Ask the Experts: Cultivation, Part I: What Is the Biggest Challenge in Cannabis Cultivation?
Experts weigh in on the biggest challenges in cultivating cannabis.
Leading cultivators and researchers from the cannabis industry-Zac Hildenbrand, Inform Environmental, LLC; Karan Kapoor, Avana Canada Inc.; Autumn Karcey, Cultivo, Inc.; and Roger Kern, Agate Biosciences-participate in this round-table discussion series on cultivation. This month they discuss the biggest challenges in cannabis cultivation.
What is the biggest challenge in cannabis cultivation?Zac Hildenbrand: Controlling the environment conditions is always a challenge. For example, controlling pests and microbes is a daunting, yet manageable task; however, trying to prevent the occurrence of cross-pollinating is sometimes impossible. This has become more of a prevalent issue with the emergence of outdoor hemp cultivation that is conducted in the proximity of outdoor cannabis cultivation. The pollination of hemp with cannabis pollen or the pollination of cannabis with hemp pollen can have devastating impacts on an outdoor crop.
Karan Kapoor: The biggest challenge from my point of view is the lack of scientific ideas in the cannabis industry compared to the agriculture sector. Because of prohibition, cannabis science is almost 50 years behind compared to agriculture, which has led to a lot of misinformation in the cannabis industry. For example, there is not reliable information about the cannabis strains. An ongoing operational challenge in the industry is between quality assurance (QA) teams and growers. Many experienced growers who came to the legal industry don’t have an educational base to understand the quality assurance process, which leads to conflicts. Industry should spend some resources on educating these growers to understand the QA process.
The lack of a “structed breeding” approach in the cannabis industry is another problem that has led to too many cannabis strains, the majority of which might not be significantly different from each other in secondary metabolites contents and quality. Indoor breeding of cannabis has led to very week plants at disease resistance level which has led to some licensed producers having lost up to 90% of their crop because of diseases. There is a large need for developing disease and pest resistance.
Another challenge is the lack of government initiative towards research and development (plant sciences side). Still governments do not have clear guidelines on grant submission for cannabis. Cannabis does not fall completely under agriculture, food, or pharmaceuticals, but in a combination of all.
Autumn Karcey: I would say overall the biggest challenge in cannabis cultivation is producing quality and consistency while attempting to scale. Many of the methodologies used in small scale cultivation do not scale well and it becomes counter intuitive like trying to turn a liquor store into a Costco, the same rules don’t always apply. Understanding thresholds of large scale processing while not impeding on quality is key and can be a challenge for any company.
Roger Kern: It depends. For the grower starting out, it’s a matter of matter of finding the proper strain and matching it to the proper environment. For larger growers, it’s all about efficiency: efficiency of energy and efficiency of labor. Efficiency of labor means designing your facility with a proper workflow and choosing technology that minimizes the labor involved and people’s interaction with the plants. The fewer people, the less likely for them to bring diseases into the controlled-crop environment.
Look for part II of "Ask the Experts: Cultivation" in our July 2019 newsletter. Part II of our analytical methods/cannabis testing series will appear in May and Part II of the series on extraction will appear in June.
Cannabis, US Presidential Election 2024, and Beyond: A Roundtable Discussion, Part II
December 17th 2024With the recent 2024 presidential election behind us, the future of cannabis still has many unknowns moving forward and questions still to be discussed. In this roundtable discussion with four knowledgeable industry leaders, we explore the nuanced political landscape of cannabis legalization and rescheduling in the context of the election, including state and federal policies and possible paths forward for testing standardization. Join us in the second part of a compilation of responses from Kim Anzarut, CQA, CP-FS, CEO of Allay Consulting; Susan Audino, PhD, founder of S.A. Audino & Associates, LLC; Zacariah Hildenbrand, PhD, research Professor at the University of Texas at El Paso; and David Vaillencourt, CEO of The GMP Collective.
Cannabis, US Presidential Election 2024, and Beyond: A Roundtable Discussion, Part I
December 16th 2024With the recent 2024 presidential election behind us, the future of cannabis still has many unknowns moving forward and questions still to be discussed. In this roundtable discussion with four knowledgeable industry leaders, we explore the nuanced political landscape of cannabis legalization and rescheduling in the context of the election. We discuss what drives support or opposition from both sides of the aisle, the complexities of balancing state and federal priorities, and more. Join us in the first part of a compilation of responses from Kim Anzarut, CQA, CP-FS, CEO of Allay Consulting; Susan Audino, PhD, founder of S.A. Audino & Associates, LLC; Zacariah Hildenbrand, PhD, research Professor at the University of Texas at El Paso; and David Vaillencourt, CEO of The GMP Collective.
Empowering Women in Cannabis: Susan Audino, PhD, on Inclusivity, Integrity, and Industry Challenges
December 11th 2024Founder of S. A. Audino & Associates, LLC, Susan Audino, PhD, recently co-founded Saturn Scientific, LLC, a collaboration of five experienced individuals providing unbiased evaluations on the data and science for stakeholders in the cannabis industry. In this interview with Cannabis Science and Technology, Dr. Audino shares her unexpected path into analytical science and the cannabis industry as well as the obstacles she’s faced throughout her career. She highlights the gender bias she’s observed, such as unequal recognition of credentials and workplace challenges, while advocating for inclusivity and mentorship to empower women in science. Additionally, Dr. Audino recounts her experiences of navigating the male-dominated cannabis space, pushing for transparency, collaboration, and integrity in laboratory practices. Ultimately, Audino believes fostering mutual respect and knowledge-sharing is vital for the industry’s growth and resilience.
Collaboration, Gender Diversity, and Progress: Julie Kowalski on Advancing Cannabis Science
December 10th 2024In this interview with Cannabis Science and Technology, Julie Kowalski, an experienced analytical chemist, discusses her path into the cannabis industry, starting with early work in gas chromatography. Kowalski reflects on her perspectives as a female scientist, highlighting biases she’s experienced and the benefits of gender inclusivity in the cannabis space. Greater unity and professionalism could benefit the industry as a whole, she explains. She also encourages collaboration and more women in leadership positions in order to build a stronger scientific community, and also urges women to advocate for themselves, noting that women in cannabis face unique obstacles but often demonstrate consensus-building strategies and solutions.
Gender Diversity and Innovation in the Cannabis Space: Insights from Tess Eidem, PhD
December 9th 2024Cannabis Science and Technology sat down with Tess Eidem, PhD, PCQI, member of Saturn Scientific, LLC, to discuss her journey from antibiotic research to cannabis microbiology and her observations throughout her career. Dr. Eidem highlights challenges women face in this male-dominated industry, including limited representation in leadership roles and frequent experiences of bias and discrimination. She emphasizes the importance of gender diversity in fostering innovation, improving product safety, and addressing women’s health needs in cannabis applications. Her advice to women scientists is to build strong professional relationships and carefully evaluate work environments to advance their careers in this evolving and often challenging space.
Inside the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy’s Graduate Program in Medical Cannabis
September 16th 2024Leah Sera, PharmD, MA, the co-program director for the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy’s Graduate Studies in Medical Cannabis program sat down with Cannabis Science and Technology to discuss higher education in medical cannabis.
