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For decades, marijuana, even for medical uses, was demonized or questioned.  When states like Colorado legalized it for recreational use, more studies began to determine provable efficacy for its use as a medicine. The Federal government still classifies marijuana the same way it classifies heroin: harmful and with no medical benefits. Now we can see that this is wrong. When states legalized marijuana, referred to as cannabis here, they had an interest in getting data to see what good it could do. Proving efficacy could increase medical marijuana sales, benefit people who might at least find some medical use, and overall would bring tax dollars into the state coffers.

Without funding studies, the Federal government has done very little to demonstrate what good cannabis can do. After all, if the presumption is that it helps nothing, there would be no motivation to determine with scientific data that it does anyone any good. But we have convincing data now about its beneficial use for epilepsy and some data showing good results with use of cannabis for veterans with post traumatic stress. Studies as to how it can help older people, particularly with dementia (Alzheimer's disease being the most common kind of dementia), have been lacking. However, better and newer data is now reported and the results look very promising.

At AgingParents.com, we look constantly at families who have an elder with dementia. The most heart-wrenching stories are those the adult children tell us concerning their aging parent whose dementia-related behavior is out of control. They describe how their loved one becomes aggressive, abusive, gets kicked out of care facilities, and turns into a caregiving nightmare. Even paid caregivers are endangered by the behaviors. It's not the parent's fault--it's the disease. And the medical establishment, still constrained by the Federal government's misplaced drug classification of cannabis, can't prescribe it, and can only recommend its use in states where such use is legal. Typically, care facilities do not allow use of cannabis on the premises, as they receive Medicare (Federal dollars) and Medicaid (Federal, State and county dollars) reimbursement which they cannot endanger. Instead, they "dope 'em up" with heavy tranquilizing and psychotropic medications used for people who have mental illness. We can do better.

Recent research on the medical benefits of cannabis has reached positive conclusions:

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. 2017. In this systematic review of medical studies, researchers confirm the substantial evidence for cannabis as an effective treatment option for many conditions.

“In vivo Evidence for Therapeutic Properties of Cannabidiol for Alzheimer’s Disease,” by Georgia Watt and Tim Karl -Frontiers in Pharmacology

February 2017. The studies provide “proof of principle” that CBD and possibly CBD-THC combinations are valid candidates for novel AD therapies. (AD refers to Alzheimer's disease).

One of the most hopeful studies I have seen is from a small pilot project in Geneva. They studied 10 women with severe dementia-related behavioral problems in a care facility, giving them a measured dose of cannabis. It was oil containing both components of cannabis: CBD, which does not get anyone high and THC which does have a psychoactive effect. The study concluded that an oral cannabis extract with THC/CBD, in higher dosages than in other studies, was well tolerated and greatly improved behavior problems, rigidity, and daily care in severely demented patients. Behavior problems went down by 40%, psychotropic medications were eliminated in half of the women studied and overall, they were far easier for the staff to manage.

No one is claiming that cannabis can cure dementia. However, as the disease progresses, behavior problems can create a horror for families caring for a loved one with dementia. If there is a gentler, "less-doped" alternative than psychotropic meds, let's use it! In the Geneva study, there were no side effects, no harm to any patient and much relief to staff in managing these severely affected women.

As the World Health Organization now urges reclassifying cannabis under international treaties, this move, if adopted, would represent formal recognition that the world's governing bodies have been wrong about the lack of therapeutic benefits and alleged harms.

The Takeaway:

If you are in a state where medical marijuana is legal and you have a parent with dementia-related difficult behavior, look at the research here and more. Get a doctor's recommendation for your loved one and work with that professional to supervise what you do. If you do decide to have your parent try cannabis, find the product that contains the combination of CBD/THC in oral drops in dosages tried in the Geneva study, and consider it as a trial for your loved one. You may have to experiment with the right dosage as nothing is standardized for any diagnosis yet. It could be a relief for all concerned.

Both recreational and medical cannabis growers in Illinois will have to meet high standards for their energy and water use.

A state law signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in June places limits on the amount of water and electricity growers can use, as well as setting requirements for water runoff and wastewater.

“This is a high-resource-use industry, and it doesn’t have to be,” said state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago. “Illinois can show the way to do it in a better way.”

The legislation’s sustainability requirements for growers is among the strictest in the nation, according to Sam Milton, a consultant at Climate Resources Group, which helps businesses, regulators and other organizations pursue climate-friendly business practices.

“It definitely puts Illinois at or near the top in terms of state policies for energy and environmental performance for cultivation facilities,” he said.

Illinois growers must use automatic watering systems and limit how much runoff water they produce, according to the new state law. They also have to collect and filter wastewater so that it could be used to water their plants in the future.

In terms of energy consumption, a grower can use no more than 36 watts per square foot for lighting the plants. That standard is similar to one in Massachusetts, but the Illinois law goes further.

Cultivators also must use high-efficiency lights approved by the DesignLights Consortium, a nonprofit organization that pushes for the use of high-performing commercial lights.

The regulations target indoor production, where the majority of growers in the U.S. say they cultivate, according to a 2018 report from New Frontier Data.

Indoor growing uses a lot of energy. Marijuana businesses represented nearly 4% of Denver’s power use in 2018. The same New Frontier Data report estimates energy use in cannabis legal states would jump 162% by 2022, if growers do not change their practices.

Illinois lawmakers observed how much energy and water the cannabis industry used in other states around the country and saw a chance to become the standard for the country, Cassidy said.

“This bill was an opportunity to set a high bar for how this industry will grow in Illinois,” she said. “We were looking to take the lead here.”

Will the efforts pay off?

Illinois’ efforts on energy efficiency is drawing praise from many environmental groups.

“It is the best in terms of sustainability regulations of any cannabis regulation in the country,” said Jennifer Walling, executive director of the Illinois Environmental Council.

The environmental council represents more than 80 environmental groups in Illinois and pushes for stronger environmental laws and policies at the state capitol. Those groups were concerned about the energy consumption from marijuana cultivation and distribution, Walling said.

“We want to be bringing the state towards 100% clean, renewable energy,” she said. “If we’re having a new industry enter into Illinois that creates a lot of pollution or uses a lot of energy, that’s not going to protect Illinoisans.”

Illinois enters the recreational cannabis market years after Colorado, Washington and other early adopter states. Waiting that long let the state take a different approach to regulating its new industry.

“I think they learned from some of the mistakes of Colorado, Washington and Oregon,” Milton said. “A lot of states have ignored the fact that these facilities are very energy intensive.”

Being more energy efficient ultimately saves money, which Milton said will make Illinois growers more competitive as the cannabis market eventually expands nationally.

Jamaica has something no other country in the world does – a synonymous relation with cannabis that is admired and respected. Thanks to reggae and Rasta over the past 60 years, every non-Jamaican wants to experience smoking Jamaican cannabis. This creates both an enviable aura and an amazing prospect of what is possible for Jamaica’s cannabis brand.

Here are four reasons it’s worth investing in the local industry:

ROI

Jamaica has one of the lowest cannabis production costs in the world thanks to its year-round tropical climate. Many leading cannabis producers rely on indoor grow with help of high-wattage bulbs, which means increased power consumption.

Most local companies, on the other hand, use greenhouse technology or traditional earth farming. With local medical ganja selling for roughly US$10 a gram (the same or more compared to Canada and the USA), investors can potentially reap higher margins with a local company.

Exports coming soon

The world wants Jamaican ganja and passing of the export bill will make that reality. The cannabis import/export bill is in the final stages of completion and may be finalized before year-end. This means potent, sun-grown Jamaican cannabis and cannabis oil, with its unique chemical profile, can be accessed worldwide, creating a global marketplace and the opportunity for increased revenue.

Ganjamaica Brand

With more countries legalizing cannabis and creating industries, only a few will rise to the top as standout brands. Jamaican companies are well-positioned to be among the most sought after because cannabis is in the country’s DNA. This provides marketing leverage and credibility other countries will have to spend decades building. That reputation can be converted to revenue with the right approach.

National Pride

The Government was strategic in writing the laws to protect Jamaican interest in the emerging cannabis industry. By law, all cannabis companies must be substantially (more than 50 per cent) owned by Jamaicans. This is a way for Jamaican investors to truly own their cannabis industry and add to the historic narrative of Ganja in Jamaica.

Audrey Elizabeth Lorber, an American film student, is currently behind bars in Russia facing marijuana possession charges. Russian authorities allege Lorber illegally brought cannabis into the country after police discovered over 19 grams in her possession at the Pulkovo Airport. Based in New York, Lorber is a registered medical cannabis patient. But Russian courts say Lorber’s New York medical cannabis authorization doesn’t extend to Russia. Russia harshly penalizes drugs, and marijuana possession charges can carry a sentence of up to three years.

U.S. Film Student Pleads Guilty in Russian Court

Audrey Lorber majors in film at Pace University in Manhattan. And her recent social media posts show she’s been traveling across Russia with her mother. Now, however, Lorber is facing drug possession charges in St. Petersburg for carrying her medical cannabis with her into Russia.

On September 2, St. Petersburg courts announced the criminal case against Lorber via Telegram. Translated, the post accuses Lorber of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 228 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The post specifies that the charges allege Lorber obtained the cannabis in the United States. A search of her luggage in the Pulkovo airport turned up the 19.05 grams she was carrying.

The court’s announcement also says that Lorber has already pleaded guilty to the drug possession charge. But so far, no date has been set for her trial.

Controversial Marijuana Law Under Fire

Compared to the rest of Europe, Russia has the most people per capital imprisoned for drug crimes. Almost all of them were convicted under Article 228, the same law that Lorber stands accused of breaking. In Russia, this draconian anti-drug law has a nickname, “the people’s article,” because of how many people it has put in jail. In 2018, 100,000 people went to jail for drug crimes covered under Article 228.

Just a couple months ago, Article 228 busted another foreign citizen, American-Israeli Naama Issachar, for allegedly smuggling cannabis into the country. She was carrying just 9 grams of marijuana, and furthermore, denies it was even hers. Issachar has been detained since April, and she still hasn’t stood trial. Initially Russian authorities charged her with simple possession. But they subsequently increased the charge to smuggling, which can carry a sentence of 3 to 10 years in prison.

Article 228 is making life hard for Russian citizens, too. And in June, the arrest of a gay man tricked by cops posing as gay men on Tinder ignited public outrage over the law. These and other high profile arrests for personal amounts of cannabis have put intense public pressure on officials to loosen the law and relax penalties for possession.

Unlike in the United States, however, popular support for decriminalizing or legalizing cannabis isn’t strong. According to Russian state polling agencies, roughly 15 percent of citizens support legalization. But younger Russians, many of whom favor legalization and more lenient penalties, are signaling a shift. “We have the momentum with us,” said fashion-brand founder Yeger Yeremeev, who’s using apparel to launch a conversation about legal weed. “Suddenly everyone is talking about 228.”

Australia’s Federal Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, opened (another) medical cannabis facility in Queensland last week.

The THC Global (ASX:THC) project in Southport is the largest bio-pharma manufacturing facility in the Southern Hemisphere according to the company, and has an expected capacity of 12,000 kg of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) extracts per year. Pending securing of required approvals, THC Global expects to further process these extracts into finished medicines including oils and capsules.

In July this year subsidiary THC Pharma Pty Ltd was awarded a Manufacture Licence from the Australian Office of Drug Control in relation to the Southport facility.

Commercial production is expected to commence early next year.

Minister Hunt, who also toured the facility, said its opening demonstrated the Morrison Government’s commitment to not only boosting the local industry, but also helping Australians living with chronic or terminal illnesses. However, some would argue that much more needs to be done in terms of the regulatory red tape Australian patients and doctors face in accessing medicinal cannabis.

Federal Member for Moncrieff Angie Bell also attended the official opening along with Rob Molhoek MP, the Queensland State Member for Southport..

“This facility will build our local industry, meet domestic and international demand, and create economic growth and jobs,” said Ms. Bell.

Aside from producing medicines for the Australian and overseas market, the facility will also play a role in local research.

“We also expect to support clinical trials and study trials in Australia, which are currently almost exclusively serviced by expensive imported products,” said THC Global Chairman Steven Xu.

The company says its low cost production capability will enable cheaper supply to Australian patients than current imported products, increasing patient accessibility.

Also last week, Minister Hunt officially opened a medical cannabis farm on the Sunshine Coast. The Medifarm facility aims to produce 7 tonnes of plant material annually.

Australia’s Morrison Government notes more than 8,500 patients have been authorised to access a medicinal cannabis product nationally, with approximately one-third of these approvals granted for patients in Queensland. The state is home to around 20% of Australia’s population.

A new report from BDS Analytics titled “The Global Cannabinoids Market: Will CBD Overtake THC?” is forecasting that CBD sales will reach $20 billion by 2024. This would account for nearly 44%  of the $45 billion total forecasted
cannabinoid market (which includes legal cannabis).

Cannabidiol or CBD is a natural compound found within the cannabis plant. The report notes that CBD was first extracted from the cannabis plant in 1940, but it wasn’t until 1946 that Dr. Raphael Mechoulam identified the structure of CBD and later discovered properties within the compound to treat epilepsy. Since that time, the FDA approved the GW Pharmaceutical CBD drug Epidiolex for use in treating rare forms of epilepsy. Congress also passed the 2018 Farm Bill, which legalized help and set off a tsunami of hemp-derived CBD products onto the marketplace.

Last year, CBD sales hit $1.9 billion. BDS predicts that these sales will grow 49% annually. The report went on to say, “Further, sales of hemp-derived CBD (as opposed to CBD from marijuana) in U.S. general retail stores are expected to makeup $12.6 billion of the $20 billion in CBD sales forecast for 2024.”

The CBD market splits into two categories: the hemp-derived CBD that can be purchased just about anywhere and the CBD from marijuana that contains some amounts of THC. Many consumers believe the latter’s entourage capabilities are more effective. CBD sales in legal dispensaries rose from 3% in 2017 to 10% in 2018. BDS believes that as more mainstream consumers try CBD from hemp, they may be more disposed to going to a legal dispensary to try the marijuana-derived CBD.

The one drawback to the expected enormous growth of the CBD market is how the FDA plans on regulating the products in foods and beverages. The regulatory body has already cracked down on label claims forcing CVS Stores to remove Curaleaf products from its shelves. Hearings were held this past May with over 100 speakers offering their opinions. There is no timeline as to when the FDA will release a guideline as to how corporations and producers should act with regards to CBD products.

CBD Consumers

BDS Analytics Consumer Insights research revealed “That consumers primarily use CBD as a ‘natural’ remedy
for pain, stress, anxiety, and depression. Further, CBD consumers are divided 45% female, 55% male with an average age of 43, 40% are higher-educated and 50% are employed full-time.”

The top-selling CBD product categories are:

1. Ingestibles     $883.5M
2. Topicals          $491.2M
3. Inhalables       $395.4M
4. Pet Products   $63.8M
5. Pharmaceuticals   $16.0M

The first time I saw Charley Hoffman play, you would not have looked at him twice. That was at the Masters in 2015, where he stopped by the 1st tee box to beg autographs off Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. He was 38 already, a little tubby, a little schlubby, in a hat that looked two sizes too big and a pair of wraparound sunglasses so tight they gave him tan lines. Then he went and shot a 67. Well, like the old salts say at Augusta, the bars of Chicago are full of people who led majors after one round and Charley finished up tied ninth. But still, after 15 years playing pro golf, it was his first top-20 finish in a major.

Hoffman has seemed to make a run up the leaderboard at almost every other major since, 65 at Augusta National, 67 at Royal Birkdale, 68 at Erin Hills. Usually he slips right back down it again but whatever he is going through he always seems to be wearing the same inscrutable expression. You never saw a sportsman give less away about how he is feeling. Which might be why even my friends who love golf don’t get why I have grown quite so fond of him in the past four years. I think it is because, for a man with such an exquisite iron game, he just seems so ordinary. You would never guess he was an elite athlete, until you saw him play.

This is why it was a surprise that Hoffman has just been signed up to promote a new line of CBD products. If there was ever a sign cannabis is going mainstream in sport, it’s Charley, a 42-year-old journeyman pro from San Diego. He is one of a bunch of professional golfers who have signed endorsement deals with CBD manufacturers since the World Anti-Doping Agency took it off the prohibited list in 2018. Bubba Watson and Lucas Glover are promoting it, too. All three of them have spoken about how it helps their physical recovery. Interestingly, Glover has said it helps him cope with his anxiety, too. “For golfers,” Glover says, “the biggest benefit is calmness.”

CBD use is booming in Britain, too. The Saracens locks George Kruis and Dominic Day were so taken with it they have launched their own business, fourfivecbd. It was Day who first discovered it, when he was struggling to recover from an operation to remove torn cartilage from his right knee. “I was in that head space where I was willing to try anything that could help,” he says, “and I stumbled across the article online about how Wada had just taken CBD oil off the banned list, and I thought: ‘Shall I give this a go?’” He ended up buying a bottle of it from a vape shop.

“I’m very careful about the claims I make for it,” Day says, “but for me the effects were pretty instantaneous. Then when I came off it the symptoms came right back.”

When the club physio pointed out how well his recovery seemed to be going, Day sheepishly admitted he had been self-medicating with CBD oil. “A lot of eyebrows went up.” When Kruis was struggling with his own recovery from ankle surgery, Day turned him on to it, too. “He had a very similar experience.” Soon afterwards, they went into business together.

Day holds back from making any grand claims for his product and there are a lot of snake-oil salesmen working in the fledgling market

“The reason we use it is because it’s natural and organic,” Day says, “and the alternative is prescription medication.” Day has been playing professional rugby for 13 years. For most of that time, he was taking four or five lots of prescription anti-inflammatories and painkillers a week.

“We’re all trying to make a living and the only way to do that is to be putting in a shift for the club, so as players we will do anything to get on the pitch. It’s what you do, take an anti-inflammatory to help you through training, take a painkiller to help you out on the pitch, that’s just how it is. But it’s something we’d like to have an alternative to.”

Now, Day takes a CBD supplement every morning “much like someone else would use a multivitamin”. Kruis uses it differently. “George uses it when he needs a good night’s sleep because that’s when a lot of recovery happens.” But while prescription drugs have side‑effects, Day says, CBD has a stigma. “There’s a lot of education work to be done around it,” he says. He holds back from making any grand claims for his product. He knows CBD has become a fad and there are a lot of snake-oil salesmen working in the fledgling market. When it comes to whether CBD could have a positive impact on mental health, he will only say: “The key thing is getting more research done.”

Day adds: “For six months we held off giving it to any professional athletes because we wanted to make sure all our products had been laboratory tested to ensure there was no cross-contamination in them.” A lot of CBD products contain quantities of the psychoactive compound THC, which is still banned by Wada. “Now we have that certification, we’ve got around 400 professional athletes using it from a range of sports: rugby union and league, boxing, MMA, track and field, diving, and swimming.”

They have three full-time employees and are about to take on eight more to run two shopping-centre kiosks. Taking CBD may have helped Glover relax but selling it, Day says, “has been a real whirlwind”.

Hydrate your lips, strengthen your immune system, and smooth out rough skin this fall with these CBD and other beauty products.

As fall draws near and the leaves dry up and the air gets crisper, it’s time to make sure that our lips, complexions and attitudes don’t also dry up, and that our health is at its best. An upbeat outlook and the following six products should have you well on your way to autumnal happiness!

Plump and Hydrate Your Kisser

Vertly hemp infused lip butter is at the top of the list. Not only is it made with full spectrum CBD and Northern California sourced herbs, it has gotten rave reviews from the likes of Vogue. The savvy company also carries body lotion, available in an extra strength option. Keep your lips soft and buttery this fall with the power of CBD.

Keep Seasonal Ailments at Bay

Echinacea supplements should also be high on your list of fall must-haves. Though the science behind it is not yet proven, anecdotal evidence suggests that echinacea’s active components promote immune system wellness and also work as an antimicrobial. With the weather changes sure to happen, this boost could be the difference between a seasonal cold and wellness.

Smooth Out Rough, Patchy Skin

We covered lip butter, but how about body butter? Hemplucid has got you covered with a mega CBD infused body budder that will keep rough elbows hydrated and other tough spots like heels, knees and any other problem skin areas smooth, with no oily residue.

Elevate Your Mood, Elevate Seasonal Depression

Need a boost in mood? Vape pens to the rescue. Even if you’re not living in a legalized or medicalized state and don’t have access to THC cartridges, there’s a mighty good chance that your local head shop carries CBD carts that are said to still reduce anxiety and even out messy moods. Seasonal depression is real and keeping it at bay may take a toke here and there. Do the right thing for everyone and have a puff.

Keep That Summer Glow

Honest Beauty Organic Beauty Facial Oil is a dry face miracle serum that’s incredibly light for an oil treatment. Patchy, dull skin will be brightened up and your face and day will be well improved with botanical oils that nourish skin and help restore moisture.

Give Your Body Boosts of Wellness

Emergen-C has established itself as the ticket to staving off colds and flus with its megadose of vitamin C. They’ve had 40 years to get the formula right and have enriched the powder with a host of B vitamins as well. It’s a safe bet that having a daily dose of this power powder during the changing of the seasons will do a body good.