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Research analyzing marijuana and its effects on seniors is lacking, but a recent one conducted in Geneva provided some positive results.

Some of the most promising developments on medical marijuana are the possibilities it provides for seniors struggling with chronic conditions. Marijuana is known for its broad effect, treating a variety of diseases and disorders without providing significant side effects. This alone makes it stand out in a market filled with opioids and medicines that affect people’s quality of life.

While research on marijuana and its effect on seniors is limited, relying a lot on anecdotal evidence and the doctor who’s prescribing it, a small study that took place in Geneva provided some scientifically based proof.

In the study, 10 women with severe dementia were given a dose of cannabis containing CBD and THC. The study found that the higher the dose, the better the results, with patients demonstrating a calm and more positive behavior, less problems with rigidity and better ability to conduct their daily care. Psychotropic medications were removed from the women’s treatment and their behavior improved by 40%, making it easier for their caretakers to do their jobs and for the facility to run smoothly. No negative side effects were reported.

It’s hard for Americans to provide non-invasive medication and treatments for their seniors. Marijuana remains illegal on a federal level, making it challenging for researchers to conduct the necessary experiments and for patients to get the information they need. Still, small studies like this one are changing people’s perceptions. Once marijuana is legal, it means that many more trials and experiments can be conducted, and that the medicinal value of the plant could finally be unlocked.

In a historic decision, a U.S. appeals court on Friday said the federal law requiring that workers be paid a minimum wage and overtime applies to employees in the marijuana industry.

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Colorado said the protections in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) apply to “all workers,” regardless of whether the business they are engaged in is illegal under federal law, reports Reuters. The court rejected arguments by Colorado-based Helix TCS Inc, which provides security services for marijuana businesses, that its guards were not entitled to overtime because their work is illegal under the federal Controlled Substances Act.

Lawyers for Helix and a former security guard who filed the class-action lawsuit did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The ruling was the first by a U.S. appeals court to address the issue. Other courts have said that businesses engaged in unlawful activities, such as gambling or employing illegal immigrants, are still subject to the FLSA.

Colorado, California, and Illinois are among the eleven U.S. states that have legalized recreational marijuana use by adults since 2012. Many other states permit marijuana use for medical purposes. As noted by Reuters, in Friday’s decision, the 10th Circuit said that denying wage protections to workers in the marijuana industry would encourage employers to engage in illegal markets and give them an unfair advantage over legal businesses.

The court noted that Congress has repeatedly amended the FLSA to exempt specific groups of workers, and has never done so for employees of marijuana businesses.
The case is Kenney v. Helix TCS Inc, 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 18-1105.

Come Jan. 1, it will be legal to purchase and possess recreational marijuana in Illinois. And as the new year gets closer, several Chicago cannabis startups are beginning to imagine what the future holds for them under the new law.

For cannabis growers and dispensary operators, they can expect to attract a whole new set of buyers—not just those with a medical marijuana license. The tech-based startups that simplify how people buy cannabis or how marijuana companies advertise their offerings should also expect to find new consumers. And as happens with any big cultural or economic shift, new companies are likely to pop up once voids in the industry are discovered.

At the end of May, Illinois lawmakers approved a bill that would allow residents age 21 and older to legally possess 30 grams of cannabis, 5 grams of cannabis concentrate or 500 milligrams of THC contained in a cannabis-infused product. When the bill takes effect next year, it will also create a licensed cultivation and dispensary system.

Legalizing recreational marijuana will inevitably change a lot about Chicago. Cannabis sales are expected to generate new and much needed revenue for Illinois, and should help minimize the number of people behind bars for marijuana use and possession. But it’s also going to considerably change Chicago’s culture.

Soon, it won’t be uncommon to see a dispensary next to the local drug store or retailer. Dispensaries will be banned from setting up shop in most of downtown but intend to make their presence felt elsewhere throughout the city’s neighborhoods.

A rendering of Sunnyside, Cresco Labs’ cannabis retail stores.

“Chicago’s the most urban metro area that’s legalized [marijuana] at this point,” said Zach Marburger, the entrepreneur in residence at Cresco Labs, a Chicago-based cannabis grower and dispensary. “Once you start seeing dispensaries pop up on pinnacle real estate corners in Chicago, it’s going to have a real impact on culture and it’s going to bring a whole new set of folks into the space.”

Cresco, which went public last year on the Canadian Stock Exchange, began investing more than $1 million into building its own technology products since the legalization of recreational marijuana was announced, Marburger said. The company is also looking for new cannabis-tech companies to invest in, an initiative Marburger is leading. So far, Cresco has invested in two startups, and Marburger says he expects that number to grow to 10 by next year.

Marburger has his eyes on Chicago’s growing cannabis-tech scene as he looks for investment opportunities, and says he is eager to see how they flourish without the constraints of prohibitive marijuana laws.

For one Chicago cannabis-tech company, weed legalization will allow it to finally operate in the state it calls home. CannaTrac, which launched at the beginning of this year, is a startup that’s working to make the process of buying marijuana from dispensaries easier and more transparent with a smartphone app.

The startup operates a marketplace where dispensaries can sell marijuana products and consumers can purchase them using a secure electronic payment platform as opposed to cash.

Even though it’s technically Chicago-based, CannaTrac’s first market was Colorado because marijuana is currently legal there. Though it’s not technically illegal for CannaTrac to operate in Illinois, CEO Tom Gavin said it has been hard to launch at home because he couldn’t get a bank to agree to support the platform.

“We bank fully transparently in Colorado and we want to do the same in Illinois, but we’re limited in who we can go to,” Gavin said. “We originally [launched] in Colorado specifically because of the legislation and it obviously protected the company…even though the majority of our executives are Chicago-based.”

Once recreational marijuana is legal, Gavin said he expects business to grow, especially because the legalization will likely come with new legislation, like the SAFE Banking Act, which would protect financial institutions that work with cannabis businesses from federal prosecution in states where the substance is legal.

“With more cash in the dispensaries, there’s going to be an even larger outcry for a solution like we have in order for them to bank that money and show transparency,” Gavin said.

Kannatopia, a social media platform for cannabis users, launched in Chicago in 2015. It’s designed for users 21 and older who want to connect with other weed users, dispensaries and marijuana-centric brands.

“We provide a community for them to engage with other people, learn and share experiences and get exposure to all the different products and all the different things that happen across the industry,” said co-founder Kurt Akers. “One of our main priorities from the beginning was always keeping Illinois and Chicago the forefront of where we’re at.”

Kannatopia’s platform is geo-fenced to account for states that have legalized recreational and medical marijuana, which Illinois legalized in 2013. A third of the startup’s users are in Illinois, but once recreational marijuana is legal in the state, Akers said he expects local usership to grow even more.

“The legalization for Illinois just makes things simpler for us,” Akers said. “It gives us more credibility for the platform that we’re building for the Illinois market because we want to be a top cannabis technology brand in Chicago.”

Akers said he also expects the process of securing venture capital to be easier than it was as investors begin to pay more attention to the industry as a good (and legal) bet. Salveo Capital, a Chicago-based venture capital firm focused on investing in cannabis-tech, has backed a number of companies throughout the country, including Chicago dispensary Grassroots Cannabis. A U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing from earlier this month indicates that Salveo is raising a $22 million fund.

Green Nyle, another Chicago cannabis-tech startup, offers on-demand virtual cannabis coaches, who provide personalized guidance on how marijuana can help lead a healthy life. Green Nyle Founder and CEO Jilea Hemmings said a large portion of the startup’s target consumers want to wait to use a service like Green Nyle’s until cannabis is legal.

“The legalization for Illinois just makes things simpler for us.”

“The legalization of cannabis will help our business tremendously,” Hemmings said in a statement to Chicago Inno. “Many have heard about the benefits of cannabis, but are waiting on the sidelines until it is fully legalized.”

The other benefit of marijuana legalization is that Green Nyle and other cannabis companies will have more freedom to advertise their services on social media, in print and in commercials in Illinois, a space that has been hard to navigate.

Chicago startup Fyllo recently raised $16 million to grow its business, which helps cannabis companies deliver ad campaigns that are compliant with state and federal regulations.

Other Chicago cannabis startups whose business is likely to grow once recreational marijuana is legalized in Illinois include CannaFundr, an online investment marketplace for companies in the weed industry, and Leaf Trade, a B2B SaaS enterprise software startup for cannabis companies.

“[Legalizing recreational marijuana] is going to be great for not only the individuals, but the small businesses,” said Gavin of CannaTrac. “These [companies] are going to have the ability to do stuff that they couldn’t before. They’ve been waiting a really long time to make money.”

Concerns have been raised about the lack of knowledge of the benefits and harms regarding cannabis and mental health

In the UK there is strong public and political support for medical cannabis being available to patients who can benefit from it. As far back as 2016, a Populus poll found that 68% of the UK population supported the idea and last year’s change in the law to legalise medical cannabis in the UK was met with widespread political and public acclaim.

However, the fear that cannabis, even in its medical form, might be harmful still stalks much of the debate, particularly in the popular media – which makes links to mental disorders such as psychosis and schizophrenia.

Cannabis and mental health

Many health professionals are still concerned about safety which has, in part, led to the current unwillingness of NHS clinicians to prescribe the newly legalised compounds. So with many patients reporting that they consume medical cannabis to help with a wide range of health conditions, including alleviating the symptoms of mental health issues, we are in the paradoxical position that some people consume cannabis to help improve a mental health condition, whilst others view such consumption as a cause of those mental health issues, not a cure.

Media bias

Some aspects of the popular media delight in blaring out: ‘Consuming cannabis can lead to psychosis and even schizophrenia.’ Other ‘cannabis campaigners’ have an equally entrenched view that this is not the case.

The real situation is more nuanced than either of these positions. Having a debate based on such polarised views helps neither the public nor the medical professionals.

The true picture can only be ascertained by looking at evidence. For example, there is some new evidence around the effectiveness of CBD, a non-intoxicating cannabinoid found in cannabis, helping people live with schizophrenia. The randomised-control trial published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, funded by GW Research and the National Institute for Health Research showed that after six weeks of treatment, the group treated with CBD had lower levels of psychotic symptoms, and were more likely to have been rated improved and not as severely unwell by a clinician.

Limited evidence

This evidence is currently limited in scope, however, it should open the door for developing more evidence around this particular link, and also for securing evidence of efficacy or otherwise across a broader range of health issues, both physical and mental.

Stating that cannabis may contribute to symptoms of schizophrenia-like psychosis is an easy narrative because it’s been perpetuated for so long. What’s more difficult is employing rigorous science and the nuances required to have an evidence-informed discussion on this topic.

Genetics

While a link exists between cannabis and psychosis, it exists mostly for people who are heavy users of THC products and who have a predisposition to psychosis. In fact, one recent study suggests that genetics could account for about 69% to 84% of the link between cannabis and psychosis. It also bears mentioning that a majority of cannabis consumers experience neither psychosis nor go on to develop schizophrenia.

Further, from self-report surveys, research shows 19% of adult cannabis users were daily or near-daily users – i.e., those at the highest risk. This means that a majority of individuals who use cannabis are not doing so in ways that would potentially put them at risk for these commonly discussed, severe health issues.  The frequency of use of THC, and starting cannabis at a younger age, are also important risk factors for developing psychosis.

Framing the narrative

The narrative around psychosis and cannabis often ignores the importance of the varying social and structural factors that we know shape health outcomes. These factors have been essentially disregarded in this wider conversation around risk – things such as poverty or childhood trauma and abuse – many of which also increase levels of stress, a known risk factor for psychosis.

Unless the pressure to stigmatise cannabis is resisted and, by implication, cannabis-based medicines, and champion the role of solid evidence-based analysis we risk allowing the development of medical cannabis to be stunted.

That would be a tragedy for the potential patients and a failure on the part of the body medical, civic and political to explore all options that can help improve quality of life.

Dr Caroline MacCallum
Clinical instructor in the Department of Medicine at UBC
Medical director at Greenleaf Medical Clinic
@camaccallum

Dr. Jenna Valleriani
CEO National Institute for Cannabis Health and Education
Executive Director Hope for Health Canada
@jennav5

Caroline MacCallum is an internal medicine specialist with expertise in complex pain and cannabis, a clinical instructor in the Department of Medicine at UBC, and medical director at Greenleaf Medical Clinic. Jenna Valleriani is the CEO of the National Institute for Cannabis Health and Education, and executive director of Hope for Health Canada.

Dr MacCallum will be presenting at Medical Cannabis: What UK Doctors Need to Know being hosted by Sapphire Medical Clinics on the 29^th October in London. To attend please register for your free ticket here.

Whether or not marijuana use causes fertility problems and negatively affects sperm remains inconclusive as studies on the topic are mixed. 

Research has shown that moderate cannabis use can increase sperm counts, but another study found that THC in cannabis can lead to pronounced genetic changes in sperm. 

An estimated one in seven US adults uses marijuana. With more and more states legalizing medicinal and recreational marijuana, it’s important to understand the effects of cannabis on sperm and if these changes hinder healthy fetal development. 

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen may be closer to understanding why the effects of cannabis use on sperm are so varied. 

Heavy cannabis users are more likely to have poor quality sperm the researchers found due to the way THC in cannabis interacts with the endocannabinoid system in the body. 

The endocannabinoid system is made up of endocannabinoid molecules, and cannabinoid receptors which are found all over the body. 

In a new study, the researchers analyzed testicle tissue from 15 men and pieces of the cannabis system were found within the tissue samples. 

The researchers say that heavy THC use may overwhelm cannabis receptors and disrupt signaling crucial to healthy sperm development.  

Moderate cannabis users may see some benefits, but heavy use could counter these benefits and lead to lower quality sperm in men. 

“The study provides new evidence supporting observations that recreational cannabis can have possible deleterious effects on human testicular function,” the researchers wrote in the study. 

The full findings of the study were published in the journal Scientific Reports. 

One of the best wide receivers in NFL history says he resorted to cannabis to seek solace from his pain—and to avoid getting tangled in the opioid abuse taking place in the locker rooms.

In an interview with Sports Illustrated, former Detroit Lions player Calvin Johnson highlighted how players coped with the beatings they took on the field.

“When I got to the league, [there] was opioid abuse,” he told Sports Illustrated’s Michael Rosenberg. “You really could go in the training room and get what you wanted. I can get Vicodin, I can get Oxy[contin]. It was too available. I used Percocet and stuff like that. And I did not like the way that made me feel. I had my preferred choice of medicine. Cannabis.”

While injuries weren’t the primary reason he retired at the prime age of 30, Johnson took a “super conservative” guess, saying he suffered at least nine concussions as a pro athlete—one for each season he played in the league.

He told Sports Illustrated it became routine.

“Bam, hit the ground real hard. I’m seeing stars; I can’t see straight,” he said. “But I know in a couple minutes I’m gonna be fine. Because I’ve done that plenty of times before.”

Calvin Johnson #81 of the Detroit Lions says he used cannabis to relieve his pain after games.

While the NFL is adopting a number of policies to improve players’ well-being, the inclusion of marijuana in a study looking at alternative medicine has been a hot topic.

But the league’s chief medical officer told the Los Angeles Times he wants more conclusive research. “I think that the science, unfortunately, has lagged behind a lot of the popular opinion and press on this,” Dr. Allen Sills said. “We have a lot more opinion than we do science on the use of marijuana for pain.”

Since setting records while grinding on the gridiron, Johnson has opened his own cannabis dispensary this year and teamed up with Harvard to study how medical cannabis affects chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease caused by multiple concussions.

Other football legends like Joe Montana have invested in cannabis firms while Rob Gronkowski and Terrell Davis are tied to companies that sell CBD products.

Eyes are the window to the soul, the lamp to the body, and our own personal portals to the outside world – learn how cannabis can help us maintain our vision.

I’m pretty sure I don’t have to delve into the importance of vision. Just like breathing, it’s one of those background physiological functions that’s always serving us. Although we don’t actively think about the process of “seeing”, it’s something we do from the moment we open our eyes at birth. And it’s something that’s readily noticed (and particularly worrisome) when there is some sort of visionary malfunction.

Excellent vision is considered 20/20 – which refers to the size of the letter at 20 feet away from the eye chart. Surprisingly, only 35 percent of all adults have 20/20 vision without glasses, surgery, or other means of correction. Generally speaking, visual acuity develops at around six months of age and remains stable throughout the adult years. Some kids develop nearsightedness at age 8 or 9 years, and some adults experience age-related vision loss starting around age 60.

As we age, our eye’s lenses become less flexible, making it more difficult to focus on small, close objects – like words on the page of a book, for example. But aside from a touch of nearsighted vision, there are certain vision disorders that become more common as we age, two of the most common ones being glaucoma and macular degeneration.

There are some limited treatment and surgical options available, but unfortunately, many are quite invasive and can only manage the symptoms for so long. People are looking for fresh new options to deal with their vision disorders, and cannabis keeps coming up as a promising one. But is there any science to back up this claim? Let’s take a look.

Cannabis and Glaucoma

We’ll start with glaucoma, a condition that’s long been linked to cannabis.  Glaucoma is one of the most common uses for medical cannabis and was once a condition that had federal government approval for “compassionate marijuana use”.  Glaucoma is not a specific disease, per se, but rather a group of conditions that contribute to vision loss and blindness.

Research dates back all the way to the 1970s indicating that THC can reduce intraocular pressure, a key factor in the development of glaucoma. A study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology clearly states that “Cannabinoids (specifically THC) have the potential of becoming a useful treatment for glaucoma, as they seem to have neuroprotective properties and effectively reduce intraocular pressure.”

However, that same study also points to various challenges such as unwanted cognitive effects, the development of a tolerance, difficulty in formulating a topical eye solution, and the fact that effects only last 3-4 hours, so whatever cannabis delivery method is used, it will need to be utilized 6-8 times per day.

According to Henry D. Jampel, MD, MHS, the Odd Fellows Professor of Ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins, “The take-home message is that although marijuana can lower the eye pressure, recommending this drug in any form for the treatment of glaucoma at the present time does not make sense given its side effects and short duration of action, coupled with a lack of evidence that its use alters the course of glaucoma.”

Ok, so that’s the low-down on THC and glaucoma; but what about its non-psychoactive cousin CBD? As it turns out, that’s also not a viable option either. A 2018 study from the University of Indiana discovered that CBD increased the intraocular pressure of lab mice. Interestingly, this negative effective was twice as prevalent in male mice compared to females.

“This difference between males and females — and the fact that CBD seems to worsen eye pressure, the primary risk factor for glaucoma — are both important aspects of this study,” said Senior Research Scientist, Alex Straiker. “It’s also notable that CBD appears to actively oppose the beneficial effects of THC.”

Cannabis and Macular Degeneration

The macula is the central part of the retina and it’s responsible for focusing the central vision of the eye. As the macula deteriorates, the patient develops a blind spot in the center of their vision – although peripheral vision would remain intact. In terms of visual impact, it’s opposite of the “tunnel-vision” effect associated with glaucoma.

Many standard treatments involve injections – in the eye – that are expected to halt the growth of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). But these treatments often come with various unwanted side effects, and of course, some people just aren’t too keen on sticking a needle directly into their eyes anyway (you can count me on that list).

Interestingly, researchers studying the effects of cannabinoids on brain tumors inadvertently found that they also blocked and inhibited VEGF pathways throughout the body. They found that THC was “especially effective at targeting VEGF progression”

Another theory connecting cannabis to macular degeneration is relating to the plant’s use as an anti-inflammatory, CBD in particular. Inflammation stemming from certain conditions, particularly diabetes or endotoxin exposure, is often a precursor of macular degeneration.

Keep in mind that while this all does sound very promising, these are all theories, since there have been no official studies on cannabinoid treatments and macular degeneration.

Looking Forward

If you ask any medical professional what their thoughts are on using cannabis to treat vision disorders, you will likely get a resounding “no” answer. And this is definitely not because there is no basis to the idea that it could be beneficial, but at this particular moment, the concrete evidence just isn’t there.

It’ll be exciting to see what the future holds in terms of studies and research, since new and less invasive treatment options for eye patients are in high demand. However, until there is more science, it’s best to err on the side of caution – your vision is nothing to play around with.

What are your thoughts on using cannabis to treat a vision disorder? Has it been beneficial for you? If so, we’d love to hear what you think! Drop us a line in the comment section below.