We’re three months into this year, and it’s amazing to see how quickly the cannabis industry continues to mature. As we plan for the rest of 2019 and into 2020, we’re excited about these four Canadian cannabis trends.
Edibles
Later this year, edible will become legal (the Cannabis Act set a deadline of October 17th, 2019). While medical patients and recreational users have the ability to cook with cannabis at home and make their own personal edibles, a regulated industry will help ensure that edibles are held to the same rigorous standards as other Canadian cannabis products.
Why does this matter? Well, for patients, it means they can better assess doses to manage their conditions appropriately.
Our bodies react differently to cannabis depending on how it’s consumed. While smoking flower or vaping cannabis oil can lead to instant relief for many patients, consuming edibles allows for a later onset of cannabis’s effects. If the dose isn’t right, this can lead to feeling too high later on or the opposite—an inability to feel the effects of the THC or CBD.
Once edibles are legally available and held to Health Canada standards and testing, patients will have more information regarding THC and CBD content, thus making it easier for them to incorporate such products into their healthcare regimen. For those who are not fans of smoking or vaping, this will likely provide welcome relief!
The CBD Boom
It seems like CBD is everywhere. You can treat your dog with CBD oil, use topicals to ease achy muscles, or down a CBD latte to power through your day. While the industry didn’t pop up overnight, its popularity has exploded. And often, with such popularity, comes regulation.
Not all CBD is created equally. There are plenty of poor quality CBD products on the shelves and plenty of big claims surrounding the cannabinoid. Will that lead to Health Canada or Parliament getting involved?
There’s good reason to be concerned. For starters, there’s a high likelihood that most CBD-infused products are not being made by licensed producers. That means they probably haven’t been tested. Combined with the miracle-like attributes that are being extended to all these CBD products, and the many people that swear by them, it may be a public safety issue.
CBD oil used to infuse products can come from two sources: hemp or cannabis. Hemp isn’t as heavily regulated as cannabis and products derived from hemp CBD can vary greatly in quality and effectiveness.
On the other hand, CBD derived from cannabis, like the pharmaceutical grade cannabis oils NuSierra produces, are rigorously tested to confirm their CBD content and their safety for consumption.
CBD has many worthwhile uses, though, regulation may be key to ensuring that we have access to quality products.
Additional Cannabis Research
Part of the taxes raised through legalization are intended to go to cannabis research. Because of its previous prohibited status, and because it is still not legal in the United States and most other countries around the globe, cannabis research has been highly regulated and slow going, with plenty of red tape and restrictions.
Of course, comprehensive research into the effects of cannabis on a variety of conditions will take a while to complete and compile, but we hope to hear about more studies being funded and more individuals being helped.
More Insurers Accepting Cannabis?
Last year, several insurers began covering medical cannabis in some capacity. Will this year see more insurance plans making allowances for those treating medical conditions with cannabis? We hope so! Insurers who allow for medical cannabis will be at the forefront of medicine and truly considered patient-friendly.
2019 promises to be an exciting year for medical cannabis. We’re excited to see how the industry continues to grow and the new opportunities that will be opened to patients.
