Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at a podcast focused on cannabis and seniors, a new cannabis-based drug for lower back pain and a policy change at the TSA, maybe. Enjoy.
Cannabis Quote of the Week
Top takeaway: Two veterans of NPR have launched a podcast focused on older individuals and cannabis.
“Cannabis has changed hugely since we were kids, and old folks need to know that. The higher THC content may actually have an advantage because less can be consumed and then smoke inhalation will not be as problematic. There are a huge number of different strains of cannabis that do different things. There are different means of consumption, and they affect you in different amounts of time. Older people need an education, and I’m trying to provide a kind of crash course for people.” – Karen Michel
Ms. Michel is the host of a new podcast focused on cannabis and aging called Ganja Granny. Her career in public radio includes stints as a Fulbright Fellow and a National Endowment for the Arts Media Arts Fellow. In addition, she has taught at Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism and Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies. Her comment is taken from an interview she did with the publication Current.
For the podcast she has partnered with another NPR veteran, Tom Cole, who will serve as editor. Cole was a senior editor on the network’s arts desk and worked with Michel from when he started on the desk in 1991 until his retirement in 2021.
According to John Kalish, who conducted the interview for Current, Michel grows her own cannabis and was an early recipient of a New York state medical marijuana card, qualifying as a result of her diagnosis of fibromyalgia, a chronic disorder of the brain and spinal cord that results in pain and fatigue.
Michel told Kalish that the podcast will focus on older cannabis users since many already use the plant to address a number of age-related maladies, such as insomnia, discomfort from menopause and lack of sex drive.
Cole added that despite the “funny name” for the podcast, Michel is approaching this as a serious reporter and that they both see their mission as fact-based journalism, as opposed to advocacy.
Said Michel, “I’m at the point in my life where I wanted to do a project that matters to me. It was like, ‘This is what I was destined to do. And if not now, when?’ I just feel the doors are open and the cuffs are off. I’m going to have a good time with it.”
To learn more, we urge you to read John Kalish’s article in the May 18, 2026 issue of Current.org.
https://current.org/2026/05/ex-npr-colleagues-team-up-on-podcast-about-cannabis-and-aging/
Ganja Granny is available through Apple Podcasts,Youtube and other platforms. Here is a link to a tease for the podcast.
Medical News and Notes
Top takeaway: A new cannabis-based drug is being developed to address lower back pain.
There may soon be good news for mature cannabis consumers and others who suffer from lower back pain. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation to VER-01, a cannabis-derived investigational treatment being developed as a non-opioid option for chronic low back pain.
According to Anthony Martinelli, reporting for The Marijuana Herald, the designation was granted after two randomized, controlled Phase 3 trials found that VER-01 produced significant pain reductions, was generally well tolerated and showed no evidence of dependence. In a direct Phase 3 comparison study, the company said VER-01 also produced greater pain reduction and better gastrointestinal tolerability than opioids.
Martinelli notes that Breakthrough Therapy Designation is intended to speed the development and review of investigational treatments when preliminary clinical evidence indicates they may offer a substantial improvement over available therapies.
The drug, VER-01, is described as a standardized full-spectrum extract derived from the Cannabis sativa strain DKJ127 L., a proprietary plant variety selected for chronic pain treatment. The product includes a defined mixture of cannabinoids, terpenes and other bioactive compounds, with pharmaceutical-grade standardization meant to ensure consistency across production.
Said Dr. Clemens Fischer, CEO of FUTRUE Group and founder of VERTANICAL, “The FDA’s Breakthrough Therapy Designation for VER-01 is a major recognition of its potential to address the significant unmet need in chronic pain. Patients have waited far too long for meaningful progress. We believe VER-01 has the potential to change how chronic pain is treated and offer physicians a much-needed non-opioid solution.”
The company said it expects marketing authorization in the first European countries in the coming weeks. VERTANICAL has also launched an additional pivotal Phase 3 trial in the United States to support a future FDA submission, possibly in 2028.
In addition, in his article Martinelli makes the point that VERTANICAL has stated that VER-01 is distinct from other cannabis products because of its specific plant genetics, formulation and manufacturing standards, meaning findings from its trials should not be applied to other cannabis extracts or products.
You can learn much more by reading the article by Anthony Martinelli in the May 19, 2026 issue of The Marijuana Herald.com.
Tips on Trips
Top takeaway: A policy change at the Transportation and Security Administration may allow passengers to fly with medical marijuana.
When is a change in policy really no change at all? When it involves cannabis and the Transportation and Security Administration (TSA).
According to Jeremy Siegel, reporting for WGBH in Boston, when the TSA updated its website in April it added medical marijuana to the list of items that can be included in both carry-on and checked bags. The change came as new federal rules reclassifying medical marijuana as a Schedule III drug took effect nationally on April 28.
Siegel notes that a search for “marijuana” on the TSA’s “What Can I Bring?” tool — an online tool which provides guidance to travelers on whether certain items are allowed on board — now turns up results for “medical marijuana.” More specifically, the tool says the drug is allowed in both carry-ons and checked bags, pursuant to “special instructions” that have not yet been issued.
This is where things get complicated. The TSA says there has been no change in policy, it has yet to issue any guidance to travelers, and it remains unclear how the change will affect security operations at airports, if at all.
For example, Mike Gazyagian, president of the union that represents New England’s TSA workers, told Siegel, in an email, “This is the first I am hearing about the policy change.”
Jeremiah MacKinnon, executive director of the Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance told Siegel, “It gives us a little piece of mind that things are getting better and may continue to get better in terms of no longer being treated like a criminal.”
MacKinnon added that the apparent TSA change may not necessarily change the everyday airport experience for most patients but it does send a message that medical marijuana use is okay.
Said MacKinnon,“In my own view, TSA hasn’t really been looking for small amounts of marijuana for personal use at the airports for many years.”
Siegel also cited the views of the Medical Marijuana Policy Project, which said that TSA agents have not actively searched for marijuana at U.S. airports for years.
However, they noted, if agents encountered a substance that appeared to be marijuana during security screening, the matter would be referred to local law enforcement.
That’s why it’s always crucial to review your destination’s cannabis laws and restrictions before you leave. Know before you go. Or, as the Dalai Lama has been known to say, “Hope for the best and prepare for the worst.”
More news as more news develops.
Jeremy Siegel does a first-rate job of bringing clarity to a story full of contradictions. His article appeared on the WGBH website on May 19, 2026.
https://www.wgbh.org/news/local/2026-05-19/tsa-says-you-can-now-fly-with-medical-marijuana-maybe
Senior Cannabis Digest is compiled and edited by Joe Kohut and John Kohut. You can reach them at Joe.kohut@gmail.com and ar 347-528-8753.