Book:Laboratory Informatics Buyer's Guide for Medical Diagnostics and Research/Introduction to medical diagnostics and research laboratories/Medical cannabis testing lab

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1.7 Medical cannabis testing lab

While the research, analysis, and processing of cannabis has been ongoing for centuries[1], it wasn't until 1896 that Wood et al. conducted one of the first documented chemical experiments to determine the constituents of cannabis. Several years later, the researchers were able to correctly identify the extracted and isolated cannabinol from the exuded resin of Indian hemp as C21H26O2.[2] As of mid-2018, somewhere between 104 upwards to more than 140 of the more than 750 constituents of Cannabis sativa have been identified as cannabinoids[3][4][5], "a class of diverse chemical compounds that act on cannabinoid receptors in cells that modulate neurotransmitter release in the brain."[6]

However, at least in the United States, when it comes to 1. enacting the broad level of testing required to ensure public safety—whether it be medical, recreational, or industrial use of cannabis—and 2. researching and better understanding the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (medical use and benefit) of cannabinoids in the human population, many have argued that laboratory testing of cannabis is still in its infancy[7][8][9][10][11][12] and evidence-based research of marijuana continues to be slow and bogged down in regulation.[13][14][15][16][17] As such, legally researching and analyzing the chemical constituents of cannabis is a complicated task, with much more work to be done.

Regulation and method standardization woes aside, cannabis is also difficult to analyze due to its matrix, and the task becomes even more difficult when it's added to food and other matrix types, requiring established and consistent methods for testing.[18][19] Regulators, patients, and the testing industry are all calling for improved standardization of both the production and testing of medical and recreational cannabis. Without proper testing, several issues are bound to arise[8][9][7][20][21][22]:

  • label claims may not match actual contents;
  • contaminants may linger, causing illness or even death;
  • chemical properties and medicinal benefits of specific strains and their unique cannabinoid-terpene profiles can't be isolated; and
  • research on potential therapeutic qualities can't be replicated, hindering scientific progress.

Cannabis testing labs are increasingly common in regions and countries where legalization efforts have reached fruition. In particular, the labs analyzing medical cannabis are vitally important for ensuring the best outcomes of patient health. These labs are responsible for analyzing many of the constituents of cannabis, including cannabinoids, terpenes, and contaminates (e.g., pesticides, solvents, heavy metals, mycotoxins, and microorganisms). The test equipment and methods used for these analyses continue to develop and evolve. Testing for cannabinoids may involve chromatography methods such as high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection (HPLC-UV) or supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC)[21][23], while terpene analysis requires various forms of specialized gas chromatography.[21][24] And heavy metal analysis typically involves some sort of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.[21][23][24]

References

  1. Deitch, R. (2003). Hemp – American History Revisited. New York City: Algora Publishing. pp. 232. ISBN 9780875862262. 
  2. Wood, T.B.; Newton Spivey, W.T.; Easterfield, T.H. (1899). "III.—Cannabinol. Part I". Journal of the Chemical Society, Transactions 75: 30–36. doi:10.1039/CT8997500020. 
  3. Radwan, M.M.; ElSohly, M.A.; El-Alfy, A.T. et al. (2015). "Isolation and pharmacological evaluation of minor cannabinoids from high-potency Cannabis sativa". Journal of Natural Products 78 (6): 1271-6. doi:10.1021/acs.jnatprod.5b00065. PMC PMC4880513. PMID 26000707. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4880513. 
  4. Solymosi, K.; Köfalvi, A. (2017). "Cannabis: A Treasure Trove or Pandora's Box?". Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry 17: 1123–91. doi:10.2174/1389557516666161004162133. 
  5. Mudge, E.M.; Murch, S.J.; Brown, P.N. (2018). "Chemometric Analysis of Cannabinoids: Chemotaxonomy and Domestication Syndrome". Scientific Reports 8: 13090. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-31120-2. 
  6. World Health Organization (2016). Hall, W.; Renström, M.; Poznyak, V. ed. The health and social effects of nonmedical cannabis use. World Health Organization. pp. 95. ISBN 978921510240. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241510240. 
  7. 7.0 7.1 Hazekamp, A.; Fischedick, J.T. (2012). "Cannabis - from cultivar to chemovar". Drug Testing and Analysis 4 (7–8): 660–7. doi:10.1002/dta.407. PMID 22362625. 
  8. 8.0 8.1 Bush, E. (18 February 2015). "World’s strongest weed? Potency testing challenged". The Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/worldrsquos-strongest-weed-potency-testing-challenged/. Retrieved 18 November 2021. 
  9. 9.0 9.1 Rutsch, P. (24 March 2015). "Quality-Testing Legal Marijuana: Strong But Not Always Clean". Shots. National Public Radio. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/03/24/395065699/quality-testing-legal-marijuana-strong-but-not-always-clean. Retrieved 18 November 2021. 
  10. Kuzdzal, S.; Lipps, W. (2015). "Unraveling the Cannabinome". The Analytical Scientist (0915). https://theanalyticalscientist.com/techniques-tools/unraveling-the-cannabinome. Retrieved 18 November 2021. 
  11. Crombie, N. (25 July 2016). "Marijuana labs prepping for regulation and oversight; no lab licenses issued yet". The Oregonian. Oregon Live LLC. https://www.oregonlive.com/marijuana/2016/07/marijuana_labs_prepping_for_st.html. Retrieved 18 November 2021. 
  12. Kuzdzal, S.; Clifford, R.; Winkler, P.; Bankert, W. (December 2017). "A Closer Look at Cannabis Testing" (PDF). Shimadzu Corporation. https://www.ssi.shimadzu.com/sites/ssi.shimadzu.com/files/Industry/Literature/Shimadzu_Whitepaper_Emerging_Cannabis_Industry.pdf. Retrieved 18 November 2021. 
  13. Bajaj, V. (30 July 2014). "How the Federal Government Slows Marijuana Research". Taking Note: The New York Times. The New York Times Company. https://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/30/how-the-federal-government-slows-marijuana-research/. Retrieved 18 November 2021. 
  14. Chesler, J.; Ard, A. (15 August 2015). "Government restrictions, lack of funding slow progress on medical marijuana research". News21: America's Weed Rush. Carnegie Corporation of New York; John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. https://weedrush.news21.com/government-restrictions-lack-of-funding-slow-progress-on-medical-marijuana-research/. Retrieved 18 November 2021. 
  15. Weiss, S.R.B. (13 July 2016). "Testimony from Susan R.B. Weiss, Ph.D. on The State of the Science on the Therapeutic Potential of Marijuana and Cannabinoids before Judiciary Committee". ASL Testimony. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Archived from the original on 04 May 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170504180135/https://www.hhs.gov/about/agencies/asl/testimony/2016-09/the-state-of-the-science-on-the-therapeutic-potential-of-marijuana-and-cannabinoids/index.html. Retrieved 18 November 2021. 
  16. Joseph, A. (10 August 2016). "DEA decision keeps major restrictions in place on marijuana research". STAT. Boston Globe Media. https://www.statnews.com/2016/08/10/marijuana-medical-research-dea/. Retrieved 18 November 2021. 
  17. Rudroff, T. (21 January 2017). "Marijuana Regulation Blocks Vital Multiple Sclerosis Research". Newsweek. IBT Media, Inc. https://www.newsweek.com/marijuana-regulation-blocks-vital-ms-research-544886. Retrieved 18 November 2021. 
  18. DePalma, A. (10 September 2018). "Challenges of Cannabis Contaminant Testing". Lab Manager. LabX Media Group. https://www.labmanager.com/insights/challenges-of-cannabis-contaminant-testing-1928. Retrieved 18 November 2021. 
  19. Cummings, J., "Gurus of Pesticide Residue Analysis [The Cannabis Scientist"] (PDF), The Analytical Scientist (Texere Logo Texere Publishing Ltd) (0218), https://theanalyticalscientist.com/fileadmin/tas/pdf-versions/TCS_Issue4.pdf 
  20. Kuzdzal, S.; Clifford, R.; Winkler, P.; Bankert, W. (December 2017). "A Closer Look at Cannabis Testing" (PDF). Shimadzu Corporation. https://www.ssi.shimadzu.com/sites/ssi.shimadzu.com/files/Industry/Literature/Shimadzu_Whitepaper_Emerging_Cannabis_Industry.pdf. Retrieved 18 November 2020. 
  21. 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 Cassiday, L. (October 2016). "The Highs and Lows of Cannabis Testing". INFORM. American Oil Chemists' Society. https://www.aocs.org/stay-informed/inform-magazine/featured-articles/the-highs-and-lows-of-cannabis-testing-october-2016. Retrieved 18 November 2021. 
  22. "How Accurate Is Cannabis Potency Testing?". California NORML. 21 September 2011. https://www.canorml.org/business-resources-for-cannabis-brands/how-accurate-is-cannabis-potency-testing/. Retrieved 18 November 2021. 
  23. 23.0 23.1 Association of Public Health Laboratories (May 2016). "Guidance for State Medical Cannabis Testing Programs" (PDF). pp. 35. https://www.aphl.org/aboutAPHL/publications/Documents/EH-Guide-State-Med-Cannabis-052016.pdf. Retrieved 18 November 2021. 
  24. 24.0 24.1 "Cannabis Testing Laboratory Solutions" (PDF). Shimadzu Corporation. Archived from the original on 27 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160327180816/https://www.ssi.shimadzu.com/products/literature/life_science/shimadzu_cannabis_brochure.pdf. Retrieved 18 November 2021. 


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Citation information for this chapter

Chapter: 1. Introduction to medical diagnostics and research laboratories

Title: Laboratory Informatics Buyer's Guide for Medical Diagnostics and Research

Edition: 2022 Edition

Author for citation: Shawn E. Douglas

License for content: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International

Publication date: January 2022