Is Your Weed Sustainable and Organic?
Recreational marijuana became legal in California on January 1, 2018, but a few industry leaders know that all edibles aren’t created equal.
The future has arrived. When you first walk into one of the newly legalized adult- use dispensaries, you might feel like the proverbial kid in a candy store. Literally. Lining the shelves,are a vast array of cannabis-infused edible products ranging from chocolate bars and candy to bags of popcorn, bottles of soda, along with packages of “flower” and various smoking and vaping paraphernalia. For those who prefer to eat rather than smoke, there’s no shortage of munchables almost certain to give you the munchies.
All edibles aren’t created equal, however. As with any other food, the quality and level of sustainability in production varies greatly, not only in the ingredients, but in the purity of the cannabis source itself. These days, retail edibles are produced from oils and extracts distilled from marijuana—gone are the days when dispensaries sold treats made with ground weed or infused butter of questionable potency. The best edibles are produced with oils that go through double or triple distillation to remove pesticide residues and provide a safer, purer product with verifiable dosage.
Local edible business Dr. Raw Organics has been crafting such goodies as hard candies, cookies, tinctures, and the like with 100% organic, non-GMO ingredients since 2014. Three of their products are also vegan and gluten-free. The company has partnered with an extraction company to produce a clear cannabis oil so pure that all traces of pesticides have been removed, along with any unpleasant taste, according to co-founder Kyle Dukes. The oil is doubly tested by certified labs, and it then becomes the active ingredient in the 4–5,000 edibles Dr. Raw produces a month. One of their most popular selections prior to January was a brownie containing 500mg of THC—an effective dose for sufferers of debilitating pain, cancer, or seizures. Under the new regulations, however, that product and many other favorites cannot be sold to recreational users in California.
The new laws stipulate that no adult-use package can contain more than 100mg of THC (the psychoactive chemical in cannabis), and the product must be divided into doses not to exceed 10mg. For medical patients, the overall amount of THC in a package can exceed 100mg, but must still be clearly divided into doses not to exceed 10mg. So, for medical patients, a brownie containing 500mg of THC is not allowed, but a chocolate bar containing 200mg that is scored into 20 doses of 10mg each is acceptable.
To put that into perspective, consumers wishing to microdose, or experience very mild effects equal to enjoying a beer or a glass of wine, typically find a dosage between 5–10 mg to be sufficient, while 20–30mg will generally give a decent buzz; those using cannabis to control pain or treat the effects of such illnesses as cancer, chronic pain, or seizures require much higher doses.
Consequently, edible producers and retail shops have been scrambling to remanufacture and repackage their products. Although the regulations technically took effect January 1, it seems that there will be a “sunset” period until July 1 for all segments of the supply chain to achieve compliance.
B-Edibles founder Vanessa Corrales began creating cannabis-infused organic cotton candy for events and parties about a year ago. But because of the need to precisely control the dosage and packaging to comply with the new regulations, she changed her product line to infused sugar cubes and packets. The cannabis oil in her sugar is made from a CO2 extraction process for increased purity, rather than a more common solvent-based method, and the oil is then lab tested before being infused into the sugar. The finished product is tested again, using two different labs for exact results. With a food and beverage background, the San Diegan has worked with a number of area chefs to develop recipes using her sugars, and many of those dishes have been featured at cannabis-infused pop-up dinners hosted by the Closed Door Supper Club.
Kiva Confections, based in Los Angeles and a major player in the edibles industry, is known for such popular goodies as chocolate-covered espresso beans, chocolate bars, and mints. According to co-founder and COO Kristi Knoblich Palmer, the new regulations are a win for consumers who should now be able to more accurately determine dosage—but they’ve also necessitated a major restructuring of the Kiva product line and packaging to meet the 100mg THC potency cap. As such, they have implemented 5mg breakpoints, and packaging now is in compliance with the state’s child-resistance requirements and includes all new government warnings.
At the time of this writing, most former medical marijuana dispensaries were still awaiting approval to operate as adult-use retail outlets, or stay open at all. Golden State Greens in the Midway district, which prior to January 1 served 500 to 800 “patients” a day, was one of the lucky few licensed to operate as of the first of the year, and the early days of 2018 saw lines of new customers stretching down the block. General manager Heidi Rising estimates that edibles comprise 30% of their sales and notes that many patrons tend to look for dosed versions of their favorite snacks. She points out that many of the edibles available today, especially the gourmet chocolates, are high-quality foods themselves, and she has seen a growing sophistication in the choices, event though most consumers will only eat a few bites at a time.
Unlike smoking or vaping marijuana, it generally takes anywhere from 20 minutes to two hours for the effects of edibles to be felt, and Rising cautions new users to start slowly, and, despite how delicious it might be, treat the edible as a medicated product, not just something yummy to munch on. “Always keep a non-medicated version of that chocolate bar or bag of popcorn on hand,” she laughs, “so when you’re tempted to eat more, you don’t find yourself unable to get up off the couch an hour later!”
A disclaimer: “Adult use” (i.e. recreational) marijuana became legal in California on January 1, 2018. Along with legalization came 278 pages of regulations for growing, producing, selling, and consuming cannabis in California. Lawyers for, and participants in, the marijuana industry have been working to decipher and comply with these rules, which may seem to contradict each other as well as previous regulations for medical marijuana. The article you are now reading was researched in December 2017 and written in the first few days of January 2018. By the time you read this, the marketplace may be very different, as real-world application leads to clarification and adjustment to laws and regulations.
