WeedLife News Network

Like everything else touched by COVID-19, unexpected trends and shifts have occurred in the cannabis industry. One such shift is towards consumers seeking value products, which are rising in popularity due to a reduction in work and income across many different industries as the COVID-19 crisis wears on. In particular, low price/high THC combinations seem to be the magic bullet for anyone shopping for cannabis on a budget. 

Canndescent, a brand that initially entered the market with a luxury-focus, recently launched the company’s third brand, Baker’s Cannabis Co. The brand offers lower-cost but still decent quality products, like $6 one-gram pre-rolled joints and $55 half-gram pre-ground pouches, which come equipped with rolling papers and crutches. 

Old Pal

The style echoes one of the original legal value cannabis brands, Old Pal, which began selling its pre-ground cannabis flower in similar packaging and has gained popularity for its surprisingly high-quality product despite being priced comparatively lower than others in the space.

“Quality weed at fair prices has always been in high demand,” says Rusty Wilenkin, CEO of Old Pal, noting that this isn’t exactly a specific-to-COVID trend. “Value at Old Pal means more than just perceived value of low cost, to us value is the best quality at fair prices. During COVID, we’ve seen steady demand from consumers for our products. The industry overall has felt disruption with changing and varying regulations for retail shopping state to state. And while this is not unique to the cannabis industry, with the industry being as young as it is, these changes have been even more demanding.”

Canndescent

“Consumers aren’t visiting dispensaries as often as before,” explains Canndescent’s CMO Sam Arellano regarding a specific buying trend that can be directly attributed to COVID. “When they do, they’re opting for cannabis in larger weight/sizes with strong value equations to carry them between visits. We’re experiencing this increase in demand with Baker’s Cannabis Co. Despite COVID-19, demand has been consistently strong and steadily growing as consumers come to trust Baker’s quality, price, and availability.”

A new report found that price was the second biggest factor for consumers when making CBD purchase decisions.

The passage of the 2018 Farm Bill legalizing hemp sparked a CBD rush with millions in sales and seemingly everyone starting a company using some form of hemp-derived cannabis oil.  Last year’s BDSA and Arcview Market Research, industry report estimated that CBD sales in the U.S. would surpass $20 billion by 2024. New York-based investment bank Cowen & Co forecast that the market would hit $15 billion by 2025.

A new report from the Brightfield Group, “US CBD Market July 2020“, warns those numbers will be much lower as a result of the impact of COVID-19 on shoppers. Several reasons are behind the drop in sales from lockdowns causing brick and mortar store closures, to shifts in retailers making deliveries and even the job crisis that is hurting consumers’ wallets. The report stated that in 2020, the US hemp-derived CBD market is projected to reach $4.7 billion in sales, with 14% growth from 2019 sales of $4.1 billion. The market had been expected to grow by over 30%.

Stay At Home

One big problem for CBD shoppers was the request from states with big outbreaks to stay at home and only venture out if absolutely necessary.  The report noted that there would be a loss of revenue from store closures as many retailers selling CBD products had either closed temporarily during the crisis or were only offering curbside pickup and delivery. “Even for CBD specialist retailers and smoke shops that remain open, they are experiencing steep declines in sales as social distancing guidelines and consumer worries about contracting the coronavirus keep shoppers at home.” That meant more online shopping, which worked well for established brands.

Nearly half (45%) of CBD consumers surveyed in June 2020 by Brightfield said they moved their CBD purchases online because of the coronavirus crisis. “Millennial shoppers are the most likely to have switched to e-commerce for their CBD needs, with 54% reporting switching from brick and mortar stores to online as they also increase their
usage and spending during this stressful time. CBD market leaders have seen online sales increase dramatically in the first half of 2020 but are still making efforts to expand in brick and mortar retailers to set up for future success and broader brand awareness.”

With recreational marijuana introduced locally, the industry is becoming more of an influence in the state’s economy reports WOOD-TV 8.

The state’s Marijuana Regulatory Agency shows that prices are falling, while sales are on the rise.

The industry is broken up into two sections: medical and recreational. Medical is more restrictive and requires a special license, but recreational can be sold to anyone over 21.

“The medical market is a lot cheaper than the recreational market,” said Dean St. Peter, co-founder of ArCanna, a cannabis shop in Ionia.

“There’s a lot less taxation too. There’s an additional 10 percent excise tax on recreational cannabis that medical does not have.”

While CBD is the major player in treating an illness like severe seizures, it’s really an entourage effect that makes the compound work.

Ever since the 2018 Farm Bill passed in the U.S., CBD has been a hot topic, to say the least. The legislation, which effectively legalizes industrial hemp, significantly opened the market for hemp-derived CBD. From cosmetics to salves to tinctures and more, it seems CBD is infused into everything these days.

In many ways, the CBD craze has gotten ahead of itself. Mainstream media and wellness experts praise cannabidiol as the swan of the cannabis plant, dismissing the rest of the cannabinoids as ugly ducklings. Consumers unfamiliar with cannabis may gravitate toward pure CBD extract, as CBD is often associated with many of marijuana’s health benefits.

But while CBD is the major player in treating an illness like severe seizures, it’s really an entourage effect that makes the CBD work. The entourage effect, for those unfamiliar, is that individual cannabinoids, like CBD, increase their efficacy when working in conjunction with other cannabinoids, like THC or CBN. This is true even when the presence of those other cannabinoids is minimal. The whole in this equation is greater than the sum of its parts.

While CBD is a powerful extract, it’s important for consumers to understand they could be losing some potency when choosing hemp-derived pure CBD vs. cannabis-derived CBD, which may contain low doses of THC.

With the legalization of the recreational cannabis industry in Illinois, the cannabis accessory industry has seen an uptick in Carbondale.

The Legal Smile CBD wellness and head shop opened on the south end of Carbondale in May 2019. Shop owner Jacob Buckman said, as to be expected, his business has seen an uptick since recreational cannabis became legal Jan. 1. But he said he’s also been able to expand.

Next door to his pipe shop is Soil Grown, a cannabis and CBD grow store. They offer everything from soil blends, to pots, to lights, to nutrients for those medical cannabis patients who are now legally allowed to grow — recreational users are not permitted to grow for personal use under the law.

“It’ll be another booming expansion (of the cannabis industry),” Buckman said of the accessory and grow businesses.

Some in Carbondale might have noticed some work being done at the old El Greco location on the strip. Chan Patel owns the building and operates Old Town Liquor next door. He said he, too, is looking to open up a cannabis accessory store.

Inhaling hot smoke during the summer is not the most pleasant of activities. Here are 5 things you can do to get high while battling the heat.

While in the midst of a pandemic, summer has become even more special, providing some much needed escape for people who want to leave their homes and hang out in the open air without fear of cluttered spaces with poor ventilation that facilitate stress and the spread of the virus.

Smoking weed in the summer is tough, especially on those really hot days. While there are some people who don’t mind smoking when it’s 90 degrees out, a lot of people prefer to have something cool that makes them feel like they’re not melting. Still, there are a dozen ways to consume weed and making the most of the summer without inhaling hot smoke.

Here are 5 ways to enjoy cannabis during the warmer months:

Smoke near air conditioning

While it’s nice to take advantage of the season and of those really warm days, sometimes it’s okay to stay home and enjoy your AC unit. Beach days are great, but so are days spent getting high, watching a good movie or playing a board game, preparing a meal, reading a book, etc. Weed is flexible like that.

Thanks to antioxidants, CBD can help fight free-radical damage and even reduce some of your wrinkles. That’s why skincare companies often include the compound in their products.

Hoping to turn back the clock a few years?

OK, that may be scientifically impossible, but thanks to CBD, you may be able to take a few years off of your skin. It’s true! Thanks to antioxidants, CBD can help fight free-radical damage and even reduce some of your wrinkles. That’s why skincare companies everywhere are starting to include CBD in their products.

Of course, CBD isn’t a miracle worker and more research is needed to confirm its anti-aging properties. In the meantime, here’s everything you need to know about CBD and anti-aging, and how it can help you look and feel your best as you continue to blow out more candles on your birthday cake.

Photo by JGI/Jamie Grill/Getty Images

The recent study was conducted at the St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, and the Emerald Clinics (EMD) in Perth, suggests cannabis is a safe option for patients to integrate into their current pain treatment.

That includes patients who already consume high doses of opioids.

The company administered its ZTL-103, a 1:1 THC/CBD formulation to chronic pain (non-cancer) patients who used at least 60 milligrams of morphine or similar opioids daily. After a two-week dosing period, patients reported reduced levels of pain, stress, depression and anxiety, while experiencing no serious side effects.

“This study not only reinforces that cannabis can be safely administered in increasing amounts to treat pain, but can be safely taken concurrently with high daily doses of opioids,” says Zelira CEO Dr. Oludare Odumosu. “These promising results lay the groundwork for our further study on pain management among retired athletes.”

This trial aimed to assess the safety of Zelira’s cannabis formulation, ZTL-103, in patients with chronic pain who are already on long-term, high-dose opioid treatment. 

A marijuana high typically lasts for a couple of hours, but the THC stays in your system much longer—as in, weeks longer. This fact can be annoying for anyone who has to undergo drug testing. Nobody wants to subject themselves to a 30-day pot detox just so they can keep their job or avoid legal trouble.

So why does THC stay in your system for so long? And is there anything you can do about it?

What Is THC?

For a quick primer, THC is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. It’s one of over 100 cannabinoids found in marijuana. Cannabinoids are the compounds that bind to the body’s natural cannabinoid receptors, and these interactions are what cause the well-known physical and physiological effects of marijuana.

For most marijuana users, THC is the most important cannabinoid; it’s the psychoactive compound that gets you high. But it’s also the compound that conventional urine, blood, and hair tests look for. That means it can come back to haunt you long after your smoke session is a distant memory.

How Long Does THC Stay Inside the Body?

If you’re a regular user, THC may be detectable in your system for a full month, sometimes longer. Some research has even detected cannabis a full 90 days after the user’s last toke. On the flip side, there are instances when THC is only detectable for about 48 hours after use.

For many people, coffee is a crucial part of their morning routine (read: I can't function without large quantities of caffeine). While coffee can feel like magical get-stuff-done juice, too much of a good thing can leave you jittery, anxious, and seriously over-caffeinated. 

Cannabidoil (CBD), a non-intoxicating cannabinoid, can help solve that problem according to some consumers. Currently, CBD can be found in all kinds of products, from pet treats to skincare to CBD lattes at your local coffee shop. And CBD-infused beverages have made an especially large impact — Zenith Global projects that the market for CBD and hemp infused drinks will grow to over $1.4 Billion by 2024. 

Of the drinkable CBD products currently sold, CBD coffee is one of the most popular. Over the last several years, the number of coffee shops and cafés offering different CBD-infused coffee and espresso drinks has noticeably increased. For the dedicated coffee-drinker, the appeal seems obvious: all the focus and productivity of a solid caffeine rush without the impending doom of potential overindulgence. 

What is CBD Coffee?

CBD coffee, as you probably guessed, is a combination of coffee and cannabidoil. It can include different ingredients and be made into regular hot coffee, cold brew, and various other types of drinks. Coffee shops that offer CBD-infused options typically add CBD oil to coffee after it's brewed, while coffee brands add CBD (often in isolate form) to the coffee beans themselves. 

The amount of CBD per cup of joe will vary, but it's important to only buy from trusted retailers. Since CBD beverages are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, companies don't always disclose how their CBD is extracted or exactly how many milligrams are in each serving. 

Cannabis sales in Colorado set a new monthly record in May, reaching their highest level since broad legalization in 2014.

Dispensaries sold over $192 million worth of cannabis products that month, according to data from the state Department of Revenue’s Marijuana Enforcement Division compiled by The Denver Post. That figure is up about 29% from April and 32% from May 2019.

Sales at medical and recreational marijuana shops hit monthly all-time highs, with just under $43 million and just over $149 million, respectively.

In all, the cannabis industry has sold more than $779 million in products so far this year and paid more than $167 million in taxes and fees to the state.

Colorado dispensaries were deemed essential businesses during the early days of the pandemic when there were statewide stay-at-home orders. So far, monthly cannabis sales this year have consistently outpaced 2019, which was the highest-grossing year on record.

As Michigan's marijuana industry blooms, prices of both medical and recreational marijuana have steadily dropped.

According to the latest reporting from the state's Marijuana Regulatory Agency, the price per ounce of recreational marijuana was $516.21 in December, when the sales first started, and dropped to $409.76 in May, the most recent month that MRA reported. Meanwhile, medical marijuana was $267.30 per ounce in December and dropped to $251.50 in May. 

As of July 15, the state has authorized cultivators to grow 511,500 plants, a 20% increase from about two months earlier. The price of pot is expected to continue to drop as more licenses are granted, but MRA Director Andrew Brisbo says that the agency wants to avoid them falling too far. "What we need to be cautious about and be wary of is what happened in Oregon," he told MLive, "where the scale shifted and there was oversupply, because then the price kind of bottoms out."

In the past few years, the price of marijuana in Oregon plummeted due to a supply surplus, becoming the nation's cheapest weed. (One study found it would take at least six years for the state's 4 million residents to smoke the entire stock. Due to federal prohibition of marijuana, it's not possible to simply export it to other states.)

This year, the price of marijuana began to climb again in Oregon, due in part growers going out of business because of the supply-and-demand issues. 

Cannabis use continues to increase in popularity among adults 65 years of age and older in the United States. With the legalization of cannabis in many states for either medical or recreational purposes, there is growing interest in using it to treat a variety of long-term health conditions and symptoms common among older adults.   

More than ever, cannabis use is on the rise for seniors. Legalization has given seniors more access to information that has helped to soften their harsh views of weed and create curiosity where there was once only disdain.

Yet, even with more material about cannabis becoming mainstream some seniors may still struggle to bridge the gap between their interest and their apprehension when it comes to actually going to a dispensary to buy cannabis for themselves.

Sue Taylor remembers a time when propaganda promoting the fear of marijuana was at a fever pitch — she admits that she used to think cannabis was “just as bad” as heroin or cocaine.

“I never had any intention of getting involved in the cannabis industry. You know, ‘Reefer Madness’ really did a number on me and my generation.” Taylor says. “I was taught that it was a very bad drug that made people do bad things — especially Black people. And, at the time, I believed it.”

A sound explanation comes from a report by the World Health Organization, which examined many, many aspects of CBD, including its potential for abuse.

With CBD pens, edibles, shatter, medicines and oils continuing to crop up across the United States and around the world, a vehement anti-cannabis strain of people look for the “bad” in anything marijuana. That extends to cannabidiol, or CBD, a non-psychoactive wonder component of the cannabis plant.

In all reality, a completely reasonable person with no experience with marijuana besides what’s been institutionally taught could also wonder the same thing. People are puffing on CBD vape pens left and right and pretty much every retailer in America offers some type of CBD product. If it’s so appealing so often, is it habit forming?

The simple answer is. A sound explanation comes from a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), which examined many, many aspects of CBD, including its potential for abuse. “Single dose administration of cannabidiol has been evaluated in healthy volunteers using a variety of tests of abuse potential as well as physiological effects in a randomized double blind placebo controlled trial,” reads the report.

“An orally administered dose of 600mg of CBD did not differ from placebo on the scales of the Addiction Research Centre Inventory, a 16 item Visual Analogue Mood Scale, subjective level of intoxication or psychotic symptoms,” in continued.

Legislation to wipe convictions for possession of small amounts cannabis off the records was tabled in the House of Assembly.

The Expungement of Convictions Act was designed to remove the stigma of past convictions for people who were caught with small amounts of the drug before it was decriminalised three years ago.

Kathy Lynn Simmons, the Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, said cannabis laws had penalised young black men and damage their education and job prospects.

Ms Simmons added the 2017 Misuse of Drugs (Decriminalisation of Cannabis) Amendment Act decriminalised possession of 7g or less of cannabis.

She said on Friday: “At the time, the wider social justice policy objective was to discontinue the longstanding practice of criminalising individuals for personal cannabis use.

In early September 2019, President Trump expressed an urgency to ban vaping products.

In the wake of this announcement, the Center for Drug Control (CDC) reported that 1,299 confirmed and probable lung injury cases were associated with e-cigarette or vaping products.

In addition, the CDC confirmed 26 deaths related to vaping products. However, this wasn’t the first instance of bad press for vaping.

A History of the Vaping Crisis

Like many of today’s technologies, vaping and e-cigarettes seemed to skyrocket in popularity overnight. The credit is largely due to Juul.

Founded in 2015, the company set out to develop a cigarette alternative for those trying to wean themselves off of smoking. Since then, the company has become a verb, and in 2017 claimed over a third of the e-cigarette market, generating $224 million in revenue.

According to a new report by The Denver Post, marijuana sales in Colorado set a new monthly record in May. The sales in May break a record that’s been in place since legal sales begin way back in 2014.

According to the report, licensed legal marijuana retail outlets and medical marijuana dispensaries sold $192,175,937 worth of products in May. This is based on data from the Department of Revenue’s Marijuana Enforcement Division. The Denver Post notes that these numbers mark 29% from April and an increase of 32% from May 2019.

Sales at both medical and recreational pot shops hit monthly all-time highs, at $42,989,322 and $149,186,615, respectively. Collectively, both sectors have sold more than $779 million in 2020 and paid more than $167 million in taxes and fees to the state.

Roy Bingham, co-founder and executive chairman of BSDA analytics firm, said a confluence of several factors caused by the pandemic are likely causing the increase in sales. For one, many people may have more leisure time and are spending more time at home, where cannabis is typically consumed. Existing marijuana consumers also are buying more each time they go to the dispensary, a trend that started with stocking up in March when Colorado went under a statewide stay-at-home order.

“Everyone has perhaps become more used to consuming a little more,” Bingham said.

Exposure to THC led to decreased social interactions for up to 24 hours in mice, new research found.

Studies have shown that marijuana can help patients feel less lonely and depressed, but that doesn’t equate to cannabis making you a social butterfly. In fact, a new study found the opposite — habitual marijuana use could cause users to become less sociable than others.

The research, published in Nature, was led by Giovanni Marsicano at NeuroCentre Magendie in Bordeaux, France. His team wanted to better understand how cannabinoid receptors works and how they interact with marijuana compounds. Previous studies established that cannabinoid receptors are primarily localized in the cell membrane.

But Marsicano and his team discovered in 2012 that some receptors exist in mitochondria, which are known as the powerhouses of the cell and provide much of the energy cells need. Along the mitochondria membrane lie little star-shaped cells called astrocytes. These astrocytes “take up glucose from the bloodstream to provide energy to the brain, thereby allowing neuronal activity and behavioral responses,” wrote the study’s authors.

Mariscano and his team had an idea: If these astrocytes contained cannabinoid receptors, how exactly did they interact with marijuana?

Cannabis sales in Colorado set a new monthly record in May, reaching their highest level since broad legalization in 2014.

Dispensaries sold over $192 million worth of cannabis products that month, according to data from the state Department of Revenue’s Marijuana Enforcement Division compiled by The Denver Post. That figure is up about 29% from April and 32% from May 2019.

Sales at medical and recreational marijuana shops hit monthly all-time highs, with just under $43 million and just over $149 million, respectively.

In all, the cannabis industry has sold more than $779 million in products so far this year and paid more than $167 million in taxes and fees to the state.

Colorado dispensaries were deemed essential businesses during the early days of the pandemic when there were statewide stay-at-home orders. So far, monthly cannabis sales this year have consistently outpaced 2019, the highest-grossing year on record.