Cannabis Edibles and Drink Review was thrilled to chat with Mike Hennesy, VP of Innovation for Wana Brands.
CEDR: Mike, could you start by sharing a little background on yourself and how you ended up in the cannabis industry?
Mike: Absolutely. I really didn’t get involved with cannabis until I moved out to Colorado. But prior to that in college, I was personally a fan of cannabis. What really brought a lot of clarity to me about the medical aspects and the benefits of cannabis was living with a roommate that had epilepsy and truly seeing how much it helped him.
Just seeing how he could manage his seizures, prevent seizures using cannabis, and how debilitating that could be when he didn’t have access to it was powerful. It took something that was more of a personal interest and really catalyzed it into something that I wanted to be involved in.
When I moved to Colorado in 2013, I got started as a cannabis courier. I got to meet all the big operators in the state. I saw different dispensaries while delivering product, and really was able to identify some of the best companies and best leaders in the space. Fortunately, Wana also saw me as somebody that could be a great addition to their team. I started as a sales rep in 2014. I managed sales for about three years and saw the incredible growth of the recreational market as it got started here.
My undergrad degree at the University of Maryland was in Environmental Science. So, I’d studied and learned the basics of biology and chemistry. At Wana, we began exploring more about different cannabinoids outside of THC and CBD, and we started learning about terpenes and how they might help create an entourage effect with cannabis.
We also started learning about the bioavailability issues of cannabinoids being that oil is not readily absorbed by our bodies. Wana decided to dedicate more resources to actually create a new role for me in the company as a Director of Innovation. I was recently promoted to Vice President of Innovation.
CEDR: Congrats! What’s new innovation-wise within Wana?
Mike: What I’m most excited about is that we launched our new line of quick onset Wana Quick Fast Acting Gummies. We’ve worked with partners that have been able to encapsulate cannabinoids. Think of a cup shaped molecule that is water soluble on the outside, with fat on the inside, so the cannabis can be encapsulated and absorbed more quickly because the body’s able to process the water-soluble encapsulation more readily and it helps to bypass first pass metabolism. These products have about a five to fifteen minute onset for most people, and they last about two to three hours, which is a shorter duration than most typical edibles.
CEDR: So, you’re basically doing a bit of a tradeoff in terms of quick onset versus length of duration?
Mike: Yes, and they’re pretty related. When you eat a Classic you’re actually getting high on a different compound than when you smoke a joint. That’s called 11 Hydroxy THC, which passes the blood brain barrier more readily. Although it is somewhat degraded in the liver, it is a more potent compound that is longer lasting in the brain. This new product line actually complements the (Wana) Classics. They stand as two separate products that both have different use cases.
For somebody who’s looking for lasting pain relief or wants to sleep through the night, a long-lasting Classic edible might be the right choice. For somebody getting off work and heading to happy hour, the quicker onset and offset may be preferred.
CEDR: What do you see happening in the next 12 to 18 months in terms of the edible space?
Mike: I believe that we’re just scratching the surface in terms of innovation in edibles. Some people tell me, well, we’ve got beverages, we have inhalers, we have all these different unique ways of dosing cannabis now. What’s the next step? Where are we going to go, because it seems like most products have been developed?
My point is that cannabis as an ingredient is not one single thing. We’re not just putting cannabis as a catch-all into a product. Cannabis itself can be highly innovated upon. So, it’s about delivering certain ratios of cannabinoids, terpenes, other beneficial compounds in the plant into products and utilizing things like genetics, growing techniques, extraction methods, and then different ways of infusion, such as encapsulation that we’re doing with the Wana Quick. Each of these areas and variables that go into the production of cannabis affect the outcome of the cannabis extract that you’re going to work with. There’s so much to innovate with there. I think the future of cannabis products is going to be a greater utilization of all those variables to create a customized, tailored cannabis experience.
CEDR: Please share insights about how Wana is able to create both Indica and Sativa varieties of gummies.
Mike: I believe the industry is going to be moving away from the Indica and Sativa classifications in the next three years. However, it’s still the best way to convey what consumers understand about the plant right now. So, for our products, we’re sourcing cannabis and doing extraction on that while working with proprietary blends of botanical terpenes. This helps give us product consistency across state lines and product to product. We traveled to California and we sourced hundreds of different Sativa strains and hundreds of different Indica strains and use a very high-tech process which is called 3D GC/MS. It’s using gas chromatography and looking at three different (what are called) dimensions.
We’re able to see the “fingerprint” of all of these different strains. And we then started to analyze what were the dominant compounds found in Sativa and what were the minor and the trace compounds. This blend mimics what you find across many varieties of Sativa strains. There’s a lot of uplifting terpenes in there like Limonene and Pinene which deliver an uplifting experience. These custom blends contain over 30 different terpenes that are designed to model what you find in a Sativa plant.
CEDR: You mentioned that’s going to run its course in another three or four years. What will come after that?
Mike: I think we’re moving towards more effect-based products. We all know that Sativa can be focusing and energizing and an Indica can be sedating or relaxing. I think there is a lot more nuance between the strains. And my opinion is that most individuals are not using cannabis just to get just high, they’re using it for a specific experience, whether it’s relaxing at the end of the day or getting some energy before a workout or other different use cases.
I don’t think customers need to be highly concerned about the exact ratios of cannabinoids and terpenes. They just want to grab a product off the shelf and say, I need that pre- workout blend (for example).
CEDR: Wana seems to place a significant focus on education on the website. Can you share about how that’s rooted in your culture and why that’s so important.
Mike: I think education is so important because the endocannabinoid system (ECS) is something that’s new not only to the industry, but even to doctors. There’s not common knowledge out there in any group. In order to use cannabis successfully and to each individual’s own benefit, a greater understanding of the right dose is really important. Starting with the fact that everyone’s ECS system is different and cannabis affects each of us differently. It is really why starting with a low dose is so important, because what might be an effective dose for your friend could be far too high for you. Consumers should start with a micro dose level, slowly increasing the dose to a point when they find themselves comfortable and are attaining the benefits that they are looking for.
CEDR: Is there a concern that once someone’s tolerance becomes so high that they need many more milligrams each day to achieve the same effect?
Mike: With cannabis, like many other drugs, you can develop tolerances. The more you consume, the more tolerant you can become. It’s not something where you can make it to the point that it’s completely ineffective. It’s really interesting however that a break as short as three to five days can help to reset your tolerance. Further, if you maintain the same level of dosing and don’t continue increasing, you actually can find a pretty happy medium.
CEDR: There are so many brands of gummies on the market today. What makes you guys different?
Mike: Quality is one of the hallmarks of Wana products. We’re absolutely one of the premier brands. That starts with our ingredients and the way we source our ingredients. We’re focused on all-natural products and later this year we’re moving to an organic recipe, so we’ll have an all organic gummy. We worked with a leading consultant in the gummy space who helped us trial 30 different kinds of pectin (sourced from plants) to find the exact perfect source for us, that gives our products their great texture and makes them vegan. We also work with leading flavor houses throughout the country to come up with delicious flavors that really taste like fruit.
CEDR: Thanks Mike for the terrific insights!
