WeedLife News Network

A report released by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) this week revealed that THC levels in cannabis products sold in the state are on the rise.

The THC in Colorado Marijuana Report 2020, compiled by the CDPHE’s Retail Marijuana Public Health Advisory Committee, also takes a look at the health implications of the rising potency of marijuana in Colorado, which was one of the first two U.S. states to legalize recreational sales. 

Since legalization took effect in 2012, the report notes “it is apparent that progress has occurred quicker in the marijuana industry than in science.”

“The sheer quantity and variety of marijuana products available on the retail market place is proof of this rapid advancement,” it continues, before concluding that, based on various studies, this trend of increasing THC concentration has been “happening worldwide and it appears to be increasing on a yearly basis.”  

On average, cannabis flower bought on the Colorado market has 19.56% THC, however, the report underlines there have been instances of “some retail marijuana stores advertising up to 95% THC in concentrate products.” 

Some holidays seem to roll around at just the right time, like my birthday when the last dregs of Christmas largesse are spent, Memorial Day when we need one last long weekend to get us through the school year before summer vacation, and now, National CBD Day on August 8th, just when the CBD market needs a boost from the deflating impacts of Covid-19. 

In a July 2020 report by The Brightfield Group, data analysts projected that CBD sales for 2020 will only be up 14% from 2019 rather than the 30% originally projected due to impacts of the Covid crisis. Store closures, spiking unemployment, and inaction by the FDA are all contributing to a sluggish market. The report also shows that nearly half of CBD consumers have moved their purchasing online due to coronavirus. CBD sales may be suffering due to the pandemic, but the surge in conditions triggered and exacerbated by the virus, such as anxiety (ranked the number one ailment of CBD users), depression (ranked second) and insomnia (ranked sixth) indicate that demand for CBD products will only increase as Covid-19 maintains its grip. 

Among the most popular products right now are edibles, with 33% of US consumers stating an increase in consumption when surveyed in June, with higher dosages reported among all products used. Vape products appear to be declining in popularity, however, due to negative media attention around inhalants and the increased likelihood that inhalant users will experience serious complications with Covid-19.  A surplus of hemp biomass is causing an overall price drop as well as hefty promotions and flash sales to incentivize consumers to sample the array of new products on the market, such as those with trendy ingredients like turmeric and ashwagandha as well as some lesser-known cannabinoids like CBG and CBN. Additionally, CBD companies are inundating the market with innovative products that go beyond the standard capsule and tincture delivery methods.

One example is VCC Brands’ Subtle Tea, a vegan, keto-friendly way to refresh the body and rejuvenate the mind with flavors like Jasmine Green Tea with Lychee and White Peach Tea with Cardamom. Another is TOCA Botanicals TOTO CBD Lubricant, to inspire pleasure and relaxation of a more intimate variety. Humans aren’t the only species feeling the shaky vibes of the 2020 rollercoaster, which is why Harvey’s All Naturals introduced their  Harvey’s All Naturals Elixir for Pets to address pet stress and anxiety as well as pain and inflammation.

2020 has been a rocky year for the economy, but with the FDA inching closer to a clearer, more consistent regulatory framework and the demand for products that can ease the tensions of one of the most dramatic periods in recent history ever rising, the CBD industry is poised for a major rebound. And with new products hitting the market just in time for National CBD Day (and beyond), there just might be a CBD product out there for everything the Covid Era still has in store.

According to a new report by the research firm New Frontier Data, the legal retail sales of marijuana and marijuana products in the United States reached all-time highs during the months of April and May.

According to the report which covered 24 legal recreational or medical marijuana programs, “Average consumer monthly spending rose to record highs in April and May, reaching $290 and $296, respectively.”

They found that “One unanticipated effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the growth acceleration of legal cannabis markets (and erosion of the illicit markets) in those states which have activated both medical and adult-use sales.”

The report states that “One unanticipated effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the growth acceleration of legal cannabis markets (and erosion of illicit markets) in those states which have activated both medical and adult-use sales. In 2019, the total combined illicit market for cannabis in the United States was an estimated $64 billion, which through the growth of currently legal markets is projected to shrink some $4 billion by 2022.”

It continues by stating that: “Through higher sales and increased patient participation in medical-only markets, the second quarter of 2020 saw surging patient counts in medical markets – particularly in those having 1) lower barriers to entry (i.e., less restrictive qualification requirements), and 2) more accessible markets (i.e., greater density among dispensaries).”

An analysis of police arrest data in Albany, New York shows that racial disparity in the enforcement of marijuana laws in Albany continues, despite assurances from the city’s police chief that the issue would be investigated following a report from a civil rights group last year.

In April 2019, the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) released a report on the enforcement of cannabis laws that showed that Black people were far more likely than white people to be arrested for a marijuana violation in Albany. The disparity was documented despite strong evidence that the two groups use marijuana at approximately the same rates nationwide.

At that time, Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins, who is Black, said that the city’s police did not target the Black community and that the disparity in arrests would be investigated. However, an analysis of police data by the Albany Times Union found that between July 9, 2019 and the same date this year, 97% of those arrested or cited for a marijuana offense in the city were Black. 

During that time, Albany police issued citations or made arrests for 134 marijuana offenses, the majority of which were civil violations or low-level misdemeanors, including 76 citations for marijuana possession. Only four of those charged with a marijuana offense during the time period were white. 

After the NYCLU report was released last year, the Albany branch of the NAACP met with police representatives to discuss the racial disparity. With no change evident a year later, Debora Brown-Johnson, the branch’s president, said last week that it’s time Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan took a look into the matter.

A study from researchers at the University of New Mexico has found that more than nine out of 10 migraine patients reported that inhaled cannabis provided relief for their symptoms. A report on the research, titled “Alleviative effects of cannabis flower on migraine and headache,” was published this month in the Journal of Integrative Medicine.

To conduct the study, researchers tracked the effects of inhaled herbal cannabis on the symptoms experienced by 699 migraine sufferers over a period of 32 months. Participants self-administered cannabis while at home and reported their use and its effect on symptoms via the smartphone application Releaf. The intensity of pain related to migraine or headache was measured on a scale of zero to ten prior to and immediately following cannabis consumption.

“According to the current results, cannabis flower appears to be effective at reducing headache- and migraine-related pain intensity for most people that choose to use it,” the authors of the study wrote.

“It seems possible that the use of cannabis flower, combined with other behavioral modifications, might offer some patients a natural, safer, and more effective treatment regimen, compared to the use of some conventional prescription pharmaceuticals,” they added.

The study found that 94% of participants reported relief of symptoms within two hours of cannabis inhalation. On average, study participants experienced a reduction of 3.3 points on the ten-point scale. Varieties of cannabis with a THC content of 10% or higher were found to be most effective at relieving migraine symptoms. Males tended to achieve greater relief than females, and younger participants reported greater benefit than older patients.

First, let’s get into a description of each method.

Topicals

Topicals include creams, lotions or oils and are rubbed onto your skin. For the most part, topicals are used to relieve pain, inflammation, or both.

Capsules

Capsules consist of two tubes each closed off at one end. The two pieces fit snugly into each other and dried plant particles or plant extract is contained within the capsule. Occasionally, you can find CBD oil in a gelcap, a hollow “container” made of gelatin that is made to hold a specific amount of an oil or tincture containing CBD.

Gummies

Gummies other edibles are created using a specific quantity of CBD and can be eaten just like any other gummy, cookie, infused fruit, brownie, or piece of hard candy. Most edibles can be made with or without sugar.

Tinctures

Tinctures and drops are a liquid form of CBD. They can be flavored or retain the “hemp-y” flavor of the original plant. Most tinctures are not technically tinctures. Those types of formulations were traditionally made by extracting an herb with alcohol. For the most part, CBD which will be used to formulate a tincture is extracted from hemp with food grade alcohol or supercritical carbon dioxide. The alcohol or carbon dioxide is removed and the extract is then dissolved in some light oil like coconut oil, glycerin or propylene glycol. Tinctures are usually ingested by mouth but can be used as topical applications.

Uncertainty abounds in the coming weeks, as the cannabis industry will learn if its business is as resilient as alcohol.

No neat and tidy summation explains how the coronavirus impacted the cannabis industry. Due to the plant’s federal illegal status, cannabis businesses were not eligible for small business relief other sectors enjoyed and big companies scaled back many of their operations. Just don’t tell the customers.

The cannabis industry is expected to surpass $15 billion in combined recreational and medical sales, a 40% rise from the year previous, and weed workers should outnumber computer programmers by year’s end.

But the industry will now confront whether increasing sales numbers were correlated to the additional $600 benefit in unemployment checks provided by the CARES Act. These extra benefits, which were designed to ease financial burdens for out-of-work Americans under the coronavirus pandemic, ended July 26.

Republicans and Democrats are currently drafting a new round of relief funding, as more than 30 million Americans remain out of work. That $600 bonus in benefits has emerged as a primary separation between the two parties, as Democrats want to maintain the weekly benefit and Republicans would like to reduce it to $200 a week.

While many businesses have been struggling to survive during the pandemic, Illinois pot dispensaries have continued to thrive, setting another sales record in July.

The $61 million in recreational marijuana sales last month represented a 28% increase over June, when Illinois had $47.6 million in sales, according to the Illinois Department of Professional and Financial Regulation. Those figures do not include medical marijuana sales.

Sales of recreational pot have increased each month since February, which saw a slight drop in sales from January, the first month of legal weed in Illinois.

Marijuana dispensaries have been deemed essential businesses during the pandemic, allowing them to remain open during the early months of the outbreak, when most businesses were forced to close.

So far this year, recreational pot dispensaries in Illinois have sold nearly 6.7 million marijuana products worth a total of more than $300 million.

Both millennials and boomers have been smoking and spending more on cannabis since the outbreak of the coronavirus.

Baby boomers and millennials can’t agree on anything: the economy, social values, and smoking cannabis. Not whether or not they should consume the plant — boomers now smoke more cannabis than high schoolers — but how, when and where and everything in between.

These differences in opinions were seen in a recent survey by Verilife dispensaries, which is part of the Pharmacann network. The company surveyed 1,000 milliennials and 1,000 boomers to understand where the generations coincided and contradicted each other in their attitudes about cannabis.

Boomers were twice as likely to use cannabis solely for medical purposes compared to millennials, about half of which reported using marijuana for recreational reasons. Both generations said relaxation was their top reason for recreational consumption.

About a quarter of millennials turned to medical cannabis to relieve chronic pain. The second-biggest reason? Migraines. Boomers, meanwhile, had diverse medical purposes for consuming cannabis, but the top three were arthritis, cancer, and chronic pain.

Maine announced this week that the state is on track to be able to offer legal, recreational cannabis to those 21 and over by the end of the fiscal year. 

This past Tuesday, the Office of Marijuana Policy announced that they had 27 businesses in the final phase of licensing and authorization in order to fully open. After a final state review, including security and operation plans and an official inspection, the businesses will be ready to launch, kicking off the start of recreational cannabis in the state.

Recreational cannabis in Maine has been delayed several times, and this latest delay was, of course, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The state had originally planned to launch adult use in June, but this was pushed back as the industry shut down and quarantined. Instead, the focus switched to future projections. Now, the plan is to let a few dispensaries, testing labs, grow facilities, and manufacturing labs open up at the end of the first quarter, roughly late September or early October. 

Director Erik Gundersen of the Office of Marijuana Policy said that this date will give the industry the time to grow and test their products, ensuring high quality for their first legal run. Maine will not allow their legal industry to launch until they are completely confident in the cannabis being produced and can safely say that all industry standards are being met. 

“Our intentions are to start the system,” he said. “But it’s going to be a slower start than we originally intended, pre-COVID. I don’t know when, but we should get to where we expected to be pre-COVID.”

Looking at present day Marijuana’s status, seeing dispensaries, legal grows, medical research, and legalized hemp…one has to believe that assuredly the Age of Cannabis has arrived. Every day it seems another state and/or country is legalizing it.

The current trend leaves little doubt that Cannabis will be legal domestically in the United States relatively soon, with the majority of the rest of the world following suit shortly thereafter.

Modern day Cannabis is a far cry from the Marijuana of the past, todays “Super Weed” has greatly enhanced THC, potencies in the 20-30% range are common…and that’s not even mentioning the numerous “concentrates” on the market with potencies as high as 98%.

The communal experience of cannabis, something that has always been closely linked to joints and vapes, has now been put on an indefinite pause. Edibles to the rescue!

Predictions about marijuana use during the pandemic abounded. Once businesses and buildings started to close, different states declared that cannabis is an essential business. People rightly assumed that times of stress are great times to get high, whether consumers were seasoned cannabis users or not.

Opinions varied when discussing inhaled cannabis and its impact on the pandemic. While some people claimed that joints would be discarded due to the lung irritations they could produce, others said that vapes would be making a comeback, even if they struggled throughout 2019 with a mysterious lung illness.

“As restrictions are lifted, we expect a pent-up demand for cannabis products that can be conveniently used in conjunction with outdoor activities,” Tom Brooksher, CEO of Clear Cannabis, told Forbes.

Edibles are a whole different situation. In a recent interview with the New York Times, Cali Manzello of medical marijuana dispensary Apothecarium, said that she noticed a change in orders the minute the pandemic hit. “One of the first orders that printed out from the pickup machine said 25 packages of this gummy on it. And we all kind of giggled. We were like, ‘Ooh boy, here it goes. It’s starting.’ It did not stop. People were ordering, you know, up to the legal limit, which can be up to 80 edibles in some cases.”

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.