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July 6th, 2023
The cannabis industry is evolving at a rapid pace, thanks to more funding going into cannabis research, the growing medical marijuana market, and cannabis legalization happening in many parts of the country. That being said, it’s safe to say that it’s a great time to be a cannabis enthusiast.
Because so much of the industry has changed in grown in recent years, we want to take a step back and look at the current trends going on right now, along with some predictions we have for the future, based on developments that are happening as we speak.
It’s pretty staggering to think about how much the industry has grown in such a short period of time. After all, both hemp and marijuana were federally illegal up until a few years ago, when hemp finally became legalized in the United States, coinciding with a growing number of states allowing marijuana to be sold recreationally at last.
Legalizing cannabis has greatly impacted how the industry is run throughout the country. By allowing cannabis products to be sold legally, we’ve seen developers, farmers, manufacturers, researchers, and innovators come together to develop the market as we know it. Now, we have access to a plethora of cannabis products, featuring different cannabinoids, strains, delivery methods, formulations, and so much more.
At the same time, legalization has allowed more cannabis research to be performed than ever before. As a result, the general public has a better understanding of the different compounds in cannabis, and how they can benefit us through their various properties.
It seems almost fruitless to list all of the current trends in the cannabis industry. There are simply so many, and because the industry is so new in many ways, everything that exists on the market feels like a trend right now. But, over the years, we’ve watched how the market has evolved, along with consumer demand. So, we have a pretty good understanding of what the trends are showing right now.
If you’ve been following the hemp market, then you’ve undoubtedly noticed a sudden influx of new cannabinoids, mainly of the psychoactive nature. Delta 8 THC, delta 10 THC, HHC, THC-P, THC-O, THCV, and so many more have hit shelves with massive success.
The large majority of these “new” cannabinoids have always existed before our very eyes, naturally occurring within the cannabis plant. It’s only recently that we’ve developed more advanced techniques for discovering them, again, thanks to more funding going into cannabis research and product development than ever in history.
Liquid chromatography relies on the use of liquids to separate individual compounds in cannabis, so that they may be isolated and analyzed. This technique has gotten more and more advanced in recent years, and because of it, scientists have been able to uncover cannabinoids that they never knew existed – take, for instance, THC-P (tetrahydrocannabiphorol), discovered in 2019, and found to be 10 times as intoxicating as delta 9 THC.
Nanotechnology is the method of making atomic particles smaller, so that they can become more water-soluble. More and more cannabis products are made using nanotechnology to aid in their absorption into the body, which is a method we’re also seeing behind many supplements that are dominating the market today.
What we’re seeing the most of us water-soluble cannabis tinctures. Cannabis extracts are innately oil-soluble, which mean that they cannot dissolve in water. This can impede their bioavailability by preventing them from moving into the cells of the body. In a more practical sense, oil-soluble cannabis extracts are harder to use to make liquid-based formulations, like beverages.
Nanotechnology, therefore, is used to both enhance how effectively cannabinoids can absorb into the body, and also offers a more efficient way to formulate liquid-based cannabis solutions.
Live resin has really taken over the market, and it’s easy to see why. Live resin is a relatively new method of extracting the cannabinoids and terpenes out of the cannabis plant material. Rather than dry-curing the flowers, the flowers are flash-frozen when picked fresh. This preserves the trichomes – the sticky, resinous glands of the flower buds that contain terpenes and cannabinoids – so that the end product is inherently more potent.
Live resin extracts offer a higher concentration of these desirable compounds, which you can tell from looks alone, as it’s thicker and darker than traditional extracts. Besides that, the flavor is stronger, and the product generally enjoys a longer shelf life.
Disposable vapes are a big deal on the cannabis market right now, and were really birthed out of the nicotine vaping industry. Disposables make cannabis even more accessible to those who wish to inhale the compounds, as disposable vaping products are maintenance-free other than requiring the occasional battery charge through a type-C charging port. They don’t need to be refilled or maintained, and come in a massive selection of appealing strains.
THCA is something that’s got everyone talking right now. THCA was discovered decades ago, and it’s the precursor cannabinoid to delta 9 THC. In other words, delta 9 THC is only produced when you heat cannabis, as in the raw flower form, it exists as tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA). What makes this cannabinoid such a big trend right now is that it’s completely legal in any product form, despite strict regulations against delta 9 THC under federal law.
Basically, THCA flower is raw hemp flower that’s infused with tetrahydrocannabinolic acid distillate. When you heat the flower, the THCA distillate turns into delta 9 THC, and so you’re able to legally enjoy a product that basically offers the same effects as marijuana, and comes in the strains that consumers know and love.
Flower products in general are a big deal on the hemp market in particular, because they, again, offer psychoactive flower that isn’t marijuana, the plant that remains illegal under federal law. HHC flower, delta 8 flower, THC-O flower, and more all introduce a legal way to enjoy a powerful psychoactive high while being treated to the naturally full spectrum product that is raw hemp flower.
You’ve likely noticed more of an emphasis on strain selection than ever before, as well. A lot of that is because of consumers, who have spent more time educating themselves on the nuances of cultivars and their various effects. Today’s cannabis-loving public is more knowledgeable when it comes to what they want out of their cannabis experience, and with that, the market has responded by offering a broader choice of strains than ever. We’re also seeing a renaissance when it comes to strains, with more and more advanced breeding techniques being developed, so that breeders can really finetune each phenotype based on the effects profile, flavor, and aroma that they’re trying to achieve.
The breeding of new cannabis strains is nothing new, but never before has it been so efficient of a process. The use of various breeding techniques and the ability to predict the outcome of different phenotypes has really allowed breeders to offer phenomenal cultivars, many of which are bred specifically to target specific needs, like anxiety relief, pain relief, and even treatment of epilepsy.
Concentrates have also become a big business, and it’s easy to see why. They’re drastically more potent than flower, being, by nature, highly concentrated products. Today, we have more concentrates to choose from than ever, like wax, shatter, distillates, sauce, diamonds, and more, all of which have their own distinctive potency, flavor, and aroma.
Now, let’s take a look at what we think the future holds in terms of the cannabis industry. This is all based on what we’re already seeing in development, and where consumer demand is placing most of its attention.
We already talked about breeding methods used to produce new and exciting cannabis strains, resulting in what some estimate to be thousands of individual strains that exist today. But, we do expect that this particular corner of the market will keep on getting more advanced. Already, cannabis breeders are able to predict the outcomes of breeding better than before, and analyze each phenotype using the liquid chromatography techniques we talked about earlier. But, as technology keeps evolving, we think that soon, AI will be able to guide breeders toward new, more precise and deliberate strain phenotypes intended to deliver specific therapeutic properties to consumers.
We have no doubt that more and more new cannabinoids will emerge in the coming months and years. As of now, there are about 113 individual cannabinoids that we have identified, but more and more keep appearing as our analysis methods get more intricate and accurate. Because so much funding is going into cannabis research right now, we feel that this trend will continue, which is good news, as each new cannabinoid brings with it a plethora of unique potential therapeutic uses.
At the same time, something we’ve been seeing a lot of, which we expect will really take off in the coming years, is the development of new, semi-synthesized cannabinoids. Once frowned upon, the new chemically modified cannabinoids emerging on the market are quickly becoming hugely popular, like THC-O, HHC-P, delta 9o, and others, many of which involve either adding an acetate to the cannabinoid to change how it absorbs into the body, or adding to an existing cannabinoid’s carbon side chain to allow it to attach to cannabinoid receptors more efficiently, to enhance its potency.
Overall, we believe that we’re going to see a lot more research going into cannabis’ potential benefits in the next several years. Right now, we’re at a bit of a standstill – a lot of new cannabinoids have been discovered, and there’s something of a backlog of studies that are being performed to understand their effects to the fullest extent possible. Take HHC, or hexahydrocannabinol, which is a relatively new but hugely popular cannabinoid. People are experiencing plenty of positive effects from taking it, but there hasn’t been enough time for researchers to catch up to it in order to analyze it and provide clear, proven data about what the cannabinoid is capable of.
With more research demonstrating the potential benefits of cannabinoids comes more public support for cannabis, and that can lead to more legalization across the country. Not only that, but the more we know what each cannabinoid is truly capable of, the more consumers can really finetune their cannabis routine based on what is most likely to give them positive results. We hope to see more studies published in the near future that offer detailed information of what these cannabinoids can do.
Vaping and dabbing are huge right now, and will only get more advanced and accessible with time. We already talked about disposable vapes, and we believe that these will continue to evolve to be even more reliable, high-performance, and powerful with the development of new chipset technology that’s going into modern vaping hardware. Dabbing devices, as well, are advancing, with dab pens, e-nails, and e-rigs becoming big business. Expect all of this hardware to continue to demonstrate new features, design elements, and efficient, streamlined performance in the next few years.
Cannabis farmers are investing in new technology as well, to help their farming practices. New developments have made cannabis farming more profitable, which benefits consumers by making products more affordable. The use of feminization is a big deal right now, as only female cannabis plants yield flowers. The use of silver, along with controlled lighting techniques, enable female-only yields, to minimize waste, and therefore bring down costs.
Indoor and greenhouse growing practices are also getting more advanced, thanks to automated growing systems that can provide light, heat, and humidity according to each strain’s specific needs.
Finally, expect new and exciting product types to emerge. We already have a plethora to choose from, but we anticipate seeing more water-soluble cannabinoid powders, more beverages, and hybrid products that pair cannabinoids with other desirable plant derivatives to offer more holistic value.
Without a doubt, the cannabis industry is doing amazing things right now, developing new and groundbreaking products, innovative techniques, and releasing phenomenal research that is helping the public better use the plant for their most precise needs.
Ultimately, we don’t know what the future holds, but we do know that right now, the cannabis industry is accessible, and full of products that can bring value into consumers’ lives. At GreenLife, we offer a plethora of new and wonderful formulas that allow customers to enjoy their favorite cannabinoids, through bioavailable, lab-tested product types of all kinds.
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