Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at AI and the cannabis sector, the politics behind a change in cannabis policy, a lawsuit over the odor of cannabis smoke and much more. Enjoy.
AI and the Cannabis Sector
Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way all kinds of companies interact with their customers and the cannabis sector is no exception. From marketing agencies to dispensaries and software providers, AI is changing how cannabis businesses operate, market and connect with consumers.
So writes Margaret Jackson in an article for MJBizDaily. For example, she notes that while platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Google impose restrictions on cannabis advertising, some businesses are now using AI to brainstorm creative strategies, develop compliant content and optimize marketing campaigns.
So says Josefine Nowitz, co-founder of Newton, Massachusetts-based marketing agency Cannabis Creative Group. Said Nowitz, “AI helps us steer content to be more friendly for a 21-plus audience while avoiding common pitfalls like content geared toward minors or showing consumption. It’s a human-led tool that supports our strategies, but creativity and compliance still require a human touch.”
Jackson also makes the point that AI is being used to create hyper-targeted campaigns that comply with state-specific regulations while standing out in a crowded market.
At the retail level, she reports that some dispensaries are using it to enhance customer experiences and streamline operations. She cites the experience of Sweed, a Burbank, California-based software provider for marijuana stores, that integrates AI into its point-of-sale (POS) systems to recommend products based on customer preference and purchase history.
For instance, according to Jackson, if a customer buys a specific strain, the software with AI can suggest similar products, increasing upsell opportunities and customer satisfaction.
Said Rocco Del Priore, co-founder of Sweed, “Cannabis (retailers) had this habit of designing one message and sending it out to all of their customers. Our effort is to send fewer messages but target them.”
Added Del Priore, “For example, a retailer may send generic messages to 20 people and hope to see five of them result in a purchase. But with AI, you may target 10 people with a specific message and get seven of them to respond favorably.”
Jackson also tells the story of The Daily Green, a single-store cannabis retailer in New York City that uses AI to brainstorm ideas and written content for campaigns, website blogs and marketing communications.
Said Chris Thompson, the store’s director of operations and marketing, “It can generate lists of potential ideas or short-form content the company’s marketing professionals can refine, edit and produce into marketing assets. What would have taken a larger team a few days to create can now be done by a small team in a few minutes with AI assistance.”
In her article, Jackson also describes how a company called Bud-E is using AI to coordinate insight into human genetics with plant genetics to recommend cannabis strains tailored to meet individual needs.
Said Bud-E founder Colin Fraser, “Imagine being able to say, ‘I have back pain – what’s the best product for me?’ Our system uses AI to match your genetics with the right cannabis strain and even tells you where to buy it.”
This level of personalization, writes Jackson, not only enhances the customer experience but also positions cannabis as a legitimate tool for wellness and medicine. She contends that by capturing data on how products affect users, Bud-E is paving the way for more informed clinical trials and regulatory trust.
As always, Margaret Jackson’s work is insightful and on point. You can learn much more by reading her article in the October 16, 2025 issue of MJBizDaily.com.
https://mjbizdaily.com/how-ai-is-transforming-the-cannabis-industry/
The Politics of Cannabis Reform
If the Trump administration finally gets around to rescheduling cannabis, mature consumers and others may have the president’s golfing buddies to thank for the decision.
That’s the word from Kyle Jaeger, reporting on an article in The Free Press for Marijuana Moment. According to an unnamed White House official interviewed for the article, there’s a growing understanding that cannabis reform is “good politics”— comparing the issue to how same-sex marriage gradually gained bipartisan support over time.
Jaeger also cites the comments from another unnamed source that works in the cannabis industry who said the “president had been educated on the issue, and he started to come along.”
Added the source, “It was primarily because there were seniors in his orbit that he was seeing on the golf course who were telling him, ‘This stuff is actually helping me, I can grip my club better, walk 18 holes, and I’m sleeping better and don’t have anxiety.’”
Jaeger also noted that Trump advisor Alex Bruesewitz told The Free Press that moving marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) “keeps cannabis as a controlled substance but allows for more testing for medicinal purposes.”
Calling rescheduling a “politically savvy move,” Bruesewitz’s political consulting firm X Strategies has received a $300,000 payment for “media” services from a marijuana industry political action committee called the American Rights and Reform PAC.
The Free Press article also suggests that should the administration move ahead on rescheduling, Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff for policy, would be tasked with overseeing any cannabis policy change, even if he wouldn’t “be super thrilled” with it.
As usual, Kyle Jaeger does an exceptional job of “connecting the dots” to create a compelling and informative story. You can learn much more by reading his article in the October 16, 2025 issue of Marijuana Moment.net.
Cannabis News and Notes
Even when cannabis use is permitted, mature consumers and others still have to navigate legal restrictions and the ways in which their use of cannabis can inconvenience those who don’t use it.
Case in point: Josefa Ippolito-Shepherd, 76, of Washington, DC sued her cannabis-smoking neighbor because she found the odor offensive — and won.
According to Mikella Schuttler, reporting for the New York Post, Ippolito-Shepard said the “skunk” smell emanating from 73-year-old next-door resident Thomas Cackett’s doorway made her dread coming home. She also said she even vomited, on one occasion, when her neighbor, who lives on the ground level of an adjoining home, lit up.
In her article, Schuttler writes that after five years of representing herself, Ippolito-Shepherd finally won her case in the DC Court of Appeals. A lower-court judge had already ruled in her favor in 2023, but Cackett, the cannabis- smoking neighbor, appealed.
In the ruling, the appeals court sided with Ippolito-Sheppard, saying her “use and enjoyment of her own property” was more important than Cackett’s “use and enjoyment of his marijuana.’’
Cackett, the smoking septuagenarian, had argued that he only smoked once a day—and never for longer than 5 minutes — to cope with his many health conditions, including skin cancer, chronic hepatitis, arthritis and sciatica.
Said Cackett,“I am not Snoop Dogg.”
The court ruled that Cackett is now banned from smoking within 25 feet of Ippolito-Sheppard’s home — including on his own property. Any violation of the court’s ruling could result in civil or criminal penalties for him.
To learn more, we suggest reading the article by Mikella Schuttler in the October 19, 2025 issue of the New York Post.com.
The Shape of Things to Come
A policy decision by a South American country may offer a hint on the future of medical cannabis policies in the U.S.
The Ministry of Public Health (MSP) and the Institute for the Regulation and Control of Cannabis (IRCCA) of the country of Uruguay have announced that cannabidiol (CBD) will be included in the country’s national therapeutic formulary.
Uruguay’s healthcare is structured around two pillars: a public system (ASSE – Administración de los Servicios de Salud del Estado) and a private system funded by private health insurance.
The public system is the state-run network of hospitals, clinics, and health centers providing healthcare services throughout the country. It offers universal coverage to all residents of Uruguay, regardless of their economic status or employment. Services are generally free at the point of use or require very minimal co-payments for certain things. It is primarily funded by general taxation.
According to Bruno Vargas, reporting for Sechat, a knowledge and business platform focused on the medicinal use of cannabis, the decision took place during the Latin American Regulatory Affairs Symposium, where a five-year strategic plan was unveiled. The main focus of the plan is to incorporate CBD into the therapeutic formulary of the National Health System (SNIS), although the proposal still needs to undergo technical evaluations.
Vargas writes that with this measure, the government hopes to “democratize access to cannabis-based therapies.” The goal is to reduce inequalities for patients who currently rely solely on the private market or imports.
In addition, Vargas notes, the country’s Ministry of Public Health wants to overcome the lack of trained professionals to prescribe and monitor cannabis treatments. To that end, it proposes to create training programs to educate doctors, chemists, and other healthcare professionals on the benefits of making the use of CBD part of their treatment menu.
To learn more, we suggest reading the article by Bruno Vargas in the September 24, 2025 issue of Sechat.com.
https://sechat.com.br/en/noticia/uruguay-includes-cbd-in-healthcare-system
Consumer Corner
Mature consumers and others who rely on cannabis for either medical reasons or recreation, need to remember that there really is no free lunch when it comes to cannabis, convenience and the law. That’s why knowing the laws and regulations of the state where you reside is essential and can help to protect you from scams.
According to TG Banfalt, reporting for Ganjapreneur, it’s a lesson some folks in Delaware have had to learn the hard way. Banfalt writes that scammers in Delaware claiming to represent a state-licensed cannabis business are saying they will deliver products to customers. Unfortunately, that service is not allowed under state law.
The state Division of Alcohol & Tobacco Enforcement (DATE) said it has received reports of fraudulent business cards and flyers in the Newark area, which includes the University of Delaware campus.
Said DATE in a press release, “The public needs to know that no licensed recreational marijuana dispensary in Delaware is permitted to deliver marijuana or marijuana products. Any business claiming to offer such delivery services is operating illegally.”
In his article, Branfalt notes that the flyers promoting the fraudulent business claim it offers “quick delivery for on campus students,” a free eighth of cannabis for signing up for the service and a free ounce for student referrals.
Sounds like a great deal, but you know the story. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
To learn more, you can read TG Branfalt’s article in the October 2, 2025 issue of Ganjapreneur.com.
Senior Cannabis Digest is compiled and edited by Joe Kohut and John Kohut. You can erach them at joe.kohut@gmail.com or at 347-528-8753.