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Many laboratories are now offering or are dedicated to medical cannabis testing. According to a study, recently published at the end of last year, 10 labs were asked to participate in a ring test. The labs were sent identical samples, and were told to measure the THC, CBD, and CBN—the three major cannabinoids usually tested. In most cases, the lab results were within 20 percent of each other; however, 3 out of the 10 labs in the study performed poorly on more than 50 percent of the tests. Regarding the liquid alcohol extracts, the test results were notably inconsistent. Overall, though, a majority of the results received back from the cannabis testing labs showed fairly good consistency. During and before the study, the labs were not sent any information about the samples they were given to test. Each cannabis testing facility received 6 samples, 4 of which were homogenized cannabis samples, and 2 of which were liquid ethanol extracts. 3 of the homogenized cannabis samples contained one-gram packets of a THC-rich mixture that had been manually stirred after being homogenized. The other cannabis sample was simply a prepared mixture of CBD-rich herbal cannabis and it was intended to check the labs’ ability to identify and quantify CBD. Meanwhile, the samples of liquid ethanol extracts were alcohol tinctures of about one milliliter each. These samples were introduced to evaluate the testing methodology of the cannabis testing labs by removing extraction and sample preparation from their process. Additionally, varying types of laboratory equipment were employed in testing the samples. 5 of the participating labs used Gas Chromatography (GC) and then analyzed the resulting gases with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID) or a mass spectrometer (GC-MS). 4 of the labs also employed high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). GC and HPLC are the leading technologies for labs doing cannabis testing. HPLC analyzes cannabinoids in the chemical form in which they are actually present in the sample. On the other hand, when samples are analyzed by GC, the high temperature of the injector causes the cannabinoids in the sample to instantly convert all THCA to THC. Although the samples of homogenized cannabis consisted of the same material, the participating lab results ranged from about 4 percent to 14 percent THC. This wide variation was mainly due to several misreported lab results, and some were just far off the average lab results being reported. Another issue, when it comes to cannabis testing, is that chemical standards of known potency are crucial to accurately calibrate the testing equipment. At the moment, however, cannabinoid standards are subject to DEA regulations, making them very difficult to obtain. Although labs struggle with establishing industry standards for potency testing, it is possible to get a good reading of the potency of well-mixed cannabis samples with the existing methodologies. In conclusion, the study highlighted some technical issues that play a role in cannabis testing laboratories. For the most part, the study recommended that consumers who need accurate results should consider doing back-up tests with a few different labs. Cannabis testing labs are now offering more and more services for clients who are concerned about health and safety. These labs now test for molds, bacteria and /or pesticides. Labs have reported traces of Aspergillus mold and E. Coli bacteria in a small portion of samples submitted for testing. The presence of mold can be very harmful to an immune compromised patient, so it is always best to have your medicinal cannabis tested.
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MMJ testing, potency testing, cannabis testing lab,
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