On Tuesday April 21, 2020, 14 US patents were granted relating to cannabis. As per usual, a good share - 5 to be exact - of the published documents deal with cannabinoid extraction processes. Notably, CBD’s famed Charlotte’s Web received a patent (US Pat. No. 10,624,872) for extracting CBD from Cannabis sativa, and then converting it into Delta-9-THC and then ultimately into cannabinol (CBN). While further research is required, current studies suggest CBN is slightly psychoactive, stimulating appetite, suppressing insomnia, and a good anti-inflammatory among other therapeutic benefits. Charlotte’s Web is also the recipient of a design patent (D882111) for a 'Cannabinoid Extractor’ pictured below.
Also included in the mix is a patent (US Pat. No. 10,627,397) assigned to Enzo Life Sciences for detecting cannabinoids within a sample, also known as a drug test. As more states begin to open their doors to legal cannabis, a growing demand for cannabis drug tests will ensue to ensure employees aren’t arriving to their jobs under the influence, especially in high-risk jobs. In fact, so long as cannabis is illegal federally, any federal employee can still lose their job for failing a cannabis drug test, even in a legal state, as federal law supersedes state law.
Cannabis as a therapeutic is making great strides since GW Pharma had Epidiolex approved by the FDA. There are now many clinical studies being conducted around the world to discover and unlock medicinal benefits from cannabis. Protection of these novel pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals in the form of IP has not slowed either. Three patents from this week were categorized in our unique Radian diagram under medical use, while four other patents were tagged more generally as compositions for use in medications, supplements or food. Particularly, patent (US Pat. No. 10,624,939) teaches a method of treating ADD and ADHD with a CBD and passion flower composition and is assigned to an independent inventor.
But humans aren’t the only ones in need of therapeutic relief. People are also developing cannabinoid compositions for treating animal health conditions. This week, independent inventors were assigned to a patent (US Pat. No. 10,624,936) for a method of reducing stress in horses using a water-based CBD. Cannabis for animals is a growing area of research as many rush to stake their claims.
Explore the cannabis sector IP landscape from a unique layout using Magic Number’s Radian diagram. Patents and patent applications are organized by category and year to help spot trends, active areas of research, and more. Ask for a demo today at MagicNumberIP.com!