Cannabis Testing Standards and Solutions

DENVER - Feb. 24, 2016 - PRLog -- The cannabis industry is threatened by inaccurate lab testing which can lead to improperly labeled or possibly even tainted products reaching consumers. Standards and requirements that exist in other laboratory fields are absent in the cannabis space. In many states with legal cannabis growers and product manufacturers are even allowed to provide their own samples for required quality and safety testing. This has resulted in risks to medical cannabis patients and adult-use consumers, as well as a lack of reliable data needed by the industry to move itself forward toward legitimacy.

There have been nearly two dozen separate incidents in Denver in which over 200,000 products have been recalled due to pesticide contamination issues, indicating potentially dangerous gaps in current testing programs. Some recalled products were even released back into circulation, largely due to the fact that no Colorado labs are actually certified by the state to test for pesticides. This situation is becoming untenable and is a symptom of a larger problem in cannabis testing. Therefore, at two major upcoming industry events, Comprehensive Cannabis Consulting’s (3C) CEO Nic Easley will discuss cannabis lab procedures and solutions that can improve the reliability of testing results, thus reducing industry liability.

“We need to help our labs understand that there are required standards that labs in other industries follow in order to produce consistent results,” said Easley. “Inaccurate or faulty testing can be worse than no testing at all. Mislabeled products and inaccurate data affect the entire industry negatively, from the growers who produce the product originally all the way to the end user, and everyone in between."

Easley will deliver his findings and recommendations in keynote speeches at the Cannabis Industry Journal’s "Cannabis Labs Conference," which is part of Pittcon, the world's leading conference for laboratory science, in Atlanta on March 9. Easley will follow with a separate keynote at the PerkinElmer “Cannabis Analytical Testing Seminar” in Concord, Ca., on March 24.

Easley, along with 3C Chief Cultivation Officer Adam Koh, have written a position paper on pesticide use in cannabis, an issue intertwined with achieving accurate laboratory testing of cannabis. “Pesticide Position Paper,” is available for free download on the 3C website at: http://www.3ccannabis.com/.

About 3C
3C is the leading Cannabis and Hemp Industry consulting & strategy firm, and has successfully helped over 60 agricultural, industrial and retail clients achieve superior gains, resulting in increased shareholder value. Nic Easley, CEO of 3C has been recognized an industry thought leader. He has spoken and delivered keynote addresses at several important cannabis industry conferences, as well as serving on state work groups in Colorado that address crucial cannabis regulatory issues.