Tag Archives: labs

macropistil/trichome

Using LIMS in Cannabis Laboratories

By Aaron G. Biros
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macropistil/trichome

LIMS (laboratory information management systems) is a software-based information management tool that can streamline laboratory workflows, data management, automate repetitive steps, and improve instrumentation efficiency. The cannabis industry’s rapid growth, coupled with fluctuating state regulations, gave rise to a number of cannabis testing laboratories nationwide. Cannabis labs test primarily for potency, but testing regulations for pathogens, pesticides, and other contaminants are on their way to approval in California and Colorado.

limsbud
A dried flower prior to sample-preparation to be used for testing

Founded in 2010, BGASoft developed LIMSABC last year. The cloud-based laboratory informatics system is a platform that can manage all of a cannabis testing laboratory’s operational needs, while providing the tracking and audit trails required by some state’s regulations.

“The recreational and medical cannabis industry is in its infancy and many cannabis laboratories are small operations that need to be very capital efficient as they navigate a rapidly changing regulatory environment,” says Tim Kutz, vice president of business development at BGASoft.

“LIMSABC provides a flexible, modern platform to handle all of a testing laboratory’s operational needs while providing the rigorous tracking and audit trail required by today’s regulations, with the ability adapt to future regulations.”

macropistil/trichome
A macro view of the trichomes and pistils on the plant

According to Kutz, LIMS can help cannabis laboratories with bi-directional instrument and automation integration, and automate client reporting to help improve efficiencies and reduce errors. Because the software is cloud-based, the system is accessible through a secure web browser connection from any device.

trichome close up
The fine outgrowths, referred to as trichomes, house the majority of the plant’s resin, which is particularly important for sample-preparation in potency testing

“As legalization efforts advance nationwide, many states are putting in place strict regulatory requirements for the testing and handling of cannabis,” says Kutz. “Many states require or will require testing for pesticide levels, terpenes, cannabinoid levels, moisture, heavy metal, fungi and molds.”

As a result of strict sampling requirements, laboratories must account for all the sample test results from a variety of instruments as well as for every gram of the sample, from receiving it to consumption in testing to disposal.

“These requirements can quickly overwhelm even the most efficient laboratory trying to maintain paper and excel based records,” says Kutz. “LIMS allows laboratory personnel to keep sample and requisition-centric records, track the sample quantity and location, integrate all the test data, provide client reports all while providing an audit trail of each and every step.”

As testing regulations continue to roll out, cannabis laboratories will be required to use information management systems for traceability in compliance with state and local laws. 

dana and dani luce

Setting a Benchmark in Cannabis Testing: GOAT Labs

By Aaron G. Biros
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dana and dani luce

GOAT Labs, Inc. is a veteran-owned, i502-certified cannabis testing company with laboratories in Vancouver, Washington and Portland, Oregon. The laboratory launched in 2010 by Dana Luce, the owner, with a personal mission to provide safe and tested cannabis to patients in need.

Dana Luce’s daughter, Dani Luce, CEO of GOAT Labs, has previous experience working in dialysis and watched cancer patients lose their battle to the illness. Many years later, Dani’s oldest son was diagnosed with stage IV Hodgkin lymphoma. Cannabis proved instrumental in alleviating the side effects of chemotherapy. “With a severely compromised immune system, we had to find a place to test all the raw foods given to him, including cannabis,” says Dani Luce.

dana and dani luce
Dana Luce (left), owner of GOAT Labs, and Dani Luce (right), CEO, in the GOAT Labs office.

Dani Luce’s son was in remission nine months after starting chemotherapy in conjunction with cannabis and has now been in remission for five years. “We want to ensure patients are not ingesting something potentially toxic and that proper testing is done, which includes not only potency, but testing for microbials, pathogens, and pesticides.”

GOAT Labs is a member of the Cannabis Coalition for Standards and Ethics (CCSE) along with the American Oil Chemist Society (AOCS), where they participate in the Expert Committee for Cannabis Oil.

With pesticide use on cannabis recently entering the spotlight, there is a growing need for standards in cannabis testing. “We need better regulatory oversight so that all laboratories are standardized, including proficiency testing done by the state,” argues the Luce’s.

billlucesample
Bill Luce, lab technician at GOAT Labs, preparing samples for testing

Roger Brauninger, biosafety program manager of A2LA (American Association for Lab Accreditation), is working on an accreditation process for cannabis laboratories that would be accepted nationally. “We believe that an accreditation process would increase efficacy of lab results, reduce laboratory shopping, and create consistency with results across different laboratories,” says Brauninger.

GOAT Labs, among a number of other laboratories and organizations, is working toward putting cannabis in the lens of mainstream medicine. Not only are they looking to achieve a safe standard for medicine, they are advancing legalization efforts nationwide by setting the benchmark for getting patients access to safe, lab-tested cannabis.

Cannabis Labs: The Need For Standardized Analytics

Laboratory testing is an integral part of the cannabis industry for the same reasons it is important in the food industry. To ensure the consumer is ingesting a safe product, accurate testing should be required for microbials, pathogens, pesticides, heavy metals, and perhaps most importantly dosage. Unfortunately, however, the problem is that testing requirements are not quite there yet in the handful of states that have legalized marijuana for recreational or medical purposes. This creates a degree of uncertainty in the marketplace, which is detrimental to the growth of the industry as a whole.

Cannabis samples are liquified in strong acid in a pressurized microwave prior to evaluation for heavy metal content. Image courtesy of Digipath, Inc.
Cannabis samples are liquified in strong acid in a pressurized microwave prior to evaluation for heavy metal content. Image courtesy of Digipath, Inc.

Lauren Finesilver, Executive Chef at Sweet Grass Kitchen, sits on a counsel for compliance with C4 (Colorado Cannabis Chamber of Commerce). Finesilver believes “We are a food manufacturer first and foremost so we need to ensure we sell a final product that is safe for the public and [one] that consumers know is coming from a responsible manufacturer.” Ahead of marijuana rule changes that are soon to come, Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED) announced five new rulemaking working groups, one of which will address testing, packaging, and labeling.

Some states, including Colorado and Nevada, have made impressive strides in implementing proper testing regulations.

“Nevada has done a really good job from the start in designing a program where they have at least addressed some of the issues with product quality including testing, labeling, and potency requirements,” says Tobias Paquet, Chief Scientific Officer of C3 Labs, LLC (Cannabis Chemistry Consulting).

Paquet, who previously worked at Waters Corporation as a field chemistry specialist, cites potential contamination at almost every step of the cannabis supply chain from seed to sale. “Some of the biggest concerns with contamination during cultivation or extraction are pesticides, heavy metals, and microbial contamination,” he says, adding that he is most concerned about two microbial carcinogens—mycotoxin and aflatoxins.

“We aim to provide reliable and consistent labeling that is accurate and reflects the contents of that product,” says Paquet. “This comes with a validated method on qualified instruments and laboratory accreditation.”

Determining the moisture content in a dried cannabis sample for adjusting potency numbers and checking for appropriate curing. Image courtesy of Digipath, Inc.
Determining the moisture content in a dried cannabis sample for adjusting potency numbers and checking for appropriate curing. Image courtesy of Digipath, Inc.

Much like the food industry, accurate testing across the board is needed for consumers to feel safe ingesting edibles containing marijuana. Laboratories that operate in states where marijuana is already legal need to utilize good laboratory practices and standards to ensure consistency.

“We have been working to create an accreditation process that is accepted on a national level,” says Roger Brauninger, biosafety program manager at the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA). “Without firm state laboratory accreditation regulatory requirements in place, the possibility exists that people may shop laboratories to get the results they want. So if applied across the board, ISO 17025 accreditation would help reduce that, thereby helping to create greater consistency of tests results between laboratories, ultimately helping to reduce marketplace confusion.”

The cannabis industry has the momentum to become a safe and regulated marketplace as state reforms continue, with testing and analytics acting as the wind behind its sails.

Matt Karnes, founder and managing partner of GreenWave Advisors, LLC, suggests that by 2020, assuming full legalization occurs in all 50 states and D.C., the lab testing industry could easily reach $850 million (this figure includes testing, data analytics and consulting services). The firm provides an analysis of each state’s potential market size which is predicated on its U.S. retail marijuana forecast of $35 billion (again, assuming full legalization by 2020). Karnes was recently cited in a Forbes article suggesting that cannabis testing is one of a handful of top new technology investment opportunities.

Karnes’ predictions echo that of many when discussing the cannabis analytics space. “More states are becoming focused on standardized laboratory testing requirements,” he says. “There is really no consistency, which is something that needs to be worked out.”

While a handful of states work toward achieving good laboratory standards, players in the cannabis industry, including laboratories, dispensaries, and cultivators, continue to self-regulate when it comes to safety and quality.

CannabisIndustryJournal.com, our newest publication, will be launched in late September. CannabisIndustryJournal.com will educate the marketplace covering news, technology, business trends, safety, quality, and the regulatory environment, aiding in the advancement of an informed and safe market for the global cannabis industry. Stay tuned for more!