Receptive Capital Blog

Opinions and updates on the East Coast cannabis markets.

Opinions Rick Bashkoff Opinions Rick Bashkoff

I Just Enjoy The Plant. It’s As Simple As That.

During Kevin Durant’s interview at Game Plan by CNBC and Boardroom, he said, referring to cannabis, “Everyone does it, to be honest, it’s like wine at this point”. This was the line most media outlets lifted. But the line that I remember most is…“I just enjoy the plant. It’s as simple as that.”

“I just enjoy the plant. It’s as simple as that.”

During Kevin Durant’s interview at Game Plan by CNBC and Boardroom, he said, referring to cannabis, “Everyone does it, to be honest, it’s like wine at this point”. This was the line most media outlets lifted. But the line that I remember most is…

“I just enjoy the plant. It’s as simple as that.”

Coupled with his demeanor suggesting “Andrew, this is no big deal”, I admired KD's reaction to these questions. This is exactly the kind of statements and demeanor we need from those with power and influence. Not only has Kevin Durant invested in the industry, here he is on stage just keeping it simple. It’s a plant. It’s time we all start acting as if cannabis is a plant. I’m going to try to incorporate KD’s style into my own communication about cannabis stigma because I think he has this right. Less is more in this case.

Read More
Science Rick Bashkoff Science Rick Bashkoff

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

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.

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?

Read More