My name is Ada Gallo. Cannabis caught my attention in 2014 when I worked for the Prosecutor's Office due to the diversity of plant material and the volumes seized. During my master's degree, I was the pioneer in using supercritical CO<sub>2</sub> technology in cannabis extraction in Colombia. I studied the effect of pressure, temperature, and co-solvent on cannabinoids extraction. At that time, global interest began into regulate the medicinal use of the plant. These new regulations gave birth to a new industry. Many investors came to Colombia. I worked for Clever leaves as Process Development Manager. I was proud to build a team made up of professionals from the research group of the National University of Colombia. My team and I developed the cannabis production process, from post-harvest treatments (drying and grinding) to the finished product of CBD crystals and raw materials such as full spectrum and distillates. Clever Leaves has two extraction lines. The first line is completely pharmaceutical, so it must meet very rigorous international standards. For this reason, my team and I develop and optimize the decarboxylation, extraction (supercritical CO<sub>2</sub>) winterization, distillation, and crystallization process there, to meet the standards mentioned above. At the other production line, the company managed the industrial aspect of the business. Unfortunately, regulations around the world have had many gray areas. This type of raw materials has not been sold as expected and the price of CBD crystals has dropped substantially. Currently, I am a doctoral candidate in chemical engineering. I am doing the development of the free THC using centrifugal partition chromatography, CPC. This study is sponsored by Clever leaves and the National University of Colombia. I am committed to complete my doctorate degree. Additionally, I am providing consultancy services for small companies, and/or companies that are starting their manufacturing process. Since cannabis regulations around the world are becoming clearer. I noticed that the industry is getting stronger. However, there is much work to be done not only in my country but globally. I am convinced of the wonders that the cannabis plant offers us, we still have a long way to go.

Cannabis industry in Colombia in full swing

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