Author: Joy

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When evaluating current processes and identifying areas where automation can improve efficiencies, companies should consider the potential cost savings associated. Automation can reduce the time spent on manual tasks, resulting in increased productivity and fewer labor costs. Automation can also improve speed and accuracy, resulting in better-quality products and fewer errors. Leading to cost savings through less rework and waste. Ultimately, automation can optimize workflows, improving efficiency and fewer delays. All these factors can result in significant cost savings for companies that adopt automation. To achieve automation, sensors need to be utilized to measure parameters previously monitored by humans and parameters that humans cannot watch.

Using sensors to measure cannabinoids in real-time is an opportunity for automation in the cannabis industry. Sensors are electronic devices that measure physical conditions such as temperature, pressure, and moisture. In the cannabis industry, sensors can measure the concentration of cannabinoids in real-time, thus allowing growers, extractors, and manufacturers to accurately monitor the levels of THC and CBD in their products. Using sensors to measure cannabinoids in real-time can help improve the quality of cannabis products. By measuring the levels of THC and CBD in real-time, cannabis companies can ensure that their products meet the desired specifications. For extractors, this is especially important, who need to ensure that their extracts have the appropriate levels of THC and CBD to provide the desired effects. In addition, sensors can monitor the conditions of the environment in which the cannabis is grown, such as temperature and humidity, to ensure optimal growing conditions. In addition to improving the quality of cannabis products, using sensors to measure cannabinoids in real-time can also help decrease production costs. By monitoring cannabinoid levels in real-time, cannabis companies can reduce the time and resources spent on testing their products. Fewer hours spent on testing and fewer resources used are both major wins for cost saving.

Using sensors to measure cannabinoids in real-time can help improve compliance with regulatory standards. By monitoring cannabinoid levels in real-time, cannabis companies can ensure that their products meet the desired criteria. In states with strict regulations on THC and CBD levels in cannabis products, this is especially important. Overall, using sensors to measure cannabinoids in real-time is an opportunity for automation in the cannabis industry. By measuring the levels of THC and CBD in real time, cannabis companies can ensure the quality of their products, reduce production costs, and comply with regulatory standards. This is especially important for extractors, who need to ensure that their products meet the desired THC and CBD levels to provide the desired effects. Using sensors for measuring cannabinoids in real-time can help cannabis companies reduce testing costs, improve the quality of their products, and ensure compliance with regulatory standards.

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The cannabis industry is more than growing, manufacturing, transporting, and selling product to the end consumer, it is infused every step of the way with technology. QR codes, online ordering and delivery, and seed-to-sale tracking are three prominent examples. Some of the biggest companies in the space are ancillary technology companies focusing on SAAS and other software solutions for specific needs up and down the cannabis supply chain. In an industry that is labor intensive with high fixed costs and taxes, it’s not farfetched to say the legal cannabis industry wouldn’t exist without a big assist from the tech sector.

We’ve already seen more cutting-edge technology make major inroads in day-to-day operations, the biggest examples being machine learning (ML) and the use of algorithms in the business-facing side of the industry such as CRMs, consumer data analytics applied to menus, product creation, and marketing and cultivation systems.

More exotic technologies like NFTs and blockchain technology generally have had a lot of hype and interest but so far found very limited use cases around marketing, non-cash payments, and genetics. While these technologies hold a lot of promise, widespread adoption within the cannabis industry remains far off.

The last quarter of 2022 saw the next wave of promise and hype in technology come in the form of artificial intelligence (AI) with all eyes and keyboards focused on natural language processors that employ massive sets of data to mimic general AI responses to questions, sometimes uncannily so and text to images platforms like DALL-E where you type what you want to see and often receive a psychedelic image generated in response.

The cannabis industry is likely to use artificial intelligence (AI) in a number of ways in the future. Here are a few examples of how AI might be used in the cannabis industry:

• Quality control: AI-powered sensors and cameras could be used to monitor the growth and cultivation of cannabis plants, ensuring that they are grown in optimal conditions and are of high quality. HVAC and IPM come to mind.
• Predictive analytics: AI algorithms can be used to analyze data on consumer preferences and buying habits to predict future trends and demand for different strains and products in lieu of or supporting traditional consumer surveys.
• Supply chain management: AI will be used to optimize the logistics of transport and distribution of cannabis products, helping to ensure that they reach customers efficiently and in a timely manner. Last-mile delivery services could be improved considerably.
• Personalization: AI-powered chatbots or virtual assistants could be used to provide personalized recommendations to customers based on their individual preferences and needs. Current ratings and reviews systems leave a lot to be desired and cross-referencing human input with large sets of purchasing data could make product selection and brand loyalty easier for customers

The KPIs to pay attention to as AI-powered systems come into cannabis will be enabling true data-driven decisions and performance improvement processes and lowered labor costs.

Overall, AI has the potential to greatly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the cannabis industry, and it is likely that it will play an increasingly important role in the industry in the coming years.

DeepAI’s version of a cannabis leaf

I asked OpenAI’s popular natural language processing tool ChatGPT when to expect cannabis legalization in the United States. Would it have a surprise in store for cannabis industry veterans who have been?

“It is difficult to predict when federal legalization of cannabis will occur in the United States. There has been growing support for legalization at the federal level, with a number of bills being introduced in Congress to remove cannabis from the list of controlled substances and legalize it at the national level. However, these efforts have not yet been successful, and it is uncertain when or if they will be.”

Editors’ Note: This is an excerpt from our Monthly Playbook. If you would like to read the full monthly playbook and join the thousands of others you can sign up below.

Editors’ Note: This is an excerpt from our Monthly Playbook. If you would like to read the full monthly playbook and join the thousands of others you can sign up below.

The Clinical Endocannabinoid System Consortium (CESC) is dedicated to the data & analysis necessary to validate Cannabis products for the benefit of a global marketplace.

CESC curates real-world data In collaboration with a vetted group of scientific professionals, including physicians, chemists, biologists, botanists, engineers, economists, and regulatory affairs specialists. Our approach is informed by biotechnology and influenced by multivariate analysis (AI).

We pursue potency, dosage, and efficacy for product safety validation and clinical correlation. Our efforts are informed by the Cannabis used in active communities.

Initiatives

The Dosing Project: Dose-effect relationships of multi-agent botanicals involve appropriate characterization and categorization of products actively used by consumers. This post-market surveillance study of Cannabis products includes dosage (mg/kg), therapeutic and wellness indications, and an evaluation for adverse events.

The Cannabis Mind: Cannabis use results in a broad range of psychoactive states. From altered consciousness, to energetic, sedative, focused, aroused, creative, and many more, we map the Cannabis mind using subjective scales and Quantitative EEG as a biomarker.

Agronomy: CESC’s focus corroborates appellations, water conservation best practices, remote monitoring, and soil remediation. Our Investigations in breeding, cultivation, and safer pest management techniques support a more sustainable Cannabis industry.

Nomenclature: Quality assurance and predictable effects start with Cannabis characterization and categorization. CESC applies untargeted laboratory analysis to appropriately characterize botanicals and develops algorithms to categorize Cannabis chemotype. Products are further characterized with in vitro cell-based potency bioassays and presented using consumer-focused product labeling.

Cannabis & Immunity: Interactions of Cannabis use and cellular & humoral immune responses
with a focus on improved outcomes in malignant, autoimmune, and infectious disorders.

Capabilities

Analytical Validation: Laboratory characterization of botanical compounds for consistency, stability, and effectiveness.

Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP): Process definition & development; implementing Quality Management Systems; reviewing & certifying Compliance Programs.

Contract Research Organization (CRO): Executing clinical studies; selecting & monitoring sites; recruiting respondents from Cannabis using communities; analyzing & interpreting data for timely and cost-effective commercialization.

Education: Targeting the professional medical community; establishing practice standards; publishing categorical product reports.

The CESC’s broad approach & expertise guide our partners through all phases of the development life cycle: from concept to commercialization.

Editors’ Note: This is an excerpt from our Monthly Playbook. If you would like to read the full monthly playbook and join the thousands of others you can sign up below.

1 The Sinaloa Cartel is losing its marijuana business, and El Chapo’s sons are going after the ‘premium weed’ market to make up for it

2 NYC seizes 600 pounds of weed, issues flurry of summonses in crackdown on illegal pot sales

3 New York Governor Signs Bill Encouraging Businesses To Use Hemp For Construction, Packaging And Other Purposes

4 Ousted co-founders sue leaders of marijuana tech company Dutchie

5 Alaska ranks highest, New Jersey lowest in adult-use marijuana taxes, report says

6 Biden makes history by signing landmark marijuana research bill into law

7 As SAFE Banking prospects fade in Congress, marijuana industry tempers hopes

8 Dispensaries’ Cashless ATM Transactions Get The Ax

Editors’ Note: This is an excerpt from our Monthly Playbook. If you would like to read the full monthly playbook and join the thousands of others you can sign up below.