Scientists team up to study marijuana beverages
Legalization of cannabis opens up new research opportunities for scientists
The “cannabis space” is about to get liquid, with beverages delivering the stuff in handy drinkable formulas. From cannabis-spiced lattes, to weed beer and energy drinks — the possibilities are endless.
A new partnership between the University of British Columbia Okanagan, BCIT and Pac Rim Brands — a Kelowna-based integrated cannabis company — aims to research and develop cannabisbased beverages that incorporate cannabis ingredients in a way that is safe, shelf-stable and effective.
Prof. Susan Murch, an expert in medicinal plants who is involved in the project, said the legalization of cannabis has opened up new opportunities for scientists. “If you asked me five years ago whether I would ever be working on cannabis, I would have said of course not, no, because it wasn’t legal, there were too many restrictions.”
Murch, who teaches chemistry at UBCO, said legalization will allow scientists to get “real data” on what medicinal effects different strains have. “There are a lot of things that we think to be true about cannabis that have come from the informal, or grey market, about which we don’t have validated scientific evidence.”
Most important, said Murch, is that “if we are going to have products on the market that they be safe, stable, well-tested and of high quality.”
Murch said that, along with Paula Brown, of BCIT, researchers will be looking at how to use the ingredients in a wide range of products, and solve technical challenges such as incorporating THC and CBD, which are mostly oil soluble, into aqueous beverages like water or alcohol.
Murch said, “We are going to see a whole new range of products on the shelf in Canada but we don’t know yet whether products will have a shelf life like milk, or something more like beer.”
Students are excited, said Murch. “Projects like this allow students to be involved in a practical process with a real world application.”
As for what those beverage products will taste like, Kevin Letun, chief strategy officer for Pac Rim brands said Pac Rim is developing health, wellness, sports nutrition and recreation beverages, but the science comes first. “Our No. 1 goal is to create consumer products that are scientifically tested and safe. We want to build this from the groundwork of science.”
Liquid edibles are not yet market-approved by Health Canada and Murch said, “There’s a lot of hard work that needs to be done before products end up on the shelf.”