10 Cannabis Tech Tools Shaping the Industry
From artificial intelligence (AI) tools to sophisticated supply chain management systems, the cannabis industry relies on some advanced technology to keep growing.
1. Seed-to-sale tracking and compliance systems
This tech handles the complex task of monitoring the entire plant-touching supply chain for quality assurance and regulatory compliance. Generally, these systems rely on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology and software to track the flow of seeds, plants, flower, and manufactured products through the cannabis supply chain.?
Popular seed to sale tracking systems include names like Metrc, Distru, GrowFlow, and Canix, though some states require the use of particular platforms. In New York, operators can use any software they want; the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) uses BioTrack THC.?
2. AI budtenders
Some dispensaries are capitalizing on the rise of AI to improve the budtender-customer interaction. A leading name in this new space is Pluggi, a platform that integrates with ecommerce platforms and offers customers the same type of personalized service they’ve come to expect from your human budtenders on-site.?
3. Extraction equipment
Extraction technology is not new. However, its use in cannabis is relatively new. Today, extraction tech is widely applied in the cannabis industry and includes both solvent-based and solventless extraction equipment. It also includes devices like rosin presses. Companies like Delta Separations, Precision Extraction, and Root Sciences produce extraction equipment essential to the cannabis extraction process.?
4. Menu providers
The menu is the dispensary’s focus, whether customers place pickup orders online or do in-store shopping. Menu providers support dispensaries who want to offer their customers a familiar and convenient way to shop for cannabis, even if customers can’t have products shipped to their door.?
5. Personal consumption devices
The way we consume cannabis is also changing thanks to technological innovation. Electronic consumption devices eliminate the need for pipes and paper and use apps and other electronic means to create a truly customized consumption experience. Brooklyn-based Puffco is one such innovator in the personal consumption devices space.?
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6. Cannabis security software?
Security is critical in cannabis. In addition to state regulations that include strict security requirements, dispensaries and other companies can be a target for burglary. That’s where cannabis security software comes in, helping operators manage their facilities and demonstrate full compliance with their state’s requirements.?
7. Curing and drying equipment
After harvesting, cannabis needs to be dried and cured. Historically, this process could take weeks or months, but new technologies improve this ancient process. Companies like Cryo Cure, Cannatrol, and Happy Hydro have all developed equipment and processes that support more efficient and higher quality drying and curing.?
8. Decarboxylation equipment
When using cannabis as an ingredient to create edibles or topicals, it first needs to go through a process known as “decarboxylation” which involves heating cannabis flower at low temperatures for a long time. Cannabis manufacturing equipment providers sell industrial-sized ovens built for this task. Often called “decarbing ovens,” they come with settings designed specifically for cannabis. There are also many at-home gadgets, like the Ardent and the Levo, that simplify at-home decarboxylation.
9. Retail management platforms
When you run a retail business, you need a point-of-sale system for tracking dispensary sales and managing transactions. You also need an inventory management system that can track your current stock and collect sales data. Cannabis retail management platforms have brought all these functions into one useful system that keeps dispensaries organized and efficient. Companies like Flowhub offer software that meets these requirements.?
10. Nanoemulsion technologies
When making infused products like edibles and cannabis beverages, it’s important to ensure consumers have consistent, reliable experiences with dosages they can depend on. That means each product needs to not only contain the same amounts of cannabinoids in the same proportions as the last, but each part of each product needs to be homogenous and contain the same amount as well. That’s where nanoemulsions come in. SōRSE Technology, for example, uses a water-soluble emulsification process that works with any oil-based ingredient to create emulsion formulations for cannabis brands.?
Emerging tech propels the cannabis industry forward
Technology companies come to the fore to help cannabis companies get more done and keep on expanding. To meet some of the leaders in cannabis tech, join us for the next Cannabis World Congress & Business Expo (CWBCExpo) June 5 - 6 at the Javits Convention Center in New York City.