The JuanaOne is engineered as a work center where a single person can weigh, fill and compact up to 500 joints per hour in less than 5 square feet of floor space.

November 4, 2021 – PRESS RELEASE – Canapa has introduced the JuanaOne, the latest addition to its family of pre-roll machines.

The JuanaOne is engineered as a work center where a single person can weigh, fill and compact  up to 500 joints per hour in less than 5 square feet of floor space.

Using the same mechanical design as its sister, the JuanaRoll, the JuanaOne includes a bulk  canister, a weight cell to ensure accurate weight measurement and a unique compaction system  to ensure consistent, compacted joints.

This automated pre-roll solution is perfect for LPs that want to avoid volumetric filling and  convert to accurate weighing as well as those that need more productivity, have limited space or  require multiple changeovers.

The JuanaOne pre-roll machine is built using 304 stainless steel, making it easy to clean, and its  user-friendly HMI and on-screen production statistics allow real-time reporting at the touch of a  button.

Visit www.juana1.com to learn more about the JuanaOne pre-roll machine and request  more  information.

Cary Berger joins Shryne Group from Houseplant, where he served in a similar role.

Shryne Group has tapped Cary Berger as its Chief Legal Officer.

In his new role, Berger will be lead the company's legal functions and advise the board and management on all business, legal, and policy matters, according to Shryne Group. He will report to Shryne Group CEO Jon Avidor.

"Cary is that rare person who understands both the intricacies of cannabis law and more traditional corporate law and governance," Avidor says. "His experience and leadership will be crucial as we continue to expand both in California and in new states."

Berger joins Shryne Group after previously serving as general counsel and chief administrative office for Houseplant, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's cannabis company.

"Throughout my career, I have worked with private and public companies at the brink of massive growth, and that's certainly the opportunity I see for Shryne," Berger says. "I'm excited to help Shryne navigate its next era."

Physicians can now begin certifying medical cannabis patients.

South Dakota is now taking applications for medical cannabis cards as physicians begin certifying patients for the program, according to a KELO report.

Physicians can now access the state’s medical cannabis patient portal to certify patients, according to an update on the program’s website. Patients with a “debilitating medical condition” can qualify for medical cannabis, according to KELO.

Once a patient receives certification from a physician, he or she can access the online application process to obtain a medical cannabis ID card.

South Dakota lawmakers approved the state's medical cannabis regulations last month, and the Department of Health was required to begin issuing medical cannabis ID cards by Nov. 18 under Measure 26, South Dakota’s voter-approved medical cannabis legalization measure.

Meanwhile, the South Dakota Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling on the constitutionality of Amendment A, the state’s voter-approved adult-use legalization measure that has been challenged in court.

Viola products are currently available on the Medical Cannabis by Shoppers digital platform through a partnership with Avicanna Inc.

Viola Brands launched in Canada through a partnership with Avicanna Inc., a Canadian biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Toronto.

Avicanna is responsible for managing overall commercialization of all Viola products in Canada through its manufacturing, distribution, and sales infrastructure, according to a company statement. Viola products are currently available on Medical Cannabis by Shoppers, an digital platform and subsidiary of Shoppers Drug Mart Inc.

Michigan-based Viola, founded in 2011 by 16-year NBA veteran Al Harrington, currently has a licensed footprint in five states, in addition to its production expansion to Canada.

"We're excited to launch in Canada with our partner, Avicanna, who shares our vision to increase representation and promote equity within the cannabis industry," said Harrington, co-founder and CEO of Viola, in a press release. "And look forward to having Viola's premium products available at Medical Cannabis by Shoppers."

Viola products currently available through Medical Cannabis by Shoppers include THC and CBD products, including cartridges, concentrates, and disposable vaporizers.

"Today, Canada's incredible diversity is not well represented by existing brands and through this multi-layered partnership with Viola, we seek to fill that gap, bring some much-needed minority representation, and extend Al's vision to Canadian consumers," said Aras Azadian, CEO of Avicanna, in the release. "Additionally, having Viola's premium products launched in Canada through our distribution agreement with Medical Cannabis by Shoppers Drug Mart will be a huge win for Canadians as the products will be available nationwide immediately."

Developing a complete equipment list is one of the most important steps along the way to getting your solventless lab up and running.

You and your team are plotting a business strategy that will get you into the fast-growing solventless segment. This is distinct from solvent-based processing, and the lab build-out needs are different. In terms of pure equipment purchasing, where should you begin?

Developing a complete equipment list is one of the most important steps along the way. While you’re working out your facility design with architecture experts and contractors, you’ll need to be cognizant of what, exactly, you’re going to be using in the building. The equipment list is your guide. And to understand the list, you need to understand the basic elements of solventless processing. Vendor partners can help.

“Having the ability to work with quality equipment and more importantly, quality business partners, is crucial to anyone’s success in this rapidly evolving cannabis market,” says Jillian Krall, director of hash production at Papa’s Select. 

1a. Ice water hash vessel

The first step in the solventless process is to wash your fresh-frozen cannabis plant material with RO water in an appointed vessel. You will want a food-grade surface in your hash vessel; this is an example of best practices that will keep your lab ahead of the curve and ready for future regulations. While many legacy labs might still be using trash cans or other receptacles for their washing process, it’s important to prepare for future regulations and to make the switch to stainless steel, food-grade vessels for this task.

Based on your output goals, hash vessels vary by size. Boutique labs may err on the side of hand-washing. Larger labs with goals at a greater scale may look to automated solutions.

Also consider the foot traffic of your lab: How will employees move around the space? Ports and wheels will make your vessel mobile, so that you can move it around and attach hoses for draining (either for gravity-draining or automated filtration). This can increase your lab’s efficiency considerably.

During the wash process, you will need to agitate the fresh-frozen material to detach the trichomes. This can be done by hand or with automated devices.

If you’re washing your material by hand, use a food-grade paddle. The same principle works for automated solutions, too, like PurePressure’s Axis trichome separator: Food-grade material is paramount.

WATCH: How To: Designing a Solventless Processing Lab

Following the agitation, you’ll need to filter and drain what you’ve just washed. This can be done manually, through simple gravity-draining, or with an automated solution that filters the washed product inside and runs through hoses attached to the hash vessel.

When gravity-draining, your vessel will be placed on a platform, providing the space to pour the water into a second vessel on the ground. In that second vessel, filtration bags will catch the material coming out of the first vessel. Those filtration bags come in different increments of micron measurements, each of which can be used to produce a different type of end product (220 microns through 25 microns).

If you’re using an automated hash pump, pneumatic hoses will pull the water out of the vessel and use positive-displacement suction to drain the water and leave behind the material you need. Dollies and/or rolling hash vessels will come in handy here. PurePressure’s Pneumatic Hash Pump, as an example, can be used for hand washing as well as to eliminate the need for gravity draining. The key is to move everything to the ground to make the process mobile.

The freeze dryer is a necessary component in your lab, especially as your storage needs expand with time.

Like the freeze dryer and most other equipment in the lab, output goals are important here. How much product are you planning to process in a given day or a given month? There are many types of rosin press options on the market, with different sizes correlating to different end product needs. 

The critical variables with a rosin press are heat and pressure. It helps to use a rosin press that will provide accurate readings of those variables, so that you have a keen understanding of how your processing work is done.

PurePressure rosin presses also allow users to save recipes and revisit for later processing. The key here is to build your lab efficiencies around your own business’s needs.

“The equipment that PurePressure has designed for solventless cannabis concentrate manufacturing is the perfect balance of effectiveness and simplicity,” Krall says. “The addition of their equipment to my hash lab in northern California has allowed me to scale my manufacturing while still maintaining the fully hand-crafted, high-quality products that Papa’s Select is known for. Every piece PurePressure offers has been thoughtfully designed and thoroughly tested by their own hash makers and allows any buyer to proceed with full confidence in their ability to deliver beyond expectation.”

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