Bison Extracts and Vanguard Scientific Team Up To Close Harmful Consumer and Patient Knowledge Gaps

TULSA, Okla., Jan. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Vanguard Scientifictm and Bison Extracts have launched a new program aimed at helping Oklahoma's cannabis patients and consumers understand how the "soil-to-oil" process of creating cannabis and hemp products affects them. As is the case in many legal cannabis markets, Oklahoma's patient and consumer product knowledge gaps are significant, and related information from manufacturers and dispensaries is often inadequate or altogether absent; a reality that leaves end users unknowingly buying products which are less effective and can be downright harmful. The education program developed by Vanguard and Bison represents an important first step in narrowing that knowledge gap and protecting consumer and patient welfare.

The collaboration is a byproduct of Vanguard and Bison's work together developing Bison's industry-leading, patient-first extraction, and product development program. In the painstaking process of manufacturing products and getting them to those who need them, Bison regularly encounters end-users who have a limited understanding of what they're purchasing; a reality that carries very real risk. For process-obsessed Bison, it's the shortcuts taken by manufacturers (and invisible to consumers) that ultimately undermine product quality.

"We are seeing a flood of new products to the market, and they really aren't up to the same quality standards we would expect to see for medical purposes," says Brandee Spillman, Co-Founder of Bison Extracts.

"These products have a very narrow cannabinoid profile, and synthetic or plant-based terpenes, rather than the full spectrum cannabis-derived varieties we produce at Bison," she continues.

"Educating the consumer is the first step in a new legal market," says Vanguard CEO Matthew Anderson, "In this instance, it's even more critical. With the potential for significant variation between seemingly like products, it was important we not only help Bison put out the highest quality products but that we help ensure consumers know the difference as well."

This education-first sentiment has broad support on the ground in Oklahoma. OK-based RN, April Hatch, wrote in this week's Oklahoman that she has "seen cannabis help hundreds of patients," but, she continues, "only when they are equipped with (the) knowledge and have established an effective treatment plan." Hatch says that when asked, she'll connect patients with the resources they need, but she worries about patients without access to a knowledgeable health care professional.

Vanguard and Bison are seeking to establish quality and transparency as an important baseline standard for the Oklahoma market, with visibility for the patient and the end consumer as the overarching goal. The companies believe that with increased knowledge will come an increased demand for rigorous third-party testing, accurate and complete labels, and a focus on product quality over product margins; all hallmarks of a healthy medical market.

Launching in January, the program will feature a series of events across Oklahoma, as well as digital and hard-copy distribution of education materials across the state. The companies also have plans for video and social media adaptations of the content in the first quarter of 2021.

A web version of these materials can be found here.

Bison Extracts is a Veteran and Woman-owned cannabis extraction company dedicated to bringing the highest quality products to the patients of Oklahoma. They provide top tier extracts, concentrates, and edibles using their proprietary methods, and  Vanguard's equipment.

You can find them on all major social media at @BisonExtracts, or get more information on their website at BisonExtracts.com.

Vanguard Scientific is a leading provider of botanical extraction systems and end to end quality management systems focused on the hemp and cannabis space. They provide supercritical and ethanol extraction equipment as well as post-processing instrumentation recommendation, installation, and commissioning into upregulated industries with a focus on advanced levels of quality compliance such as natural supplements cGMP, CFR 21-111, 117, and certain euGMP standards. Vanguard is based in Aurora Oregon, with clients and team members throughout the world. You can find more information at VanguardScientific.com or find them on social media at @VanguardScientific.

SOURCE Vanguard Scientific Systems