Techcomp Products for Medical Marijuana
Medical marijuana uses the chemicals within the marijuana plant to help reduce pain and treat certain diseases. The plant contains more than 100 different chemicals called cannabinoids. Each one has a different effect on the body, with delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) being the main chemicals used in medicine.
The legality of marijuana for medical use varies by country, in terms of its possession, distribution, cultivation and medical conditions it can be used for. It has now been legalised in many countries, including the UK, Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy and 33 states in the USA. A bill has recently been passed by the US House of Representatives to decriminalise marijuana at the national level for the first time, which calls for its removal from the list of federally controlled substances. To become law, the bill needs to pass the Senate and be signed by the president. If this happens, there could be a major increase in sales.
The greatest amount of evidence for the therapeutic effects of marijuana relate to its ability to reduce chronic pain, nausea and vomiting. This is primarily suitable for those going through chemotherapy, and those suffering from muscle spasticity due to MS. The drug can be administered through methods such as capsules, dermal patches, oral sprays, edibles and vaporising.
This article will discuss the variety of products that Techcomp produces across our different companies that can be used for the analysis, storage and growth of marijuana.
How Techcomp Companies play their part in the process
Froilabo – Cold Storage Units
Medical marijuana is defined by its moisture content, which changes rapidly depending on the climate where it is kept. It should therefore be kept at a cool temperature and low humidity. If it is kept in an environment that is too warm and too humid, it may be susceptible to mould. However, if there is too little moisture, it may dry out which causes damage and loss of efficacy.
At Froilabo, cold storage units are available with different operating temperature ranges, cooling speeds, and storage capacities, depending on the application required. We produce a range of refrigeration and low temperature freezer units which are ideal for the storage of marijuana.
View our range of cold storage products online.
Precisa – Moisture Content Analysis
The precise moisture content of marijuana must be measured because the poor drying of the plant during the extraction processes could lead to mould or fungal infestations, which in turn may pose a risk to the health of users, particularly those with immunodeficiencies.
Properly dried cannabis should contain no more than 10-12% moisture. Anything above this and the plant will be more susceptible to disease and contamination. Therefore, a highly accurate moisture analyser must be used in order to precisely determine the moisture content percentage for optimum safety.
For the most accurate measurements of moisture content, Precisa produces a wide variety of moisture analysers. Resulting from Swiss precision in production and engineering, our fully automatic analysers are compact and robust and provide error-free, high quality and efficient moisture analysis.
Learn about the determination of the moisture content of medical marijuana.
SCION Instruments – Analysis of Cannabinoids in Blood
It is illegal to drive a vehicle whilst under the influence of cannabis, with suspected drug drivers often subjected to a screening test of cannabinoids in saliva. A positive result must then be confirmed by the presence of Δ9-THC in a blood sample, by using gas chromatography. Drug detection limits are set by government laws and vary from country to country, with the limits being 2ng/mL in the United Kingdom and 1ng/mL in France.
A SCION 456 GC coupled with the SCION Single Quad Mass Spectrometer can be configured for cannabinoid analysis in blood. The analysis of cannabinoids from biological matrices is made easy with the SCION GC-MS as the highly sensitive and robust instrument has exceptional limit of detection for both Δ9-THC and THC-COOH.
Find out more about the process in this application note.
Edinburgh Sensors – Modified Atmosphere for Optimum Crop Growth
Marijuana sales have become big business and its increasing legalisation for medical use is expected to promote sales, with the global legal marijuana market size predicted to reach USD 73.6 billion by 2027. This means that there is strong motivation towards improving marijuana crop yields and the efficiency of the growth process.
The use of modified atmospheres is one of the ways of improving crop yields that has become popular. Doing this involves growing the crops in an atmosphere that has been deliberately changed to control certain concentrations of gases. This is commonly used not just for food growth, but also to help improve crop quality and as a way of preserving products during transportation.
To help with crop growth, one of the most effective gas concentrations to alter is carbon dioxide. The Edinburgh Sensors products that are suitable for installation in a greenhouse for online active monitoring include the Guardian NG and Gascard NG.
Read more about the use of gas sensing for optimal marijuana crop growth.
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