(Newswire.net — April 6, 2018) — Medical marijuana is used to address a host of illnesses and ailments, from depression to chronic pain. Different strains of marijuana are typically used to address specific ailments. For example, Blue Dream can replace OxyContin – and harmful opioids – to treat chronic pain. OG Kush weed can help mitigate social anxiety. And Bubba Kush is ideal for insomnia.
Most patients smoke individual strains to experience their full medical benefits. This phenomenon, commonly referred to as the entourage effect is the synergistic effect of all of the cannabis compounds interacting together. But smoking itself is harmful and dosing is inconsistent. There’s also a stigma attached to smoking and to smoking marijuana in particular, especially given its skunky characteristics.
Because of this, many patients ingest marijuana through edibles – cookies or brownies with the marijuana baked in. Currently, edibles make up 12.5% of the total cannabis market. According to New Frontier Analytics, the demand for edibles is expected to grow by 25% annually.
Unfortunately, the process that converts the marijuana plant into an edible form causes the loss of much of what makes the strains unique, and hence their medicinal properties. You may have noticed that most edibles sold in dispensaries are typically THC/CBD only products. What this means from a medical standpoint is that if you switch from smoking Bubba Kush to treat insomnia to eating Bubba Kush edibles for the same insomnia, it may not work. The entourage effect of the distinct Bubba Kush strain, which is needed in full to properly treat insomnia is not present in the edible form.
The traditional method of making edibles uses heat to activate and infuse the weed into the oil. This method hasn’t changed in decades. The problem is the heat gets rid of the hundreds of molecules that make each strain unique and gives it its specific medicinal qualities. Instead of a targeted medicinal solution, the process leaves the patient with a THC/CBD only product, essentially a one-size-fits-all solution.
That’s the problem Harvest Direct Enterprises and their LACY, a one-of-a-kind, patent-pending device, solves. LACY stands for Lossless Activation Chamber Y. As the title suggests, the process doesn’t lose any of the molecules that make each strain unique. Rather it preserves the unique properties of individual strains.
LACY uses proprietary technology that preserves the qualities that make each strain unique. LACY activates and infuses the plant with oil or performs the activation step if you are starting out with an extract already. Harvest Direct does what no one else in the cannabis industry can, produce a pill that captures the full profile of the strain, not just the THC or CBD content.
Harvest Direct was founded in 2016 by brothers Zeyead and Ahmed Gharib. After analyzing many strains of cannabis and edible recipes while working for a reputable I-502 cannabis testing laboratory, the brothers realized that the activation of cannabinoids and infusion into an organic medium like oil were the only vital steps. Heat was unnecessary. “You are using a nuclear bomb where an assassin is needed” says Zeyead, describing the issue with using heat as the primary activation catalyst. Thus, heat was unnecessary, and the specific qualities of each strain could be preserved. They embarked on the development of LACY.
The company’s goal on the medicinal side is to replace many of the pharmaceuticals in your medicine cabinet with natural substances in pill form that preserve the healing qualities of each strain. Harvest Direct is licensing LACY to qualified companies who wish to produce their very own strain-specific edibles and products.
Your next visit to a dispensary will showcase ten edibles all made with different strains that would each have distinct effects. Instead of a one-size-fits-all solution in edibles, specific strains can be prescribed in pill form to address individual illnesses and ailments. For the Gharib brothers, this is the future of medical marijuana. Instead of the current one-size-fits-all solution, specific strains in pill form can be prescribed to address individual illnesses and ailments.