BY RUTH HILL R.N.
In December of 2020, Mode introduced its flagship product, the world’s first universal smart cannabis dosing device and companion app for 510 cannabis cartridges. Izzy Kirsh and Mark Wagner, both CEO’s, were interviewed by Ruth Hill from CannaAngel and Alex Gomez from Aloft Magazine. Kirsh and Wagner who have developed other business products successfully for over ten years, partnered with another co-founder Steven Bates to, “set out to solve the dosing dilemma for people requiring cannabis to teat injuries, ailments and other health-related matters.”
I asked Izzy what was the aha moment that led to this discovery. Kirsh was using recreational cannabis but when he incurred a shoulder injury, he spent considerable time and money through trial and error finding his effective dose. It was a free for all to determine the strain or the dose that treated his pain but also avoided the biphasic effect.
Mode assembled world class electrical, mechanical, and biomedical engineers with a shared vision to decode the complexities of cannabis along with experts in data science and artificial intelligence. They “built dozens of prototypes to deliver vapor doses by the milligram, perfecting consumption levels down to a rudimentary science of what cannabinoids and dosages are required to achieve the right results. What we ultimately created is a first-of-its-kind device that offers more control and a better experience for all cannabis users.”
Kirsh suggested we get away from the stereotypes of medical vs recreational use. Overconsumption is becoming a bigger problem as the legal market expands. How much is enough to get high? How much is enough to treat an ailment? Conscious consumption is safer.
Consuming a joint burns 60% of the flower and the user inhales an indeterminate amount of other carcinogenetic byproducts from combustion. “Cannabis is a dosage-sensitive substance and not a one-size-fits-all solution”, says Wagner. “Mode offers a missing device and dataset for the cannabis space, and with the correct analysis and implementation, can open pathways of understanding never seen before in cannabis.”
Seventy five percent of cannabis cartridges are universal 510 compatible. One third of the cannabis market is vape pens demonstrating the need for a device with real-time dosing control. Using a vape cartridge is not like smoking a cigarette. “Mode’s Inhale and Exhale ‘Haptic Guidance’ feature lets users know exactly when to stop inhaling and when to exhale with a gentle vibration from the device.”
Wagner elaborated on the unique air flow path of Mode. Unlike proprietary devices like Dosit, PAX, or batteries which need licenses in every state or country, Mode is a universal device used anywhere in the world. Proprietary devices can resemble drug paraphernalia. Mode materials are medical grade allowing and air flow path of the vaper to avoid any components in the device. This ensures a precision vapor dose increasing the bioavailability of cannabis at a lower dose. Vaping is becoming the mainstream consumption device. The next step was developing the vaping dose technology which Mode accomplished with algorithms to measure the dose per puff.
An obvious query was how the device knows the thickness of the cannabis. Wagner explained once the cartridge is inserted into the quick-snap connector the phone app AI technology recognizes the viscosity, the terpenes and cannabinoid content delivering the precise desired dose of 1mg to 5 mg. Hours of research and development compiling thousands of data points from histories of various strains is what gives the phone app its unique ability.
The connected Mode App features the first ever control dashboard for personalized cannabis consumption. It provides access to detailed dosage plans, product information, feedback loop, personalized recommendation, and consumption analysis.
We ended the interview with this perspective. The future of the industry on the horizon is bright. We have precision with tinctures and precise doses with capsules, but who knows the strain in our tinctures? Cannabis is missing a set of guidelines and objectives for mainstream consumers. “We are just scratching the surface beyond how specific cannabinoid strains provide targeted medicinal and therapeutic results.” Can this become a PCA (Patient Controlled Administration) tool for caregivers overseeing complex medical needs of children or ailing adults? For more information visit Mode.co.
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