Written by Renata Filiaci, MSHW

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a cannabinoid in the cannabis plant. It is the second most prevalent of the active ingredients of cannabis to THC. While CBD is an essential component of medical cannabis, it is derived directly from the hemp plant, which is a cousin of the THC dominant plant. When it contains less than 0.3 percent THC, it’s considered cannabis sativa. CBD has physiological effects that promote and maintain health, including sleep management, pain modulating, immune-enhancing, neuroprotective, tumor suppressant, antibacterial, chemoprotective, anti-epileptic, reduces appetite for narcotics, antidepressant, and anti-anxiety. However, THC plays a role in binding and absorbing CBD within the endocannabinoid system, as they are both needed for the synergistic effects and to promote homeostasis.

Recent studies have shown that CBD can protect against Covid. Researchers have studied and hypothesized that extracts high in CBD but low in THC could be leveraged to combat Covid-19 infections by modulating levels of ACE2 in certain “gateway” tissues. ACE2 “receptor,” the protein provides the entry point for the coronavirus to hook into and infect a wide range of human cells.  These include lung tissue, oral/nasal mucosa, gastrointestinal tract, kidney, and testes. The researchers believe that modulating ACE2 levels in these areas with CBD could help to decrease people’s susceptibility to Covid-19. The virus has the capacity to bind to [ACE2], and pull it into the cell, almost like a doorway– Imagine a cell being a large building, cannabinoids decrease the number of doors in the building by, say, 70 percent, the level of entry will be restricted. So, therefore, you have more chance to fight it. 

As we all know, THC has just been legalized for recreational use and retail, so I am going to discuss a little bit about this and why it is essentially beneficial for NYS. I believe we need to break the stigma behind cannabis. As you know, cannabis has been referred to as marijuana for many years. The word “marijuana” refers to parts of or products from the plant Cannabis sativa that contain substantial amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), but let’s steer away from using the word marijuana for much longer to cease the potential xenophobia behind it.

THC dominant cannabis has come to be associated with the idea that cannabis is a dangerous and addictive intoxicant, not a holistic, herbal medicine … This stigma has played a big part in preventing cannabis legalization efforts throughout the US. There is an ideology that THC is a gateway drug; this marijuana gateway hypothesis remains a consistent justification for harsh policies controlling THC dominant plants. In older studies, the formulas used, like sequencing, association, and causality or simple division, have been heavily criticized by researchers for using an illogical application of math and association to determine causality, stating that the experimental methods are in turn weak.

However, with that being said, researchers have determined that alcohol and tobacco have worse priming effects. Alcohol use precedes cannabis use and tobacco use precedes alcohol use. What is more, drinking caffeinated beverages precedes tobacco use. It can be seen that the sequencing to hard, illicit drug use potentially begins much earlier in the substance use timeline.

Other results indicate a moderate relation between early teen cannabis use and young adult abuse of other illicit substances; however, this association fades from statistical significance with adjustments for stress and life-course variables. Likewise, findings show that any causal influence of teen cannabis use on other illicit substance use is contingent upon employment status and is short-term, subsiding entirely by the age of 21. In light of these findings, we urge U.S. drug control policymakers to consider stress and life-course approaches in their pursuit of solutions to the ‘drug problem.’ On average, individuals with THC dependence meet fewer DSM dependence criteria; the withdrawal experience is not as dramatic; and the severity of the associated consequences is not as extreme unlike cocaine, heroin, and alcohol.

That brings me into what the bill will actually provide to our state. I was very excited to hear about the legalization of THC because the enactment of the bill provides value to our state. It is posed that tax collection is projected to reach $350 million annually and potentially create 30,000 to 60,000 jobs within the state. The bill would also expand New York State’s existing medical THC and cannabinoid hemp programs. The legislation provides licensing for THC dominant cannabis producers, distributors, retailers, and other actors in the cannabis market, and creates a social and economic equity program to assist individuals disproportionately impacted by cannabis enforcement that want to participate in the industry. This has the potential to lower spending costs of $3.6 billion used for enforcing laws on possession, in turn, keeping more money within the state to spend on necessary things.

Also, it allows the responsible use of cannabis by adults 21 and over within a tightly regulated system. Significant updates and improvements for the medical cannabis and hemp farming programs. Protects young people by reducing access to cannabis and promotes comprehensive, reality-based drug education correlating with mental health education. Establishes a licensing system that favors small businesses and family farmers, not large corporations, including co-op and microbusiness licenses that can reduce barriers to entry for people with less access to capital and traditional avenues of financing.

They are saying they want 40% of the revenues to go towards education, 40% to community reinvestment grants to communities harmed by criminalization of drugs, and 20% to drug treatment and public education programs. Potentially, adult use cannabis sales will add an estimated $6 billion in economic output in New York by fiscal year 2027.

Other benefits to using THC:

• THC Provides Pain Relief: A low dose of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol provided a significant 30% reductions in pain intensity when compared to placebo
• Eases Nausea & Vomiting
• Protects Brain Cells: a study in 2014 found that people with THC in their systems were 80 percent less likely to die from traumatic head injuries than those without
• Effective Sleep Aid: Recent research suggests it may also improve breathing while reducing sleep interruptions as well as help insomniacs fall asleep quicker
• Helps Treat PTSD: studies have confirmed that THC eases a variety of PTSD-related symptoms including agitation, depression, insomnia, flashbacks, and nightmares.
• Promotes Brain Growth: THC activates the “CB1 receptor” in our brains. This stimulation promotes a process known as long-term potentiation which improves the brain’s ability to learn. Some research even suggests that THC can protect spatial memories. This is why small doses of cannabis can treat or even slow down diseases such as Alzheimer’s. THC can also help protect against Alzheimer’s in other ways, too.
• THC Increases Appetite: Researchers have found that THC interacts with the same type of receptors in the hypothalamus that release the hormone ghrelin, which stimulates hunger.
• THC is Antibacterial: researchers at MIT discovered that treating a concerning antibiotic-resistant pathogen with THC successfully killed the bacteria when other drugs could not.
• Anti-inflammatory: pre-clinical research suggests that it may be able to decrease inflammation by suppressing genes related to an inflammatory response.