EMBRACE THE WILD: HOW TO EXPERIENCE NETTLES
Spring in the Southern Gulf Islands brings an explosion of life, uplifting the landscape after a long wet winter. One of the first indicators that spring has truly arrived is the appearance of stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) in abundant bright green patches.
AN ODE TO THE SATURNA GENERAL STORE
When done right, a General Store is a thing of beauty — and Saturna‘s General Store is one of the best illustrations of a rural outpost and supply. As equal parts grocer, wine boutique, post office, and cafe, it stands as the heart of the community.
HYDROCARBON v. SOLVENTLESS – WHICH IS BETTER?
Conflicting consumer demands layered with other industry influences mean that choosing a single extraction technology to apply across all markets is impossible, especially if long-term growth is the goal. Rather than asking if hydrocarbon or solventless is the better option, it makes more sense to consider both extraction technologies together as a total, harmonious strategy.
Why Aren’t We Talking About the Sexy Side of Cannabis?
Cannabis can improve your libido and sexual satisfaction, yet it’s missing from the marketing. An exploration of the plants ability to enhance pleasure, orgasm and satisfaction.
The Process of Pre-Extraction Processing
Pre-extraction processing describes all the necessary steps in the harvesting, handling, and preparation of cannabis, leading up to the extraction itself. Typically, these protocols kick in at harvest time, but for solventless extraction, they often start with strain selection.
Cannabis Suppositories: A New Frontier for Wellness Brands
Cannabis suppositories, perhaps an unexpected consumer packaged good, are increasingly available on dispensary shelves. I speak with patients, suppository brands, and a marketing expert on this novel new cannabis product.
How One Company Created a New Standard for National CBD Testing
The U.S. consumer hemp market may be only slowly coming together, but it now has the first-ever standardized national hemp testing panel thanks to the team of scientists at SC Laboratories, Inc. (SC Labs). I interview SC Labs on the development of this test, and how it could revolutionize the sector.
Unpredictable Weather and Automation Technology are Pushing Agriculture Indoors
To improve yield, make better use of limited resources, and mitigate the risks posed by climate change, the future of farming is moving indoors. Here is how advances in automation and controlled environment agriculture (CEA) will make this move feasible.
How Two Legacy Operators Are Changing the Technology Behind Cannabis Delivery
“You want to control your own data, you want to control your own SEO, and you want to have the technology be nimble enough to launch new segments – to customize.” Thats what Jessie May wants from any technology that supports cannabis delivery, so she built it.
The Power of In-House Testing and Analytics
The global cannabis testing market hit $1.35 billion in 2021. Alongside traditional third-party lab testing, in-house testing and analytics is witnessing a similar rise in demand. Cultivators, extractors, phenohunters, and other stakeholders are investing in their own on-site testing capacities.
The Industry’s Dirty Secret: Lab Shopping
For those who have been in the cannabis industry since day one, the concept of lab shopping is definitely not new. But with more states than ever before opening adult-use markets, lab shopping is increasingly a serious concern — for consumers, for producers, and for labs themselves.
Fire Season is Here: Testing Cannabis for Smoke
Last year, in 2021, 7.7 million hectares were lost to forest fires in the US, with 2.6 million lost in California alone (The Guardian). And, as cannabis cultivators are quickly learning, smoke taint in cannabis flower can be nearly just as devastating as the fires themselves.
Biological Crop Steering the Next Step in Controlled Cultivation
Crop steering is about precision control of fertigation and environmental conditions to elicit predictable responses from the cannabis plant. But, this approach ignores the biological environment. How can microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi, play a significant role in nutrient absorption, stress response?
Thailand Legalized Cannabis – What Now?
Cannabis legalization in Thailand is about to give the world a lesson in economics, education, and even tourism.
Planet 13 | Selling Cannabis as an Immersive Entertainment Experience
The cannabis retail experience is rapidly changing. Gone are the days of dimly lit dispensaries with tacky flashing signs. As retailers seek to differentiate, it’s no longer about selling a product. Instead, it’s increasingly about selling a complete consumer experience.
Scaling Extraction | Navigating Local Limitations and Looming Certifications
Growing an Extraction business is about flexibility and future-proofing investments. Because pivoting as a processor isn’t always possible, planning for future growth from the start is essential.
Supply Chain Issues Increase Demand for Used Cannabis Equipment
The bottlenecks hitting the global supply chain are unprecedented. Container ships are stacking up at their destinations. Manufactured goods are stagnating at the point of origin, waiting on empty containers and ship space. Not to mention the skyrocketing demand for raw materials required to produce new goods.
How IoT Technology is Keeping Cannabis Connected
The cannabis industry — all $21 billion of it according to BDSA — is increasingly a connected one. A technology known as the Internet of Things (IoT) is already connecting growers with their plants, retailers with regulators, and patients with their physicians.
Aster Farms 2020 Sustainability Report
Aster Farms is one company choosing to tackle the industry’s sustainability issues head-on. Inspired by the likes of other eco-pioneers, Co-Founder Julie Jacobson is seeking to build a transparent, eco friendly cannabis brand in Northern California.
Taking a Deep Dive Into Testing for Terpenes
The cannabis world is obsessed with potent cultivars. As a number of recent studies have demonstrated, levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) have doubled over the last few decades. [1,2] THC levels currently set the price for flower within the supply chain and consumer demand at the counter. But while the current testing model may capture record breaking levels of THC, it doesn’t necessarily demonstrate product quality, thereby doing the industry and the consumer a disservice.
Supply Chain Issues for Cannabis Equipment
Starting in 2020 with the pandemic and now rolling into 2021, the global supply chain is experiencing several massive hits, one after another. As a result, many businesses have felt the pinch over the last 18 months, including deliveries getting significantly delayed, supplies outrageously back-ordered, and severe shortages of raw materials.
The Cult of Potency: The Erroneous Pursuit of THC
Without a doubt, potency drives purchasing decisions. It’s a cult of potency, focused exclusively on a single cannabinoid — THC. It starts with cultivators pursuing THC-rich strain characteristics through the supply chain to the customer, seeking ever-higher concentrations.
By recognizing the potential returns on a high THC product, cultivators have turned their attention to THC-focused breeding programs. But, this pursuit of increasingly more potent strains delivers little return for the consumer. As research has proven repeatedly, high doses of THC don’t increase the high nor improve the therapeutic value.
Complete Guide to Marijuana Pests & Disease (Indoor and Outdoor)
If you grow cannabis, chances are you’ll encounter cannabis pests and/or disease at some point during your cultivation career. Cannabis is susceptible to pests like spider mites, aphids, and fungus gnats. It’s also at risk for common cannabis diseases, like root rot, bud rot, and the dreaded white powdery mildew.
Could a MTHFR Gene Mutation Connect Cannabis and Depression?
Finding the proper dose and appropriate chemovar for a given condition (and patient) are perplexing problems for physicians. There seem to be inexplicable differences that make standardization a daunting task. In one of the first explanations for this phenomena, research out of the journal Translational Psychiatry (2013), looked at the relationship between gene mutations and the cannabis experience.
Nanotechnology in Cannabis: Hot Technology, but is it Safe?
Is adding another variable to an equation of unknowns safe?
Testing Equipment: Lab Tech in Cannabis Testing
Providing valid information about cannabis requires a very specific set of tools. Jessica McKeil Jessica McKeil is a freelance writer focused on the medical marijuana industry, from production methods to medicinal applications. She personally found relief through cannabis for the treatment of her panic and anxiety disorder. She is lucky…