TXOG Medical Marijuana Extraction Process

TXOG Medical Marijuana Extraction Process
TXOG Medical Marijuana Extraction Process

There are many different methods to extract medical marijuana in the cannabis industry. At Texas OG, we utilize one of the safest and cleanest methods, CO2 extraction. There are many steps involved in creating the highest quality medical cannabis medicine, but in this blog, we are going to focus on the extraction process.

We believe in transparency so our patients know exactly how their medicine is being made. 

Continue reading to learn how our extraction process works at Texas OG.

Medical Marijuana Extraction and Purification 

Before any extraction can begin, the medical marijuana flower must be dried, cured and ground up. We call this ground-up flower “feedstock.” The feedstock is put into the first machine we use in the extraction process, the supercritical CO2 extractor. This machine heats and compresses CO2 into the chambers packed with the feedstock. It runs for several hours and includes two different stages.

The first stage is terpene extraction. Since terpenes are much more volatile than cannabinoids, less energy is needed to remove them from the plant material. For this reason, terpenes are extracted at lower temperatures and pressures. Once extracted, they are stored for further purification before being added to our Plus products.

The second stage is cannabinoid extraction. At higher temperatures and pressures, the crude oil containing the cannabinoids is extracted from the feedstock. The crude oil is then stored until it’s ready for the next step.

Filtration and Further Purification

The crude oil contains cannabinoids and plant material that need to be separated. Since it is very thick and viscous, the crude oil must be mixed with ethanol to make it more fluid. Once combined, the mixture of ethanol and crude oil is put into a freezer. At subzero temperatures, the excess plant matter separates from the bound ethanol and cannabinoids. 

Next, vacuum filtration is performed on the chilled mixture. Filtration paper is used to collect the fats and waxes, allowing the cannabinoids to pass through. This filtration occurs three times, through successively finer filter paper, for the crude oil to be considered purified.

Once the cannabinoids are separated from the rest of the plant material in a purified oil, the ethanol that is bound to the cannabinoids must be removed. A rotary evaporator is used to remove the ethanol from the purified oil. This machine lightly heats the mixture above ethanol’s boiling point and allows it to evaporate out of the oil and recondense into a separate flask. We are then left with a purified oil, containing very little plant matter and only residual ethanol. This purified oil will go through one final step before it is ready for our medicine.

TXOG Medical Marijuana Extraction

Distillation and Testing

Distillation is the final step of the process that removes the residual ethanol and remaining plant material from the purified oil. Similar to the rotary evaporation process in the last step, distillation involves slowly heating the purified oil under a vacuum with low pressure. As the flask containing the purified oil is heated, different compounds are boiled out of the mixture. First, the volatile compounds are removed. Next, the main cannabinoid fraction is removed and collected. This cannabinoid fraction is called distillate which has a potency of 80-90%. 

A sample of the distillate is taken to be tested before it is sent to our manufacturing team where the final products are made. 

Become a Patient 

Ready to become a patient? Texas Original has partnered with key physicians throughout the state to provide you with the opportunity to quickly review your eligibility for medical marijuana at no cost. Once approved, you will be scheduled for a virtual appointment with a registered physician. 

To see if you qualify for medical marijuana, click the button below.