Laboratories & Analytics - Cannabis Industry Journal

Featured Articles

September 21, 2021

Ask the Experts: Aspergillus Across the Supply Chain

By Cannabis Industry Journal Staff

In this Q&A, we sit down with microbiology experts to discuss contamination throughout the cannabis lifecycle. From cultivation to the laboratory, they detail best practices for cannabis cultivation facilities and testing labs when it comes to identifying and remediating microbial contamination and specifically, Aspergillus.

September 2, 2021

Colorado to Bolster Hemp Testing Rules, Rollout Delayed

By Aaron G. Biros

Earlier this year, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) announced a plan to introduce new testing rules for the state’s hemp industry, including residual solvents, heavy metals and pesticide analyses. While the rollout has been delayed to 2022, regulators are allowing hemp companies to work with out-of-state labs to prevent a lab testing bottleneck while they bring everyone up to speed.

August 26, 2021

ACS Laboratory Launches Tested Safe Certified Seal Program

By Cannabis Industry Journal Staff

The Florida-based cannabis lab testing company announced the roll out of their proprietary “Tested Safe Certified Seal” program, which gives products that pass compliance testing a symbol on their label to bolster consumer trust.

August 19, 2021

Kaycha Labs Joins NIST’s CannaQAP

By Cannabis Industry Journal Staff

The Florida-based cannabis testing laboratory announced their successful participation in NIST’s cannabis quality assurance program (CannaQAP) as part of their effort to promote industry standardization.

August 17, 2021

AOAC Approves Two New Microbiological Assays

By Cannabis Industry Journal Staff

Last week, AOAC approved PathogenDx’s Quantx assay for total yeast and mold. This week, they approved Medicinal Genomics’ PathoSEEK 5-Color Aspergillus Multiplex Assays.

August 12, 2021

Reducing Cross Contamination in Your Lab

By Nathan Libbey

Labs have long dealt with the threat of cross contamination, which leads to reduction in test accuracy and turnaround time, ultimately costing both the lab and the grower significantly.

July 29, 2021

Leaders in Cannabis Testing – Part 1: A Q&A with Milan Patel, CEO and Co-Founder of PathogenDx

By Aaron Green

In this series, Aaron Green sits down and interviews a number of laboratories and technology providers leading the cannabis testing space. In Part 1, Green sits down with Milan Patel, CEO and co-founder of PathogenDx, to learn more about their technology and business model.

July 28, 2021

Pesticide Remediation by CPC

By Arpad Konczol, PhD

In this article, Konczol explains the pesticide removal capability of CPC technology, exemplified by the isolation of CBD. He also highlights the importance of the issue of cannabis contaminants with a special focus on the risks and regulations associated with pesticide residues.

July 20, 2021

Mark Your Calendars: Upcoming Webinar on Pesticide Testing

By Cannabis Industry Journal Staff

On August 25, cannabis labs and those interested in learning more about cannabis lab testing should take advantage of this complimentary event.

June 30, 2021

Ask the Experts: Microbiological Contamination in Cannabis & What You Should Look for

By Cannabis Industry Journal Staff

Anna Klavins and Jessa Youngblood of Hardy Diagnostics discuss the biggest challenges facing cannabis testing labs when it comes to microbiology testing.

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Columns

September 22, 2021

Lean Management in a Cannabis Lab

By Rob Radke

Lean management or Lean thinking is a process for continuous improvement that can be applied to any business. In this piece, Rob Radke, president of Method Testing Labs, walks us through how to implement Lean processes in the cannabis laboratory.

August 11, 2021

4 Trends Propelling the U.S. Cannabis Testing Market: 2021-2027

By Priya Deshmukh

New market opportunities, more requirements in testing regulations, new technologies and other factors are leading to a much larger cannabis testing market in the next five years.

July 27, 2021

The Importance of Understanding Cannabis Testing Results

By Josh Reed

It can be challenging to translate highly technical test results into consumer-friendly language but being able to do so will enable businesses to build a stronger relationship with customers. Rely on your trusted lab partners to help design and deliver easy to understand, consumer friendly certificates of analysis.

May 5, 2021

Lab Shopping: Highlighting the Need for Checks and Balances in Cannabis

By Josh Swider

Josh Swider, Co-Founder of InfiniteCAL, shares his concerns regarding labs working more like profit centers than public safety agents.

April 3, 2020

Soapbox

(L)Earning from Failure

By Dr. Markus Roggen, Soheil Nasseri

Failure, the learning experience and the subsequent rapid innovation can often be a blessing in disguise. See how failure helped Dr. Roggen and Soheil Nasseri turn their research into something productive.

December 10, 2019

Soapbox

Hemp in the United States: An Opinion

By Dr. Anthony Macherone

The USDA released guidelines for hemp testing, but questions remain for the future of proper quality and safety guidelines.

October 9, 2019

From The Lab

Spotlight on Encore Labs: Servicing the Cannabis Market in California

By Kristen Hogerheide

Take a look at this PJLA lab spotlight and learn how accreditation has been valuable for Encore Labs.

January 22, 2019

From The Lab

I Was Wrong… und das ist auch gut so!

By Dr. Markus Roggen

In this Op-Ed, Dr. Markus Roggen discusses the evolution of cannabis science and why we need more experiment-based research.

December 18, 2018

From The Lab

Gas Chromatography/Infrared Spectroscopy: A Tool For the Analysis of Organic Compounds in Cannabis

By John F. Schneider

In this piece, the application of gas chromatography with infrared detection (GC/IR) to characterizing organic compounds in cannabis products is discussed. The identification of specific isomers of similar organic compounds is critical to determining the quality of cannabis products.

December 11, 2018

Soapbox

Dishonest Potency Testing In Oregon Remains A Problem

By Kelly O’Connor

In this op-ed, Kelly O’Connor says nefarious lab practices are still wreaking havoc on the Oregon market.

Professional Fields

Cultivation & Growing
Laboratories & Analytics
Edibles & Processing
Dispensaries & Retail

Upcoming Events & Webinars

November 16, 2021 – 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Infused Products Virtual Conference

Registration is now open! This complimentary virtual conference consists of 4 back-to-back webinars, all on the same day. In a number of states across the country, edibles, topicals, beverages and other infused products are taking up a larger percentage of the market share. They come in all shapes and sizes- from granola bars to lotions, lubricant and scented candles; manufacturers are infusing a wide variety of products with cannabis, creating a market that meets a larger consumer demographic. Different states have different rules when it comes to product safety. Some states require ServSafe training and local health inspections, while others have more stringent lab testing rules, require documented GMPs and even a form of certification demonstrating proper food safety protocols. State regulations shouldn’t be the reason why infused products manufacturers have robust safety and quality standards, consumer safety is. Getting ahead of regulations with proactive safety and quality planning can improve a business’s bottom line tremendously. There are a number of tools and tricks cannabis companies can learn from the food industry to streamline their businesses and gain a bigger chunk of the market share.

December 9, 2021 – 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Cannabis Labs Virtual Conference

The Cannabis Labs Virtual Conference continues! For five years now, we have been hosting this complimentary collection of webinar presentations, designed to help attendees better understand some of the more technical aspects of starting and operating a laboratory. We will take a deep dive into various cannabis and hemp testing methods, laboratory accreditation, microbial testing, standards, method development and more. Attendees registering for this complimentary series of webinars will get access to veterans of the cannabis lab testing industry, who are all available for Q&A after each presentation. In addition to getting the opportunity to chat with these subject matter experts on September 14, a recording of the presentations will be made available to all who register. Practical and educational information from experts in the cannabis lab testing industry, all on the same day and all from the comfort of your lab, home or office. Want real inside knowledge on the cannabis testing industry? Stay tuned for important updates on the agenda. Registration coming soon!

December 15, 2021 – December 17, 2021

NCIA’s Cannabis Business Summit

The industry’s most influential trade show is coming back to San Francisco! We’re thrilled to be gathering in person December 15-17, 2021 at San Francisco’s Moscone Center for the 7th Annual Cannabis Business Summit & Expo. At the premier cannabis business event, industry entrepreneurs, experts, and thought leaders will come together to learn, network, and discover new products & services to help their businesses grow. With unique content presented by the best and brightest minds in the industry, unmatched networking opportunities, and 400+ exhibitors, this is an experience you won’t want to miss.