Sean Paul Talks Germs and Ganja

Dancehall Superstar Sean Paul on Cannabis and COVID

By Sara Brittany Somerset

Jamaican dancehall recording artist and producer Sean Paul is regarded as one of the genre’s most prolific artists. Paul’s singles “Get Busy” and “Temperature” topped the charts in the United States. With seven studio albums and one EP under his belt, most of them were nominated for the Grammy’s Best Reggae Album, with Dutty Rock winning the prestigious award. Paul is featured in many chart-toppers singles, including “Baby Boy” with Beyoncé, “Rockabye” by Clean Bandit, and “Cheap Thrills” by Sia. Cannabis & Tech Today chatted with the superstar in his studio in Kingston, Jamaica. We discussed his new album, Live N Livin, COVID-19, and of course, cannabis.

Photo: Fernando F Hevia On Music

Cannabis & Tech Today: Tell me about your new album.

Sean Paul: My new album is called Live N Livin. It’s more of a Dutty Rock production thing, so basically more hardcore dancehall. It features people like Buju Banton, Jr Gong, Busy Signal, a more established zone of what I call successful dancehall, and younger contingent; you know what I mean? People like Govana, Intence, Masicka, Skillibeing, Squash. So, it’s an attempt to kind of show the unity in the dancehall community. It’s an attempt to bring on board more collaborations and clashes. It’s something I’m very proud of. So, yeah. Good vibes! There’s also more feel-good songs that people know me for on this album. There’s also more meaningful songs, songs to combat social issues and the violence in society. There’s a more mature approach to a hardcore dancehall album.

C&T Today: Have you found the advent of the pandemic has hindered or helped your creative process?

SP: At first, it threw me off, and I was in hiding for five months. I have Asthma. So, I was like, I’m not going nowhere. I didn’t leave the house for months. And during that time, I was building rhythms at home, and I couldn’t find the words for anything. I went back to the studio, and then the lyrics just started to flow, and different ideas just started to come. I had a few songs here and there that I hadn’t finished, like some collabs with Busy Signal and Govana, and I was like, let me try to complete these. What helped me was

to call other people to help to finish them. Suku from Ward 21 and I did a brand-new song. But in general, that just kind of helped to spark up my creativity. And I had had quite a lot of songs done for an album with Island, which will come out sometime over the summer. We’ve dropped the first single for that one, and it’s called SCORCHA, which is the title track of the album. As SCORCHA is a really … I would say it’s a vibes tune, you know, a fire tune that me have.

So, there’s two albums, Live N Livin was the first, and it came out on March 12th. And then, the second album is called SCORCHA, and it’s more internationally oriented, I would say, production-wise. People like Sia and Ty Dollar Sign are on the album. Gwen Stefani, Shenseea, are in one song. So, it’s back to what my younger crowd would appreciate and like.

But these two projects, I really love. I think that they both reflect parts of me that just want to be heard. So, the hardcore dancehall part, and then I try to keep up with what’s going on internationally. Both have very good feel-good songs and some meaningful songs, too.

C&T Today: Well, you’ve always been known for your crossover appeal and for collaborating with a plethora of artists. When you worked on these collaborations, did you have to go into the studio separately or at different times? How did you coordinate the logistics of everyone being on lockdown and making music?

SP: People came to the studio, mainly for Live N Livin, or I went to theirs. Like Buju Banton, I went to his studio. I recorded the song with Jr Gong before the pandemic, but we fixed up the rhythm after that. We did a lot production-wise with that. So, he came to Jamaica and did it at the studio with me. Assassin did his verse from his studio and sent it to me. So, you know there’s a little bit of both, but most of the people came to my studio for that album.

On COVID

C&T Today: Was there a lot of OCD hand washing and sanitizing of microphones and other gear?

SP: Yeah! Crazy. You know me, I’m very, very… kind of like… wayacallit?

C&T Today: Germophobic?

SP: Yeah! [laughs] Germophobic! Shaggy was laughing at me on the plane coming back from Australia. Both of us were touring over there. And two cases had hit Australia. That was last March. And I was wearing my mask, and I was spraying alcohol everywhere. And he was like, [imitating Shaggy] “Yo! You’re making everywhere smell like a hospital! Hahahaha!” He was laughing at me, and he was, like, “Yo! What are you doing wearing a mask this whole time?” I wore it for like 22 hours to go from Australia to South Africa, take another plane to England, and then take another plane home. So, I was freaking out and the same thing when we got to the studio. I was like, “No one is allowed to come here!”

We put up hand sanitizers on the wall. We put up posters. Like, “Yo! Anybody coming in here, you’re going to get your temperature checked. You’re going to have to clean your hands,” and whatnot. Those protocols are still in the studio, but I think we’ve become a lot more, I wouldn’t say lax, but a lot more used to the fact. So, yeah, it’s been crazy. My studio is tiny, so I do get panic attacks when a lot of people come there. I like to go outside and sit down, then everybody else is like, “Where you at?” I’m smoking ganja under the tree, don’t worry. ❖

Photos: Fernando F Hevia

Concentrating on Safety

Solvents, Toxins, and the Perils of Unlicensed Extracts

By Ed Rogers

The term “extracts” applies to a huge variety of cannabis products. Concentrates, edibles, vapes, tinctures, and topicals (all of which are created from extracts) accounted for 57% of legal cannabis sales in 2020, according to New Frontier Data. Extracts can be liquid or solid and often contain additives or solvents. While new safety regulations are implemented every day, there are still opportunities for toxic contaminants to find their way into extracts and ultimately into the hands of consumers.

Extract Additives in the Illicit Market

Extracts sometimes contain additives which alter the taste or consistency of the oil. Some are harmless; others can be highly toxic. Illicit products are not subject to safety testing and as such can contain ingredients known to be harmful or damaging to human tissues.

Vitamin E Acetate is a chemical additive often found in counterfeit or illicit vape liquid. It was linked to the 2019 vaping crisis which killed at least 50 people. This substance is safe to eat, but when heated and inhaled can severely damage lung tissue.

Pine Rosin is a thick, sticky substance derived from the sap of pine trees. It’s aroma blends seamlessly with any cannabis product since pinene is a dominant terpene in marijuana. Again, this additive is most often found in illegal, unlicensed vaping liquid. It would act as a thickener, making the liquid extract appear more dense and pure. It’s linked to occupational asthma, a condition frequently reported by laborers in chemical factories. When inhaled, it causes damage to the respiratory system.

Flavor additives developed for the food industry are also sometimes introduced to vaping liquids. These may contain synthetic materials, fillers, and homogenizers which have not been tested for safety when heated or inhaled. These products use “proprietary” or undisclosed ingredients. Thanks to recent consumer safety regulations in many legal jurisdictions, licensed cannabis products can no longer contain undisclosed ingredients.

“Oregon cannabis products all contain a full list of ingredients and tracking systems which allow both consumers and regulators to track quality testing results and view the full product composition,” said Eybna Technologies CoFounder and CEO Nadav Eyal. Nationwide legalization would help reduce the spread of dangerous counterfeit products made with unregulated materials.

Residual Solvents

Many different solvents can be used to extract oil from a plant. Common solvents include CO2, butane, propane, and pentane. Some solvents, like CO2, dissolve rapidly in the air and are easily purged from the extracted oil. Others require more precise purging to ensure the product is pure before going to shelves.

Butane, for instance, is a chemical solvent regulators look for when testing product purity. If the amount of butane falls below a certain threshold, the extract is approved for consumption. But, as STM Canna Technical Support Associate Christopher Mendoza points out, it can still influence the quality of the experience.

“When you take that product home and look at the test results to find it barely passed … then

you’re asking yourself, why is it burning so differently? Why is it sizzling? Why does it have a black consistency to it? Or, worst of all, why does it have this burnt tire taste to it?” These could be signs of residual butane, which can harm delicate lung tissue.

He explains that some producers ride the line of passing and only send their best product to be tested. “In Washington State, at least, you have to test two grams per extraction lot. Those two grams could be the best out of the whole thing, they could be the golden run that you had and then the rest could be untested. That untested amount is going out to the public to enjoy,” said Mendoza.

Toxic Terpenes?

Terpenes are a naturally-occuring compound present in most plants, especially cannabis. These compounds enhance the taste and smell of extracts. Sometimes they are added back to the extracted concentrate to make the liquid more viscous and can add to the effectiveness of the product. This mutually-beneficial relationship is called the Entourage Effect.

“The ‘Entourage Effect’ is a widely accepted theory that expresses the existing advantage of combining several compounds in order to produce a synergistic or enhancing effect for the treatment of a specific medical condition,” said Eyal. In the proper amounts, these compounds are safe and even helpful. “The safety is related to dosage and usage pattern, therefore if botanically-derived terpenes are used in the range of those naturally occurring in the plant — not more than 10% by weight — and used in a manner that is traditionally shown to be safe, like combustion or low-temperature vaporization, there should be no safety concerns,” said Eyal.

However, if heated to extreme temperatures, some terpenes can become toxic. Myrcene, limonene, and linalool, for instance, can emit methacrolein (MC) and benzene if overheated. MC irritates the throat and lungs, acting as a toxin to the entire respiratory system. Benzene is the bigger concern. It is a well-documented carcinogen that is not safe for human consumption. High-temperature combustion, like a dab torched for too long, can cause the release of benzene in concentrated amounts. Safe temperatures for dabbing should not exceed 750 degrees Fahrenheit. Lower temperatures cause terpenes to break down more gradually, preventing the production of MC or benzene.

Playing Your Part in Safe Consumption

Growers, manufacturers, retailers, and consumers all share a responsibility to create a safe cannabis industry. The production and sale of cannabis is closely monitored by regulators to ensure the toxic substances discussed in this article are not present in licensed cannabis products. But, cannabis users must also educate themselves on the products they’re using. Is this product licensed with a certificate of analysis? What’s the proper temperature for consuming this material? A few simple questions could be the difference between a safe, health-enhancing cannabis experience, or a toxic, damaging outcome. Ultimately, the industry’s success depends on everyone working together to create a safer, more transparent cannabis community. ❖

Photo: iStockphoto.com/Photoboyko