GH Labs Welcomes Members of Albuquerque Press

09/02/2021 GH Labs

Today, Vance Dugger along with his team introduced GH Lab’s new facility to New Mexico, the latest in state-of-the art cannabis cultivation and manufacturing. Mr. Dugger then introduced Dr. Steven Bennett who has introduced New Mexico’s first transdermal cannabis patch for chronic pain. Another first for New Mexico.

GH Lab’s owner and CEO Vance Dugger began the day by discussing the inception of GH Labs in New Mexico. Mr. Dugger shared his personal history and the events that inspired him to become not only a proponent of medical cannabis, but also a patient. In 2012, he suffered a broken neck. He underwent surgery in California to have his C3 through C6 vertebrae repaired. After a successful surgery, he quickly discovered that he was allergic to opioids, the standard in treating post-surgical pain. Through the help of some friends in California, he began his recovery and was treated with RSO (Rick Simon Oil), a very powerful form of cannabis oil to treat the pain from surgery. His recovery was nothing short of miraculous. Not only did he recover and heal, but he did so without taking opiates in the form of pai medication. He recovered completely through the use of organic medical cannabis products. This experience made him a believer and evangelist for the medical and healing qualities of cannabis.

“When I first started using cannabis, I felt like I was doing something illegal. And, I wasn’t because I was a medical patient. It made me question myself. As someone who never got intoxicated, who doesn’t partake, it was interesting for me. There was such a stigma around it.

When I tried to get a license (here in New Mexico) around 2014-15 here and I was rejected, I went to Colorado and I learned the space in Colorado. And I focused on manufacturing…When I sat on the sidelines here, the manufacturing side of things was lacking…We wanted to find a location where we could give back to the community. So, that’s what we built out.

Moving forward we are going to truly focus on creating opportunities. If we have someone who has any issues, say you have somebody who is a micro-grower and wants to do an invention, want new formulas – we are going to white label – we are going to work with people. We are going to bring them in here. Sit down with them. Help them build whatever products they want. The main thing that slows or inhibits production is raw product. As a manufacturer I am beholden to growers. If growers don’t bring product to me, I’m in trouble.

So, currently there is a 3 to upwards of 6-week wait to get a manufacturer to actually produce products for dispensaries. That’s absurd. No where in the United States does it take 4-6 weeks to get a product turned around. We are going to just do away with that.”

With GH Labs, the process began with the best construction practices. We have built their grow rooms with washable PVC walls that are mold and mildew resistant. Once a grow is done there is very little down time to turn the for the next crop. In just over a year, we have turned an abandoned building into a 17,000 square foot facility on the cutting edge of production and manufacturing technology. GH Labs is environmentally  friendly, equipped with extremely energy-efficient cooling units, automated watering systems that only result in 2% water waste. Organic grow plans. Large capacity extraction capabilities. Explosion-proof extraction booths. and much more. In addition, GH Labs sought out the direction of representatives from Bernalillo County Fire Department and the New Mexico Department of Health to ensure that all recommendations were heard and all guidelines were met. This is to ensure the safety of employees and the knowledge that products produced would be of the highest quality and that no corners would be cut.

The other facet of the facility is a synergistic plan. GH Labs was built with the idea that cooperation is paramount in a community. GH Labs will work with any vertically licensed cannabis growers as well as micro-growers in the state. GH Labs will come alongside any of the aforementioned growers to produce the highest quality products while also aiding in the development of new products here in New Mexico.

Dr. Steven Bennett introduces a first to New Mexico transdermal medical cannabis patch. The patch works better than traditional edibles, because it bypasses the liver and delivers the product directly above the source of the pain. With the ability to deliver a precise dose that can be cut smaller to match the patient need, these transdermal patches allow the patient to control pain with very little intoxicating effect. “At most the patient might experience a slight euphoria which is often described when using cannabis products.”