{"id":11006,"date":"2026-01-30T19:37:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T19:37:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabisindustryjournal.com\/?post_type=feature_article&amp;p=38382"},"modified":"2026-01-30T19:37:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T19:37:08","slug":"preservation-is-the-buzzword-for-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/preservation-is-the-buzzword-for-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Preservation is the Buzzword for\u00a02026"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"wp_fb_like_button\" style=\"margin:5px 0 5px 5px;float:right;height:100px;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/preservation-is-the-buzzword-for-2026\/\" send=\"true\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"false\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/preservation-is-the-buzzword-for-2026.png\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">As the cannabis industry readies for the growth surge rescheduling could trigger, it\u2019s getting dangerously close to losing its grip on the craft sector.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">We are entering the era of the connoisseur, where consumer palates are becoming increasingly sophisticated and demand products that provide a full-spectrum craft experience. They understand the nuances of cannabis and what defines quality.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Quality means a well-preserved flower, free of contaminants, that delivers all the plant\u2019s compounds, creating an entourage effect of benefits. It\u2019s that kind of experience that keeps consumers coming back to a brand again and again, and what patients depend on for reliable therapeutic effects.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Cannabis, like produce, must be kept within a controlled temperature range or it rapidly deteriorates. Leave a bag of weed in your car on a hot day, and you will find it colorless, flavorless, and weak. Degradation accelerates quickly once cannabis is exposed to temperatures above 70\u00b0F. It is also highly sensitive to light and humidity. Continuous cold chain conditions are needed to prevent degradation and preserve the plant\u2019s full value from the field to the shelf.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">If the industry doesn\u2019t up its game on preservation practices across the supply chain, it risks losing its craft flower altogether and becoming a commodity category with only biomass to offer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">While the industry has made progress in preservation protocols across cultivation, post-harvest handling, curing, and extraction, the final stretch from warehouse and distribution to retail remains riddled with gaps. It\u2019s the \u201clast mile\u201d where product freshness is getting lost.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Stop Putting Lipstick on a Pig<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It is well documented and scientifically proven that terpenes have physiological effects and are used to treat sleep disorders, anxiety, pain, and inflammation. It is also known that terpenes and other low-concentration metabolites are extremely volatile under certain conditions, such as exposure to light, heat, and time, which causes cannabis to deteriorate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">According to Alec Dixon, cofounder of SC Labs, \u201cOnce the terps are gone, it no longer is craft, and it\u2019s now biomass, and everyone and their mother has biomass.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Dixon, whose lab has long served as the official testing partner and judging panel for the Emerald Cup, says the data is clear: terpene levels distinguish great cannabis from mediocre product. \u201cIf the average cup entry is about 1.4% terpene content, the winners are all 3% to 5%\u2014that\u2019s when you find the most stinky and sticky bud that could stick to a window,\u201d he says. Yet by the time flower reaches the retail shelf, it often measures 1% or less, and pre-rolls average 0.5% or less.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The culprit, Dixon says, is the industry\u2019s lack of cold chain handling. Grinding and packaging flower at room temperature causes terpenes to evaporate. As a result, many producers resort to adding artificial or non-botanical flavors to \u201cjuice\u201d the aroma and mask quality loss. \u201cIt\u2019s like putting lipstick on a pig,\u201d he says. \u201cYou\u2019re taking something that once might\u2019ve been great and covering up the fact that it\u2019s lost its character.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Dixon explains that terpenes don\u2019t just define flavor, they influence the overall effect and quality of the high. Two strains with identical THC levels can deliver completely different experiences depending on their terpene content. Once those terpenes dissipate, the product becomes indistinguishable from distillate, stripped of its unique entourage effect.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">When cannabis is harvested, dried, cured, and stored in cold conditions\u2014below 65\u00b0F\u2014and maintained through a refrigerated supply chain, terpene preservation can reach up to 5%. Improper temperature control can also cause weed to mold if the water content and temperature are not controlled during the post-harvest process.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Vertically Integrated Companies Have the Advantage<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Dixon says vertically integrated operators\u2014those who manage cultivation, processing, and retail under one roof\u2014have a distinct advantage when it comes to terpene preservation. \u201cThey can control all the variables,\u201d he explains. These companies often partner with SC Labs to conduct terpene-preservation trials that measure how well their processes protect volatile compounds throughout the supply chain.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The testing involves taking chemical \u201cfingerprints\u201d of a single harvest at multiple points\u2014from post-cure storage to trimming, packaging, transport, and eventually retail. By comparing terpene and cannabinoid content at each stage, operators can pinpoint precisely where degradation occurs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Dixon says this data-driven approach helps companies refine their standard operating procedures to minimize terpene loss at every step. \u201cYou might start with 4% terpenes and end up with 1.5% by the time it hits the shelf,\u201d he says. \u201cNow, we can identify where that drop happened and fix it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Setting The Standards<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Darwin Millard, Technical Director at CSQ Quality and Standards, says the cannabis industry needs to do a better job of using a cold chain infrastructure to prevent contamination and product degradation. \u201cOur new standards guidelines explicitly cover temperature and atmospheric-controlled storage within the cannabis and cannabinoid product environment,\u201d he explains.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">He points out that cannabis products, though generally safe, can become compromised when exposed to temperature and moisture fluctuations common in refrigerators and freezers. \u201cIf containers aren\u2019t properly sealed, condensation and humidity changes can alter the environment inside and impact the quality of the extract,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Proper thawing procedures are also imperative, especially as many manufacturers freeze extracts for long-term storage. Millard suggests borrowing best practices from the food safety industry to establish foundational cold chain protocols. CSQ\u2019s standards now include explicit requirements for both temperature and atmospheric monitoring and control to maintain ideal conditions during drying, curing, and storage\u2014such as maintaining a stable humidity or vapor pressure to prevent mold growth.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">He also warns about the additional risks in the transportation side of the supply chain. A frozen shipment that thaws and refreezes due to a power failure or improper temperature control can ruin high-value material. To manage this, Millard recommends adopting food-industry concepts such as<\/span> <em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">mean kinetic temperature<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, which measures cumulative thermal exposure rather than one-time fluctuations. \u201cInstead of automatically failing a batch that briefly rises a few degrees, mean kinetic temperature gives you a more realistic buffer and helps determine whether the product actually experienced a damaging thaw,\u201d he explains.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Millard says there are existing tools that have already proven effective in food and pharmaceutical logistics. \u201cThere are inexpensive kinetic temperature sensors that can be placed directly on a product to show if it went outside its safety range during shipping,\u201d he notes. \u201cThey\u2019re the same kind of indicators used for fragile or temperature-sensitive items in other industries, and we should be using them in cannabis, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Millard says the challenge in getting operators on either side of the cannabis industry to certify to standards is that they feel it\u2019s not required and don\u2019t see the need to incur extra expenses, given the financial strains and burdens they\u2019re already facing.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Whose Fault Is It?<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Liability and product recalls due to degradation are appearing in headlines more often. Whether caused by mold or oxidation, quality failures are becoming a serious operational and financial risk across the supply chain. With each recall, evidence increasingly points to improper storage and temperature fluctuations during distribution or at retail, rather than cultivation practices.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">This raises a thorny legal question: If a brand can prove its product left the facility in the condition stated on the COA, but it ends up in retail degraded, who is liable?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Is it the retailer who failed to maintain proper vault conditions, the distributor who transported the product outside its safe range, or the brand whose packaging didn\u2019t adequately protect the flower? In at least one recent case, a packaging manufacturer has been blamed for<\/span> <span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">ruined<\/span> <span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">cannabis. The industry\u2019s lack of cold chain SOPs will only lead to increased exposure to lawsuits, insurance claims, and costly recalls.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><strong>Packaging Preservation Innovations<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">A critical element of cold chain success is preservation packaging. Many products on shelves today are not properly sealed, and you can often smell valuable terpenes escaping before the jar is even opened.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">To combat this, some cannabis manufacturers are adopting nitrogen-flush technology, long used in the food and pharmaceutical industries as a preservation method. In this system, a small drop of liquid nitrogen is released into each jar just before sealing. As the nitrogen rapidly evaporates into gas, it displaces the oxygen inside the container. With oxygen removed, oxidation slows dramatically, minimizing terpene loss and helping preserve aroma, flavor, and potency until the jar is opened.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Samuel Morris, a former designer and manufacturer in the medical market, brought his expertise into cannabis. He developed and patented the<\/span> <a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pop-vac.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">PopVac<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, a super-sealing jar, and built an automated manufacturing line that fills the jars using a nitrogen-flush process. This technology is still evolving as it relates to cannabis preservation, but it represents a promising advancement in protecting high-quality flower.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cThe bottom line is that you have to be very serious about your packaging and seal, because it\u2019s everything,\u201d Morris says. \u201cYour weed dries, your cannabinoid profile changes, and your buzz changes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/grovebags.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Grove Bags<\/span><\/a> <span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">takes a similar technology-driven approach with its modified-atmosphere packaging (MAP), designed to maintain quality and consistency from post-harvest to the consumer. \u201cA lot of companies just make bags or jars,\u201d says Lance Lambert, CMO of Grove Bags. \u201cWe\u2019re really technology first. Our packaging just happens to be the best format to deliver that technology.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Developed by growers, the company\u2019s multilayer film creates a self-regulating microclimate that uses the plant\u2019s own off-gassing to stabilize its environment. \u201cWhen you put the flower in, it\u2019s already off-gassing CO?,\u201d Lambert explains. \u201cOur technology allows CO? to displace oxygen, making it a non-oxygen-rich environment that prevents oxidation and degradation.\u201d The MAP system also maintains an ideal relative humidity of 58 to 62 percent, balancing excess moisture while preserving the integrity of cannabinoids and terpenes. \u201cIt\u2019s essentially auto-curing,\u201d Lambert says. \u201cNo more burping jars or babysitting your cure. You just put the flower in the bag and let it do its job.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Grove Bag\u2019s packaging allows growers to continue curing cannabis during transport. \u201cYou can literally cure in transit,\u201d Lambert says. \u201cNo longer are you wasting space in your operation for two, three, or four weeks to cure.\u201d The innovation has already gained traction among licensed producers in Europe. \u201cThey realized that while their product is in transit or waiting to hit the shelf, it\u2019s still curing,\u201d Lambert explains. \u201cSo instead of losing time, they\u2019re actually improving potency, consistency, and overall product quality.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Last Mile<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">As one of the few cannabis-specific warehousing and transportation companies operating across multiple states, California, Nevada, and New York, Nabis has had to custom-design its own cold chain system to maintain product quality across diverse climates and long transit routes. COO Will Brophy explained that while most brands understand the need to keep edibles like gummies and chocolates cool to prevent melting, few realize that flower and pre-rolls also require climate control to protect terpenes, which begin to degrade around 70\u00b0F.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">To prevent this, Nabis keeps all warehouses between 62 and 67 degrees and closely monitors humidity levels. \u201cWe\u2019re pretty uptight about keeping our warehouses the right temperature, and making sure the humidity is correct,\u201d Brophy said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want humidity too low and drying out the flower, but we also don\u2019t want it too high and causing degradation in other forms.\u201d Maintaining those conditions is particularly challenging in California, where most industrial warehouse spaces are not built with insulation or HVAC systems, which adds high costs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Infrastructure is both the foundation and the biggest hurdle for companies like Nabis. \u201cOne of the hardest parts is the lack of access to traditional infrastructure solutions. Good luck getting a construction loan in cannabis or finding developers willing to work with you,\u201d says Brophy. \u201cMajor property holders often cannot engage with you if their mortgages are bank-backed.\u201d Finding partners with experience in cannabis cold-chain logistics is like finding a needle in a haystack, he added.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Most of their deliveries are made in Sprinter vans outfitted with refrigeration units and additional insulation. \u201cA standard short-distance delivery may do well in some temperatures,\u201d Brophy noted, \u201cbut try driving a Sprinter in a Las Vegas summer and see what your flower looks like on the other side, unless you\u2019ve got the right vehicle for it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Nabis also uses thermal bags and electric coolers for long-haul deliveries to ensure concentrates and extracts remain stable, some of which require temperatures between 0 and 30 degrees. For particularly sensitive products such as blonde hash, which oxidizes and turns brown within 45 minutes at room temperature, the company uses walk-in freezers for storage and transfers the product directly into cold bags for delivery.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Brophy believes the next challenge will be getting everybody across the supply chain to cooperate and obtain the necessary equipment for the baseline. He thinks Nabis is more the exception than the norm for distributors. \u201cWe\u2019re a ways off from there, because there\u2019s a lot of folks that are still not storing in insulated warehouses,\u201d he adds.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">An Outsider\u2019s Advice<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Marty Khait, cofounder of Yukon, a national cold chain logistics company, says the cannabis industry can learn a lot from other perishable goods sectors. For smaller operators, he recommends using self-storage-style cold warehouses that rent individual refrigeration units at a lower cost. These units can be divided into temperature zones for flower, concentrates, beverages, or edibles.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">He also advises adopting widely used monitoring technologies that track temperature and alert operators when products exceed safe thresholds. \u201cThere are simple, inexpensive solutions like temperature-triggered labels and data loggers that provide transparency throughout transport,\u201d Khait noted.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">To manage varying product requirements, Khait suggests building or partnering with specialized facilities\u2014one dedicated to beverages, another to baked goods, and so on\u2014or designing a single facility with separate zones for each product category. Until the industry consolidates around a more efficient system, he said, \u201cthe reality is that companies will need to solve cold chain challenges one piece at a time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Retail Is The Biggest Stumbling Block<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The weakest link in the cannabis cold chain is retail. While many states require cold vault storage systems designed for preservation, few retailers fully understand the consequences of ignoring proper temperature SOPs, or what that neglect could mean for the future of craft-quality cannabis.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Steve Garner, VP of Cultivation at vertically integrated MSO Ethos Cannabis, is concerned. \u201cQuality loss can happen at any step of the process between propagation and consumption. At Ethos, we have several controls in place to protect product quality in our stores. Having a separate HVAC zone for vault controls seems like an exorbitant luxury, but it\u2019s crucial for cool storage.\u201d With a dedicated HVAC system, the team can set vault temperatures independently from the rest of the store. \u201cOur vaults have temperature and humidity sensors so the inventory team can be alerted to anything out of order. Typically, they control to 65\u00b0F, which is a decent compromise between product quality and employee comfort. Concentrate products, particularly solventless, should always be stored in a fridge,\u201d he explained.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Vireo Health, an MSO with 48 retail dispensaries across seven states, recognizes the importance of maintaining terpene integrity and has developed TerpSafe, a patent-pending packaging technology used for its premium house brands. The system incorporates a sealed compartment at the bottom of the container that stores terpenes, slowly releasing them over time to replace those that volatilize each time the jar is opened. By maintaining a consistent terpene-rich atmosphere inside the package, TerpSafe helps stabilize aroma, flavor, and overall freshness throughout the product\u2019s shelf life.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Economics Of Not Having A Cold Chain<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">As consumers become more educated and demand premium cannabis experiences, the industry must recognize the consumer and economic value of standardizing cold chain SOPS: terpene loss equates to financial loss. A batch that arrives at retail with diminished aroma, flavor, or potency often loses its premium status, sells more slowly, and may require discounting or fails to create repeat purchases. Consumers simply won\u2019t return to a brand or strain if they aren\u2019t satisfied with the experience. Over time, widespread terpene degradation threatens to collapse the craft market entirely, pushing cannabis into a commodity landscape where unique genetics, cultivation expertise, and small-batch artistry are lost.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In the end, it\u2019s the increasingly educated consumer who will force the industry to respond by demanding clean, quality cannabis and pressure operators to treat cannabis like produce. In addition, as federal rescheduling draws near, pathways for cannabis-based medicines will open, making the need for consistent, high-quality, properly preserved flower even more urgent, as expectations and regulations will most likely tighten. Cold chain infrastructure doesn\u2019t add cost; it protects the future of both craft cannabis and cannabis medicine.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"sharedaddy sd-sharing-enabled\">\n<div class=\"robots-nocontent sd-block sd-social sd-social-icon-text sd-sharing\">\n<h3 class=\"sd-title\">Share this:<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the cannabis industry readies for the growth surge rescheduling could trigger, it\u2019s getting dangerously close to losing its grip on the craft sector. We are entering the era of the connoisseur, where consumer palates are becoming increasingly sophisticated and demand products that provide a full-spectrum craft experience. They understand the nuances of cannabis and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[134,5179,10956,10802,9290,10851,8771,9,10957,9630,10894,8472,1778,1,3,10958,61,1736],"tags":[2712,5181,10959,10816,9295,10852,8781,10960,9658,10896,8494,4346,10961],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11006"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11006"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11006\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}