CULTIVATE WITH DREW EMMER & SCOTT SWAIL
For you and your journey in the cannabis industry.
The cannabis industry is facing an Evaporation Crisis. Everyone knows cannabis must be dried to be effective. But how dry is too dry?
Learn about the dangers of overly dry cannabis from Medical Cannabis Cup winner and Canadian cannabis educator John Berfelo and Boveda research and development lead Brian Rice.
- Why water weight evaporation is a big, costly problem for cannabis producers
- How overly dry flower affects MMJ patients’ wellness and relief
- How much evaporation costs producers in lost profits every year
- Why rehydrating cannabis flower can’t bring back potency—or customers if you disappoint them with bad flower
“When product gets to the marketplace that isn’t as high quality as it could be for the consumer, everyone loses.”
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WHAt GOES AWAY WHEN MOISTURE EVAPORATES FROM CANNABIS
International cannabis standards from the ASTM cannabis committee recommend maintaining a water activity level between .55 and .65 for dried flower. That equates to a curing, storing and packaging environment for dried flower between 55% and 65% RH.
CANNABIS STORAGE BELOW 55% RH COMPROMISES THE QUALITY OF BUD, INCLUDING:
- Terpene levels
- Aroma
- Taste
- Color
- Potency
- Efficacy
WHAT EVAPORATION COSTS CANNABIS GROWERS
For a customer, overly dried flower can provide a harsh, less effective cannabis experience. And bad flower often sends that customer shopping for a new LP. There goes future sales and brand loyalty.
“You have to come up with a way to address quality. The quality of what’s getting to the consumer or patient is, by Boveda’s investigation, it’s really deficient. People are really missing out. The dry cannabis issue is a dire crisis for people not getting the most out of the product they’re buying,” Drew said.
The cost of cultivation is what it is. If producers don’t control humidity from curing through to sale, moisture will evaporate and affect that flower’s weight. Since the overly dry flower now weighs less, it now will sell for less. And that means lost profits for every yield.
“People all over who are growing cannabis are losing money due to evaporation.”
-Scott Swail
How much can you save by curing, storing and packaging buds with Boveda?
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WHAT EVAPORATION COSTS CANNABIS CONSUMERS
Most importantly, when terpenes are lost to evaporation, they’re gone. “All of that good stuff is going out into the atmosphere and you’re not getting it back,” Scott said.
Drew agreed. “You’re going to lose a significant amount of the medicinal value in the product—you can’t get that back.”
As a medical cannabis patient, John Berfelo relys on high quality product. However, if his flower is overly dry, the very essence of what makes cannabis effective literally disappears into thin air.
“As those terpenes evaporate, I’m losing that freshness. I’m losing that relief.”
– John Berfelo
“If you grind flower, [for pre-rolls and joints] you create more surface area which in turn creates more exits for that goodness to come out the flower,” Drew added.
And overly dry buds don’t just zap relief and experience. Evaporation wastes a cannabis consumer’s money, too. “For example, you’re spending minimum of $45 an eighth (in Canada). You essentially get ripped off because you’re getting underweight cannabis,” Scott added. “If you have proper storage and proper humidity control, that gets eliminated completely.”
HOW BOVEDA PREVENTS EVAPORATION IN CANNABIS
Above all, LPs can prevent water weight evaporation. Using proper humidity control and storage ensures flower is protected from becoming overly dry. Research proves that Boveda helps cannabis retain its moisture.
“It’s a solvable problem. This Evaporation Crisis for cannabis doesn’t have to linger beyond these first nascent years of the business.”
-Drew Emmer
At such a critical time for the cannabis industry, make sure what’s getting to your consumers is both safe and potent. Maintain proper humidity control from curing through to your customer’s enjoyment of your product keeps them coming back to you for more. Protect your craft and your reputation with Boveda humidity control for cannabis. Boveda prevents evaporation of water weight.
WHAT ELSE YOU’LL LEARN IN THIS EXPOSÉ OF HOW EVAPORATION AFFECTS CANNABIS PROFITS:
- 2 minute Cannabis Industry Update with Lance Lambert. (1:09)
- The Cannabis Evaporation Crisis. (4:50)
- Jon Berfelo’s cannabis quality experience. (6:00)
- How can you tell if weed is too dry? (7:50)
- What does water activity/relative humidity have to do with cannabis? (9:45)
- What is moisture content in cannabis? (10:20)
- Why should you care about the moisture in your cannabis! (12:25)
- Why are terpenes important in cannabis? (13:10)
- How evaporation of water weight causes terpene loss. (14:10)
- The unintended consequence of cannabis regulation in Canada. (15:25)
- What ASTM standards mean for cannabis companies. (16:20)
- How to address the quality of your cannabis. (20:00)
- Cannabis throughout the country is too dry. (22:05)
- Did Health Canada attribute to the Evaporation Crisis with the “keep cannabis dry” label instructions? (24:30)
- How to solve the dry cannabis dilemma. (25:10)
- How dry cannabis affects a cannabis brand’s reputation. (26:50)
- Can you rehydrate cannabis flower? (28:00)
- Rehydrating flower can’t restore destroyed terpenes and trichomes. (31:00)
- Why proper humidity control is essential from curing to consumption. (32:30)
- What is the global loss due to evaporation. (35:50)
- How to prevent evaporation in cannabis. (36:40)
- Why evaporation is a world-wide issue for cannabis consumers. (39:20)
- How cannabis companies can stop over drying flower. (41:00)
- Why Boveda is the easy way to stop evaporation in cannabis. (43:10)
By Rachelle Gordon
www.RachelleGordon.net
Rachelle Gordon is a Minneapolis-based freelance writer and educator in the cannabis space. She has dedicated herself to informing others about the powers of plant medicine after witnessing her father’s struggle with epilepsy (and subsequent stroke) in her childhood.
Rachelle’s posts are being provided for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by Boveda of any of the products, services or opinions of Rachelle. Boveda bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of this post or links to the posts. Contact Rachelle Gordon for answers to questions regarding her content.
