Marijuana Business Magazine May-June 2019

Marijuana Business Magazine | May-June 2019 52 Oil-based ingestible products, including chocolate and hard candy, are lipids that must pass through the liver, where enzymes break down before eventually entering the bloodstream, said Ezra Malmuth, founder of Atlas Edibles, a Berkeley, California- based ingestible product manufacturer. That can mean it takes 40- 120 minutes for a consumer to feel their effects, he noted. Alternatively, when the oil is micro-encapsulated into an aqueous nanosuspension— and therefore is water soluble—it is more easily absorbed through the intestinal lining, creating a faster path to the bloodstream, Malmuth said. In other words, its effects are felt much faster than the typical time required for standard oil-based edibles, he noted. New products—including sublingual tablets, orally dissolving strips, beverages and beverage mixes—are designed to be absorbed through mucous membranes or the intestinal lining. That can cut uptake time in half. “If you’re manufacturing a stress- management product, consumers expect relief when they need it, not two hours from now,” said Ryan Crane, founder of Tukan, a Chicago- based maker of hemp-derived CBD beverages. “More absorption and quicker onset time is so important.” Crane estimates consumers can feel the effects of Tukan’s beverages in 15-30 minutes. Steven Addis, co-founder of Sum Microdose, a Boulder, Colorado-based maker of sublingual tablets, said his company’s pressed, micro-powder tablets dissolve under the tongue in less than a minute, and cannabinoids are introduced to a consumer’s circulatory system in as quickly as 10 minutes. Likewise, Malmuth said the effects from Atlas’ flavored beverage mixes can be felt within 15-30 minutes. Greater bioavailability and more rapid onset mean consumers are more likely to have a better experience. Ezra Malmuth is the founder of Atlas Edibles. Courtesy Photo Atlas Edibles says the effects of its flavored beverage mixes can be felt within 15-30 minutes. Courtesy Photo Products Average Total Sales Volume of Edibles & Beverages (through February 2019 for California, Colorado, Nevada and Washington state) Source: Headset 13 %