Recently unsealed court documents have revealed a tactic employed by tobacco companies in order to simulate the coveted ‘white ash’ effect. White ash is considered to be an indication of high quality product by those who consume cannabis.
White ash has been used as a marketing tool by tobacco companies for decades. SOURCE: High Times – ‘Cheap Schemes and Big Tobacco Tricks: The Recipe for White Ash’
A report from High Times divulged multiple different methods that companies employ in order to make their products seem more attractive to consumers, but it emphasized one in particular: the use of a chemical compound called calcium carbonate in the production of rolling papers.
In the report, High Times referenced unsealed court documents from 2014 which showed that there were varying amounts of calcium carbonate used in the production of some OCB and JOB rolling papers.
Calcium carbonate is an inorganic salt that is commonly found in limestone and the shells of marine organisms. It’s the main ingredient in products such as chalk and antacid medications, but it has also been used as a whitening pigment in cigarette rolling papers for decades. Through further research, High Times was able to find three separate patents from tobacco companies which claimed their use of calcium carbonate was making their product more “attractive.”
High Times referenced a study from the Cooperation Centre for Scientific Research Relative to Tobacco which explained how calcium carbonate can affect the color of ash:
“Generally, as the size of the precipitated calcium carbonate particle decreased, the ash became more cohesive. As the particle size decreased, the ash became slightly whiter until an optimal particle size was reached at about 0.3 microns,” the study said, “Further reductions in precipitated calcium carbonate size caused the ash to become grayer.”
The report also cited a study from the National Institute of Health (NIH) which compared the autopsies of smokers to those of non-smokers. This study found elemental components of calcium carbonate were present in the lungs of smokers that were mostly absent in the lungs of non-smokers, highlighting its potential as a respiratory irritant:
“Lungs from smokers contained a large percentage (average 23% of all particles) of particles composed of calcium, carbon, and oxygen (probably calcium carbonate) in all sample sites, whereas lungs from nonsmokers usually contained no such particles or only minute numbers (average 0.1%).”
Ultimately, the report from High Times was written with the intention of highlighting broader issues of transparency within the cannabis industry. It underscored the greater need for consumer awareness within the community. As legalization expands and steps further into the mainstream, there is a growing demand for accountability and greater scrutiny regarding product ingredients and manufacturing processes.
Written in partnership with Tom White.
