Whether you are a cannabis cultivator or a consumer, understanding cannabis logistics, the cannabis production cycle & overall supply chain is necessary for you. From cultivating seeds to delivering products to customers, each step of the supply chain plays a vital role in ensuring quality, compliance, and accessibility. In this blog, we’ll walk you through the entire seed-to-sale cannabis journey, covering everything you need to know. Stay with us!
What is Cannabis? What is THC & CBD?
Cannabis is a powerful plant known for its relaxing, healing, and mind-altering effects. It has both therapeutic and psychoactive properties. Whether you are an artist, sportsman, medical patient, or yoga & meditation enthusiast, cannabis is your alternative way to traditional medicine in terms of pain relief or increase focusing.
Packed with compounds like THC (the one that gets you high and has psychoactive effects) and CBD (the chill, no-high healer and has therapeutic attributes), it’s used for relaxation, pain relief, treatment of rare diseases, and even wellness. Whether for medical, recreational, or industrial use, cannabis is making history worldwide!
Cannabis Market around the World
According to Fortune Business Insights, the global cannabis industry is expected to grow to $197.74 billion by 2028, with an annual growth rate of 32.04% from 2021 to 2028. The global cannabis market is rapidly expanding as more countries legalize cannabis because of its medical and recreational use. North America leads the industry, with the U.S. and Canada driving significant growth. In Europe, nations like Germany and the Netherlands are advancing cannabis regulations, while Latin America sees a rise in medical cannabis production. Asia remains cautious, but countries like Thailand are beginning to embrace legalization. With increasing acceptance and innovation, the global cannabis market is set to grow exponentially in the coming years.
Cannabis Industry Supply Chain
A well-managed cannabis supply chain is key to a successful and sustainable industry! Because it ensures high-quality, safe, legal, and efficient production and distribution of cannabis products. If you wonder what is cannabis supply chain?-the cannabis supply chain refers to the entire process of producing, processing, and delivering cannabis products from seed to sale. Let’s discuss the supply chain process.
1. Cannabis Cultivation Process
This is the first stage of cannabis cultivation starts from seed selection and ends with harvesting. Cannabis can also be grown indoors, outdoors, or in greenhouses, each method offering unique benefits and challenges. For now, let’s discuss the cultivation process.
- Seed Selection – Choose high-quality seeds or clones for better growth.
- Germination – The seed sprouts, and roots start to grow.
- Seeding – Small leaves emerge, needing proper light and humidity to survive.
- Vegetative Stage – The plant grows rapidly, requiring light and nutrients. After 1-2 months, the sex of the plants becomes visible.
- Pre-Flowering – After 10-14 days of a 12-hour dark cycle, small flowers begin to form.
- Flowering – Lasts 6-22 weeks; female and male plants are separated to prevent pollination.
- Harvesting – Timing depends on use. After drying for 3-7 days in a dark, climate-controlled room, the plant is ready for processing.
This is the step-by-step process of cultivating healthy cannabis plants and producing high-quality cannabis products.
2. Processing & Extraction: Turning Plant into Product
After harvesting, cannabis plants undergo processing and extraction to create various products like oils, edibles, and concentrates.
- Drying & Curing – Freshly harvested cannabis is dried for 3-7 days in a controlled environment to preserve potency and flavor.
- Trimming – Leaves and stems are removed to enhance the quality of the final product.
- Grinding – The dried cannabis is ground into smaller particles for easier extraction.
- Extraction – Cannabinoids and terpenes are separated using methods such as CO2 or solvent-based methods.
- Purification & Refinement – Unwanted plant material, waxes, and chlorophyll are removed for purity.
- Distillation – The extracted oil is further refined for high potency and consistency.
Following these processes, cannabis is carefully collected and produced as multiple products.
3. Manufacturing Process
In this stage, raw cannabis is turned into products ready for consumers. This includes packaging, branding, and following rules set by local and federal authorities.
- Product Formulation – The cannabis extract is infused into various products like tinctures, edibles, vape oils, and topicals.
- Packaging and Labeling: Products are sealed properly, made child-resistant, and labeled with clear information about THC/CBD content.
- Quality Assurance: Products are tested to make sure they are safe and have the right potency.
4. Cannabis Distribution: Connecting Producers to Retailers
When cannabis products testify properly it goes to the dispensaries. This process is called cannabis distribution. In two ways cannabis products are distributed:
- Wholesalers: They act as middlemen between producers and retailers, helping to distribute products.
- Logistics: It involves transporting and storing products efficiently to keep them fresh and meet demand.
5. Retail: The Final Stage of The Supply Chain
This is the last step of the cannabis supply chain. Here dispensaries and online platforms serve as the primary points of sale for consumers. So, this is the place where the customer gets raw cannabis or cannabis products. Moreover, retailers are responsible for educating consumers, ensuring proper labeling, and adhering to age restrictions and other regulatory requirements. If you are searching for legal cannabis, recommendations & cards to purchase cannabis, and access to all cannabis dispensaries, you can reach out to Medcardnow. They are providing all of these. Also, you can have a doctor’s consultation if you seek.
The retail environment plays a crucial role in shaping consumer perceptions and experiences within the cannabis industry. Retailers must also implement seed-to-sale tracking systems to monitor inventory and ensure transparency, and compliance with regulations.
Challenges & Considerations in Cannabis Supply Chain
We all know that the cannabis industry is booming worldwide because of its beneficial uses. But it’s true that, still now there is a lot of hardship you have to face in this industry. As a cannabis farmer, retailer, entrepreneur, and consumer, you can face some challenges including:
- Different states have unique rules for cultivation, processing, and sales.
- Energy usage, licensing fees, and compliance costs can strain businesses.
- Chemical and Pathogenic contamination.
- Limited access to banking services.
- Regulatory requirements like audits and quality checks.
- Mismanaged inventory and paper trail for records and certificates
- Fraud and the spurious market lead to unsafe products.
- Demand and Supply market.
- Transportation and disruption in Logistics.
- Licensing regulations for growers.
Always try to overcome these challenges in the cannabis industry. In my opinion, if you maintain these and adopt some opportunities like technological adoption, online marketing, eco-friendly cultivation, etc, you can achieve sustainable success in the cannabis industry.
Bottomline
The cannabis supply chain is complex yet necessary to make premium cannabis products for customers. By understanding the cannabis supply chain process, you can navigate the challenges and create opportunities to thrive in this cannabis industry. If you want to know more about cannabis, contact us anytime.
