Is Nanocannabis the Answer to Cannabis Beverage Challenges?
Companies Like Canopy Growth Invested Millions, but Aluminum Poses a Problem – LPC
Nanomedicine may hold the answer to problems plaguing the cannabis beverage industry. The first is the fact that cannabinoids, which are oil-based, do not mix well with water leading to a bad taste. That’s been public for a while. But another lesser-known problem is that aluminum actually leeches the THC out of the drink after just a few months. “Nanocannabis” could be the answer.
Nanomedicines are essentially medicines that are coated or “emulsified” so that they do not react to their surroundings. For example, think of a gel cap. The medicine is safely encapsulated until the gel breaks down in your stomach, releasing it. Nanocannabis would help solve the taste issue in this way. But it may also help solve the aluminum issue.
“Our theory is the cannabis material, the droplets, will stick to the liner and cling on it. When you open the can to take a drink, it will lose its potency,” Harold Han, founder and chief science officer of Vertosa. The US-based company calls itself an “advanced infusion technology partner” for taste, stability, and effectiveness. Although they don’t use the term nanocannabis, their solution could solve both problems.
Nanocannabis Not the Only Answer – LPC
Jeff Maser, CEO of the California-based cannabis beverage company Tinley, said he tried to use aluminum too. However, they quickly found out that cannabinoids didn’t last long in cans.
“When I say there is less cannabis, there is no cannabis left. It’s literally 97 per cent absorption into the can after a few months. Guys are saying they solved that problem. Nobody really has.” However, that statement was last October. Solutions like nanocannabis are improving all the time.
Still, Maser believes glass bottles are the best answer. He said that he was shocked when he saw Canopy Growth’s cannabis beverages in cans. Canopy’s partnership with US-based Constellation Brands means that a line of cannabis beverages was inevitable. Indeed, they were expected in December and then early 2020, until the company announced a further delay on January 17.
THC-infused seltzers in Colorado seem to be taking off, though consumer reaction to the taste is still mixed.
Nanocannabis might be one answer, but it’s not the only one. To complicate matters, both Health Canada and the US-based journal Nature have raised concerns about the effect of nano emulsifiers on the body. With only one cannabis beverage on the market today – and that’s a tea you brew yourself – it’s clear everyone is working hard to find any answer at all. With those amount of resources behind the problem, it’s likely LPs will find a solution quickly.
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