The cannabis industry is funneling in a new era of inventions
According to Reuters, the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) processed 29 patents in 2017 for new concepts that were built around the word “cannabis.” That was more than double the 14 seen just a year before, but last year proved to be even better. The USPTO issued 39 patents, showing that cannabis isn’t just improving health; it’s also improving innovation.
Legal professionals are excited about the increase, as it shows how impactful cannabis is on innovation. Given that we are still just in the developmental stages of most cannabis sectors, there is still a considerable amount of room to grow. According to Howard Cohn, a patent attorney, “My gut feeling is that inventors will spend more time developing proprietary ways to integrate cannabis extracts into existing products and far less time attempting to obtain patents on unique strains of genetically engineered cannabis.”
Cohn further states that the food and beverage industry “is a natural partner for the cannabis space and will likely experience an explosion of innovation vis-à-vis cannabis oils. Cannabis enthusiasts should expect to see great advances in cannabis infusions and a variety of clever engineering moves designed to maximize the potency of the end-product with the least amount of raw cannabis material.”
In the works are a range of products. Last year, the USPTO awarded a patent for “packaged frozen cubes of cannabis juice purée with added decarboxylated cannabis material” and another for a single-serving pod-based coffee maker that would incorporate pods containing cannabis. Another patent was issued this year for a new cannabinoid toothpaste that includes most expected toothpaste ingredients, but also has a touch of cannabidiol (CBD).
This is just the beginning – the possibilities are only limited by the imagination. Cannabis is revolutionizing virtually every aspect of our everyday lives and is helping to generate an entirely new economy that had otherwise started to become stagnant.
