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Marijuana’s big moment: Pot stores are now essential businesses. Will legal weed go mainstream?
DENVER — The marijuana industry is embracing change.
Edible products and pre-rolled joints are out. Vape concentrates and loose “flower,” which can be packed into bongs or pipes or rolled into joints and provide more bang for the buck, are in.
Stores are effectively closed. Instead, customers order online and pick up curbside, a major shift from when each buyer had to be personally verified by a licensed store worker. In California, stores have largely switched to an all-delivery model.
The country’s burgeoning marijuana industry is working swiftly to adapt to its customers’ needs as the coronavirus outbreak wreaks havoc on the U.S. economy. With business owners unable to access federal bailouts because the drug remains illegally nationally and popular 4/20 events cancelled because of stay-at-home orders, sellers are pushing for new ways to reach customers and persuade lawmakers that legal weed has become a crucial industry for many Americans.
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Aurelius Data Launches AuraCode
to Prevent Spread of COVID-19
AURA App Allows Patients & Dispensaries to Adapt to New Contactless Society
July 1, 2020
Missoula, MT – Aurelius Data, the first global patient perception big data company in plant-based medicines, has launched its AuraCode. Cannabis patients can now safely and privately share sensitive information with their healthcare provider or budtender when they scan the QR AuraCode displayed on one’s mobile device, giving them a personalized, contact-free encounter.
“As many have entered the first stage of reopening, we are still encouraged to social distance especially now as many states are seeing a resurgence in COVID-19 cases, patients with pre-existing conditions need to be cautious while still having access to their medicine. AuraCode allows them to interact with their budtender but limit their interaction and still get the advice they need,” said Julie Armstrong, CEO and Co-Founder of Aurelius Data.
AuraCode is a personalized QR code and one of several features available on the AURA app. The AURA mobile app provides secure, touchless access to a patient’s health and wellness information. AURA compiles a comprehensive picture of the patient’s personal healthcare path and preferences, including their current diagnosis, prescription medications, symptoms, plant medicine usage and preferences, and efficacy of treatment regimens – all available at their fingertips.
Along with the AuraCode, there are several other features included in the AURA app:
- My Aura: Built with commonalities from a patient’s profile and others in the Aura community, My Aura lights the path to higher efficacy and better experiences.
- Session Impressions: Track experiences and symptoms to a build a personalized picture of a patient’s health. Compiling symptoms, strains, form factors, and how much consumed.
- Near Me: Locational data provides patients with the closest dispensaries, adult-use shops, delivery services and licensed distributors.
- Tailored Tools: Customizable toolsets to help manage a patient’s experience. Informative displays, suggestions, and opportunities to sync with a patient’s calendar and community activities.
“The mission of Aurelius Data is to put patients’ safety first and make sure that no harm comes to them. We know that limited interaction slows the spread of this disease and our own research into how COVID-19 is affecting cannabis patients showed that a number of them were in the extreme high-risk category of transmission. It made perfect sense that we could use our app to help them limit their exposure while getting the medicines.
We also know dispensaries are de-coupling patients from their assigned providers in some states, and we want to make patient profiles accurate, private, and portable. A personalized profiles generated by patients allow for less risk, less error in their consult, and higher customer satisfaction,” added Armstrong.
The Aura App is currently being release in Early Access for Android devices, it is also available in Early Access for web and iOS users via web app, https://research.aureliusdata.com/aura-pr. Public Beta is scheduled to drop August 1.
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Aurelius Data, Inc is a patient use and perception focused big data company. We deliver insights from analyzing the intersection of science, user perception, product use, chemical analysis, and the users’ reported medical condition and symptom resolution. Our mission is to put the patient first, by increasing confidence and understanding, drive product development, boost customer retention, reveal cutting edge IP discoveries, and provide immediate, tangible value to every user.
Our anonymously gathered data follows HIPPA compliance and immediately benefits the user through a continuous feedback loop of user input, product recommendations and community connection. Our vision is to go beyond the strain and create a reliable product use and efficacy reference for cannabis users.
Contact: Gretchen Gailey, Media & PR Advisor, Aurelius Data MediaInquiries@aureliusdata.com, 202.489.3821
iCan Founder Saul Kaye Joins Aurelius Data
Advisory Board
June 9, 2020
Missoula, MT – Aurelius Data, the first global patient perception big data company in plant-based medicines, is pleased to announce iCan Founder and Cannabis Influencer, Saul Kaye is the newest member of the Aurelius Data Advisory Board.
“Saul has been at the forefront of the cannabis industry for the past several years advancing medical cannabis research and building upon years of Israeli ingenuity. Aurelius Data could not be prouder to working with such an industry titian who can provide valuable feedback on the work we are doing to better understand how plant-medicines interact with traditional pharmaceuticals,” said Aurelius Data CEO Julie Armstrong.
“Aurelius Data is headed into uncharted waters, using patient perception data to mitigate side effects, find new IP and eventually cures for diseases that plague so many. I am proud to be a part of the team and looking forward to help build a platform that gives patients access to better health,” said iCan Founder Saul Kaye.
Kaye has worked in the cannabis industry for the past five years and enjoyed watching the industry develop from its infancy. He began his career over 20 years ago as a retail pharmacist. Today, he manages multiple retail and online pharmacy stores with global distribution and has founded and operated several other businesses. In 2015, he founded iCAN: israel-cannabis.com with the vision to build and develop the cannabis ecosystem in Israel. With a team of 11 strong they are fulfilling the iCAN mission to be a globally recognized Israeli company focused on the medical cannabis industry, investing in, and accelerating early-stage cannabis technologies. Kaye has created a portfolio of brands that are transforming the global cannabis economy and ecosystem, like CannaTech. Well known in the industry as one of our earliest and stand-out brands; CannaTech is a superior cannabis conference experience described as “the Davos of cannabis conferences.” He also currently runs: Israpharm, ILS and the SUBS HUB.
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Aurelius Data, Inc is a patient use and perception focused big data company. We deliver insights from analyzing the intersection of science, user perception, product use, chemical analysis, and the users’ reported medical condition and symptom resolution. Our mission is to put the patient first, by increasing confidence and understanding, drive product development, boost customer retention, reveal cutting edge IP discoveries, and provide immediate, tangible value to every user.
Our anonymously gathered data follows HIPPA compliance and immediately benefits the user through a continuous feedback loop of user input, product recommendations and community connection. Our vision is to go beyond the strain and create a reliable product use and efficacy reference for cannabis users.
Contact: Gretchen Gailey, Media & PR Advisor, Aurelius Data MediaInquiries@aureliusdata.com, 202.489.3821
COVID-19 Patients Should Avoid THC
Potential Harmful Side Effects of Cannabis on Infected Coronavirus Patients
March 18, 2020
Missoula, MT – Aurelius Data, the first global patient perception big data company in plant-based medicines, cautions the public against the potential harmful side effects that can come from consuming cannabis products with Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) if a patient is infected with COVID-19.
“We know that the epidemiology of COVID-19 is similar to the influenza virus and has a similar disease presentation. And we know that in studies[1] where THC was administered to mice with influenza, we saw an increase in viral loads and a decrease in the immune system to fight off the virus. It stands to reason that the same would hold true for Coronavirus and THC consumption could diminish the immune system of someone infected with the virus,” said Aurelius Data CEO Julie Armstrong.
More research is required to accurately map the relationship between the immune and endocannabinoid systems, but it’s well established that CBD helps to modulate autoimmune and inflammatory responses.
“Although no clinical trials exist showing poorer outcomes in patients infected with COVID-19 who use therapeutic or recreational cannabis, the data from pre-human studies urge caution for these individuals in the face of the current viral epidemic,” notes Barry Mennen, MD. a clinician who utilizes medical cannabis in his primary care practice.
Aurelius Data has prepared a brief survey to better inform patients on how cannabis consumption affects viral infections. The questionnaire will ask a patient’s symptoms, if they are concerned about contracting COVID-19, what conditions they are currently treating with medical cannabis or other pharmaceuticals and what they feel is the effectiveness of the treatment.
The brief survey can be taken here: https://research.aureliusdata.com/COVID-19
“Medical Cannabis patients across this country are going to be affected by COVID-19 just like the rest of the population and they need to be aware of the interactions their cannabis medications could have on this disease. We are working to collect data in this under researched area and provide them with the best recommendations we can moving forward,” Armstrong added.
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Aurelius Data, Inc is a patient use and perception focused big data company. We deliver insights from analyzing the intersection of science, user perception, product use, chemical analysis, and the users’ reported medical condition and symptom resolution. Our mission is to put the patient first, by increasing confidence and understanding, drive product development, boost customer retention, reveal cutting edge IP discoveries, and provide immediate, tangible value to every user.
Our anonymously gathered data follows HIPPA compliance and immediately benefits the user through a continuous feedback loop of user input, product recommendations and community connection. Our vision is to go beyond the strain and create a reliable product use and efficacy reference for cannabis users. Dr. Barry Mennen who is quoted, is also an adviser to Aurelius Data.
Contact: Gretchen Gailey, Media & PR Advisor, Aurelius Data MediaInquiries@aureliusdata.com, 202.489.3821
[1] https://www.karger.com/Article/Fulltext/481824
Americans for Safe Access and Aurelius Data Join Forces to Create a Research Platform to Benefit Cannabis Patients
WASHINGTON, June 11, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, Aurelius Data, Inc.(AD), the premier patient perception big data company, and Americans for Safe Access (ASA), the leading advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring safe and legal access to cannabis (marijuana) for therapeutic use and research, announced a bold new partnership to gather and analyze millions of data points from cannabis patients.
ASA and AD both recognize that while science has made significant strides in cannabis research, there is still a significant gap in education for providers and patients. With the partnership between ASA and AD, the data gathered and analyzed will advance the role of patient use and perception to the forefront of research. Combining that knowledge with chemical product analysis, patient perceived effectiveness, efficacy, form factor, and mechanisms of action (methods of administration) will yield a much-needed educational resource for patients and caregivers, providers, and the industry.
As stated by Dr. Amy Abernathy, the Acting CIO of the Federal Drug Administration, on May 31st of this year, “Systematic studies are needed. It sounds like a number of studies are available or underway. We also wonder if real-world evidence derived from electronic health records, personal monitors, administrative data, etc. can be used to address critical questions in this space.”
Through this joint patient-first initiative, ASA and AD seek to develop a research platform that creates a culture of transparency, integrity and education through data. Aurelius Data’s proprietary AURA platform and analysis tools will compile the use, perception and biometric data of consumers, for which conditions the products are being used and then matching that data with the product’s chemical analyses, and quality information. The insights generated from the platform will be available to users through the AURA mobile application, along with a community offering product education, support and best practices. #SafeAccess
“ASA is excited to be partnering with Aurelius Data, who shares a patient-first mission,” said Debbie Churgai, Interim Director of ASA. “Creating a patient focused community through the AURA platform gives our subscribers a way to connect and discover what regimens are working for other patients, offering an opportunity for real results and lasting change through research.” #MedicalCannabis, #CannabisAdvocacy
“We are so fortunate that ASA recognizes that this partnership allows us to be stronger together and to support a goal that is dear to all of us—to create trust and consistency for patients, and provide a real pathway to effective, standardized treatments,” said Julie Armstrong, CEO of Aurelius Data, Inc. #AureliusData
“The Moonshot is to let the data lead the way to identifying novel approaches to treatment, new therapies and outcomes; All without the bias of marketing and advertising, and without the influence of sources who don’t have the patient’s best outcomes as a focus. We recognize our responsibility to the subscribership of ASA and seek to honor this collaboration through providing fresh insights and a value-added community through our AURA platform”, said Armstrong. #BeyondTheStrain
“In that spirit, we’re very enthusiastic about the potential of this groundbreaking partnership to drive solutions and improve outcomes for cannabis patients and consumers everywhere,” said Churgai.
Americans for Safe Access
The mission of Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is to ensure safe and legal access to cannabis (marijuana) for therapeutic use and research.
ASA was founded in 2002 as a vehicle for patients to advocate for the acceptance of cannabis as medicine. With over 100,000 advocates in all 50 states, ASA is the largest national member-based organization of patients, medical professionals, scientists and concerned citizens promoting safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research. ASA works to overcome political, social and legal barriers by creating policies that improve access to medical cannabis for patients and researchers through legislation, education, litigation, research, grassroots empowerment, advocacy and services for patients, governments, medical professionals, and medical cannabis providers.
Aurelius Data, Inc
Aurelius Data, Inc. (AD) is a patient use and perception focused big data company. We deliver insights from analyzing the intersection of science, user perception, product use, chemical analysis, and the users’ reported medical condition and symptom resolution.
Our mission is to put the patient first, by increasing confidence and understanding, drive product development, boost customer retention, reveal cutting edge IP discoveries, and provide immediate, tangible value to every user. Our anonymously gathered data follows HIPPA compliance and immediately benefits the user through a continuous feedback loop of user input, product recommendations and community connection. Our vision is to go beyond the Strain and create a reliable product use and efficacy reference for cannabis users.