed a bill to expand medical marijuana access in Hawaii. The “expansion” allows a patient’s primary treating medical provider to recommend cannabis for any malady they see fit, regardless of whether it’s a specified qualifying condition under state law. The new law also allows patients to receive medical cannabis recommendations through telehealth visits rather than having to establish an in-person relationship with a provider.
Said Dr. Kenneth Fink, DOH director, “With more than 120,000 patients having enrolled in Hawaii’s medical cannabis program since its inception and about 30,000 patients currently registered, healthcare providers will likely encounter patients using cannabis for medical purposes. Recognizing potential side effects and drug interactions will help improve patient safety.”
Mahalo, indeed.
You can learn much more by reading Tom Angell’s clear and concise reporting in the August 7, 2025 issue of Marijuana Moment.net.
Cannabis, Cognition and Aging
There may be — and we emphasize may be — good news for mature consumers who are concerned about how cannabis use affects their cognitive abilities.
A new, large-scale study — partially funded by the federal government — suggests cannabis users demonstrate “superior performance across multiple cognitive domains.”
According to Aaron Houston, reporting for Marijuana Moment, the research, published this month as a preprint by Nature Portfolio, analyzed brain imaging and cognitive data from 37,929 participants in the United Kingdom aged between 44 and 81 years old. The team found that cannabis consumers consistently outperformed non-users on a range of cognitive tests.
The researchers contend, and here is where it gets speculative, that marijuana use may be linked to brain network patterns in older individuals that are similar to the network patterns typically observed in younger individuals.
So does using cannabis keep your brain “young?”
Wrote the research team in their paper, “These findings suggest that cannabis use may be associated with a deceleration of neural aging processes and the preservation of cognitive function in older adults.”
They added, “We speculate that cannabinoids and endocannabinoids may exert neuroprotective effects during aging by preserving an optimal balance between functional segregation and integration—an essential feature for maintaining specialized processing and efficient information transfer across brain networks.”
The research team consisted of individuals affiliated with the Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Georgia State University, University of Colorado, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Tri-Institutional Center for Translational Research in Neuroimaging and Data Science.
The study was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health. At this point it has yet to be peer reviewed.
To learn more, we suggest reading the crisp and insightful reporting by Aaron Houston in the August 11, 2025 issue of Marijuana Moment.net.
To read an abstract of the study, click on the following link.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40766216
It Ain’t Necessarily So
No matter what you may have heard, the only way you can get higher on a Virgin Atlantic flight is still the old fashioned way—strapped into your seat with a pilot at the controls.
So says Kyle Jaeger, reporting for Marijuana Moment. According to Jaeger, Virgin Atlantic is vigorously denying claims that it’s partnering with the cannabis beverage company Drippy.
Drippy, on the other hand, has tried to convince consumers it has a deal in place to provide its THC-infused sodas to adult travelers on select U.S. flights.
In his article Jaeger notes that in an effort to promote its products, Drippy launched a video ad about the supposed partnership and shared what seem to be forged screenshots of a letter it said was from Virgin Atlantic’s CEO, as well as an email that appeared to come from another executive at the airline. In addition,the company insisted in a social media post that “this is not satire.”
Unfortunately, Drippy’s claims made their way into articles in outlets such as BevNet and The Marijuana Herald that reported the partnership as legitimate. Eventually, a Virgin Atlantic representative told Marijuana Moment “this story is entirely inaccurate” and the airline has “no partnership with this brand.”
When contacted about that denial, a Drippy spokesperson said that the company has “been purposely vague in our responses because… well, that’s half the fun.”
Drippy co-founder Alleh Shondeh Lindquist finally acknowledged, “There’s no official partnership—we staged the whole thing to make a point: it’s wild that you can slam three vodkas on a flight, but not sip a federally legal drink designed to help you relax and feel more comfortable.”
In his article, Jaeger reports that part of the success of the “stunt” came down to the oddly specific nature of the posts that Drippy has published. For example, the letter it shared on X included a Virgin Atlantic letterhead, address for the company’s headquarters and the signature of the airline’s CEO, Shai Weiss. The letter attributed to the CEO read, “At Virgin Atlantic, we believe flying should feel less like a chore and more like a vibe. That’s why we’re proud to announce a new partnership with Drippy Soda, the bold, euphoric beverage brand that’s redefining what it means to kick back and relax.”
It continued, “Beginning this month, select Virgin flights between Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Miami will offer Drippy onboard. It’s the first-ever cannabis-infused soda served in-flight, a milestone in both aviation and beverage history (if we do say so ourselves).”
Jaeger also noted that when asked if it had any concern about potential legal liability for misrepresenting the partnership without any disclosures about satirical intent, the company didn’t respond.
Maybe all of this would be amusing if the cannabis industry wasn’t at an inflection point concerning rescheduling or the future of cannabis-based beverages in particular was more predictable or AI ads were not becoming the coin of the realm. Maybe, but we doubt it.
Fraud is fraud. More to the point, how can the cannabis sector expect to attract investors when folks don’t know what’s real and what isn’t? Granted, Drippy’s ad doesn’t amount to cooking the books, but it’s right next door.
As always, Kyle Jaeger’s reporting is “most excellent.” To learn more, we urge you to read his article in the August 7, 2025 issue of Marijuana Moment.net.
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.