Powdered Marijuana Has Arrived, a New Alternative for Medicinal Consumption

A year ago, the American Tax and Trading Agency for Alcohol and Tobacco approved the use of Palcohol, which simply refers to alcohol in a powdered form. The manufacturing company said it was launching the product in response to the constant rises in alcoholic drinks prices. Additionally, their product was notable for its convenience, as it can be carried in your pocket. 

The company launched six different versions of the product and four types of complete cocktails that can be dissolved in water or a soft drink, in a similar way to powdered milk.

Now, the same technique is being considered to create powdered marijuana. In order to create Palcohol, cyclodextrins are used, these are chemical substances formed of cyclical structures of sugar molecules that are formed during some processes of the breakdown of starch. A cyclodextrin can absorb up to 60% of its weight in alcohol, and when it is dissolved in a liquid substance, it is freed again. 

Cyclodextrins could work in a similar way with tetrahydrocannabinol. In fact, experiments on cyclodextrins with THC have shown that it is possible to increase the solubility of cannabis' psychoactive substance in water by 1,000 times. The THC would be absorbed in a modified cyclodextrin complex and afterwards it could be dissolved in the same way as alcohol.

Having said that, while powdered alcohol can only be used to help people drink in a cheaper and more convenient way, powdered marijuana could be used for medical purposes, to treat people with cancer, HIV or multiple sclerosis. 

It will be necessary to wait in order to see how the research progresses, however if everything goes well, powdered marijuana could be on the market within a short period of time. Dissolving cannabis in a glass of water will be a possibility very soon.