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Medical Cannabis in the Age of Legalization: A Comprehensive Analysis

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11 months ago

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The legalization of recreational cannabis has sparked a myriad of discussions, debates, and research. One aspect that often slips under the radar, however, is the impact of this legalization on medical cannabis consumers. With this shifting landscape, it’s crucial to probe questions such as “Does the legalization of recreational cannabis adversely affect medical cannabis consumers?” and “Is medical cannabis inherently safer?”. In this article, we delve into these issues and shed light on the often-overlooked medical cannabis industry within the burgeoning recreational cannabis market.

 

Recreational vs Medical Cannabis: Understanding the Basics

Before diving into the impacts of legalization, it’s important to understand the fundamental differences between recreational and medical cannabis. Medical cannabis, as the name suggests, is intended for therapeutic use. It is often prescribed by healthcare professionals to manage a range of medical conditions, including chronic pain, epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis.

On the other hand, recreational cannabis is used for personal enjoyment or non-medical purposes. While it contains the same active compounds as medical cannabis, it’s not regulated by medical standards or dosages. This distinction is important, as it underscores the unique needs and concerns of medical cannabis consumers in an increasingly recreational market.

The Legalization Wave: A Double-Edged Sword?

Over the past decade, the wave of recreational cannabis legalization has swept across various regions worldwide. This trend, while celebrated by many, has raised concerns about the fate of medical cannabis. While some argue that legalization could increase accessibility and decrease costs, others fear it could undermine the medical cannabis industry and adversely impact its consumers.

Impact on Accessibility and Costs

One of the potential benefits of recreational cannabis legalization is increased accessibility. With more dispensaries opening up, medical cannabis consumers could have more options to choose from. However, this silver lining may not always hold true. Some studies have shown that following recreational legalization, certain medical dispensaries either convert entirely to recreational sales or reduce their medical inventory, making it harder for medical cannabis consumers to find the specific products they need.

When it comes to cost, the picture is also mixed. Some argue that the increased supply following recreational legalization could drive down prices, making cannabis more affordable for medical consumers. However, others point out that taxes on recreational cannabis could significantly inflate its price. For instance, in states like California and Washington, consumers pay a hefty tax on recreational cannabis, which doesn’t apply to medical cannabis.

Impact on Quality and Safety

The issue of quality and safety is another focal point in the debate. Medical cannabis is typically subject to rigorous testing and quality control measures to ensure its safety and efficacy for patients. However, recreational cannabis doesn’t always meet these stringent standards. While recreational cannabis is generally safe for the average consumer, it may not be suitable for patients with specific medical conditions or those requiring precise dosages.

The Erosion of Medical Cannabis Programs?

Another concern is that the proliferation of recreational cannabis could undermine medical cannabis programs. This worry stems from the fear that the focus on profitability in the recreational market could divert resources and attention away from medical cannabis research and development. Furthermore, healthcare professionals might be less likely to recommend cannabis as a treatment option if it’s widely available for recreational use, potentially limiting patients’ access to this therapeutic resource.

Legalization: A State-by-State Analysis

The impact of recreational cannabis legalization on medical cannabis consumers can vary widely depending on individual state laws and regulations. As of 2022, 37 states have legalized medical cannabis use, with 21 of these states, along with the District of Columbia, also allowing recreational use.

Interestingly, the co-existence of medical and recreational cannabis markets in these states offers a unique opportunity to examine their interplay. For instance, in states like Colorado and Washington, the introduction of recreational cannabis has led to a decline in medical cannabis registrations. However, these states still maintain robust medical cannabis programs, suggesting that medical cannabis can coexist alongside a thriving recreational market.

On the flip side, in states like Arizona, which collected over $284 million of tax revenue following legalization, the recreational market has flourished without significantly impacting the medical market. This indicates that with appropriate regulations and safeguards, the legalization of recreational cannabis need not be a death knell for medical cannabis.

Economic Implications: A Boon or a Bane?

The legalization of recreational cannabis has undeniable economic implications. On the one hand, it has generated substantial tax revenue. In 2021, states that legalized recreational cannabis raked in a whopping $3.7 billion in tax revenue. This financial windfall could potentially be used to fund public services, including healthcare and education.

On the other hand, the economic boon of recreational cannabis might come at a cost to the medical cannabis industry. With recreational cannabis promising lucrative returns, businesses might be tempted to shift their focus away from the less profitable medical market. This could lead to reduced investment in medical cannabis research and development, potentially stalling the discovery of new therapeutic applications.

The Future of Medical Cannabis in a Recreational World

So, does recreational cannabis legalization spell doom for medical cannabis consumers? Not necessarily. While challenges exist, they are not insurmountable. With thoughtful legislation and robust regulation, it’s possible to balance the needs of both medical and recreational consumers.

For instance, states could implement policies to protect medical cannabis programs, such as tax exemptions for medical cannabis, mandatory medical inventory in dispensaries, and continued investment in medical cannabis research. These measures could help ensure that medical cannabis consumers continue to have access to safe, high-quality products at affordable prices.

At the federal level, a reclassification of cannabis could also be a game-changer. Currently, cannabis is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance, making it difficult for researchers to study its medical potential. If cannabis were reclassified, it could pave the way for more comprehensive research, ultimately benefiting medical cannabis consumers.

Conclusion

In the rapidly evolving landscape of cannabis legalization, the fate of medical cannabis hangs in the balance. While recreational legalization presents some challenges, it also offers opportunities for reform and progress. As we navigate this brave new world of legal cannabis, it’s crucial to keep the needs of medical cannabis consumers at the forefront. After all, at the heart of the cannabis debate is a fundamental question of health, well-being, and access to care.

In the end, the legalization wave isn’t just about recreational enjoyment or economic gain. It’s also about harnessing the therapeutic potential of cannabis and ensuring that those who need it most don’t get left behind in the green rush.



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Has Cannabis Become Boring? – Cannadelics

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1 year ago

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April 16, 2023

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There once was a time when weed was rebellious and dangerous. The summer of love and counterculture movement ensured that cannabis was the drug of choice for young people across America, and beyond. But thanks to legalization, the nonconformity of stoner culture is melting away into a trendy, commercialized, and predictable, multi-billion-dollar industry.  

Weed is great, and the fact that less people are going to prison for it is even better – but one thing that many smokers yearn for is the good ole’ days of solidarity and civil disobedience among potheads. Now that cannabis is more of an industry than a lifestyle, has it become a bit boring?  

Is weed still cool these days? 

For the record, I still love weed and smoke it regularly. I enjoy it on my own, with friends, at home, in nature, in the car, and pretty much anytime, anyplace. It’s relaxing and familiar, and for some reason, I find it a fun way to kill time. I smoke mainly blunts and the entire process of rolling and smoking a blunt is somewhat of an experience. But it’s also worth noting that I’m 32 years old and grew up during that period when smoking weed was still considered an act of defiance; a big f*** you to the man. Longtime cannabis reform activist and dispensary owner, Russ Belville, puts it perfectly. 

“There’s an aspect of when pot was illegal, it was a forbidden fruit, rite-of-passage sort of thing,” he says. “Now that pot is legal, it’s mom’s Chardonnay, it’s dad’s cigar. It’s not cool anymore. It’s kind of lame to the kids.”  

Think about some of historically cool stoners for a second, like Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong, Willie Nelson, Mike Tyson, and Snoop Dogg – or even some of the “younger” ones like Seth Rogen and Wiz Kalifa. Although at one point in their lives they were going against the grain with their pot use, each of them are now operating very successful and completely legal cannabis industry companies that offer a wide range of popular products.  

What the stats say 

Obviously, there’s very little in the way of data when it comes to determining what people actually think about pot. We know that people are buying it, and they buy a lot of it. The cannabis market was valued at $13.2 billion last year, and that doesn’t account for the huge number of people still buying from there dealers, either because it’s illegal where they live or simply for convenience. And although what is “cool” is largely based on personal perspective, one way to see what’s currently trending is by looking at what teens and young adults are doing. Based on recent data, it’s not weed.  

Data from Monitoring the Future, an organization that has surveyed national drug usage rates of high schoolers every year since 1975, recently took a look at how these numbers may have changed post-legalization in various states. As per their results, “Since 2005, the number of 12th graders across the country reporting they’ve used cannabis in their lifetime has hovered below 45 percent.” During that same time period, cannabis became legal for medicinal use in 38 states, while 21 states of these states have also legalized recreational use.

Interestingly, the date indicates that legalization results in less teens using cannabis, not more as previously believed. According to data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, numerous states saw these declines, including Colorado, Washington, Alaska, and Washington D.C. In Colorado, the first state to permit recreational use, only 9 percent of teens between the ages of 12 and 17 used cannabis monthly between 2015 and 2016, a drop of two percentage points from the year prior. In a rather comical flip of the script, “middle-aged parents are more likely to use marijuana than their teens,” says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Another newer study came up with similar results based on legalization patterns. Dwight Mark Anderson, PhD., from Montana State University concluded that “teenagers are less likely to use cannabis in places where the drug has been legalized.” Anderson and his team looked at health surveys of US high school pupils between 1993 and 2017, and they published their results in the medical journal Jama Pediatrics in 2019.

Thank you for stopping in. Head over to the Cannadelics Weekly Newsletter for direct updates; and get access to awesome deals on cannabis buds, vapes, edibles, smoking devices and equipment, cannabinoid compounds, and some psychedelic products! Go get high responsibly!

What real people are saying 

Almost everyone I know still smokes weed, so my opinion is likely a bit skewed. Add to that, I hang out with people close to my age or older, so late 20s and up. And aside from my kids, I honestly cannot think of anyone that I talk to on a regular basis who is under the age of 29. So I definitely fit into that demographic of parents or everyday older people that smoke weed regularly.  

That being said, I wouldn’t necessarily classify pot as “cool” either. When I was a teenager, absolutely. But these days, it’s just a product that I use on a regular basis because I enjoy the effects it has on me. That seems to be the case with most people I speak to, short of a few acquaintances who are actually obsessed with/addicted to pot. To find out what other people are thinking, I checked out good ole’ reddit. I found a few posts from people wondering what to do because they have grown bored of pot’s effects. 

They asked if they should quit, smoke more, or move on to new drugs. The majority of commenters were suggesting tolerance breaks, which is pretty solid advice for someone who just wants weed to “feel like it used to”. Others suggested trying different products or strains, which are also great ideas. A very small number of people said they quit altogether because they just lost interest in smoking, which is also understandable – I mean, if you aren’t getting high, there’s no point in wasting your money on it… pot is expensive!  

Final thoughts 

So, is cannabis boring now? Or is it still the cool, carefree drug it always was? Honestly, who the hell knows! Supposedly teens are using it less now because they associate it with their “boring” parents, but I don’t know any teens so I have no point of reference to gauge the accuracy of this statement. We know that studies are not always correct or unbiased, and teens are not always forthcoming about illegal things they are doing. And with so many varying opinions in this world, even within the same population demographics, it’s hard to say what the vast majority of people think about a product, especially in such a subjective way as whether it’s “cool” or not.  

So, you can take this all with a grain of salt because what’s cool and what’s boring is very much a matter of opinion. However, when I meet someone else that smokes, regardless of how common that is in today’s day and age, there’s still a fun and exciting aspect to it. In my opinion, nothing bonds a group of strangers faster than a fun chat over a nicely rolled blunt.  

Welcome readers! Thanks for hanging out with us at Cannadelics.com; an independent publication that brings you new and ongoing stories in the cannabis and hallucinogen spaces. Come ’round regularly so you don’t miss out on anything; and subscribe to our Cannadelics Weekly Newsletter, to ensure you’re never late to get the news.



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Moon Rocks – A Step By Step Guide To Make Your Own Moon Rocks

Published

1 year ago

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February 18, 2023

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If you’re familiar with cannabis culture you’ve probably heard of or encountered moon rocks. If you haven’t, moon rocks are an extremely potent way to consume cannabis. They’re made by taking a bud of cannabis, dipping/coating it with hash oil, and finally rolling it in kief. So just how potent are they? Well there’s plenty of variation and the exact percentage comes down to who made them and the quality of ingredients used, but the general consensus is around 50% THC. Now that we’ve defined moon rocks and know what ingredients we’ll be working with, here’s how to make your own moon rocks, a step by step guide.

Here’s what you’ll need to make moon rocks:

  • Your choice strain of cannabis
  • A thick concentrate, preferably hash oil
  • Enough kief to coat your bud(s)
  • A bowl for mixing
  • Tongs

This process to make them can be scaled up or down depending on how much you’re looking to make.

Step 1: Choose Your Bud

Take some of your favourite cannabis flowers and place them in the bowl. It’s a good idea to plan what kind of moon rocks you’d like to make. For example, if you want Indica, Sativa, or a hybrid combination.

Step 2: Grab Your Concentrate

The concentrate you choose should be nice and thick as it’ll coat the buds better. If your concentrate is too thick, simply heat it up until it’s malleable.

Step 3: Coat the Bud

You want an even coat over your cannabis flower. Note that you don’t want too thick of a coating as it could result in difficulty lighting them and long drying times. You’ll want to use your tongs here to ensure a nice even coating.

Step 4: Dry the moon rocks and Coat them With Kief

Let the moon rocks dry and finally, add your kief for the finishing touches. Once you’re finished, they should look similar to the image below.

moon rocks

To smoke moon rocks, it’s best to break them apart using scissors or some other cutting tool. Avoid putting them in your grinder as they’ll just clog it up and possibly even ruin it. They’re best smoked using pipes or bongs, but can be rolled into a nice joint if made correctly. However, when making your own moon rocks, it’s not recommended to roll joints as they probably won’t light properly.

Please note that they are extremely potent and should be smoked in moderation. Remember you can always smoke more if you’re not high enough, but you can’t reverse the effects if you’ve had too much.

Have you ever tried moon rocks? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!

Footnote(s)





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