COVER STORY
True Liberty® Bags has been proudly serving the Cannabis Industry since 2009, when they introduced to the market the very first 25-pack of Turkey Bags. Perfectly designed not only for cooking turkeys, but for use by cannabis producers and processors, this bag, now called the 3 Gallon Bag (18” x 20”), continues to be the most popular size, along with the slightly larger 4 Gallon Bag (18” x 24”). Following the initial success of these and their other “household” sizes, their line continued to grow with the aim to provide harvest solutions for small, mid-sized, and large scale cannabis operations. In 2012, they introduced a commercial line which brought Can Liners (30” x 48”), and grew to include Bin Liners (48” x 30”) and Drum Liners (36” x 48”) in 2017, and last year, the line of 100% nylon bags and liners grew to include 100 Gallon Bags (40” x 85”), as well as an HDPE Pallet Container Liner, and a Rolling Bench Table Liner, their first and only two products that are not made of nylon. Year after year, True Liberty works to gather feedback from producers and retailers to provide customized solutions and ensure that their products are the best fit for the evolving cannabis industry. All True Liberty Bags are available in different pack sizes, as well as bulk quantities for larger operations. Since the beginning, True Liberty® Bags have been 100% FDA Approved, BPA Free and recyclable, as well as Made in the USA.
Why Nylon? (Not Your Mother’s Nylons!) Nylon is a synthetic material, first developed by DuPont in the mid 1930’s. A multifaceted substance, it can be found throughout the textile industry and in plastic products ranging from parachutes to tooth-
brushes. Nylon is a thermoplastic polymer, which means that when heated it becomes flexible, and when cooled becomes solid again, all without changing its chemical properties. It can be molded into any shape, or extruded into a fabric or film. When it comes to bags, nylon is the perfect material to provide durability, pliability, odor protection, and wide ranging temperature tolerance. True Liberty® bags are made exclusively with virgin nylon and the result is a food grade bag that is ideal for storage, transport, and protection of any delicate cannabis harvest, preventing contamination and preserving freshness. True Liberty’s proprietary nylon material has superior tensile strength, or stretchability and puncture resistance, making it well suited for all harvest and processing uses and environments. Nylon can also be reused, and recycled, although special facilities are required, this technology is continuing to develop and should be available to more widespread markets in the coming years.
Keeping it Clean One of the advantages of using True Liberty bags has always been the barrier provided against contamination. It is well known that mold and microbes, as well as pests and pathogens can affect your harvest in negative ways. Careful cultivation practices, as well as using a food grade barrier post harvest, will help control these threats, but it’s difficult to eliminate them entirely. As the cannabis industry matures, there has been an increased focus on the need for post harvest sterilization and disinfestation processes, and regulations continue to develop around the subject in the United States. One solution for ensuring the elimination of harmful bacteria and molds is radio frequency sterilization, also known as irradiation. Since 1958, irradiation has been approved by the FDA for control of contaminants in meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, and dried spices. While the process may conjure images of a nuclear landscape, the science behind the safety and effectiveness of the process is comprehensive and sound. Irradiation effectively limits growth of harmful organisms responsible for food borne illness, as well as elimination of insects and sterilization. The latter is especially important when considering use by those who have compromised immune systems, for example, cancer patients who are undergoing chemotherapy. In cannabis specifically, irradiation offers a measure of remediation against mold, powdery mildew, aspergillus, Bile Tolerant Gram Negative Bacteria, Yeast,
23