Tag Archives: alaska

A2LA Accredits First Rec Alaska Cannabis Lab

By Aaron G. Biros
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The American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) announced recently the accreditation of The New Frontier Research (TNFR) laboratory to ISO/IEC 17025:2005. TNFR, based in Wasilla, Alaska, was previously evaluated by A2LA for competence and proficiency to perform the minimum tests required by Alaska.

TFNR is now the first recreational cannabis-testing laboratory in Alaska accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 standard. According to Roger Brauninger, A2LA biosafety program manager, this accreditation is a sign of attention to thorough science. “Cannabis testing laboratories that have gained ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation have demonstrated their competence and commitment to rigorous science,” says Brauninger. “In the greatly scrutinized recreational cannabis industry, we are pleased to have granted the first accreditation of its kind in Alaska.”

roger_headshot
Roger Brauninger, A2LA biosafety program manager

According to the press release, the ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation is the most significant third-party lab accreditation an organization can receive. The standard confirms labs have management, quality and technical systems designed for accurate and repeatable analyses, in addition to proper administrative processes for testing.

Jessica Alexander, technical director of the TNFR laboratory, says this is the first step in many to researching the medical properties of cannabis. “By achieving ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation, The New Frontier Research believes that it advances the cannabis industry as a whole so that we can conduct legitimate research to unlock the amazing potential that this plant has for development of more effective medicines to address problems like opioid dependence and pediatric seizures,” says Alexander.

logo for MPP massachusetts

Legalize Marijuana and Regulate it Like Alcohol: Marijuana Policy Project

By Aaron G. Biros
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logo for MPP massachusetts

The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) is a non-profit political organization, and has taken the leading role in several successful state-level marijuana policy reforms. Founded in 1995, MPP has most notably led the 2012 Amendment 64 initiative in Colorado to legalize marijuana for adults and regulate it like alcohol as well as the successful 2014 campaign under a similar name in Alaska.

logo for MPP massachusetts
The Massachusetts MPP Campaign Logo

While MPP has been active at both the federal and state level, Matt Schweich, director of state campaigns for the organization, works in a handful of states to pass bills through state legislatures. In particular, Schweich’s work has put an initiative on the ballot in Nevada, and MPP is working with a coalition of groups on an initiative in California, both of which are scheduled for 2016.

In both Massachusetts and Arizona, Schweich and his team are leading the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol campaigns, where they manage political committees and lobby for legalization.

MPP campaign logo AZ
The Arizona MPP Campaign Logo

“We named the campaign [Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol] because we want that to be the central message to the voter,” says Schweich. “We need to get the message across that marijuana is objectively less harmful than alcohol, and it makes no sense to punish users of marijuana.”

“It is common sense to understand that one is less harmful to the user and society in general, [and] in light of the fact that alcohol is legal, it makes no sense to keep marijuana illegal,” he adds.

According to Schweich, voters in their respective states should be given the independence to decide how to handle licensing and regulations, depending on the jurisdiction, just like state liquor laws.

On a national level, MPP has a federal policy team currently working on the fight for marijuana businesses to gain access to banking and financial services.