As the popularity of smoking cannabis grows, so do the challenges for addressing the containment of the smoke and smell.
BY STEVE PANOSIAN
TD MAGAZINE HAS FEATURED ARTICLES THAT DISCUSS the merits of designing a sustainable home that includes addressing a healthier living environment. The need and opportunity for customizing control over air quality, temperature, humidity and having the ability to monitor a home’s air health is essential for our well-being. While air purification addresses pollutants and reduces odors, protects furniture and art, can these systems really be expected to address smokers?
One answer that appears to be more than emerging is a solution for addressing smoke and odors for those who use cannabis and tobacco products. As the popularity and benefits of smoking cannabis grow, including its recreational use due to the relaxing of state laws, so do the challenges for addressing the containment of the smoke and smell. Smokers are mindful of where smoking is allowed and when it comes to the home, the need to step outside may no longer be necessary.
introducing HUSH — the solution to secondhand smoke
A new company called HUSH has emerged to tackle the inadequacies of personal smoke filters while addressing smoker’s preference of consuming Cannabis in any format (rolled or loose flower). It is also designed to address the risks of secondhand tobacco smoke. For either application, the device is a handheld solution that works in three simple steps:
First the user inserts their Cannabis into the device, next they inhale from the mouthpiece to ignite the herb and lastly, they exhale their smoke back into the same mouthpiece for full filtration. HUSH eliminates all odors and fumes while capturing ash residue to create an all-in-one solution to secondhand and thirdhand smoke. Their PhantomFloTM filtration technology has been designed from the ground up not only with HEPA media highly specific for smoke filtration, but also around the biomechanics of the human lung to ensure an easy inhale. Most importantly, the HUSH is not a vaporizer; it doesn’t heat Cannabis herb or oil gently but rather combusts it to deliver an authentic smoky flavor.
After speaking with the Principal of the company, Michael Varadian, who also happens to be the former executive director of public health for Rhode Island and the key authority in their implementation of Medical Marijuana programs across the state; I gained a deeper insight into their mission and the type of people they’re looking to impact with the HUSH device.
“HUSH is on a mission to rid the world of secondhand smoke and remove the stigma faced by the community,” Varadian exclaimed. It quickly became clear to me that this device is aimed to transcend the cannabis stoner culture and additionally serve an entirely different demographic: parents and patients. Varadian went on to comment, “Anyone recovering from cancer or chronic pain looking to minimize the questionable odor or being labeled a pothead in managing their pain or chemotherapy induced nausea are the beneficiaries.” He then added, “They don’t want to use addictive opiates if they don’t have to, because those drugs kill over 50,000 Americans each year.”
The HUSH team has accomplished several feats throughout their three-year development process. They’ve won numerous startup competitions, validated the product’s need in the tobacco sector through their research with one of the top international tobacco companies and have also filed intellectual property in the US and Internationally (both pending). The company has also taken a focus into IoT connectability to create a real-time monitor of air quality using sensors in homes, hotels and smoke lounges which communicate with the devices.
The type of Air Purification Systems available in the market today require either an in-home installation or a wired-outlet connection in the case of a free-standing unit (such as the Dyson Pure Cool). However, these types of systems are almost always intrusive and usually come with a hefty price tag as well. An interesting group has emerged, and they’ve taken their at-home air purification needs into the realm of simple, small and affordable — the primary attributes that will drive Cannabis smokers through their purchase journey.
Cannabis smokers rely on an entirely different category of filtration products, thus creating personal smoke filter solutions. Two main brands have emerged in this category, Sploofy and Smokebuddy (as pictured above) which both sell cylindrical form-factor HEPA/Carbon filters for handheld use. However, these systems lack a ventilation fan or electric pump, meaning their filtration capability relies solely on a smoker’s ability to make a seal with their mouth and exhale their puffs directly into the vent opening. In short, smokers hold their smoking apparatus in one hand, take a puff, and after doing so, blow their smoke into a Smokebuddy which they’re holding in their other hand. The typical application of this is in conjunction with water pipes, as their burn chambers can be loaded with just enough herb for one puff which ceases to combust after taking a full inhale, but this process can be very tricky.
Comparatively, these products fail to offer a complete solution for most of the smoking population that prefers to smoke Cannabis in either a rolled format or at higher quantities. The problem is that Smokebuddy and Sploofy only handle exhaled smoke effectively, not the smoke from the tip that is continuously burning into the atmosphere. This completely undermines the effort put into exhaling as the rolled Cannabis continues to burn freely in the air and fumigates the surroundings. Add in the fact that smokers now must pass around an extra item after each puff (in a social setting) while intoxicated, and now you’ve got yourself a recipe for disaster.
So, for those who believe we’re all doomed in succumbing to the odors and fumes of Cannabis smoke in the home, not quite. HUSH is scheduled to launch in late spring of this year with a MSRP of $150 for the device and a MSRP of $20 for a 4-pack of filters (effective for ½ Oz. or 14grams of herb).
For more information, check out their website at hushsmoke.com or reach out to their founders directly at hello@hushsmoke.com. During the pre-order period ahead of the product launch, a $50 off promo code is extended to Technology Designer followers by using the code “TD2020” at check out.
