Template:Final thoughts and resources
This guide has attempted to provide insight into various aspects of the current status of laboratory testing of cannabis in the U.S. By extension, it has required a closer look at many non-testing or tangentially related aspects of cannabis, including history, regulations, standards, methods, equipment, and software. The guide has also attempted to look at the potential future of testing, a more difficult feat that has required inspection of—and speculation on—a mix of statistics and politics, as well as government and social policy and how they may all affect the future of cannabis testing. We learned that many point fingers at the U.S. federal government for being responsible for several cannabis-related issues, including lack of clear government support for cannabis research, lack of standardization of testing and analysis methods for said research, and wavering policy that remains inconsistent at best. At root is the fact that the federal government maintains cannabis (and its constituents) as a Schedule I drug, by extension declaring that it has no respectable medical use. This and related decisions have slowed down the academic study of cannabis (at least in the U.S.), including its analysis, quality testing, and research and use as a medical treatment. The development, implementation, and reassessment of cultivation and testing standards and methods have largely been piecemeal; additionally, those efforts have been enacted in an environment where, despite the legal status in a state, fear that the federal government will inevitably intervene slows progress even further.
Despite these barriers, the speed at which U.S. states have adopted some form of legalization of cannabis has pushed scientists and researchers to collaborate and improve standards and methods. Necessity continues to be the mother of invention, driving those in the industry to adapt or perish in a difficult, inconsistent market. State officials are teaming up at industry conferences and sharing ideas. Non-profit organizations are joining forces with major standards agencies to expand and improve good laboratory practices. Researchers—whether on their own or with the help of others internationally—are learning more about the various cannabinoids and their interaction with terpenes, driving new insight into potential therapeutic remedies. Overall public perception about marijuana consumption and use is gradually shifting towards a positive light, even when so little is still understood about the long-term ramifications of its use. Commercial interests are taking notice, and so are international treaty makers. All of this adds up to forward momentum in the cannabis industry, with warts and all.
Many factors will affect the future of cannabis regulation, testing, and research; in the process, we're certain to see both ups and downs as political and social climates continue to change. However, as marijuana consumption and hemp-based manufacturing methods continue to see expanded support, consumers and manufacturers, as well as all those involved in between, will always clamor for a safer product that is "as advertised." Laboratory analysis will play an important role in that effort, whether it's in the medical research lab, the quality control lab, or the manufacturer's lab. It will be imperative for all interested parties to further work together to ensure methods are sound and standardized in a realistic and beneficial way to ensure that in the end consumers will get the best possible product available.
6.2.1 Key reading
- Andre, C.M.; Hausman, J.-F.; Guerriero, G. (2016). "Cannabis sativa: The plant of the thousand and one molecules". Frontiers in Plant Medicine 7: 19. doi:10.3389/fpls.2016.00019. PMC PMC4740396. PMID 26870049. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=PMC4740396.
- Association of Public Health Laboratories (May 2016). "Guidance for State Medical Cannabis Testing Programs" (PDF). pp. 35. https://www.aphl.org/aboutAPHL/publications/Documents/EH-Guide-State-Med-Cannabis-052016.pdf.
- Audino, S. (7 February 2018). "Managing Cannabis Testing Lab Workflows Using LIMS". Cannabis Industry Journal. https://cannabisindustryjournal.com/feature_article/managing-cannabis-testing-lab-workflows-using-lims/.
- Cassiday, L. (October 2016). "The Highs and Lows of Cannabis Testing". INFORM. American Oil Chemists' Society. https://www.aocs.org/stay-informed/inform-magazine/featured-articles/the-highs-and-lows-of-cannabis-testing-october-2016.
- Goldman, S.; Bramante, J.; Vrdoljak, G. et al. "The analytical landscape of cannabis compliance testing". Journal of Liquid Chromatography & Related Technologies 44 (9–10): 403–20. doi:10.1080/10826076.2021.1996390.
- Hudak, J.; Rauch, J. (June 2016). "Worry about bad marijuana — not Big Marijuana" (PDF). The Brookings Institution. pp. 18. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/big-marijuana-1.pdf.
- Paszko, C. (27 November 2018). "Selecting a LIMS for the Cannabis Industry". LabCompare. https://www.labcompare.com/10-Featured-Articles/354722-Selecting-a-LIMS-for-the-Cannabis-Industry/.
- Piomelli, D.; Weiss, S.; Boyd, G. et al. (2018). "Cannabis and the Opioid Crisis". Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research 3 (1): 108-16. doi:10.1089/can.2018.29011.rtl. PMC PMC5931647. PMID 29789812. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=PMC5931647.
- Stewart, I.A.; Petrilli, R.; Hearding, A. (9 August 2021). "Reducing Cannabis Testing and Label Failures". Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP. https://www.wilsonelser.com/news_and_insights/insights/4278-reducing_cannabis_testing_and_label_failures.
- Wallach, P.; Rauch, J. (June 2016). "Bootleggers, Baptists, bureaucrats, and bongs: How special interests will shape marijuana legalization" (PDF). The Brookings Institution. pp. 22. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/bootleggers.pdf.
6.2.2 Reference material
- Amin, M.R.; Ali, D.W. (2019). "Pharmacology of medical cannabis". Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology 1162: 151–65. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-21737-2_8. PMID 31332738.
- Chambers, R. (8 August 2013). "Leafly Glossary of Cannabis Terms". Leafly - Cannabis 101. Leafly Holdings, Inc. https://www.leafly.com/news/cannabis-101/glossary-of-cannabis-terms.
- Douglas, S.E. (January 2021). "LIMSpec for Cannabis Testing". CannaQA Wiki. https://www.cannaqa.wiki/index.php?title=Book:LIMSpec_for_Cannabis_Testing.
- ElSohly, M.A.; Radwan, M.M.; Gul, W. et al. (2017). "Phytochemistry of Cannabis sativa L.". Progress in the Chemistry of Organic Natural Products 103: 1–36. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-45541-9_1. PMID 28120229.
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (12 January 2017). "The health effects of cannabis and cannabinoids: The current state of evidence and recommendations for research". The National Academies Press. pp. 440. doi:10.17226/24625. https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/24625/the-health-effects-of-cannabis-and-cannabinoids-the-current-state.
- National Cancer Institute (6 November 2020). "Cannabis and Cannabinoids (PDQ)–Health Professional Version". https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/hp/cannabis-pdq.
- National Conference of State Legislatures (2018). "Marijuana Deep Dive". https://www.ncsl.org/bookstore/state-legislatures-magazine/marijuana-deep-dive.aspx.
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (July 2020). "Cannabis (Marijuana) Research Report". https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/letter-director.
- Office of National Drug Control Policy. "Marijuana Resource Center". Archived from the original on 17 January 2017. http://web.archive.org/web/20170117133745/https://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/marijuanainfo.
- Thomas, B.F.; ElSohly, M.A. (2016). Thomas, B.F. ed. The Analytical Chemistry of Cannabis. Elsevier. pp. 132. ISBN 9780128046708. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Hs5PCgAAQBAJ.
- World Health Organization (2016). Hall, W.; Renström, M.; Poznyak, V. ed. The health and social effects of nonmedical cannabis use. World Health Organization. pp. 95. ISBN 978921510240. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241510240.
Law and regulation
- "Legal Medical Marijuana States and DC: Laws, Fees, and Possession Limits". ProCon.org. 3 December 2020. https://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/legal-medical-marijuana-states-and-dc/.
- "Recreational Marijuana Laws in the United States". Leafly's Guide to Marijuana Legalization. Leafly Holdings, Inc. November 2020. https://www.leafly.com/learn/legalization/recreational-states.
- "Marijuana Business: Licenses, Permits, and Planning". FindLaw. Thomson Reuters. 18 October 2019. https://public.findlaw.com/cannabis-law/starting-a-cannabis-business/marijuana-business-licenses-permits-and-planning.html.
- Horn, J.; Bogot, W. (8 January 2021). "National Survey on Marijuana Laws and Regulations". Fox Rothschild LLP. https://www.foxrothschild.com/publications/national-survey-on-marijuana-laws-and-regulations/.
- National Conference of State Legislatures (11 January 2021). "State Medical Marijuana Laws". https://www.ncsl.org/research/health/state-medical-marijuana-laws.aspx.
- Rough, Lisa; Leafly Staff (24 February 2020). "Cannabis Testing Regulations: A State-by-state Guide". Leafly - Industry. Leafly Holdings, Inc. https://www.leafly.com/news/industry/leaflys-state-by-state-guide-to-cannabis-testing-regulations.
- U.S. Food & Drug Administration (22 January 2021). "FDA Regulation of Cannabis and Cannabis-Derived Products, Including Cannabidiol (CBD)". https://www.fda.gov/news-events/public-health-focus/fda-regulation-cannabis-and-cannabis-derived-products-including-cannabidiol-cbd.
Standards and guidance
- American Council of Independent Laboratories (2022). "Cannabis Working Group - ACIL". https://www.acil.org/page/Cannabis_Working_Group.
- Association of Official Agricultural Chemists (2022). "Cannabis Analytical Science Program, Standard Method Performance Requirements". https://www.aoac.org/resources/?topic=Cannabis&type=SMPRs&key=.
- ASTM International (2022). "Committee D37 on Cannabis". https://www.astm.org/COMMITTEE/D37.htm.
- Cannabis Control Commission (1 December 2017). "Protocol for Sampling and Analysis of Finished Medical Marijuana Products and Marijuana-Infused Products for Massachusetts Registered Medical Marijuana Dispensaries" (Word). Commonwealth of Massachusetts. pp. 21. https://www.mass.gov/doc/protocol-for-sampling-and-analysis-of-finished-medical-marijuana-products-and-marijuana-1/download.
- Cannabis Committee, AHPA (2 February 2016). "Recommendations for Regulators – Cannabis Operations" (PDF). American Herbal Products Association. https://www.ahpa.org/Portals/0/pdfs/AHPA_Recommendations_for_Regulators_Cannabis_Operations.pdf.
- Gray, P.J.; Mindak, W.R.; Cheng, J. (February 2020). "Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometric Determination of Arsenic, Cadmium, Chromium, Lead, Mercury, and Other Elements in Food Using Microwave Assisted Digestion" (PDF). United States Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/media/87509/download.
- Upton, R.; Craker, L.; ElSohly, M. et al., ed. (2014). Cannabis Inflorescence: Cannabis spp.. American Herbal Pharmacopoeia. ISBN 1929425333. https://herbal-ahp.org/online-ordering-cannabis-inflorescence-qc-monograph/.
- U.S. Food & Drug Administration (19 September 2018). "Pesticide Analytical Manual (PAM)". https://www.fda.gov/food/laboratory-methods-food/pesticide-analytical-manual-pam.
- U.S. Food & Drug Administration (20 February 2016). "Residue Analytical Methods (RAM)". https://archive.epa.gov/pesticides/methods/rammethods/web/html/ram12b.html.
Testing
- American Council of Independent Laboratories (2019). "Cannabis Testing Recommendations". https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.acil.org/resource/resmgr/cannabis/acil_cannabis_testing_recomm.pdf.
- Association of Public Health Laboratories (2022). "Cannabis Testing". https://www.aphl.org/programs/environmental_health/Pages/Cannabis-Testing.aspx.
- Association of Public Health Laboratories (May 2016). "Guidance for State Medical Cannabis Testing Programs" (PDF). pp. 35. https://www.aphl.org/aboutAPHL/publications/Documents/EH-Guide-State-Med-Cannabis-052016.pdf.
- ASTM Subcommittee D37.03 (1 December 2020). "ASTM D8334/D8334M-20 Standard Practice for Sampling of Cannabis/Hemp Post-Harvest Batches for Laboratory Analyses". ASTM International. https://www.astm.org/d8334_d8334m-20.html.
- Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (2022). "Marijuana reference library". https://cdphe.colorado.gov/laboratory-services/inspection-of-marijuana-testing-facilities/marijuana-reference-library.
- Daley, P.; Lampach, D.; Sguerra, S. (12 September 2013). "Testing Cannabis for Contaminants" (PDF). BOTEC Analysis Corp. https://lcb.wa.gov/publications/Marijuana/BOTEC%20reports/1a-Testing-for-Contaminants-Final-Revised.pdf.
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (25 February 2022). "NIST Cannabis Quality Assurance Program (CannaQAP)". National Institute of Standards and Technology. https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/nist-tools-cannabis-laboratory-quality-assurance.
- United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (September 2009). "Recommended methods for the identification and analysis of cannabis and cannabis products" (PDF). https://www.unodc.org/documents/scientific/ST-NAR-40-Ebook_1.pdf.
- United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (June 2013). "Recommended methods for the identification and analysis of synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists in seized materials" (PDF). https://www.unodc.org/documents/scientific/STNAR48_Synthetic_Cannabinoids_ENG.pdf.
New York State Department of Health:
- Division of Environmental Health Sciences, Laboratory of Organic Analytical Chemistry (27 May 2021). "Measurement of Mycotoxins in Medical Marijuana by LC-MS/MS, NYS DOH MML-303, Revision 6.1" (PDF). New York State Department of Health. pp. 40. https://www.wadsworth.org/sites/default/files/WebDoc/NYS%20DOH%20MML-303-06.1%20final_0.pdf.
- Division of Environmental Health Sciences, Laboratory of Organic Analytical Chemistry (27 May 2021). "Measurement of Phytocannabinoids in Medical Marijuana using HPLC-PDA, NYS DOH MML-300, Revision 7.1" (PDF). New York State Department of Health. pp. 36. https://www.wadsworth.org/sites/default/files/WebDoc/NYS%20DOH%20MML-300-07.1_0.pdf.
- Division of Environmental Health Sciences, Laboratory of Organic Analytical Chemistry (3 November 2021). "Medical Marijuana Sample Preparation Protocols for Potency Analysis, NYS DOH MML-301, Revision 8" (PDF). New York State Department of Health. pp. 19. https://www.wadsworth.org/sites/default/files/WebDoc/NYS%20DOH%20MML-301-08%20final%2011032021_0.pdf.
- Division of Environmental Health Sciences, Laboratory of Organic Analytical Chemistry (10 January 2022). "Metals and Metalloids in Medical Marijuana Products by ICP-MS, NYS DOH LINC-250, Revision 3" (PDF). New York State Department of Health. pp. 26. https://www.wadsworth.org/sites/default/files/WebDoc/NYS%20DOH%20LINC-250-03.pdf.
- For all other methods documents, see https://www.wadsworth.org/regulatory/elap/medical-marijuana.
Accreditation and certification
- American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) (2022). "Accreditations > Cannabis Testing". https://a2la.org/accreditation/cannabis-testing/.
- Americans for Safe Access Foundation (2022). "Patient Focused Certification". https://patientfocusedcertification.org/.
- ANSI National Accreditation Board (2020). "ANAB Cannabis Testing Laboratory Accreditation Program". https://anab.ansi.org/laboratory-accreditation/cannabis-testing.
- Certified Kind, LLC (2021). "Certified Kind: Certification for Responsibly Grown Cannabis". https://www.certified-kind.com/.
- Clean Green Certified (2020). "Clean Green Certified". https://cleangreencertified.com/.
- Emerald Scientific, LLC (2022). "The Emerald Test". https://pt.emeraldscientific.com/.
- International Accreditation Service. "Cannabis Testing Laboratory Accreditation". https://www.iasonline.org/services/cannabis-testing-laboratory/.
- New York State Department of Health, Wadsworth Center. "Environmental Laboratory Approval Program". https://www.wadsworth.org/regulatory/elap.
- Oregon State Public Health Laboratory. "Oregon's Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program". https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/LaboratoryServices/EnvironmentalLaboratoryAccreditation/Pages/index.aspx.
- Perry Johnson Laboratory Accreditation, Inc (2022). "Accreditation Programs: Cannabis Testing Lab Accreditation". https://www.pjlabs.com/accreditation-programs/cannabis-testing.
- Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research
- Cannabis Business Executive
- Cannabis Industry Journal
- Cannabis Science and Technology
- Cannabis Science Blog
- The Cannabist
- Journal of Cannabis Research
- Marijuana Business Daily
- Marijuana Moment
- Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids
- MedicalJane
- Nature Outlook: Cannabis
- O’Shaughnessy’s
- Terpenes and Testing Magazine
- Tracking Cannabis - Thomas Coburn LLP
- 420 College
- Academy of Cannabis Science
- Alaska Cannabis Institute
- Cannabis Career Institute
- Cannabis Industry Institute
- Cannabis Training Institute
- Cannabis Training University
- Clark University (Certificate in Regulatory Affairs for Cannabis Control)
- Cleveland School of Cannabis
- Clover Leaf University
- Medical Cannabis Caregivers
- Medical Cannabis Institute
- Oaksterdam University
- Oregon Cannabis Institute
- Southern Cannabis Institute
- Trichome Institute
- University of Maryland School of Pharmacy (Master of Science in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics)
Below are the major scientific conferences and trade shows for cannabis.
- "The Analytical Cannabis Expo". Technology Networks. https://www.acexpo.co.
- "Cannabis and Medicinal Research Conference". Conference Series, LLC. https://cannabis-marijuana.neurologyconference.com/.
- "Cannabis Business Summit and Expo". National Cannabis Industry Association. https://cannabisbusinesssummit.com/.
- "Cannabis Conference". GIE Media, Inc. https://www.cannabisconference.com/.
- "Cannabis Quality Conference & Expo". Cannabis Industry Journal. https://cqcexpo.com.
- "CannaTech". iCAN Israel Cannabis. https://www.canna-tech.co/.
- "CannX". Paragon Israel. https://cannx.org/.
- "Emerald Conference". Emerald Scientific, LLC. https://theemeraldconference.com/.
- "Institute of Cannabis Research Conference". Colorado State University - Pueblo. https://www.csupueblo.edu/institute-of-cannabis-research/.
- "International Cannabis Business Conference". International Conferences Group, LLC. https://internationalcbc.com/.
- "Marijuana Business Conference & Expo". Anne Holland Ventures, Inc. https://mjbizconference.com/.
- "National Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics". Patients Out of Time. https://patientsoutoftime.com/.