International Cannabis Business Conference Blog – Page 117 – International Cannabis Business Conference

Cannabis A “Common Treatment” For Chronic Pain Survey Finds

Written by Frank Schuler on July 26, 2022. Posted in Science.

Chronic pain is arguably the most common health condition found around the world, with an estimated one out of every 5 adults suffering from chronic pain (1.5 billion people).

It’s a condition that is often coupled with one or more other health conditions and is often the first symptom that a patient goes to their doctor for review, and unfortunately, find out that they are experiencing other health conditions that are causing the chronic pain.

Chronic pain is defined by John Hopkins Medical Center as, “longstanding pain that persists beyond the usual recovery period or occurs along with a chronic health condition, such as arthritis.”

A growing body of scientific evidence is finding that the cannabis plant can effectively treat chronic pain in a manner that is much safer compared to pharmaceutical painkillers. A new survey out of Canada echoes previous findings. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Quebec, Canada: Nearly one-third of patients living with chronic pain conditions acknowledge using cannabis for pain management, according to data published in the Canadian Journal of Pain.

Canadian investigators assessed cannabis use trends in a cohort of 1,935 chronic pain patients residing in Quebec. (Cannabis products are legal for both medical purposes and for adult use in Canada.)

Just over 30 percent of patients in the sample said that they used cannabis explicitly for purposes of pain management.

Authors identified greater cannabis prevalence among younger patients, but they reported no significant differences between men and women with respect to how likely they were to consume the substance.

“Cannabis is thus a common treatment reported in people living with CP [chronic pain],” they concluded. “Our study re-emphasizes the importance of rapidly generating evidence on the safety and effectiveness of cannabis, in addition to age-tailored education and awareness efforts among people living with CP.”

Among patients in US states where medical cannabis access is permitted, over 60 percent are qualified to use it to treat pain.

Full text of the study, “Prevalence of cannabis use for pain management in Quebec: A post-legalization estimate among generations living with chronic pain,” appears in the Canadian Journal of Pain. Additional information on cannabis and pain management is available from NORML.

Help Build A Worldwide Digital Cannabis Community

Written by Johnny Green on July 20, 2022. Posted in Business.

It is no secret that it is a very exciting time for many cannabis enthusiasts and advocates all over the world. Cannabis reform continues to spread across the planet at an ever-increasing pace, and with it, the spread of the emerging legal cannabis industry.

Many cannabis-related opportunities that used to not exist are now very much a reality, especially when it comes to employment and pursuing a career in cannabis. The cannabis industry is the most exciting and fastest expanding large industry on earth, with no limit currently in sight when it comes to how large the industry will become.

Unfortunately, finding the right job in the legal cannabis industry is not as easy as some may think given how young the industry is and how fast it has expanded in such a short amount of time. Conversely, finding the right candidate is also not easy for prospective cannabis employers. Finding a strong candidate with a proven track record can be difficult.

Thankfully, there is a new app being developed that will help both candidates and prospective cannabis employers, as well as the international cannabis community in general. The CanMar Hub is a new social tech platform community app positioned as the very first of its kind, devoted to bringing the global cannabis and psychedelics community together.

The app provides access to quality features such as networking, B2B deals, a global business directory, industry events, marketplace, education, CanTank for investors, jobs, news, and so much more. The creators of the CanMar Hub app are currently looking for beta testers, which is a great opportunity.

People do not need to be coders in order to help beta test, although basic knowledge of technology is a plus. Now is the time to get in on the action, as downloading the app in the future will be done so by invite only. Beta testers that join now get 3 personal invites to send out to their peers.

You can claim your exclusive invitation to be one of the first beta testers at:

Want to learn more? Send an email to hello@canmar.io.

The Future Of Cannabis Dispensing

Written by Johnny Green on July 20, 2022. Posted in Business.

I am proud to state that I am on an ever-growing list of lucky people that get to live where cannabis is legal for both medical and adult use. Oregon, where I live, legalized cannabis for medical use in 1998 and then for adult use in 2014. I am extremely thankful that I do not have to be subjected to the inhumane public policy that is cannabis prohibition.

Additionally, I am very thankful that I can make legal purchases at regulated dispensaries. Before legal dispensaries existed in my area I had to make my purchases from the unregulated market where options are limited and customer service is basically nonexistent. Being able to walk into a fixed storefront that has set hours and choose from a buffet of cannabis products is an amazing thing that every consumer and patient should be able to legally do.

With all of that being said, there’s one major hiccup to the dispensary model that exists in most places where cannabis commerce is allowed to operate. For those that have never visited a dispensary, it can prove to be a very time-consuming ordeal, especially on a busy day.

If I had to estimate it, from the time that I pull up to a dispensary until I finalize my purchase it takes anywhere from tens of minutes all the way up to an hour. I have family in Las Vegas that go to very popular dispensaries that tourists shop at, and they have told me that their purchasing experiences take well longer than an hour from start to finish.

Part of what takes so long is waiting in line, however, at the heart of the issue is how inefficient the storage and retrieval of cannabis products is at virtually every dispensary. To be clear, I am not talking about the decision-making process. I am referring to after the decision is made regarding what to purchase, how long it takes for a budtender to compile everything, and if it’s flower having to weigh it out and package it all. If it’s a product that isn’t in the display case and the budtender needs to go to the back to a secure area to retrieve something, that just makes things take even longer.

Not only does all of that take a long time, speaking from personal experience, it is kind of awkward standing there at the register in silence waiting for what was purchased to be handed to me. It’s definitely better than living under prohibition, however, there is clearly plenty of room to boost efficiency when it comes to storing and retreiving cannabis products.

With that in mind, I am really impressed by a new invention that is debuting at the International Cannabis Business Conference this week in Berlin, Germany. The CANNASTORE is the first automated dispensing system specifically designed for cannabis products and is sure to revolutionize the cannabis dispensing process.

The hardware system in its standard design is already used in several thousand German pharmacies, however, this new version is even more impressive. The CANNASTORE was tested and developed over two years, and is capable of dispensing products within 6 to 12 seconds. That works out to 500 units in an hour. The CANNASTORE can hold up to 40,000 units before needing to be restocked.

The timing of the CANNASTORE’s debut is in itself very significant given the current political and industry context in Germany. It is no secret that Germany is going to launch an adult-use cannabis industry in the near future, and whether that is this year or next year one thing is for sure – once sales do launch a lot of people are going to be purchasing cannabis in Germany, and being able to serve up cannabis in as efficient of a way as possible is vital to helping prevent bottlenecks at the point of purchase.

The CANNASTORE is not only going to help customers’ purchasing experiences, it is also going to directly contribute to helping Germany’s cannabis industry reach its full potential and the significance of that cannot be overstated.

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World Athletics President: Reconsider Cannabis Policies

Written by Johnny Green on July 18, 2022. Posted in Policy.

Athletic competition plays a huge role in society across the planet. Some sports are more popular than others in any given part of the world, however, you will be hard pressed to find a part of the world that doesn’t have athletes competing in some fashion, as well as fans watching them do it.

With that in mind, it’s not a coincidence that professional athletes, including Olympic athletes, have been used for cannabis prohibition propaganda purposes. Prohibition in sports serves the purpose of perpetuating support for cannabis prohibition in society. Anyone that says otherwise hasn’t paid attention. Professional sports leagues and regulatory bodies are starting to reform their cannabis policies, yet historically that was not the case.

Growing Calls For Reform

Late last week the President of World Athletics, Sebastian Coe, indicated support for reviewing the sports regulatory body’s cannabis policies. The hinting at a cannabis policy review came right before the beginning of the track and field World Championships.

“I have actually encouraged our own Athletics Integrity Unit to enter into discussions with the World-Anti Doping Agency, and obviously the national anti-doping agencies, to look at this and to come back with some thoughts and suggestions,” Coe said according to Insider.

It makes no sense why track and field athletes, or any other athletes, would be penalized for simply having cannabis in their system. After all, no one is advocating that athletes should be able to compete while intoxicated by cannabis (or anything else for that matter). Cannabis is not ‘bad for athletes’ as some prohibitionists claim, and while cannabis does provide wellness benefits, those benefits do not rise to the level of it warranting continued prohibition under the premise that ‘cannabis is a performance-enhancing substance.’

Making An Example Out Of Athletes

If you have followed sports long enough, then chances are you have seen an athlete fail a drug test for cannabis at least once. That is what happened to my hero multiple times, former NBA player Clifford Robinson, during his 18-year playing career. Each time he failed a league drug test it wasn’t just the penalty of getting fined or missing games that he had to deal with.

Robinson was consistently subjected to enormous and unjust stigma each time, being described by the media and league officials as ‘having let his team down’ and having ‘off the court problems’ that ‘makes it hard to have him be a part of the franchise.’ In every measurable way Robinson, who I would later become friends with and help with his pursuits in various manners, was the target of a relentless smear campaign because the league wanted to make an example out of him, and to some extent that targeting involved prohibitionists outside of the league.

It’s a stigma that followed him well into retirement, preventing him from ever getting coaching positions he wanted, from being invited to various league functions, and many other things. I know that to be true because I witnessed it firsthand while helping him. To hammer home the point, the team Cliff was an all-star for, my beloved Portland Trail Blazers, does not have his number hanging in the rafters and I have yet to find any pictures or references of him at the Blazers’ arena, despite Robinson being the only ‘6th Man of the Year’ recipient in the team’s entire history.

As far as I am concerned, not only does the NBA need to recognize Clifford’s contributions to the league during his historic career, the league also needs to issue a formal apology to him and every other athlete that was subjected to inhumane cannabis policies. The same needs to happen in every other major sports league, the Olympics, and by other athletic entities that enforced cannabis prohibition policies, including World Athletics.

Cannabis Effective At Mitigating Musculoskeletal Pain According To Survey

Written by Frank Schuler on July 18, 2022. Posted in Science.

Musculoskeletal health conditions are a major problem around the globe. In fact, it’s the leading contributor to disability worldwide, with the World Health Organization estimating that as many as 1.71 billion people suffer from a musculoskeletal condition to some degree.

Virtually every musculoskeletal condition involves pain, with lower back pain being particularly common among patients. Pain can come in many forms when someone suffers from a musculoskeletal condition, ranging from mild annoying pain all the way to completely debilitating pain.

Thankfully, a growing number of studies are finding that cannabis is an effective form of pain management, including a recent study conducted in Puerto Rico. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

San Juan, Puerto Rico: Patients suffering from musculoskeletal pain disorders report obtaining significant relief following their use of medical cannabis products, according to data published in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.

A team of Puerto Rican investigators surveyed 184 patients with chronic pain conditions regarding their use of medical cannabis. (Lawmakers legalized patient access to certain cannabis preparations in 2015.)

Respondents suffering specifically from musculoskeletal conditions reported an average reduction of 4.47 points on the Numeric Rating Scale following cannabis administration. Eighty-nine percent of survey participants said that cannabis was “more effective” than opioids for pain management – a finding that is consistent with other studies.

Authors concluded: “This study showed that the use of medical cannabis among patients with musculoskeletal conditions effectively reduced pain levels based on their NRS reported scores. In addition, most patients using medical cannabis considered that this drug represents a better option than narcotics (e.g., opioids) for adequate pain management. Additional studies on medical cannabis should evaluate whether the experience and perspective presented through this study could translate into satisfactory and consistent clinical outcomes.”

Survey data from 2020 estimated that one in five Canadian patients battling musculoskeletal disorders used cannabis to ease their pain. Among pain patients enrolled in medical cannabis access programs, most subjects report decreasing or even eliminating their use of opiates.

Full text of the study, “Patient experience and perspective on medical cannabis as an alternative for musculoskeletal pain management,” appears in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. Additional information on cannabis and chronic pain is available from NORML.

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European Parliament Members Form New Cannabis Reform Group

Written by Johnny Green on July 18, 2022. Posted in Policy.

The European continent is in the midst of a cannabis revolution with policies being reformed for the better in a growing number of countries. Malta became the first country on the continent to pass an adult-use cannabis legalization measure late last year, and it most certainly will not be the last to do so.

Cannabis reform is a serious issue that every country needs to explore thoroughly and with an open mind. Also, countries need to collaborate as much as possible to help ensure that their domestic laws don’t create unnecessary hurdles for the emerging industry.

In order for Europe’s legal cannabis industry to reach its full potential, not only do domestic laws within individual countries need to be sensible, but there also needs to be a concerted effort at the continental level to adopt policies, rules, and regulations that make sense.

Members of the European Parliament seem to agree with the previously stated needs and have formed a group involving multiple political parties and representing multiple nations. Per Malta Today:

Five members of the European Parliament hailing from different political groups and different EU Member States have come together to create an informal interest group of MEPs who support human rights-based policies relating to the personal use of cannabis.

In an open letter to the 705 Members of the European Parliament encouraging MEPs to join the informal group, MEPs Cyrus Engerer (Malta, SD), Monica Semedo (Luxembourg, Renew), Mikuláš Peksa (Czech Republic, Greens), Dorian Rookmaker (The Netherlands, ECR) and Luke “Ming” Flanagan (Ireland, The Left) welcome the recent developments on cannabis legalisation in Germany, Malta and Luxembourg and call for more information sharing between Member States on the topic.

How fruitful the group’s efforts will end up being is anyone’s guess at this point, however, it’s definitely a worthwhile endeavor and hopefully more members will join, especially from countries like Germany and Switzerland where the cannabis industry is booming.

With Germany inching ever-closer to legalization, and the likely opening of the legalization floodgates once that happens, it’s more important now than ever for lawmakers across Europe to join the conversation if they haven’t already, and to let facts and evidence lead the way instead of letting prohibition politics drive the conversation.

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Alzheimer’s Case Report From Brazil Finds “Encouraging” Results For Cannabis Extracts Treatment

Written by Frank Schuler on July 18, 2022. Posted in Science.

It is estimated that as many as 50 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. It is also estimated that every 3 seconds someone is diagnosed with the condition.

Alzheimer’s disease involves the degeneration of the brain resulting in disruptions in memory, cognition, personality, and other everyday mental functions. Unfortunately, there is no known cure for the disease.

To make matters worse, diagnosis rates of the disease are expected to increase significantly in the coming decades if effective treatments are not discovered/developed. Absent any breakthroughs, it’s estimated that the number of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s could more than triple by 2050.

Fortunately, cannabis may be able to help. Researchers in Brazil recently published a case report involving a patient and microdosing low-THC cannabis extracts. Below is more information about it via a NORML news release:

Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil: Cannabis microdosing is associated with cognitive and behavioral improvements in a patient with mnemonic and non-mnemonic Alzheimer’s disease (AD) symptoms, according to a case report published in the Journal of Medical Case Reports.

An international team of investigators affiliated with The Federal University for Latin American Integration in Brazil and with John Hopkins University in Baltimore reported on the experimental treatment of THC-rich extracts in a 75-year-old male patient with mild-stage Alzheimer’s disease. The patient had been diagnosed with AD two-years prior to his use of cannabis.

Extracts used in the trial contained an 8-to-1 ratio of THC to CBD. The patient receiving the intervention used the extracts daily for 22 months. The subject’s daily dosage never exceeded 1 mg of THC per day.

Investigators reported that the patient exhibited “rapid” and “robust” symptom amelioration following his use of low doses of THC-rich extracts. Specifically, they reported, “[C]ognitive and memory enhancement lasted for more than one year following the start of treatment and remained stable while we progressively evaluate/follow up with the patient, for more than one year after the official report ended.” Authors also reported improvements in the subject’s quality of life and in behavioral issues, including a reduction in mood swings and aggressiveness. Follow up evaluations identified no evidence of cannabis-related toxicity or significant side effects.

They concluded: “Our results are unprecedented and very encouraging. … In summary, data presented in this case report suggest that cannabinoid microdosing is a potential therapeutic for AD, with no significant side effects, although placebo-controlled clinical trials are needed to confirm and extend these data.”

Prior studies and case reports assessing the use of THC in Alzheimer’s disease patients have similarly reported improvements in AD symptoms, such as reduced agitation and improved sleep, following cannabinoid dosing.

Full text of the study, “Cannabinoid extract in microdoses ameliorates mnemonic and non-mnemonic Alzheimer’s disease symptoms: A case report,” appears in the Journal of Medical Case Reports. Additional information on cannabis and Alzheimer’s disease is available from NORML.

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Senator Proposes Cannabis Tax In Uruguay

Written by Johnny Green on July 18, 2022. Posted in Policy.

Uruguay will forever hold the title of being the first country on earth to pass a nationwide adult-use cannabis legalization measure. Lawmakers in Uruguay made the historic move in 2013, with regulated sales launching in 2017.

Regulated sales are still limited to residents in Uruguay, with tourists currently being prohibited from making legal purchases. It’s one disadvantage to Uruguay’s legalization model compared to Canada’s, where anyone of legal age can make purchases regardless of their residence status.

One distinct advantage that Uruguay’s model has over Canada, at least from a consumer standpoint, is that there is no tax on cannabis purchases in Uruguay. When Uruguay’s law was initially passed, the lack of taxes on cannabis purchases was geared toward directly undercutting the unregulated market.

Lawmakers in Uruguay recognized at the time that the more regulated cannabis costs at the point of sale, the less likely consumers would be to take the regulated route versus making their purchases via unregulated sources. This is not to say that Uruguay’s cannabis industry is free from fees. Producers have to pay licensing fees and people in the industry still have to pay income taxes on profits.

A Senator in Uruguay is proposing a new tax on cannabis to help fund, among other things, athletic competitions. Per El Observador Senator Sergio Botana is proposing a 1.5% tax on cannabis in Uruguay to help generate funds for the Uruguay Olympic Committee.

By comparison, cannabis taxes in Canada are much more complex than the flat percentage rate being proposed in Uruguay by Senator Botana. Still, a 1.5% tax rate would effectively be lower than what is required in Canada, and significantly lower than many (if not all) of the state-level tax rates in the United States.

With that being said, cannabis taxes are always a risky area of public policy and involve a very slippery slope. If/when Uruguay implements a 1.5% tax rate, how long until it is raised even higher? Whenever lawmakers need to drum up more public revenue, cannabis taxes will likely be a popular target, and that is true not only in Uruguay but also everywhere else that cannabis is legally sold.

Every dollar that gets added to the price of regulated cannabis results in some amount of consumers and patients seeking out cheaper, unregulated options. Also, keeping cannabis tax-free hinders the cannabis industry’s ability to pay for its own regulation and to benefit society beyond regulation, such as generating taxes that go to schools. It’s a delicate balance that lawmakers everywhere need to be mindful of.

Cannabis Reform Saga Continues In Bermuda

Written by Johnny Green on July 18, 2022. Posted in Policy.

Bermuda was on a path to making significant cannabis policy reforms this year. However, all of the progress hit a dead end when the Governor of Bermuda, who is appointed by the United Kingdom, effectively vetoed a cannabis reform measure previously passed by Bermuda lawmakers. Fortunately, there appears to be some hope that the measure could still become law.

As we previously reported on the International Cannabis Chronicle, Boris Johnson’s departure as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom could potentially speed up cannabis reform in the UK. It could also prove to be significant in Bermuda as well. Current UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has indicated that she is considering granting ‘royal assent’ to Bermuda’s bill. It was the previous withholding of royal assent by the UK-appointed Governor (Rena Lalgie) that blocked the cannabis reform measure from becoming law.

Filling The UK Political Vacuum

Liz Truss has not publicly announced if/when she will make a formal decision on the matter. All that we have to operate on right now is that ‘A Government House spokesperson’ told The Royal Gazette that “The foreign secretary is considering whether assent can be given, and the Governor awaits a decision.”

It’s absolutely worth noting the context in which Truss will be making the decision that is being reported in Bermuda and the UK. With Boris Johnson on his way out, Truss is expected to pursue the Prime Minister position. How successful she will be if/when she chooses to pursue the effort is unclear, however, along the way she will likely try to make some bold moves to boost support for her as Prime Minister. Granting royal assent to Bermuda would be a great way to do exactly that.

Continued Colonization

The entire concept of royal assent is based on colonization. Bermuda is unfortunately not really its own country in the eyes of the international community, but rather, a British colony. Bermuda was originally colonized following the English Virginia Company permanently settling there in 1609. Later, following the unification of the parliaments of Scotland and England in 1707, Bermuda’s current British colony status was forced on the Bermuda population and has remained in place ever since.

Due to the colony status, Bermuda has to receive approval, or ‘royal assent,’ in order to implement the bills that its own lawmakers approve. It’s an absolutely ridiculous concept that is designed to keep the local population oppressed. From that perspective, not only does the UK need to respect the will of voters and lawmakers in Bermuda, but it also needs to let the people of Bermuda govern themselves without any interference by the UK.