News

Grandma and Grandpa need some relief too.

As we’ve been saying for quite some time, seniors are the fastest-growing group of new cannabis consumers in the US. But a new study that looked at marijuana consumers across Colorado suggests a growing number of Americans aged 65 and older are using cannabis regularly both for medical and recreational purposes. Among those in the study who say they use it medicinally, the majority appear to be self-medicating.

One reason older people are turning to cannabis is because it can soothe the symptoms of problems like arthritis, Parkinson’s, and chronic pain. But a study published this month in the journal Drugs & Aging, found that a lack of research, unclear communication with doctors, and a reluctance to be honest about its use due to stigma, are all stopping older people getting the products they need. 

“From a physician’s standpoint this study shows the need to talk to patients in a non-judgmental way about cannabis,”  said one of the study’s co-authors. “Doctors should also educate themselves about the risks and benefits of cannabis and be able to communicate that effectively to patients.”

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U.S. Court of Appeals tells DEA to get its act together

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (New York), in a groundbreaking decision, warned the DEA that it may take matters into its own hands if the DEA doesn’t “promptly” consider medical cannabis patients’ rescheduling request.

 “Taking the facts as alleged, and, accordingly, taking the supposed benefits some Plaintiffs have experienced from marijuana as true as well, we—like the District Court below—are struck by the transformative effects this drug has assertedly had on some Plaintiffs’ lives. As a result, we are troubled by the uncertainty under which Plaintiffs must currently live.”

 “It is possible that the current law, though rational once, is now heading towards irrationality; it may even conceivably be that it has gotten there already.”

Stay tuned …. Story here.


Robert Reich weighs in on why the country must legalize marijuana. 

‘The federal prohibition of marijuana has been unnecessarily cruel—wasting billions of dollars, unjustly harming millions of lives, and furthering racist policies.’

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Banking, Banking, Banking 

The federal banking bill could have implications beyond cannabis businesses, specifically in the trading game. Analysts see significant opportunities in the U.S. cannabis market if federal regulators here legalize the drug. That could be huge for exchange traded funds (ETFs).

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But maybe don’t take it to the bank

A pair of Republican senators told Marijuana Moment that they believe cannabis banking legislation has a shot of getting a hearing in that chamber after House passage.

“He didn’t say ‘hell no,’” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) said of a key Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID),  whom he pressed on the bill. “I thought he was quite open-minded to it.”

Banks that serve lawful marijuana businesses would be protected from a crackdown by financial regulators such as the U.S. Department of Treasury under a provision in a draft congressional spending bill.

“None of the funds made available in this Act may be used to penalize a financial institution solely because the institution provides financial services to an entity that is a manufacturer, a producer, or a person that participates in any business or organized activity that involves handling marijuana, marijuana products, or marijuana proceeds, and engages in such activity pursuant to a law established by a State, political subdivision of a State, or Indian Tribe ….”

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Tourism dollars are tourism dollars no matter where they come from

A study of Colorado residents’ attitudes about cannabis tourism found that those who are “highly attached” to the state “held a positive image of their place, which in turn influence[s] their support of marijuana tourism.”

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Clock is running out . . .

 

National Basketball Association Commissioner Adam Silver spoke about the league’s consideration of amending its marijuana policies. Warning: it glosses over most of the reasons players say they use cannabis.

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National Football League team owners are reportedly open to supporting a loosening of restrictions on marijuana use by players. The NFL and NFLPA announced last week they were forming a joint committee that will study the prospective use of marijuana by players as a pain-management tool.

Related: Recently retired NFL defensive end Chris Long recently created a stir by acknowledging he smoked marijuana during his playing career. Long hopes that his candor regarding marijuana use will help remove the lingering stigma.

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Want to get away?

MJBizDaily is hosting its first Latin American Cannabis Symposium in Bogotá, Colombia starting September 20, 2019 and ending October 1, 2019.

In attendance will be Industry leaders, investors, researchers, government officials and peers for two days of networking at the luxurious Grand Hyatt Bogotá. MJBizDaily’s professional journalists and international analysts lead educational sessions with a focus on the cannabis markets and opportunities in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The cannabis eclipse

Retail sales of medical and recreational cannabis in the United States are on pace to eclipse $12 billion by the end of 2019 – an increase of roughly 35% over 2018 – and could rise as high as $30 billion by 2023.

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Oh Canada. We barely got to know you. 

Marijuana businesses and investors seeking higher returns and more potential are looking beyond Canada’s relatively small and highly regulated market, according to analysts covering the still-nascent industry.

“Many investors we have spoken to have begun to rotate capital from Canada to the U.S. on the fear that Canadian players will be unable to capture growth south of the border,” CIBC World Markets analyst John Zamparo wrote in a research note about Canopy Growth’s conditional acquisition of New York-based Acreage Holdings for an industry-record $3.4 billion.

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Ouch . . . Again

Presidential hopeful John Hickenlooper blasted for what some call cannabis revisionist history. 

A fundraising appeal from the former two-term governor appeared as though he were taking credit for the state’s legalization of marijuana in 2014 as well as some of the incremental changes that preceded the full-on legalization.

“While I was Governor, Colorado became the first state to legalize marijuana. And we worked to address the social and racial inequities that plague marijuana sentencing,” one of the images from the post said.

“This seems like an egregious revision of history to claim you were at all progressive on social justice issues related to cannabis,” tweeted Jake Browne, a former marijuana critic for the Denver Post.

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There’s a new czar in town . . .

Gov. Jared Polis recently hired Ean Seeb, a founding partner at a cannabis business consulting firm, to serve as his special adviser on cannabis. Seeb will serve as the governor’s adviser for marijuana bills going through the legislature and be a liaison with the department of revenue, which oversees marijuana enforcement, among other state agencies.

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