The founders behind weR™ (wi:ar) introduce their technology which will revolutionise how cannabis is consumed and outline its infinite market opportunities.
The Cannabists Medical Group is a pioneering technology startup with the goal of developing innovative technology solutions for recreational consumers, medical cannabis users and industrial producers and sellers. They have invented a groundbreaking solution for the cannabis industry utilising data acquisition for medical developments and to prolong life. Their goal is to develop customised, sophisticated and AI smart tech devices to drive change for the future of cannabis users’ experience and industrial scale production.
The company was founded in late 2017 by Sayed Amir Karim, the CEO who invented the technology, and Argun Ezer acting as co-founder and COO. Here they explain to Health Europa how they developed their innovative weR™ product to automate the process of rolling a cannabis joint and how ongoing data collection associated with the device will revolutionise how the world uses cannabis products.
Can you introduce us to your weR™ product and explain how it works? Why is there a demand for this type of product and who will benefit from it?
We recognised that people are now slowly coming to the point where they understand cannabis: it is not only a drug or a medication, it is a way of life.
The weR™ device is an automated way to roll cannabis cigarettes which can be customised by diameter, length, mixing ratio and mixture distribution according to the user’s wishes and needs. It will be upgradable to include as many as three storage tanks so that different strains can be mixed. For example, if you have Indica, hybrids and Sativa then you can mix them at different ratios to experiment with the different properties of each strain. We believe that as time progresses people will be using cannabis like food – by following a recipe, with interesting results as they unfold.
The device will be able to create highly complex mixes; and it automatically determines the correct weight. This way you can have the exact dosage measured for you without needing to measure or even touch the product by hand, which will be very helpful for those who are chronically ill or disabled because not everybody can physically roll a joint. It will be operated via a touch panel, a web app or a voice control assistant, and by using the data provided by the user we will be able to see what happens after smoking strains A, B and C all together in one joint. Since we are moving towards a time where cannabis will be completely legalised; but the main criticism is still that we don’t have enough data to prove its benefits – whatever data we do have and keep uncovering is still not enough.
We can combine all the usage data such as the recipes used in combination with blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen, saturation of the blood, sleep cycles, stress and mood recognition. We believe if we can collect this information from users for one or two years, that we can prove beyond any doubt where cannabis is beneficial to use and where it is not.
Our idea was that if we can expect to have 5,000 consumers using our device all using different mixes, ratios and recipes – and we know using smartwatches as an example – the mentioned blood pressure, heart rate and sleep cycle data can be combined and the data given to medical institutions and companies for research. With all the data provided, our users will help to drive more research.
All the data on the device is encrypted both directly on the device itself and on the controller or app, which is very important because we will have no access to individuals’ responses and data. That’s the story behind weR™. It is the name of this device which shows that we are all connected. We’re live.
With regards to the technology behind the device, firstly it is a multifunctional, fully automatic joint roller device intended for industrial production, recreational use and for medical purposes. When we say medical purposes, we don’t mean that it is intended to be a medical device, but it is going to provide data for medicinal purposes in the future. It is designed for use both recreationally and for chronically ill people, but the software and measuring tools will be used in the same way for both groups.
weR™ is an automatic joint roller and it is named weR™ because our brand is ‘we are.’ It is not only a product and weR™ is not just only a brand, it is a community; because cannabis users are like a family. This our philosophy, giving something back to our community which is useful. weR™ is bigger than only a machine or device, it is us ourselves. We’ve always said that cannabis is less harmful than using alcohol or other drugs.
For us it was important that we had something in our name which promotes this idea that we can be all together, the market is big enough for every single one of us. weR™ is a movement and it is only just beginning.
What inspired you to create weR™?
Because we must. My (Sayed Amir’s) cousin first mentioned inventing a machine for rolling cannabis when we were working together two years ago and at first, I thought it was a really stupid idea, but I just couldn’t forget about it. I did a little research and found that there are over 250 million potential cannabis consumers worldwide. Then I searched for a device for rolling joints and there was nothing. That was like winning the lottery, finding a device in these times where there is so much potential demand but absolutely no supply.
There is a demand for more action and support for the ongoing development of cannabis as a medicine. We are acting on the missing automated opportunity to offer a finished product (the joint) and provide the missing quality data for ongoing medical research. This will have global benefits a we will be able to help dispensaries, cultivators, doctors, and scientists – this is where we believe we will succeed.
Currently, there is no other device on the market that can dispense custom rolled cannabis cigarettes with specific recipes, dosages or mixes quickly and with minimal product waste but weR™ is able to fill this gap. We believe we will serve a very good product to the world’s market. The evolving legalisation of cannabis consumption and the world’s growing acceptance is very exciting, and it is creating a growing demand for easy and innovative solutions in an industry which is still in its infancy but growing very quickly. This is how the idea was born: I made a few prototypes and performed a few tests. Once I saw that it was going to be possible, we decided to move forward and try. The rest was history.
What challenges have you faced in developing weR™ so far? Are there still challenges to overcome?
The first challenge we faced was with being based in Malta, as although we have the best of both worlds being based in both Malta and Germany, they are very different. While Malta has an open attitude towards cannabis and is actively looking to develop the industry, to date it lacks a functional industrial infrastructure. We experienced long wait times for delivery of parts during our ongoing development, because due to Malta having no established industry, no supply chain and very few technical competences we had to order 90% of our parts from abroad.
Because of this array of challenges we decided to move our research and development facilities to Germany, which has a more advanced infrastructure and is a more established base. We moved the R&D to Karlsruhe, the Silicon Valley of Germany, where we were both born and raised; and where we would have access to universities, industry and suppliers with long term experience in industrial automation and plant building. Our German R&D is now a hub for supply and infrastructure, while our Maltese HQ is the best place for developing the strategy and promoting cannabis.
What was also very challenging from the beginning was finding a way to cut the paper. The question is how to ensure the paper comes to the right length, because the consumer wants to select the length themselves. In the cigarette industry, they have machines which fill entire rooms for this, so for us to work out how to do this ourselves was very difficult. The next challenge was how to load the joint.
How have you funded your projects so far? Do you have any other products planned or in development?
From a funding perspective so far, we have completely financed the entire project by ourselves, plus we’ve invested over 3.000 hours of work without a cent of payment.
Beginning in 2019 we started to create a second product, the weR Roller which is now ready for mass production, for two reasons: first to generate an income stream for pushing forward the entire weR project. We designed an all-in-one cone roller including a grinder device which we believe can sell in high numbers and create some cash flow we need for next step in our project. We will reinvest 100% of the profit for the development of the automatic joint roller. Secondly, the weR Roller is a game changer itself and needs to be on the market with the people right now. It is about time to break the waiting and to serve our beloved customers.
It is about time to break the waiting and to serve our beloved customers.The weR Roller is a product for everyone. No matter if they are old or young, male or female, ill or healthy, rookie or pro roller. It is a product which can easily be used by physically challenged patients and will be available for everyone. The weR Roller is easy to use, to handle and affordable for everyone. It is beautifully designed and portable. We are planning to open this product to crowdfunding in the next few weeks.
For running the weR project overall and especially to finish the development of the automatic joint roller, we are open now to outside investment. We wanted to get the project to a point where we can show something in hand and not just talk about and sell an idea. We are now seeking a financial collaboration in order to accelerate the journey towards the next level of development, enabling us to reach industrial, recreational and cannabis markets.
What makes your product and ethos stand out? When do you expect the weR™ to launch?
We are two entrepreneurs who set out to start a business, but also tasked ourselves with creating solutions to redefine user experience. Sayed Amir developed the fully automatic joint rolling technology which can be combined with AI mood recognition and health screening. This will be connected to an application to harvest data from its users for monitoring purposes, and eventually to provide a wealth of information on the various ways cannabis can affect the body in different indications. We are working on bringing about a unique paradigm shift between the industrial production, recreational consumption, and the medical usage of cannabis, to operate in the space where the three converge.
The Cannabists Medical Group is going to provide a solution for high volume production on an industrial scale as well, especially for dispensaries. The most important goal is that our weR™ device will serve the industrial, medical and the recreational consumers. This is our story so far.
With regards to when weR Automatic joint roller will be available: when the project gets funded, we will be able to serve it six months after funding the first beta tests.
Sayed Amir Karim
Founder, Inventor and CEO
Argun Ezer
Co-Founder and COO
Cannabists Medical Group LTD
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Please note, this article will appear in issue 10 of Health Europa Quarterly, which is available to read now.
