Marijuana Sample Protocols

The last we heard from the MED about marijuana sample protocols and sampling models was in February regarding marijuana microbial testing and contaminant compliance. The marijuana enforcement division required batch re-samples in accordance with their new protocols for mold and mildew testing. The 3M petrifilm procedure used to test for these contaminants was changed to include a longer incubation time. Any licensed cannabis business in the state was required to have their marijuana retested under the new protocols and approved prior to any sale or transport of product. Since the required mold batch re-rest last month, the biggest news break regarding marijuana sampling came from a case in which an Arizona scientist said the governments’ pot farm produced moldy samples.

Lack of Government Supply & Sampling

At the moment there is only one government contract for cannabis cultivation used for approved clinical research. The contract is held by the University of Mississippi and has been since 1968 operated by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) on a 10-acre farm in the southern state.  This comes as a shock when you think how this is the only marijuana produced for clinical research approved by the federal government. However, starting last year, the DEA began accepting applications to become registered under the Controlled Substances Act to manufacture marijuana to supply researchers in the United States.

Sue Sisley, a primary care physician in Scottsdale, Arizona was awarded a grant to study marijuana as a treatment for 76 military veterans suffering from chronic post-traumatic stress disorder. Sisley was disappointed in how difficult it was to acquire the cannabis she needed for her study. “It didn’t resemble cannabis. It didn’t smell like cannabis,” Sisley says. In addition, independent lab testing found that some of the samples were contaminated with mold, while others didn’t match the chemical potency she had requested for the study.

Again, this is all relevant evidence to the hypocrisy of the US governments stance on marijuana. Despite growing cannabis support in states country-wide, the federal government still considers marijuana use and cultivation illegal. In addition to classifying cannabis as a schedule 1 drug with no medical benefits, the US government also holds patent No. 6,630,507. This patent granted in 2003 to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services essentially legally protects the medical use of cannabinoids.

Colorado Marijuana Sample Protocols and Sampling Model

Sampling procedures and protocols vary state by state. Some states require no testing. Stay informed about what is going on in Colorado.

Informational Meeting: Proposed Marijuana Sample Protocols and Sampling Model

This Friday in Denver, The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, in conjunction with the Colorado Department of Revenue is convening a meeting to discuss proposed marijuana sampling protocols and a statistically based sampling model. The proposed protocols are the result of the efforts of the Marijuana Sampling Protocols Working Group initiated in 2016. The meeting will be held on Friday, March 24, 2017, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 4300 Cherry Creek Drive South, Denver, CO 80246, Building A, Sabin-Cleere Room. A conference call line will be available for use for those who would like to listen and are unable to attend in person. Contact heather.krug@state.co.us for conference call instructions at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.

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