Technology And CBD Industry: What’s The Link?

CBD technology is changing rapidly. The easing of regulations plus a huge interest in CBD has given rise to a new and thriving industry. As per Statista, the CBD industry could rake in about $1.8 billion in revenue from the sale of CBD products by 2022. These numbers could rise exponentially to $75 billion in the next decade to come. The changing technology will play an instrumental role in the growth of the CBD industry. Something happened ever since laws for cannabis procurement changed under the Farm Bill. Hence, in 2018, in the USA, there’s been a burst of companies experimenting with newer techniques and using the latest technologies to maximize profits. This also benefits customers who have to pay less as the competition rises. In this article, we shall discuss how technology is helping shape the world around cannabis.

Let’s take a deep dive!

Hi-Tech CBD Farming

Smart farming is shaping up the CBD industry for good. The use of modern technology helps ensure the best quality delivery. And, it boosts overall productivity, proving to be a win-win for both producers and consumers. So, the use of drones, GSP, soil scanning, data management, and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies-all make CBD farming smarter by the day. Plant-based sensor technology for integrated CBD has helped the CBD producers set high standards to ensure quality checks. Crop productivity, quality, THC levels — everything smart technology measures everything these days. So, allowing people to remain less dependent on nature and more on technology. This makes CBD farming efficient and helps producers cut down on unwanted expenses. Advanced farming techniques also help companies to innovate by producing newer and more effective strains.

What’s CBD and How To Extract It?

Cannabidiol or CBD a natural, non-psychoactive compound derived from the hemp plant, a cousin of the marijuana plant. CBD interacts with the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) — a complex signaling network that works as a regulator in the body — in our body. CBD works as a booster dose for the body after engaging with ECS, which balances out our body. To extract CBD, one needs to cultivate or harvest plants that have a high concentration of cannabidiol. The plants with higher levels of THC naturally contain low CBD and thus can’t make hemp or CBD oil.

Many cannabis varieties, particularly hemp, contain a high concentration of CBD. Those who are traditional cannabis farmers know exactly which hemp plant contains high CBD concentration. Once farmers harvest hemp leaves and stalks, the next task is to extract the compound. There are certain highly recommended extraction methods, which are used across industries. One can find numerous extraction solvents online as well as at offline stores, which can be used to extract CBD. These solvents collect CBD compounds and extract impurities. The most common method used in extracting CBD is via the supercritical CO2 (non-toxic fluid) process.

Use Of AI In CBD Farming

Modern-day technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning are being used to lower operational costs. Companies are using Artificial Intelligence technology in everything from marketing, production, R&D, and logistics. The insights gathered by AI can be deployed to develop effective marketing campaigns, which result in better sales. AI can also be deployed on the field to boost production. Data gathered using AI can help in deciding how much fertilizers, pesticides, light, water, and environmental control hemp plants need. The availability of more accurate data helps right from the start of production till the product is delivered to the customer. The use of AI is only going to increase in the future and the data will play a huge role in making people aware of its unique benefits.

CBD & Blockchain

Despite its enormous growth, the CBD industry suffers from transparency, mainly due to different regulations in each US state. The CBD entrepreneurs have long struggled to win over customers’ confidence as maintaining transparency in quality, regulation, and payment process may overwhelm them. This has led to the rise in the use of the latest blockchain technology in the CBD industry. Blockchain ensures not only transactional records in the most transparent ways but also ensures foolproof security and transparency.

Companies investing in digital currencies like bitcoin, ethereum, etc are betting big on this technology. Recently, the world’s second-richest person and Tesla chief executive Elon Musk also invested over $1 billion in bitcoin as its upward march continues. The world’s biggest companies like IBM, Mastercard, and Facebook, all are roping in blockchain technology to make their systems more transparent and robust. Similarly, many CBD companies are also using blockchain to carry out safe transactions and keep a check on the supply chain system. This kind of mingling of technologies is only going to increase soon.

Nanotechnology and CBD Bioavailability

Researchers are exploring possibilities of how the CBD effect can be maximized to provide a healthy experience to the consumer. This has led to research on the bioavailability of CBD. As we all know CBD is consumed in different ways i.e. vaping, orally, in the form of oil or edibles like gummies, and applying on the body. However, the fact is only 20 percent of the CBD is fully absorbed by the body, while the rest is dissolved in fats. That’s where nanotechnology comes in. The use of nanotechnology in understanding bioavailability is helping in the improvement of better CBD absorption.

Using technology, CBD is broken into nanoscopic dimensions, which makes it easy for the body to absorb it. Nanotechnology breaks CBD particles into nanoparticle sizes, thereby helping them dissolve in water present in our body. The research in this area is still at a nascent stage. The future, however, could be promising as more solutions and tech advancements are expected in the CBD industry. The industry will benefit from the rapid pace of tech advancement and it’ll be interesting to see what lies ahead for CBD producers as well as consumers.