The hemp industry across the United States has exploded over the last decade following the easing of regulations on state and federal levels. While the plant had been vilified for decades, its medical benefits continued to be studied at universities, and as research continued to emerge, new drug policy initiatives began to take hold. The movement to bring cannabis compounds like THC and CBD reached critical mass in 2018 with the passage of the Farm Bill.

This new legal framework brought the industry out of the shadows and into the limelight, spawning multi-billion dollar growth in sectors like healthcare, nutrition, farming, and processing. 

A review of the technological advancements since the passage of this legislation shows that consumers are not only benefiting from a more transparent production infrastructure, but they are also finding higher quality, higher potency products with positive real-world health applications. 

Hemp-based products can be purchased in the form of oils, supplements, foods, topical skin creams, and electronic vaporizer products. 

But none of it would be possible with the technological know-how of the companies that extract the hemp’s active compounds from the plant itself. 

Following harvest, but before these consumer products can be created, manufacturers must first remove the many components from the plant, filter them, process them, and in some cases, isolate them. 

This initial step of removing components is known as “extraction” and involves one of several processes, such as critical CO2, which uses carbon dioxide at high pressures and temperatures, or ethanol, which uses sub-zero temperatures and sugarcane-based extraction. 

Once removed, this raw material containing beneficial hemp compounds like cannabinoids, terpenes, lipids, and flavonoids is further processed into base materials. 

As one might expect, there are a number of these base raw materials, each with a different profile, benefit, and use case for consumers.

Once such raw material, known as a CBD distillate, is used in products that have been widely studied for their “entourage benefits.” This entourage effect is used by scientists to describe the many parts of a particular medicine or treatment plan that contribute to an overall effect. In the case of full spectrum CBD distillate, the raw material contains cannabinoids like the well-known cannabidiol (CBD) and Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) compounds, among many others. It also contains aromatic terpenes, which in addition to the health benefits identified in clinical studies, are primarily responsible for the distinct smell associated with hemp-based products. 

When one visits a dispensary or nutritionist to inquire about hemp products, full spectrum-based distillate blends are often the most recommended choice for medical benefits. They can be taken in the form of full spectrum CBD oils or capsules, as well as directly as raw concentrates by using them in e-vapes or food preparation. 

But not all consumers are open to the idea of taking a hemp extract, namely because of cannabis’ association with the intoxicating effects of THC found in marijuana. As consumer education expands, however, it becomes clear that hemp can be beneficial for users even without THC. Some distillates, like broad spectrum concentrates, have a similar make-up of compounds to full spectrum blends, but technological approaches such as chromatography make it possible to remove certain components. In this case, THC free broad spectrum distillates are designed to have detectable levels of THC removed from the raw material. 

This is a win-win for consumers looking to experience the entourage effects of hemp’s health benefits without worrying about taking any psychoactive levels of THC. 

Further still, processes involving the isolation of specific compounds have led to another budding industry. An isolate powder, for example, uses a process to completely remove all of the other compounds like THC, CBN, and CBG from the extracted raw hemp material to “isolate” the specific compound cannabidiol. This highly desirable crystalline CBD powder is a solution used by manufacturers who want “pure” hemp-based products with concentrations above 99%. 

With regulatory infrastructure in place, research investment pouring in, and consumer demand growing, hemp extract products such as CBD oils made from distillates and crystalline powders may change the very makeup of the health industry. 

Integrated medicine doctors are increasingly using them as part of their treatment plans, providing a safe complement or alternative to those in need.