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The article reports on research initiative submitted to the Pennsylvania State Department of Health involved evaluating the effectiveness of solvent-based extraction methods for eliminating or substantially diminishing microbial contamination from feed materials during the extract manufacturing process. Topics include testing for the hydrocarbon extraction pathway and the carbon dioxide pathway; and Department of Health quality standards when contaminated plants were utilized as feed material.

In the article, the author examines the degree of variance in the levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in medical cannabis products based on data from the New Jersey state laboratory. Also cited are the analysis of the percentage of tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) and relative standard deviation (RSD), as well as the average potency of the cannabis strains.

The article presents an interview with the 2022 Cannabis Science Conference East Plenary Speaker and Doctor David Meiri. He discusses the Technion Israel Institute and his work at the laboratory of Cancer Biology and Cannabinoid Research. It shares the cannabis laws and his passion for his work in research.

The article aim to identify and compare analytical methods used for the determination of cannabinoids in different matrices using liquid chromatography (LC)-based systems. Topics include analysis of cannabinoids were high performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array; and comparison of methods used for the determination of cannabinoids can help in the development of efficient and effective methods of analysis to have a wide range of therapeutic effect.

The article offers information on the 2022 Cannabis Science Conference West to be held in Long Beach, California on May 18-20.

The article talks about the importance of good agricultural and collecting practice (GACP) guidelines and good manufacturing practice (GMP) guidelines in the medicinal cannabis industry. It mentions herbal substances that are destined to be used in pharmaceutical products must be of suitable quality and supporting data needs to be maintained to document satisfaction of the requisite quality standards; and the guidelines were developed by World Health Organization (WHO) in 2003.

The article discusses the challenges in the legal cannabis industry with no previous experience in the manufacture of medicines involved in the production of cannabis-based medicines. Topics include liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry systems can determine pesticide amounts in samples with an accuracy in the parts-per-billion (ppb) range; and ppb accuracy for the determination of total tetrahydrocannabinol is needed to optimize growing conditions or determine when to harvest cannabis.

An interview with Adam Floyd, chief executive officer of The Soil Labs, is presented. Topics include e Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) is working to institute a universal cannabinoid testing method for microbial analysis of cannabis in the State of California; and generate competitive advantages over labs rather than potency pumping and pushing dirty products through pharmaceutical industry.

The article offers information on two-day Cannabis Chemistry Subdivision (CANN) of the American Chemical Society (ACS) Spring 2020 Virtual Symposium that took place on May 6–7, 2020. It featured several sessions that focuses on Cannabis Analysis, medical use of Cannabis, and molecular kinetics of cannabinoid decarboxylations.

As the legalization of medicinal cannabis continues to sweep across the United States, an urgent need has developed for fast, accurate, and efficient analytical testing. In addition to testing for contaminants and potency, there is also interest in the determination of terpene identity and concentration levels present in different strains of cannabis. Terpenes have been shown to have therapeutic uses for treatment of different medical conditions ranging from cancer and inflammation to anxiety and sleeplessness. It is believed that the combination of terpenes and cannabinoids in cannabis produce a synergistic effect with regards to medical benefits. The traditional testing method for terpenes in plant materials involves a solvent-based extraction followed by gas chromatography (GC) analysis. In this work, headspace solid- phase microextraction (HS-SPME) was used to identify and quantify terpene content in cannabis. The HS-SPME method offered several advantages compared to solvent extraction in that it provided a cleaner analysis, free of interferences from coextracted matrix, and was nondestructive to the sample. A cannabis sample of unknown origin was first analyzed qualitatively by HS-SPME and GC-mass spectrometry (MS). Spectral library matching and retention indices were used to identify 42 terpenes. Quantitative analysis was then performed for several selected terpenes using spiked samples. Method accuracy was >90%, with reproducibility of <5% relative standard deviation (RSD) for analysis of spiked replicates. The HS-SPME results were then compared to an analysis using a conventional solvent extraction method, and the two approaches were found to produce comparable results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on an inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) sample preparation procedure and analytical methodology optimized for both toxic and nutritional elements in dried hops, a surrogate for the cannabis family of flowering plants. It shows that the wide dynamic range of the technique allows it to be used for the simultaneous determination of parts-per-billion levels of heavy metals including Pb, As, Cd, and Hg, together with high parts-per-million levels of nutritional elements, such as P, Ca, K, and Mg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research scientists in the cannabis field are tasked with validating robust methods that can be seamlessly transitioned into production laboratories. Unlike typical disciplines where controls are easily (and legally) obtained through known manufacturers, analytical chemists working for both consumable vendors as well as cannabis laboratories must do their best to develop methods often without such resources at their disposal. As the industry matures and additional regulations are adopted, the evolution of the pesticide testing subsection continues to be vastly different depending on the jurisdiction one does business in. This creates an interesting challenge for commercial scientists tasked with developing methods that will appeal to a majority of their consumers, while also generating unexpected hurdles to said laboratories once the methods are placed into production. This article provides an overview of best practices and method development techniques for pesticide testing in cannabis from a technical perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a discussion on marijuana treatment for glaucoma, adapted from a presentation by doctor Sunita Radhakrishnan during the Glaucoma Symposium at the 2017 Glaucoma 360 annual meeting. It tackles the legalization of the use of cannabis for recreational use and medical use in the U.S., cannabinoids contained in the cannabis plant, results of case reports of long-term use of cannabis for glaucoma, and side effects of cannabis treatment.

The article discusses the product testing of cannabis in North America. Topics mention including the several techniques used in testing such as high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), American Herbal Pharmacopoeia monograph guidelines and importance of analyzing cannabis in the development of the industry.

The article discusses the use of medical marijuana for long-term illnesses and an emerging trend towards its legalization. It cites the states that have allowed its distribution to patients upon a physician's recommendation such as Alaska, Colorado and New Jersey as the 14th state to pass medical marijuana legislation. It indicates the reluctance of the federal government to legalize the use of medical marijuana. It points to the pharmacists who can help counteract marijuana's negative stigma.