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GREEN CROSS HELPS C.B.C. OF C.
By Hempology | August 19, 2007
Cannabis Digest
By Ted Smith
Another visit to the laboratory of the Green Cross Society of B.C. in Vancouver in June will help the CBC of C make even better food and skin products. Approaching one year of existence, the Green Cross is a busy place. (See Cannabis Digest #12). One of the best features of this new club is a cannabinoid profile of their products they show on the daily menu.
The Green Cross has retained the services of Dr. Paul Hornby to test the cannabis products and has given him space in the basement for his company HEDRON ANALYTICAL INC. With his mass spectrometer he can test for cannabinoids, molds and trace amounts of heavy chemicals. Last year, Dr. Hornby taught the ½ hour Cannabis Chemistry lecture at the University of Victoria and found the time went by too quickly. This year he will be teaching the class again, though we plan upon having a full 1 hour special lecture.
We had Dr. Hornby test 3 of our 27 edible and topical cannabis products: Ryanol, Cannoil and a cookie. Time and the cost of chemicals placed a limit on the number of items we could. The test results showed the amounts of CBD, CBN, THC and THC-acid that were present in each sample.
Many people are not aware that THC-acid, not THC, is present in the plant, and that it is only by heating, by either burning, vapourizing or cooking, that the conversion from THC-acid to THC occurs. That is why you cannot simply eat a bud and get high. There are some medical benefits from THC-acid, so it is not entirely without effect. We thought that the double-boiler method that we used to heat the vegetable oils and butter that we use in all of our products, except the rice crispie squares, did a good job of generating this chemical change. However, these test results have proven that there is still more THC-acid that can be converted into THC if the cannabis preparation is cooked properly. The results from the test were as follows:
CBN CBD THC THC-acid
Ryanol .065% .019% .49% .64%
Cookie .049% .017% .62% .35%
Cannoil .068% .026% .57% 3.7%
As you can see, the cookies have the highest percent THC and the best conversion rate. This is because when we bake the cookies more of the THC-acid gets converted into THC. It is surprising, though, considering that the cookie has extra food material that is included in the test. The Cannoil could have 6 times more THC is it is all properly converted, something we are keen to do. Now we will be cooking all of our cannabis in the oven for 1 hour at 200 C before cooking it into the butter or vegetable oils. By the time you are reading this, all of our products should be made using this new technique.
Sometime in the fall we will return to test the same products made with the new process to see if there is a better conversion rate. In the meantime, we have already heard back from members that the products seem more potent. When Gayle and I go back in the fall the renovations will definitely be completed. The Green Cross is fixing up a large basement for members to use computers, listen to music and smoke their medicine. It is taking them much longer than they hoped to finish the space, but when it is finally done it will be the best medical cannabis facility in the country. If you are ever in Vancouver, you should check them out. They accept membership cards from the CBC of C, and other recognized medical cannabis clubs.
Topics: Articles, CD-14th, Summer 2007 | Comments Off
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