How Technology is Transforming the Cannabis Industry

As countries continue to legalize marijuana, people are embracing the use of CBD products either for medical or recreational reasons. Marijuana industry businesses are starting everywhere to provide services to potential customers. Developers are also creating apps every day to help people with all their requirements ranging from providing cannabis information, sales services, and connecting marijuana users all over the world.
The last decade has seen technology transform our daily lives. It has changed how we communicate, how we shop and even manufacturing processes have changed. In the same vein, technology has played a big role in transforming the medical cannabis industry.

Ways Technology is Transforming the Cannabis Industry

There are many ways technology is influencing the medical cannabis industry. It starts from the point the cannabis seeds are planted up to the point the products are consumed with the secretion of cannabis oil. Here are ways technology is influencing the medical cannabis industry.

Use of Technology in Cannabis Cultivation

Innovations in technology have opened up the cannabis industry. There are new methods of planting cannabis seeds which ensures that the plants grow in the best environment possible. Farmers are now using remote sensors to keep tabs on how the plants are growing. The sensors can detect the amount of CO2 in the air, the moisture the plant requires as well as how efficiently the soil is conducting electricity.
Technology has also transformed how CBD is extracted from cannabis plants. Due to the improvements in the CBD extraction methods, new forms of consuming CBD products have also emerged. CBD has low THC levels and that fact has made it very popular among users.

Retail

Legalizing cannabis in many states has made it possible to sell cannabis products online. The introduction of seed-to-sale and point of sale cloud platforms for retailers and growers is a game-changer for the cannabis industry.

In the past, cannabis sales were a cash-only business which made it difficult to analyze customers’ behaviors. However, the introduction of online stores has made it possible for retailers and growers to analyze customers’ buying habits. Therefore, the people in the marijuana industry can be able to customize their products according to the users’ needs.

Analyzing users’ habits also helps in adjusting pricing and coming up with the right mix when creating CBD products. Online stores also play a big role in documentation because there are differences in logistics across different states and countries. Most platforms can track the product starting from the sale up until it is delivered to the customer.

LED Lighting

Cannabis growers are already replacing high-pressure sodium bulbs with LED lights. The industry has relied on HPS bulbs for a long time and they consume a lot of electricity. Growing cannabis requires a lot of electricity and using HPS bulbs increases the cost even more. The bulbs also have a short life span and also generate a lot of heat which destabilizes the cannabis growing environment.

LED lights are a technological invention that solves all the problems caused by HPS bulbs. They have a longer lifespan and use less electricity. LED lights also do not strain the climate control system. However, the initial cost of buying LED lights is high, but the lights will save you more money in the long run.

Storing Electricity

As mentioned earlier growing cannabis plants uses a lot of electricity. If you are growing cannabis plants on a large scale and you happen to be using HPS bulbs, then you can expect that your farm creates a strain on the electricity grid. As a result, you can expect high electricity bills every month.

Tesla has come up with Powerwall and Powerpack which offers large, medium, and small growers the option of storing electricity. Electricity storage is good especially when there are extended periods of a power outage. However, the real advantage is that growers can buy during non-peak hours, store it, and use it during peak hours. This will save you a significant amount of cash.

Cannabinoid Biosynthesis

Technology is already reshaping how cannabinoids are produced for commercial or small scale purposes. Most producers use traditional methods to extract cannabinoids. It is a costly procedure and makes CBD products to be costly.

However, through technology, there are new extraction methods that have started to take hold. One of those methods is biosynthesis. The process involves the use of microorganisms to create strains of yeast that can produce cannabinoids that you desire. The microorganisms are also capable of producing rare forms of cannabinoids.

The process is also cheaper compared to traditional extraction methods. Biosynthesis will lower the costs of CBD products production and in the process, the cost of CBD products will go down. Biosynthesis also improves the quality of CBD products. Another advantage of using biosynthesis is that you can produce cannabinoids in an on-demand way. That means that you can produce cannabinoids the whole year whenever you want.

Cannabis Breathalyzer

The use of cannabis alters the mind. Therefore, states and countries which have legalized cannabis have also created laws that prevent people from driving after using cannabis. However, for a police officer to determine if one has used cannabis is tricky.

The chemical composition of cannabis limits testing methods since cannabinoids can linger in the blood for a week and can lead to false positives. Researchers from the University of Florida are working on a cannabis breathalyzer that will solve the problem of false positives.

Conclusion

Thanks to technology, there are many ways you can consume CBD products. For instance, one can take CBD through vaping, cannabinoids , and even transdermal patches. Researchers even use a saliva test to determine the best method for consuming CBD products such as oils and capsules. The advances in technology will continue to transform the marijuana industry.