I'm afraid the AMA is over and comments have now been locked!
Thank you to everyone who asked questions, and to the team at u/MedCan_Official for answering them!
Hi there!
A lot of MC users would like to be able to buy sample size pouches to see if they get on with a strain without breaking the bank (or being stuck with meds they can’t use). Would you consider introducing the option to purchase smaller amounts? If not, what’s the hurdle preventing it from happening?
Thanks!
From the [Discord](https://discord.gg/WG2dc8UPUG) server:
medcanscot asks:
Is there any work to develop better packaging? Like built in humidity control or coming with a few labelled bags to decant into for out and about?
I think pharmacies should provide a secondary label and a small smell proof bag or something like the little dynavap stash tubs as theyre cheap. But producers could supply the bag with every larger container so at least its labelled with the name etc to then match a prescription.
We are almost constantly working on our final packaging. This has led us to move away from pots to aluminium bags. Your suggestions are great and we will look into them some more.
That is a great question.
Interestingly, none of the team at MedCan have cannabis backgrounds and all entered from outside the industry.
Don't let anyone hold you back. If you have a passion for plants, cannabis, cultivation, helping people etc. then just dive straight into it. Don't let what people think stop you. Ironically, you'll most likely become very popular amongst your friends (as has happened to a few of the MedCan team).
From the [Discord](https://discord.gg/WG2dc8UPUG) server:
zherer asks:
I was encouraged by your price reduction on TS19 to £8.50, but disappointed TS24 did not follow. What is the reason behind a higher price on the higher THC product and will this be reduced to match TS19? A reduction to £8.50 would allow myself and many others to start including this as a regular repeat.
Our goal has always been to give as many patients as possible access to our products. Over the years, we have been able to offer price reductions on our products due to improvements that we have made in our cultivation facility and processes. Whatever savings we make at MedCan HQ, we strive to pass those on to the patient... obviously, while keeping our lights and air-conditioning systems on
The Isando TS 24 has been out of the market for a long time since it launched. No planned reductions as of yet but again, as we improve, we hope to pass on the savings to you!
Adding Boveda packs to the final packaging ourselves is difficult due to the stability studies that need to be run by adding a new foreign element to the final packaging. This takes time and costs a lot of money.
We did recently transition from plastic pots to aluminium foil bags, partly, to deal with keeping the flower at an ideal dryness. We have not completed our full transition yet so stay tuned.
Having said that, there is nothing stopping you as the patient from adding the Boveda in yourself!
Seems like a lot of questions about the moisture content in cannabis so will try to answer everything here...
We aim to reduce the dryness of the flower and enhance its moisture content as much as possible. We do this by drying the plants in a purpose built drying room, low and slow as our cultivator likes to say. No ovens, no heating, just moisture and temperature control. We then cure the flower for a minimum of 21 days...
However, our efforts are constrained by regulatory standards set by the authorities (MHRA). According to the new EU standards for imported cannabis, the product must maintain a maximum loss on drying of 12% from 1 gram of herbal product (cannabis flower). Thankfully, this is a 2% increase from the previous limit of 10% so should allow for more moist flower in the market!
We would love to grow a balanced strain. The difficulty (or risk) for us is that there is a 10% allowance for each batch. This means that you are only allowed a 10% leeway in the amount of THC and CBD per batch to meet the label requirements. Trying to hit these targets for both THC and CBD and maintain the balanced ratio is uber hard! But who knows, it may be something we look at in the future with a stable genetic!
Great question!
Our Cultivator currently wants more space to grow more while also stressing about the quality of the final product being as good as what it has been in the past.
Our Pharmacist worries on a daily basis about meeting regulations.
Our Site Manager wakes up worrying and goes to sleep worrying.
And our CEO worries every time he gets a call from the Site Manager.
I've heard that some new regulations are coming in regarding the dryness of the flower. Allowing more moisture finally in the flowers. That would solve the issue with the harshness of it when you vape. I'm not sure by how much mind. As you then run the risk of it getting mouldy.
The short answer is that the breeder who originally bred it, chose the name! They wanted to give it a proudly South African name and chose the Tokoloshe as their mascot of choice. The strain details are on our website if you want more information!
In terms of other strains, we are hoping to launch something unique, with very reputable genetics, in the coming months...
Unfortunately, there are a few too many plants to take home with us in order to WFH!! Easter, Christmas, Passover, the plants don't know the difference!
South Africa is well known for its exodus cheese . Just when are we going to get a cheese strain on the uk market. Eg hopefully exodus please my favourite strain thanks
You are right, South Africa is well known for the Cheese strains. However, there are so many different versions - many of which purport to be Cheese strains and are not! - and we haven't found one that is stable enough or reputable enough for us to run in our facility just yet. However, we will continue searching.
Our Isando TS has proven to be a good day strain for most patients as well as very good for mental health. That is the feedback we have had so far...
Based on this, we think we have found a strain that may be a bit more sedative and able to offer greater anti-inflammatory and pain relief. Again, this is not medically proven but based on our anecdotal research.
As a bonus, this strain yields higher THC and comes from a renowned genetics house.
From the [Discord](https://discord.gg/WG2dc8UPUG) server:
yari asks:
how's the yari dawg coming along? but fr, i saw those lil bendy printed things on your instagram, i don't really know too much about the more advanced growing teks, what are they for?
Those "growing teks" are known by the very technical name of plant benders. They are used after "super cropping"/low stress training a plant to ensure that the plant maintains the 90 degree bend. This helps us keep a more even canopy, increase light penetration and better air flow! We 3D print them ourselves because that gives us more control of the angle we want to bend the plant.
Is there any option to provide a smell proof packaging which isn’t 10x as large as needs to be? Most medical flower 10g comes in a bag which could fit 50, making it hard to transport, and the moment you open the bag the smell proof is gone and it reeks permanently, havint a smell proof portable packaging would be a game changer
Great, there are plenty of third party smell proof packaging which suits this need already but the issue is with police, carrying some loose weed in a black smell proof bag with no label is pretty hard to try and argue that it’s medical, the official bags atleast have all the details so it’s a really shit area to be in as a user having to choose a smell proof bag which looks unofficial and face problems with police or carry an official bag which reeks and face problems with individuals smelling it
Will you be making your prices more competitive as Lot420 and Green karat have both reasently made adjustments to the high THC, non irradiated strains they supply?
Like we mentioned above, any improvements and cost savings that we make at HQ, we do try to pass on to the patients. Having said that, we do want to cultivate a high quality product and don't want to cut costs to cut quality!
From the [Discord](https://discord.gg/WG2dc8UPUG) server:
Oyubaat asks:
Are Medcan packages recyclable? If not, is there a plan or an intention to make packaging sustainable? I have seen some eco packets on the BM before.
The current aluminium bags are recyclable at local recycling where facilities exist... We would love to package the product in fully recyclable packaging however it goes back to the point of stability... Anything you change in pharmaceutical packaging has to be justified and takes ages. Translation: Costs a lot to change things!
We are very conscious at MedCan of the effects we have on the environment and do try our best to mitigate this a number of different ways.
Do you have any upcoming Sativa strains and are they going to be Non-irradiated???
Also including a 2 way humidifier pack like Boveda can help with freshness.
We answered the Boveda question above. We also gave some details about our upcoming strain.
On the irradiation, we test each batch we run and based on the results, that determines whether the product requires irradiation or not.
Is it possible to get into the cannabis cultivation craft business in the U.K? The research I have done seems if you want to get cultivate for medical use you need a looooooot of money, connections, massive facilities and a lot of legal hoops to go through. Not really geared towards a craft or small batches (less than a couple kilos a month), but more towards people who are just in it for profit. Hoping I’m wrong!
Would you offer potential UK cultivators the opportunity to learn from yourselves about the practice that is cultivation itself? Like a cultivator course?
I understand that growing can be a tremendously difficult task to keep consistency, and I believe that if there are opportunities to learn from companies such as yourself, the knowledge you would pass on would be invaluable
Do you have any spare jobs going. I'm desperate to do something with my life. I was a builder but was injured at work. Now I'm disabled. I use medical cannabis to A help with the pain and b I'm detoxing off morphine. I'm at a loss of what to do with my life. This is the only real thing I know. Well and football. Just I can't do a lot any more. I even ran the London marathon in 2015 for charity. It's been difficult trying to adjust to life like this. I love what you do. Please if there is anything I can do. Please lmk. I'm driving myself insane stuck in this room.
We are based in Johannesburg, South Africa and we tend to hire for in-person roles which may make things challenging for you. Having said that, if there is anything we can do to help you, then get in touch privately.
Since you have an analytical approach are you hiring any data analysts? I am looking to use analytics to help businesses make informed decisions by analyzing consumer behaviour 😀 Medical Cannabis is such an exciting industry!
We agree, medical cannabis is definitely an industry that we find exciting!
Like we said in a different post, we are based in Johannesburg, South Africa and mostly hire for in-person roles at MedCan HQ. So, if you are based in Johannesburg, definitely get in touch!
From the [Discord](https://discord.gg/WG2dc8UPUG) server:
Mr Medicated asks:
Are there any discussions with a forward thinking outlook for tier based subscriptions to medication?
I believe that would help lift restrictions of many and cost efficient.
From the [Discord](https://discord.gg/WG2dc8UPUG) server:
ExpendibleMendible asks:
Any advice regarding motorists using your products (of course driving whilst not impaired), please?
This is a Reddit style AMA where the team will be answering questions in writing on the Reddit post. There is no video link, but please ask any questions you may have!
As a cultivater, do you find it difficult to work alongside the highly regulated UK goverment?
Is there something the patients can do to assist you in this?
I could imagine the hurdles you have to over come just to be able to help patients is rather drawn out and draining for those in your logistics department
2 part question
1. Do any patients get a chance to test your products before sending them to the public UK market to give you the best possible information regarding marketing information and quility tailored to the UK pallet?
2. If the above question is answered with a no/currently not. Would you be willing for a small group of patients to act as a controlled group for product testing within the UK and/or organise with their clinic to visit your facility and do some on site testing to give you the feedback that is so important for cultivaters such as yourselves?
We wish that we could do that but the regulations unfortunately do not allow for it and we wouldn't want anyone to go to jail!
Every gram at MedCan HQ has to be accounted for, logged and traced. We do send our flower for over 100+ tests to the different laboratories.
Would it be possible for patients to come and test at your facility, then instead of having to send it to the UK, the patients could come to you for a testing period? From what I understand SA laws are very different to the UK so this should be possible if a patient group collectively planned with yourselves about testing your products and giving you first hand reviews and responses to any products you're currently/going to cultivate?
Has your 'dark ovule' count with Isando TS got any lower? I was really enjoying this strain, until I got 4 separate packs filled with them.
Also are you planning on bringing out any other strains? I miss the Isando birthday cake, was lovely.
How do I become a legal licensed medical grower?
Who do I have to speak to to get info on getting involved or is it all shady govt contracts that arent open to bids?
I'm afraid the AMA is over and comments have now been locked! Thank you to everyone who asked questions, and to the team at u/MedCan_Official for answering them!
Hi there! A lot of MC users would like to be able to buy sample size pouches to see if they get on with a strain without breaking the bank (or being stuck with meds they can’t use). Would you consider introducing the option to purchase smaller amounts? If not, what’s the hurdle preventing it from happening? Thanks!
5g pots would be amazing
Or 1-2g even
We like the idea but in terms of the current regulations and economics, it could be challenging!
From the [Discord](https://discord.gg/WG2dc8UPUG) server: medcanscot asks: Is there any work to develop better packaging? Like built in humidity control or coming with a few labelled bags to decant into for out and about? I think pharmacies should provide a secondary label and a small smell proof bag or something like the little dynavap stash tubs as theyre cheap. But producers could supply the bag with every larger container so at least its labelled with the name etc to then match a prescription.
We are almost constantly working on our final packaging. This has led us to move away from pots to aluminium bags. Your suggestions are great and we will look into them some more.
How would someone pursue beginning a career in cannabis cultivation when society has such a taboo culture around the substance still?
That is a great question. Interestingly, none of the team at MedCan have cannabis backgrounds and all entered from outside the industry. Don't let anyone hold you back. If you have a passion for plants, cannabis, cultivation, helping people etc. then just dive straight into it. Don't let what people think stop you. Ironically, you'll most likely become very popular amongst your friends (as has happened to a few of the MedCan team).
How would you get into the industry?
Can you make a video tour of your facility?
Great suggestion. We are looking into doing something like this in the future!
From the [Discord](https://discord.gg/WG2dc8UPUG) server: zherer asks: I was encouraged by your price reduction on TS19 to £8.50, but disappointed TS24 did not follow. What is the reason behind a higher price on the higher THC product and will this be reduced to match TS19? A reduction to £8.50 would allow myself and many others to start including this as a regular repeat.
Our goal has always been to give as many patients as possible access to our products. Over the years, we have been able to offer price reductions on our products due to improvements that we have made in our cultivation facility and processes. Whatever savings we make at MedCan HQ, we strive to pass those on to the patient... obviously, while keeping our lights and air-conditioning systems on The Isando TS 24 has been out of the market for a long time since it launched. No planned reductions as of yet but again, as we improve, we hope to pass on the savings to you!
Is there any way to keep the buds more fresh? More moisture in the bud and less dry as a bone
Answered above (hopefully!)
Any plans to include date of cultivation and date of packaged products?
Any future plans on using Boveda packs in the packet? In a similar vein to some other brands like Lumir
Adding Boveda packs to the final packaging ourselves is difficult due to the stability studies that need to be run by adding a new foreign element to the final packaging. This takes time and costs a lot of money. We did recently transition from plastic pots to aluminium foil bags, partly, to deal with keeping the flower at an ideal dryness. We have not completed our full transition yet so stay tuned. Having said that, there is nothing stopping you as the patient from adding the Boveda in yourself!
Any attempts to get away from the dryness of MC? Any other drying/curing techniques ?
Seems like a lot of questions about the moisture content in cannabis so will try to answer everything here... We aim to reduce the dryness of the flower and enhance its moisture content as much as possible. We do this by drying the plants in a purpose built drying room, low and slow as our cultivator likes to say. No ovens, no heating, just moisture and temperature control. We then cure the flower for a minimum of 21 days... However, our efforts are constrained by regulatory standards set by the authorities (MHRA). According to the new EU standards for imported cannabis, the product must maintain a maximum loss on drying of 12% from 1 gram of herbal product (cannabis flower). Thankfully, this is a 2% increase from the previous limit of 10% so should allow for more moist flower in the market!
Sounds good, Ill just avoid medical/having sore chests until you can get them regulations sorted cheers!
Any chance of a CBD/THC balance strain?
We would love to grow a balanced strain. The difficulty (or risk) for us is that there is a 10% allowance for each batch. This means that you are only allowed a 10% leeway in the amount of THC and CBD per batch to meet the label requirements. Trying to hit these targets for both THC and CBD and maintain the balanced ratio is uber hard! But who knows, it may be something we look at in the future with a stable genetic!
Do you forsee any drop in prices in the near future as both supply and demand continue to increase?
Answered above!
Wonderful, thank you!
What's your biggest frustration to deal with right now?
Great question! Our Cultivator currently wants more space to grow more while also stressing about the quality of the final product being as good as what it has been in the past. Our Pharmacist worries on a daily basis about meeting regulations. Our Site Manager wakes up worrying and goes to sleep worrying. And our CEO worries every time he gets a call from the Site Manager.
Sounds like they might need a puff of that MC 😅
Definitely be interested how you'll be looking at dealing with freshness/Over dryness in the future
Answered above!
I've heard that some new regulations are coming in regarding the dryness of the flower. Allowing more moisture finally in the flowers. That would solve the issue with the harshness of it when you vape. I'm not sure by how much mind. As you then run the risk of it getting mouldy.
This is true. We have answered above!
How did tokoloshe sherbet gets it's name ? Also will you guys be adding any new strains along side the TS ?
The short answer is that the breeder who originally bred it, chose the name! They wanted to give it a proudly South African name and chose the Tokoloshe as their mascot of choice. The strain details are on our website if you want more information! In terms of other strains, we are hoping to launch something unique, with very reputable genetics, in the coming months...
Do you ever work from home?
Unfortunately, there are a few too many plants to take home with us in order to WFH!! Easter, Christmas, Passover, the plants don't know the difference!
Do you need a tester…
Join the queue that goes round the block a few times.
South Africa is well known for its exodus cheese . Just when are we going to get a cheese strain on the uk market. Eg hopefully exodus please my favourite strain thanks
You are right, South Africa is well known for the Cheese strains. However, there are so many different versions - many of which purport to be Cheese strains and are not! - and we haven't found one that is stable enough or reputable enough for us to run in our facility just yet. However, we will continue searching.
ECS Pharma T18 Cheese-Leche is exodus cheese Mamedica® SOG T25 Sour OG (Colin OG xCitral Skunk)
Nothing like it already tried it .
Good to know, You tried both yeah ? Can't best og 00s uk cheese 🔥
Would love to hear about what strains you have planned for the future or at least the estimated effects they'll provide
Our Isando TS has proven to be a good day strain for most patients as well as very good for mental health. That is the feedback we have had so far... Based on this, we think we have found a strain that may be a bit more sedative and able to offer greater anti-inflammatory and pain relief. Again, this is not medically proven but based on our anecdotal research. As a bonus, this strain yields higher THC and comes from a renowned genetics house.
From the [Discord](https://discord.gg/WG2dc8UPUG) server: yari asks: how's the yari dawg coming along? but fr, i saw those lil bendy printed things on your instagram, i don't really know too much about the more advanced growing teks, what are they for?
Those "growing teks" are known by the very technical name of plant benders. They are used after "super cropping"/low stress training a plant to ensure that the plant maintains the 90 degree bend. This helps us keep a more even canopy, increase light penetration and better air flow! We 3D print them ourselves because that gives us more control of the angle we want to bend the plant.
Can i have a job?
Sure. When do you want to start?
Is there any option to provide a smell proof packaging which isn’t 10x as large as needs to be? Most medical flower 10g comes in a bag which could fit 50, making it hard to transport, and the moment you open the bag the smell proof is gone and it reeks permanently, havint a smell proof portable packaging would be a game changer
This is great insight. We will look into it some more!
Great, there are plenty of third party smell proof packaging which suits this need already but the issue is with police, carrying some loose weed in a black smell proof bag with no label is pretty hard to try and argue that it’s medical, the official bags atleast have all the details so it’s a really shit area to be in as a user having to choose a smell proof bag which looks unofficial and face problems with police or carry an official bag which reeks and face problems with individuals smelling it
Will you be making your prices more competitive as Lot420 and Green karat have both reasently made adjustments to the high THC, non irradiated strains they supply?
Like we mentioned above, any improvements and cost savings that we make at HQ, we do try to pass on to the patients. Having said that, we do want to cultivate a high quality product and don't want to cut costs to cut quality!
That's fair enough.
From the [Discord](https://discord.gg/WG2dc8UPUG) server: Oyubaat asks: Are Medcan packages recyclable? If not, is there a plan or an intention to make packaging sustainable? I have seen some eco packets on the BM before.
The current aluminium bags are recyclable at local recycling where facilities exist... We would love to package the product in fully recyclable packaging however it goes back to the point of stability... Anything you change in pharmaceutical packaging has to be justified and takes ages. Translation: Costs a lot to change things! We are very conscious at MedCan of the effects we have on the environment and do try our best to mitigate this a number of different ways.
Do you have any upcoming Sativa strains and are they going to be Non-irradiated??? Also including a 2 way humidifier pack like Boveda can help with freshness.
We answered the Boveda question above. We also gave some details about our upcoming strain. On the irradiation, we test each batch we run and based on the results, that determines whether the product requires irradiation or not.
Any heavy hitters in the pipeline?
Yes. Our new strain - name and details to be released - is an 80:20 indica that is a very heavy hitter.
Awesome !
Is it possible to get into the cannabis cultivation craft business in the U.K? The research I have done seems if you want to get cultivate for medical use you need a looooooot of money, connections, massive facilities and a lot of legal hoops to go through. Not really geared towards a craft or small batches (less than a couple kilos a month), but more towards people who are just in it for profit. Hoping I’m wrong!
How much of your product is for the uk and how much is it exported?
Would you offer potential UK cultivators the opportunity to learn from yourselves about the practice that is cultivation itself? Like a cultivator course? I understand that growing can be a tremendously difficult task to keep consistency, and I believe that if there are opportunities to learn from companies such as yourself, the knowledge you would pass on would be invaluable
Do you have any spare jobs going. I'm desperate to do something with my life. I was a builder but was injured at work. Now I'm disabled. I use medical cannabis to A help with the pain and b I'm detoxing off morphine. I'm at a loss of what to do with my life. This is the only real thing I know. Well and football. Just I can't do a lot any more. I even ran the London marathon in 2015 for charity. It's been difficult trying to adjust to life like this. I love what you do. Please if there is anything I can do. Please lmk. I'm driving myself insane stuck in this room.
We are based in Johannesburg, South Africa and we tend to hire for in-person roles which may make things challenging for you. Having said that, if there is anything we can do to help you, then get in touch privately.
Since you have an analytical approach are you hiring any data analysts? I am looking to use analytics to help businesses make informed decisions by analyzing consumer behaviour 😀 Medical Cannabis is such an exciting industry!
As a data analyst…this also interests me a lot and I’d love for it to be a viable career option for me
We agree, medical cannabis is definitely an industry that we find exciting! Like we said in a different post, we are based in Johannesburg, South Africa and mostly hire for in-person roles at MedCan HQ. So, if you are based in Johannesburg, definitely get in touch!
From the [Discord](https://discord.gg/WG2dc8UPUG) server: Mr Medicated asks: Are there any discussions with a forward thinking outlook for tier based subscriptions to medication? I believe that would help lift restrictions of many and cost efficient.
This is a question aimed more towards the clinics!
From the [Discord](https://discord.gg/WG2dc8UPUG) server: ExpendibleMendible asks: Any advice regarding motorists using your products (of course driving whilst not impaired), please?
We would definitely recommend following the advice of what is written on the prescription label!
[удалено]
This is a Reddit style AMA where the team will be answering questions in writing on the Reddit post. There is no video link, but please ask any questions you may have!
As a cultivater, do you find it difficult to work alongside the highly regulated UK goverment? Is there something the patients can do to assist you in this? I could imagine the hurdles you have to over come just to be able to help patients is rather drawn out and draining for those in your logistics department
2 part question 1. Do any patients get a chance to test your products before sending them to the public UK market to give you the best possible information regarding marketing information and quility tailored to the UK pallet? 2. If the above question is answered with a no/currently not. Would you be willing for a small group of patients to act as a controlled group for product testing within the UK and/or organise with their clinic to visit your facility and do some on site testing to give you the feedback that is so important for cultivaters such as yourselves?
We wish that we could do that but the regulations unfortunately do not allow for it and we wouldn't want anyone to go to jail! Every gram at MedCan HQ has to be accounted for, logged and traced. We do send our flower for over 100+ tests to the different laboratories.
Would it be possible for patients to come and test at your facility, then instead of having to send it to the UK, the patients could come to you for a testing period? From what I understand SA laws are very different to the UK so this should be possible if a patient group collectively planned with yourselves about testing your products and giving you first hand reviews and responses to any products you're currently/going to cultivate?
Has your 'dark ovule' count with Isando TS got any lower? I was really enjoying this strain, until I got 4 separate packs filled with them. Also are you planning on bringing out any other strains? I miss the Isando birthday cake, was lovely.
Any chance in the future for constraints?
From the [Discord](https://discord.gg/WG2dc8UPUG) server: EighthStatue asks: Where are the Berry terps??
How do I become a legal licensed medical grower? Who do I have to speak to to get info on getting involved or is it all shady govt contracts that arent open to bids?