Volcano Medic 2 Granted Health Canada Medical Use Approval
Storz & Bickel’s Volcano Medic 2 has officially been approved for medical use by Health Canada. The government agency issued a Medical Device License (License No.: 103842) in early April 2020.
The Medic 2, which is available online and in medical cannabis clinics across Canada, can now be distributed to clinics, medical institutions and patients throughout the nation.
What are Volcano Medical Devices?
Storz & Bickel has launched two Volcano medical devices: Medic and Medic 2. Neither model is available in the U.S., but they are readily available in several countries across the world.
The latest iteration, the Medic 2, has been approved for medical use in Australia, Europe and now Canada.
The Volcano Medic 2 differs from the original Volcano devices in a few different ways that benefit medical users.
For starters, the vaporizer heats up very quickly – in just 1-2 minutes. The fast heat-up time allows medical users to get fast relief when they need it most.
The Medic 2 also has a new tubular inhalation method in addition to the Valve Balloon.
As an added safety measure, Storz & Bickel added a valve that’s intertwined into the mouthpiece. The valve prevents patients from breathing directly into the Valve Balloon, which could contaminate the chamber.
The addition of the valve allows patients to use balloons multiple times. With the regular Volcano, balloons need to be replaced more often, which increases expense and waste.
The Vaporization System allows for the inhalant medical use of liquid cannabinoids that are dissolved in alcohol. It also allows for inhalant use of cannabinoids from dried cannabis flowers.
The intuitive touch display allows medical users to set their preferred temperature directly from the device. The LED display and touch-control panel displays the temperature and allows patients to make adjustments with the push of a button.
The Medic 2 offers the same level of high-quality craftsmanship and combustion-free vaporization that Storz & Bickel products are known for.
Like its predecessor, the Medic 2 is designed for temporary inhalation of cannabinoids prescribed by a doctor for use at home, in a healthcare facility or in a hospital. It provides a fast-active, effective way to use cannabinoids.
Vaporization of cannabis allows for quick and safe delivery of cannabinoids while eliminating the damaging by-products of combustion.
The Medic 2, like all variations of the Volcano, uses pumped hot air to vaporize material. Most other vaporizers use heated plates, which can lead to unintentional combustion and produces more acetic acid and methanol.
The Vaporization System in the Medic 2 prevents the combustion of flowers and the toxic substances this process produces. As a result, patients are able to inhale clean vapor rich in beneficial cannabinoids.
The system consists of a hot air generator, a diaphragm pump and the Valve Balloon or Tube System. Once the hot air generator heats up, the pump activates and pushes hot air through the filling chamber filled with cannabis flowers. The hot air vaporizes the cannabis without burning it. The air is then fed into the Valve Balloon.
For the Tube System, the Tube Kit is placed directly on the filling chamber. When the hot air generator heats up, the hot air is moved through the preheated filling chamber through inhalation. Cannabinoids are passed as aerosol through the silicone tube and cooled down along the way.
The design of the Medic 2 is aimed at improving patient experience while making it easier to safely vaporize cannabis.
Health Canada Medical Device License News
The classification as a licensed medical device means that the Medic 2 is eligible for tax deductions in Canada and reimbursements from medical insurance companies in Germany.
Storz & Bickel is a subsidiary of Canopy Growth, which acquired the company in December 2018 through an all-cash deal.
Dr. Mark Ware, Chief Medical Officer at Canopy Growth, said the license gives patients more options for medicating with cannabis.
The Medical Device License allows Canopy Growth to distribute the Medic 2 through Spectrum Therapeutics, its medical cannabis division.
Over the last year, Storz & Bickel has updated many of its existing products to add new features and improvements, including the Crafty+ and the new Volcano Hybrid. The company is well-known for its production of non-medical vaporizers that meet international safety standards and ensure premium quality.