High-way to perfection: How Langara is blazing the way for cannabis research
A Langara research team is investigating pre-rolled joints in the search to make them more consistent
By ROSE LEUNG
Ongoing work at Langara College’s Applied Research Centre has brought researchers one step closer to creating the perfect pre-rolled joint.
One of the projects within the Applied Science for the Canadian Cannabis Industry (ASCCI) initiative studies the production of pre-rolls. Cannabis researcher Markus Roggen said this is “cutting-edge research” in the cannabis sector. He said that while other companies test the cannabis before consumption, “they don’t test the consumption itself.”
He said that the research goal is for “every joint to behave the same,” as current pre-rolls provide an inconsistent experience.
“If you smoke the same joint five times, you’ll see that they behave slightly differently, burn slightly differently,” Roggen said. “You don’t see that with a cigarette.”
Cannabis producer Pure Sunfarms and Langara College began their collaborative study on pre-rolls in January of this year. It is part of the five-year ASCCI project established in 2021, which aims to research and develop innovations for cannabis use and production.
High society
Riley Lindsey, an associate at WestCanna Cannabis Store, said that customers prefer pre-rolls that give an immediate high.
“It’s super popular,” says Lindsey. “We’ll have people come in and just ask for the strongest thing we have.”
A joint effort with “KARL”
Working alongside Langara chemistry professor Paulo Sgarbi, Roggen said the research goal is to balance the effects of THC and terpenes, the flavour component, throughout the whole joint.
To do this effectively, Roggen uses a machine that acts like a “mechanical lung,” nicknamed “KARL,” to replicate smoking in a controlled setting.
“[We can see] how much THC, how much CBD, how many terpenes you inhale, per puff and for the whole joint,” Roggen said.
While Pure Sunfarms is an established company with their own labs, Sgarbi says these collaborations within the ASCCI could also benefit younger companies.
“Langara has the tools, the expertise, the personnel,” says Sgarbi. “Many of [them] in the cannabis space don’t yet have the size, the scale, the personnel to set up their own research lab.”
Langara College’s cannabis research innovations will continue into 2026.