#5SmartReads - January 26, 2022

A gentle reminder that you can join the conversation of the day’s reads by clicking the title above and add your thoughts in the comments! My goal for #5SmartReads has always been to start conversations and share our thoughts and perspectives. I hope to see you there!

It’s too early to tell whether CBD helps against Covid-19 — but researchers worry that won’t stop CBD makers (STAT)

The initial data does look promising - in animal and preliminary human studies - and warrants further evaluation in larger, controlled studies.

But please don’t think cannabis is a miraculous preventer of COVID. The data shows that two chemicals found in hemp plants (CBG-A and CBD-A) could bind to the virus’ spike protein and prevent it from infecting cells and replicating.

The key world is COULD. And this was observed in vitro (outside of the body, using lab dishes and animal cell lines).

If you’re already taking CBD regularly and have gotten vaccinated and boosted and take preventative measures, then it could only help. But CBD alone will not prevent or treat COVID.

And any CBD that claims this it helps prevent or treat COVID is one you should steer clear of. My recommendations? Equilibria and House of Wise (both have strong oversight over the farms and processing of their raw CBD oil, and formulate their products for effectiveness without compromising quality).

Disclosure - I’m an investor in House of Wise and have a long-term partnership with Equilibria.

Art Imitates Life With ‘Kings of Napa’ and ‘Grand Crew’ Featuring Black Women in Wine (ZORA)

Meeting Robin McBride last year (co-founder of McBride Sisters Wine and maker of my favorite sparkling wine) was a highlight of 2021. When I heard their story on How I Built This, I thought “this should be a movie or a show!”

Looks like television producers got the message, with the premiere of The Kings Of Napa on O and Grand Crew on NBC.

I’m thoroughly entertained by The Kings Of Napa - wine is an important part of the show, but it isn’t the whole show. It brings the laughs, the drama, and the eye candy that is Napa Valley.

More shows like this, please. And I’m still waiting for a McBride Sisters biopic.

Burkina Faso coup: Why soldiers have overthrown President Kaboré (BBC)

Coups have become the norm, not the exception, in West Africa as of late.

President Roch Kaboré of Burkina Faso was ousted in response to the growing threats from militants connected with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. After 7 years of attacks that have killed 2,000 residents and forced over 1 million from their homes, I can’t blame the people of Burkina Faso to demand new leadership.

I want to urge extreme caution when reading this to remember that jihadists, and not the religion of Islam, are behind this. There’s already so much Islamophobia (and anti-Semitism, for that matter) in the world.

What a terrorist group does is not representative of an entire religion. So please keep that in mind when you read this article and other news stories that bring a terrorist’s race, heritage, and religion into the reporting.

Inspiring Bridgerton: the real South Asian women in Regency-era England (History Extra)

Hello, the history lesson I never knew I needed but definitely did.

I thought the introduction of the Sharma family in the second season of Bridgerton was my dream coming true, but professor Durba Ghosh delivers a timely lesson about Khair-un-nissa (whose daughter is Kitty Kirkpatrick), Halima Begum and Sharaf-un-nissa (who took the names Helene Bennett and Elizabeth Ducarel on marriage and moving to England with their husbands), and their children and their place in English society.

Billionaire Mark Cuban launches online pharmacy aimed at lowering generic drug prices (NPR)

I think this is EXCELLENT. Here’s why:

• Mark Cuban’s pharmacy is clearly listing the retail price for the generic drugs they’re selling, which offers a level of transparency that we’ve never really seen when it comes to drug costs (searching for retail or average selling price of medications is complicated and confusing). Cuban’s pharmacy offers every medication at cost plus 15%, across the board.

• Some of these medications (even though you’re paying out of pocket) are significantly cheaper than the price negotiated by your insurer and the PBM, which will help a lot of people save money.

It’s been interesting to see how companies like TruePill (who powers Cuban’s pharmacy), PillPack, and Capsule (startup digital pharmacies) are evolving to deliver medications with convenience, better care, and more transparency. But I wonder if there will come a time when they invest in their own drug manufacturing programs.

Like a biosimilar insulin? Cuban IS building his own manufacturing facility in Dallas…

If you’d like to learn more about generic drug manufacturing, please give my interview with my brilliant friend Halle a listen! I could talk about this issue for hours.