The Cannabis Terminology Style Guide

When you join the cannabis industry, the terminology is pretty daunting.

A mixture of new words, slang, chemical compounds and more can make it a bit difficult to keep up. And while many in the industry are happy to answer newbie questions, interrupting a discussion (and potentially effing up the rotation) is not always possible. I've been operating, researching and investing in the industry for over 7 years now and when I attend cannabis events, I am very often jotting down a word or two I hear in conversation that I don't know so I can look into it later.

Part of the solution for me has been to stay curious and surround myself with people who have been in the game much longer or focus on an area of the business that I don't. But another part of the solution is quite simple. Find credible sources and sticking with them. Google searching cannabis terminology and data might be helpful. Other times it can lead to more confusion given the treatment of content that includes the word cannabis.

The good people at Oaksterdam University have created a very useful tool called the "Cannabis Terminology Style Guide". This style guide is designed for use in academia and by any journalist, reporter, writer, or public relations professional and that's good enough for me. I highly suggest checking it out and bookmarking it.

Why Aren’t More People Talking About Cannabis As A Potential Alternative To Opioids?

Why aren’t more people in cannabis talking about this?

Cannabis is a potential alternative to opioids because it has been shown to be effective at treating pain. From multiple recently published studies, adult use cannabis markets have a measurable positive impact in the fight against the opioid addiction crisis. And it’s a fight worth fighting. “Opioid overdose deaths in the U.S. between 1999 and 2019, nearly 500,000 Americans died from an opioid related overdose (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021).”

In a study recently published in Social Science by Samantha Marinello and Lisa M. Powell states with medical cannabis laws (MCL) saw an 8.5% decrease in opioid prescribing relative to states without MCL. These findings are consistent with previous studies published between 2014-2018 which observed reductions in hospitalizations related to opioid dependence, abuse or overdose.

In a separate study recently published in Health Economics by Shyam R. concluded that states that enacted recreational cannabis laws from 2010-2019 led to a reduction in codeine dispensed at retail pharmacies.

Cannabis as a pain management alternative has ZERO overdose risk and far less addiction risk. So what are we waiting for?

Who is developing cannabinoid-based products that specifically target opioid replacement?