The cannabis brownie has reigned supreme for decades. Its reputation as the ubiquitous representative of cannabis consumables went relatively unchallenged. Butter and fats seemed like the only way to contain the oil-soluble cannabinoids in cannabis. Pure Green hopes to change that. 

Water-Soluble THC 

Naturally, the active cannabinoids in cannabis are oil soluble. As Stephen Goldner, CEO and Founder of Pure Green, explained in an interview with Cannabis Tech, “There are water-soluble molecules and oil-soluble molecules. There are lots of other ways to split up cannabis molecules. Some people say acidic versus activated. But, cannabinoids are oil-soluble. That’s why people put them in butter.” 

Processed foods are more difficult for the human body to process. Junk food doesn’t belong in the average diet. People forget that oil is a heavily processed food. Goldner said, “It took six or eight minutes to figure out that using fats is undesired because people don’t do that well with oil. You’re okay with a cup of water that’s flavored. You wouldn’t do that well with a cup of 30 weight oil. You wouldn’t do that well with a thimble full of oil, either. Since my goal was to make good medication for people and not make them sick, I needed to change the molecule from being oil-soluble to water-soluble [THC]. Like they said in the movie ‘Men in Black,’ you’re essentially a sack of water with some protein thrown in.” 

Before entering the cannabis space, Goldner enjoyed a storied career. At 22, he co-invented methadone to get an A on a grad school project in New York. He then had to drop out of school to raise the money for the drug so the school could get a grant worth five million dollars. Creating a water-soluble THC product didn’t stagger him.

“I’m a chemist,” Goldner admitted. “There are about four ways to make oil-soluble drugs water-soluble. I picked the fourth because most people wouldn’t think of it. I thought it would get me a patent because I need to control this; otherwise, people will rip it off. I figured out how to make it water-soluble. I talked to another chemist in Ann Arbor, and he said “yeah, I get that. Here’s how we do it.” Took us, ah you know, a good 15 minutes of conversation.” 

How Pure Green Creates Water-Soluble THC

With the charm of Cinderella, Goldner explains Pure Green’s process with the analogy of a carriage. They take the cannabinoids, surround them, then build a sphere around each cannabinoid. These spheres are made of outward-facing, water-soluble molecules. The body processes these molecules as water instead of oil. The sphere is the carriage, and the cannabinoids are the rider. 

“This carriage carries the molecule from the tablet on your tongue until it hits the epidermis, either your tongue or the inside of your mouth,” Goldner said. “The surface tension bursts like a bubble. The molecules flood out, attach to the skin, and get absorbed in about five seconds. That’s just the way it goes, that’s what the body does, I didn’t invent that part.”

The carriage is made of aliphatic groups structured that resemble water. The cannabinoids are made stable because the inward-facing molecules are oily, meaning the part of the tablet closest to the cannabinoids can stabilize them, while the outward-facing parts of the carriage are absorbed by the body. 

This method allows cannabinoids to be water-soluble without changing the chemical composition at all. The tablet is an ideal method of delivery because it allows for fast activation. “We put tablets into our mouths because the epidermis in your mouth is about as thin there as it is anywhere,” Goldner said. “That’s why people’s lips, tongues, and mouths always look red, regardless of race. If you ever bit your cheek, you know it bleeds like a bitch. The layers of skin are much thinner, so the molecules move through much faster than if you put them on your arm. What happens is that cannabinoid gets into the bloodstream in about 60 seconds. Blood runs everywhere; it’s just plumbing. Then it’s everywhere in another minute.” 

A Pure Green Future with Water-Soluble THC

Currently, tablets by Pure Green are already available for sale. These tablets include options for pain, sleep, and anxiety relief. They also offer Parachute, a product meant to limit an out of control high.

Pure Green is in the process of designing their own water-soluble products as well. Shortly the team at Pure Green hopes to offer both coffees and teas filled with water-solubleTHC cannabinoids. These products will be fast-acting, safe on the body, and consistent in dosage. Such drinkables will prove to be revolutionary in the health marketplace.