Why Doesn't Smoking Medical Marijuana Make Sense? Expert Talks About Other Beneficial Consumption Methods

As the cannabis industry slowly develops and clears its name from decades of mysterious disrepute, scientists are figuring out many of the unknowns about this wondrous plant and its effects on humans. 

At the same time, technological progress is providing us with different forms of cannabis use, both for medical and recreational purposes. Thanks to science, we also understand more about specific cannabinoids such as CBD, CBG and THC and adjusting the dosing. 

From ritual cannabis smoking and infusing it in alcohol to be used for different ailments, marijuana has come a long way. Benzinga wanted to learn more, so we reached out to Susanne Caspar, the CEO of Linnea, a Swiss-based manufacturer of high-quality active pharmaceutical ingredients, including cannabinoids. Lienna has been manufacturing APIs for more than 40 years in its GMP-certified facility in Ticino, Switzerland. It sells to more than 70 countries and serves more than 300 businesses annually. 

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Caspar, who holds a degree in biology and advanced studies in business management and health care, previously led various pharmaceutical companies before she joined Linnea in 2020. Under her leadership, cannabinoid products have come to the forefront. 

“I am excited for Linnea to be contributing positively to the growth of the medical cannabis industry,” Caspar told Benzinga, adding that “Linnea’s core mission is to improve people’s quality of life.” 

In addition to cannabinoids, the company’s portfolio of beneficial botanical active ingredients includes: Bilberry, Ginkgo Biloba, Red Clover, 5 HTP, HMR Lignan, Vinpocetine, Vincamine and Butylscopolamine.

Does Smoking Medical Marijuana Make Sense?

Caspar believes that smoking marijuana is not the best option when it comes to medicinal use. She explains that is because both smoking and vaping carry many potential health risks, and it is very “difficult to dose an inhaled medicine of this type accurately.”

“Patients must ingest a significant amount to feel relief; the effects are relatively short-lived and re-administration is impossible in some environments,” Caspar said. “The bioavailability of inhaled cannabinoids, whether smoked or vaped, is highly variable. Cannabinoids have limited bioavailability when inhaled, are difficult to standardize, and degrade when exposed to the heat necessary for inhalation.”

Caspar explains that there are many potential medical uses for different cannabinoids, which the company saw in pre-clinical and clinical studies.

“There is currently an ongoing clinical study using our CBD ingredients for sleeplessness. We have also done pre-clinical studies showing the effectiveness of CBD on various skin conditions,” Caspar said. “For CBG there has been a clinical study on its beneficial use for glaucoma and there are studies currently planned for CBG’s use in migraines, anxiety and stress, sleep, and pain management.”

The CEO added that THC is often indicated for pain, appetite stimulation and spasticity, as well as CBD for childhood epilepsy. She believes that medical indications for cannabinoids both individually and in combination are yet to be expanded with new clinical trials on different conditions.

Standardization And Quality Assurance

Linnea prides itself on standardization of its extract ingredients, for example, “CBD 5% always contains 5%, ensuring consistency and exact potency batch to batch. We practice a substantial amount of research, including long stability studies, prior to selling any cannabinoid ingredients in the market to ensure high quality and reliability,” Caspar added.

The company started developing cannabinoid APIs in 2014. Two years later it became one of the first companies in the world to receive a GMP certificate. In 2017, it started producing CBD ingredients and in 2014 CBG ingredients. At the end of 2022, Linnea obtained a narcotics license allowing it to produce high-THC ingredients.

“In the beginning of 2024 we expect to be releasing combination products blending CBD, CBG and THC in varying percentages,” Caspar said. “We will also continue to expand our cannabinoid business around the globe as more countries create favorable regulations for cannabinoid use.”

Cannabis In Europe? Medical Should Be First

While there has been cannabis reform across Europe in recent years with Switzerland studying regulated non-medical cannabis sales, Ukraine contemplating legalizing medical marijuana, Malta fully legalized and Germany getting close, Caspar doesn't expect widespread legalization in Europe any time soon.

“We think legalization is currently in a premature stage,” Caspar said. “Developing the medical cannabis market needs to be the first priority in Europe as many countries still don't even have legal medical cannabis programs. As a first priority, we must first create a strong, tested, and widespread medical cannabis market for the many patients and potential patients that are without access to this type of medicine and only after this can proper legalization occur.”

She stressed that the focus should be on developing medical before recreational marijuana markets. “As we have seen in the U.S. for example when medical markets are inadequate or underdeveloped the opening of recreational markets takes over and practically eliminates medical markets leaving patients without access to true cannabis medicine.” 

Caspar said medical marijuana markets need reliable and diversified manufacturing companies with the ability to stay in business for the long term.

Feature Photo: Courtesy of Elsa Olofsson on Unsplash