Oils extracted from cannabis plants have found widespread use in both the medicinal and adult-use markets in many locations globally. A popular method of administration is inhalation of the oils with electronic vaporizer pens originally designed for e-cigarettes. The kinematic viscosity of cannabis oil in these cartridges has a substantial impact on the performance of this delivery device as it directly impacts the ability of the oil to travel to the heating element. The viscosity of these oils vary dramatically with temperature, terpene content, and the presence of other synthetic diluents. Here we present analytical expressions for viscosity of concentrated cannabis oils as a function of temperature and concentration of diluents. Diluents studied include common synthetic polyols, acyclic and cyclic individual terpenes, and cannabis derived terpene extracts. An analytical expression relating to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) concentrations in these oils remains elusive, likely due to the molecular complexity of these natural product extracts. However, surprising results have been found; in particular the addition of 85% CBD (a solid at room temperature) to ~65% THC cannabis oils shows a decrease in viscosity with higher percentage additions. No mechanism for this effect is proposed.

Analytical expressions for viscosity of concentrated cannabis oils

2019 Spring National Meeting

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