Marijuana Use Among College-Age Hit Historic High

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September 9, 2021

Among college students specifically, there was also a significant increase in the annual use of hallucinogens and a substantial and significant drop in current alcohol use.

Marijuana use among college-age hit historic high. Students and same-aged peers who are not in college took to cannabis in record numbers, according to survey results from the 2020 Monitoring the Future (MTF) panel study, reported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

This represents the highest levels of marijuana use recorded since the 1980s.

8 Reasons Why College Students Use Cannabis — Photo by Alexis Brown via Unsplash

The Kids Are Alright

The survey also found that marijuana vaping and nicotine vaping leveled off in 2020 after sharp increases were reported every year since 2017 for both college students and same-aged respondents who are not in college. One might conclude that cannabis vaping decreased when the vaping crisis hit nationwide and health authorities found undisclosed additives and cutting agents like Vitamin E acetate in cannabis concentrates.

“That’s when I quit vaping. I have not and probably will not go back to it,” one Ohio college student told Benzinga, not wishing her name to be used, as cannabis is still illegal in the Buckeye State.

Psychedelics On The Rise, Alcohol Use Declines

Among college students specifically, there was also a significant increase in the annual use of hallucinogens and a substantial and significant drop in current alcohol use between 2019 and 2020.

“The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed the way that young people interact with one another and offers us an opportunity to examine whether drug-taking behavior has shifted through these changes,” said NIDA Director Nora D. Volkow, M.D.

“Moving forward, it will be critical to investigate how and when different substances are used among this young population and the impact of these shifts over time.”

NIDA, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), funded the MTF study, which has been annually tracking substance use among college students and noncollege adults ages 19-22 since 1980. The survey is conducted annually by scientists at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research, Ann Arbor. The 2020 survey, based on responses collected online from 1,550 college-aged adults between March 20, 2020 through November 30, 2020, noted the following key findings:

College Students Seek CBD For Pain And Stress Management — Photo by tortugadatacorp via Pixabay

Marijuana use reached the highest level in over three-and-a-half decades in 2020.

Forty-four percent of college students reported using weed in 2020, compared to 38% in 2015 — a significant increase. For young adults not in college, annual marijuana use in 2020 remained at 43%, basically the same as 2018 and 2019.

In contrast and worth mentioning, similar increases and record highs in marijuana use were not observed among 12th graders in recent years, with 35% of high school seniors reporting using marijuana in the past year in 2020, thus supporting a recent American Medical Association study that marijuana legalization laws are not associated with increased use among high school students.

Cigarette smoking is down, with only 4% of college students and 13% of non-college respondents reporting having smoked in the past month.

Non-medical use of amphetamines and opioid use continued to decline among college students and non-college peers.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been reposted with permission.

Friday Before Labor Day Was Huge For Cannabis Sales

Debra Borchardt

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September 9, 2021

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Friday Before Labor Day Was Huge For Cannabis Sales

Just one year after the pandemic hit, as more people were able to get out and return to a less restrictive lifestyle, Labor Day weekend 2021 sales dropped 35% compared to 2020.

Cannabis consumers flocked to dispensaries on September 3, the Friday before Labor Day weekend, resulting in the third-largest day for cannabis sales in 2021. Unfortunately, that was the only good news for cannabis retail.

Overall, sales dropped in 2021 versus 2020 for the last weekend of summer. Analytics firms Headset and Flowhub both reported that sales dropped for the regions they cover. While wholesaler LeafLink saw an early jump in orders for the holiday, orders seemed to taper off as the weekend got closer.

ground cannabis on clear plastic bag — Photo by GRAS GRÜN via Unsplash

Headset

According to cannabis data and analytics company Headset, Labor Day weekend (September 3-6) actually saw a slight decrease (-3.2%) in average daily sales in comparison to the previous four weekends.

RELATED: Is Flower Losing Its Power?

On a positive note, though on Friday 9/3/21 alone, we see a different story. Sales on September 3rd, 2021 were up 10.3% over the previous four Fridays and drove this day to be the third-largest day of total US cannabis sales so far this year. All data for the US is from the following markets: CA, CO, MI, NV, OR, PA, WA.

Beverages For The Win

Headset said that for the full holiday weekend, the only categories to see sales growth over the previous four weekends were Beverages (+8.4%) and Edibles (+4.2%). “When we look at only Friday, September 3rd instead, all categories saw positive growth with Edibles (+15.1%), Capsules (+13.3%), and Vapor Pens (+11.2%). The category with the lowest sales lift was Concentrate with +2.8% growth over the previous four Fridays.”

Coupon Clippers

Dispensaries must’ve had an inkling that sales might be down because there was a slight increase in discounting over the entire holiday weekend. Headset said that the average discount over Labor Day Weekend 2021 was 13.7%, up from 12.3% over the previous four weekends — a relative increase of 11.8%. While Friday, September 3 was the highest sales day of the weekend, Labor Day itself (Monday 9/6) had the highest average discounts of 15.1%, up 27% over the previous four Mondays.

Green Wednesday Cannabis Sales Blow Away Black Friday — Photo by Ivan-balvan/Getty Images

LeafLink

On the wholesale side of the business, it seems dispensaries were planning ahead for a busy holiday. LeafLink said that sales increased 4.33% during the month leading up to the 2021 Labor Day holiday versus a 2.39% increase across the same period in 2020. Leaflink also said that the most significant GMV (gross merchandise value) percentage increase came during the week of 8/15, increasing 4.5% over the previous. Sales then leveled off for the rest of the weeks leading up to Labor Day.

Leaflink outlined the category demand as follows for the holiday:

Flower remained the most popular category in the month leading up to Labor Day, driving 36.33% of GMV compared to 35% of GMV in the month prior to Labor Day 2020 and 35.37% in the previous month.
The second most popular product category leading up to Labor Day 2021 was Cartridges, which made up 22.29% of GMV (about a 1% increase over the previous month). This is a slight drop over 2020 when Cartridges made up 24% of GMV in the month before Labor Day.
Flower saw significant growth during the week of 8/15, increasing 23% in GMV compared to the week before then grew another 9.9% in the following week. This could signify an increase in dispensaries stocking up on Flower in advance of Labor Day 2021.
Packaged Flower was the most popular subcategory, making up 17.47% of total GMV in the month before Labor Day, with Bulk Flower coming in second at 16.29%.

The most popular products in the month leading up to Labor Day in 2021 were:

Slurricane Packaged Flower – MUV (FL)
Gelato Cake Packaged Flower – District Cannabis (MD)
Wedding Cake Packaged Flower – Pacific Stone (CA)
Blueberry Indica Gummies – MUV (FL)
Moon Rocks Concentrates – UBaked (MI)

The most popular Cartridges in the month leading up to Labor Day 2021 were:

Biscotti – Platinum Vape (MI)
Sour Jack – MUV (FL)
Double Bear Honey Cart – Terrapin (PA)
Pink Lemonade – MUV (FL)
Pie Driver – Platinum Vape (MI)

5 Ways To Avoid Unhealthy Marijuana Habits — Photo by rez-art/Getty Images

Flowhub

Flowhub provides point-of-sale, inventory, and other dispensary analytics. That company found that on average, Labor Day normally outperforms the typical Monday by 17-27%. Unfortunately, Flowhub’s data agreed with Headset as this year’s Labor Day 2021 was right on par with (actually slightly less than) a typical Monday. Flowhub said that there didn’t appear to be any holiday bumps in sales or transactions for Labor Day Monday and sales dropped by 9% versus the 2020 holiday.

Maybe the pandemic lockdowns of 2020 caused consumers to buy more last year? Labor Day’s Monday 2020 sales increased around 10% versus 2019. Just one year later as more people were able to get out and return to a less restrictive lifestyle, Labor Day weekend sales dropped 35% compared to 2020. On average, Labor Day weekend outperforms the typical (median) weekend by 15-21%. Flowhub said that Labor Day weekend 2021 sales were 27% less than sales on a typical summer weekend.

This article originally appeared on Green Market Report and has been reposted with permission.

NY Cannabis: Sales Won’t Start Until 2023 Amid Regulatory Uncertainty

Benzinga Staff Writer

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September 9, 2021

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NY Cannabis: Sales Won’t Start Until 2023 Amid Regulatory Uncertainty

Poor liquidity and lack of banking reform will likely continue to limit institutional investor involvement in MSOs, regardless of bank policies, according to one analyst.

By Nicolas Jose Rodriguez

Shortly after former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Marijuana Regulation & Taxation Act (MRTA) legalizing adult-use cannabis on March 31, 2021, legislators created the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) governed by a Cannabis Control Board (CCB) to oversee and implement the law.

Finally, after six months of inaction (and Gov. Cuomo resigning), the signing of the MRTA took place on September 1 under the state’s new Governor Kathy Hochul who duly appointed a chairperson for the NY Cannabis Control Board (CCB) and an Executive Director of the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM).

Kathy Hochul — Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Seemingly all good news for the industry, however, adult-use cannabis sales are nowhere near to becoming a reality.

New Chiefs in Town

Once the State Senate confirmed Gov Hochul’s nominee to chair the CCB, former Brooklyn assembly member Tremaine Wright, as well as her nominee for executive director of the OCM, Christopher Alexander, the hope was that the long-awaited legal cannabis industry, on track to be one of the largest in the country, would finally get underway.

Patience is a virtue.

Adult-use cannabis sales will not likely start until the first half of 2023, at the earliest, predicts Cantor Fitzerald’s Pablo Zuanic.

Several questions “remain in the air,” such as the possible legal challenges to the proposed hybrid “two-tier” system and whether there will be cultivation caps established by municipalities and counties, allowing only one multi-state operator (MSO) to open a cannabis shop in towns.

According to Zuanic,“poor liquidity and lack of banking reform will likely continue to limit institutional investor involvement in MSOs, regardless of bank policies.”

With the MSOs ETF down 19% over the past three months (S&P500 +7%), and federal level action on the CAOA (Cannabis Administration Opportunity Act) unlikely until mid-2022,” Zuanic said that, for now, “state-level news will likely be the main catalyst for the group.”

cannabis insurance money — Photo by Yarygin/Getty Images

Key Questions For The Near Term

As of today, is not clear how many retail licenses will be issued and if there will be a cap on the number of stores allowed to be set up and, naturally, how these issues will impact current dispensary economics. There is also the question of dispensaries being permitted to sell cannabis flower and whether home delivery service will be allowed.

Cultivation: It is also not clear if there will be a cap on cultivation and, if so, how to expand capacity.

Another important set of questions has to do with industry access and market participation as in who will have priority in the licensing process. And, Zuanic pointed out that one wonders what the cost of doing cannabis business in New York is going to be.

According to the current rules regarding medical marijuana, those with newly issued cultivation/production licenses will not be allowed to own distribution/retail licenses. However, incumbent medical licensees will be allowed to own both retail and production licenses, which Zuanic warns could well end up being “a sticking point that may lead to lawsuits and delay the program’s start.”

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been reposted with permission.

Cannabis Case In Washington Upholds Residency Requirement

Daniel Shortt

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September 9, 2021

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Cannabis Case In Washington Upholds Residency Requirement

While this decision may set back any challenge to the residency requirement under the WA State Constitution, it does not settle open questions as to the residency requirements constitutionality under the US Constitution.

On July 23, 2021, the Thurston County Superior Court granted an order for summary judgment to the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) in a lawsuit filed by Idaho businessman Todd Brinkmeyer challenging Washington state’s residency requirement for marijuana licensing. Because Brinkmeyer is not a Washington resident, he cannot own any stake in a licensed marijuana business, despite the fact that he has been approved as a financer in a retail license.

The order granting summary judgment stated that Brinkmeyer, the plaintiff, “failed to meet its heavy burden to establish that Washington’s Residency Requirement is unconstitutional under Washington’s Privileges and Immunities Clause [because] Plaintiff is not a Washington citizen and Article 1 Section 12 of the Washington Constitution, the Privileges and Immunities clause, does not apply to him.” While this decision may set back any challenge to the residency requirement under the Washington State Constitution, it does not settle open questions as to the residency requirements constitutionality under the US Constitution.

marijuana — Photo by Photo by Elsa Olofsson via Unsplash

If you are looking for a comprehensive breakdown of the procedural history of the Brinkmeyer v. WSLCB case, look no further than Cannabis Observer which has kept outstanding records as this case has developed. Here is a summary of some major points in the case, as provided by Cannabis Observer:

June 2020 – Brinkmeyer, sued the WSLCB to overturn the state’s residency requirement. The lawsuit sought a declaratory judgment stating that the residency requirement violated the Dormant Commerce Clause (DCC) of the US Constitution, the Article IV and 14^th Amendment’s Privileges and Immunities Clause of the US Constitution, the 14^th Amendment Due Process Clause of the US Constitution, and the 14^th Amendment of the Equal Protection Clause. The lawsuit also sought relief under the Washington State Constitution pursuant to the Privileges or Immunities Clause in Article I, Section 12.
July 2020 – The case is removed to federal court (United States District Court for the Western District of Washington) because the much of the relief sought was under the US Constitution and a federal court is better suited to decide these issues than a state court.
October 2020 – the federal court remands the case back to state court “pending final resolution of the state law claims.” The case then continued in Thurston County Superior Court.
June-July 2020 – Both Brinkmeyer and the WSLCB submit motions for summary judgment. The superior court grants the WSLCB’s motion for summary judgment solely for the claim under the Washington Constitution for relief under Article 1, Section 12.

According to Cannabis Observer, in issuing her order, the Honorable Mary Sue Wilson stated that “’issues related to the federal dormant commerce clause,’” could be advanced in a federal trial, as that court had ‘retained jurisdiction’ over that clause even as Brinkmeyer’s suit was returned to state court.”

The U.S. Constitution contains a passage, commonly referred to as the “Commerce Clause,” which provides that “Congress shall have Power . . . to regulate Commerce . . . among the several States[.]” The U.S. Supreme Court (“SCOTUS”) has long interpreted this clause to include a corollary or “dormant” Commerce Clause (the “DCC”) which has the effect of prohibiting states from enacting laws inhibiting trade among the states.

marijuana courts — Photo by jirkaejc/Getty Images

In a recent case, Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Association v. Thomas, decided in 2019, SCOTUS invalidated a two-year residency requirement for Tennessee retail liquor stores. In applying the DCC to case at hand, the Court wrote “if a state law discriminates against out-of-state goods or nonresident economic actors, the law can be sustained only on a showing that it is narrowly tailored to advance a legitimate local purpose.” SCOTUS determined that “Tennessee’s 2-year durational-residency requirement plainly favors Tennesseans over nonresidents, and found that the law was not “narrowly tailored” to advance a legitimate local purpose and invalidated Tennessee’s residency requirement as unconstitutional.

It remains to be seen as to whether Brinkmeyer continues his legal battle in federal court. Regardless of that outcome, the question remains as to whether or not Washington’s residency requirement would survive DCC analysis. My guess is that if a federal court were to consider the substance of Brinkmeyer’s DCC claim, it would find that Washington’s residency requirement is unconstitutional because it is not narrowly tailored to advance a legitimate local purpose.

Daniel Shortt is a corporate and regulatory attorney based in Seattle, Washington who works extensively with entrepreneurs in the cannabis industry. You can contact him at info@gl-lg.com or (206) 430-1336.

This article originally appeared on Green Light Law Group and has been reposted with permission.

New Study Confirms No Relation Between Marijuana Legalization And Increased Teen Use

Benzinga Staff Writer

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September 8, 2021

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New Study Confirms No Relation Between Marijuana Legalization And Increased Teen Use

The study’s authors point out one limitation of this new research: recreational marijuana laws are a relatively new phenomenon.

By Natan Ponieman

A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that marijuana legalization laws are not associated with increased use amongst high school students.

“Consistent with estimates from prior studies, there was little evidence that [recreational marijuana laws] or [medical marijuana laws] encourage youth marijuana use,” reads the paper.

The study builds upon a previous paper that used data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) for the period 1993-2017, which found that marijuana adoption was associated with an 8% decrease in the odds of marijuana use among high school students.

This earlier study used pre-legalization and post-legalization data from only seven states and pre– and post–recreational sales data from only three states. The new study included data from up to 2019, encompassing 10 legal adult-use states.

With these additional data, the study found that “medical marijuana law adoption was associated with a 6% decrease in the odds of current marijuana use and a 7% decrease in the odds of frequent marijuana use.”

Is Vaping Cannabis Really Worse For Teen Lungs Than Vaping Tobacco? — Photo by Toan Nguyen via Unsplash

When it comes to recreational use, the new study found that prior to legalization, there was no association with marijuana use in the states analyzed. After two or more years, recreational marijuana law adoption was associated with a decrease in marijuana use.

The study’s authors point out one limitation of this new research: recreational marijuana laws are a relatively new phenomenon.

“As more post-legalization data become available, researchers will be able to draw firmer conclusions about the relationship between [recreational marijuana laws] and adolescent marijuana use,” concluded the authors.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been reposted with permission.

Cannabis Causes Heart Problems

Mike Adams

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September 8, 2021

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A new study has researchers concerned that the overall safety of the cannabis plant has been vastly exaggerated.

A body of evidence has surfaced lately showing that the cannabis plant might not be the healthy herb that many advocates once professed it to be. The main reason it may carry harmful effects, according to experts, is because smoking cannabis — that is, physically ingesting burnt plant matter into the lungs — comes with the same health hazards as smoking tobacco.

However, the latest research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal details a rather shocking revelation. It seems that regardless of how weed is consumed — whether it is smoked, vaped, taken orally, whatever — it can lead to an increased risk of a heart attack. The study shows that adult cannabis users under 45-years-old were at nearly double the jeopardy for a chest-gripping coronary than their non-using counterparts. Yep, Americans are going from doobie to defibrillator.

Scientists didn’t even set out expressly to study heart health as it pertains to cannabis. But while examining the health data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ranging from 2017 to 2018, they just so happened to find a correlation. Findings showed that out of the 17% of the adult cannabis users recorded, 1.3% had a heart attack within a month post-consumption. Meanwhile, only around 0.8% of the unstoned suffered a heart attack during that time.

Now, it should be noted that the difference between the two is only 0.5%. Nevertheless, researchers are concerned that the overall safety of the cannabis plant has been vastly exaggerated. “There’s increasing evidence that this could potentially be harmful to you, both in the short term and the long term,” lead study author Dr. Karim Ladha, clinician-scientist and staff anesthesiologist at St. Michael’s Hospital and the University of Toronto in Canada, told CNN.

All in all, this new research confirms that cannabis can affect the heart. It does this by causing an irregular rhythm. This can happen when the amount of oxygen a person’s heart needs to keep pumping away efficiently is increased. If it doesn’t get it, that’s when a heart attack can happen. Other studies conducted over the past few years have turned out similar results.

Marijuana Can Dramatically Alter The Shape Of Your Heart — Photo by mikroman6/Getty Images

Diehard cannabis advocates like Mitch Earleywine, a professor of psychology at the State University of New York at Albany, are, of course, questioning the authenticity of the study. “Let’s keep in mind the fact that it’s very easy to double a number if it’s very small in the first place,” he told HealthDay News. Earleywine even suggested that the poor diets of Americans, stress and a lack of exercise could have played a role in the results. Most days, we would be inclined to agree. However, contrary to his assessment, a connection was made between cannabis use and coronaries even after researchers eliminated other health data like smoking, drinking, and chronic illness.

If anything, the results of this study further cosign the need for the federal government to conduct more marijuana-related research. It’s not that Americans really care that their vices might lead to a deterioration of health, but like in the case of alcohol and tobacco, they’d like to at least know for sure what their chances are before going too deep. We know that both of those legal substances cause various health issues, from cancer to heart disease, yet we ingest them with enthusiasm each day.

It only stands to reason that the American stoner will continue its path down the highway of happiness regardless of whether there is a sliver of a chance they could suffer a cardiac. But just to be safe, you might want to skip the cheeseburger when the munchies kick in.

Prior Cannabis Convictions Should Not Prevent Michiganders From Obtaining Marijuana License

Benzinga Staff Writer

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September 8, 2021

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Prior Cannabis Convictions Should Not Prevent Michiganders From Obtaining Marijuana License

One of the most important problems with the “moral clause” is its existence in the medical cannabis program, but not in the recreational.

By Nina Zdinjak

Senator Jeff Irwin (D) presented a new bill last week that aims to align licensing protocols for Michigan’s medical and adult-use programs by removing a “moral character” clause from the medical cannabis licensing policy.

If the bill, which is assigned to the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, becomes law, marijuana regulators in Michigan could no longer refuse to issue a medical cannabis license to someone based on “moral character and reputation” or previous cannabis convictions.

America’s Goal In 2021 Should Be Fewer Marijuana Arrests, More Research — Photo by Roman Budnyi/Getty Images

“It would seem to be especially important in the cannabis space that we open the door to the legal cannabis industry to folks who are very experienced in the illicit cannabis space,” Irwin said, adding it would be unreasonable to assume illegal cannabis sales would simply end.

“I don’t think we want to exclude anyone who’s ever participated in the marijuana industry before it was legal from participating now that it is legal because that’s going to make it even harder for us to build the legal space and diminish the illicit space,” Irwin noted.

Moral Character Clause Invites Inequality And Corruption

One of the most important problems with the “moral clause” is its existence in the medical cannabis program, but not in the recreational.

Irwin told Marijuana Moment in a phone interview on Monday that the subjective nature of the moral character clause “invites unequal application of the law, it invites favoritism, it invites corruption.”

To build a successful legal market “we need to keep the taxes low,” Irwin continued. “We need to keep the barriers to entry low. We need to welcome people who might have a marijuana conviction on their record into the licensed space. That’s all part of being successful as a state in making sure the majority of transactions are taking place in a safe and regulated legal space.”

Michigan cannabis sales hit a record $171 million in July, which in return brought more than $23 million in tax revenue funding the Great Lake roads, schools and counties.

The bill is co-sponsored by Senators Sean McCann, Stephanie Chang and Sylvia Santana, all Democrats, but according to Irwin, the bill should ultimately garner GOP support.

Last week, Irwin separately introduced the legislation to legalize the possession and cultivation of certain psychedelics.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been reposted with permission.

Can Cannabis Provide Relief From Headaches?

Dr. Mary Clifton

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September 8, 2021

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Can Cannabis Provide Relief From Headaches?

Cannabinoids overall are likely to be helpful for headache sufferers due to their ability to penetrate the part of the brain involved in migraine pathophysiology.

Did you know that 23 million Americans suffer from severe migraine headaches, and 25% have four or more episodes per month?

In fact, this epidemic costs businesses between 1.2 billion to 17.2 billion dollars annually, through lost productivity and sick time.

But can cannabis provide relief?

Though the United States classifies medical cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug (meaning it has the high potential for abuse and has no accepted medical use and lack of safety for use under medical supervision), there have been numerous case studies surrounding the use of medical cannabis for headaches. And it would be a natural derivation of those studies to at least consider CBD oil, another closely related cannabinoid.

For example, one woman with a rare type of headache was presented in Headache Magazine in the 2004 Journal For Headache Medicine. She had a history of pseudotumor cerebri, which is a very uncomfortable splitting headache, associated sometimes with obesity and high pressures within the spinal cord fluid.

This woman experienced resolution of her headache within five minutes of smoking cannabis. Though anecdotal, case studies such as this suggest further evaluation be considered for headache sufferers.

Cannabinoids overall are likely to be helpful for headache sufferers due to their ability to penetrate the part of the brain involved in migraine pathophysiology, offering migraine sufferers with endocannabinoid (naturally appearing pain modulators) deficiency or receptor activation dysfunction possible relief. (If you’re suffering with headaches or migraines, you may want to read that sentence a few more times, because it offers HOPE.)

While also being entwined with the central nervous system’s serotonin, the endocannabinoid system mechanism of action can be similar to drugs already in use for migraine sufferers such as triptans, like Sumatriptan, Imitrex, Maxalt and Amerge which act through serotonin activation.

Should Chronic Pain Patients Use Metered Doses For Most Effective Treatment? — Photo by Andrea Piacquadio via Pexels

Cannabis has been found to be most effective in treating patients with:

Migraines
Anxiety (prior to the onset of migraines)
Migraines concurrent with fibromyalgia
Endocannabinoid deficiency in pain disorders
Variation with the CNR1 gene
Female migraine sufferers due to the accelerated degradation fo endocannabinoids

WHY DO WE CARE? Look, current migraine medications fall far short, whether from side effects, failed response to triptans, or simple intolerance to the medications.

In these situations it is perfectly reasonable to consider an alternative treatment with the use of medical cannabis or even CBD.

When medications have failed, a patient’s medical team might want to consider cannabis or CBD.

These might very well present a logical alternative therapy to finding relief.

This article originally appeared on CBD & Cannabis Info. and has been reposted with permission.

Cancer Patients Aren’t Using Much Marijuana To Treat Symptoms

Mike Adams

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September 7, 2021

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Cancer Patients Aren’t Using Much Marijuana To Treat Symptoms

The authors of a new study admitted that much more research is needed before the medical community fully understands the relationship between cannabis and cancer.

The medical marijuana legalization movement has spent decades tugging at the heartstrings of Americans by suggesting that the herb of all highness is, in many cases, the best remedy for cancer and, in some cases, even a cure.

The line between reality and hype has presumably sparked an uprising in cancer patients using marijuana to cope with the symptoms of the disease rather than relying solely on traditional treatments. However, a new study shines some light on cannabis use against perilous tumors, and it turns out it’s not as prevalent as you might think.

Researchers at the Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center found that cannabis use is lower in cancer patients than those with absolutely no history of the disease. The study, recently published in the journal Cancer, shows that only around 9% of cancer patients dabbled in the doobie compared to 14% who have never received a cancer diagnosis.

Cancer Patients Say Cannabis Is Just As Effective Or Better Than Cancer Treatments — Photo by Cavan Images/Getty Images

As far as researchers can tell, not as many cancer patients are using marijuana to combat the various stages of this scourge as advocates would have us believe. Not even now that legalization has taken hold in over half the nation are cancer patients using weed more than modern medicine.

“Even when we looked at whether someone used cannabis over the four years of observation and we control for things like age and race, cancer patients are still not increasing their use over time like the general population,” study lead author Bernard Fuemmeler, Ph.D., associate director for population science and interim co-leader of the Cancer Prevention and Control research program at Massey Cancer Center, said in a statement. “I would have expected them to have at least mirrored what was happening in the general population,” he added.

According to the CDC, there are somewhere around 22 million regular monthly marijuana users in the United States.

Although there was assuredly a time when more cancer patients were using cannabis, a significant decline happened between 2013 and 2018, the study shows. This drop was, presumably, because patients tried it, and it wasn’t as effective as reported. Either that or they watched friends and family members using cannabis for cancer and watched them die horrific deaths.

By now, people are coming to grips with the fact that smoking marijuana isn’t the be-all, end-all cancer treatment, and they are choosing more scientific methods. “You have to be mindful of your health and contemplate whether something like cannabis is helpful or hurtful,” Fuemmeler said.

Cannabis And Chemotherapy — Photo by National Cancer Institute via Unsplash

The findings, however, do not entirely discount marijuana as a treatment option for cancer patients. Researchers said that patients who experienced higher pain levels were more likely to use marijuana than those who didn’t.

But that doesn’t mean cannabis is an effective reliever of cancer pain. Some of the most comprehensive medical research published on this subject over the past few years shows that the best marijuana can do for people with cancer is tame their nausea. Other than that, there is zero evidence that marijuana can cure or impact cancer at all.

Interestingly, the lowest rates of cannabis use were found in women, people with higher incomes, those with health insurance, and mentally stable folks. In short, researchers believe that cancer patients with lower incomes and without adequate coverage to pay for remedies (including prescription drugs) within the healthcare industry are the ones seeking out medical marijuana for this disease.

The study authors admitted that much more research is needed before the medical community fully understands the relationship between cannabis and cancer. Yet, they urge patients to engage in open and honest conversations with their primary care physicians and oncologists before going all-in on cannabis.

“As with all health decisions, it’s best to talk to your doctor before making any big changes,” said study co-author Egidio Del Fabbro, M.D., the Palliative Care Endowed Chair and director of palliative care at Massey Cancer Center and a professor of internal medicine at VCU.

Legal Weed: Cannabis Dispensaries, Marijuana Stocks And How It All Works

Cannabis

El Planteo

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September 7, 2021

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Legal Weed: Cannabis Dispensaries, Marijuana Stocks And How It All Works

In Canada and the U.S., weed has become such an important business that, in 2021, more than 320,000 people are earning their salary from the sale of marijuana and associated services.

By Natán Ponieman via El Planteo.

Businesses that sell weed on the street? Cannabis stocks? What are you talking about?

Depending on what country you are in, the progress of cannabis legalization is in very different stages. Therefore, some readers may be stunned by the headlines on our site.

Here’s what it’s all about.

Legal Cannabis: A Reality

While in some countries cannabis legalization remains a fight yet to be won, in others it is widespread. Canada, for example, fully legalized the plant and its consumption in October 2018. This means that anyone over 18 years of age can buy, grow, consume and transport moderate amounts of marijuana (yes, even with THC) in a totally legal manner. Uruguay was the first country in the world to legalize cannabis, a few years before Canada.

For the time being, only those two nations have fully legal cannabis, but many other countries have already come a long way in developing regulations that allow for different levels of legalization. Among them we can count Spain, Colombia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Israel and the United States.

The latter is a special example because, due to its federal system, many of its states already allow the cultivation and sale of legal marijuana to adults and medicinal patients.

Dispensary Job Market Still Strong Despite Lockdowns — Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Stringer/Getty Images

What Are Dispensaries?

A dispensary is basically a legitimate business that sells marijuana.

In countries where cannabis is legal, consumers don’t have to buy their weed from a dodgy-looking guy in a dark corner, or sneakily plant it in the closet, away from their neighbors’ sight.

Dispensaries are totally legal businesses where you can obtain information on weed strains, try different products (from flowers or buds to concentrates, creams, oils, and accessories) and buy the cannabis product that best suits your needs.

In fact, in Canada and several places in the United States – such as California and Colorado – you can even order marijuana online and have it delivered to your home, and it’s all 100% legal.

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In countries where it can be bought and consumed legally, weed has become a multi-billion dollar business. This means that those who grow cannabis are not just amateurs doing gardening on their balconies, terraces and closets. There are huge companies dedicated to the cultivation, production, distribution and sale of marijuana products.

Some of these companies have thousands of employees and are valued in billions of dollars. Among them we can name Canopy Growth Corporation, Aurora Cannabis, Cronos Group, Aphria, Hexo, and Tilray.

Are Americans Ready To Invest In Marijuana Stocks? — Photo by Darren415/Getty Images

Several of these companies have become so important that their shares are listed on the major stock exchanges in the world, such as NYSE or NASDAQ. In the same way that investors can buy shares of Apple, Amazon, Disney or PepsiCo, they can also buy shares and own a slice of these cannabis giants. Hey, even you can do it if you have some extra cash lying around!

In Canada and the United States, cannabis has become such an important business that, in 2021, more than 320,000 people are earning their salary from the sale of marijuana and associated services.

This industry does not just employ growers and sellers. A whole industry secondary to the production and sale of cannabis has developed, offering specialized marketing services, legal consulting, laboratory testing and development of customized software solutions.

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In Canada and the U.S., weed has become such an important business that, in 2021, more than 320,000 people are earning their salary from the sale of marijuana and associated services.

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What Are Dispensaries?

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