Miesiąc: listopad 2019

Friday afternoon, November 29, 2019

Holiday Shopping Season Safety

The holiday shopping season has begun, and consumers are warned to be careful both when they buy things in person and online. The Utah Division of Consumer Protection has recommendations for keeping information safe while shopping, such as not connecting to unsecured public WiFi, keeping up to date on anti-virus software and only using trusted apps. The agency also recommends comparing return policies, using coupons and reading reviews beforehand to make informed purchases. — Caroline Ballard

Retailers Brace For Holiday Season 

As Black Friday arrived, bargain hunters swarmed malls today, including Fashion Place in Murray, which saw tens of thousands of visitors — more than twice its normal traffic. During Black Friday the mall increased security, moved employee parking off-site and even coordinated new stoplight timings with Utah Department of Transportation. — David Fuchs

Utah’s Medical Cannabis Demand Could Outpace Supply

When Utah’s medical cannabis program starts next year, there may not be enough product for patients trying to fill their prescriptions. A spokesman with the Department of Agriculture and Food said it may take a few weeks for the supply to catch up after the program starts on March 1. 

In the meantime, a state Department of Health spokesman said patients could travel to other states with legalized recreational marijuana or wait for Utah pharmacies to restock their prescription. — Sonja Hutson

State Libraries To Boycott Publisher Over New Policy

Nearly 70 libraries in Utah are boycotting MacMillan Publishers over a new policy about purchasing ebooks, a consortium of librarians said today. The policy prevents libraries from buying more than one ebook eight weeks following release and from sharing ebooks with other libraries. The boycott will last until May 2020. – Jenny Goldsberry

San Juan County Clerk Under Investigation For Electioneering: Report

The San Juan County Clerk is under investigation for potential electioneering in the November election, according to the Moab Sun News. The Weber County Sheriff’s Office recently completed its investigation into clerk John David Nielsen. The Weber County Attorney’s office is expected to issue a decision on whether to pursue prosecution in the next week. 

Poll workers working for the ACLU of Utah discovered Nielsen distributing an editorial about the election at early voting locations. Nielsen confirmed to KUER that this was true, but said he intended to educate voters, not sway their decision. If found guilty, Nielsen could face a $2,500 fine and up to a year in jail. — Kate Groetzinger

Winter Storm Warning Through Saturday Morning

A winter storm warning is in effect with more storms about to give Utah’s ski areas a boost. Brian McInerny of the National Weather Service says this last storm is just what the state needs.

He says some areas in Utah got upwards of 2 feet of snow. He expects snow this evening and more to come next week. The Utah Department of Transportation anticipated hazardous winter road conditions this holiday weekend, and will pause road construction until Monday. — Jenny Goldsberry

Winter Weather Dangers For Postal Carriers

Postal workers are reminding people to clear snow and ice from mailboxes and sidewalks. The Postal Service reports 112 carriers in Utah were injured last year due to slips, trips and falls — including 46 in Salt Lake City. They say many of those accidents happened because of unsafe conditions. — Caroline Ballard

Please enable cookies on your web browser in order to continue.

Amid looming “carnage” for Canadian pot industry, Aurora not far from U.S. re-entry: CEO

What keeps Aurora Cannabis CEO Terry Booth up at night? Aside from his seven-month-old daughter, Booth can’t help but shake his company’s stock performance as of late. “As the CEO, you really want to know how the market is differentiating us,” he said in a rare, wide-ranging interview with BNN Bloomberg. While Aurora’s stock has indeed suffered, trading down 51 per cent over the past year, Booth continues to remain optimistic on the company’s prospects. He highlighted how the U.S. remains a crucial market for its CBD product ambitions, and reiterated a firm focus on governance and managing its finances to retain investor confidence in an industry beset by steep losses. Booth said the company is planning to re-enter the U.S. market, but declined to provide a firm timeline. He also warned that the Canadian cannabis industry will soon see “carnage” among some companies that have high production costs per gram of pot grown, while others will struggle to survive in the current downturn.

Health Canada finds some legal pot contains restricted pesticides

What’s exactly in your cannabis? Global News reports testing conducted by Health Canada found roughly 95 per cent of licensed cannabis producer samples came back negative for pesticides shortly after legalization last year. Global News, which obtained the figures from filing access-to-information requests, said the country’s cannabis regulator conducted 133 tests between November 2018 and February 2019 during which five samples tested positive for restricted pesticides. Of those samples, four were found to be within acceptable limits for metalaxyl, a fungicide. Health Canada didn’t list the names of the licensed producer samples, Global reports.  

WeedMD posts 16% drop in quarterly revenue, announces $78M all-stock deal for Starseed

WeedMD reported third-quarter financial results late Friday, with revenue coming in at $6.7 million and an adjusted EBITDA loss of $1.9 million in the three-month period. The company’s results, which were delayed by a day, also showed a 16 per cent sequential decline in revenue, which missed analyst expectations. Shares of WeedMD resumed trading after a day-long halt and fell more than 20 per cent on the TSX Venture Exchange. The Toronto-based company also reported that it acquired medical cannabis provider Starseed Holdings in an all-stock deal valued at $78 million while also receiving a $25 million equity investment from the Labourers’ Pension Fund of Central and Eastern Canada. WeedMD will also be the union’s exclusive provider of medical cannabis. Lastly, the company disclosed its outdoor harvest grow figures, stating it yielded more than 8,000 kilograms of cannabis at a cash cost of 16 cents a gram.

U.S. DEA sets 2020 quota for research-grade cannabis to 3,200 kilograms

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration authorized 3,200 kilograms of cannabis for medical research use in 2020, according to Marijuana Moment. The website reports that the new research quota, up 30 per cent from last year, was finalized after a three-month-long public notice period that garnered hundreds of submissions from the public and government officials. However, there remains just one federally authorized marijuana cultivation facility, a farm at the University of Mississippi. As well, research-grade cannabis, with lower THC concentrations, apparently differs substantially than similar products available in the recreational market, the website reports.

Michigan recreational cannabis sales to begin this Sunday with lofty expectations

The recreational cannabis market is set to kick off this Sunday in Michigan with the Great Lakes State standing to net more than US$1 billion in sales in the next fiscal year, according to state budget planners. However, MLive reports that the state’s tax coffers may not necessarily fill up given that about 1,400 of Michigan’s 1,773 cities and villages opted out of allowing recreational marijuana business in their jurisdiction. As well, a handful of stores will be open at 10 a.m. local time on Dec. 1. The state’s marijuana regulatory body allows Michigan’s medical cannabis dispensaries to relabel up to 50 per cent of their product that had been in inventory for 30 days or more for recreational sales.

Daily Buzz

$6.37

The price of a gram of cannabis in Canada, down 0.8 per cent from the prior week, according to the Cannabis Benchmark’s Canada Cannabis Spot Index. This equates to US$2,177 per pound at current exchange rates.

Cannabis Canada is BNN Bloomberg’s in-depth series exploring the stunning formation of the entirely new — and controversial — Canadian recreational marijuana industry. Read more from the special series here and subscribe to our Cannabis Canada newsletter to have the latest marijuana news delivered directly to your inbox every day.

EDITOR’S NOTE: On Dec. 4, NJ Cannabis Insider hosts a networking event in Red Bank, featuring a key lawmaker and business leaders in the medical marijuana and legal cannabis industries. Tickets are limited.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued warnings to 15 CBD companies, at least three of which sell CBD in New Jersey stores, for illegally marketing their products.

According to the FDA’s announcement, the companies use websites, online stores and social media to advertise CBD products they say treat disease or provide therapeutic relief for humans and animals. Some also marketed CBD as dietary supplements and food additives, which the FDA has prohibited.

The agency has yet to release hard rules on CBD, short for cannabidiol, one of the many compounds found in the cannabis plant. When properly derived from hemp, marijuana’s mild cousin, CBD is legal and will not make a user feel high.

While marijuana legalization has languished in New Jersey, the gray-area CBD market has flourished in the form of oils, tinctures, gummies and lotions. Anecdotally, the compound is said to improve mood and reduce anxiety and inflammation, and has become a part of fitness routines. Nationally, it the market could be worth $22 billion by 2022.

But some companies have gone further, saying their products can boost the immune system or even help to battle cancer. The FDA has largely left sellers alone, aside from those asserting such unfounded health claims that may lead users to forego scientifically-backed treatments.

The three companies with products in New Jersey stores are Natural Native, Infinite CBD and Koi CBD.

A Koi CBD spokesperson said in a statement the company is reviewing its „website, labels, and other marketing materials and working to address the points raised by FDA and content to which FDA took exception in its letter to Koi CBD.”

“We are confident that all changes will be made as clarification within the CBD industry becomes standardized,” the statement said. “Koi CBD appreciates your continued support and remains committed to our customers and ensuring we are a responsible leader in our industry.”

Infinite CBD did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Natural Native could not be reached for comment.

They have 15 days to respond to the letters and correct their practices.

“We remain concerned that some people wrongly think that the myriad of CBD products on the market, many of which are illegal, have been evaluated by the FDA and determined to be safe, or that trying CBD ‘can’t hurt,'” Dr. Amy Abernethy, the FDA’s principal deputy commissioner, said in a statement.

“These products have not been approved by the FDA and we want to be clear that a number of questions remain regarding CBD’s safety – including reports of products containing contaminants, such as pesticides and heavy metals – and there are real risks that need to be considered,” her statement continued.

CBD in food and drinks has become a trend at bars, restaurants and coffee shops. When Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law in August allowing hemp to be grown freely, he also made it legal to add CBD to food and drink, despite FDA regulations barring such uses.

But the agency had let that trend continue, with this week’s warning letters marking a shift in how it enforces the rule.

Additionally, the FDA released new consumer guidance on CBD this week, further cautioning against its regular use. The announcement warned the compound may be linked to liver injury and could have negative interactions with other drugs. An animal study also linked CBD to issues with male reproductivity.

The agency has approved only one drug containing CBD, Epidiolex, to treat severe epilepsy. In its new guidance, the FDA reiterated how little is known about the potential negative long-term effects of CBD use, as well as its effect on child or pregnant women.

The FDA emphasis how nascent the industry is, with little research available to guide regulation. In September, a third-party nonprofit ranked 40 CBD companies on metrics such as transparency, use of organic methods, processing and testing.

Nearly half of them failed.

Amanda Hoover can be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandahoovernj. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Are you interested in the cannabis industry? Subscribe here for exclusive insider information from NJ Cannabis Insider.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has proposed individual farmers be allowed to grow cannabis plants under a joint scheme with the state.

Mr Anutin, who is also deputy prime minister, said he has signed a draft regulation which will be examined by the Council of State and then submitted to the cabinet for consideration.

The proposed regulation seeks to allow individual farmers to gain permission to grow cannabis plants for medical purposes but the farming will have to be a joint scheme with an authorised state agency, he said yesterday. Permission to grow cannabis will be reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration.

According to Mr Anutin, it is a revision of the original draft which allows growing of cannabis plants in the form of a community enterprise only.

„When it takes effect, those who want to grow cannabis can register as farmers and work with a state hospital in growing the plant,” he said.

He said the the Bhumjaithai Party’s campaign policy to allow people to grow cannabis plants at home has yet to be examined by the House of Representatives. He said the party is seeking amendments to the Narcotics Act to allow each household to grow a maximum of six cannabis plants.

Teen usage of vaping and e-cigarettes took a drastic jump in 2018, but are blanket approaches like bans the most effective solution?

After a spate of negative publicity and illnesses related to black market vaping products, the American Medical Association (AMA) – the U.S.’ largest doctors organization – called for a ban on all vaping and e-cigarette products not approved by the FDA for smoking cessation last week.

The announcement came at an AMA policy-setting meeting in San Diego. As part of the announcement, the AMA announced it would lobby federal and state legislators to implement the ban.

The AMA’s policy declaration cited the rise of e-cigarette and vaping usage among teens as well as the recent outbreak of lung illnesses due to additives in black market vaping products as motivation for its announcement.

“The recent lung illness outbreak has alarmed physicians and the broader public health community and shined a light on the fact that we have very little evidence about the short- and long-term health consequences of e-cigarettes and vaping products,” said AMA President Patrice A. Harris, M.D., M.A. in a statement.

“It’s simple – we must keep nicotine products out of the hands of young people and that’s why we are calling for an immediate ban on all e-cigarette and vaping products from the market. With the number of young people using e-cigarettes spiking it is not only critical that there is research into nicotine addiction treatments for this population, but it is imperative that we continue efforts to prevent youth from ever using nicotine,” added the AMA.

Teen Usage of Vaping, E-Cigarettes

Vaping is the act of inhaling and exhaling a vapor of some sort that has been heated and vaporized via an electronic “e” cigarette or a similar device like a vape pen or vaporizer. Vaping devices can be filled with tobacco or cannabis products and are somewhat safer than traditional burned products due to the lower heat level used which releases fewer toxins.

What has concerned health officials is the increasing popularity of vaping among youth users and the marketing of such products to youths who may not fully understand what’s in the products they are using or the risk of long term addiction and usage.

The 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) found an alarming increase in vaping or e-cigarette usage among middle school and high schooler students between 2017 and 2018.

“From 2017 to 2018, current e-cigarette use—defined by use on at least one day in the past 30 days—by high school students increased 78 percent, from 11.7 to 20.8 percent, accounting for a troubling 3.05 million American high school students using e-cigarettes in 2018.  In addition, the proportion of current e-cigarette users in high school who reported use on 20 days or more in the past 30-day period increased from 20 percent to 27.7 percent between 2017 and 2018,” said an FDA report on the 2018 NYTS.

The survey, which is funded by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC), conducts an annual survey of teen usage of tobacco products in middle and high school students. The recent increased use by teens came after a decline in frequency of usage among youth from 2015 to 2017.

The authors of the 2018 NYTS hypothesized that marketing of e-cigarette flavors and the introduction of USB-flash-drive-like e-cigarettes, including JUUL, which is popular among youth, are causes for the uptick in teen usage.

Black Market Vaping Crisis

This fall a panic swept through the FDA and CDC as people were turning up with mysterious lung injuries related to vaping usage. In response to over 1500 cases of severe lung injury and 39 deaths, the FDA and CDC called for consumers to stop using THC containing vaporizers or e-cigarettes.

But the FDA and CDC were swinging wildly and missing the point, vaping products have been around for decades so what changed?

The real culprit behind this fall’s vaping crisis appears to be black market products – vaporizers or e-cigarettes containing THC. As Lisa Noeth previously reported for Citizen Truth, “Throughout the U.S., counterfeit pre-filled cannabis oil cartridges sold on the illegal black market are filled with dangerous pesticides, cutting agents, flavorings and colorings. Black market sellers can easily fill pre-filled cartridges with their own ingredients and market them as products made in a legal state.”

A study conducted in Illinois and Wisconsin indicated 83 percent of patients admitted for pulmonary illnesses used counterfeit cannabis oil cartridges purchased from a black market drug dealer.

Essentially, the increasing popularity of e-cigarette and vaping products has driven up the demand in the black market for such products where products are unregulated and can be tainted with harmful ingredients.

According to NBC News, a cannabis testing facility in California indicated that 13 out of the 15 sample cartridges from black market drug dealers tested positive for Vitamin E and myclobutanil, a fungicide that can transform into hydrogen cyanide when burned.

What to Do?

The answer to health concerns regarding vaping and e-cigarettes may lie in legalizing and not banning e-cigarette and vaping products as a ban could drive up even further the black market demand. Whereas, regulations in legal states enforce cannabis products to be tested in a licensed lab before the product hits dispensary shelves.

Creating and selling a black market vaporizer or e-cigarette is surprisingly simple. Empty cartridges and professional counterfeit packaging from popular brands, such as Brass Knuckles and Stiiizy, can easily be purchased online and in bulk. Black market sellers then simply claim with fake packaging labels that their counterfeit pre-filled cartridges are “lab tested.” Unwitting customers often then have no clue the product they are using is unregulated and not, in fact, “lab tested.”

Cannabis activists argue its the U.S.’ piecemeal and patchwork approach to legalizing cannabis has created the black market growth and a federal ban fails to address the real crisis – counterfeit products.

A similar debate is occurring over whether to raise the smoking age to 21. While solutions like banning e-cigarettes and vaporizers or raising the smoking age to 21 seem like easy and obvious answers, critics argue they are the wrong approach.

Recently Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell pledged to introduce legislation to raise the age for buying tobacco to 21, a move that drew support from vaping and tobacco companies.

However, as Peter Castagno for Citizen Truth previously reported, anti-tobacco advocates are concerned the bill and other ‘Tobacco 21’ bills will block more effective measures to curb youth smoking while giving the appearance of progress. A more effective approach, activists argue, would include banning e-cigarette flavors and raising taxes on tobacco products.

“They are turning these Tobacco 21 bills into Trojan horses,” John Schachter, director of state communications for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, told Politico. “The industry is positioning Tobacco 21 as the only thing that needs to be done on tobacco prevention.”

NORTH SYDNEY, N.S. —

The ball is rolling on the development of a cannabis production facility at an idled Northside pharmaceutical plant.

Highlanders Cannabis Corp. purchased the 48,000-square-foot building last year following a negotiation with a court-appointed receiver.

The company’s subsidiary, Bluenose Labs Corp., will submit the final piece of an application to Health Canada later this month in hopes of receiving a standard processing license.

Highlanders Cannabis Corp. company president and director Tiffany Walsh stands at the doorway to the industrial mixing room. A stainless steel staircase leads up to the top of the mixer where products are added before blending can occur.

“We already submitted the application but last May Health Canada changed things and said we require an evidence package,” said Tiffany Walsh, president and the current head of security for the Highlanders plant.

Additional package components involve video and photographic evidence of security measures in place, Walsh said.

A response from the federal department is expected by the end of March.

Walsh recently re-located from Vancouver to Sydney Mines — the community where she was born and the place that her family has called home for more than four generations.

Members of Walsh’s family are now seeking to transform the once beleaguered plant into the largest dedicated cannabinoid manufacturing operation in Atlantic Canada.

The world-class facility and its equipment have been sitting idle for eight years after its previous owners sought bankruptcy protection.

Among recent upgrades to the building is a high-tech vault used for product storage.

“Every single spot in this facility has a camera that can see you,” said Walsh, a practicing lawyer, as she walked the facility’s hallways. “There are no blind spots.”

The plant is expected to begin operations with the manufacture of white-label products such as vape cartridges and possible topicals.

“We already have some contracts lined up with other licensed producers and those licensed producers will be our customers,” Walsh said.

“They are going to give us their product and then we manufacture the end product that they want, and then we send it back to them. We’ll eventually start producing for other than just LPs. We’ll be distributing to the provincial distribution networks, so in Nova Scotia that’s the NSLC.”

Walsh said raw materials processed at the facility will come in various forms. A separate entrance is already available for plant employees in an area that includes showering stations for them to clean off before leaving the complex.

“CBD isolate, for example, and THC distillate is something we would be putting through the vape cartridges,” Walsh said.

“We’ll also have a carrier oil that tastes like bacon, so we’ll be able to have a CBD oil for pets as well, that we’ll be working on.”

Walsh said the operation will one-day expand into a Highlanders brand of products.

She said the name ‘Highlanders’ is derived from her two grandfathers who both served in World War II, as part of the Cape Breton Highlanders regiment.

After sitting idle for eight years, the world-class pharmaceutical plant in Sydney Mines is being transformed into a licensed cannabinoid manufacturing facility.

Bluenose Labs is also planning to delve into the research side of the cannabis industry. Once licensed under the Cannabis Act, Walsh said the subsidiary will work with government and local universities to create opportunities for students, recent graduates and local residents alike.

Walsh said there are several reasons why THC and CBD are offered in a variety of forms for both medical and recreational users.

“Not everybody wants to vaporize or smoke a joint,” she said. “It’s easier for them to have something to eat — somebody with lung problems for example. Or somebody that says I don’t want to consume it in my body, but I like the effects or how it feels for arthritis on my knee.”

Walsh could not say how many jobs would be created but noted that they will start small. Roughly six to eight manufacturing technicians are expected to be hired, in addition to a handful of other key positions, in getting production underway.

As part of its interest in expanding the business, the plant’s owners have engaged in talks with the Cape Breton Regional Municipality on the proposed sale of land surrounding the Northside plant.

“We have the option to purchase still, we just haven’t purchased it yet,” said Walsh. “If we wanted to turn into a cultivation facility, we’d first have to get our cultivation license and then we could absolutely put up a facility.”

In December 2018, CBRM council approved amendments to its Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use Bylaw to permit the cultivation of agricultural products in all zones where manufacturing is permitted, provided the cultivated agricultural product is also processed at the site.

RELATED:

North Sydney venture to produce cannabis in various forms pending government approval

North Sydney pharmaceutical plant sold to cannabis company

The FDA’s recent warnings on CBD will probably not significantly impact the popularity of these products among older adults. For those who have finally found something effective for treating their aches and pains, they are not likely to give that up so fast.  

That said, there is a genuine concern over CBD products that don’t match up to the contents on their labels. Counterfeit CBD products are rampant, and when buying CBD, you get what you pay for. Cheaper CBD available on-line can be tempting for older adults who often have limited resources. But these are just the “bargains” that don’t pay off.

DIY CBD

Ardent Nova, Silicon Sleeve, Filter

Ardent

Making your own CBD and other cannabis-based medicines is a way to maintain control over the quality of the end-product. But it can also translate into significant cost-savings. And for older adults on a budget, their quality of life could depend on that.

But how practical is it to actually make your own cannabis medicine? As a Baby Boomer and caregiver to elder parents, I wanted to see for myself.

In most cases, making medicine using cannabis begins with activating the plant material. This process can be done on a baking sheet in the oven, at one end of the spectrum, or in a sophisticated processing machine, on the other. For older adults, who can be both forgetful and techno-phobic, I believe that a middle-ground solution is best.

I chose the Ardent Nova because it is automated enough to eliminate the possibility of burning the raw material, yet simple enough for the most technology-challenged senior.

Added value for seniors

Ardent’s founder, Shanel Lindsay has been using cannabis medicine to treat chronic pain for over twenty years. Wanting to take control over the process, Lindsay took a deep dive into the kitchen-arts of concocting her own medical marijuana. But she found that her oven and crock-pot system wasn’t as accurate or efficient as it could be. She also knew that, while her elderly relatives would surely benefit from cannabis medicine, they would never be able to use those methods to produce it on their own.

Ardent Founder Shanel Lindsay

ardent

In 2015, Lindsay established Ardent to offer a solution that not only addressed these drawbacks, but brought important added value, particularly for older adults. The Nova system is compact, versatile, odorless, and easy to use. Using a uniformly heated, sensor- and algorithm-controlled chamber, the Nova is also capable of extracting almost 90% of medicinal cannabinoids, which means that less raw material can produce more medicine.

Not surprisingly, results of a recent user survey conducted by the company revealed that almost half are 55+.  

Starting with Flower

Purchasing raw flower in a dispensary is the best way to get exactly the cannabinoid profile for your desired medicine. Sourcing your raw material from a dispensary also assures that the product is tested for contaminants. And because it has undergone the least amount of processing, flower is generally the most economical form of cannabis medicine.

But older adults are less likely to want to inhale their medicine, and tend to prefer tinctures or topicals. The Nova is ideally suited for both these delivery methods.

I wanted to make a CBD oil-based tincture, so I chose a Charlotte’s Web Harle-Tsu chemotype containing 21% CBD. One gram, purchased at Washington, DC’s National Holistic Dispensary, cost $13.

A single button

The process of applying heat to the medicinal cannabinoids to convert them into an activated form – called decarboxylation – is where the Nova excels. But as sophisticated as the heating process is, for the user, it is a matter of pressing a single button.

I loaded my gram of flower into the Nova, which looks like a chunky coffee thermos, turned it on, and forgot about it. Ninety minutes later, the red light on the device turned green. Inside the chamber, the flower was ready to be infused into oil.

The Nova makes that process simple as well. I put the decarboxylated flower into a silicon sheath (not included with the core system) that fits into the chamber, then covered it with 2 ounces of extra-virgin olive oil. The same process was repeated, but this time, the finished product was oil infused with almost 90% of the original cannabinoids in the raw material.

My 21% CBD flower produced an oil with almost 200 mg. of CBD, ready to be used as a tincture. Using coconut oil instead of olive oil, the same system easily produces a topical salve.

At $210, (and $20 for the silicon sheath) the Nova is an investment. But for someone who anticipates using medical cannabis for the foreseeable future, it may quickly pay for itself.

And for older adults who have discovered CBD or other types of cannabis medicine, the Ardent Nova would make an excellent holiday gift.

Doing the math

As easy as it is to produce your medicine, I found that figuring out the actual cannabinoid content by volume to be very confusing. Converting from percentages to milligrams, and ounces to milliliters was an onerous process – but this is a problem that is endemic to cannabis-based tinctures. However, the Ardent customer support service is dedicated and helpful. The website is also full of creative ways to use the system.

Decarboxylation Made Easy – Activate THC and CBD | Ardent Cannabis

Ardent Cannabis