CBD OIL

The Alabama Senate has passed medical cannabis bills three years in a row, but the state’s House of Representatives continued to stall those efforts late Tuesday night.

Republican opponents filibustered the Senate-passed legislation during nearly 10 hours of debate on the floor of the lower chamber, before the House adjourned shortly before midnight without a vote, according to the Associated Press. The House is scheduled to reconvene at 8 a.m. May 6, when the bill is expected to return to the chamber’s floor.  

Alabama’s Senate Bill 46, which was amended and cleared by two House committees last month, would allow registered patients diagnosed with a qualifying condition to access cannabis, making it the 37th medical cannabis state if passed, according to Marijuana Policy Project.

The Senate’s effort to enact medical cannabis laws collided with COVID-19 last year when pandemic-related circumstance derailed the possibility of a vote in the House. The House has until May 30 to act this year—when the state’s legislature adjourns out of session.

Sponsored by Republican Sen. Tim Melson, S.B. 46 proposes implementing a medical program that would open the application process for potential patients by Sept. 1, 2022.

In addition, the legislation would create an Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission, which would determine the maximum daily dosages of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that caregivers could provide patients with each of more than a dozen qualifying conditions. Some of the conditions include: cancer, terminal illness, depression, epilepsy, anxiety or panic disorder, chronic pain, spasticity, autism, Tourette syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder. 

The new commission would also be responsible for issuing up to five licenses for vertically integrated operators, at least four cultivation licenses, no more than four processor licenses and no more than four dispensary licenses. Businesses that are awarded those licenses could operate up to three sites in different counties, according to the Senate bill’s text.

Other housekeeping items the commission would be responsible for include overseeing the patient registry, issuing medical cards and outlining regulations from seed to sale.

The bill would prohibit the smoking or vaping of cannabis, as well as processing cannabis into a form that is attractive to or targets children, such as candy or baked goods. Instead, S.B. 46 would limit medical cannabis use to forms such as pills, oils, creams and topical patches.

Melson, an anesthesiologist who now works in medical research, said medical cannabis can provide relief to patients where other drugs have failed, adding, “It’s the last choice to be used by a doctor. So, if there is an illness where everything else has failed, why not let them try it,” as quoted by the AP.

Although Republican opponents filibustered the House’s effort to vote on the bill Tuesday, the lower chamber’s members voted, 69-31, to bring the legislation to the floor for debate with 45 Republicans in favor of the motion.

The Senate passed the bill, 21-8, in February. If the amended measure passes the House, it will have to go back to the Senate for final passage.

The Alabama Senate has passed medical cannabis bills three years in a row, but the state’s House of Representatives continued to stall those efforts late Tuesday night.

Republican opponents filibustered the Senate-passed legislation during nearly 10 hours of debate on the floor of the lower chamber, before the House adjourned shortly before midnight without a vote, according to the Associated Press. The House is scheduled to reconvene at 8 a.m. May 6, when the bill is expected to return to the chamber’s floor.  

Alabama’s Senate Bill 46, which was amended and cleared by two House committees last month, would allow registered patients diagnosed with a qualifying condition to access cannabis, making it the 37th medical cannabis state if passed, according to Marijuana Policy Project.

The Senate’s effort to enact medical cannabis laws collided with COVID-19 last year when pandemic-related circumstance derailed the possibility of a vote in the House. The House has until May 30 to act this year—when the state’s legislature adjourns out of session.

Sponsored by Republican Sen. Tim Melson, S.B. 46 proposes implementing a medical program that would open the application process for potential patients by Sept. 1, 2022.

In addition, the legislation would create an Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission, which would determine the maximum daily dosages of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that caregivers could provide patients with each of more than a dozen qualifying conditions. Some of the conditions include: cancer, terminal illness, depression, epilepsy, anxiety or panic disorder, chronic pain, spasticity, autism, Tourette syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder. 

The new commission would also be responsible for issuing up to five licenses for vertically integrated operators, at least four cultivation licenses, no more than four processor licenses and no more than four dispensary licenses. Businesses that are awarded those licenses could operate up to three sites in different counties, according to the Senate bill’s text.

Other housekeeping items the commission would be responsible for include overseeing the patient registry, issuing medical cards and outlining regulations from seed to sale.

The bill would prohibit the smoking or vaping of cannabis, as well as processing cannabis into a form that is attractive to or targets children, such as candy or baked goods. Instead, S.B. 46 would limit medical cannabis use to forms such as pills, oils, creams and topical patches.

Melson, an anesthesiologist who now works in medical research, said medical cannabis can provide relief to patients where other drugs have failed, adding, “It’s the last choice to be used by a doctor. So, if there is an illness where everything else has failed, why not let them try it,” as quoted by the AP.

Although Republican opponents filibustered the House’s effort to vote on the bill Tuesday, the lower chamber’s members voted, 69-31, to bring the legislation to the floor for debate with 45 Republicans in favor of the motion.

The Senate passed the bill, 21-8, in February. If the amended measure passes the House, it will have to go back to the Senate for final passage.

Last week was eventful for cannabis reform in Texas, as the House of Representatives approved three legislative proposals, which would expand the state’s medical cannabis program, reduce penalties for concentrates and decriminalize possession.

The state’s current medical cannabis program is limited to patients with the qualifying conditions: intractable epilepsy, terminal cancer, seizure disorders, multiple sclerosis, spasticity, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, autism or an incurable neurodegenerative disease; however, the House approved House Bill 1535 in a 134-12 vote on April 28, which would expand the qualifying conditions in the program to include cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic pain, The Texas Tribune reported.

The bill would also permit the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to add additional qualifying conditions through administrative rulemaking, The Texas Tribune reported.

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) recognizes Texas’ current program as a “medical cannabidiol (CBD) program” rather than a proper medical cannabis program due to the program’s emphasis on utilizing CBD over tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) for medicinal use, according to The Texas Tribune.

But H.B. 1535 would also raise the THC limit in medical cannabis from 0.5% to 5% and make it possible for those in the program to access higher doses than what is currently available.

Heather Fazio, director of Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy, said while increasing the THC limit in medical cannabis is “a step in the right direction,” it still hinders doctors from prescribing proper patient doses.

“There’s an incredibly restrictive cap on THC,” Fazio said. “Low levels of THC will work for some people, but it doesn’t work for others. And so, what we think is that doctors need to be the ones making these decisions, not lawmakers.”

Fazio also said that H.B. 1535 would help bring more patients to the medical cannabis program, as there are currently about 3,500 registered patients out of over two million people eligible; however, she expressed that the bill still “leaves patients behind who desperately need access to this medicine.”

In addition to the state’s medical cannabis program, lawmakers also passed two bills that would reduce the penalties for adult-use cannabis.

H.B. 2593 cleared the chamber by a 108-33 vote on April 28. The bill would slightly lower the penalties for possession of some cannabis concentrate and reduce the penalty for controlling up to 2 ounces of concentrates to a Class B misdemeanor, The Texas Tribune reported.

And in an attempt to lower the criminal penalties for cannabis possession throughout Texas, the House passed H.B. 441 in an 88-40 vote on April 30, The Texas Tribune reported. 

H.B. 441 would lower the possession of 1 ounce of cannabis or less in Texas from a Class B misdemeanor to a Class C misdemeanor, which requires no jail time and is punishable by a fine of up to $500, the article states. The bill would prevent those who possess 1 ounce or less from losing their driving privileges or being arrested.

According to the article, a Class C misdemeanor would allow for record expungement and eliminate a person from acquiring a criminal record.

Fazio said the bill would help keep young people from suffering criminal consequences, as the penalties themselves have caused more harm than consuming cannabis ever could.

In 2019, the House approved a similar bill to reduce penalties for adult-use cannabis, but it was declared dead in the Senate; however, the interest from Texans to legalize adult-use cannabis has increased over the years, as 60% of respondents supported legalization—compared to 49% in 2014—according to the University of Texas and The Texas Tribune February 2021 polls.

“There’s a significant shift happening now, and it’s so wonderful to see,” Fazio said. “To see the shift in the way that this issue is perceived, the seriousness that is given at the legislature and now increased support—it’s very rewarding. It’s such an exciting time to be an advocate.”

Cannabis, we have a problem. Legalizing adult use cannabis in California caused the demand for high-potency cannabis to increase dramatically over the last several years. Today, many dispensary buyers enforce THC minimums for the products that they sell. If smokeable flower products don’t have COAs proving the THC levels are above 20% or more, there is a good chance many dispensaries won’t carry them on their shelves. Unfortunately, these kinds of demands only put undue pressure on the industry and mislead the consumer.

Lab Shopping: Where the Problems Lie

Lab shopping for potency analysis isn’t new, but it has become more prevalent with the increasing demand for high-potency flower over the last couple of years. Sadly, many producers submit valid, certified COAs to the California Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC), which show two to three times the actual potency value.

At InfiniteCAL, we’ve purchased products from dispensary shelves and found significant discrepancies between the analysis we perform and the report submitted to the BCC by the producer. So, how can this happen? Several factors are creating the perfect storm in cannabis testing.

Problems with Potency

Many consumers still don’t understand that THC potency is not the only factor in determining quality cannabis, and they are unwittingly contributing to the demand for testing and analysis fraud. It is alarming for cultivation pioneers and ethical labs to see producers and profit-hungry testing facilities falsifying data to make it more appealing to the unaware consumer.

Basically, what’s happening is growers are contacting labs and asking, “I get 30% THC at this lab; what can you do?” When they see our COA reporting their flower tested lower than anticipated, they will go to another lab to get higher test results. Unfortunately, there are all too many labs that are willing to comply.

I recently saw a compliant COA that claimed that this particular flower was testing at 54% THC. Understanding cannabis genetics, we know this isn’t possible. Another product I reviewed claimed that after diluting an 88% THC distillate with 10-15% terpenes, the final potency test was 92% THC. You cannot cut a product and expect the potency to increase. Finally, a third product we reviewed claimed 98% total cannabinoids (while only looking at seven cannabinoids) with 10% terpenes for a total of 108% of the product.

These labs only make themselves look foolish to professionals, mislead laymen consumers and skirt under the radar of the BCC with basic mathematical errors.

The Pesticide Predicament

Frighteningly, inflating potency numbers isn’t the most nefarious testing fraud happening in the cannabis industry. If a manufacturer has 1000 liters of cannabis oil fail pesticide testing, they could lose millions of dollars – or have it retested by a less scrupulous lab.

As the industry continues to expand and new labs pop up left and right, cultivators and manufacturers have learned which labs are “easy graders” and which ones aren’t. Certain labs can miss up to ten times the action level of a pesticide and still report it as non-detectable. So, if the producer fails for a pesticide at one lab, they know four others won’t see it.

In fact, I’ve had labs send my clients promotional materials guaranteeing compliant lab results without ever receiving a sample for testing. So now, these companies aren’t just tricking the consumer; they are potentially harming them.

An Easy Fix

Cannabis testing is missing just one critical factor that could quickly fix these problems – checks and balances. The BCC only needs to do one of two things:

Verifying Lab Accuracy

InfiniteCAL also operates in Michigan, where the Marijuana Regulatory Agency (MRA) has already implemented a system to ensure labs are maintaining the highest testing standards. The MRA will automatically flag all COAs which test above a certain percentage and require the product to be retested by multiple labs.

Labs are required to keep a back stock of material. So, when test results come back abnormally high from Lab A, then Labs B, C and D are commissioned to retest the material to compare data. If Lab A reports 40% THC, but the other labs all report 18%, then it’s easy to see Lab A has made an error.

Secret Shopping

By simply buying products off the shelves and having them blind-tested by other labs, it would be simple for the BCC to determine if the existing COA is correct. They already have all the data in Metrc, so this would be a quick and easy fix that could potentially solve the problem overnight.

For example, at InfiniteCAL, we once purchased 30 samples of Blue Dream flower from different cultivators ranging in certified COA potencies from 16% to 38%. Genetically, we know the Blue Dream cultivar doesn’t produce high levels of THC. When we tested the samples we purchased, nearly every sample came back in the mid-teens to low 20% range.

Labs Aren’t Supposed to Be Profit Centers

At InfiniteCAL, we’ve contacted labs in California where we’ve uncovered discrepancies to help find and flush out the errors in testing. All too often, we hear the excuses:

• “If I fix my problem, I’ll lose my clients.”
• “I’m just a businessman who owns a lab; I don’t know chemistry.”
• “My chemist messed up; it’s their fault!”

If you own a lab, you are responsible for quality control. We are not here to get rich; we are here to act as public safety agents who ensure these products are safe for the consumer and provide detailed information about what they choose to put in their bodies. Be professional, and remember you’re testing for the consumer, not the producer.

NEW YORK, May 3, 2021 – PRESS RELEASE – Acreage Holdings Inc., a vertically integrated, multistate operator of cannabis licenses and assets in the U.S., announced its subsidiary, Universal Hemp LLC, reached an agreement with Medterra CBD, a cannabidiol (CBD) company. This partnership will allow Acreage Holdings to tap into Medterra’s innovation pipeline, high-quality CBD and significant e-commerce platform for immediate nationwide distribution. Five Farms CBD, a subsidiary of Medterra, will develop a full-spectrum CBD collection under The Botanist, an Acreage Holdings brand. This partnership makes this a first in the cannabis industry for a CBD and a publicly traded cannabis brand to collaborate. 

“Leveraging insights and technology from Medterra to develop Five Farms has allowed us to scale the brand with record-breaking growth over the past year. We’ve been laser-focused on identifying how to resonate with the cannabis-friendly consumer,” said J.P. Larsen, co-founder of Medterra and president of Five Farms. “Incorporating Acreage’s The Botanist brand under Five Farms will allow us to innovate for their target demographic and rapidly expand the brand’s national footprint—it’s an evolution for both industries and the future of CBD and cannabis companies.” 

“This asset-lite approach to entering the U.S. CBD market with Medterra, a leader in the industry, will allow Acreage to realize a low-risk, high-margin revenue stream, and is aligned with our shareholder commitment to deliver increased returns and outsized shareholder value creation,” Acreage CEO Peter Caldini said. “Partnering our flagship brand, The Botanist, with Medterra’s fastest-growing line, Five Farms, ensures the broadest consumer distribution through their industry-leading e-commerce platform, as well as the most efficient ‘go-to-market’ strategy.”    

Acreage will license The Botanist brand to Five Farms, which will manufacture, market and sell The Botanist branded CBD products through Medterra’s e-commerce platform. The Botanist branded CBD is expected to be available in the second half of 2021.

Last week was eventful for cannabis reform in Texas, as the House of Representatives approved three legislative proposals, which would expand the state’s medical cannabis program, reduce penalties for concentrates and decriminalize possession.

The state’s current medical cannabis program is limited to patients with the qualifying conditions: intractable epilepsy, terminal cancer, seizure disorders, multiple sclerosis, spasticity, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, autism or an incurable neurodegenerative disease; however, the House approved House Bill 1535 in a 134-12 vote on April 28, which would expand the qualifying conditions in the program to include cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic pain, The Texas Tribune reported.

The bill would also permit the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to add additional qualifying conditions through administrative rulemaking, The Texas Tribune reported.

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) recognizes Texas’ current program as a “medical cannabidiol (CBD) program” rather than a proper medical cannabis program due to the program’s emphasis on utilizing CBD over tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) for medicinal use, according to The Texas Tribune.

But H.B. 1535 would also raise the THC limit in medical cannabis from 0.5% to 5% and make it possible for those in the program to access higher doses than what is currently available.

Heather Fazio, director of Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy, said while increasing the THC limit in medical cannabis is “a step in the right direction,” it still hinders doctors from prescribing proper patient doses.

“There’s an incredibly restrictive cap on THC,” Fazio said. “Low levels of THC will work for some people, but it doesn’t work for others. And so, what we think is that doctors need to be the ones making these decisions, not lawmakers.”

Fazio also said that H.B. 1535 would help bring more patients to the medical cannabis program, as there are currently about 3,500 registered patients out of over two million people eligible; however, she expressed that the bill still “leaves patients behind who desperately need access to this medicine.”

In addition to the state’s medical cannabis program, lawmakers also passed two bills that would reduce the penalties for adult-use cannabis.

H.B. 2593 cleared the chamber by a 108-33 vote on April 28. The bill would slightly lower the penalties for possession of some cannabis concentrate and reduce the penalty for controlling up to 2 ounces of concentrates to a Class B misdemeanor, The Texas Tribune reported.

And in an attempt to lower the criminal penalties for cannabis possession throughout Texas, the House passed H.B. 441 in an 88-40 vote on April 30, The Texas Tribune reported. 

H.B. 441 would lower the possession of 1 ounce of cannabis or less in Texas from a Class B misdemeanor to a Class C misdemeanor, which requires no jail time and is punishable by a fine of up to $500, the article states. The bill would prevent those who possess 1 ounce or less from losing their driving privileges or being arrested.

According to the article, a Class C misdemeanor would allow for record expungement and eliminate a person from acquiring a criminal record.

Fazio said the bill would help keep young people from suffering criminal consequences, as the penalties themselves have caused more harm than consuming cannabis ever could.

In 2019, the House approved a similar bill to reduce penalties for adult-use cannabis, but it was declared dead in the Senate; however, the interest from Texans to legalize adult-use cannabis has increased over the years, as 60% of respondents supported legalization—compared to 49% in 2014—according to the University of Texas and The Texas Tribune February 2021 polls.

“There’s a significant shift happening now, and it’s so wonderful to see,” Fazio said. “To see the shift in the way that this issue is perceived, the seriousness that is given at the legislature and now increased support—it’s very rewarding. It’s such an exciting time to be an advocate.”

If the headline looks familiar, well, that’s because it is.

Cannabis lounges, where patrons can smoke a joint, rip a bong, vaporize a dab or do just about anything else you can think of with the plant, appeared to be a certainty as part of a Las Vegas ordinance back in 2017—and then again in 2019. They’ve been talked about for over four years in the entertainment capital of America.

But this time around, after years of setbacks and political meddling from the rival gaming industry, a bill at the Nevada State Legislature is on track to settle the score once and for all.

Assembly Bill 341 would pave the way for an unlimited number of lounges to open across the state, in counties where local governments allow cannabis businesses to operate. That includes in Sin City, where over 40 million tourists visited each year before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This would really open the floodgates for something marijuana users have wanted for a long time,” said Assemblyman Steve Yeager, a Democrat from Las Vegas who sponsored the bill. “And there’s a social equity part to it where we’re not restricting this just to licensed dispensary owners.”

Yeager, in his third term at the state’s biennial legislature, has felt the frustration himself. Long considered the heir apparent to former State Sen. Tick Segerblom, who was known as Nevada’s “Godfather of Marijuana,” Yeager watched as the fledgling industry offered all of its spoils to a tiny group of anointed business owners, most of whom were lawyers, doctors, casino operators, lobbyists and former public officials.

Less than 100 groups control almost all of the industry, as the state capped dispensary licenses from the adult-use program’s inception in 2017.  Many of the companies are also vertically integrated, meaning dispensary owners also hold the lion’s share of production and cultivation permits. Disproportionately left out have been women and racial minorities, the latter group of which was most harmed by cannabis prohibition.

The new bill runs so contrary to the state’s years of meticulously restricting licenses and hand-picking operators that many dispensary owners are wondering if opening a lounge is even worth the investment.

“You have to figure out if you can make any money with them,” said David Goldwater, owner of Inyo, a dispensary located just over a mile from the Las Vegas Strip. “There’s going to be a ton of new competition.”

Goldwater, whose shop was one of the first dispensaries to open back in 2015, said he has no plans to open a lounge right away.

But those who plan to roll the dice on a new lounge say they plan to carve out a niche for themselves to survive. It’s not much different than other businesses in Sin City, which rely on gimmicks, glitz and glamor to earn visitors’ dollars.

Lissa Lawatch, general manager at Oasis Cannabis, is preparing a beach-themed lounge in hopes of luring tourists from the Strip a block away. Similar to the world-famous “beach clubs” found at a slew of neighboring resorts, the 4,000-square-foot cannabis lounge—set for an adjacent room next to the Oasis retail floor—plans to offer guests “a paradise in the desert.” That means live music, beach balls and seashell décor, among other tropical amenities.

“We’re going for a place that’s super chill so people can connect with their own vacation,” Lawatch said.

Anyone who buys cannabis at Oasis will be able to use the lounge, though Lawatch and company haven’t yet determined a time limit for their guests. Most prospective lounge owners plan to offer either a paid membership plan, where people can visit as often as they’d like, or a one-time entry with product purchases at the dispensary.

To make money, Oasis’ lounge will likely have a cover charge and rental fees for customers to use bongs and other paraphernalia, Lawatch said. Oasis also plans to cap the amount of time customers can hang out, so they’re not intoxicated when they hit the road.

“There’d have to be a limit, I mean, they even put limits on sushi bars,” she said. “You have to find a way to make sure people aren’t driving home roasted.”

Oasis is one of the few Vegas cannabis businesses located near the Strip. It opened in 2015 and was grandfathered through a 2017 regulation that banned cannabis companies from opening within 1,000 feet of a casino. Most other dispensaries are miles away from the famed Las Vegas Boulevard and consider at least 85% of their clientele to be locals.

Off-Strip dispensary reps believe lounges will be their golden ticket to finally reeling in more out-of-towners. Locals can legally smoke inside a private residence as long as they own it or have permission from their landlords. But tourists still have nowhere to go.

Instead of trying to discreetly consume in their rental cars, hotel rooms or on the street, visitors will opt for the peace and comfort of a legal consumption venue, the reps have said. The lounges will also benefit people in apartment complexes or housing where owners don’t allow cannabis.

“At its core this is a bill to decriminalize marijuana use in the state,” said Chris Anderson, a government relations rep for the Apothecary Shoppe dispensary in central Vegas. “The current bans can be seen as a form of discrimination against folks that have less means.”

The Apothecary Shoppe’s lobby resembles that of a quaint hotel, complete with tall wood-grain desks and formally dressed attendants to serve its guests. Fancy menu booklets, like those found at gourmet Italian restaurants, rest on the desks underneath bright reading lamps.

Instead of checking people into a resort, though, the uniformed budtenders offer their recommendations for marijuana products. The dispensary plans to offer a similar visitor experience for its planned on-site consumption lounge if A.B. 341 gets the nod from state officials.

In the increasingly unlikely event that the bill doesn’t pass, the Silver State already has one small lounge open. The Las Vegas Paiute Tribe, playing by its own set of rules that allow it to bypass state law, has operated a small “tasting room” inside its mega-dispensary on tribal land for a couple years. There, customers can try 0.3-gram blunts of flower, take a bong rip or inhale a single dab.

It’s just a sample of what’s to come, though, if state officials can be taken at their word.

With data forecasting expert BDSA predicting that the global cannabis market will reach $56B by 2026, there is no time to waste. Whether it’s Oklahoma, New York or even Macedonia, the frenzy is on. Investment decisions are immediate, and you have to be correct out of the box. This is where an expert like Andrew Lange and his company, Ascendant Management, come in. Andrew has designed more than 1.5 million square feet of cannabis facilities and moved them into profitable production in North America and Europe. One of his active customers is Onyx Agronomics in Washington. Bailee Syrek is the director of operations at Onyx and this is the story of the key points in designing a precision cannabis facility with state-of-the-art efficiency.

Background

Andrew Lange, a navy veteran, runs a global cannabis consulting business based in Washington. With a “prove it to me” approach, he regularly tests the best new technologies in the facilities he designs. He integrates his knowledge of what works in practice into his subsequent facilities. One of his previous projects, Onyx Agronomics in Washington, started in 2014 and moved quickly into production in a retrofitted warehouse. Many of his best ideas started with Onyx, including some new innovations in the latest expansion there this month. Onyx is a tier 3 cannabis cultivator.

Bailee Syrek’s operation at Onyx currently produces 9,000 lbs. of dry trim bud per year in 8,000 square feet of canopy. She operates the state-of-the-art, clean room style, indoor grow facility around the clock, delivering 2.7 grams/watt from every square foot of canopy in her building. She runs a highly efficient facility.

Onyx has had an ongoing relationship with Ascendant Management and chose to leverage them again with their current expansion to increase their capacity further. Onyx uses a range of advanced technologies including aeroponic cultivation equipment and control software from AEssenseGrows to hit their metrics.

Precision, Quality & Consistency

“I look for ways that my clients can differentiate themselves,” says Lange. Maybe it’s his military background, but Andrew demands precision, quality and consistency in the operations he designs. “Cannabis is a just a plant really so we look for the highest performance grow methodology. I find that to be AEssenseGrows aeroponics,” says Lange. “The AEtrium Systems provides a good foundation to manipulate for grow recipes and business process. I add teamwork, communications, and operations procedures to that foundation.”

At Onyx, Bailee Syrek works closely with her channels. She invites her customers in regularly to review the Onyx cultivars and to cover their ideal requirements. These can range from bud size for their packaging to THC or terpene profiles (Yes, channels do want both higher and lower THC content for different consumers and price points). Based on that feedback, Bailee and Andrew work together to dial in the ideal grow recipe in the AEssenseGrows Guardian Grow Manager central control software. They push their target strains to optimize the results in the direction requested by their customers. For example, “How do you get the highest possible THC out of 9lb Hammer?” You’ll have to ask Andrew and Ascendant Management.

Driven by customer requests, Onyx is adding new strains to build on their innovative brand. Bailee expects to reach new levels of terpene bundles with Cheeseburger Jones, Koffee Breath, Shangri-La and OK Boomer. Utilizing Andrew’s expert knowledge, they can take typical sub-20% cannabinoid bundles and improve them using aeroponics and better controls, into standout aeroponic 30% packages.

The Onyx Vision

Bailee Syrek believes this is the most exciting time yet for Onyx. Delivering premium grade cannabis as a white label flower supplier for years, Onyx is a profitable and successful business. But even with doubling capacity every year, they are still having trouble keeping up with customer demand. Bailee wants to get to the point where she can always say yes and accept an order from their white label customers. With this objective, she again engaged Ascendant and Andrew to get beyond 15,000 lbs. of output in 2021 to make her customers happier. Beyond that basic expansion, she is also ambitious and is preparing plans for additional lines of revenue with their own proprietary flower, oil and derivative products.

“This expansion will be a new challenge,” says Syrek. “Flower production is in our wheelhouse. We have tighter operations, with the most consistent bud size, terpenes and test results in our state. These new products will require that same quality but now in new areas.”

Her Path to Leadership

Bailee started with Onyx in a compliance position that grew out of the constant demands for government licensing and reporting. In that compliance role, she had the opportunity to work a bit in every department, giving her a good understanding of all of the facility operations and workflows. All of that experience led her to eventually take over the operations leadership role. She instills care and effort to maintain the cleanest and most efficient operations possible. “With aeroponics, we don’t have to lug soil from room to room or in and out of the facility. This saves us a ton of work that we can redirect to plant health and maintenance,” says Syrek. “Medical precision and GMP quality is a given. Each room on average is 105 lights and one room manager and one cultivation technician take the room from clone/veg transfer to harvest as a two-person team.”

Bailee prides herself with results. “Medical grade precision is normal for us. We use medical grade SOPs for every aspect of our production.” Bailee has designed these guides into their control system that runs on the Guardian Grow Manager software. From sensor tracking, to performance graphs to time cards; everything is integrated in her performance monitoring.

A quality focus is very apparent in every Onyx flower room. Every watt of light energy is transferred to the pristinely manicured canopy. Naked stems feed nutrients up to the fat buds at the trained canopy surface. Fan leaves are removed and all possible energy turns into bud weight and potency. The room technician has a passion for plant health, table care and plant maintenance all the way through to the harvest bonanza.

What is the biggest challenge for Bailee as she drives the operation? Even at 105-110 grams per square foot per harvest, they are sold out. “Every customer wants to buy beyond our capacity. It is a good problem to have,” Bailee says. “Customers want our quality and love the consistency. This is the most exciting thing about our expansion. We will finally be able to make additional channels happy with high quality supply.”

This is where Andrew credits Onyx’s performance. “Most well running operations deliver 1.1-1.8 grams of dry trim bud per watt of electricity used in powering a grow room,” says Andrew. The Onyx grow formula results leave this in the dust. Running Fluence SPYDR 2i grow lights and the AEtrium System aeroponics, Onyx plants are delivering just shy of 4 lbs. per light with every harvest cycle. At 630 watts max output, that delivers ~2.7 grams/Watt, the most efficient operation he has seen. The Onyx process and execution works.

“Bailee is a great example as a professional. She builds a motivated team that executes better than her competition,” says Andrew.

At the same time, Onyx runs a highly space efficient nursery with just enough mother plants feeding energetic cuttings into the 4-layer stacked AEtrium-2.1 SmartFarms in their environmentally controlled clone room. They produce more than enough healthy clones to jump from veg to flower in the span of a week. Grow time, harvest turn time and no veg space, results in very efficient use of power in the complete operation.

Mirroring Onyx for Medical Grade Cannabis in Europe

Andrew Lange’s current passion is a green-field project in Portugal. Self-funded, Andrew says that this facility will be one of the first that is pure enough in operations to supply non-irradiated clean-room-level-quality cannabis beyond the precise standards required by European regulators. Current importers have not been able to clear the European standards for cleanliness without irradiating their buds. Other companies like Aurora have abandoned efforts to access the market due to the precision requirements. Typical methods used for fruit imports use gamma radiation to get bacterial counts down. This was tried with cannabis to sterilize buds, but the problem with cannabis is this degrades the quality of the flower.

Andrew’s Portugal facility will be using a sterile perimeter surrounding his grow space (mothers, clones/veg, flower rooms) and harvest and processing areas (dry, trim, packaging). Andrew creates a safe environment for healthy production. A steady harvest cleaning regimen is built into his operational designs from the beginning. All operators are trained in procedures to exclude pathogens and limit all possible transmission (airborne, physical/mechanical touching, or water carried). Every area is cleaned during and between harvests. Andrew is confident he will reach a consistent level of accuracy and purity beyond European requirements because it is routine in all of his designs.

Certified Efficiency is the Message

Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP) are required for certification and access to European markets. Andrew always builds tight operations, but in this case, his Portugal facility is designed with the fit and finish to be GMP and GACP compliant from day one with advanced air filtration and air management throughout.

Automated aeroponics is a foundation technology that Andrew recommends for his facility designs. The automatic data logging, report generation, cloud access and storage make this a foundational technology. Andrew does get some resistance from cultivators that are used to the classic soil media approaches but he explains that software configurable grow recipes, precision controls, zero soil/no pests and hyper-fast growth makes aeroponics the foundation of competitive advantage. Precisely controlled medical quality precision operations are built on top of this foundation.

The initial phase of the Portugal facility is 630 lights and this facility is Andrew’s latest personal investment. From secure perimeters to modular grow rooms and highly automated equipment, this location will be state-of-the-art in terms of grams/watt yields and renewable energy with an output of 6 metric tons per year. Solar powered electricity from a 4-megawatt farm will use Tesla megapacks for storage and be grid independent.

Technology & Innovation, Onyx & Ascendant

From his first experience with AEssenseGrows aeroponics, Andrew has been able to design complete grow recipes in the Guardian Grow Manager software with very tight precision on dosage. This makes it possible to create ideal recipes for each strain (nutrition, irrigation cycles, lighting and environmental management). This frees up the operations teams to focus on plant health and execution. The nutrients, pH, CO2, temperature and humidity, follow the Guardian directions that he sets.

Working with Bailee at Onyx, Andrew is now consulting on the post-harvesting side of operations (drying, trimming, extracts and packaging). In parallel with his efforts, Bailee is optimizing THC & terpene production on the cultivation side with UV lighting (considering far-right red frequency light recipe enhancements).

That is the Ascendant Management approach to innovation. Trial, test constantly, perfect ideas in practice. Optimize the results for consistent, high-quality results. Even while driving for the personal craft touch, use automation to increase efficiency of mundane, but important tasks. With these methods, Andrew believes that the Onyx labor cost is one third of typical soil media grow operations. Zero soil aeroponics offers many benefits. Bailee’s team is able to give each plant more attention and delivery better quality. Automation is a win-win for them.

Bailee finds that constant testing is useful for two things: one, great results, and two, surface the best talent with their hand’s-on approach.

Always Finish with People

Bailee says that her staff works incredibly hard. “We are a different grow, with better ergonomics on the job, aeroponics for precision and yields, and advanced technology at the leading edge in every part of our grow. No dirt up and down stairs. People are proud to work here. We are not your dad’s grow operation.”

“We promote from within. Everyone starts as a room tech and has the opportunity to move up. Teams are isolated by rooms so there is no contamination between rooms or humans. Put in the work, and you will get promoted with expansions, and grow with the company as we take a bigger share in the market.” Female employees make up almost half of the current staff, and Bailee encourages employees to refer their friends. “Good people invite good people,” she says.

Her training program introduces the technical aspects of their unique operation, the positive expectations and career path for every new employee. The social environment is friendly with good pay and regular raises. Each new employee fills a range of roles during their 1-month training circuit and are assigned to a cultivation space under a lead as an official cultivation tech at the end of 30 days. “One thing that we do more than at other grows is constant cleaning,” says Bailee. “This is an ever-present mantra for the staff.”