Episode 21 - Cannabis
How Does Cannabis Work?
The Endocannabinoid System
Humans and plants share similar chemical compounds called cannabinoids (in people we call them endocannabinoids). We make our own endocannabinoids through our endocannabinoid system is thought to control how we feel, move, and react. The endocannabinoid system may play a role in regulating stress recovery, nervous system protection, immune system response, and homeostatic behaviour. We have two kinds of cannabinoid receptors, which endocannabinoids bind to:
The first type, CB1 receptors, are primarily located in the central nervous system (including the brain)
The second type, CB2 receptors, are found primarily in the immune system.
Plant cannabinoids also interact with these receptors and inhibit the way they function.
Plant Cannabinoids
The cannabis plant contains hundreds of cannabinoids, but the two most well-known are tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Because the number and location of endocannabinoid receptors differ, reactions to THC and CBD won’t be the same, even if people are consuming the exact same strain. The effects of cannabis also depend on things like consumption method, frequency of use, genetics, age, sex, personality, current mood, and mental health conditions. Most people will know that THC is what produces the “high” associated with cannabis. CBD doesn’t generally produce a high. It’s associated with pain-relief and reducing anxiety, as well as a few other health effects. Because everyone is different, health experts recommend starting with cannabis that has low THC and CBD levels to gauge how your body will react.
Effects of Cannabis
Generally, the desired effects of cannabis are temporary and include stress relief, anxiety reduction, increased creativity, and increased appetite. Unpleasant effects are also generally temporary and result from consuming too much. These include: an inability to concentrate; memory problems; anxiety, panic, or paranoia; disorganized thoughts; dizziness or hallucinations; reduced reaction time; and sleepiness. To avoid unpleasant effects from cannabis, try to choose cannabis with low THC content and consume small amounts slowly. Check out other tips for responsible use here.
There are a few long-term effects that can develop from frequent (daily or near-daily), long-term cannabis use. Most of these are effects on the brain, including harms to memory, concentration, and ability to think and make decisions. The only known long-term effect on the body is from smoke inhalation. Similar to smoking tobacco, this can increase risks to lung health including bronchitis, lung infections chronic cough, and increased mucus build-up in the throat.
Cannabis Production
Cannabis production has five stages:
Cultivation
Extraction
Testing
Distribution
Retail
Cannabis Legalization/Decriminalization
There are a few countries around the world that have either legalized, partially legalized, or decriminalized marijuana. Legalization for medical use is the most common, while Canada is fairly rare in legalizing recreational use. Uruguay legalized cannabis in 2013.
Legalization in Canada
Recreational marijuana became legal in Canada in October 2018. A CBC News article from December ran with a headline that I thought was funny: “Canada’s cannabis policy makes it an international rebel on drug treaties”. More than 130 licensed producers in Canada’s cannabis landscape when PwC wrote this article in late 2018. Federal government (Health Canada) oversees commercial production and processing, while the provinces and territories oversee distribution, wholesaling, and retailing.
Canada’s Cannabis Industry
Creating a Legal Industry for Cannabis
As of February 2020, the Canadian cannabis industry (legal and illegal) is about $8 billion annually. A lot of that still comes from the black market: close to 40% of adult cannabis users reported obtaining cannabis from the black market in the last year (friends, dealers, private dispensaries, online, and family as the largest sources). As for legal cannabis, the main sources are retailers (55%), online (46%), medical providers (17%), and homegrown cannabis (6%).
Legal cannabis tends to be about 60% more expensive than illegal cannabis. There have also been supply issues, especially in Ontario during the initial rollout of legal weed. In Ontario, just 24 stores opened in 2019, compared with more than 300 in Alberta. Cannabis retail shops are fancy AF, as you can see from these photos of some of the best cannabis store brands.
Depending on the province, the retail model differs. It can include government-operated stores, private licensed stores, and online retailers.
Public-only (physical and online): PEI, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Northwest Territories
Public and private (physical), public (online): British Columbia, Yukon
Private (physical) and public (online): Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, Alberta
Private-only (physical and online): Manitoba, Saskatchewan
None of it: Nunavut
Big Weed
The top five companies control a combined 73% of the Canadian cannabis market (as of April 2019). The four largest cannabis companies are Canopy Growth Corp (Ontario-based), Cronos Group (CRON), Aurora Cannabis (Edmonton-based), and Aphria (APHA).
A bit more on the big dudes. Aurora Cannabis is one of the largest cannabis companies in the world. It recently bought Choom, which is a consumer cannabis company with a large retail network in Canada. They also bought Clarity Cannabis Retail Stores.
Cronos is a globally diversified and vertically integrated cannabis company with a presence on five continents. In Canada it is planning to launch the Medmen Canada retail brand, a joint venture with Medmen.
Canopy Growth operates two retail brands in Canada: Tokyo Smoke and Tweed. Canopy Growth has also partnered with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s cannabis brand, Houseplant.
And Westleaf Inc. is a vertically-integrated Canadian cannabis company. Westleaf plans to launch 50 premium retail stores across Western Canada by the end of 2020.
There are a ton of cannabis brands, and it’s a bit overwhelming to try to differentiate them. My cannabis oil was made by Solei (based in Leamington, Ontario) and purchased at Tokyo Smoke (owned by Canopy Growth). Solei seems to have pretty strong commitments to environmental sustainability, but it’s difficult to know.
Ethics and Legal v. Illegal Weed
There isn’t a lot written about this, which maybe isn’t surprising. Putting aside whether there is any moral harm to breaking the law in itself, buying illegal weed supports organized crime. Even if your weed guy is nice, you may be in some way supporting other more harmful forms of trafficking. That is, of course, unless you can verify that you are buying from, say, a neighbour who grows his own marijuana and sells a bit of it on the side. That’s a murkier ethical question. With legal weed, you can also be reasonably sure that the workers who cultivated, processed, and sold your cannabis had some measure of legal labour protections.
Environment (the other “Green Revolution”)
Water Use
In general, hemp plants require quite a lot of water to grow: a single marijuana plant can consume up to six gallons of water per day. If you are growing cannabis at home, there are some ways that you can do this more efficiently. One suggestion is using water from dehumidifiers to water the plant.
Energy Use
Growing weed can take a lot of energy: in Denver, for example, cannabis accounted for nearly four percent of the entire city’s energy usage in 2013-2016. Most of that was from growing cannabis. Get weed that was grown in a greenhouse, instead of a dark warehouse, because that uses less energy.
One example of an eco-friendly grower is L’Eagle (Denver-based). L’Eagle uses the entire plant for concentrates and flower and doesn’t use pesticides. It also promotes reusable products in-store.
Packaging
Because cannabis is a regulated product, it often has to be sold in small quantities in child-proof packaging that is often made from non-recyclable, single-use plastics. An estimated 10,000 tons of packaging was generated in the first year of weed legalization in Canada.
The federal Cannabis Act in Canada requires that cannabis be packaged in containers that are: opaque or semi-transparent; tamper-evident and child-resistant; and designed to prevent contamination and keep cannabis dry. It has been difficult to find biodegradable materials that meet these criteria. Unfortunately, regulations also prohibit the reuse and refill of cannabis packaging (because it has to be sealed with an excise stamp before going to the retailer).
Recycling these containers is a bit hit-and-miss. My cannabis oil container can apparently be recycled, but I doubt the dropper can be. One brand, Tweed, has launched a recycling program through TerraCycle.
There is some attention to this issue – for instance, entire companies have been created around sustainable cannabis packaging. Lots of cannabis-inesses are trying. For example, Sana Packaging produces biodegradable hemp-based packaging. The push is coming from consumers: consumers want eco-friendly cannabis and are willing to pay more for them.
Which Consumption Method is Most Eco-friendly?
Well, it’s definitely not disposable vapes (the “K-Cups of cannabis”). Don’t use those. And if you live in a place where you can easily grow your own using sunlight, putting some of that in a reusable pipe is probably the most environmentally friendly way to go. But beyond that, every method has its benefits and drawbacks. And in each category, there are better and worse options.
Which Consumption Method is Best?
Flower
It is possible to buy flower in bulk – the largest quantity I saw on the Ontario Cannabis Store website was 28g. The website also lets you pick flower from Ontario-based growers, which would reduce the transport emissions.
Oils (Tinctures), Sprays, and Capsules
Oils, sprays, and capsules are a popular way to use cannabis. They all use oil-based marijuana concentrates that you ingest. When you are getting pot in single-use plastic packages, look for plastic with the classification 1 (PET), which is most likely to be recyclable in your municipality. And remember good recycling etiquette. You can also go with a brand that has a recycling program. And tell your Member of Parliament that you want to get high without wreaking the oceans.
You could also buy cannabis flower in bulk and make oil from it at home. You basically grind the flower, then sauté it in oil (very gently) for an hour or more. Then you just strain out the plant solids. You should make sure that the space is well ventilated if you are going to make your own oil. Here is a cannabis oil recipe that we found. And here’s another. The downside of homemade oil is that you can’t be as precise with the concentration, which is what I really like about buying oils.
Other Extracts
Hash is a pressed concentration of the marijuana plant’s sticky glands. It can be vaporised or smoked. Kief is another option – it refers to the bulbous, crystal formation on the top of the marijuana plant’s resin glands. It’s powdery. Apparently it’s easier to make cannabis oils from kief.
Joints
Don’t just flick your roach onto the ground. Littering is bad. Beyond that, you can think a bit about your filters and rolling papers.
Not all joints are vegan. For instance, some use animal-based glues, though many brands now use plant-based glues. Animal products can also be present in the dyes. Not all rolling papers are cruelty-free, either.
You can get eco-friendly rolling papers made of hemp or rice. Check out some options here.
Vaporizers
If you vape, make sure you are recycling your batteries appropriately. Don’t buy a disposable vaporizer.
Edibles
To meet government safety regulations, edibles have to be packaged in child-proof packaging. And in Canada, no more than 10mg of THC can be in a package of edibles. The general packaging advice goes for edibles, or make your own!
Topicals
Topicals are products like lotions, creams, and oils that are meant to be applied to hair, skin, and nails and have been infused with cannabis extracts. Because topicals bind to a different kind of cannabinoid receptors (the CB2 receptors in the immune system), they impact us differently than smoking or ingesting cannabis. The general packaging advice goes for topicals.