Maine is finalizing its testing rules for recreational marijuana, spelling out what a lab must do to get a state license and what safety and potency checks must be done on any marijuana products before they can be sold when the market opens in March. The proposed rules cover everything from how samples are collected (by the […]
Lab Testing
Marijuana testing facility fined $100K in settlement with Michigan state regulators
A marijuana safety compliance facility was fined $100,000 as part of a settlement agreement with state regulators. Iron Laboratories, LLC, a Walled Lake marijuana testing facility, was ordered to cease operations in August after Michigan’s Marijuana Regulatory Agency found the evidence of various violations of state law. In addition to the fine, the business is […]
First of Its Kind Partnership in the Cannabis Industry to Bridge State Rulemaking and the Creation of Cannabis Standards
Partnership between ATACH and A2LA will Pave the Way for New Quality Standards, Increase Consistency Between Labs, Bring Uniformity in State Testing Regulations, and Ensure Safe Consumer Products Washington, D.C. – A2LA and the American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp (ATACH) today announced the first ever partnership agreement between a laboratory accreditation body and […]
California Marijuana Products Are Failing Tests At An Alarming Rate
Nearly 20 percent of marijuana products in California have failed tests for potency and purity since the state started requiring the checks on July 1, a failure rate some in the industry say has more to do with unrealistic standards and technical glitches than protecting consumer safety. The testing has been especially tough on cannabis-infused cookies, candies […]
Medical Marijuana’s ‘Catch-22’: Limits On Research Hinder Patient Relief
By the time Ann Marie Owen, 61, turned to marijuana to treat her pain, she was struggling to walk and talk. She was also hallucinating. For four years, her doctor prescribed a wide range of opioids for transverse myelitis, a debilitating disease that caused pain, muscle weakness and paralysis. The drugs not only failed to […]
Arizona Legislatures Want To Test Medical Marijuana Quality And Reduce Prices
PHOENIX — A Lake Havasu City senator figures it’s the state’s obligation to ensure medical-marijuana buyers are getting a safe product that’s as strong as advertised. His proposal to have the state inspect growing facilities — and to reduce fees for medical-marijuana users — already has the support of more than three-fourths of the Legislature. […]
D.C. Policy Summit – Researchers Working on First-Ever Federally-Approved Medical Marijuana Study Fighting to Overcome Significant DEA, NIDA Obstacles
The 10th Annual DuPont Summit on Science, Technology and Environment Policy held in Washington, D.C. on December 1 is usually reserved for issues like equitable access to broadband technology or building sustainability in policy or cybersecurity risk management. This year, the summit also included a session on cannabis, “Medical Marijuana-Miracle or Madness?” – a title […]
DEA Asks Feds to Grow 978 Pounds of Marijuana for Research Next Year
443,680 grams. That’s how much marijuana the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) wants federally-licensed researchers to grow for use in scientific studies in 2018. That amounts to a little more than 978 pounds of government-cultivated cannabis. While that may sound like a lot, it’s actually a slight decrease from this year’s level. The 2018 aggregate production […]
Landmark Trade Secrets Case to Test Federal Intellectual Property Protections for the Cannabis Industry
A potentially explosive landmark case about a pending federal court ruling on cannabis intellectual property is now in the works, with implications to the entire industry about the enforcement of trade secrets rights in the cannabis industry. The outcome of the case may serve to empower cannabis businesses seeking federal patent protections, among other things. […]
Two Ohio Universities Apply for Medical Marijuana Testing Program
COLUMBUS – Central State University and Hocking College both applied to test medical marijuana in Ohio – potentially resolving longstanding fears that no public institution would take the risk. Ohio put a one-year moratorium on private laboratories testing marijuana’s properties before it is sold. Other states allow private businesses to test marijuana because university officials are often wary […]
Potent Demand for Vapes in California
Passion for vapes in California was already strong in March. And by July, just four months later, it had grown even more potent. The latest data from data analytics firm BDS Analytics reveals that market share for vapes within the broad concentrates category is highest in California among states with established recreational cannabis marketplaces — […]
Ohio Finally Has Its First School for Medical Marijuana Testing
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Hocking College is the first school to announce it wants to be a state testing laboratory for medical marijuana. The Southeast Ohio school will apply to test cannabis for safety and potency, which the law will require before sales. Other Ohio public colleges and universities have been hesitant to offer their facilities for testing, concerned […]
Too Stoned to Drive? How to Beat the Rap If Arrested – Part 2 of 2
Changing sobriety standards, no caselaw to reference, and unreliable test methods make prosecuting cannabis DUIs a challenge. “Cases are more complicated to prosecute and take considerably longer than a classic drunk driving case,” says attorney Todd Spodek. Courts across the country have trouble proving that stoned drivers are too stoned to drive. There are several examples […]
Ohio Hits Roadblock Testing Medical Marijuana as Universities Remain Leery
Ohio is moving ahead with rules for growing, processing and selling medical marijuana, but the job of testing the product for public consumption remains up in the air. The state law, which went into affect last September, requires an Ohio college or university to test marijuana for “potency, homogeneity and contamination” before it can be […]
New Study Shows Cannabis Is a Better Treatment for Migraines Than Prescription Meds
In another win for marijuana research, a study has found that the active compounds in cannabis are more effective at reducing the frequency of acute migraine pain than prescription migraine meds, and with fewer side effects. The study included a total of 127 participants who suffered from chronic migraines and cluster headaches, severe headaches that occur on one side […]
DNA-Based Microbial Testing Needed Now for Exacting Compliance
With the growth trajectory in the cannabis, and the need for more exacting compliance about what is inside or clinging to the plant, there is a need to move to DNA-based testing into the industry for methodologies to identify contamination by microbes that are harmful to humans (pathogens). If this type of testing is not […]
Study Shows Cannabis May Roll Back Aging Process in the Brain
Since the legalization movement began hitting full stride, new research discoveries about marijuana’s potential health benefits have been surfacing with regularity. Among the most recent, a study shows that the psychoactive chemical in marijuana, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), restores cognitive function in the brains of mice by rolling back the aging process. The study builds from a theory […]
Study Shows Marijuana and Chili Peppers Calm Your Stomach and May Treat Certain Conditions
A common link between marijuana and chili peppers could have implications for how we treat diabetes and colitis, as well as other conditions in the digestive tract, according to a new study from the University of Connecticut. The study was published in the April 24 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers […]
