Everything you’ve always wanted to know about cannabis production … but never dared to ask!
Is the cannabis industry funky? Yes and no. Today, we’re answering questions that are on everyone’s lips (yes, yours too, just admit it!) about the legal production of cannabis.
What’s a master grower?
The role of the master grower is to lead the production team in its daily activities. In other words, a master grower is a seasoned manager with a strong passion for canna-bis cultivation methods. To succeed in this type of work, one has to be 100% devoted to the cannabis plant.
Essentially, a master grower manages a team of growers and budtenders, relays infor-mation to higher management, closely monitors the plant’s growth, furthers his knowledge of organic farming, adjusts nutrients for optimal growth, analyzes the results of quality assurance tests, etc. Furthermore, a master grower has in-depth knowledge of the plant and always stays updated about industry trends and best practices.
What is a typical day like in a cannabis production facility?
While cannabis production is the perfect playground for cannabis enthusiasts, it is also a heavily regulated industry where serious growers must adhere to flawless methods and the highest standards. This is why the day-to-day activities in a cannabis factory are very similar to other industries, like the food industry for example. Of course, it takes a lot more horticultural skills to produce dried cannabis flowers with remarkable stability than it does to grow tomatoes in a greenhouse (no hard feelings towards our farmer friends who grow the tastiest veggies).
At Origine Nature, on a day-to-day basis, our team optimizes processes, manages the supply chain and stocks, handles the marketing of new products and genetics, ensures proper sanitation, participates in training sessions about health and safety in the work-place, maintains good relationships with suppliers, takes care of accounting and com-pletes Excel spreadsheets… In other words, a cannabis factory is a business like any other!
Who tests the quality of the products? How does it work?
Each batch produced by a licence holder must be tested before being made availa-ble for sale. The tests are carried out by accredited laboratories using approved meth-ods and procedures.
What exactly are these labs testing? They are testing for the quantity or concentration, as the case may be, of THC, THCA, CBD and CBDA, as well as lesser-known canna-binoids such as CBG, CBGA, CBN and THCV. Terpenes, the organic compounds that provide the aroma and flavour in cannabis, are tested for potency.
Residues are also tested to ensure there is no contamination. Residual solvents, heavy metals, aflatoxins—other than residues of a pest control product—must also be con-ducted. In total, 96 contaminants are monitored closely.
These microbiological contamination tests guarantee that the cannabis sold on the market is free from fungi, moulds and pathogens (E. colie and salmonella, for example). All of these tests are intended to protect consumers and assure them that they are purchasing high-quality cannabis.
Is there a difference between cannabis on the legal market vs. the illegal market?
Canadian cannabis producers must comply with a host of requirements and policies to maintain their licence. These strict regulations serve two roles: to ensure product safety and to optimize quality. Only businesses with a cultivation permit issued by Health Canada can legally grow cannabis. The agency’s guidance specifications include quality control, product safety and traceability, sanitation and hygiene measures, and much more!
The legal production of cannabis also ensures that products are free from contami-nants and pesticides. As you can see, we work hard to make sure that all Origine Na-ture products on their way to the SQDC meet the highest standards in the industry. And yours!
