GROWER'S PAIN

by Carisa rowe

Cannabis knows pain. The entire purpose of the cannabis plant is to address pain. We consume cannabis to ease our many woes, ranging from the persistent nag of PTSD to the incapacitating ache of nerve damage. Good old Nurse Mari is always right on time to treat whatever ails us but there is a particular pain that growers know all too well: failed testing. Nothing hurts like spending sixteen or more weeks raising a sapling plant into a generously blossoming kola factory only to receive the excruciating news that your harvest didn’t pass testing. I have been witness to more than one grower receiving their failed results and few things make me squirm like watching that heartbreak spread over a grower.

The most common contaminants in cannabis production are infectious or pathogenic and include molds, bacteria, and viruses. For cultivators, a failed test for microbial contamination is a devastating blow because there is a multitude of risks related to contaminants such as yeast or mold. Ingesting yeast and mold imposes serious health risks for patients because spores and other toxins can thrive in the lungs. This is particularly noteworthy for the innumerable cannabis patients who live with compromised immune systems, where spores can lead to invasive lung disease.

The options for cleaning up dirty weed are few and far between. Historically, the only real recourse for cultivation companies has been to sell or split the harvest with a distillation company capable of remediating these microbial. Enter Tim Pedigo and Greg Huntsman, owners of Pure Buds USA. Pure Buds USA provides cannabis decontamination services for commercial growers so that they can take pride in their fruitful harvest. The decontamination process behind Pure Buds USA is fascinating because it safely neutralizes invasive species such as powdery mildew, E. coli, and aspergillus without exposing cannabis buds to radiation or ozone and without forcing cultivators to sell their prized buds to distillation for pennies on the dollar.

Each of the various clean-up options has its appeal but the primary drawback always boils down to revenues. Many of these options lower the quality of the product or alter it from one form to another. The process used by Pure Buds USA is radio frequency (RF) decontamination. Radiofrequency decontamination is a chemical-free process pioneered in the food safety industry that can eliminate insects, pathogens, and infections from dried, cured cannabis flowers.

Radiofrequency remarkably decontaminates “while preserving potency and the product’s sensory qualities. RF is non-toxic, organic, chemical-free, scalable, and effective. Total THC is preserved, moisture loss is minimal, and flavor and aroma are preserved,” as reported in a 2019 article for cannatechtoday.com regarding the process. During the decontamination process, the machines at Pure Buds USA manipulate electromagnetic waves to direct dielectric heating of undesired material such as mildew or insect leavings.

The science is fascinating; there are probes and shocks, vibrations and dehydration. Frankly, it sounds like my last rave and listening to Tim and Greg explain the process was as fascinating as any EDM show. In the back of my mind I picture little anthropomorphic nugs having a rave in the lab at Pure Buds USA but quickly focus and wonder what that process looks like. The RF system uses a number of probes inserted into a batch of cannabis flower at different places to monitor temperature in real time. Interestingly the process is faster if there is more moisture present in the flower.

During radio frequency processing, dielectric material is blasted with electromagnetic wavelengths creating rapid, volumetric heat which dehydrates various organisms until they disintegrate and vibrate away from the remaining material. Dielectric material has low electrical conductivity and is considered an electrical insulator.

Dielectric polarization occurs when this insulator receives electrical stimulus that it cannot effectively discharge, resulting in the displacement of polarity in ions within the material. Radio frequency polarization alternates the wavelength that is being directed at the material thus generating rapid ionization of the most conductive material first thus generating volumetric, or even, heat.

To clarify, in the instance of an invasive pest or infectious species, the most conductive material is the water within the material because it is the most ionic. The dielectric material – in this case, infected cannabis, any biologic fluid within the exoskeleton of an invasive mite, the trace water molecules within powdery mildew cells all undergo rapid polarization of their ions. The ions heat up volumetrically as they experience this rapid changing in polarization.

This means that the cells achieve the desired temperature evenly and rapidly.

This flash heating evaporates moisture quickly and presents the opportunity for short heat exposure so that there is minimal degradation to the plant’s cellular structure and more importantly, the precious cannabinoids and terpenes we’re all so eager to enjoy.

Meanwhile, the material with more conductivity, or water content, is evaporated suddenly by this extreme change in temperature. Think of flash boiling water on a hot skillet. Within an organism sensitive to electric heat such as microscopic insects or viral invaders, the sudden evaporation of water desiccates these easily polarized cellular structures resulting in desiccation and inactivation of the organisms.

Once flash-desiccated, much of the now inactive material falls away in the vibration of the RF process leaving behind sterilized cannabis that is safe for direct inhalation.

It sounds like a sci-fi loophole but radio frequency decontamination is a long-held practice in the food safety industry as well as in agricultural practice.

In fact, when Tim and Greg approached Lee Rhoades, Laboratory Program Oversight Manager for the Oklahoma State Department of Health who works closely with the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority’s Food Safety Board, to discuss the application of radio frequency decontamination in the cannabis sector, the OMMA board member was excited to chat about this familiar food safety practice.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved radio frequency decontamination as a food safety practice to mitigate spread of infectious organisms in many familiar pantry favorites like cookies, nuts, and crackers. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recognizes this practice for sterilization of agricultural products.

Their research has demonstrated safe, effective decontamination of many materials from a wide variety of contaminating organisms.

I question the fellas about the integrity of the flower that is left behind. Surely flash boiling water content away affects the quality of the remaining product? The honest answer is “of course it does.” It is noteworthy that the degradation is minimal to the overall moisture and to the cannabinoids and terpenes.

The terpene loss and conversion of cannabinoids through heat decarboxylation are very minimal. In regards to moisture content, the flower itself may lose a fraction of a percentage up to two or three percent.

This bit of information is key for cultivators who are aware of a problematic infestation early in the harvest process.

This allows growers the opportunity to schedule decontamination services with Pure buds USA ahead of a full cure so that the loss in moisture content coincides with targeted moisture levels of the finished product. I am delighted to learn that Tim and Greg have been in a number of industries together over the last 30 years or so.

The duo have worked in property development, oil and gas (including offshore operations), and many other ventures in their three decades together and have some experience with decontamination.

The fellas were in the midst of a development project on an island in the Atlantic Ocean when the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill occurred.

Tim and Greg were concerned about the spill drifting and wanted to find a way to help in the aftermath of such a devastating disaster.

As far as oceanic oil spills go, the filtration options to remove contaminants could be improved.

The guys initially reinvented the wheel and presented an organic, reusable solution to help fight the spread of petroleum by products but industry leaders explained that the solution would take too long to implement in the midst of a global crisis.

Pedigo and Hunstman went back to brainstorming and recognized that one of the slowdowns in the cleanup effort occurred when the filtration devices, known as booms, were brought in to be cleaned and decontaminated so that they could be reused. All of the work to scrub contaminants from the devices was done by hand.

When the realization came that they could speed up the process and reduce wear and tear on laborers, the fellas jumped at the opportunity and developed a machine that revolutionized boom cleanup. The passion for problem solving is rooted in a good friendship Tim held with a heart surgeon. The physician advised him that if he could discover what someone’s pain was, he would be able to help them.

The guys wanted to join the cannabis sector and recognized that there were many cultivators struggling with steep financial losses when their harvests tested positive for microbial contaminants.

The options available to cannabis farmers with microbial infestations are limited and the most common solution is to sell the infected material to a processor who makes distillate.

The distillation process remediates infectious and pathogenic pollutants by altering cannabis flower into cannabis concentrate but leaves a painful gap in the profit margins compared to the profitability of flower.

Distillation is a good choice for processing trim or poorly dried/cured cannabis into a concentrate that can be vaped or ingested but it isn’t the first choice for prized kolas that could be on dispensary shelves.

To give perspective, distillate is often made from trim or larf because pounds of biomass can be purchased for pennies on the dollar. Even with top buds and high THC yields, a single liter of distillate can take thirty pounds of plant material to produce. When a harvest experiences a microbial infection, the flower holds the same value as trim or larf, which is not much.

The process of distillation remediates microbials such as powdery mildew or salmonella while bug contaminants remain behind with the inert biomass.

Distillation is a Hail Mari for cannabis cultivators but the pain of this solution is that distillation greatly diminishes profitability for a farm that could have sold quality nugs to dispensaries, B-buds for pre-rolls, and its trim to a processor of their choice.

Until recently, verbiage from the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority prevented decontamination of cured flowers, limiting farms and gardens from realizing their full profitability and forcing them to choose distillation in order to turn a profit. Fortunately, the wording within OMMA’s regulations has changed and currently allows for decontamination processes. Tim and Greg are eager for Oklahoma’s cultivators to understand that they offer a safe decontamination solution that is in compliance with the revised language in the safety regulations.

Remediation and decontamination both solve a microbial contaminant problem for growers but the significant difference is that remediation changes the bud into a different product altogether. Remediation takes flowers and uses them to produce concentrates

In the process of remediation, cannabis is submerged in a solvent – often ethanol, and then undergoes another stage or two of alchemy before the final product is yielded.

It’s important to note that solvent residue and trace amounts of the solvent remain in these concentrated products. These adulterants affect the quality of the final product and can be inhaled or ingested. Conversely, decontamination protects the integrity of the product, sterilizing dried cured flowers and leaving behind clean flowers that are safe for inhalation.

Tim and Greg are committed to easing growers' pains by providing solutions that will help cultivators feel pride in delivering clean medicine to cannabis patients.

They understand that cannabis flower is the driving commodity in this market and they are presenting the safest choice for cannabis consumers by offering radiofrequency decontamination as a post-harvest solution. As a matter of fact, Pure Buds USA has a wide range of options for cultivators including post-harvest packaging solutions.

Tim Pedigo and Greg Huntsman are dedicated to aiding cultivators in getting their products safely into the hands of consumers.

They recognize that a solid reputation is everything in the cannabis industry and they want to help farmers put out the absolute cleanest, highest quality flower on shelves by guaranteeing that cultivators are able to work with them riskfree.