More than two dozen U.S. states last week reported increased rates of COVID-19, including California, Florida, Texas, and Arizona, which reported their highest weekly infection rates.
The increase in coronavirus cases coincides with the reopening of businesses across the United States, with businesses like bars, nail salons, tattoo parlors, and movie theaters in some areas allowed to open their doors and welcome customers.
Public health officials at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have cautioned people to wear facemasks in an effort to slow the spread of the virus as the public re-emerges to a new social environment. National Institutes of Health (NIH) expert virologist Anthony Fauci cautioned Americans that the anticipated “second wave” of infections has not started and that rate spikes are reflective of a continuing first wave.
The CDC reported that, so far, there have been nearly 120,000 deaths attributed to coronavirus in the U.S. Worldwide rates yesterday hit a one-day spike, as reported by the World Health Organization.
Amid the ongoing chaos, cannabis industry businesses continue to campaign for good and add products, services, and features to assist consumers, both in the U.S. and globally.
In legal Canada, British Columbia-based cannabis pharmaceutical company Lexaria Biosciences Corp. recently applied with the U.S.-based NIH for a grant to fund research for “orally administered antiviral compounds following DehydraTECH formulation enhancement.” pursuant to their National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) RFA-AI-20-028 – Partnerships for Countermeasures against Select Pathogens.”
“This grant application is for funding to support Lexaria’s second round of planned studies related to COVID-19 treatment possibilities,” the company told mgRetailer in a statement. “The company cautions that, across all sectors, many research grant applications are not successfully granted and Lexaria cannot predict whether this NIH grant application will be successful or not.”
Lexaria explained that the DehydraTECH™ system masks flavors and scents “to oral and olfactory receptors, rendering them essentially flavorless and odorless. As such, DehydraTECH formulations do not require unwanted sweeteners or chemical masking agents for flavor and odor blocking. This allows manufacturers to create low-sugar products with fewer calories, while also avoiding the use of excessive artificial sweeteners.”
In Israel, cannabis pharmaceutical producer InnoCan Pharma Ltd. has raised $12.5 million from investors which will fund continued research and trials into cannabis-based therapeutics for COVID-19. Cannabinoids like CBD (cannabidiol) have potent anti-inflammatory properties that might help treat lung inflammation and other symptoms of the novel coronavirus.
In May, the company announced a public offering worth $10 million to investors on the Canadian Securities Exchange, but also successfully secured funds from other global investors.
“In April, InnoCan Pharma Corporation announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, InnoCan Pharma Ltd. of Herzliya Israel, had entered into a sponsored research agreement with Ramot at TAU (Tel Aviv University) to develop a revolutionary new approach to treating COVID-19 by using cannabidiol (CBD) loaded exosomes (‘CLX’),” reported the Jerusalem Post.
Israel continues to lead the globe in medical cannabis research and development, some fifty years after Israeli biochemist Raphael Mechoulam made the revolutionary discovery of cannabinoid THC.
Israeli cannabis cultivation start-up Isracann Biosciences Inc. recently announced a major expansion to its capabilities, with two cultivation facilities in excess of 400,000 square feet of greenhouse space, one of which is located on 880,000 square feet of agricultural land. The company also is reportedly working with universities and research organizations in Israel to develop strains of raw cannabis specifically for medicinal use.
Dallas-based North American Cannabis Holdings, Inc. announced that, due to demand during the pandemic, it has streamlined and expanded its vendor program.
“Now, CBD/CBG manufacturers and vendors can apply and list their products on USMJ.com,” the company said.
“We’ve got a lot happening and hemp is helping to make it happen. We’ve been able to keep up with our orders, efficiently through the pandemic—albeit it hasn’t been easy—but we want to continue to provide an excellent response to our current surroundings with premium service,” Steven Rash, chief executive officer for North American Cannabis Holdings, Inc. said in a press release.
USMJ.com also is offering reusable hemp facemasks in a variety of designs, at $24.99 MSRP. Hemp has natural antibacterial and antiseptic properties, and hemp fabrics are sometimes used in hospital supplies.
In California, where a facemask mandate has been put in place statewide, cannabis club Clique and Left Coast Extracts donated 1,000 K95 facemasks to frontline responders at Kaiser-Permanente Medical Center in San Diego.
“Left Coast and Clique cannabis club, of 6142 Walker Avenue, Maywood, California, 90270, were delighted to be able to help our communities by supporting medical personnel with this gift,” said Left Coast representative Coltin Barody.
“Our business requires these masks, but our need is not as urgent as it is in our hospitals during this crisis,” Barody said in a press release. “It seemed like an ‘all hands on deck’ sort of situation. We had a supplier, we saw a need.”
“It’s just the right thing to do,” Barody continued, and added that the company had increased its order of PPE, in order to continue donations to medical workers. In April, Left Coast donated 3,000 to medical facilities in Oceanside, California.
Women-owned dispensary chain TerraVida Holistic Centers in Pennsylvania, reported that 1,300 deliveries have been made since the company introduced home deliveries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Deliveries are available within a 30-mile radius of TerraVida store locations, six days a week. In-store and curbside service are also available.
“We knew patients, especially those who already have vulnerable conditions, would have added stressors during the current pandemic,” TerraVida Chief Executive Officer Chris Visco said in a press release. “We knew this meant that we would have to do everything in our power to adjust our services to fit the concerns and needs of patients in our community. The delivery program allows us to safely deliver medicine to patients that are unable/not comfortable with leaving their home. Our hope is that this, in addition to our curbside service offerings, eases patients’ minds during a very difficult time.”
Canadian cannabis medical information platform HelloMD.ca has announced it will offer “a new Senior Care service that gives the [65 years and older] patient community across Canada simpler access to medical cannabis support to help keep them informed and cared for during COVID-19.”
In addition to launching the information service portal, HelloMD has partnered with Medical Cannabis by Shoppers Drug Mart‘s online platform for the sale of medical cannabis.
The new Senior Care service also includes regularly updated educational content tailored around the needs of those seniors using or seeking advice on the use of medical cannabis. “Since the start of 2020, we have seen more than 250-percent growth in demand from [65 years and older] patients seeking practitioner advice on medical cannabis,” said Larry Lisser, senior vice president at HelloMD.
“With the ongoing associated risks of COVID-19, seniors need access to safe and trusted sources for their health care needs; yet virtual health is new and sometimes can feel cumbersome for this community. That’s why we have re-engineered our processes and platform so that seniors can enjoy the safety and convenience of virtual health services, but without the frustration that technology can sometimes present,” Lisser added.
“We want seniors to have trusted access to the widest variety of medical cannabis products available in Canada today,” said Ken Weisbrod, vice president of business development at Shoppers Drug Mart.
“Be it by way of simpler access to licensed practitioners, or our pricing programs designed to help seniors better afford their medical cannabis, we want to ensure that seniors have the support they need to streamline this aspect of their healthcare journey,” he said.
