As we head into 2016, fast-growing Boulder- and Denver-based cannabis entrepreneurs shared what cannabis consumers want now with Daily Camera reporter Shay Castle. With cannabis-industry revenues on track to hit $1 billion for this year, popular new product categories include:
A “gentle, pleasant high.” At Boulder startup Chooze, a cognitive scientist has formulated vaporized pellets with 50 percent THC (cannabis’ psychoactive compound) and 50 percent CBD (a non-psychoactive compound touted for its medicinal properties) that offer moods like sedation and ambition, rather than feeling stoned.
Mapping the cannabis genome. The Cannabis sativa plant has over 100 potentially beneficial, mostly yet-to-be-researched compounds that could result in thousands of new products, says Nolan Kane, an evolutionary biologist and post-doctoral adviser at the University of Colorado, which is participating in the Cannabis Genomic Research Initiative (CGRI).
“Sales for products infused with CBD oil will top $85 million in 2015, according to a recent report from the Boulder-based Hemp Business Journal, though industry insiders say that figure is likely a low estimate.” The next aspirin? Culled from industrial hemp, CBD has been found to have pain-relieving effects and other possible health benefits.Other trends include: healthier edible products; standardized, distilled marijuana and hemp drinks; and more. Read full article.
Photo by R+R Medicinals on Unsplash