Moon Sun
Age: 22
Company: Haystack Cannabis
Location: Seattle, Washington
Position: Owner, extractor
Moon Sun was 18 years old when voters in Washington approved Initiative 502, legalizing the recreational use of marijuana for adults.
He was wrapping up his senior year of high school, but he knew he wanted to work in the nascent cannabis industry, so he turned his focus to biochemistry when he began attending Western Washington University.
For his senior project in college, Sun looked into creating genetically modified cannabis strains that included an additional THCA synthase, the enzyme that creates THC, with the goal of producing a more potent plant. On the chemistry side of his degree, Sun studied how CBD affects cancer cells and allows the body to more easily attack the invader.
At Haystack Cannabis, Sun helped the company refine its product line, developing the method for processing the distillate it uses in all its products, including the Tuscara CBD/THC topical.
Sun says he plans to improve his process further, making it easier to get some of the less accessible cannabinoids, such as CBN, which helps induce sleep. He also hopes to restart his genetics work to develop a plant with the additional synthase.
“People are forgetting why they got into this industry in the first place,” he says. “Always strive for excellence.”