November 2015 Vol. 1 No. 2
Table of Contents
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November 2015 • Vol. 1, No. 2
Features
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Product of Choice Greenhouses: Let the Sunshine In by Chad Lott Solution of Choice Building Human Assets by Chad Lott Service of Choice Branding Bud Products by Wendy Rall
Columns
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CannaBusiness Solutions Cultivation: Organic or Synthetic? Security & Technology: Cannabis Software Best Practices Legal: Patent Law Finance: First Steps for Obtaining Capital Edibles: Decarboxylating Cannabis Infusions
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Departments 3 Publisher’s Message
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From the Editor
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10
Products and Services Showcase
22
Product Deconstruction
40
Ending on a High Note Success Story: Clean Green Certified
On the Cover As legal Cannabis spreads across the nation, greenhouse cultivation is rising in popularity—and for good reason. A greenhouse’s enclosed, controlled growing space combined with the free solar radiation of the sun captures the best of both indoor and outdoor cultivation practices. See Chad Lott’s article, “Greenhouses: Let the Sunshine In,” for more on greenhouse design and practices. Photo by Chad Lott.
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Cannabis Product News | November 2015
From the Editor CPN Partnerships By Phil Samuelson
An Apogee Business Media Publication
CannaProductNews.com Publisher Mike Dumke Mike@CannaProductNews.com Associate Publisher Dave Anderson Dave@CannaProductNews.com Editor Phil Samuelson Phil@CannaProductNews.com Art Director Brenda Cooke BCooke@CannaProductNews.com Account Executive Tony Collins TCollins@CannaProductNews.com Contributing Writers Diana Campos, Texas Jeremy Hanika, California Crystal Huish, Colorado Max Lavine, California Paul Lembeck, Colorado Chad Lott, California Karen Marker, Michigan Tony Marshall, California Brandon Pitcher, Indiana Bruce Ryan, Toronto Michael Schultheiss, Oregon Advertising Please contact Dave Anderson Dave@CannaProductNews.com (800) 651-9392 Corporate Office Apogee Business Media, Inc. 4120 Douglas Blvd, #306-147 Granite Bay, CA 95746 Tel: (800) 651-9392 Editorial & Product Submissions Cannabis Product News P.O. Box 88421 Colorado Springs, CO 80908-8421 Tel: (800) 651-9392; Admin@CannaProductNews.com Subscription Inquiries (800) 651-9392 Cannabis Product News Volume 1, No. 2 Cannabis Product News is published by Apogee Business Media, Inc. Postmaster: Send address changes to Cannabis Product News 4120 Douglas Blvd. #306-342 Granite Bay, CA 95746 Subscriptions: There is no charge for subscriptions to qualified readers in the United States. For a subscription please visit CannaProductNews.com, email: Admin@CannaProductNews.com, mail to: Admin@CannaProductNews.com, or call (800) 651-9392. Non-qualified subscription rates: single issue: $7.00; one year: $48.00. Canada & Mexico: $55.00. All other countries: $75. For change of address please email your company name, new address and old address. Copyright © 2015 by Apogee Business Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Nothing in publication may be copied or reproduced without prior written permission of the publisher. All material is compiled from sources believed to be reliable, but published without responsibility for errors or omissions. Opinions expressed in Cannabis Product News do not reflect the opinion of the magazine’s editor, its management or its advertisers. Cannabis Product News cannot be held responsible for the opinions expressed or facts supplied by its authors.
As Cannabis legalization spreads across the country, California remains an important focal point for our industry. When California Governor Jerry Brown signed important bills to regulate the state’s medical marijuana industry last month— nearly 20 years after voters approved it—it put the ball in motion for things to come. Not only is California finally regulating itself, but its monumental influence will surely have consequences for the rest of us. The Cannabis Product News (CPN) staff has watched the emergence of California legislation with interest and foresight. Reaching out to California’s Cannabis cultivators and industry professionals this year and spending time in Sacramento, we’ve forged strategic alliances to help keep you better informed about California and national marijuana reform. As part of these partnerships, future issues of CPN will contain updates and information from the California Growers Association (formerly Emerald Growers Association), the National Cannabis Industry Association, the California Cannabis Industry Association, and others. These alliances ensure our readers get accurate information from those who are on the pulse of all things Cannabis in the Golden State and beyond. Speaking recently with the California Cannabis Industry Association’s Executive Director Nate Bradley and Operations Manager Ben Bradley, it became apparent they have plenty of work ahead of them. Both recognize the need to keep the industry informed. In Nate’s words, “The California Cannabis Industry Association looks forward to working with Cannabis Product News to keep our members informed and up to date in this vastly growing and changing industry.” For those who haven’t pondered the implications of fully legal Cannabis in California during the coming few years, consider this: California is our most populous state and has the eighth largest economy in the world, so its legislation has historically had far-reaching impact at the national level. Other states—in this case, states that have so far evaded putting Cannabis measures on their ballots—will take a long, hard look at how California handles this industry and may use it as their own models for regulation. Whether California’s move to regulate Cannabis will force eventual industry recognition at the federal level remains to be seen, but it seems probable. Stay tuned for an interesting future as California finally takes the plunge into Cannabis regulation. You may find things changing in your own state as a result.
Publisher’s Message Find the Right Question By Mike Dumke Peter Drucker, the man widely regarded as the inventor of business management, once said, “The important and difficult job is never to find the right answer; it is to find the right question.” I believe the power in this statement is often lost on most businesspeople and is particularly relevant to Cannabusiness professionals. Why? As we all know, this industry is constantly changing. The balance between trying to gain clarity by predicting the future while understanding today’s business and political climate can be daunting. This applies to all segments of the Cannabis industry—cultivators, processors, retailers, support service providers, and others. Everyone experiences rapid change, including advancements in growing techniques and technology, extraction methods, retail best practices, and more. Now is when asking the right questions can be a game changer. Taking the time to list the most important questions your business should address forces you to focus on its most critical, immediate needs, while contemplating possible future changes. Setting up a consistent method of gathering business information to review, while considering the implications, will jumpstart your ability to determine the right question(s). Your business will grow as a result, just as Peter Drucker infers. For a free subscription, visit CannaProductNews.com
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CannaBusiness Solutions
Cultivation
Organic or Synthetic? Obstacle: Making a strong, strategic decision between organic and synthetic nutrient regimens. Outcome: Focus on the regimen itself and your goal as a cultivator. Are you shooting for high-volume commercial production or high-value boutique cultivation? Armed with that answer, you can find products (organic and/or synthetic) that will help you accomplish your objective. By Max Lavine, California
The Vegamatrix nutrient line provides sound options to those practicing organic cultivation. This line is designed to optimize the sometimes-subtle traits of a given strain’s scent and flavor expression.
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hoosing your nutrient regimen is a critical aspect of establishing your own personal style and approach to cultivation. There are more than enough partisans on both sides of the organic-synthetic divide to tell you why one option is far superior to the other, so I’ll leave that to them. But, assuming you’re not already pulling hard for one path, how do you make the call? A good place to begin is with the terms, namely what does organic and synthetic mean? Because Cannabis is grown without the oversight of the normal bodies governing these matters, most notably the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the answer is complicated. Until federal legalization, and probably for a good while after, you can expect this situation to persist. For this column though, I am calling “organic” or “organically based” any nutrient or additive that consists of or is derived directly from flora or fauna. Synthetics provide the same “food” (a base of N-P-K and certain additives if desired) as a manufactured product of synthesized chemicals.
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Cannabis Product News | November 2015
What Is Your Goal?
While every rule begs an exception, and I’m sure there are plenty, in my experience people who favor organics tend to be those who are trying to make each individual plant the very best it can be with a secondary concern for yield. A synthetic-based route is more popular with those looking for big, consistent yields rather than connoisseur concerns like maximizing each individual plant’s genetic expression. As with most decisions based on two extremes, the majority of cultivators fall at various points between these poles. The reasons for this difference are complex, but the big point is that the diverse, natural sources of organic fertilizers deliver a wider array of trace nutrients than synthetics. A more varied diet means healthier all-around growth and a more complete expression of genetic potential in Cannabis. However, synthetics do allow for skilled cultivators to produce consistent, heavy yields through a far more exact control of the nutrients available to their plants than is available to organic growers. You might say that organically
grown plants get a liberal arts education, while synthetically grown ones go to technical school. The pioneers and contemporary masters of organic growing tend to mix their own proprietary nutrient blends from compost teas, blood and bone meals, and myriad other nutrient-rich natural elements. For those who wish to stick to organic components but want the ease and repeatability that comes with a ready-made fertilizer, numerous options are available. Many beginners hit the ground with Fox Farms’ Big Bloom and Big Grow, which provide nutrients from sources like bat guano, worm castings, and kelp. More-advanced organic cultivators may be interested in Roots Organics, the producer of Buddha Grow and Buddha Bloom base nutrients, in addition to a variety of additives and boosters. Another excellent choice for those seeking organic fertilizers is the fine product line from Vegamatrix, a company owned by well-known Cannabis grower Kyle Kushman. These products are designed for use in soil, meaning that, like a traditional organic grow, the nutritive compounds are processed by helpful micro-organisms in order to become available to the root system. The wide variety of trace minerals and nutrients made available through these complex interactions provide plants the varied “diet” necessary to support the growth and expression of traditional organics but drastically reduce the trial-and-error required to develop your own mixes and fertilizers.
Hydroponic Products
Hydroponic growers deliver nutrients directly to the plant’s root system, which grows in inert media like rockwool or perlite instead of living soil. While this is more often the domain of synthetic nutrients, fertilizers are now available that are derived from organic sources but processed for use in a hydroponic system. Fox Farm offers hydro-compatible versions of Big Bloom and Big Grow for those loyal to the brand. Nature’s Nectar and Pure Blend also offer naturally derived base nutrients and additives designed for use in a hydroponic system. While not a purely organic approach,
these types of products are popular for offering growers the best of both worlds. Direct delivery to the root system means that growers can fine-tune their nutrient schedules to maximize plant growth and nutrition without having to wait for the processing time of soil. The natural sources of these nutrients allow the cultivator to provide the plant with many of the trace elements that make growing with organically derived nutrients desirable to many cultivators regardless of medium.
Commercial Grows
For the more commercially minded grower, a synthetic-heavy path is usually preferred. Advanced Nutrients is one of the most popular manufacturers of synthetic-base nutrients and additives for Cannabis. They make products for basically every imaginable medium and growing practice, with many 2- and 3-part base nutrient sets and additives to choose from. Equally, if not more popular, are General Hydroponics products, especially the Flora Series 3-part base nutrient set. In general, these 2- and 3-part base nutrient sets provide the fundamental nutrients for your plant. They are administered in combinations that change according to a tight schedule, meant to match the plant’s needs and the nutrients it’s being given. Advanced Nutrients has an especially wide array of additives, with popular products, including Bud Candy, to improve yield and flavor and Flawless Finish to ensure an effective flush prior to harvest.
Conclusion
When it comes to feeding your Cannabis plant(s), the choice of options is vast. For those with set horticulture belief systems, you have the tools to follow them fully. For those undecided, hopefully you’ve gained some useful starting coordinates to help you navigate your grow. Ultimately, any product or approach is going to have a worth determined by your goals. Once you decide what kind of grower you want to be, you can find the tools to help you realize your dream. n
Resources Fox Farm
Vegamatrix
www.foxfarmfertilizer.com 1900 Bendixsen Street Samoa, CA 95564 Tel: (707) 443-4369 Fax: (707) 443-7645
www.vegamatrix.net 16211 N. Scottsdale Road, A6A-195 Scottsdale, AZ 85254 Tel: (800) 648-3426 Fax: (602) 992-6152
Aurora Innovations (Roots Organics)
EZ-Gro (Nature’s Nectar)
www.aurorainnovations.org P.O. Box 22041 Eugene, OR 97402 Tel: (866) 376 8578 (Toll Free) Fax: (541) 338 7032
www.ez-gro.com Tel: (877) 544-4769 Fax: (613) 384-0662
Botanicare (Pure Blend) www.botanicare.com 6858 W. Chicago Street, Suite 3 Chandler, AZ 85226 Tel: (877) 753-0404
Advanced Nutrients
www.advancednutrients.com #109 – 31063 Wheel Ave. Abbotsford, BC, V2T 6H1 Canada Tel: (877) 604-8637 (Toll Free) Phone: (604) 854-6793 Fax: (604) 854-4371
General Hydroponics
www.generalhydroponics.com P.O. Box 1576 Sebastopol, CA 95473 Tel: (800) 37-HYDRO (800-374-9376) (707) 824-9376 Fax: (707) 824-9377
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CannaBusiness Solutions
Security & Technology
Cannabis Software Obstacle: Streamlining Cannabis business practices and procedures to reduce time expenditure and expense while increasing capability. Outcome: Utilize various computer software products to increase efficiency and revenue. By Diana Campos, Texas
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oftware has been around as long as computers and is certainly nothing new. We’re living in an era where new software is created daily, where both mundane applications and groundbreaking programs are stored in our pockets, and where version 2.0 just gave way to version 6.0—yesterday. Well, not literally, but you get the idea. With so much new technology accessible at our fingertips, what does it take for a software product to become a staple in the rapidly growing Cannabis industry? To answer this question and to help you select a software program that will best suit your business needs, I interviewed people from three outstanding IT companies in order to explain some options.
program that monitors each plant from before it sprouts, through harvesting and processing, all the way to the final purchaser. With the aid of a major investment from San Francisco-based firm Tao Capital, MJ Freeway has been able to invest in its own infrastructure, and growth. The software company has cemented itself as a one-stop shop for the Cannabis industry, selling supplementary hardware, online training seminars, and even marketing services.
Green Bits
MJ Freeway
MJ Freeway, a women-owned business founded in 2010, began planning and developing its own SaaS software platform almost an entire decade before launching the final product. Now, in just half the time, the Colorado-based company serves clients in 19 different states, the District of Columbia, Canada, and several countries in Europe. “MJ Freeway was the first seed-to-sale software company, giving operators an opportunity to run successful, sustainable, and compliant businesses,” said company representative Heather Smyth. “It was built from the ground up specifically for the Cannabis industry, providing [our clients] with workflows, unique features, and robust reporting customized to this nascent market.” Starting with seed, MJ Freeway offers three separate tracking programs: Growtracker, Mixtracker, and Gramtracker. The former allows cultivators to track grow expenses, record plant conditions such as pH levels, label plant batches, and create post-harvest workflows. The Mixtracker allows processors of edibles and concentrates to track, label, and record wholesale ingredients, integrate test results, and perform basic business management functions specially designed to comply with varying state laws. The Gramtracker, as a point-of-sale system meant explicitly for dispensaries, stores barcoded inventory information, provides online ordering, and directly updates products in stock with popular websites like Leafly and Weedmaps— just to name a few operations. The software can even send out roadside assistance for marijuana delivery operations. All three can be combined to create an all-in-one tracking
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Cannabis Product News | November 2015
The award-winning Green Bits Cannabis software is the creation of entrepreneur Ben Curren. The program offers complete automated compliance to recreational Cannabis facilities.
In the California Bay Area, a relatively new tech company caught our eye for placing second in the 2015 TechCrunch Disrupt Battlefield competition this past September and also for putting Cannabis on the cyber map since that day in San Francisco. Never before has a Cannabis company been permitted to enter this exclusive competition—let alone nab one of the awards. “I like to win, so we were a little disappointed to come in as the first runner-up,” Ben Curren, the ingenious founder of Green Bits said. “But we did make over 60 major VCs start looking at Cannabis like the legitimate industry that it is.” Having worked with such successful American software companies as Intuit
Security & Technology continued on page 8
CannaBusiness Solutions
Security & Technology
and Java since the age of 18, Curren went on to start a couple of his own companies. In 2012, after raising $11 million from top-tier investors, Curren sold his company, Outright, to GoDaddy, using the money to start what has quickly become Washington’s easiest and most widely used (60% of the state’s market) POS system for recreational Cannabis shops. Featuring completely automated compliance, Green Bits takes the headache out of the stringent tracking and complex regulations that come with running a recreational dispensary, and they do so by fully integrating with the Washington State Liquor and Control Board Traceability API for you—rather than having a business manager enter hours of information manually. In fact, the young team of experienced techs has a habit of working directly with Cannabis retailers prior to store openings, setting up and revamping their own product to make sure their point-of-sale product matches the client’s unique workflow. The interface is so simple and easy to use that budtenders don’t have to train in order to use it. When I spoke to Ben, Green Bits was still in the beta stages and about to launch in two non-medical markets outside of Washington, namely Colorado and Oregon. With its focus on recreational marijuana retail, the company’s future plans include expanding to forward-thinking companies outside of the U.S. and to the medical market within.
NextRX
Narrowing in on patient registry and membership is the RXPass program from NextRX. Concentrating on the needs of California’s fluctuating medical marijuana community, the RX-Pass was designed to integrate doctor recommendations with dispensary verifications, making it easier for patients to gain access to their meds legally. “Our focus is on the patients, putting them first and foremost” says German-born Ralf-Rainer von Albedyhll, NextRX’s CEO. He explained the need for medical marijuana patients to register each time they go to a new collective after they receive their letter of recommendation. “To me, your face is your passport, your entire identity,” he said. “You shouldn’t have to disclose that information everywhere, but with the RX-Pass you only have to register once.” After that, all you have to do is bring your RX-Pass, which is tied to a personal Patient QR code, and fill out collective agreements. The Pass itself is a card issued by doctors for first-time patients, or by dispensaries for pre-existing patients. Users have the option of selecting between a plastic or stainless steel credit-card lookalike, or a perforated multi-use grinder card. It is also available as a mobile app for iPhone and iPad, and, thanks to an extremely successful fundraising campaign on Kickstarter, as a wearable watch. Whichever option a patient chooses, the RX-Pass is a valid, verifiable substitute for a medical marijuana card at none of the cost—unless, of course, users want the
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Cannabis Product News | November 2015
RX-Pass from NextRX provides business solutions specifically to medical dispensaries.
cool watch. What makes the RX-Pass really worth getting, though, is its rewarding membership network. Instead of gaining a few reward points here and there that can be used only here or there, the RX-Pass offers a rewards system that works very similar to frequent flyer miles. “Just how you can use miles for any airline [alliance], you can accumulate points on the RX-Pass and use them at any dispensary, not just one,” Ralf explained. When I spoke to him, Ralf had just landed back in the states from a business trip to Australia. It seemed apparent to me that he’s a man whose business sense and ingenuity have found simple yet brilliant solutions to California’s rather complicated weed market. And with the very recent passage of a series of statewide regulatory bills, the RX-Pass is poised to be an exemplary tool as the market changes over the next couple of years. n Diana Campos is a Texas native, and her articles have appeared in a variety of Cannabis publications. A confirmed Cannabis enthusiast, Diana spends much of her free time at Houston NORML events and traveling to marijuana-friendly locations both in this country and abroad.
Resources MJ Freeway
http://www.mjfreeway.com/ (888) 932-6537 x1
Green Bits
http://www.greenbits.com/ (877) 420-7628 (877) 420-7520
NextRX
http://www.nextrx.net/ (310) 491-1900
Products and Services Showcase
Air Purification and Cultivation Products, Vaporizer, and Child-Proof Packaging Custom Packaging by Kush Bottles Santa Ana, CA
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Branding is beginning to play a key role in the Cannabis industry, just like all other highly competitive industries. With states legalizing and regulating the sale of Cannabis, growers and retailers have a new opportunity to make their brands known. Branded packaging gives growers and retailers a way to legitimize their products and businesses through consistent product presentation. It also makes products more memorable and drives customer loyalty. At the core of the Kush Bottles custom packaging line are custom printed barrier bags and custom labeled pop-top bottles for flowers, custom labeled child-resistant pre-rolled tubes for joints, and custom printed tin or polystyrene concentrate containers for extracts. The Kush Bottles design team also does a lot of engineering, design, and sourcing of custom cardboard and tin containers for the packaging of edibles or higher- end Cannabis products. Kush Bottles does so much business in custom labeling for their child-resistant pop-top bottles, they recently started offering an automated label-application service, which has already saved customers thousands of man hours in labeling, resulting in increased profits. For additional information, contact Kush Bottles Tel: (714) 243-4017 Email: ryan@kushbottles.com www.kushbottles.com
t Dynamic Air Quality Solutions, Princeton, NJ
For more than 30 years, Dynamic Air Quality Solutions has provided affordable solutions that optimize air quality, energy consumption, and the environment. Today, numerous businesses around the world rely on the company’s proven air-cleaning technology to remove odors, mold spores, and ultrafine particles from indoor air, incoming ventilation air, and even to mitigate powerful odors from exhaust air on large commercial grows. Air-cleaning systems range from 1-inch and 2-inch panels that fit into all types of HVAC equipment to Activated Carbon Matrix (ACM) systems, to the Dynamic V8 Air Cleaning System. Low-static pressures translate to big energy savings relative to other high-efficiency passive filters. And, in the case of the Dynamic V8, which achieves MERV 15 efficiency, maintenance intervals are measured in terms of several years instead of several months—without prefilters and without ozone. For additional information, contact Dynamic Air Quality Solutions: Tel: (800) 578-7873 or (609) 924-8524 Email: info@dynamicaqs.com www.DynamicAQS.com
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Cannabis Product News | November 2015
GroPro, Weston, FL
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Hydroponic cultivation can pose its own set of challenges, such as nutrient lock when pH levels swing out of balance. For these situations and for overall cultivation management, the GroPro is here to help. The GroPro is a supercharger for your existing hydroponics system. Many people use it with grow boxes or grow tents, or even standalone hydroponic systems. It’s an add-on that improves performance regardless of your skill level. The GroPro maintains the perfect environment for your plants to thrive by taking constant measurements and making small changes, as needed, 24/7. This lab-quality device is built to ensure your plants are always happy, healthy, and getting the nutrients they need for peak performance. The GroPro will measure your hydroponics system up to 100 times per minute and make tiny adjustments, as needed. Accuracy like this is simply not possible when adjusting nutrients manually. The results of adding the GroPro to your grow are dispensary-quality buds every time. Whether you are a novice or professional grower, the GroPro will improve the quality of your buds significantly. The GroPro is completely scalable and can handle small grows of four to six plants all the way up to 100 plants or more. Automate your grow with the GroPro. For additional information, contact GroPro: Tel: (954) 513-9856 http://automatedhydroponicssolutions.com/ product/gropro.
t Atlantic Packaging, Wilmington, NC Recently, Atlantic Packaging introduced its Locked4Kids® child-resistant folded cartons to the Cannabis industry. This turnkey solution to child safety carries with it the F=1 level of child resistance and the EN/ISO 8317 standard for reclosable child-resistant packaging. This child-resistant packaging solution is quickly becoming the preferred packaging for high-end Cannabis products, including edibles and flower. As the Cannabis industry continues to evolve, child-resistant packaging regulations are becoming the standard for all states with medical and recreational legalization. These regulations state that most Cannabis product requires that packaging be child resistant prior to leaving dispensaries or retail businesses. Current Cannabis packaging options tend to be one-time-use boxes, bottles, or bags that meet regulation requirements but wind up discarded shortly after purchase, forfeiting any long-term product branding. The Locked4Kids® package provides Cannabis product manufacturers an opportunity to perpetuate and stimulate their brands throughout their lifecycles. The folded cartons allow for a billboard-style panel to display all necessary and regulatory information, as well as customized graphics. Atlantic Packaging is one of a select few manufacturers in the U.S. granted a license from Locked4kids®, the Netherlands-based patent holder of the package, and is the only manufacturer authorized to sell into the Cannabis industry in North America. For additional information, contact Atlantic Packaging: Tel: (800) 722-5841 Email: info@atlanticpkg.com http://www.atlanticpkg.com
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Air-Pot is the next level in air pruning technology. The Air-Pot container has been the choice of expert growers in all areas of horticulture, from food production to tree-growing. More recently, the Air-Pot has steadily gained respect in the Cannabis community by providing increased productivity, sustainability, and innovation. Air-Pot users typically increase their productivity by adding an extra harvest per year due to rapid growth rates. Because of the healthy, vigorous root system Air-Pots generate and sustain, the plants thrive in a way that support up to a 30% higher yield than those grown in standard pots. Air-Pots exemplify sustainability in several ways: They are made from recycled, nontoxic, HDPE plastic. The pots are highly durable and can be reused for an average of 10 years, meaning that after the initial investment, Air-Pots quickly pay for themselves because they do not require replacement after each harvest. Their air-pruning technology also maximizes the root zone in the containers, allowing users to get more plant with less pot. The ground-breaking design of Air-Pots has been refined for more than 15 years and is now in its sixth generation. This design allows for a practically effortless transplant. With a twist of the fixing, the container comes apart to reveal an intact and thriving root system with thousands of root tips ready to expand into their new home. Because the roots are undisturbed, Air-Pots eliminate transplant shock. For additional information, contact Terrahydro: Tel: (916) 514-1156 Fax: (916) 514-1352 Email: sales@terrahydro.com www.terrahydro.com
Tell Us About Your Product or Service! Do you have a product or service you’d like to see profiled in Cannabis Product News? We want to hear about it! Please contact Editor Phil Samuelson at phil@cannaproductnews. com or mail your product description release and a hi-res image (300 dpi or higher) to: Apogee Business Media, c/o Phil Samuelson, P.O. Box 88421, Colorado Springs, CO 80908-8421.
WaterPulse, Longmont, CO
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Terrahydro (Distributor of Air-Pot), Carmichael, CA
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Products and Services Showcase
Large-scale commercial cultivators face unique challenges beyond those of the recreational grower. Consistency, cost-effective practices, and optimum yield are paramount to their business success. WaterPulse™ products use patent-pending technology to mimic the natural capillary action of soil to move water to plants efficiently and precisely to significantly reduce water usage, waste, and overall cost, while improving plant quality and profit. Millions of square feet of WaterPulse capillary irrigation mats are installed in retail garden centers and commercial growing operations throughout the United States, saving billions of gallons of water every year. The irrigation mats can be configured for manual or automated watering and eliminate the need for inefficient hand-watering. Contact WaterPulse to see how the company can improve your grow. For additional information, contact WaterPulse: Tel: (800) 376-7161 or (303) 772-9884 Fax: (817) 409-1777 Email: sales@waterpulse.com http://waterpulse.com/
The SOLO by Vuber Seattle, WA
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Is bigger always better? Vuber is the one of the first vape companies to venture off and say no. In the ever-evolving world of personal vaporization technology, it’s easy to get hung up on what the biggest and best happens to be at the moment. Cannabis vaporization technology is no different. Every day, there seems to be the next best vaporizer to hit the market to vape your socks off. However, Vuber is here to remind you that bigger is not always better. Since the company’s start in January 2014, Vuber has attempted to provide the best vaping experience to consumers while maintaining its goal to provide the most discreet, sleek and consumer-friendly priced units on the market. Vuber’s latest product, The SOLO, is an answer to vapers looking for a sleek, portable solution for concentrate vaporization on the go. It features a stainless steel atomizer housing a single ceramic core wrapped in a titanium coil, which makes it a great addition to Vuber’s successful Atlas line. For additional information, contact Vuber Tel: (206) 582-2899 Email: kelly@vubertechnologies.com http://vubervaporizers.com
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Cannabis Product News | November 2015
Product Development
Boveda: Your Solution for the Perfect Cure
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hen it comes to Cannabis, achieving a perfect cure is something many people struggle to accomplish. In fact, it’s probably safe to say that this final stage of the harvest process is the last hurdle that many cultivators master. Anyone can dry bud, but comparatively few can attain an optimum cure. As experienced Cannabis consumers know all too well, a proper cure is vital to reaching a strain’s full potential for aroma, taste, and a smooth, uniform burn. Consumers want to see gray ash at the conclusion of smoking Cannabis, not black clumps of charcoal-like matter. Those using vaporizers desire a similar, clean Cannabis experience. To compound the curing debacle is that some people disagree about the specific moisture content of a perfectly dried bud—and since buds can vary in size and density, so can their moisture levels. Fortunately, Boveda is there to assist Cannabis enthusiasts and take the guesswork out of the curing process. Boveda’s products are ideal for storing and curing (aging) Cannabis that has already been dried to a stage somewhat close to the desired level. The company utilized meticulous third-party testing to determine that storage humidity of 59-63% relative humidity is ideal for maximizing color, aroma, and flavor. Boveda earned an excellent reputation in the cigar industry for exactly the same reason it now serves Cannabis professionals—maintaining the perfect moisture level in the finished product. And it’s not just drying that Boveda’s unique products can accomplish, but adding moisture to overly dry Cannabis as well. As the only patented two-way humidity-control product, Boveda has been gaining popularity in the Cannabis market because it maximizes efficacy, aroma, color, and flavor, while promoting a cooler burn.
The Ideal Moisture Content
Boveda initially arrived at a moisture level of 62% as being optimum for finished Cannabis. Its 62% packaging earned praise from many retailers and consumers, but feedback from a segment of its customer base caused the company to provide another option to discriminating marijuana aficionados. “Some Cannabis industry people said, ‘I buy your product in tobacco shops, but [the bud] stays a little too wet,” says Charles Rutherford, Boveda’s Business Development Director. “So we considered going a little lower.” The result was a separate product for those who desire a cure on the other end of the ideal moisture spectrum—specifically a 57% moisture level in the final cure. Boveda has become a staple in many dispensaries, grow operations, and among those who store Cannabis for personal use. Boveda’s two-way humidity control allows its buyers to store Cannabis indefinitely. As long as you have a Boveda that hasn’t lost its effectiveness (it’s time for a replacement when you can’t bend it in half anymore), you can keep perfectly stored Cannabis for very long periods
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Cannabis Product News | November 2015
Boveda’s two-way humidity products guarantee a perfect drying method for Cannabis.
of time—especially if the package isn’t opened often. And since Boveda enhances the quality of Cannabis, for the first time, you can reliably age Cannabis like you would a fine wine or cigar.
Bovida Benefits and Use
Rutherford is quick to point out that using a Boveda also helps eliminate the weight loss of Cannabis due to a decrease in moisture. Other storage methods, such as using mason jars or sealed bags, results in slow, continuous moisture loss, which basically degrades the product and decreases its weight. But for those who appreciate the protection to bud damage provided by jars and storage containers, Boveda protects just as well against moisture loss when stored inside of them—just be sure to dry the bud prior to storage in containers with Boveda. Using Boveda’s products to cure bud is simple. After drying Cannabis until it’s close to the desired moisture content, Boveda will do the fine-tuning for perfect longterm storage. Grow it, dry it, and package it with Boveda. You attain perfect long-term curing for the best possible Cannabis. Boveda cannot exceed humidify beyond the relative humidity on the pack, so there’s no such thing as using “too much.” The company recommends using the largest Boveda that will fit in a given container and two to four 60-gram Boveda for a 1 gallon or larger container.
Boveda Inc.
17613 Minnetonka Blvd. Wayzata, MN 55391 (952) 745-2900 http://www.bovedainc.com/ n
Feature Feature | Product of Choice
Greenhouses:
Let the Sunshine In By Chad Lott, California
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s Cannabis legalization spreads across the country, many cultivators are deciding that greenhouses combine the best of indoor and outdoor practices and deliver the best of both worlds. For years, the drug war forced Cannabis growers into the shadows. At first, outdoor operations began to move their plants into the shade of trees to avoid detection from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and local law enforcement helicopters. This caused a major decrease in the quality of the Cannabis, as plants were unable to receive optimum levels of light.
The Move Indoors
Many people turned to growing indoors, which led to incredible innovations in hydroponics and lighting technology. Each year, these systems become more advanced and have helped produce much of the celebrated top-shelf Cannabis we enjoy today. As our culture shifts to accepting Cannabis, the need for secrecy is decreasing. The infamous Cole Memo produced by the Department of Justice implies that the Feds won’t be raiding compliant operations. You still hear horror stories, but if we’re truly entering the post-prohibition age, growers will need to rethink their relationships with sunlight. Some of the biggest issues with clandestine grow operations are the environmental and financial costs of electricity. It takes 200 pounds of coal to create a pound of indoo-grown Cannabis. That’s the carbon equivalent of about 3 million cars on the road. Depending on what reports you read,
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Cannabis Product News | November 2015
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Rough Brothers greenhouses provide sound cultivation solutions for commercial growers. The company’s in-house team of horticulturists, designers, engineers, system integration specialists, and project managers works closely with buyers to create the best greenhouses possible. The team will assist with recommendations for materials and design, with flexibility and meeting the needs of its customers being the top priority. Visit the company’s website at http://www.roughbros.com/.
The Series 500 Extra-Tall Greenhouses from Growers Supply (a division of FarmTek) provide more overhead room for superior ventilation and growing space, helping ensure you achieve a healthy Cannabis crop. The Series 500 greenhouses come with several options and available components. Discover the benefits of these tall greenhouses by visiting its website at http://www.growerssupply.com/farm/ supplies/home.
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Cannabis growing is responsible for between 5 to 10% of the total electricity usage in California. Nationally, it’s about 1%. To give you some perspective, server farms that power the Internet use about 5% of the nation’s electricity. Prohibition certainly drives up the price of Cannabis, but the astronomical cost of electricity deals a significant blow to a grower’s margins. The answer to all of these issues is the giant thermonuclear reactor in the sky.
The Greenhouse Solution
All lighting systems are essentially trying to mimic the sun’s light spectrum. Some growers have decided to take their grows outside again using relatively simple greenhouses. Most are identical to the hoop houses you might see on a drive down the California coast, but with some custom modifications for Cannabis needs. A number of people are beginning to explore more-complex systems. Dan Sutton is one such person. He has an economics degree from the University of Victoria and is the Managing Director of Tantalus Labs, a Canadian cultivator of sun-grown Medical Marijuana, using purpose-built, closed-system greenhouses. His company is focused on developing a prototype Product of Choice continued on page 18
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Feature | Product of Choice
facility in Vancouver. It took two years to design and 18 months to build. Tantalus Labs is one of the most trafficked outdoor Cannabis businesses online. If you visit their website, you will see the incredible attention to detail that led Shafin Diamond, a prominent Canadian angel investor, to call Tantalus the “Tesla of Cannabis.” Sutton is pleased at the comparison, as it is recognition of the effort he and his team have put forth. “In a greenhouse, details matter,” he says. “If your humidity is off even for a couple of weeks, you can have a mess on your hands. We try to communicate our commitment to these details in our aesthetic.”
The Best of Both Worlds
Growing with greenhouses isn’t exactly a radical idea, but it hasn’t been the primary choice for most growers due to prohibition. “We are looking at first principles,” Sutton says. “What is the best way for a plant to grow? If stealth and legality weren’t considerations, I don’t think indoor growing would be the answer.” Sutton adds, “The great thing about greenhouses is that they allow you to take the natural environment and augment it and make it more controlled, more efficient.” He hopes that over the long term, people will see the quality of the product, the critically low cost of production, and the environmental benefits so they will want to employ new greenhouse practices. “We can’t afford to go forward with technology that was best for the way the system used to be,” Sutton continues. “We need to use something that works for where we’re going.” Putting millions of dollars on the line like Tantalus Labs has is quite a bold move—especially when many people are producing phenomenal Cannabis with much lower infrastructure costs. “Entrepreneurship is all about risk versus reward,” Sutton says. “We hope that our model will be proven and ready when the legal climate changes.” Successful innovation is being developed in the non-Cannabis agriculture sector every day, but there is still a lot of value in what has been used for decades. Sutton cheerfully adds, “There’s amazing greenhouse infrastructure all over North America, and we hope to learn from all of it.”
TRiQ
Matt Cohen is a businessman from whom anyone in the Cannabis industry could learn. He is the CEO of TRiQ (pronounced “trike,” as in trichomes), an industrial Cannabis solutions company specializing in production and processing technologies. Before that, he was the Director of Supply Chain at Harborside Health Center, CEO and founder of Northstone Organics, and Founder and Vice Chairman of the Emerald Growers Association. Cohen makes the distinction between different levels of Cannabis producers. • Cannabis 1.0 is cobbled-together technology from the illicit markets. This would include small- to large-scale indoor operations. Make no mistake, there is serious talent creating great bud at this level.
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Cannabis Product News | November 2015
• Cannabis 1.5 is where someone got a little more experience and learned a bit more about things like light deprivation and drying racks. They can be large indoor grows or bespoke greenhouses. People at this level are producing award-winning crops. • Cannabis 2.0 is about leveraging all of the existing technologies from the illicit markets, as well as main stream agriculture, and making something that’s efficient and scalable. It’s basically a marriage between Dutch horticulture with industrial food packaging. This is the rarest level of growing, and it hasn’t really been possible until recent changes in the Cannabis political climate. “The new industry is going to be about finished, packaged products,” Cohen explains. He believes that in the future, you won’t see things like budtenders hand-weighing product. It’s already gone away in several jurisdictions. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you see brands using this technology showing up on the shelves of places like Whole Foods,” he adds. Some places in Washington and Colorado have procured off-the-shelf greenhouse facilities and outfitted them with some of the bells and whistles needed to grow Cannabis. In the agriculture industry, greenhouse facilities are
Greenhouse Resources TRiQ
For complete advanced systems, TRiQ can provide everything from a ground-up custom build to the nutrients you need for optimal growing. TRiQ has a proven track record and unmatched experience. www.Triqsytems.com • (541) 223-6911
Americover
This company provides industrial-grade sheets that are perfect for a variety of greenhouse cover needs as well as extremely good light deprivation material. Americover is the source for the plastic sheeting used to build the Tough Mudder adventure race courses, so you know it’s durable stuff. www.americover.com • (800) 747-6095
WeatherPort Shelter Systems
WeatherPort has been manufacturing greenhouses and grow tents since 1968. The company’s fabric building solutions are easy to install. There are several greenhouse options. Purchase one of their pre-designed structures or something custom. This is a Cannabis-friendly business. www.weatherport.com • (970) 399-5909
Rough Brothers
This company provides numerous options for greenhouse structures and systems. Rough Brothers is fully capable of working with you to meet any specific design and production goals. www.roughbros.com • (513) 242-0310
Series 500 Extra Tall Greenhouse
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This forced-air greenhouse delivers conditioned air at plant level and is manufactured by one of TRiQ’s manufacturing partners, KUBO. TRiQ’s fully integrated, purpose-built Cannabis facilities are engineered to combine existing industrial horticulture and innovative Cannabis technologies. Visit the TRiQ website at http://www.triqsystems.com/.
specifically engineered from the ground up for specific crops. The vine-ripened tomatoes you pick up at the previously mentioned Whole Foods are grown in buildings with as much as a 200-acre footprint. This scale helps bring down cost. This is what Cohen is doing with TRiQ. “We are bringing Dutch horticultural models to the United States,” Cohen says. “We engineer the facilities here, they’re built in Holland, shipped over, and then our construction arm assembles them.” Holland is essentially the Silicon Valley of agriculture. Their intellectual capital and access to cheap steel makes them almost impossible to beat. According to Cohen, they are about 20 years ahead of the United States in Horticulture. He states, “If you’re serious about greenhouse technology, you’re flying to Holland.” “We really modeled ourselves after Ziemann International,” Cohen says. They’re a large-scale brewing systems manufacturer. If you’re someone like Carlsberg and you’re putting up a new brewing facility somewhere, you call Ziemann and they Product of Choice continued on page 20
The greenhouses from Growers Supply (a division of FarmTek) have high sidewalls to give you more growing space and improve ventilation. The galvanized steel frames provide durability and longevity for the commercial grower. The units come with multiple options www.growerssupply.com/farm/supplies/home • (800) 245-9881
The Ganjier
A great resource for sun-grown Cannabis information, this website is filled with articles about everything from choosing infrastructure to dealing with raids. The owner of this site also put on the Golden Tarp Awards, a contest for sun-grown crops. www.theganjier.com
High Tide Permaculture Design
If you’re using the sun, you’ve basically got lights covered—but what about H2O? This Arcata-based company has experience with environmentally friendly watershed and rainwater catchment systems. www.hightidepermaculture.com • (707) 633-5403
CannaBusiness Law
Based in San Francisco, this law firm can handle numerous issues unique to this industry. The lawyers know the ins and outs of real estate law, which is a critical consideration prior to breaking ground building something expensive. www.cannabusinesslaw.com • (877) 420-4660 For a free subscription, visit CannaProductNews.com
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Feature | Product of Choice
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WeatherPort offers greenhouses that are well-suited to commercial Cannabis cultivation. The company offers a long list of door options and design features. WeatherPort Greenhouses come in a wide range of sizes, and its design staff will work with you on a structure that will meet your needs and exceed your expectations. The company also carries a full line of supplementary greenhouse components to satisfy even the most discriminating cultivator. Visit the WeatherPort website at http://www.weatherport.com/fabric_building_types/greenhouses/.
come in and design, build, procure, and customize everything you need to get going. They also stick around and make sure everything hums. To do business with TRiQ, you have to be fully licensed and regulated. The company actually started as more of a consulting firm, kind of a one-stop shop for getting permits and applications sorted. Now, TRiQ has started working with a company out of Las Vegas run by an ex-fighter pilot.
NuVeda
Shane Terry is about as atypical as it gets for a Cannabis entrepreneur. He is a highly decorated United States Air Force F-16 pilot and the CEO of NuVeda, one of the more interesting Cannabis operations in newly legal Nevada. “If you had told me three years ago I’d be in the Cannabis industry, I wouldn’t have believed you,” he jokes. “People ask me if I miss flying F-16s, and right now, I say not really. This industry is incredibly exciting.” He’s careful to indicate that he’s not a thrillseeker. If anything, he’s the consummate entrepreneur, looking to solve problems. It was Matt Cohen who proposed the idea that makes NuVeda so unusual—that a large-scale grow operation does not need to be indoors. All of the lawyers and leading consulting firms said indoors was the only way to go because that’s what the law seemed to indicate. “(Cohen) looked at the law, and it said “indoor,” but what does indoor really mean?” Terry says. Cohen believed that if you put a facility like this in front of regulators, one that’s indoors, but happens to have a glass roof, they would go for it. Terry saw the vision and executed on it. Today, NuVeda is a flagship model of what the future of greenhouse grows could be. When you drive by them, they looks like spaceships. It’s all white metal, the glass is opaque, and when you go inside them, it’s extremely hightech. It’s also secure and safe, which was very important to the state.
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Cannabis Product News | November 2015
“A lot of the people we consulted with early on tried to convince us to go with a hoop house-style system,” Terry says. “You can grow great product like that, but we decided the TRiQ system fit our goals more.” Their goals were fairly straightforward: Grow the best Cannabis at a large scale and create a great competitive structure out the gate. Part of that success long-term will be energy saving. The sun shines in Nevada over 300 days a year. It’s a tremendous natural resource. Terry estimates some operations could be spending up to $100,000 a month on energy. “Cannabis is right up there with server farms in terms of carbon footprint,” he says. So is it time to throw in the towel on warehouse grows and hoop house operations? Absolutely not. Great growers are going to continue to do things the way they like, and thanks to savvy social media and branding, many are going to make the transition to whatever form of legalization comes. There will always be room for boutique growers with connoisseur product. That said, when old-school folks with deep experience decide to pick up scalable systems run with advanced technology, they will be unstoppable. It’s up to you to decide where you want to be when this front of the drug war ends. At the end of alcohol prohibition, there were plenty of people who carried on with stills and smallbatch whiskey. Others went on to become Jack Daniels. Either way, the future is bright. n Chad Fred Lott is a business writer with a strong interest in the economics, science, and culture of Cannabis. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Rhetoric from the University of California, Berkeley, and has spent the last 10 years working on brand content and marketing strategy for the natural foods industry. Much of his time is spent in the San Francisco Bay Area supervising his two dogs, Nikki and JJ.
Project Deconstruction
Building a Greenhouse W
Series 500 Extra Tall Greenhouse
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hen building a greenhouse from the ground up, several important considerations should go into its construction. With the increase in products available on the market these days, numerous elements can go within the structure—as well as options for the actual structure itself. The products included here provide excellent performance and service to greenhouse Cannabis cultivators. These and other similar products provide solid solutions when selecting essential greenhouse components.
Since Cannabis can grow to a considerable height, vertical space is an important consideration for an optimum harvest. The greenhouses from Growers Supply (a division of FarmTek) have high sidewalls to give you more growing space and improve ventilation. The galvanized steel frames provide durability and longevity for the commercial grower. The units come with a double layer film with roll-up and drop-down options for better temperature and ventilation control. The Series 500 is also customizable with many options such as blackout light-deprivation systems, ventilation kits, and evaporative cooling kits. Available at www.farmtek.com.
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RiQ Vulcan 50 For greenhouses with drying rooms or chambers, TRiQ’s Vulcan50 drying machine provides full HVAC control with intelligent Dry Curve technology. The Vulcon50 is the world’s first Cannabis-specific drying technology. The machine is designed to fit inside a 1,300-cubic-foot drying chamber and can dry the equivalent of approximately 200 pounds of wet material (about 50 pounds of dry material) in seven to 10 days. The Vulcon50 is fully automated to run various customized drying schedules. It already comes pre-configured with a Cannabis drying schedule as well as an optional feature (patent pending) that can eradicate 99.9% of molds and fungi, including Aspergillus and Botrytis. The components consist of heating, cooling, drying, venting, and humidifying capacities. TRiQ’s Cannabis-drying technology takes the guesswork out of the drying process and standardizes it, providing consistency of quality and streamlining of operations. The Vulcon50 and other TRiQ products are available at www.triqsystems.com.
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Cannabis Product News | November 2015
Americover Greenhouse Covers by Tuff Scrim Tuff-Scrim Poly™ TS12 HUV is a clear extrusion-laminated reinforced film containing two layers of linear low-density virgin polyethylene as well as one layer of high-strength polyester string reinforcement scrim. TS12 HUV contains 60% more UV stabilizer additive than its predecessor, making it a good choice in environments with above-average UV levels. Its design provides strength and durability in a lightweight material. In the past, greenhouse covers required regular replacement due to wear and tear from the elements. TS12 HUV is performance engineered to be highly resistant to tears and punctures, with an added ability to retain strength and flexibility in the most extreme environments. Due to its long life expectancy, it provides significant cost savings in both time and materials. Tuff Scrim greenhouse covers are available at http://www. americover.com/tuff_scrim_plastic_sheeting_rolls_46_ctg.htm.
Americover Light Deprivation Blackout Tarps
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Americover’s lightweight, reinforced light-deprivation tarp consists of two sheets of high-strength virgin polyethylene film laminated together with a third layer of molten polyethylene. The white outer layer contains UV inhibitors and thermal stabilizers, and the black outer layer contains carbon black to improve durability and ensure total light deprivation. The white outer layer is also designed to reduce heat build-up and condensation. A heavy scrim reinforcement placed between these plies greatly enhances tear resistance and increases longevity. Heavy-duty diamond reinforcement responds to tears immediately by surrounding and stopping them. Americover blackout tarps are available at http://www.americover.com.
Solar-Powered Fans by Snap-Fan Greenhouse growing is a rapidly evolving industry. Companies are using advances in design, soil technology, and airflow to increase yield, while honoring the values of an increasingly energy-conscious consumer base and striving to reduce embedded production costs. The environmentally friendly and energy-conscious mindset of many Cannabis cultivators makes the solar-powered fans by Snap-Fan a perfect choice. If your greenhouse is located off the grid, Snap-Fan has many ventilation solutions. The company offers both high-efficiency exhaust and horizontal airflow fans. Snap-Fan’s solar direct fans can also be run using batteries or power supplies. If your greenhouse is connected to the power grid or you have an off-grid power system with an inverter and are looking for a high-quality ventilation fan with a soft start capacity, the line of AC ECM fans will be the choice for you. Energy efficient, durable, and long lasting, these fans have been trusted with ventilation solutions in some of Humboldt County’s best off-the-grid grows. Snap-Fan airflow solutions are available at https://snap-fan.com.
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Feature | Solution of Choice
Building Human Assets
By Chad Lott, California
The employees who run and represent your business are a vital component to your overall success. They are the “face� of your operation, and their product knowledge and customer-service skills go a long way toward increasing your bottom line. Photo by Chris Seaton courtesy of Good Chemistry
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Cannabis Product News | November 2015
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s Cannabis legalization looms, many entrepreneurial en-
deavors have started to integrate normal business practices, such as standard operating procedures, employee manuals, and 401(k) plans. More jobs exist in the Cannabis industry than ever before, but filling some of them can be problematic. Skill sets taken for granted in the established economy are sometimes in short supply. The independent spirit celebrated by our industry has produced a culture of exceptional individuals with extremely valuable skills. This has, however, created a pool of potential employees that are a bit feral by S&P 500 standards. Professionals with inventory management experience, high-level sales and customer service, legal and scientific training, and team-management knowledge have been slow to switch over to Cannabis jobs.
Harborside Hiring Practices
Employers looking to fill the new roles required by increased regulation and entrepreneurial progress are either going to have to train up their existing employees or look to new spaces for hires. Nayir Munoz, the Director of Patient Services at Harborside Health Center, has ample experience looking for Cannabis professionals. She oversees hiring for one of the finest medical Cannabis dispensaries in the world. Currently, Harborside has approximately 135 team members at two retail locations and offices. When she started eight years ago, about 24 people worked for the company. In those early days, team members started in processing and worked their way up as their skills and knowledge increased. This has changed. “With all the growth we’ve experienced lately, we are more often than not filling specific roles directly,” Munoz says. Budtenders, or as Munoz prefers to call them, sales associates, have the highest turnover rate of any gig at Harborside. It’s a challenging job that balances everyday sales skills, as well as counseling and medical consultation. It can be difficult to find the right person who can do it all and maintain a high level of customer service. Before coming to Harborside, Munoz worked for Nordstrom, a retailer known for exemplary customer service. Elements of their hospitality philosophy and training live on at the dispensary. All team members receive the same up-to-date product and customer service training, including mock patient interactions. They also have a chance to learn from some of the most knowledgeable people in Cannabis through deep-dive training on subjects like terpines and CBDs. An entry-level job at Harborside can pay much more than a similar position in a non-Cannabis field, so the dispensary also offer a great benefits package with competitive pay and product discounts. Despite the excellent perks and wages, finding good, reliable people can still be challenging. “A lot of people who want to work in the Cannabis industry have been working offline, sometimes doing their own grows or trimming,” Munoz observes. This means they may be highly knowledgeable about the plant, but might need work on communicating this knowledge to patients. Others may not be the greatest at taking corrective criticism. Some applicants to have no résumés or even notable work experience outside of Cannabis. Showing up late for an interview or expressing interest in “just wanting a chill job where you can smoke all day” are deal breakers. Munoz warns these applicants, “This is a fast-paced professional environment frequently serving over 700 individual patients a day. You don’t have to wear a collared shirt necessarily, but you do need to show up on time.” Munoz believes food service is a great thing to see on a résumé for customer-interaction jobs. Bartenders, baristas, and waiters understand Solution of Choice continued on page 26
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Managing Millennials You’ve heard all the horror stories about the Millennial Generation (aka Generation Y): They’re entitled, self-absorbed, and lazy. The truth is, Millennials aren’t any more of these things than any generation before them, but they’re a generation with historically unique concerns about employment. Millennials don’t know what traditional job security is, and many are yoked with enormous student loan debt. They’re hyper-aware of social issues and like supporting companies with mission-driven goals. As of this year, Millennials—generally defined as those born between 1981 and 1997—will make up close to 35% of the workforce in the United States. By 2025 that number will increase to 75%. If you’re planning to be in business in this century, you need to understand how they tick.
Social Media
Employees of this generation grew up with social media. This is phenomenal if you need a hand with your online presence, but make sure you’re clear about what your business’s boundaries are. Instagram pics of your crew dabbed out behind the counter do not make a good first impression.
Loyalty
A common story you’ll hear is that Millennials don’t stay at jobs long because they’re fickle. While there certainly are some with career ADD, many are reacting to an economy where long-term careers are simply nonexistent. If you want them to stay, you need to give them a reason to stick around.
Growth
If you tie growth in your organization to time spent on the job, you might be limiting high achievers. The new economy values results over seniority. If employees are confident from day one that excellence is rewarded, they are more likely to start off excellent.
Training
Develop programs that emphasize the skill sets of your employees or invest in training. This is a phenomenal perk that will add value to your organization and create better employees. If they move on, your reputation for fostering talent will spread, leading to even better hires.
Values
Company mission is very important to this age group. Because job stability and high wages are becoming rare, many Millennials seek fulfillment beyond finances. They want to know their work matters. Consider your company’s impact in its community. Can you offer employees a chance to change the world? 26
Cannabis Product News | November 2015
Feature | Solution of Choice how to treat people and how to make customers happy, while being efficient with them. These types of employees also tend to be culturally liberal and less concerned with career damage from being involved with Cannabis. Even though Harborside prefers to promote from within, back-of-house hiring has become a bit more specialized. Laboratory and management roles can be difficult to fill because professionals with this background might have concerns about jeopardizing their long-term careers and goals. This is changing quickly, though. Young people with MBAs and PhDs are starting to trickle into the industry. People who can do lab-testing are going to be in high demand, especially if bills requiring testing continue to get passed. Munoz puts considerable thought into who works on her security team. “Our safety associates are certainly going to have club bouncing or military backgrounds in a lot of cases,” she says, “but we really value great customer service from them as well.” Their job is to keep patients and employees safe—and that includes making them feel welcome. I observed this myself on my first trip to Harborside. The people who checked my ID and card were as professional and polite a crew as I’ve ever observed at a dispensary.
The Ebbu Work Ethic
Many of the new Cannabis startups with Silicon Valley heritage are experiencing some hiring pains as well. Dooma Wendschuh, co-founder and CEO of Ebbu, a tech-heavy extraction company located in Colorado, has been plagued with employee flakiness and work ethics that don’t meet his high standards. Wendschuh is most well-known as the co-founder of Sekretagent Productions, a company famous for creating the Assassin’s Creed video games. He is the quintessential tech entrepreneur: smart, driven, intense, and competitive. By his own admission, he’s a tough boss. He says, “I expect everyone who works for me to give it everything they have. If they do, we’ll all do well together.” Assassin’s Creed was so successful he basically had his pick of the world’s best game-makers. In his tech experience, people were hungry and anxious to prove themselves. Wendschuh says these days he’s wary of any signs of non-commitment to the cause. “I go and look at their cars after the interview,” he jokes. “If they’ve got a bike rack or ski racks, I reconsider the hire. I want them to be as obsessed with [the business] as I am.” What Wendschuh is trying to manifest is a top-shelf extraction company with the ability to attract serious investors. “Venture capitalists like to invest in teams of people who are really smart and know how to pivot,” he says. The team he’s working with now has a lot of talent, but he had some difficulty finding the right people. One of his first hires was an individual who was asked to come to the office and almost always refused. It turns out he was working for another competitor on the side. Wendschuh also sees quite a bit of substance abuse issues. “There are a lot of people who believe Cannabis is a panacea for everything, but it’s important to remember it’s a very effective and important psychoactive,” he says. Wendschuh might seem a bit intense for the Cannabis community as we know it, but I think his brand of intensity could be beneficial to the industry. To be honest, he’s quite
reasonable by normal business standards. The team he has assembled is highly experienced, and, if he’s successful, they all will make a good amount of money. More importantly, if businesses like his succeed, we might see a surge in technical professionals.
Cultivator Dilemmas and Options
Growers are among the most important people in Cannabis. After all, they create the ultimate industry “product,” and, without them, we wouldn’t have anything on which to build our businesses. Like everyone else in the industry, they would be happy to have more-reliable workers. I spoke with several highly successful growers for this article, but most of them understandably requested anonymity. Most of these people seemed used to clashing with egos, while growing and working with transient workers for processing. Cannabis trade schools, like Oaksterdam in Oakland, are decent places for growers looking for reliable employees. They offer training in cultivation and processing. Graduation requires a certain level of knowledge, and graduates are expected to perform at least some functions without too much hand-holding. Another option for finding cultivation employees is the new Cannabis staffing agencies like Ms. Mary Staffing. These businesses offer résumé services for employees looking for work and can help all levels of cannabusinesses staff during seasonal hiring booms. I predict that Cannabis industry hiring practices will become more refined and sophisticated over the next five years. As more businesses come online, they will develop better training and procedures. People moving between jobs will take best practices with them, and, eventually solid, legitimate career paths will emerge. We are already seeing huge changes now with employment boards like 420careers.com and THCjobs.com providing advice and job listings for potential applicants. Even traditional job sites like LinkedIn are showing signs of social shift. All you have to do is search the job listings for Cannabis, and you’ll find dozens of new gigs that were in the shadows or nonexistent a few years ago. If you need to locate a reliable, efficient employee for your Cannabis business, your options are more numerous than ever before. n Chad Fred Lott is a business writer with a strong interest in the economics, science, and culture of Cannabis. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Rhetoric from the University of California, Berkeley, and has spent the last 10 years working on brand content and marketing strategy for the natural foods industry. Much of his time is spent in the San Francisco Bay Area supervising his two dogs, Nikki and JJ.
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Feature | Service of Choice
Branding Bud Products Knowing how to effectively brand your business is an important first step toward success. By Wendy Rall, California Budd Branding
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n the landscape of the Cannabis industry, new brands are emerging daily and will continue to emerge as legalization spreads across the nation. This is why it is extremely important to have a strong, consistent brand image. The term “branding” covers a large gamut. Your brand is more than just your logo. It encompasses your company’s identity, the products or services offered, and what your company stands for. Branding includes everything from your advertising to the customer service you provide. Although people say, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” this is exactly what customers do when choosing a new product or service. This is also the reason why your company’s image must clearly portray what your company has to offer. A corporation with a successful brand image is consistent across every aspect of its business. From the company uniforms, to the graphics used on vehicles, advertising, and shipping materials, a company that has established a recognizable and memorable brand image will succeed.
Your Target Audience When developing ideas for your brand image, you need to define your target audience. In the Cannabis industry, the demographics are wide open. In the U.S., we have a huge audience over 55 years of age. The overall look of a package that would attract this sector will likely be quite different from a package with a brand image marketed toward the younger, “hipster” type of Cannabis user. Then consider the professionals, or the “switchers,” who are just trying Cannabis for the first time or looking for a safe alternative to alcohol. This group may be attracted to a more upscale image than the younger and older crowds.
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NOVA Premium Vape Cartridge
Produced with Premium CO2 Oil, NOVA is a quality oil produced in California and available in Indica and Sativa strains. NOVA’s image was designed with an Americana vibe to make it stand out from other products on the market and to target a larger audience. This California brand is a premium CO2 oil cartridge packaged and delivered in a box that looks like a shipping crate, which carries a subtle military look across the brand image. The NOVA vape pen is a new addition to the line. For more information, visit www.novavapor.com.
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Cannabis Product News | November 2015
Cornucopious Cannabis-Infused Popcorn by Cornucopious LLC
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This organic popcorn is tagged as Tasty~Feel-Good~ Good for You, and is a healthy option for consumption, which many people are looking for today. Made in Oregon and tested by CHEMHISTORY Cannabis Testing Laboratory, consumers seeking a wholesome medicated snack can look no further. Package design colors portray an upscale image. The logo is clean and simple. It contains a custom spiral icon, which can be used separately if desired. When the logo stands alone, it is used in an oval to maintain the green background.
What’s in a Name? Have you noticed how many companies in this industry have names that either sound the same, or are the same? Consider a unique name for your business avoiding “Canna,” “Green” (in any language), “Mary,” or “Jane.” The length of your company’s name will also affect the impact of your visual image, so keep it short. A full company name does not carry the same visual impact as its acronym.
Simple, Memorable, and Iconic When developing your logo, keep your image simple. This will ensure your logo is more easily read, recognized, and remembered. Leave complex images and fonts for use in your brochures and advertisements, and focus on developing a clear and concise image for your logo. Including an icon in your logo makes it easier to recognize and remember. Studies show that an icon can be recognized instantly, while words take time for our minds to process. Many Cannabis brands feature a leaf in their logo. If you want to use a leaf, have a unique custom leaf designed for your brand. Avoid “clip-art,” because there is a good chance the same leaf will be in use in your competitors’ branding.
Visual Identity Visual identity is the overall look of your brand, which includes the background colors, images, fonts, and textures. For example, purple velvet creates a feeling of luxury and royalty, and can be further enhanced by the addition of gold. On the other hand, if we imagine a linen-textured background, the feeling created is entirely different, and the product is perceived as pure or natural. A glittery red image looks exciting and flashy. These images establish your brand identity and are important in developing consistency.
Quality and Consistency Your product or service is subject to the highest standards of quality and consistency, and your overall brand image should be, too. What I have witnessed for decades that most profoundly damages a brand’s image is when companies purchase an ad space with a media outlet and accept an in-house ad design, usually at Service of Choice continued on page 30
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Feature | Service of Choice
Logo and Branding Tips • Define your target audience.
Consider location, interests, and age.
• Name it well.
An original, short name will help you be remembered.
• Keep it simple.
Simple graphics are most recognizable.
• Icons help you be remembered.
Consider including an icon in your logo.
• Create a visual identity.
Determine the “vibe” of your overall brand image.
• Consistency is king.
All promotions should have the same or similar look.
• Use an easy-to-read font.
Simple fonts are for logos; busy fonts don’t read well.
• Carefully consider the colors.
Green is not advised as your primary color due to saturation in the industry. However, it may work well as an accent color.
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Cannabis Product News | November 2015
DUO CO2 Extraction Cartridges This package design example maintains visual consistency in the product line. The California brand DUO is geared to attract the consumer who is looking for a satisfying but not powerful experience and a good value. Marketed in California, the design features a subtle Old West look, with a hint of a cigar box sophistication. Strains are clearly separated by prominent color difference. The logo is clear and easy to ready, and includes images that define the product immediately.
no extra cost. The damage occurs because different media sources will design different-looking advertisements, and your brand will lose its consistency. To avoid confusion when planning a media campaign, develop one ad and have your designer resize it as needed to control brand consistency
Use an Easy-to-Read Font A seemingly unlimited number of fonts are available these days. Some are suitable for your brand’s image and can be great for use in your advertising, but they may not lend themselves to creating a clear brand identity. I am referring to fonts that are “busy,” as many grunge-style fonts tend to be. You will see paint splatters, paint drips thick and thin lines, or scratches around each letter. These fonts can be used for accent words on a promo card or a T-shirt design, but hardto-read fonts are best left out of your logo. Simple fonts are best because they are easy to read. Remember that your logo will be used in very small and very large sizes; therefore, a font that is easy to read will be better across the board.
Colors Touch Our Emotions The color wheel inspires a range of emotions. Each color makes us feel differently. This concept is important in branding. Use colors that will make your customer feel the way about your brand that you desire.
With so many brands in the Cannabis industry using the color green in their logos, you may want to stay away from using green as your primary brand color. Think about when you see a group of sponsor logos together—most of them are green. The logos that will attract your eyes first are the ones that stand out by being a color other than green. Below are colors and emotions that are associated with them:
n n n n n n n n
Green: Environment, freshness, growth Blue: Strength, trust, security Purple: Royalty, creativity, luxury Red: Danger, power, energy Orange: Confidence, friendliness, happiness Yellow: Optimism, honor, warmth Black: Formality, elegance, class White: Purity, innocence, perfection
Conclusion Your brand is vastly important to your identity and overall success. Consider the goals of your business and develop your brand carefully. Working closely with an advertising and branding professional will go a long way toward ensuring you remain competitive in our rapidly growing industry. n Wendy Rall is a professional creative designer with over 30 years of experience. After graduating from The Art Institute of Philadelphia, she embarked on a successful career on the East Coast and worked for Cataleno & Company, SME Branding, Impax Marketing Communications and Harrah’s Casino. In 2002, Wendy co-founded Planeta Surf, a bilingual Mexican surfing magazine, where she worked as the Creative Director for 10 years. Now based in California, Wendy owns and operates Budd Branding, a boutique design studio. www.buddbranding.com
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31
Best Practices
Legal
Patent Law—Learn to Protect Your Cannabis Inventions Challenge: Disclosing Cannabis inventions prior to filing a patent application bars you from protecting your invention. Solution: File a provisional application or sign a confidential disclosure agreement prior to disclosing your Cannabis invention or technology. By Tony Marshall, California
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he single biggest patent law issue I encounter with my Cannabis clients is when inventors unknowingly engage in behavior that impairs their patent rights. The behaviors that impair an inventor’s ability to obtain a patent fall into three main categories: 1) describing the invention in a printed publication, 2) publicly using the invention, or 3) offering the invention for sale or selling it. If an inventor does any of these activities more than one year before a patent application for the invention is filed, they will be barred from obtaining a patent. In patent law terms, this is called the one-year grace period. This means you must file a patent application within one year if you have done any of these activities, or you will be barred from getting a patent. This column will discuss the specific activities in which Cannabis inventors engaged that typically cause their inventions to be barred and steps you can take to avoid this problem.
Describe Your Cannabis Invention in a Print Publication
Inventors begin their one-year grace period any time their invention is described in a print publication. Examples of a print publication include magazine articles, websites, blogs, Tweets, distributed marketing materials, brochures at trade shows and Cannabis Cups, or printed presentations given freely to potential investors. If the print publication contains a full description of your Cannabis invention, you will be barred from obtaining a patent if an application is not filed within one year of the date of publication. Print publications I frequently encounter are websites detailing inventor’s Cannabis product, magazine articles discussing the benefits of a Cannabis invention, or presentation materials given to investors at an investor meeting.
Public Use of the Invention
In the Cannabis industry, public use can occur in a variety
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Cannabis Product News | November 2015
of ways. For example, when you provide free samples of your new strain, edible, or product at a Cannabis Cup, MeetUp, or trade show, this is a public use. Even if you only publicly display your Cannabis product and do not offer free sample, this may be considered a public use, which can prevent you from getting a patent. There are exceptions to the public-use rule; however, it would be best for you to consult a patent attorney before you attempt to navigate these situations.
Offer the Invention for Sale
This is pretty straightforward. If you have sold your Cannabis product more than one year before a patent application is filed, you will be barred from getting a patent. The issues arise when trying to determine if you have offered your Cannabis product for sale. The rule of thumb in determining whether the invention is offered for sale is whether you have a contract or formal offer to sell your Cannabis product. This offer can be public or private; however, an offer to sell the patent rights in an invention does not usually count as an offer for sale.
How to Protect Your Cannabis Invention
You can take two actions to protect your ability to obtain a patent for your Cannabis invention. The first is to file a provisional patent application. A provisional application filed before any disclosure or within a year of disclosure will protect your patent rights. The provisional application filing fee is less than $150 and can be filed with just a brief description of your Cannabis invention; however, I recommend that you prepare a complete application. This is a short-term, cost-effective way to protect your patent rights until you can determine if your invention is worth filing a non-provisional application. The second action a Cannabis inventor can take is to prepare and sign a confidential disclosure agreement (CDA). A CDA is a legal contract that prevents another party from freely disclosing your confidential information. If you disclose information under a CDA, the disclosure is not considered public, and you have the ability to sue the other party if they publicly disclose your information. A CDA, however, has limitations in its usefulness and situations. For instance, a CDA will not protect your patent rights if you put information on your website or in an article. But, if you are seeking money from an investor, most disclosures under a CDA will be protected. The one-year grace period applies only to U.S. patent law. If you are thinking of obtaining a patent
internationally, you will need to file a patent application before any disclosure. In general, you should speak with a patent attorney if you believe that you have an invention and before making any disclosure regarding your invention. Disclaimer These materials are provided for informational purposes only, shall not be construed as legal advice, and do not establish the basis of an attorney-client relationship. Please be aware that possessing, using, distributing, transporting, and selling marijuana-type Cannabis are all federal crimes, and the information we provide is not intended to assist you in violating federal law nor will they in any way assist you in complying with federal law. You should consult an intellectual property attorney about your particular patent, trademark, and trade secret needs, as each case requires particular attention to details that cannot be conveyed in this publication. n
Tony Marshall has prosecuted patents in the biotech, pharmaceutical, and mechanical arts since 2005. He has experience licensing and transferring technologies and managing global intellectual property portfolios. Tony has worked in biomedical laboratories performing scientific research in the fields of infectious disease, immunology, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. He obtained a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of San Francisco, a Master of Science degree in Microbiology and Immunology from Cornell University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
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Best Practices
Finance
First Steps for Obtaining Capital Challenge: How do you raise the funds to start your Cannabis business? Solution: Understand what type of investor you need and have a solid business plan. By Crystal Huish, CPA, CGMA Count Cannabis, Colorado
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he Cannabis industry is booming! As more and more states are legalizing Cannabis, many people are excited to be part of the “Green Rush.” One of the most common questions I get from potential business owners is “How do I raise the funds to start my business?” This is a great question that can seem overwhelming, even impossible, when you are just starting out, so I break it down into smaller considerations to help my clients navigate the process of obtaining capital.
Active or Passive Investor?
There are many types of investors, but for the purposes of this column and its space limitations, I’ll lump investors into two broad categories: active and passive. When thinking of raising capital for your business, first answer this question: Do you want an investor who’s interested in assisting you with developing the business strategy and introducing you to helpful associates? Perhaps you’re an engineer designing indoor grow lights and you know how to make an amazing product but aren’t as adept at running a business. In this case, you desire an active investor and might benefit from one who’s experienced and willing to help you run the business—not
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Cannabis Product News | November 2015
like a line manager but an investor who can get you connected with the right resources. This person will help you understand what it takes to keep your business operating smoothly. Or maybe you already have a successful business and know how to manage daily operations, but you need the money to start your new Cannabis business. This situation might be better suited to a hands-off investor. This type of passive investor wants to feel confident that investing in your business will result in a solid return. Beyond that, he or she has no interest in direct involvement. This investor will expect you to have a solid business plan and pro forma financials. These terms aren’t synonymous, so let’s break them down further.
Business Plans and Pro Forma Financial Statements
A business plan is your blueprint for success. It should outline everything about your business and help you understand not only what the mission and goals are, but also the steps for how you will get there. (See the sidebar for essential business plan components.) Back when I started my own business, I remember
looking at business plans, and even with my financial background I felt completely overwhelmed and uninspired by the stiff, wordy business plans I researched. If the thought of a 30-page business plan makes you want to reconsider starting a business, try reading The Right Brain Business Plan by Jennifer Lee (see Resources sidebar). Jennifer has a great way of breaking down what a business plan should outline, and she does it in a visually appealing way that encourages you to do the same. I have an internal business plan that I refer to all the time (more than my “formal” business plan, actually) that looks like an 8-year-old colored it during arts-and-crafts time. As handy as that is for me, internally as the owner of my business, I can’t very well hand that document over to an investor, so I consider the right-brain business plan more of an internal document, yet it can help you create your formal business plan intended for outside eyes. When you’re ready to court investors, in addition to a solid business plan, you’ll want pro forma financial statements. Pro forma is Latin for “as a matter of form” or, in different words, “what if.” Pro forma financial statements are the projected financial statements you anticipate once your business is up and running. I strongly encourage entrepreneurs to seek professional help building a pro forma, and there is plenty of help out there. To get a basic idea of what investors are looking for and how to understand the pro forma financial statements, check out Women Grow’s video library (see Resources sidebar). You can rent several videos for a nominal fee. I specifically recommend “Webinar 6: Financial Highlights for Entrepreneurs,” presented by Andi B. Gold.
Business Plan Components • Mission/vision and the problem being solved by your business • Marketing and distribution channels • Market and market size: Who are your customers and what attracts them to your specific business/product/service? • How big is your addressable market? • What is the regulatory environment? • Pro forma financials • Products/services offered that will solve the need at hand • What makes your business unique, and what are your competitive advantages? • Management team with relevant experience • Support team: mentors, professional organizations, family, friends. Who is going to help you make your business a successful reality? • Big Blue Sky: What are your ultimate dreams for your business—what does absolute success look like, not in monetary form but in structure, products/services offered, and customers reached.
Resources
The Right Brain Business Plan by Jennifer Lee http://www.rightbrainbusinessplan.com/ Women Grow’s Video Library “Webinar 6: Financial Highlights for Entrepreneurs,” presented by Andi B. Gold http://womengrow.com/video-education/
Conclusion
A solid business plan and pro forma information are just two things to consider as you prepare to raise capital for your business. In the next issue of Cannabis Product News, I’ll discuss approaching investors with your proposal, as well as other options for raising money and how to avoid potential investing pitfalls. n Crystal Huish holds a Master of Business Administration in Accounting. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA), and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). Crystal is an independent consultant working exclusively with the Cannabis industry, nonprofit organizations, and small businesses. If you have a financial question for her, please email her directly at crystal@countCannabisllc.com.
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Best Practices
Edibles
Decarboxylating Cannabis Infusions Challenge: Cannabis infusions used to make edibles are often not being decarboxylated. Therefore, consumers are not getting the effects they expect or medicinally need. Solution: Learn how to properly decarboxylate your infusions. By doing so, THCA and CBDA decreases, while the active THC and CBD increases. By Karen Marker, Michigan
Decarboxylation: A chemical reaction
that removes a carboxyl group and releases carbon dioxide (CO2). Decarboxylation usually refers to a reaction of carboxylic acids, removing a carbon atom from a carbon chain. When smoking or vaporizing Cannabis, the heat applied directly to the dried flower automatically and instantly decarboxylates the bud. This process coverts the THCA and CBDA into the active THC and CBD. Cannabis will eventually decarboxylate itself during the curing process; however, this method could potentially take a very long time. Because Cannabis is decarboxylated when smoked or vaporized, many people don’t know that decarboxylation is a key factor when it comes to making edibles. When cooking with Cannabis, the type of infusion used to make the edible must be decarboxylated, or the consumer will not enjoy the psychoactive or medicinal effect. This is done by exposing the infusion to heat for a certain length of time. The exact amount of time depends on the type of Cannabis infusion used when cooking or baking.
Decarboxylating Cannabutter
Many people choose cannabutter as their preferred infusion, mainly for the sheer fact that it goes a long way—not to mention, it’s cheap. The majority of edible consumers, however, do not enjoy eating something made with cannabutter. Cannabutter has a very distinct taste, and one knows immediately—after the first bite—that cannabutter was used. Many people even state that they get sick from cannabutter. But if that’s the choice of infusion to use, the consistent heat that’s exposed to the trimmings or bud while making the butter decarboxylates it at the same time. Much is the same with Cannabis oil (with the exception of wanting to eliminate all bubbles from the oil).
Decarboxylating Hash
Decarboxylating hash, on the other hand, is a little trickier. Everyone’s oven is different, and almost all are inconsistent when it comes to temperature. When an oven’s door opens, heat escapes. Therefore, it’s no longer the desired temperate. The oven must now warm back up, but it doesn’t alert the user it has reached the set temperate again (after the initial “beep”). Using a point-and-shoot digital thermometer is an excellent idea and highly recommended.
Edibles continued on page 38
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Cannabis Product News | November 2015
The Magical Butter MB2e is a useful product that takes much of the guesswork out of making Cannabis butter for use with edibles.
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37
Best Practices
Edibles Using a pizza stone inside the oven along with a Pyrex® dish will definitely help distribute the heat evenly throughout the oven. When decarboxylating newly made bubble hash, allow the hash to dry at least a few days before decarboxylating it. Actually, the longer the better, just to be sure the center is dry. The less moisture in the hash, the better. Place the pizza stone inside the oven and preheat to the recommended temperate. Line a Pyrex dish (not too large in size compared to the hash) with parchment paper, place hash inside it, and place the dish on the pizza stone inside the oven. Set the timer and wait. After the appropriate time, remove promptly and place the Pyrex dish on a cooling rack. Allow the hash to cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container.
Equipment
The household kitchen equipment you need for decarboxylating trimmings, bud, hash, and keif is readily available at Bed, Bath & Beyond or other similar stores (see sidebar). If you need to purchase an item for the purpose of decarbing an infusion, the expense will be minimal. For those who prefer using Cannabis oil and Cannabis butter to infuse edibles, a wonderful product is available by Magical Butter (https://store.magicalbutter.com). The unit currently available is called the MB2e (available in both 110v and 220v) and costs $174.95 for the 110v and $184.95 for the 220v. This handy gadget does all the work for you, and the clean-up is a breeze! Since hash is somewhat costly as a Cannabis infusion, many people believe it’s the best form to use in edibles. With that said, if using hash, be extremely cautious to not overheat it when decarboxylating. Overheating will decrease the amount of active THC and CBD rather than increase it, leaving the hash less potent than desired. The following chart is a basic guideline to decarboxylating trimmings, bud, hash, and keif using only the oven method. NOTE: When decarboxylating bud, the larger buds should be broken up. Plant Material
Oven Temperature
Cooking Time
Trimmings
240°
20 – 30 minutes
Keif
240°
20 – 25 minutes
Hash
240°
30 – 40 minutes
Bud
240°
50 – 60 minutes
There is a lot of conflicting information online today regarding the necessary temperature and time duration required to decarboxylate all types of Cannabis infusions. I highly recommend that after you make each batch of infusion, you take detailed notes about the temperature and length of time used. Send a sample to a local laboratory that tests Cannabis products for results. When using hash, include samples of both prior to and after decarboxylating. If the active THC and CBD have not increased and the moisture level is not at zero percent, try your hand at decarboxylating another batch. For beginners, this is definitely a hit-or-miss game.
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Cannabis Product News | November 2015
Do extensive research, and use the advice of a reputable source when decarboxylating Cannabis infusions, and remember that certain infusions—cannabutter and Cannabis oil—do not require decarboxyling because they were made while being exposed to direct, consistent heat. I also recommend that anyone in the edibles industry read Cannabis and Cannabis Extracts: Greater Than the Sum of Their Parts? by John M. McPartland and Ethan B. Russo. This awesome read will educate you about decarboxylating and why it’s necessary. n At the young age of 10, Karen Marker witnessed firsthand the medicinal benefits of Cannabis when her mother was diagnosed with stage-four cancer. Though Karen’s mother ultimately succumbed to cancer less than a year later, Cannabis was able to ease her pain. Although Karen is not a consumer of Cannabis, she plays an active role within the Cannabis industry. She works tirelessly to help end Cannabis prohibition, and also gains gratification from providing relief to medical patients through her medibles company based in Michigan.
Resources Household Decarboxylating Equipment Pyrex® dish (For hash and keif, a Pyrex pie plate, or 7x5 dish, works great. For bud and trimmings, a larger size is necessary.) (http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/ pyrex-reg-glass-bakeware/217264?Keyword=Pyrex) Parchment paper to line Pyrex dish (http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/ wilton-reg-parchment-paper-doble-roll/1013316678? Keyword=parchment+paper) Pizza Stone (http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/ bialetti-reg-round-pizza-stone/1011932509) Cooling rack (http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/ wilton-reg-cooling-rack/3244023) Infrared Digital Thermometer (optional) (http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/ cdn-infrared-thermometer-gun-in-yellow/1041431252? Keyword=point+and+shoot+digital+thermometer) Magical Butter MB2e 7929 Grand Blvd. Port Richey, FL 34668 https://store.magicalbutter.com Cannabis and Cannabis Extracts: Greater Than the Sum of Their Parts? http://mychronicrelief.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/2001-Cannabis-Cannabis-Extracts.pdf
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Success Story
Ending on a High Note By Phil Samuelson, Colorado
Clean Green Certified
C
hris VanHook had a vision to bring organic Cannabis to consumers. To make this goal a reality, he founded the Clean Green Certified Program, the only nationally recognized third-party Cannabis certification company. As with many worthwhile endeavors, it posed its own set of unique challenges. “In 2003, I was asked by the Cannabis industry if I could certify its Cannabis as organic,” VanHook explained. “California said yes, the USDA said no. The industry came back with ‘Can’t you develop a certification program for us, it is sorely needed?’” With that, the ball was put in motion to deliver a service to an industry deeply in need of compliance, organization, and regulation. VanHook developed Clean Green Certified using a variety of models. His background as an attorney no doubt proved useful when creating an organic Cannabis program requiring compliance and cooperation from an appreciative group of cultivators. Those who participate in the Clean Green program want to go above and beyond typical Cannabis production and join an elite category to serve discriminating consumers. “[Clean Green] is based on the USDA National Organic Program as well as International Organic and Sustainable programs,” VanHook said. “We have a combined 100-plus years in both conventional and organic farming just in our main office staff alone.”
Meeting a Demand
Certainly, there was a strong desire for an organic Cannabis alternative—the growing organic sections of most supermarket produce sections are proof positive of that growing trend. Many food shoppers want healthy choices—and Cannabis shoppers are no different. VanHook recognizes that fact. “The crop producers and processors who come to the program are the ones who are well ahead of the regulations and current state of Cannabis farming,” he said. “They are seeking to differentiate their product from the bulk of products out there.” Clean Green fills the needs of those cultivators and takes their certification a few steps further. The program goes well beyond the USDA organic program. There’s a fair labor component, a carbon footprint reduction component, a legal water source requirement, as well as water conservation methods that must be in place. Every Clean Green Certified farmer gets a soil sample run through a federally licensed lab to test for more than 150 brand-name pesticides each year. The USDA program requires testing of 5% of farmers each year. Clean Green tests every farmer every year. “[Clean Green] confirms that their Cannabis is grown legally in the state in which it is grown,” VanHook explained. “It confirms that the produce is grown without
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Cannabis Product News | November 2015
Chris VanHook inspects a crop of organically grown Cannabis for Clean Green Certified.
synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. It is very easy—and of no great value—to say ‘I grow organically,’ but it’s entirely different to have a qualified third-party program come to your farm and confirm that it is.”
Elite Organic Status
VanHook remains in step with an industry serving individuals with strong opinions about a clean environment and healthy living. Products licensed to carry the CGC logo are reviewed using national and international standards for quality and sustainability. The Clean Green review staff follows the recent guidelines of the California Department of Food and Agriculture as well as the federal Environmental Protection Agency for pesticide use on Cannabis. Displaying the CGC logo on your label is an excellent way to differentiate your product from the many already on the market. VanHook sees a successful future ahead of him. “We continue to adapt the program to the developing regulations in each state and bring existing agricultural and food-handling regulations into the Cannabis industry,” he said. “As these regulations develop, the program will adapt and continue to assist the Cannabis farmer to move into the legal emerging markets.” If you’re a Cannabis cultivator—or plan to be one soon—consider attaining Clean Green Certified status. n A professional career editor and writer for more than 30 years, Phil Samuelson has managed editorial teams on consumer, trade, and association magazines for a variety of industries. Hailing originally from California, Phil now lives in Colorado with his wife, their two teenage children, and several Redbone Coonhounds.
Clean Green Certified
P.O. Box 1394 Crescent City, CA 95531 Tel: (707) 218-6979 Email: ask@cleangreencert.com www.cleangreencert.com