Good Morning. Welcome to The Greenfields of the Cannabis Business. We help you stay ahead of the cannabis business.

What've we got for you today?

• Even THC isn't safe from inflation

• Dr. Lenny checks out if terpenes are bullshit

• TGA Lights Up Medicinal Cannabis Suppliers

• Reality TV star buys CannPal (again)

• Oklahoma says they don't want to have a good time

Even THC isn't safe from inflation

If you thought your weed was safe from inflation we've got some bad news for you. Canadian cannabis consumers are taking on cannabis growers and THC testing labs that are reporting miraculously inflated THC % results.

40% THC!?

We checked with The Greenfields resident plant and brain researcher Dr. Lenny on how realistic this is and they said:

Retesting the bud through a different testing clinic got a more believable result of 22% THC.

This isn’t the first time THC %'s have been inflated. It's a widespread problem in Canada and another study found New York has the same problem.

Wink Cannabis, the company behind one of these supposedly miracle buds, released the results showing the 40% THC.

They claimed they are seeing ever increasing THC percentages from skilled cultivators and stand by the result. However, they did commit to improving their testing by testing using different labs and averaging the results.

Cannabis is still in what we are calling the “GHz” phase of marketing maturity. More standardised testing is going to be needed to 

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Dr. Lenny's Lab

A reader asks: Do terpenes really have an effect when using cannabis?

When plants are challenged by weather, or pests (including cannabis consumers), they produce a suite of protective chemicals called secondary metabolites. Sometimes, these secondary metabolites have biological functions.

Well known secondary metabolites are morphine and codeine for pain relief. Terpenes are known as the 'fragrant' class of secondary metabolites. 

Cannabis is especially rich in terpenes. There are at least 150 different terpenes in cannabis, although most are lost when the leaves are dried or stored.

The most popular idea about terpenes in cannabis is the 'Entourage Effect'. This theory suggests that terpenes work with cannabinoids to increase their effects. However, this idea isn't scientifically proven yet. 

It comes from cannabis users believing that different strains of cannabis produce different effects. One strain is calming and another one excites. In one of the few scientifically conducted studies into the Entourage Effect cannabis terpenes did not enhance pain relief effects of cannabis in rats.

Of the minimal research we have some promising cannabis terpenes are β-caryophyllene, which activates the cannabinoid receptor and enhances your high. α-pinene and β-pinene are thought to directly influence the neurotransmitter pathway for muscle control, learning, memory and attention.

There is absolutely no doubt that some plant terpenes have a medical effect. For example, Taxol, isolated from the bark of the Pacific yew tree, is highly effective in treating many cancer types. 

So, it is also likely that some of the 150 terpenes found in cannabis are biologically active. However, more rigorous scientific research needs to be conducted.

Got a question for Dr. Lenny? Reply to this email and they'll answer it in an upcoming newsletter.

TGA Lights Up Medicinal Cannabis Suppliers

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) lit up importers and manufacturers (aka “sponsors”) of medicinal cannabis products in Australia by reminding them of their obligation to get currently unapproved medicinal cannabis products “approved”.

Guidance released last week included this key statement:

How many cannabis products are on the ARTG?

0

What do you need to get on the ARTG?

Evidence of the quality, safety, and effectiveness.

Quality and safety shouldn't be an issue. Effectiveness is another case all together.

Studies into the effectiveness of medicinal cannabis are promising, but they aren't convincing enough for the TGA. Because cannabis would already be on the ARTG if that were the case.

Hopefully sponsors have factored the costs and time involved in applying. It's not clear what the repercussions are if they don't apply to be on the ARTG. It's also not clear what the repercussions are if they don't apply to be on the ARTG.

We may see from an industry perspective is consolidation of manufacturers and importers as they try and meet these requirements. It may also have an impact on the number of products available to medicinal cannabis users in Australia. We'll keep an eye on this as it progresses.

Cannabis Industry News

• Delta-8 THC Generated $2B in Revenue Over Two Years - The legal loophole for Delta-8 THC in the US has allowed it to grow to a $2B business, but it may be in the targets of lawmakers.

• Oklahoma votes no on recreational cannabis - Over 60% of Oklahoma voted against cannabis legalisation thanks to a fairly basic “won’t someone think of the children” campaign against legalisation. The war on the war on drugs isn’t over yet.

• Reality TV star buys back CannPal - MAFS star Layton Mills has bought back 50% of pet cannabis company CannPal from AusCann (ASX:AC8). AusCann offloaded it to reduce their expenses due to the slow growth of the medicinal cannabis market under the Special Access Scheme.

• Bod Science are confident about OTC CBD - Bod (ASX:BOD) are optimistic their low-dose CBD sleep treatment will do better against a placebo than every other low-dose CBD product from their competitors.

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That’s your walk through The Greenfields of the cannabis industry today. We’ll see you again on Thursday, but if you want more follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, or LinkedIn.

DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is not financial advice. It is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell anything or to make any financial decisions. Please do your own research and do not buy anything dodgy.