Maryland Heights manufacturer rejects BHO
Show Me Extracts hopes to manufacture a variety of medical marijuana products, being mindful of best practices for the health and safety of patients.
James Levine, CEO of Show Me Extracts, a manufacturing facility license applicant, has assembled a diverse team “who together create an entourage of expertise.” His team includes a pharmacist, a LEAN Certified Clinical Chemist, a food scientist, and multiple cannabis experts.
“The most important thing for us is providing a safe and clean product that ultimately gives the end-users the treatment they need,” Levine said. “We will only partner with the best cultivators in the state because our end product is only as good as our starting product. We are going to offer a wide line of products and will regularly follow up with customers to ensure we are delivering on our promise of superior, safe, and clean cannabis. As we have seen in the last few years, the variety of products continues to expand. We are dedicated to providing what the customers are demanding. We are committed to advancing cannabis.”
The Maryland Heights business plans to offer vape cartridges, pre-filled syringes, topicals and tinctures, pre-rolled joints, and premium prepackaged flower.
“Show Me Extracts is a medical marijuana-infused products manufacturer that harnesses the power of cannabis,” Levine said. “Utilizing the latest advances in extraction technology, we are able to provide a pure, consistent, and, most importantly, safe product. We achieve this by extracting all of our cannabis with medical grade CO2 at subcritical, and supercritical pressures. As far as non-polar solvents are concerned, CO2 is among the safest. In fact, the FDA has labeled CO2 safe for industrial extractions, making it a much less controversial solvent than petroleum-based hydrocarbons such as butane or propane (BHO). BHO, if heated to a high enough temperature (as in dabbing), can release Benzene. The toxicology of benzene, is universally agreed. A carcinogen, it has been named by some as ‘the largest single air toxic pollutant in terms of cancer risk in the US.’ That is why we say no to BHO.”
Show Me Extracts is an independent manufacturer without other facilities in it’s ownership, but plants to partner with other facilities to deliver great product.
“This industry is so complex that in order to be great we need to focus on one aspect of the industry – medically infused product manufacturing,” Levine said. “We will give recognition on our packaging and our website of our industry partners. We plan to partner with growers, other infused product manufacturers, as well as dispensaries.”
Prior to applying, Levine worked in medical device sales for 10 years, but had been eyeing entering the medical marijuana market.
“During that time, I have been closely following the industry in legal markets, even going as far as interviewing and being offered jobs in California within the industry,” Levine said. “The timing and logistics didn’t make sense at the time, but I wasn’t going to give up. I have seen how effective this plant is for a long list of ailments that otherwise require pharmaceuticals for treatment. I have lost a number of friends to opioids over the last few years that would have never happened if Missouri had cannabis as a legal option. I knew that as soon as Missouri went legal, that was my chance to finally enter the industry and follow my dream.”
Levine is not only hopeful for a facility license, but looks forward to an industry boom.
“I believe this industry is going to explode. I honestly believe that we will see recreational cannabis in Missouri in the next 5 years or less.