The past few years have seen a lot of nationwide advancements being made in the cannabis industry. With the ever-growing popularity of the natural remedy, many people are wondering what the plant actually is, what it does and who it can help. All of that information and more can be learned at the 2019 New Jersey Cannabis Convention taking place this weekend (Sept. 14-15) at the Atlantic City Convention Center. One of the panelists featured at the convention, David M. Cunic, who founded UCS (Use Cannabis Safely) Advisors sat down with Metro to give us a sneak peek at some of the criteria you will learn about this weekend at the event.
Learn all about the benefits of medical marijuana this weekend at the 2019 New Jersey Cannabis Convention
How did you originally get involved in the cannabis industry?
I originally got involved in the cannabis industry in 2010-2011. We started as an online health and wellness platform for people and their pets, where we used to present 100 different articles a day on health and wellness. Part of that was about CBD, as well as cannabis. Now, I’ve been with UCS Advisors for a couple of years where we do advisory work in the cannabis industry as well as investor relations.
What would you say are some of the biggest misconceptions about cannabis?
The first one that comes to mind is that all cannabis is exactly the same. That’s probably one of the biggest misconceptions. People don’t realize that there are numerous types of strains used for a vast amount of medical conditions. People really just have their blinders on, meaning that they’re not realizing the potential uses of cannabis as well as hemp, and how it can be used in so many different facets. One problem is we don’t have enough research here in the United States. Having limited research gives us limited answers, whereas in other parts of the world such as Israel where they’ve done research for years, they are really showing the maximum benefits of [cannabis].
For those who don’t know, what health benefits can cannabis supply?
It can be used for Crohn’s disease, it can be used for epilepsy. If you want to get back into misconceptions, most people say, “Oh well you can use cannabis to increase your appetite.” But there are actually strains of cannabis that are used to decrease your appetite as well. A lot of people also don’t realize it can be used as a lotion for psoriasis and eczema. Those are the ones that most people say they never knew about at all.
Where do you see this industry moving in the next five to 10 years?
That’s a hard question to answer, but personally speaking as a medical advisor, I think all 50 states should have medical laws and that it should be truly used as a medicine first. From there, within less than 10 years, you’re going to see recreation within all 50 states. It’s coming whether you like it or not — it’s coming out of the pipeline and things are certainly shaping up that way. There are over 30 medical states now and I think within the next five years you’re going to see over 40 states with medical laws. This is just my opinion, but once you see 45 states with medical laws, you’re going to see recreational usage throughout the country happening very quickly.
Are there any other perks cannabis has as a medicine compared to what most people use today?
If you wanted to take another route, it’s kind of like homeopathic medicine; people who use herbs or plants as their medicine will find it helpful. You see that with Chinese medicine sometimes, they use a lot of herbs and supplements and I think that’s what you’re going to see more and more. In terms of using it as a medicine, I think people are going to be more conscientious of whether or not they want to take a pharmaceutical pill with a bunch of chemicals and different compounds or use something more natural. There are just a lot less side effects as well.
One of the mottos you use often is “Use cannabis safely.” Can you tell me a bit more about what you mean by that?
As a medical provider, I believe that cannabis should be used as a medicine first and there should be medical usage in all 50 states. If it’s going to be used as a medicine, it should be treated as a medicine. When I say use cannabis safely, a lot of that comes down to education, where empowering doctors, pain management facilities, hospitals, orthopedic surgeons and psychologists about the benefits of cannabis, and showing how cannabis can be used as a different type of medicine to be prescribed. For example, we take Adderall all of the time, or Ritalin. Why can’t cannabis be used instead of taking a bunch of inflammatories? Part of the medical code of ethics is to empower patients with education and knowledge, and that’s where UCS comes from.
To learn more about the 2019 New Jersey Cannabis Convention and UCS, visit necann.com
