The cannabis industry in North America is estimated to be worth more than $16 billion as of 2019 and has led to the creation of 250,000 jobs. Recreational marijuana use has been legalized in 10 states, with a further 33 states legalizing it for medical usage. More states are expected to follow suit in legalizing marijuana, while policy reform at the federal level is also expected.

With legalization, however, comes Health & Safety and regulatory compliance. Policies differ state-by-state and province by province, often with a number of regulatory bodies involved. This reinforces the need for federal marijuana policies regulating cannabis. In the meantime, members of the industry must familiarize themselves with rules and regulations from state, country, municipal, and federal sources.

Like any other manufacturing industry, cannabis industry workers are subject to health and safety regulations, including use of pesticides, personal protective equipment, ergonomic issues, respiratory protection, laboratory safety, and more.

Manufacturers must also comply with relevant bodies’ regulations in regards to sanitary process. Again, these will differ by state, but to take the California Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC) as an example, license application requirements include:

  • Disease control
  • Cleanliness and proper storage
  • Cleaning of equipment and sanitary operations
  • Track-and-Trace program requirements
  • Waste management
  • Facility construction and design
  • Hazard analysis and preventive controls
  • Machinery qualification
  • Product standards
  • Safety and security
  • Labelling and packaging

Products Applicable to the Cannabis Industry

Highland Equipment provides sanitary systems that enable compliance in the sanitary processing of cannabis. Processes include:

  • Distilling and extracting
  • Use of pressure vessels (often <15psi, which does not require regulation)
  • CBD manufacture
  • Medical cannabis manufacture
  • Recreational cannabis manufacture

Highland Equipment adheres to the following industry standards: TSSA, National Board, CSA B51, ASME Section VIII Div 1 Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, ASME ‘U’ Stamp and ASME B31.1 and B31.3 – Power and Process Piping Code.

Sanitary Processing Experts

Highland Equipment builds complete systems following industry sanitary standards such as ASME, BPE, BMP, and 3A. We use our own depth of professional knowledge and years of practical experience to provide cannabis producers assurance our equipment will comply with their stringent industry regulations for Health and Safety and sanitary manufacturing processes.

Highland Equipment designs and builds complete CIP systems that provide our customers the ability to add the benefits of clean-in-place (CIP) technology into their product manufacturing processes. Clean-in-place systems are designed to use a mix of cleaning and sanitizing chemicals, heat, and water to thoroughly cleanse process pipes, vessels, and machinery “in place.” Cleaning “in place” benefits cannabis manufacturers by removing the risk of re-contaminating equipment during reassembly after “out of place” cleaning as well as from the additional costs in time and labour associated with “out of place” cleaning.

A Leader in Cannabis Processing Equipment

Our world-class orbital welding and stainless-steel fabrication, combined with our design expertise with a strong focus on sanitary design, make Highland Equipment the perfect partner for your cannabis project.

Highland Equipment offers end-to-end project management, from equipment design and manufacturing to system integration, installation, and ongoing technical support. Our team works closely with customers to develop cost-effective solutions that can meet even the most challenging application-specific requirements, and all equipment is designed to comply with relevant codes and standards.

Contact Highland Equipment to talk to an expert on sanitary systems and their application in the cannabis industry.