Event Details

10:15am-11:00am – Personalized Cannabis Medicine: Novel Cannabis Formulations Targeting Specific Therapeutic Outcomes

The cannabis industry is obviously not just about THC or CBD. As researchers (and patients) continue to unearth the plant’s buried treasures, interest in minor cannabinoids and terpenes is becoming more meaningful. So, the addition of terpenes back into concentrates to provide enhanced ensemble effects, or strategies for obtaining minor cannabinoids bestow increasingly relevant conversation pieces. Researchers are continuously investigating the therapeutic power of different combinations of cannabinoids and terpenes, and what medical benefits have been proven for different cannabinoids, terpenes, or their union. This panel regards the formulation of unique products that target defined outcomes based on their phytochemistry, scientific research, and the refreshing introduction of a little art and creativity.

11:15am-12:00pm – Who Controls the Thermostat?: Temperature Control in Extraction and Product Refinement

A bird’s eye view of cannabis and hemp extraction would reveal some common themes. Ethanol extractors look to frigid ethanol such that they won’t have to run through winterization. Those employing carbon dioxide must target a specific temperature to transcend into the realm of the supercritical phase. Decarboxylation requires heat to transform acidic cannabinoids to their neutral progeny. Modifications to one’s distillation parameters can help target specific cannabinoid fractions. All of these pathways involve temperature, ranging from the cryogenic to the scorching hot. The extraction artist needs to harness the thermostat to hit all of the Goldilocks zones for downstream product manufacturing. Our panelists will help you domesticate this wild physical property.

12:30pm-1:15pm – The Ensemble: A Scientific Look at the Validation of the Ensemble Effect

Terms are often projected into the universe without a clear understanding of what it all means. The entourage effect has soared, but this implies a leader and followers, and we know that with cannabis, it’s all about the community. Ensemble effects highlight the synergy between different members of the natural polypharmacy within trichomes. This philosophy, once anecdotally speculated as truth, is being proven in defined research settings, enhancing the accuracy of patient reports when specific plant molecules were used singularly versus in tandem. This panel provides a glimpse into the scientifically-proven reality of the ensemble.

1:30pm-2:15pm – How to Improve Bioavailability

For many people, smoking and vaping just aren’t their bag. It might be way easier for them to consider cannabis products should they be able to be even more discrete. Or, they might just desire the specific type of experience to be found through eating versus inhaling THC. For these people, foods and beverages present a welcomed option. The downside is, of course, that our bodies metabolize THC into something else, and therefore, not much actually reaches the bloodstream. Thus, many product manufacturers seek ways to safely increase the bioavailability to ensure the most medicine gets to consumers. These methods may include nano emulsification, glycosylation, acetylation, or alternative ingestion forms like gums, ethanolic tinctures, etc, all in the name of a faster and stronger absorption of THC, CBD, or any other molecules that might degrade through the metabolic pathway following oral ingestion This panel discusses methods and matrices for increasing your product’s bioavailability.

2:30pm-3:15pm – Remediation Methods for Eliminating Product Contamination

The cannabis industry has a glut of negative stories all too handy for naysayers to build their foundations upon. Here’s the thing. Our manifesto should mandate an industry free of product contamination, whether we’re describing Federally illegal cannabis or legal hemp and all of their downstream derivatives. The plants are grown and products manufactured in these increasingly ubiquitous communities need to be ethically-produced to be contaminant-free to be validated as medicinal. Product safety and compliance require care, diligence, expertise, and technology. This panel regards innovative methods and equipment for ensuring that products start out and remain clean.

10:15 am – 11:00 am – The Solvent v. Solventless Dialogue

Many passionate people naturally are biased when it comes to what they do, what they say. They feel and know that their ways are best. That’s why they chose them. For those new to the industry, it can be challenging to sift through all of that passion and get to the facts parceled from opinion. Such is the case regarding the choice of extraction solvent. The debate still rages on. Is butane okay to use? Can CO2 produce the same caliber of wax or shatter as butane, complete with a representative chemovar native to the flower? Or, are mechanical, traditional methods like hash and rosin going to come full circle, like humankind’s return to organic farming despite the biotech and other options for faster, cheaper crops that might come with extra ecological baggage? Our panelists range from those paying homage to tradition to those looking to harness technology for future cannabis industry generations.

11:15 am – 12:00 pm – Even Renegades Need Rules

You don’t need us to tell you that the rules in the cannabis and hemp industries are in a state of flux. Hemp regulators have had blinders on that train them on THC. Cannabis regulations vary by state and present about 30 different experiments going on in tandem. Like tossing a handful of noodles against a wall, hoping something sticks and we can evolve to standardization without stripping the ability to get creative. While many people may have started out without any regulatory structure, modern consumers expect quality. It’s no longer enough that, after 80+ years of indoctrination and Reefer Madness gibberish, cannabis is legal. And while the feds have yet to recognize cannabis as anything other than dangerous, that doesn’t mean that the rest of us should sit idly by. This panel is for those who wish to find compliance, keep compliant, and raise the flag of cannabis medicinal safety.

12:30 pm – 1:15 pm – Next-Generation Vape Cartridge Technology and Product Design

We’ll remember 2019 as a year that brought a lot of content about faulty vape hardware that leached heavy metals into products, and therefore, consumer’s lungs. Or, toxic ingredients, such as vitamin E acetate, that was much more deleterious to consumer health than might have been known. Or lead solder and other off-gases from the electronics produced from the perhaps egregious temperatures that some devices go to. This panel regards innovative technology to help product manufacturers supplant cheap or potentially hazardous processes and chemicals therein, in favor of better hardware design and manufacturing, better quality, and therefore, enhanced, ethically-produced, consumer experiences.

1:30 pm – 2:15 pm – Sludge to Gold: Filtration Strategies for Product Refinement

The extraction artist has several options available when contemplating how to refine crude oil into a cleaner, more concentrated products. These strategies include simple filtration through large-scale funnels after winterization, filter presses, activated carbon products, and different types of membranes. Like most things in life, there are tradeoffs. Some might work better but also cost more. And yet, trying to save a buck or two on gear could backfire loudly, reducing the desired throughput. Some products might really scrub color but at the expense of cannabinoids. With so many options available, what works best for which situations? Visit this panel to learn more about filtration.

10:15 am – 11:00 am – Got Bread? The Bankrolls Needed for Extraction and the Expectation of the ROI

The extraction of Cannabis sativa presents an attractive option for getting into the industry. The number of products generated from the plant’s extraction are diverse and prolific. Once that cannabinoid- and terpene-rich oil is partitioned from the biomass, there’s somewhat of a blank canvas. One can make concentrates like shatter, or vape pen oil, or infused edibles and beverages. Or, cosmetics, topicals, and transdermals. Once your prospective product line is determined, the extraction methods and their various hardware needs and costs can be determined. What does it take to build a viable extraction operation financially and educationally? How well do you understand consumer demand and the best ways to use available technology to lower your expenses? Supercritical CO2 extraction provides parameter tunability and environmental benefits over ethanol. Yet, the extraction systems needed are more costly than those using ethanol. And yet CO2 is very inexpensive while taxes on ethanol are monumental, and there’s limits on how much can be stored, affecting your scalability. This panel explores the benefits and costs associated with different extraction technologies.

11:15 am – 12:00 pm – The Holy Grail of Cannabis Medicine is Steeped in Safety

In 2019, concern and distrust enveloped the cannabis community, as vape oils began hurting a portion of consumers. While the illicit market provided the main villain, it became clear to legal markets that something needed to be done. This is medicine, after all, whether using Cannabis sativa products preventatively or for a defined medical condition. As more people depend on these plants, it has become increasingly important that extractors obtain quality cannabis flower and other plant matter for creating high-quality, clean products. This panel will cover strategies employed for ensuring ethical, safe, medicinal cannabis products. Topics include alternatives to using ingredients like vitamin E acetate in oils, the need for testing cannabis/hemp plants for contaminants like mycotoxins, and techniques for lessening the need for potentially harmful pesticides.

12:30 pm – 1:15 pm – The Battle for Medicinal Sovereignty: Terpenes Navigate and Potentiate the Cannabis Experience

We don’t need to tell you that terpenes are universally important, not just in Cannabis sativa, but in many plants, like hops or catnip, flowers or tea. And although many conversations continue to revolve around strictly cannabinoids, and therein, predominantly THC and CBD, there’s so much more that cannabis offers to us as a medicinal gift. Many product manufacturers understand this, and have begun adding extracted or exogenous terpenes into cannabis/hemp formulations, which has a wonderful binary blueprint. The organoleptic properties are enhanced, since of course, terpenes provide fragrance and flavor. More importantly, though the terpenes augment the medicine. This panel regards terpene medicine, strategies for reintroducing them into cannabis products, and options for supplementing those lost in the extraction.

1:30 pm – 2:15 pm – TBA

1:00pm – 1:45pm – Book Signing of The Terpene Experience

Strolling through meadows of delicate, sweet-smelling wildflowers and lavender. Crisp, forest air. Hazy, hoppy, aromatic beer. The tantalizing fragrance of different cannabis plants. These sensory explosions have the ability to transcend time and transport those imbibing their beautiful bouquets to another place in time, triggering one’s memories. The mesmerizing molecules responsible for all of these nostalgias are the terpenes, in one beautiful form or another.Hordes of people across Earth are flocking to the terpene. From the essential oil and aromatherapy industry to craft beer, or through the current swaths of cannabis legalization sweeping across the globe: suddenly, the terpene has entered into the spotlight. No longer cast aside as undesired plant chemicals co-extracted when targeting cannabinoids, cannabis consumers have become interested in more than just elevated THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). Terpenes help define a product’s sensory fingerprint, its tastes and smells that enable us to recall it later. Did you know, though, that terpenes not only contribute to a botanical’s, or botanically derived product’s flavor and aroma but they can also offer medicinal benefits when consumed? There have been scores of scientific studies on the physiological roles terpenes can play. These aromatic molecules have been adorned in the scientific literature as providing therapeutic properties in studies on chronic pain, mood/depression, anxiety, insomnia, respiration, gastrointestinal conditions, and as having anti-cancer applications, to name an ultra-limited few. Come traverse the fragrant kingdom of the terpenes by way of science and your senses. Journey through panoramic vapors, and into wondrous fields of fragrant, ethereal scents like roses, cardamom, hops, lavender, bergamot, or cannabis. Learn which terpenes help provide a plant’s characteristic fragrance, and become educated on how to use the sensory, or organoleptic properties of plants to heal, energize, and just simply relax. The Cannabis Terpene Experience will tantalize the senses along the way to a stronger understanding of terpenes.
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