Two-day conference dedicated to science of creating concentrates kicks off at Pala Casino

By Lara McCaffrey

May 30, 2019 1:42 PM PT

It’s fair to say cannabis concentrates are having a moment — high THC cannabis concentrate sales expected to reach $8.5 billion by year 2022, according to research firms BDS Analytics and ArcView Market Research.

Terpenes and Testing Magazine and Mace Media are hosting Concentration 2019, a conference dedicated to the science of creating concentrates May 30 and 31 at Pala Casino Spa & Resort. This will be the conference’s first year, but the publication has organized similar events in the past.

“Given the surge of interest in extraction — whether it be from consumers or for people creating products or laboratories analyzing those products — we wanted to build out a conference that focused on that area of the industry rather than trying to take on everything under a cannabis science and technology,” Dr. Jason Lupoi, consulting scientist and Terpenes and Testing editor in chief, said.

Concentration will be largely science, technology and business to business focused but non-industry individuals might be able to find things of interest too, Lupoi said. The event’s website states that its purpose is to educate attendees in all areas of cannabis extraction and analytical testing industries. There won’t be concentrate products for sale, but there will be vendors demonstrating extraction equipment, seminars and speakers.

Of note are keynote speaker and hashish expert Frenchy Cannoli of Frenchy Cannoli Brand and Dr. John MacKay, founder of cannabis consulting firm Synergistic Technologies Associates and chief technology officer of NewBridge Global Ventures.

“What we’re hoping for is it provides that impact that people are looking for where they can come and learn new things and not just hear things that they already know,” Lupoi said. “Hopefully we’ve been able to move past some of those things — like what is the cannabinoid and what is the terpene — and we can actually get down to business and talk about laying a proper foundation for the future.”

Lupoi said that conference organizers are expecting about 2,500 attendees for Concentration.

Cannabis concentrates are any product that’s procured through an extraction process. They might come in the form of oils, vape pens, waxes, dabs, shatter, tinctures, and more. They’re also more likely to be highly potent. Lupoi said cannabis flower has about 20% THC while a concentrate might have anywhere from 50 to 90% THC.

“What a lot of people have said is [concentrates] tend to have a more immediate effect and it can also die down pretty quickly,” Lupoi said. “Some people can’t really smoke anything or ingest anything other than flower. Other people, all they want is the highest potency shatter they can find. So it’s all very individualized.”

Concentrates might appeal to some consumers — especially for medical purposes — because they’re a predictable product in terms of its dosage and repeatability, a recent report in Marijuana Stocks stated.

Terpenes and Testing chose Pala Casino Spa & Resort mostly because its publisher’s delight for the location. The publication will be back in San Diego early August for its horticultural science conference at Paradise Point Resort & Spa. Lupoi said Southern California makes a perfect location for a conference because it’s an epicenter of the cannabis industry and a destination for attendees.

“Pala can be a destination for people,” Lupoi said. “Obviously Paradise Point [Resort & Spa] should have that feel — for people to come in and not just educate themselves or teach—ut they can also relax and have some fun too.”