Does this sound like a plan?

I’m in the process of deciding whether or not I should make some cannabis capsules (“happy caps”). I’ve not tried this before, but I have read a number of different approaches and methods. Here is my proposed method in a nutshell:

1. Starting with good quality bud, do a coarse grind in a space case grinder. Then allow it to sit out in a cool dark place until completely dried.
2. Add the dry coarsely ground bud to a coffee mill, herb mill, or even a flour mill and grind into fine powder. (Has anyone ever tried a flour mill for powdering cannabis?)
3. Use one of the various methods (e.g., soaking in warm water) to get out as much of the chlorophyll out as possible. (Since it doesn’t taste good and may cause intestinal upset.)
4. Drain the wet mixture by filtering it through a lab filter. By using a flask with a vacuum pump you should be able to get out most all of the water. (The vacuum in the flask should literally pull the water through the filter. The water can be thrown away as the THC and related chemicals are not water soluble.)
5. The wet remaining paste can be put into a ceramic evaporation dish and placed in a 225 degrees F. preheated oven. If spread thinly, I would expect to pretty much dry out the cannabis in 15-20 minutes with occasional stirring.
6. On a hotplate with a thermostat to maintain an accurate temperature heat up some coconut oil to 275 degrees F. and then add the dried cannabis powder. (There are several suggestions for the proper bud to oil ratio… I expect experience will dictate how much oil to actually use.) (Also, note that an accurate thermometer using a thermocouple probe will prevent going hotter than 284 degress F., the point at which the THC will start to vaporize.)
7. After a fairly long time (I’m guessing about two hours) the THC etc. should have had a chance to bind with the oil molecules. At this point, the oil/cannabis mixture can once again be filtered.
8. Using an inexpensive capsule filler, after the oil has cooled, each 00 capsule can be filled with a pipettor. The pipettor will pick up a measured uniform amount of oil each time. (Each 00 cap should hold about 900 micro liters. This means that a half cup of oil should yeld over 100 capsules.)
9. After the capsules are closed they can be stored in the freezer.

So do you think this will work? Each cap should be equal in strength making for good dose control. I think the key will is being able to maintain accurate temperatures so as not to vaporize the cannabis unintentionally. Anyway, I welcome your comments.

sounds textbook to me... one question, when will you be mailing them to me

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Rose From The Dirt..... Get it?!

I have recently been looking into a way to make the very product you speak of but i want to go about it in a completely different way i think i can make it much more put by extracting all of the THC with alcohol and then boiling off the alcohol. then filling the pills with the end result i only have the problem of how to fill the pills.

Great minds think alike. I also thought of making a tincture and then boiling it down to a very high concentration. I don't think it should be too hard to get the tincture into capsules. There are some capsule filling devices that are very inexpensive (like $10-$13). Basically they serve as a rack to hold the capsule bottoms. To actually pick up the liquid and insert it into each cap I would suggest an adjustable pipettor (also spelled pipetter).

The pipettor is like a large pipette that uses inexpensive disposable plastic tips. You adjust the pipettor to pick up the same amount of liquid each time. I believe each 00 gel cap holds about .9 ml. You put the tip in the liquid and press the button on top of the pipettor and it will draw up the amount that you have set. This device will let you pick up just enough to fill each individual capsule. It's a pain to have to fill each capsule one-by-one, but at least a pipettor should make it easier.

Pipettors come in a wide price range... You might want to check out Ebay.

Howie,
It may be awhile before we have any happy caps as we don't have the vacuum/funnel/flask to do the filtering, nor the pipettor. We can find the caps and cap filler at a local health food store. However, in about two weeks when we have everything together the experiment can begin!

That is exactly what i needed thank you for letting me know that that stuff all exists. definitely keep me posted on your findings as you go hopefully i'll be making mine within the next few days if everything goes according to plan. I'll keep you posted.

i'm making the tincture now and its all going incredibly smoothly i'm so excited.

I had no idea people would make caps but I'm curious.... won't the liquid melt the capsules?

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Better living through chemistry

ok thats the wrong temperature i'm fairly certain but yes and the liquid may infact melt the capsules but i had some alcohol left in mine accidentally and i'm not sure if that did it or the tincture they also weren't quite as strong as i had hoped. i'm going to try again soon though i think i can do much much better