AUGUST 2016
Cannabis consumption is up 53% among those 55 and older -making them the fastest growing demographic in the country.
SENIORS
TOE THE LINE BETWEEN PHARMACEUTICALS AND CANNABIS
&
DISPENSARY MAP page 30
Where science and cannabis collide ReleafWellness.com
from the editor “Aging is out of your control. How you handle it, though, is in your hands.” –Diane von Furstenberg
Publisher Guy Bertuzzi, guy@elevatenv.com
Editor-In-Chief Beth Schwartz, beth@finetheagency.com
Creative Director Brooke Bertuzzi, brooke@finetheagency.com
Contributing Writers: Dr. Timothy Beckett, Derek J. Connor, Jamie Lockwood, Stephen McCamman, Lissa Townsend Rodgers
Media Consultants: Mark Damkroeger, mark@elevatenv.com Shanna Perry, shanna@elevatenv.com
ELEVATION PUBLISHING LLC President Jonathan Fine
Chief Financial Officer Cassandra Lupo
FINE THE AGENCY Partner Kelli Maruca, kelli@finetheagency.com
Graphic Designer James Nigbur, James@finetheagency.com
Digital Services Austin Grantham, austin.grantham@finetheagency.com Peter Chen, peter.chen@finetheagency.com Elevate Nevada magazine makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes, but cannot be held responsible for any consequences arising from errors, false data or omissions. Elevate Nevada assumes no responsibility for any claims or representations contained in this publication or in any advertisement. Elevate Nevada magazine does not encourage the illegal use of any of the products or advertisements within. Reproduction in whole or in part strictly prohibited. All rights reserved. 7120 Rafael Ridge Way, Las Vegas, NV 89119 Phone: 702.737.8464 | Email: info@elevatenv.com
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Amen to that. As I write this it’s my birthday so I am totally Zen to this train of thought. Exercise, plenty of sleep, good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle are the keys to aging gracefully and the best solutions to the many age-related challenges that may strike. If you have let these healthy lifestyle essentials get away from you and have encountered age-related infirmities such as glaucoma, hypertension, diabetes and pain from conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and fibromyalgia, there’s an answer you might not have considered -- cannabis. In fact, it’s something more and more seniors are using. Those 55-and-older are now the fastest-growing demographic of cannabis users in the country with consumption by this age group up 53 percent. Explaining the marked uptick in cannabis use is the fact that 25 states now have access to medical cannabis – and of course, much more importantly, that it works. It makes sense that more and more seniors would find value in cannabis. Not only is it a product of Mother Nature but it’s safe, quick, and effective in dealing with the deficiencies of an endocannabinoid system (eCB) that is off balance, which is one of the biggest issues we face as we grow older. A deficient eCB results in many of the conditions and ailments brought on by aging. Diet and exercise are two key ways to get your eCB back in balance but an alternative way, as many seniors are quickly growing hip to, is using medical cannabis. Through the use of cannabis, many seniors are solving their health
problems while simultaneously eliminating pharmaceuticals from their lives. In Nevada many seniors are seeking out the health benefits of cannabis. The proof is in the numbers. Even though Nevada’s dispensaries only started opening last August, there’s been a marked increase of seniors in the Silver State who have sought out cannabis. As of June 30th, 7,675 of the 19,774 medical marijuana patient cardholders in Nevada are 55 years of age and older. And people aren’t just seeking out cannabis for common oldster maladies like arthritis and pain. There’s new research just out from the Salk Institute that cannabis is a neuroprotectant against Alzheimer’s disease. As reported by Forbes, “Researchers discovered that the main psychoactive compound in marijuana—tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)—and a few other active compounds remove amyloid beta proteins from lab-grown neurons. Amyloid is the toxic protein known to accumulate in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. The compounds also significantly reduced cellular inflammation, an underlying factor in the disease’s progression.” That’s not just big news for those suffering from Alzheimer’s, but the start of many important discoveries researchers and scientists will make that can positively affect an array of brain related diseases that afflict us as we age. So do yourself a favor, listen to Ms. von Furstenberg, do some research or even visit a dispensary, many of them have incredible education programs, and find out about cannabis and its potential to help you not only live your life to the fullest as you age, but thrive while you are doing it. With an open mind,
CONTENTS 5 5 Healing: the Power of Cannabis
CBD fixes bevy of conditions resulting from rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle
6 6 From Blue to Green Life beyond the badge includes
cannabis for retired officers
9 Cooking with Cannabis Peach Crisp
11 Just Eat It!
Boosting your eCB system the way nature intended
15 Patient Primer: An Elixir for the Elderly Seniors fight off indignities of old age with cannabis
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20 Grandma is Up in the Joint
A puff a day keeps the doctor away and accounts for the spike of seniors using cannabis
24 Taming the Wild, Wild West
With Colorado as its guide, Nevada explores the new frontier of cannabis
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9 22
28 Legalease
Know Your Rights: Child Custody, Cannabis, and the Courts
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This November, you will have the opportunity to vote Yes on 2 to regulate marijuana like alcohol. You can learn more about the initiative at: RegulateNevada.org /RegulateMJinNV A regulated adult-use marijuana market will:
● Reduce or eliminate the underground marijuana market in Nevada ● Make it more difficult for our children to access by requiring an ID to purchase ● Provide funding for K-12 education ● NOT change existing medical marijuana laws or affect patients’ rights Email: info@regulatenevada.org to learn how you can get involved.
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Paid for by the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol.
HEALING THE POWER OF MEDICINAL CANNABIS
O
CBD HEALS BEVY OF CONDITIONS BROUGHT ON BY ROCK ‘N’ ROLL LIFESTYLE
“On a daily basis this pill has given me more relief than anything else I have ever taken,” explains John Grip of the CBD oil he takes in capsule form. “If I am addicted than I am addicted to hemp oil because it actually makes me feel good in the way that I really feel good. I am not high and I know what it feels like to be high, believe me.” Grip, 60, who spent close to 40 years in the music business working with legendary icons that include Elvis, knows what it’s like to feel a high brought on by tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of cannabis. “I’m an old fat guy who had a lot of fun. There’s no doubt I have had an amazing life, but with that comes a lifestyle and I am surprised I am still alive. All the years with the rock ‘n’ roll tours -- Aerosmith, Metallica, Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead, Megadeth, Ozzy, it goes on and on -- I have been very fortunate,” he surmises. It wasn’t just Grip’s rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle that contributed to his need for CBD oil. He also suffers with chronic pain from riding the rodeo circuit when he was young. He was a professional rodeo clown for two years and was also certified as a bullfighter. “I fought 800 bulls to get certified. It’s one of those dumb things you do when you are young. I wasn’t doing that well as a bull rider. I spent more time picking my ass off of the ground than making the eight seconds. I never broke anything, I
just got stomped on, dragged, rolled over, thrown, and kicked, among other things.” After five months of taking CBD oil, Grip is almost completely off of the pain medications he was taking. He took oxycontin, lortab and hydrocodone for a back injury he suffered two-and-a-half years ago when he fell through a roof and landed in the kitchen while installing a refrigeration unit. “I would have to flip back and forth because your body builds up a resistance and then they don’t work,” Grip says of the opiates he was taking. “I would get up in the morning and couldn’t move
including high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease, and Type 2 Diabetes. “I am noticing now that all the time my blood sugar is dropping into the 70 or 60 range and I start getting the shakes and sweats,” explains Grip. He was told to closely monitor his diabetes because patients who use CBD oil “have gone off their diabetic medications. They haven’t needed them anymore because their pancreas starts working again.” It hasn’t just helped Grip with his medical conditions. “The first night I took
I’m an old fat guy who had a lot of fun. There’s no doubt I have had an amazing life, but with that comes a lifestyle and I am surprised I am still alive. my hands, shoulders, and back. I needed surgery on my shoulder. I have full mobility back on that but with the back problems, which they never fixed, I may take a pain pill every two or three days.” In addition to chronic pain, Grip also found that during the five months he has been taking CBD oil it has had a positive effect on a range of other ailments
the pill I slept nine hours, I haven’t slept nine hours since the ‘80s. I woke up and couldn’t believe it -- I thought maybe my wife had changed the clocks. I am sleeping like I never slept before. I don’t hurt like I used to. I started to notice all these other things starting to decline and I thought, ‘Holy shit, this is like a onestop shop’.”
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FROM BLUE TO GREEN
LIFE BEYOND THE BADGE INCLUDES CANNABIS FOR RETIRED OFFICERS by Lissa Townsend Rodgers
People have entered the medical cannabis industry from a variety of other professions. We’ve seen doctors, lawyers, firefighters, restaurateurs and police. That last one may come as a surprise, but Dave Kallas and James Green, both former law enforcement officers turned dispensary entrepreneurs see no conflicts between their past and present professions. “The very first couple months, year, people were really surprised,” to find former police officers involved in the business, says Green. “Now when I tell people I’m involved with it, they kind of say ‘good.’ After all, who would you want in this type of business? Somebody who has twenty-something years of
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experience in a trusted position in the community or somebody who you don’t know at all and you have no knowledge of their background or trustworthiness?” Now working with NevadaPURE, Green went on a police ride-along when he was a teenager and, as he recalls, “it was love at first drive.” He joined the Henderson Police Force in 1993, working in homeland security, the investigations division and serving as watch commander during his 21-year career. Dave Kallas of the Apothecarium dispensary was an officer with Las Vegas Metro for three decades, starting in 1979 when, he laughs, “things were very different in Las Vegas.” He worked a variety of assignments, from patrol
units to street narcotics to the intelligence section of the department’s organized crime bureau. Like a number of other members in the medical cannabis industry, Kallas came to it through personal experience. In 2006, “I had a bone graft done on my right tibia,” he explains, “when they made the incision, they discovered that I had contracted this infection that there’s no cure for, Valley Fever.” And so Kallas was “put on the standard pain medication train—or roller coaster, if you want to call it that,” a situation many people find themselves in, but one he definitely wasn’t okay with. “I got very frustrated. I said, ‘I don’t want to be one of those people
who goes through the lowest level of pain medication, like a lortab and ends up with an oxycontin problem’,” Kallas recalls. A friend, State Senator Tick Segerblom, encouraged him to look into medical marijuana—“He knew the condition I was going through and he said, ‘Dave, you should do some research on this. This really could be much better for you than what you’re currently taking for your pain’.” After studying up on cannabis, visiting sites and talking to people in the industry, Kallas began working with a team to open a dispensary in Nevada. “I was hoping that getting involved and having my own place in some way would help me with the condition that I was dealing with.” James Green initially had his doubts about medical marijuana, many of them related to how he thought it would affect policing in Southern Nevada. “In 2001, once medical passed and it became legal to grow, possess, consume it—I thought the sky was gonna fall. I thought how we do law enforcement was going to change dramatically,” he recalls. “Thankfully, I was completely wrong.” The law enforcement background both men bring to their respective businesses is reassuring to regulators and customers. “We follow the rules, we’re going to have compliance, we’re going to sell it to the right people under the right circumstances,” says Green. Kallas also says that fears of criminal involvement
in the industry are unfounded, thanks to both regulation and personnel. “I’ve been a cop 30 years,” he states, “No cartel is going to come into a business that I’m associated with.” As former policemen, both Kallas and Green have a more personal, practical take on marijuana’s impact on law enforcement. “I’ve never come across a combative individual who’s been sitting around smoking marijuana, but I’ve certainly come across lots of them who have been drinking all day,” says Kallas. “I would rather go to a call where the guy has been smoking marijuana—I figure he’s probably going to be mellow. You tell me I’m going to a call for these guys at a family party, they’ve been drinking all day—send as many units as you can!” Green agrees: “I ask officers, ‘When was the last time you went to a violent crime that was marijuana related?’ You can’t get an answer from anybody because they can’t remember one. ‘When was the last time you went to a domestic call where people were under the influence of marijuana and nothing else?’ They say ‘I can’t recall one’.” And how has medical marijuana impacted law enforcement and crime in our communities? Green has asked them about that too. “And the answer is: It hasn’t. It’s a blip on their radar—officers are aware where the dispensaries and cultivation facilities are, but that’s about it. I’ve gotten zero reports of crime continued on page 27
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Cooking Cannabis PEACH CRISP BY JAMIE LOCKWOOD OF EVERGREENORGANIX.COM There’s not a tastier way to Celebrate National Peach Month than with a quick and easy peach crisp. The nutritional benefits of the juicy fruit are peachy keen. Encased in a velvet skin, peaches are packed with potassium which can help reduce anxiety and hair loss as well as prevent muscle weakness and poor memory. In addition, peaches are loaded with fiber, which can help prevent colon cancer and lower cholesterol levels. Rich in vitamin A and C, peaches boost the immune system and make a great natural moisturizer, which is probably where the term “peaches and cream complexion” comes from. Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE TOPPING:
Mix the following in a bowl until evenly combined. 6 peaches, cut into chunks juice from half a lemon 1/4 cup melted cannabutter (dosed to your liking to yield 12 servings) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 Tablespoons flour 1 Tablespoon corn starch 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup sugar 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
In a food processor or with a pastry cutter, blend the following until crumbly. 1 stick of non-infused butter 1 cup oats 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS Spread evenly into an 8”x8” pan coated with pan spray or butter. Spread topping evenly over filling. Bake at 400° degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cut into 12 pieces.
Please remember when cooking with medicinal cannabis you are cooking with a medicine and the medicine amount and portions of the food ingested should always be taken into consideration. Always start out with small portions or doses and wait 30 minutes to an hour before eating any additional portions of food that has been medicated.
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tara@nvcann.com • 702.682.7203 • 6631 Schuster Street, Las Vegas, NV. 89118
JUST EAT IT! THE ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM Boosting your eCB system the way nature intended Omegas
Beta-caryophyllenes (BCP)
by Stephen McCamman
Flavonoids
Omegas: mackerel, salmon oil, walnuts, chia seeds, flaxseeds, hemp seeds Beta-caryophyllenes (BCP): clove, oregano, celery, peppermint, cinnamon, basil, African black pepper, cannabis (whole plant extract) Flavonoids: Apples, grapes, tomatoes, green tea, potatoes, onions, broccoli, Brussels sprout, squash, cucumbers lettuce, green beans, peaches, blackberries, raspberries, and spinach
While the adage, “If you're old enough to know better, you're too old to do it,� may hold true for such things as hitting the nightclubs on the Strip, the one exception to this rule is taking care of your health. As we age, the aches and pains seem to accrue as fast the prescription bottles in our medicine cabinet. Unfortunately, these days it seems like the only solution is more and more pills, which just seems to cause more and more problems. Until now. Scientists have identified what may be the underlying cause of many intractable health issues: Clinical Endocannabinoid Deficiency Syndrome (CEDS). CEDS is a deficiency of our body's own marijuana, hormones called endocannabinoids. Healthy lifestyle choices, primarily diet, sleep and exercise, are necessary for our body to keep producing these hormones and this is important because they are responsible for ensuring our bodies operate at an optimal level.
As we slow down and the world keeps speeding up, the stress and pace of our American lifestyle and diet contribute to this deficiency. Migraines, fibromyalgia, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are the first set of co-morbidity -meaning they appear together -- ailments stemming from an endocannabinoid deficiency. The usual indications of old age -- arthritis, dementia, depression and even cancer -- may also be a result of CEDS. The science is not settled on these other tyrants of the aging process but research and overwhelming anecdotal evidence suggests that regulating the endocannabinoid system at the very least alleviates the symptoms of these serious diseases. In addition, compelling new research suggests that environmental toxins, such as pesticides and phthalates -- a chemical compound found in almost everything under the sun, including water bottles, all of your bathroom products, and even in pharmaceutical pills -- may disrupt your eCB system.
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While medical cannabis and hemp-based CBD are a first line of attack against CED syndrome, financial, social or employment concerns may keep people from accessing these medicinal products. Not to worry, since CED syndrome is essentially a nutrient deficiency, dietary changes are a good start. Emerging research indicates that other plant and food sources also provide nutrients that can help alleviate the deficiency. Below are three simple changes you can make in your diet to get you on the highway to health.
GORGE ON OMEGAS
While a daily dose of Omega 3 fatty acids (EPA/DHA) is crucial for overall wellness, it’s also necessary for the production of our body's endocannabinoids. It’s also important to balance EPA and DHA with the proper ratio of Omega 6, thus creating the perfect biochemical precursors necessary to produce, in effect, your body's own marijuana. The American diet already has an overabundance of an Omega 6, called linoleic acid, which is found in common household cooking oils and numerous processed foods (check your labels and throw out anything with linoleic acid in it). If you are eating a lot of fish, or using fish oil supplements as your Omega 3 source, be careful as these may have mercury in them. A high dose of EPA/DHA is beneficial for brain function, reduction in inflammation, behavior and mood regulation, and cellular rejuvenation – all functions of an optimal eCB system.
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The scientific consensus is a recommended daily dose of 500 mg of EPA/DHA through diet and supplements. Other researchers recommend up to 2500 mg a day, which would require a supplement. Hemp seeds, not surprisingly, are the best source of essential fatty acids as they contain a perfectly balanced 3:1 ratio of Omega 6 (linoleic acid/LA) to Omega 3 (alpha-linoleic /LNA) and, in turn, are aptly called "nature's most perfectly balanced oil." Visit bit.ly/2afXfIg for specially created recipes from VegeNation restaurant that include omegas, betas and flavonoids. Post a photo of one of the self-made recipes to Facebook @ElevateNV between August 1-31 and the poster of the photo who receives the most likes will receive a $25 gift card from VegeNation. You must tag @VegeNation and @ElevateNV in your post.
BEEF UP THE BETA
Beta-caryophyllene (BCP) is an essential oil found in many plants and foods, including cannabis. In 2008, researchers publishing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science identified BCP as a dietary cannabinoid, the first non-cannabis compound to attach to the cannabinoid receptors in the gut. Studies on mice suggest that it may even turn out to be an authentic plant-based cannabinoid, acting on the same receptors in our body as medical cannabis.
BCP has anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic and local anesthetic activities, and contributes significantly to the medicinal benefits of cannabis. BCP is found in many common foods (see list on page 11) and is available wherever essential oils are sold. Specific dosing guidelines are not available, but including these BCP-rich foods in a well-rounded diet will ensure your body is getting the cannabinoids it needs.
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FEAST ON FLAVONOIDS
Lastly, flavonoids, those compounds that give fruits and vegetables their bright colors, are natural Anandamide re-uptake inhibitors. In other words, they keep Anandamide more available to your endocannabinoid receptors and have numerous health benefits aside from this function, including anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation, and perhaps even anti-tumor properties, most likely via endocannabinoid regulation. Kaempferol was identified as the most potent flavonoid and is available in teas, fruits and vegetables (see list on page 11). The USDA estimates that in the U.S. daily total flavonoid consumption by the average adult is approximately 250-275 milligrams, with about half of total consumption coming in the form of flavan-3-ols from black and green tea.
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Remember, if food-based solutions aren't working for your health issue, a quick trip to your local dispensary can jump start your endocannabinoid system. However, if you follow these dietary guidelines, along with other sensible health strategies such as exercising, hydrating and getting a good night’s sleep, you may be in the fortunate position of not only being old enough to know better, but also feeling young enough at heart to actually get out there and do it. Stephen McCamman is writing a book on nutrition and the Endocannabinoid System. He is also co-founder of the Clinical Endocannabinoid System Consortium and president of mmjpatientsguide.com. He can be reached at mccamman@gmail.com.
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Patient Primer: AN ELIXIR FOR THE ELDERLY
Seniors can fight off the indignities of old age with cannabis By Dr. Timothy Beckett
Due to the increasing advances in medicine and robust public health efforts, the elderly population has seen a steady increase in growth over the past several years. However, advancing age can be coupled with many medical conditions, which may not only be detrimental to a person’s quality of life, but can place financial strain on the individual, their family, and the US economy as a whole. Knowing this, greater emphasis must be placed on making sure our seniors go into their later years in a healthy, comfortable, and dignified manner. Medical cannabis, when added to a lifestyle of exercise and proper dietary intake, may provide the biological foundation needed for a long, healthy life free of pain and other co-morbidities that haunt our aging population. Medical cannabis, or medical marijuana as it is so often referred to, has been shown to be effective in improving not only the symptoms of certain medical conditions, but the medical conditions themselves. Some of the more common medical conditions that our elderly population face include cancer, glaucoma, incontinence, hypertension, diabetes, insomnia,
Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and pain from conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and degenerative disc disease affecting the spine. The use of cannabis has to some extent been effective in preventing, delaying the onset and progression, and even eliminating these conditions altogether. In turn, the medical community must focus on educating the elderly about cannabis treatment and its benefits, as well as the process by which they can become a recipient of such innovative therapy. Cancer of many different types, including lung, breast, colon, and brain cancers, can all be found in the aging patient, likely due to the inability of the immune system to mount an effective response against damaged and mutated cancer cells. Additionally, many of the contemporary therapies used to treat the patient often leave them in a weakened state, allowing for diseases of opportunism to rear their ugly heads. And let’s not forget about poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, and general wasting of the physical body, which so often accompany cancer and its treatment.
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Data suggests that CBD (cannabidiol), one of the major active components of medical cannabis, can inhibit cancer cell growth, thereby decreasing tumor size and reducing the chances that it could spread elsewhere in the body. While undergoing chemotherapy or radiation, or even after undergoing surgery for such illnesses, the use of medical cannabis can reduce the associated nausea, vomiting, and physical wasting that often accompany such treatments. Alzheimer’s disease is progressive mental deterioration that can occur with age, due to generalized degeneration of the brain. This disease can literally take a person’s intelligence and memories hostage. I remember marveling at my grandfather’s knowledge and wisdom as I was growing up. This well read man served as Assistant Superintendent for the Dallas Independent School District and was the principal at many of its high schools. He read every book he could get his hands on, and was quick to share
Is your medical marijuana business ready?
his knowledge by teaching. However, the most profound memory I have of his final years involved his frustrations at not remembering how to drive to a place that he had driven to perhaps thousands of times in his life, and the sadness on my grandmother’s face when he was unable to recall his wife's name of 52 years. Much study and many resources have been aimed at discovering preventative measures or cures for Alzheimer’s. Just recently, researchers at the Salk Institute found preliminary evidence that THC and other compounds found in marijuana can promote the cellular removal of the toxic proteins found in the brain that are associated with Alzheimer’s. This news is quite promising, and could lead to treatments with the potential to save the lives of the more than 5 million Americans each year who are afflicted with the disease. Chronic pain is a tremendous public health problem, affecting upwards of 100 million Americans annually, many of them being seniors.
Put the pieces together with a FREE consultation with the attorneys at Ashcraft & Barr | LLP. Look for our industry updates at www.NVMJLaw.com!
2300 West Sahara Ave., Suite 1130 Las Vegas, Nevada, 89102 • (702) 631-7555
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Annual costs associated with chronic pain diagnosis and treatment can exceed $600 billion a year. And although pain may accompany many chronic illnesses associated with aging, it does not have to be a normal part of aging. Many treatments directed at treating pain are ineffective, and most oral pain medications, opioids in particular, carry a high risk of abuse, addiction, and even overdose. To make matters worse, many of the current medicinal therapies to assist people who have become addicted to oxycontin, morphine, lortab, vicodin, and other opioid medications carry their own risks of abuse and overdose. Medical cannabis has been found to be effective in treating patients with pain. First, the anti-inflammatory properties can often prevent the destructive processes which resulted in the pain in the first place, such as arthritis and degenerative disk disease. Secondly, nerves that detect pain contain abundant receptors for cannabinoids which, when activated,
result in blockade of pain perception. Combine this information with all of the anecdotal evidence of decreased neuropathic pain in many individuals using medical cannabis, and it is easy to see its effectiveness in treating pain. Ideally, one could potentially use medical cannabis to both treat a person’s pain and aid them in decreasing or eliminating their opioid consumption. So, it may be safe to say that cannabis can be used to prevent opioid abuse and potential overdose of patients using opioids, and it could be used as a viable alternative in treating pain when detoxing a patient addicted to opioids. There are so many medical conditions that cannabis has been shown to potentially treat. Whether still independent, requiring home health assistance, living out their final months with family or under hospice care, our aging population deserves to have every possible option at their disposal to lead a healthy, dignified, and comfortable life.
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A puff a day keeps the doctor away and accounts for the spike of seniors using cannabis by Beth Schwartz
“What’s the big deal?” asks Dorothy Hover, 80. “It just takes away the pain,” she remarks of the cannabis troche, a lozenge almost the size of a sugar cube, she takes nightly to manage chronic back pain resulting from three back surgeries. Hover’s not the only person in her age group who thinks cannabis is no big deal. Those 55 and older are now the fastest-growing demographic of cannabis users in the country, according to CBS News, which reported that between 2013 and 2014, the number of users increased from 2.8 million to 4.3 million. “When I first started doing this at the dispensaries, you get a stereotype of the type of people that you are going to see walking in the door and that is just crushed,” says Dr. Troutt, Director of Medical Education for local dispensary The+Source. “If you spend any time there at all, just throw those stereotypes out the window. The main individuals coming in are elderly people in wheelchairs, using canes, dealing with some very significant medical problems who are looking for relief with this newly available medicine.” As for the rapid increase in senior patients, Dr. Troutt pins it on the fact that 25 states now have some form of legal medical marijuana program. “Since the passage of the medical marijuana programs state by state and the publicizing of all the new research on the endocannabinoid system and potential benefits of cannabis, we are seeing a huge increase in our senior individuals who are interested in this medicine,” explained Dr. Troutt, who has been educating patients about cannabis since 2010 in his home state of Arizona. But it hasn’t just been new research and media reports educating the senior set about cannabis. Family members have been influential too. “Many times people will come up to me and quietly say, ‘You know my child or grandchild has been urging me to come in here and find out about this medicine and try it.’ So I think family is probably the biggest way people are hearing about it,” says Dr. Troutt. That’s how 83-year-old Adrienne Glusman found out about cannabis. “My grandkids told me to try CBD. These kids with the internet know about everything,” says Glusman, who uses a CBD-dominant hybrid of Medical Mass and Harlequin strains for a pinched nerve. “My grandkids told me about Charlotte’s Web. They came over and showed me on the YouTube and I thought if it didn’t hurt a five-year-old, it’s not going to hurt me.” Dr. Timothy Beckett sees lots of patients who have ailments similar to Glusman’s. He only opened Valley Center for Cannabis Therapy in April, but Dr. Beckett estimates 50 or 60 percent of the clinic’s patient base are over the age of 60 and are being sent to him by their doctors for “severe rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, back pain and surgery that didn’t help. Some of the oncology groups in town are starting to send their patients to us. I also get a lot of referrals from pain doctors sending patients who have been on opioids for years. Most of those patients have already tried the pharmaceutical route, they have been on some of these medications for years and they just don’t work anymore and they want an alternative.”
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That’s why Hover found herself at Sahara Wellness dispensary investigating the pros and cons of cannabis. “It was just a matter of choice,” she explains. “I had a lot of pain and I didn’t want to take hydrocodone for the rest of my life so I was looking for an alternative.” For Hover, Glusman, and other seniors, education has been key. Dr. Trout offers a new patient orientation class at The+Source each month (the next one is Sunday, August 21) where he estimates that about two-thirds of those in attendance are mature adults or seniors. “There is a lot of misunderstanding and fear so a lot of what I do is just dispelling the misinformation or the fear that they have in their minds because they have been told for so long that it’s a dangerous drug and that it has no medical value. Once we get past that and they get the bulk of information to help them understand how the medicine works and its safety value, they are open to its full potential.” Another significant part of the senior population seeking information on cannabis is those who are recovering from major surgery. “With the home health component of Valley Center for Cannabis Therapy we are trying to help patients who are recovering from some type of big surgery and don’t want to be zonked out on opioids or worried about addiction,” notes Dr. Beckett.
And opiate use should be concerning to seniors. According to the CBS News report, Americans over 65 years of age account for 14 percent of the nation's population, but they use more than 30 percent of all prescription drugs, including some highlyaddictive painkillers. “Overdosing on pharmaceuticals is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. right now and 70 percent of that is due to opiate medications,” explains Dr. Troutt. “If cannabis has the ability to reduce that -- and we are seeing that in research studies like the recent one in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) which showed states with medical cannabis programs were able to decrease lethal overdose rates of opiate medications by over 25 percent -- than we should welcome it. “And that’s still just a fraction of the individuals who are using medical cannabis. So just think about when this medicine is absolutely available across the board to patients who want to use this as an alternative without the stigma associated with it, think about what we can do to those lethal overdose numbers from opiate pain medications. It’s truly profound,” enthuses Dr. Troutt. Another healthcare component being reduced by cannabis is Medicare prescriptions -- new stats show that the federal continued on page 32
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TOP SELLING EDIBLES | lollipops, cookies, milk chocolate bar MISSION STATEMENT | To educate patients and the community about cannabis and its variety of medicinal benefits. DESCRIBE PISOS | The historically modernized original dispensary. RANGE OF PRODUCTS | concentrates, flower, edibles, oils and tinctures NAME’S MEANING | Pisos was originally a cough syrup established in 1864. It was the first brand to use cannabis as a key ingredient. The company was so successful they were sued by the government. Due to public
outcry and testimonies, they beat the lawsuit. Because of this, Pisos wants to remind and reeducate its patients of a time before the prohibition of cannabis and to pay homage to its history in providing medicinal benefits. SPECIALTY | Pisos wants to service everyone in the community with the intention to offer medicine for every health or medical condition cannabis can relieve.
CUSTOMER SERVICE PHILOSOPHY | Patients always come first and will have access to the highest quality medicine available. PATIENT EDUCATION | Pisos will offer patient education days as well as sponsor community events.
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WITH COLORADO AS A GUIDE, NEVADA EXPLORES THE NEW FRONTIER OF CANNABIS by Beth Schwartz Many times the states serve as laboratories for new programs and ideas. They are the pioneers of new industries, undergoing trial and error to see what works and what doesn’t before they are instituted on a massive federal level. There are 25 such laboratories in the United States incubating their own fledging medical marijuana programs. Colorado, one of four states with both medical and adult use marijuana programs, is one of the states with the most experience shaping a regulatory framework for cannabis. In late June, a contingent of Nevada legislators, state officials, and industry experts traveled to Colorado to find out what lessons their counterparts had learned over the last few years as they explored and navigated the wild west of cannabis. “Colorado went through many growing pains with respect to their medical and retail marijuana programs,” offered Joe Pollock, Deputy Administrator of Regulatory and Planning Services for the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health, which administers Nevada’s medical marijuana program. “Open communication with our counterparts in Colorado will provide invaluable insight which will expedite Nevada’s ability to implement a safe and successful marijuana program for its citizens and visitors.” Meetings during the two-day trip to Denver included discussions with representatives of the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment as well as the Colorado Division of Revenue to address marijuana industry do's and don't's, the
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tax structure of medical versus adult use, economic impact, public health and safety costs and best practices as well as DUI laws. “In some respects, Nevada has already found a more successful way to implement its marijuana industry. However, we would be remiss if we did not take the time to look at Colorado’s successes and failures so that we can adopt what they did right and avoid their missteps,” said attorney Riana Durrett, who is Executive Director of the Nevada Dispensary Association, and made the trip to Denver.
Reining in Edibles
One of Colorado’s biggest challenges has been with edibles. Cannabis-infused food has caused officials in Colorado quite a bit of grief due to lack of education surrounding overconsumption and their popularity with novices. According to Marijuana Policy Group, in Colorado edibles are responsible for 15 percent of adult use sales and make up about 6 percent of medical sales. “The state had no regulations on serving sizes for edibles and as a result had products that had an extremely high amount of THC,” explained Nevada Assemblyman Derek Armstrong, chairman of Assembly Taxation. To fix the situation and implement better patient safety measures, “Colorado has created a serving size and now requires that edibles be sold in separate servings, giving
patients the ability to know how much THC they will be consuming,” said Assemblyman Armstrong. With this in mind, the Nevada contingent believes getting ahead of the edible situation before it becomes a problem is the best route for the state to take. “It is much better for the industry to self-regulate edibles and serving sizes than to have individuals over-consume and then the government have to impose strict limitations,” offered attorney Amanda Connor of Connor & Connor. “If the industry works within the regulations and works with the government, a safe and effective market will develop which will generate revenue for Nevada's education system.”
Governing Caregivers
Another headache Colorado’s legislators have endured involves regulating the state’s caregivers. Colorado allows caregivers to grow marijuana for multiple patients with a limit of 99 plants per patient. “Colorado’s caregiver rules have led to something they call a “gray market.” Caregivers can seek approval for up to 99 plants and are joining with other caregivers and operating in an unregulated system that is potentially dangerous for patients,” explained Assemblyman Armstrong. “Nevada needs to ensure that we do not create a gray market.” Even though Nevada currently allows one patient per caregiver and limits cultivation of marijuana by a resident to 12 plants, Nevada officials are definitely cognizant of the issue and the unforeseen challenges it can present. “The increase in organized crime activity in Colorado is very concerning and seems to be directly attributed to the ability to obtain approval to grow 99 plants per patient (if prescribed by a physician). Law enforcement officials are having a hard time differentiating legitimate growers and those immersed in illegal activity,” said Pollock. “The Colorado representatives cautioned against allowing for an unregulated caregiver market. Fortunately, I think Nevada is ahead of the curve on that one because our limit on possession of plants is lower than Colorado's,” said Durrett. There is also the issue of the caregivers’ plants not being lab tested. “Colorado has an extensive caregiver market that serves many patients but is not regulated or tested product. I would highly recommend that all product,
august | elevatenv.com 25
especially medical product, be tested to ensure it is safe for patient consumption,” said Connor. The state of Colorado has used the additional revenue from cannabis to fund statewide educational programs. “I was very impressed with the fact that Colorado is putting the alreadymandated tax revenue into use to improve public awareness and drug treatment. The tax revenue is already mandated in the ballot initiative itself so no tax increases are required,” said Durrett. “Colorado appears to be taking this opportunity to improve public education, public awareness, and drug treatment programs in a manner that goes above and beyond the impacts of marijuana legalization by using the windfall of taxes to improve problems that existed long before marijuana legalization.” One educational program funded with Colorado’s cannabis tax money is called the Marijuana Education Initiative, which teaches teens about the effects of cannabis on the brain so they can make more informed choices. According to its website, the Marijuana Education Initiative was established as a progressive, research-based prevention and intervention program that provides curricula and services to promote an informed understanding of the impact of youth and adolescent marijuana use.
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Agreeing that there is plenty to learn from Colorado’s educational initiatives, Assemblyman Armstrong referenced another program the state has implemented that he thinks has merit. “One idea is to start an education campaign as soon as possible such as Colorado’s 'Good to Know' campaign," which can be found at goodtoknowcolorado.com. Implemented by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, it offers information on topics that include health basics, marijuana 101, tourist information, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, and safety tips. State employees in charge of implementing cannabis programs for Nevada are already on board. “Should Question 2 pass, the Division of Public and Behavioral Health will look to mimic Colorado’s public outreach programs to include education on safe marijuana use, education of Nevada’s youth to the dangers of marijuana and how it effects brain development, and a program to address marijuana addiction,” offered Pollock. “Nevada needs to get prepared because implementing an entirely new industry is not something that happens on its own. The industry and governmental officials need to communicate and decide early how taxes will be collected, how public health can be improved by the increased tax revenue, and how to maintain public safety,” concluded Durrett.
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continued from page 7 associated with medical marijuana since the program has come out.” One of Kallas’ chief concerns is navigating the industry’s many rules, regulations and requirements, which he fears could trip up the industry just as it’s taking off. “Putting in too many roadblocks makes it cost-prohibitive,” he points out. “In some cases I think the laws are very restrictive and people who have invested millions of dollars in this start-up business are going to lose out because there’s just not enough business for them right now to survive,” he explains. “That’s not what the law was intended to do. The law was intended to give people the opportunity to open these dispensaries so they could supply medicinal marijuana to the patients that need it.” Where do Kallas and Green see the future of the cannabis industry? Well, that depends on whether Question 2 passes in November. Green is optimistic that the recent changing attitudes toward cannabis will power a yes vote. “People are turning the tide and I agree with it. I think in 5-10 years marijuana will be an afterthought, a normal part of our society. I do think it is a much safer alternative than some of the other things out there in our community. It’ll add value economically,” he says, adding that, “If anybody should have recreational marijuana in this country, I would say Las Vegas or Nevada would be the first place.”
Kallas also supports Question 2, although he says he won’t take any profit from the Apothecarium’s involvement in recreational sales. “I’ll still participate in the medicinal,” he explains, “It just creates too much of an ethical issue for me— but that doesn’t mean I don’t believe that it’s better for people than alcohol is.” He hopes that the ballot question passes and the 2017 legislature does a little finessing. “They can’t change the language that’s in the ballot question but they can certainly add language,” he says “I believe that if they regulate it properly it will be beneficial.” But he agrees that the time for cannabis has come. He says it make take 10 or 20 years, but “I really believe that, if done right, you’ll see marijuana grow as probably the number one consumed product in the state— above alcohol eventually.” Ultimately, Dave Kallas and James Green see no inconsistency between their law enforcement experience and their participation in the cannabis industry, as the issues that might have caused conflict have been found to be largely imaginary. “There’s not a history of marijuana being a problem from a public safety perspective,” says Green. “We were told for many, many decades that there’s a war on drugs. From my perspective the war on drugs has failed and we need to decriminalize, legalize it, regulate it, tax it. It’s here. It’s not going away."
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LEGALEASE KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: CHILD CUSTODY, CANNABIS, AND THE COURTS
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By Derek J. Connor, Esquire
or most parents, the thought of losing the ability to spend time with their child is their worst nightmare. Unfortunately, due to the current state of marijuana laws, many parents’ worst nightmare has become a stark reality. In spite of recent reforms to many of the jurisdiction’s cannabis laws, medical marijuana patients and recreational users are having their children taken away from them through criminal actions and civil child custody proceedings. Parents who choose to use cannabis need to be aware of the potential legal issues they could face.
Criminal Issues
I always remind marijuana users that the possession, use, production, and distribution of cannabis remains prohibited under federal law. If you use marijuana, for any reason, you could face serious consequences under the laws of the federal government and the laws of several other jurisdictions. Nevertheless, the most likely crime that parents who use marijuana could face in relation to their children is the crime of child endangerment. In Nevada, child endangerment occurs when a person knowingly places a child in a situation where the child may suffer physical or mental harm (NRS 200.508). Depending on the circumstances, child endangerment could result in either felony or misdemeanor charges. One common situation in which cannabis users may find themselves charged with child endangerment stems from Nevada’s strict marijuana DUI laws. Marijuana patients need to understand that in Nevada you can be charged with DUI even if you are not actually impaired at the time you are driving -- simply because you have greater than an arbitrary amount of marijuana or marijuana metabolites in your body. If children are in the car at the time a patient is arrested for suspicion of DUI, they could also be charged with child endangerment. Pursuant to Nevada law, the Court will consider having a passenger under the age of 15 at the time of a DUI arrest as an aggravating factor pursuant to NRS 484C.400. Possessing a marijuana patient card is NOT a defense to a marijuana DUI or a charge of child endangerment. If you are charged with child endangerment, the authorities could
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remove your children from your home and you will have to fight to get them back. Parents who use marijuana could also face child endangerment charges if they are found to be in violation of Nevada’s medical marijuana laws, such as possessing greater than the permitted amount or selling marijuana in violation of the law, while in the presence of their children. Parents should take the time to familiarize themselves with Nevada’s marijuana laws and make sure they strictly adhere to them. Parents who use marijuana should store their medicine in a securely locked location. In order to prevent accidental ingestion, parents should take special care to ensure that edibles are stored and locked away where children cannot gain access to them. Failure to secure your medicine properly could lead to charges of child endangerment, or worse, if your child or their friends are able to access your marijuana. Use common sense and be sure to store your marijuana where nobody else can access it.
Defining Driving While Impaired
If a person cannot safely drive a motor vehicle due to the use of marijuana, or other drugs, they may be charged with a DUI. To be charged with driving while impaired, the arresting officer will look at the totality of the circumstances to determine if the drug/substance rendered the driver incapable of driving safely. The officer often determines your level of impairment through field sobriety tests (FST). Most people do not realize that a FST is optional and can be refused. Regardless, if you are found to be impaired to a degree that prevents you from operating your vehicle safely, you may be arrested and charged with DUI.
Child Custody Issues
Divorce and child custody cases can be some of the most bitterly fought court battles. In highly volatile cases where one parent is a marijuana patient and the other isn’t, it is common for the non-patient parent to use the other parent’s marijuana use as leverage in court. Angry exes, often acting on the advice of their divorce lawyer, may ask the court to order the marijuana patient to undergo drug testing, which can lead to the patient’s custody being revoked or being ordered to supervised visits only. It is also common for divorce lawyers to request that the court place certain conditions on the marijuanausing parent, such as banning the parent from driving with the children (due to Nevada’s marijuana DUI law discussed above) or from using their medicine while the child is present in their home. Unfortunately, some family court judges have been more than willing to impose such restrictions and other harsh measures on legal marijuana patients. Marijuana patients in family court are left with few options other than hiring an experienced family court lawyer to handle their case, which can get very expensive very quickly. I do not recommend attempting to proceed in family court without an experienced attorney, especially if the other party has already retained a lawyer.
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Given the current state of marijuana laws, there is nothing a marijuana patient can do to completely protect themselves from marijuana charges. However, being informed of the law may keep you from ending up in trouble in the first place. Parents who choose to use marijuana should never drive while using their medicine, especially with minors in their vehicle. Parents should also ensure that they store their medicine in a secure location where children cannot gain access to it. Parents with questions about their cannabis use should take the time to consult with an experienced attorney in order to understand their rights, especially if they are facing criminal charges or a contentious child custody battle. No parent should lose their kids just because they use marijuana. All marijuana-using patients should contact their elected representatives and continue to push for the reform of marijuana laws. Until we have a change at a federal level, parents other patients will continue to suffer under our current legal system.
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DISPENSARY MAP
A Patients’ Guide to Medical Cannabis in Southern Nevada 1. Apothecarium apothecariumlv.com 7855 W. Sahara Ave Las Vegas, NV 89117 702.778.7987
9. Medizin medizinlv.com 4850 W. Sunset Rd Ste #130 Las Vegas, NV 89118 702.206.1313
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2. Blackjack Collective blackjackcollective.com 1860 Western Ave Las Vegas, NV 89102 702.545.0026
10a. Nevada Medical Marijuana nevadamedicalmarijuana.com 3195 St. Rose Pkwy Ste #212 Henderson, NV 89052 702.737.7777
19. The Apothecary Shoppe theapothecaryshoppe.com 4240 W. Flamingo Rd Las Vegas, NV 89103 702.740.4372
3. Blüm letsblum.com 1921 Western Ave Las Vegas, NV. 89102 702.476.226
10b. Nevada Medical Marijuana nevadamedicalmarijuana.com 1975 S. Casino Dr Laughlin, NV 89029 702.737.7777
20. The Clinic theclinicnevada.com 4310 W. Flamingo Road Las Vegas, NV. 89103 702.447.1250
4. CannaCopia cannacopialv.com 6332 S. Rainbow Blvd #105 Las Vegas, NV 89118 702.487.6776
11. NevadaPure nevadapure.com 4380 Boulder Highway Las Vegas, NV 89121 702.444.4790
5a. Canopi OPENING SOON 6540 Blue Diamond Rd Las Vegas, NV 89139 702.420.7301
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5b. Canopi OPENING SOON 1324 S. 3rd St Las Vegas, NV 89104 702.420.7301
13. Oasis Medical oasismedicalcannabis.com 1800 Industrial Rd Ste #180 Las Vegas, NV 89102 702.420.2405
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15a. Reef Dispensaries reefdispensaries.com 3400 Western Ave Las Vegas, NV 89109 702.475.6520
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15b. Reef Dispensaries reefdispensaries.com 1370 W. Cheyenne Ave North Las Vegas, NV 89030 702.475.6520
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16. Sahara Wellness 420sahara.com 420 E. Sahara Ave Las Vegas , NV 89104 702.478.5533 17. Showgrow showgrowlv.com 4850 S. Fort Apache Rd. Ste #100 Las Vegas NV 89148 702.227.0511
21a. The Dispensary thedispensarynv.com 5347 S. Decatur Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89118 702.476.0420 21b. The Dispensary thedispensarynv.com 50 N. Gibson Rd Henderson, NV. 89104 702.476.0420 22a. The Grove TheGroveNV.com 1541 E. Basin Ave Pahrump, NV 89048 775.556.0100 22b. The Grove TheGroveNV.com 4647 Swenson St Las Vegas, NV 89119 702.463.5777 23. The Source thesourcenv.com 2550 S. Rainbow Blvd Ste #8 Las Vegas, NV 89146 702.708.2000 24a. Thrive Cannabis Marketplace thrivenevada.com 2755 W. Cheyenne Ave Ste #103 North Las Vegas, NV 89032 702.776.4144 24b. Thrive Cannabis Marketplace thrivenevada.com 1112 S. Commerce St Las Vegas, NV 89102 702.776.4144 25. Getting Legal
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continued from page 21 health insurance program for people who are 65 or older is being affected by the legalization of medical cannabis. A pair of researchers from the University of Georgia (UGA) recently published a study in the journal Health Affairs, showing findings that states which had implemented a medical cannabis program had an overall reduction in Medicare program and enrollee spending of nearly $165.2 million per year. Additionally, the UGA researchers found that, in the 17 states with medical-marijuana laws in place in 2013, prescriptions for painkillers and other classes of drugs fell markedly -- doctors prescribed 1,826 fewer doses of painkillers in a given year -- compared with states that did not have a medical-marijuana law. Dr. Troutt and his colleague, Matthew D. DiDonato Ph.D., have seen firsthand a reduction in prescription pill use in Arizona, where Dr. Troutt is also licensed. In August 2015, they published a research study in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs that showed a decrease in the amount of pharmaceuticals patients used. “We followed a group of patients using the dispensary system and one of the main things they reported was decreasing the amount of other pharmaceuticals they were using,” Dr. Troutt reports. In addition to the Medicare population, another seniorcentric area that cannabis will benefit is hospice. “There’s a huge
need,” explains Dr. Beckett. “Who in the world is going to benefit from medical marijuana more than a hospice patient? Who has no appetite, who is in constant pain and will spend their last few days dying from all types of things?” It’s such a huge need that Dr. Beckett was specifically sought out by Omni Care Hospice to become their medical director because they wanted to employ a physician who was open to using cannabis when treating their patients. Beyond hospice, Dr. Beckett sees a need throughout the entire senior community. In turn, he has started a program called PASS, which stands for Providing Access for Society's Seniors, that is designed to introduce medical cannabis into mainstream healthcare. “We are committed to taking this education to as many hospices, senior living facilities, hospitals, home health companies, and senior organizations that will consider making the lives of those they are trusted to care for as comfortable, as productive, and as dignified as possible.” With comfortable and productive being optimal -- as anybody on the elderly end of life will tell you. “When I first went in there and talked to her I could barely walk, I was so sick and in so much pain,” Glusman says of her initial visit to Silver Sage Wellness to see the dispensary’s patient consultant Mila. And now? “It’s working. It brought me back to life.”
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710 Coronado Center Drive, Suite 121 Henderson, NV 89052 (702) 750.9139
LAS VEGAS MEDICAL MARIJUANA ASSOCIATION lvmma.org (702) 499.3291 info@lvmma.org
STING ALARM
ACE ANALYTICAL
7120 Rafael Ridge Las Vegas, NV 89119 (702) 737.8464 stingalarm.com
7151 Cascade Valley Ct., Suite 210 Las Vegas, NV 89128 (702) 749.7429 | www.aceanalytical.com
GOINGup.
Cannabis Infused Chocolate Mmmint Bites
Introducing VERT, cannabis-infused edibles crafted from all-natural ingredients by our own master chef. It’s a unique collection of unexpected, deliciously surprising creations – with a focus on consistent dosing to elevate your experience in every possible way.
Now launching with VERT Bites – look for them 35 elevatenv.com | august at your favorite dispensary.
A HIGHER STANDARD VertEdibles.com
Elevating the Conversation
D Photo by Melissa Mullen Photography
r. Dustin Sulak never intended to make cannabis the focus of his medical practice and career. Opening his practice in 2009 just coincidentally coincided with the expansion of Maine’s patient program. He was just “in the right place at the right time and was forced to learn very quickly how to use cannabis as a medicine.” In addition to growing his private practice to three clinics with ten providers and nearly 20,000 patients over the last seven years, Dr. Sulak has been sharing his cannabis knowledge with the world at healer.com.
WERE YOU THE FIRST DOCTOR IN MAINE TO TREAT PATIENTS USING CANNABIS? I wasn’t the first, but I was one of the first. I have always been and continue to be on the leading edge of the clinical use of cannabis by looking at specific dosing recommendations and different delivery methods and approaches for people with various conditions. There has been a real shift, when I first started it was mostly me listening to people talk about how much they were smoking and what benefits they were having. But now it’s people who have no clue about cannabis, many of whom have never tried it before or have only used it recreationally, not for health, and they come in and want specific recommendations on what’s going to work best for them. WHY DID YOU CREATE HEALER.COM? We realized all the time and energy we were putting into educating each patient in our clinics would be valuable to people all over the world. That’s when I made healer.com which is a patient education website and it takes all the content we found we needed to save time and energy in the clinic and made it available to people everywhere. We have many different programs, there’s one on there for people who are brand-new to cannabis, and there’s also a program for people who are using too much
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with Dr. Dustin Sulak
and want to make their system more sensitive to it. There’s also a program to switch from smoking to using liquid medicines like tinctures. It’s all the things we have found most useful in the clinic. WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST FASCINATING CANNABIS DISCOVERY TO DATE? THC-A in tiny doses can be effective for treating seizures and other conditions. We had a mother come in who said a CBD tincture her child was using worked really well for her seizures, so we were curious to see how many milligrams of CBD she was getting and decided to test it. We tested it and found out it had no CBD in it and almost no THC in it, it was almost all THC-A and not a lot of it. She was having a seizure reduction with a relatively low dose so then I started realizing there is something anti-convulsive about THC-A. There’s very little on it in the literature. Since that time we have been using THC-A for not only for seizures, but also other neurologic conditions and we are seeing efficacy at doses that are less than a milligram a day for some children. And in some of these cases a higher dose of THC-A is not effective while a lower dose is. So I really think we are on the tip of the iceberg of how THC-A works, we know that it works very differently than THC but it hasn’t been investigated very deeply yet.
elevatenv.com | industry connect | august
WHEN WILL THE ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM BE TAUGHT IN MEDICAL SCHOOLS? We are right at the beginning of that now. Brown University has a class, the University of Vermont is starting to teach it, not in its medical school but as a regular course. I have had the opportunity to present it at University of New England as an extracurricular not as a mainstream course. It’s ludicrous that it is not part of every physiology course. But to put it in perspective, most medical schools still don’t teach a nutrition course. WHAT EMERGING TRENDS DO YOU FORESEE? Standardized doses and reproducible medicines. It’s important that patients know what they are getting and are able to get the same thing next month if it’s working for them. Another major direction has to do with dosing. I have been somewhat of a pioneer in low-dose cannabis, not just THC-A but other approaches that have better results and less side effects and I think that trend will continue. Cannabis for health and disease prevention is also a new direction that I’m excited for. Cannabis is not just useful for people who are sick, it’s also useful for those who are healthy so they stay healthy. To read our entire interview with Dr. Sulak, visit elevatenv.com/Elevating_ the_Conversation.
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elevatenv.com | august
2017 JAGUAR F-TYPE
NOT ALL BRITS ARE RESERVED
Distinct British design and heart-racing acceleration - a true Jaguar sports car. Now it’s your turn to experience the legend for your lifetime: the F-TYPE. The triumphant return of the Jaguar two-seater. To experience the F-TYPE for yourself, visit Jaguar Land Rover Las Vegas for a test drive today. 2017 JAGUAR F-TYPE
1.9
%
APR†
LIMITED TERM FINANCING
5 YEARS
60 ,000 MILES
New Vehicle Limited Warranty
Complimentary Scheduled Maintenance
24-Hour Roadside Assistance
Jaguar InControl® Remote & Protect™
B E S T I N C L A S S C O V E R A G E*
†Rates shown only for well qualified buyers as determined by approved lender. Taxes, title, license and fees due at signing. Retailer determines actual vehicle price. For special finance terms, take new vehicle delivery from retailer stock by 07/31/16. See your local Jaguar Retailer or call 1.800.4.JAGUAR for qualifications and complete details. Jaguar or approved lender may rescind or amend this offer without notice. *Class is cars sold by luxury automobile brands and claim is based on total package of New Vehicle Limited Warranty, Complimentary Scheduled Maintenance, 24-Hour Roadside Assistance, and Jaguar InControl® Remote & Protect”. For complete details regarding Jaguar EliteCare coverage, please visit JAGUARUSA.COM, call 1.800.4.JAGUAR or visit your local Jaguar Retailer. © 2016 Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC
Jaguar Land Rover Las Vegas
5255 West Sahara Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89146 702.579.0400 www.jlrlv.com
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