PRODUCTS AND METHODS FOR RECONSTITUTED CANNABIS WITH NICOTINE

Abstract

Reconstituted cannabis is prepared by processing cannabis plant material by breaking it down into small particles to form a pulp. Water, starch and other materials are added, and the moisture content of the resulting slurry is adjusted to about 50%. This viscous slurry is then applied to a perforated steel belt using high power sprayers to form a sheet. The sheet is dried and additional additives such as nicotine, flavorings and liquid removed from the slurry are added to the sheet. The resulting reconstituted cannabis formed is homogenous and contains evenly distributed CBD and nicotine. The reconstituted cannabis sheets may be cut into small particles for use as cigarette or cigar filler. The reconstituted cannabis, in the form of sheets or particulate matter, may also be incorporated into oral pouches, chewable products, edible products, vaporizer additives and as a carrier for CBD and nicotine for transdermal patches.

Claims

1. A process for manufacturing reconstituted cannabis comprising the steps of: a) washing cannabis leaves and stems; b) grinding the cannabis leaves and stems; c) mixing the ground cannabis leaves and stems with ground cannabis flower to form a pulp; d) adding water, cationic starch and nicotine to the pulp to form a slurry; e) adjusting the moisture content of the slurry to about 50% and collecting liquid removed from the slurry; f) agitating the slurry for one or more hours; g) applying the slurry to a perforated stainless steel belt using at least one high power sprayer to form a sheet; h) drying the sheet by conveying the stainless steel belt through a dryer; and, i) applying the liquid removed from the slurry in step e to the dried sheet.

2. The process for manufacturing reconstituted cannabis of claim 1 wherein the moisture content of the slurry is adjusted by straining the slurry to remove the collected liquid.

3. The process for manufacturing reconstituted cannabis of claim 2 wherein the sheet is not heated to more than 200° F.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] A more complete understanding of the present invention, and the attendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

[0032] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a method of manufacturing reconstituted cannabis in accordance with the principles of the invention;

[0033] FIG. 2 is a side view of a system for manufacturing reconstituted cannabis in accordance with the principles of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

[0035] The disclosed subject matter is described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various embodiments of the subject disclosure. It may be evident, however, that the disclosed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate describing the various embodiments herein. Various embodiments of the disclosure could also include permutations of the various elements recited in the claims as if each dependent claim was a multiple dependent claim incorporating the limitations of each of the preceding dependent claims, as well as the independent claims. Such permutations are expressly within the scope of this disclosure.

[0036] Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients, dimensions, reaction conditions and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about”. The term “a” or “an” as used herein means “at least one” unless specified otherwise. In this specification and the claims, the use of the singular includes the plural unless specifically stated otherwise. In addition, use of “or” means “and/or” unless stated otherwise. Moreover, the use of the term “including”, as well as other forms, such as “includes” and “included”, is not limiting. Also, terms such as “element” or “component” encompass both elements and components comprising one unit and elements and components that comprise more than one unit unless specifically stated otherwise.

[0037] Various embodiments of the disclosure could also include permutations of the various elements recited in the claims as if each dependent claim was a multiple dependent claim incorporating the limitations of each of the preceding dependent claims as well as the independent claims. That is, the combinations of the various components of the invention are not limited to those combinations expressly shown in the Figures. Unless expressly stated otherwise, components described in one embodiment may be interchanged with components of the same name found in other embodiments. Such permutations are expressly within the scope of this disclosure.

[0038] The methods of the present invention and their resulting compositions and uses thereof include applying the methods for reconstituting tobacco waste products to cannabis plant materials to provide homogenous and easily-manipulated reconstituted cannabis material. Nicotine is added to the reconstituted cannabis during the reconstitution process. The result is a cannabis material that may be used in the formation of cannabis cigarettes or other smokable material, as well as in the formation of chewable cannabis products, such as cannabis gum, edible cannabis products, and cannabis products for use in creating smokeless cannabis pouches for oral use. In addition, the reconstituted cannabis may be utilized in wearable patches. The CBD in the cannabis is substantially retained during the reconstitution process. As a result, the reconstituted cannabis acts as a substrate or carrier for a combination of synthetic or tobacco-derived nicotine and CBD. The addition of CBD to smoking cessation products assists in alleviating many of the withdrawal symptoms experienced by smokers when gradually reducing their nicotine intake. The methods of the invention may be used with all types of cannabis including marijuana and hemp.

[0039] The reconstituted cannabis is formed using the entire cannabis plant, including leaves, stems, buds, and/or seeds, not just waste material from other types of processing. This material is then ground to a small particle size and processed in the same manner in which waste tobacco is processed. For example, the ground cannabis material may be used to form an aqueous slurry. Various additives such as naturally derived or sythentic nicotine, flavorings, humectants, aerosol formers, preservatives or the like may optionally be added to the aqueous slurry. The moisture content of the aqueous slurry may then be reduced to under 50% or less by weight if necessary. It is typically not necessary to add cellulose fibers as the cannabis materials generally provide sufficient strength to the reconstituted cannabis end product.

[0040] If desired, the slurry may be subjected to a pulping process to separate it into a solubles portion and a fibrous portion. The solubles portion may then be removed. The fibrous portion may optionally be subjected to a refining process to make it more suitable for typical papermaking processes. During the papermaking process, the moisture content of the material is further reduced. There are many methods known in the art for reducing the moisture content of the fibrous portion, such as for example, straining, pressing, heating and desiccating. The material is then pressed into a web to form a flat sheet. These additives can be added to the sheet by spraying directly onto the flat sheet, preferably below 40° C. Optionally, additives can be applied prior to the drying process. Unlike traditional, unprocessed cannabis, the reconstituted cannabis of the invention is not clumpy, does not adhere to other materials, and is homogeneous.

[0041] In accordance with the present invention, nicotine is added to the reconstituted cannabis. Because nicotine and CBD have similar hygroscopic properties, the nicotine may be added in a diluted solution prior to drying the cannabis sheet. The use of an aqueous slurry and nicotine dissolved in an aqueous solution encourages even distribution and adherence of the nicotine to the cannabis material in the slurry. It is generally undesirable to use organic solvents in this process because they may leach nicotine and/or CBD from the fibrous cannabis materials. The reconstituted cannabis materials of the invention can be used as components of a wide variety of products to replace tobacco. Flavorings can also be added to the slurry. When nicotine, flavorings and/or other additives are added to the slurry prior to the drying process, it may be desirable to dry the reconstituted cannabis at a lower temperature or by desiccation in order to minimize degradation of the additives, as well as the CBD. The resulting reconstituted cannabis will retain the CBD and have evenly distributed nicotine. The reconstituted cannabis sheets or web may be used as rod paper, may be cut up into particles of various sizes to provide filler for smokable products, chewable products, oral products, edibles products, patches for transdermal delivery of CBD and nicotine, and vaporizers. This is possible because the reconstituted cannabis acts as a superior and stable carrier of both the CBD, nicotine and flavorings.

Method of Manufacturing Reconstituted Cannabis.

[0042] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a method for manufacturing reconstituted cannabis 10 in accordance with the principles of the invention. First, the various components of the cannabis plant, such as the leaves and stems of a cannabis plant are cleaned in step 12 to remove sand, dirt and other unwanted matter. The cleaned hemp and cannabis flower is ground separately in steps 14 and 16 using a mechanical pulping process. Optionally, the fiber and leaves, stems and flowers can be ground together simultaneously.

[0043] Chemicals are not used to remove the lignin in the Hemp. Instead, the hemp stem and leaves are pressed against a grinder that physically separates the fibers. The resulting pulp is then run through high pressure rollers to crush the plant and expose the inner fiber. A Jordan refiner or similar mechanism, such as a double disk refiner may be used to grind and shorten the fibers. For the reconstituted cannabis of the invention, shorter fibers are generally desirable, unlike most paper making and reconstituted tobacco processes because tensile strength is not an issue. For example, this mechanically produced pulp has shorter fiber lengths than chemically produced pulp and produces a sheet which is flexible, but does not have as much tensile strength sheets formed using typical paper manufacturing processes such as are typically used in forming reconstituted tobacco. The flower and the found leaves/stems are mixed in step 18 in order to provide the desired amount of various components, such as THC and CBD, in the final product. After the fibers have been ground, they may again be washed to decontaminate the hemp and remove sand and other contaminants.

[0044] The pulp is then mixed with water to produce a slurry in step 20. In addition, a cationic starch formulation is added to the slurry as an adhesive to bind the cannabis fibers together in the final sheet. The slurry may be approximately 3-5% starch by volume depending on the mixture of the blend between flower and biomass (stem). The starch content may be as high as 8 percent. Cationic starch is used because it has a positive charge and is easily attracted by the negatively charged cellulose hemp fiber. As a result the fiber-to-fiber bond is increased. This improves the retention of fine particles of hemp/cannabis flower to increase the resulting sheet strength.

[0045] Nicotine and other additives such as terpenes and flavorings may also be added to the slurry in desired amounts in step 22. This slurry mixture has to sit in step 24 while being agitated for several hours to become malleable and for all of the ingredients to be fully mixed to create a homogenous mixture. The slurry must be kept moving while it ‘rests’ to allow it to absorb the moisture and become pliable. Low heat is applied to the slurry during this process to help speed the process. Surplus liquid is removed from the slurry in step 26 such that the slurry is about 50% water. The liquid is removed using a mesh screen or similar method. The removed liquid is collected for later application to the resulting sheet, as described below.

[0046] After straining, the slurry, also referred to at this point as a mash, is applied to a stainless steel vacuum belt using high power spray nozzles in step 28 in what is commonly referred to as a meltblown process. The high pressure gun uses air pressure to achieve a consistent spray pattern using high viscosity materials but it does not add air to the mixture.

[0047] The vacuum belt is similar to a vacuum cylinder in that it is perforated. This process is typically unsuitable for paper making processes and is generally used when making a web of a polymer material. However, because the mash of the present invention is viscous and thick, it is unsuitable for application via a slice from a headbox. Therefore, high pressure sprayers are used to evenly apply the viscous mash to the belt to form a sheet. The belt then moves through a dryer, or drying tunnel, in step 30. The dryer uses heated air to dry the sheet, preferably at a temperature below 200° F., but may be as high as 250° F. The temperature can be as high as 350° F., but this tends to degrade the components of the sheet. Even lower temperature is generally more preferable but not practical given the confines of a typical manufacturing set up.

[0048] The sheet exits the dryer in step 32 having a moisture content of less than 20%, preferably 8-10%. At this point, additional nicotine or other ingredients may be applied to the sheet in step 34. During step 34, the liquid removed during step 26 is re-applied to the sheet, thus minimizing waste. During step 38, the sheet is dried and cured, and formed into a roll or cut as needed to form reconstituted cannabis. Finally, in step 40, the reconstituted cannabis is used as filler for smokable articles, smokeless tobacco alternatives or the like.

[0049] The difference between the meltblown sheet process and the present invention is that instead of just going on the vacuum drum, a stainless steel belt extends through a series of low temperature dryers to a drum. This allows time for the cannabis mixture to dry without the use of high temperatures that can degrade the THC and CBD in the mixture. (Meltblown material dries very quickly so spraying a cannabis mixture on a drum only doesn't give sufficient time for the mixture to dry) The resulting rough sheet is then fed between high pressure rollers to strengthen the bond of the material and create a smoother finish. By varying the percentage of flower to biomass we can change the composition of the final sheet. This process uses only the cannabis mass without the need for other bonding fiber to be added.

[0050] Once the dried and pressed sheet is finished it may be cut into a ‘cut rag’ for use in standard cigarette making equipment or cut into a finer form for use in oral and transdermal use. Since all of the material was fully mixed in the slurry the finished sheet has a homogenous form and will exhibit the same levels of THC; CBD etc. throughout.

[0051] FIG. 2 shows a system 50 for manufacturing reconstituted cannabis in accordance with principles of the invention. A container 52 holds the slurry which is agitated as it rests until it is suitable for forming reconstituted cannabis. It is applied to a stainless steel perforated belt 54 using high power spray nozzles 56. The belt 54 moves across conveyors 58, 60 and 62. As the belt 54 moves in the processing direction 64, it carries the sheet through the dryer 70. When the sheet exits the dryer, additional materials may be applied to it using sprayers 72, such as nicotine, flavorings, and the liquid removed from the slurry prior to application to the belt. Optionally, the sheet 68 is pressed by rollers 74 to a desired width and is finally rolled on a bobbin 76.

[0052] This system allows for small or large batches to be produced without changing the overall system. Compared to the typical ‘reconstituted paper’ process used for tobacco, there is no waste material left in the slurry. In that process the loss can be as much as 40%, and in most of these cases wood pulp or other fiber must be added to create the bond necessary to have a finished sheet. In our process, everything mixed in the slurry tank is shot though the gun virtually eliminating all waste. The vacuum cylinder combined with the stainless steel drying belt protects the cannabis and prevents degradation due to high drying temperatures.

Smokable Cannabis.

[0053] To manufacture a smokable cannabis cigarette, the reconstituted cannabis can be cut to very small size to form cannabis filler material. The filler material is then used to form a cylindrical rod. The reconstituted cannabis can also be cut into smaller sheets for use as rod paper. Cannabis rod paper, thus formed, may be used to wrap the filler material to form a cannabis cigarette. Cannabis filler can also be used as filler for cigars formed from tobacco leaves or other materials. Cannabis filler may also be used as an alternative to pipe tobacco for use in pipes.

[0054] The reconstituted cannabis does not adhere to paper or other materials. Thus, it is unnecessary to add lubricants to the reconstituted cannabis when manufacturing a cannabis cigarette. The small size of the particles formed by cutting reconstituted cannabis allows it to be packed more tightly than cannabis which has not been reconstituted. The reconstituted cannabis also does not “clump.” Therefore, the reconstituted cannabis cigarettes are not prone to falling apart and smokes more evenly.

[0055] Reconstituted cannabis for use with smokable products can be formed having relatively low levels of nicotine, far below normal levels found in regular tobacco cigarettes. A tobacco smoker may replace regular cigarettes with the smokable cannabis cigarette as part of a smoking cessation program. The smoker may gradually move to cannabis cigarettes each having a lower level of nicotine. The CBD present in the cannabis cigarettes alleviates withdrawal symptoms experienced by smokers. The use of a cannabis cigarette also allows a smoker to continue to experience both the drawing-in of smoke and the “hand and mouth ritual” that can also be part of the addiction to smoking. Thus, the reconstituted cannabis cigarette allows a smoker to more easily comply with a smoking cessation program.

Oral Products.

[0056] The reconstituted cannabis may also be cut into filler of various sizes and used to manufacture oral pouches suitable for smokeless tobacco cessation programs. Plasticizers or other materials may optionally be added to the slurry of cannabis material in order to form reconstituted cannabis sheets suitable for use in forming the pouch itself, while cannabis filler is used to fill the pouches. The pouches may also optionally contain other materials providing flavoring. Both the pouches and the cannabis filler may be formed from the reconstituted cannabis cut into sizes larger or smaller than those used in the smokable reconstituted cannabis products. As with the smokable reconstituted cannabis, the use of oral pouches allows the user to continue to experience the oral sensations associated with oral tobacco use while gradually reducing the amount of nicotine ingested. The CBD present in the reconstituted cannabis again alleviates withdrawal symptoms.

Chewable and Edible Products.

[0057] Gums and edible materials may also be formed using reconstituted cannabis in accordance with the principles of the invention. Since these products are masticated, the reconstituted cannabis may be cut into particles of greater size than those used for smokable reconstituted cannabis. Flavorings, humectants, and/or plasticizers may be used in the manufacture of the reconstituted cannabis. This allows the flavor and texture of the cannabis gum or edible products to be modified to improve the experience of chewing or eating these products.

Transdermal Patches.

[0058] The reconstituted cannabis material is also suitable for use in transdermal patches for delivery of CBD and nicotine. Sheets of reconstituted cannabis may be placed in one or more layers in the patch between the skin of the user and the various delivery compositions of the patch. This creates a flow of the delivery composition through the reconstituted cannabis in order to improve uptake of the CBD and nicotine through the skin.

Vaporizer Products.

[0059] Vaporizers have rapidly grown in popularity both recreationally and as a smoking cessation aid. Reconstituted cannabis sheets or particles may be added to pods or dry material for use in vaporizers. Utilizing thin sheets of reconstituted cannabis or filler of very small sized particles may be included in the pods or dry material to provide a combination of CBD and nicotine to the user. Aerosol formers may be added either before or after the drying process in order to improve the conversion of CBD and nicotine in the reconstituted cannabis from a solid into a vapor or colloidal dispersion.

[0060] Whereas, the present invention has been described in relation to the drawings attached hereto, other and further modifications, apart from those shown or suggested herein, may be made within the spirit and scope of this invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. Descriptions of the embodiments shown in the drawings should not be construed as limiting or defining the ordinary and plain meanings of the terms of the claims unless such is explicitly indicated. The claims should be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.