HIGHLIGHTS
- Organigram packs flower in humidity controlling containers
- Flower One set to sell cannabis QuickStrips in Nevada
- WeedMD tracks genomes with blockchain-enabled database
Exponential growth in the cannabis industry combined with intense competition has brought technology from other sectors to the forefront as young companies aim to differentiate their products and attract new customers.
Organigram Holdings Inc., parent company of licensed producer Organigram Inc. that grows Edison Cannabis in New Brunswick, adapted Integra Boost’s technology to control the humidity of individually packaged dry flower, the company said last week.
These Integra Boost packs will be used for all Edison Cannabis flower products ranging from 1 gram to 15 grams, it said.
Recreational cannabis was legalized last October, but a combination of inexperience, tight supplies, and strict packaging rules led to general customer complaints about dried out flower and the inability to recycle the child-proof containers.
The patented packs, which are designed to keep marijuana fresh and have been used by food and pharmaceutical companies, have a glycerin gel and two-way membrane to control the humidity inside the container. The technology is designed to keep relative humidity at 62 per cent inside the container, which are 99 per cent biodegradable, Organigram said.
Canadian biotech company Rapid Dose Therapeutics (RDT) has also found an avenue within cannabis through a brand partnership with Nevada-based Flower One Holdings Inc. The U.S. pot company said it will sell marijuana products within Nevada that are manufactured into RDT’s QuickStrip by this spring.
The QuickStrip dissolves when taken orally and will come at a time that cannabis users are increasingly looking for smoke-free and discreet options.
Tracking technology has also entered the cannabis industry, as Canadian grower WeedMD Inc. taps into BLOCKStrain Technology Corp.’s genome tracking software to launch a strain validation registration program that enables consumers to trace the origin of their purchase, something that was not possible prior to legalization.
"We now have a total of 40 active cannabis strains from our genetics bank that will be marked with a 'BLOCKStrain Certificate of Authenticity' and may be cross-referenced as verifiable strains in BLOCKStrain's database, all the way from genome to sale,” said Keith Merker, chief executive of WeedMD.
The system registers plant data and genomic sequencing in a blockchain-enabled database, and barcodes specific to each batch, expected sometime in the future, will reveal details including how the plant was cultivated as well as its cannabinoid content, the company said.