BY RUTH HILL R.N.
It’s always fun to learn new products and observe how cannabis flower is cultivated and manufactured into a tincture or edible. The Southern Chapter of the American Cannabis Nurses Association met this weekend to tour the Mountain Source Dispensary located on The Iipay Nation Reservation in Santa Ysabel, CA. Mountain Source is a legal medical and recreational dispensary that offers seed to shelf cannabis. The dispensary occupies a vacant casino that closed in 2014. The tribe also rents reservation land to tenants that grow marijuana and operate a processing lab. The Iipay Nation only sells to customers at their reservation and to other tribes.
The dispensary is part of the Santa Ysabel Botanical Facility with nearly 100 employees. The back of the building is being retrofitted as a marijuana test facility. There will also be a bakery for producing marijuana edible products. Outside there are two acres of marijuana greenhouses with more under construction. There is also additional acreage set aside and leased to outside farmers to raise cannabis crops.
The botanical facility brings the flower buds to the labs that then compound their brand of cannabis. Akasha is one of the labs we observed extracting cannabis oil from a large bag of buds using a Pure Rosin Press method retaining terpenes fats and enzymes. Akasha Care CBD (cannabidiol):THC (Delta-9-Tetrohydrocannabinoid) come in a variety of ratios to suit every cannabis dosing need.
Trokie, another product in this dispensary, has done extensive research to develop a proprietary buccal delivery of pharmaceutical grade cannabis to give patients relief with sublingual use. Trokie, lozenges have different CBD, THC and hybrid formulas. Trokie Lozenges go to work fast, taking effect in 5-30 minutes, dissolve in 30-45 minutes, and deliver symptom relief for four to eight hours. They have a dosing guide on their website https://trokie.com/the-science/
Another lab at Mountain Source processes the leaves into small packets which they freeze to retain the acid forms of the cannabinoids THCA and CBDA. Juiced cannabis is a nutritionally-dense, very potent medicinal compound, without the psychoactive components normally activated when heating the plant. The high concentration of raw cannabinoid acids in juiced cannabis, coupled with the perfect balance of fatty acids, helps improve cell function and reduce damage caused by free radicals.
Additional benefits of raw, juiced cannabis include many cannabinoids which have anti-tumor properties which are readily available. It is coined the “most important vegetable on the planet” by some, mainly because it can assist with immune system function, provide anti-inflammatory benefits, and improve bone metabolism and neural function. According to Dr. William Courtney, a dietary raw cannabis specialist and a strong believer in the plants healing powers, “you are actually walking away from 99% of the benefits cannabis provides when you cook or smoke cannabis.” Mountain Source dispensary is the only dispensary I know of that sell frozen cannabis leaves. They are frozen to protect the cannabinoids from becoming decarboxylated with heat.
Another unique experience at Mountain Source is how they display their flower. Over 40 buds are individually displayed on a long shelf in a small case with a magnified glass attached and a lever to open allowing you to smell the bud.
I saved the tablinguals for last. Tablinguals are the new form of gummy. Gummies have isolates of THC or CBD with no terpenes, are usually 5 or 10mg and varied effectiveness. Level is a cannabinoid company making products with a concentration of cannabinoids not usually seen in most products. Have you ever cooked with only salt and pepper? Learning about CBD and THC alone gives an anemic view of the over 100 cannabinoids in cannabis. Level puts Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinoid, THCV THCA, or CBG, in their Protabs Tablinguals and PODS CARTS products. They reinfuse distilled cannabis oil with steam distilled cannabis terpenoids. Truefarma.com delivers Level tablinguals throughout CA.
The dispensary is open daily to the public. Combine a trip to Julian for apple pie and visit this dispensary. You will not be disappointed. Then a little down the street is a winery. Bring your cooler to store the frozen leaves (and wine) for juicing at a later date.
Contact Ruth Hill at hilruth@gmail.com for information.
