People with absolutely no experience with medical cannabis can be forgiven for assuming that patients only medicate by smoking joints. Unless you have a reason to know otherwise, why would you investigate the science behind developing medical cannabis capsules, tinctures, topical lotions, etc.? It is enough to know that people use marijuana and hemp-derived medicines to treat certain health conditions.
Having said that, making the case for medical cannabis might be easier if the general public were educated about the science behind it. For example, non-users might be interested to know how cannabinoids are extracted from cannabis plants. They might be fascinated by how chromatography helps processors test their cannabis extracts and develop new product formulas.
1. Smoking Isn’t the Only Option
Assuming that all cannabis products are smoked demonstrates a gross misunderstanding of how medical cannabis works. In many of the states that have legalized medical cannabis, smoking the plant is still not allowed. Utah is a good example. Patients in the Beehive State can dry heat marijuana flower or medicate by vaping. They cannot legally smoke joints.
That means a patient visiting Brigham City’s Beehive Farmacy has multiple delivery methods to choose from. They can buy a vaping liquid or marijuana flower for dry heating. But they can also buy gummies, topical products, and more. All of the options, except for raw flower are derived from cannabinoid extracts.
2. Processors Extract Cannabinoids
In Utah, the cannabis processor is separate from the grower and dispensary. Most processors are licensed only for that work, though some growers also have processing licenses. At any rate, processors take biomass (hemp and marijuana plants) and treat them in such a way as to extract CBD, THC, and dozens of other cannabinoids.
Extraction is actually a complicated process. It involves using some sort of solvent to separate cannabinoids and terpenes from plant material. The resulting liquid material is evaporated and distilled in much the same way spirits are distilled by alcohol producers.
Once distilled, cannabinoids and terpenes can be combined in any number of formulas. For example, a THC-based vaping liquid may consist of THC and specific terpenes suspended in a propylene glycol solution. THC provides the medical benefits while the terpenes influence taste and smell.
3. Chromatography Plays a Role
The other scientific aspect to processing is chromatography. Originally developed to help artists produce better pigments, chromatography is a process of breaking down a liquid substance in order to determine its constituents and their respective volumes.
Chromatography works by applying a solvent to the substance in question. That solvent separates the constituents of the liquid. Next, a substance capable of absorbing the constituents is placed into the liquid. Each constituent is absorbed by the substance at a different rate. Scientists need only measure the rate of absorption to determine what they are dealing with.
Medical cannabis processors rely on chromatography for a number of functions. First, they use it to test the purity of their formulas. They must follow strict state regulations in this regard, so testing has to be done right. Beyond testing for purity, chromatography is also a great tool for quality control and developing new formulas.
There is a lot more to medical cannabis than growing some plants, harvesting them, and then rolling them up and smoking them. Thanks to multiple delivery methods and an endless combination of cannabinoids and terpenes, processors are capable of making all sorts of medical products. But to do so, they have to apply science. Their science is every bit as legitimate as the science that goes into developing other prescription medications.
And now you know.
