Where do cannabis investors see the next big wave? In precise dosing – TechCrunch



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Women and the elderly join the cannabis movement, which represents new investment opportunities, according to a panel of cannabis investors that we interviewed several days ago during an event organized by the capital company. cross-border risk DCM.

In particular, they expect a slight increase in products of all types facilitating the consumption of small controlled quantities of THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in the pot.

The trend is not so surprising. Anecdotally, women are increasingly seeing cannabis as a potential way to take control of themselves without being smeared, which is not an easy task. Alcohol affects women's bodies differently than men, especially because they produce less of an enzyme that breaks down alcohol in the body. They also work more, drink more and develop cirrhosis more quickly. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the mortality rate among women aged 45 to 64 increased by 57% between 2000 and 2015, compared to men, whose mortality rate from cirrhosis has increased by 21% during the same period.

Meanwhile, the case of the elderly is even more widely understood. Many live with chronic discomfort, especially because of arthritis or osteoporosis or sometimes autoimmune diseases that can cause fatigue, joint pain and worse. A growing number of people are also addicted to OxyContin and other painkillers and are looking for a way to reduce their dependence on them. It is also true that cannabis is not considered as scandalously as before. Former House Speaker John Boehner – who is 70 years old and has long opposed the legalization of marijuana – has even joined the board of directors of cannabis distributor Acreage Holdings last summer, alongside former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld. (Age: 73 years old)

A product promising newcomers a more predictable experience with cannabis is a Woodland, California-based vaporizer company called Indose, whose slogan is "greatness comes with control". The recently closed $ 3.5 million facility run by Casa Verde Capital allows users to adjust the number of milligrams of THC they inhale from a modest 1 to 2 milligrams to one impact. more important from 3 to 4 milligrams per puff.

Dosist, a maker of vape pens based in Santa Monica, Calif., Also appeals to new users. His pens vibrate when a user has inhaled for three seconds, which helps him to calibrate his experience. Dosist also sells strains that it formulates in a way accessible to the new users, in particular by selling a strain called simply "Sleep" and another called "Bliss".

Another area of ​​growth concerns "sublinguals", or products delivered under the language, such as cannabis dyes, which are increasingly popular among new users of cannabis, mainly because the THC dosage is easier to use. manage. In fact, the cannabis wholesale platform Leaflink stated that products containing sublingual and tincture, drops, tablets and strips infused with cannabis were the categories of cannabis-based products that experienced the fastest growth last year.

But perhaps the biggest opportunity ahead could be edible products, which have always existed, but will certainly start to look and be marketed differently. DCM, for example, is simply betting $ 5 million on a new brand of beverages that, starting this summer, intends to sell THC-infused flavored injections that tell users the exact number of milligrams consumed – with that being the only difference. they can feel and when.

The target market for the company, as we wrote earlier this week, is for women who do not necessarily smoke, but who, through regulatory easing, advertising and Smart packaging, become "curious to know", much like one of the co-founders of the company. , a former executive of packaged consumer goods, who herself began experimenting with cannabis last year.

And other form factors can be on the horizon. As Karan Wadhera, CEO of Casa Verde Capital, During the roundtable, we said: "There is a huge market opportunity in many areas," now that the industry has "started showing us that people are really interested in accurate dosing."

Narbonne Alexandrian, president of the Cannabis Investment Company, Canopy Rivers, acquiesced. He told participants that "when you look at the data on consumers and intentions, you mean those who do not use cannabis but are open to it", "and then look at people who reject cannabis." In the past six months and are not likely to consider it, "many rejects have tried cannabis. But they were upset because they had a weed brownie that was hitting them too hard and that they never wanted to touch the stuff again. "

The opportunity to sell microdosing products from both sides is "huge," said Alexandrian, suggesting that most people want more control when they are offered. He also hinted that it was also a very open field, thanks to the impractical calculations of many current retailers. As he explained, it's often the case today that a store focuses on the number of milligrams it sells, instead of focusing on the products themselves. "So they're thinking of selling a 100 milligram beverage for $ 10 and a 50 milligram beverage for $ 5" and forcing the customer to find a way to dilute their purchases. This will change in the near future, he said.

Panelist and long-time cannabis investor Emily Paxhis echoed the feelings of both men. Specifically, she said, she has become "very interested in low-dose platforms," ​​especially since women are starting to look for more "moderate dosing" opportunities. She said to think of this as "looking like a glass of wine or a beer, as opposed to" I'm buying directly for the double martini lunch ".

Added Paxhis – who co-founded in 2013 the investment company specialized in cannabis Poseidon Asset Management, Pax Labs, Juul, a startup of the human resources sector for the cannabis industry, and a company specializing in data and analytics focusing solely on it. "There are many ways to educate the consumer and help him feel more comfortable. comfortable with [cannabis]. Having these low-dose products on the market is a great way to do it. "

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