The demand for cannabinoid-based medications is currently experiencing exponential growth.

In Canada where medical cannabis was recently legalised, it has been reported that approximately 50% of medical cannabis dispensaries were experiencing stock shortages.

In the UK, CBD oil and CBD products are flying off the shelves with many suppliers unable to replenish stock quickly enough.

What’s needed is a new rapid and efficient method for the production of cannabis which avoids having to wait for the twelve weeks necessary for indoor grown cannabis (hemp) plants to reach maturity.

Two companies think they may have the answer, and their answer is algae.

FSD Pharma Inc. and Solarvest BioEnergy Inc. have entered into a partnership to develop a new flexible production platform capable of producing cannabinoid health products from algae.

The two companies have signed a collaborative research agreement under which Solarvest will conduct research using its existing technology. The project has been titled the “CBD research project” and will involve a joint scientific review committee comprised of scientists from both companies to assess the progress of the project.

“If successful this could dramatically disrupt current cannabis cultivation methods for medical purposes. It could reduce the majority of time, space and costs associated with cannabis cultivation for medical purposes, specifically, cannabis with GMP Certification. We are very pleased to collaborate with Solarvest on the development of promising alternative methods of cannabinoid production using algal technology” said Zeeshan Saeed, President and Founder of FSD Pharma

The main goal of the project is to conduct research into advanced techniques for the production of medical cannabinoids intended to treat illnesses and disorders of the nervous system, as well as skin conditions and sleep disorders. It is also envisioned that the cannabinoids produced can be utilised to create new treatments to replace existing opioid medication with the goal of reducing the negative impacts of opioid addiction and overdoses.

Fsd Pharma is currently involved in medical cannabis oil production which it derives from indoor grown cannabis. The extracts are used to develop medical cannabis products.

Solarvest is an algae technology company which has developed a flexible system which can be adapted for the production of a wide range of green products. Its algae technology has so far been used to produce natural omega-3 oils and omega-3 boosting supplements.