CBD OIL

“We simply would not be able to provide the level of programming we offer without the help of our esteemed and experienced advisory board members, who are constant sounding boards about the current challenges and opportunities in the cannabis industry,” Editorial Director Noelle Skodzinski said. “Whether you are planning to enter or new to the industry, or an experienced plant-touching business, you’ll come away with valuable lessons to help you and your business succeed by attending Cannabis Conference’s educational sessions.”

In addition to dozens of sessions on everything from cultivation to facility buildout, operations, and retail and cultivation business strategies, Cannabis Conference will also feature 100+ exhibitors on its trade show floor, including experts in: horticultural lighting, nutrients, growing media, pest control, structures, drying and storage, IT services, marketing solutions, accounting and finance, POS software, packaging and labeling, and much more.

For additional information about Cannabis Conference 2021, including registration information, a current list of exhibitors and sponsors and more, visit www.cannabisconference.com.

About Cannabis Conference
Cannabis Conference 2021, presented by Cannabis Business Times, Cannabis Dispensary, and Hemp Grower, is the leading educational provider for plant-touching businesses in the legal cannabis and hemp markets. The three-day event will be held at Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev., on August 24-26, 2021.

The Cannabis Conference exhibition hall will feature industry-leading technologies, solutions and services for the professional cannabis cultivator and retail businesses.

For more information, visit www.cannabisconference.com.

According to a press release sent out last week, MCR Labs just opened their newest facility in Pennsylvania. The laboratory, based in Allentown, PA, began accepting and testing cannabis samples last week.

MCR Labs became the first independent cannabis testing lab to get certified in Massachusetts. The lab based in in Framingham, Massachusetts (a little west of Boston) is ISO 17025:2017 accredited.

Michael Kahn, president and founder of MCR Labs, believes this is a huge step for their company. “We’re excited to be expanding and excited for the opportunity to carry out our mission of advancing public health and safety here in the Keystone State,” says Kahn.

The Allentown, PA facility is led by Julia Naccarato. “I’m grateful to MCR for the opportunity to offer the team’s expertise to Pennsylvania’s cannabis providers and to help ensure the safety of products they offer to medical marijuana patients,” says Naccarato.

Willie Nelson’s cannabis brand, Willie’s Reserve, has hit the Arizona market through a recently announced partnership with Hana Meds, an Arizona-based vertically integrated cannabis company.

Willie’s Reserve is a national cannabis brand inspired by cannabis activist and American music legend Willie Nelson. The brand focuses on various cannabis products like pre-rolls, flower, vape cartridges and more. 

Hana Meds is processing, packaging and distributing Willie’s Reserve pre-rolls across Hana Meds’ retail locations in Kingman and Green Valley, Ariz., and at its wholesale customer locations, Giving Tree Dispensary in Phoenix and MedMen Scottsdale, said Matt Pinchera, Hana Meds president.

“We are starting off with launching pre-rolls only, and then we’ll look at other products as it makes sense,” he said. “We definitely want to expand the product line, but right now, we’re focusing on the pre-rolls first.”

Hana Meds eventually hopes to expand the number of dispensaries the product is sold in, he said.

Courtesy of Hana Meds

“We are in the process of ramping up production, so, hopefully, we’ll be able to expand the wholesale customers as we expand our production capabilities,” he said. “We’ve got two dispensaries who partnered with us to launch the brand and want to make sure that we keep them in stock of a product. So, you know, we don’t want to expand too quickly. It really needs to be tied to our production increases.”

Aside from Hana Meds’ already established in-house brands, like Dutchie pre-rolls and Revival Infused Edibles, Pinchera said that Hana Meds also looks to partner with companies that acquire brands that Hana Meds feels will do well in the Arizona market. Willie’s Reserve fit the bill.

So, how did the official partnership happen?

Hana Meds met Willie’s Reserve team members at a conference in 2019, where they started to explore the partnership option and discuss Hana Meds’ capabilities.

“Because we already produce a pre-roll brand, we have the infrastructure in place to produce pre-rolls, which is what they wanted to enter the market with,” he said. “So, that lined up for them and for us. I also think the fact that we were in the process of expanding our production, which means we would be able to supply more products for Willie’s Reserve in the future, was also a positive in their eyes, from what we brought to the table.”

Pinchera believes that if a cannabis business is looking to partner with a national brand in a local market, it’s essential to highlight their own skills and growth capabilities.

“I think you need to focus on your capabilities, focus on what you do well; for us, it was producing pre-rolls with our Dutchie brand,” he said. “Secondly, anticipate growth and work on expanding production and cultivation. You really just have to leverage what you do well and make sure you have the capacity for increased production.”

For example, as Hana Meds started conversing with Willie’s Reserve, it began to expand its production facilities to ensure it could handle the increased pre-roll production, which was done to ensure Willie’s Reserve needs are met and to try and attract other brands that Hana Meds wanted to partner with, he said.

Alongside production expansion, Hana Meds also wants to consistently put a quality product out under the Willie’s Reserve name.

“The cannabis has to be high quality, which we’ve had a lot of success with our Dutchie brand,” he said. “Our wholesale customers and medical patient customers up until now have found our cannabis to be of high quality. That was certainly something that Willie’s demanded and that’s something that we’ve been producing, and we’re able to offer up to them.”

Hana Meds and Willie’s Reserve share similar values. They are dedicated to producing high-quality cannabis products, which leads Pinchera to believe that this will be a continuing partnership.

“Because they have a solid marketing department, utilizing both social media and traditional media, and because they have Willie Nelson as a brand ambassador, that has been a huge positive for us,” he said. “And I think the partnership will continue to be a huge positive for us moving forward. Willie’s Reserve has a lot to bring to the table, and they’re a great company to partner with.”

According to a press release sent out last week, Complex Biotech Discovery Ventures (CBDV) has expanded their testing capabilities considerably with the new addition of a vapor/smoke analyzer. CBDV is a licensed cannabis and psilocybin research laboratory embedded in the University of British Columbia, led by CEO Dr. Markus Roggen.

The ability to analyze vapor and smoke is a relatively novel concept for the cannabis space, but has been utilized by the tobacco industry for years now. In the early days of adult-use cannabis legalization in the United States, stringent testing regulations for contaminants like pesticides were adopted out of a fear for what would happen when consumers ingest toxic levels of contaminants.

One of the common refrains iterated throughout the industry over the past ten years was that there just wasn’t enough research on how different contaminants affect patients and consumers when burned and inhaled. We still don’t know too much about what happens when someone smokes a dangerous pesticide, such as myclobutanil. Beyond just contaminants, the new technology allows for companies to measure precise levels of cannabinoids in vapor and smoke, getting a more accurate reading on what cannabinoids are actually making it to the end user.

This new development coming from our neighbor to the north could lead to a breakthrough in the cannabis lab testing and research space. CBDV claims they can now analyze cannabis material with a much more in-depth analysis than basic compliance testing labs. The new technology for analysis of smoke, vapor, plant material and formulations allows companies to thoroughly understand their materials in each stage of the product formulation process, all the way to product consumption.

Beyond just smoke and vapor analysis CBDV also offers NMR spectroscopy, metabolomics, nanoparticle characterization, computational modeling and other testing services that go far beyond the traditional compliance testing gamut.

“Our new services offer comprehensive insights into plant material, extracts, end-products and even the smoke/vapor by using state-of-the-art analytical instruments,” says Dr. Roggen. “By understanding the chemical fingerprint of the material, cannabis producers can eliminate impurities, adjust potencies, and optimize extraction processes before wasting money and resources on producing inconsistent end products. As a chemist I am really excited about adding NMR and high-res mass spectroscopy to the cannabis testing offerings.”

LAS VEGAS, NV (February 3, 2021) – Cannabis Conference, the cannabis industry’s leading conference for cultivators, retailers, extraction specialists and hemp growers—will return to the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino from August 24-26, 2021. Presented by award-winning media brands Cannabis Business Times, Cannabis Dispensary and Hemp Grower magazines, Cannabis Conference will bring together current and prospective cannabis business operators, university professors, consultants, technology and solutions providers and more for three dynamic days of education and expo.

“We look forward to reconvening at our annual event in-person this August and offering valuable networking opportunities that will push this rapidly evolving industry forward,” Group Publisher Jim Gilbride said. “Our team at Cannabis Conference works diligently to offer the highest level of education for attendees, coupled with the most relevant exhibitors that will help improve their day-to-day operations and bottom lines.”

Cannabis Conference’s education program will address the most pressing issues plant-touching businesses face, as well offer tangible solutions operators can implement into their own businesses. Sessions are being crafted with the assistance of Cannabis Conference’s 2021 Advisory Board, including:

• Salpy Boyajian – Executive Vice President/Board Chairman, Flower One
• Sjoerd Broeks – Genetic Development/R&D Director, THE PHARM
• Debby Goldsberry – Executive Director, Magnolia Wellness and Flor; Co-Founder, Berkeley Patients Group collective
• David Holmes – Owner & CEO, Clade9
• Colin Kelley – Operating Partner, Merida Capital; Board Member, LeafLine Labs 
• Emily Kowalski – Director of Cultivation, LeafLine Labs
• Claudio Miranda – Co-Founder, Guild Enterprises
• Kenneth Morrow – Owner, Trichome Technologies
• Alisia Ratliff, PMP – Chief Executive Officer & Founder, Victus Capital Ventures LLC
• Anna Shreeve – President, Urban Paragon, Inc., Targeted Intent, Inc. and The Bakeréé
• Mason Walker – Co-Owner/CEO, East Fork Cultivars
• Hope Wiseman – Owner, Mary & Main Dispensary

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 2, 2021 – PRESS RELEASE – Eteros Technologies, owner of Mobius Trimmer, a top brand of high-end cannabis and hemp processing equipment, has acquired California-based Triminator, a pioneer in harvesting equipment for professional growers of cannabis and hemp. The acquisition provides the Canadian-based Eteros Technologies with a broader product range and increased access to the U.S. market. Financial details were not disclosed.

The Mobius and Triminator product lines combine to form the world’s largest manufacturer of cannabis and hemp harvesting and processing equipment. Eteros Technologies, parent company of the Mobius line, plans to retain Triminator employees and leadership, and the company said both brands will continue to operate independently. Working in synergy, each will marshal greater engineering, sales, training and support resources to offer customers a comprehensive suite of processing solutions. This acquisition also means that the full Canadian designed-and-built Mobius line and full U.S.-built Triminator product line will be stocked and available across North America.  

“Just like Mobius, Triminator has built an amazing business from the ground up,” said Aaron McKellar, CEO of Mobius Trimmer. “Using innovation and ingenuity, Triminator’s team created machines that helped define the post-harvest process in modern cannabis and hemp agriculture. We look forward to building upon each other’s strengths to help even more farmers increase the efficiency of their harvest.”

The two product lines complement each other precisely because of their differences. Each is focused on providing full support to a specialized market. Triminator is committed to the cannabis and hemp farmer by building a community of hands-on brand ambassadors who have their own farms and can mentor other end-users on the craft of processing. The Mobius line has been focused on equipping and supporting growers who are operating in a large-scale, highly regulated environment, where SOPs and often GMP requirements drive processing operations and investing heavily in developing the training resources and technical documentation necessary to serve these end-users.

“This acquisition could not be a better fit from our perspective,” said Dana Mosman, CEO of Triminator. “We equip some of the most advanced farms across the globe and maintain our commitment to supporting farmers. Now our options to help these cultivators just increased exponentially. We look forward to continuing to meet the needs of the farming community, to help growers increase productivity and profitability in the rapidly evolving cannabis market.”

Each brand serves different customer segments. Mobius is one of the most technologically advanced harvesting options available, holding a number of patents in trimming technology and the largest market share in Canada among large-scale cultivators. Triminator has focused on the agricultural sector and small-to-midsize cultivators. The acquisition will give Mobius access to these businesses while providing Triminator access to Mobius’ customer service and technology.

For more information on the product lines, visit www.mobiustrimmer.com and www.thetriminator.com.