March/April 2019

Here we review the current and pertinent literature in utilizing cannabis derivatives in animals and discuss the future forecast of cannabis in veterinary medicine.

This article explores how vapor pressure differentials (VPD) affect transpiration rates in cannabis plants. Understanding of VPD at different temperatures and relative humidities, and its effect on this process, is important to gain maximum plant growth.

At a glance, modern extraction machines can seem a little mysterious: plant material is added to an extraction chamber, processing parameters are chosen, the extraction process is carried out, and an output of material is collected. Part I of this series examines the two main biologically-inherent starting-material influences.

The cannabis industry is constrained by the continued use of acronyms and nonstandard abbreviations for strain naming in lieu of a scientific-based standardized classification convention or lexicon. Applying chemometric tools can result in not only the authentication of a given cannabis cultivar but also provide a quality control mechanism for both cannabis flower and any resulting cannabis-based drugs.

In this installment of “Cannabis Crossroads,” we take a closer look at the hemp revolution, and more specifically, academic hemp research.

Laboratories are challenged with highly regulated and difficult sample schematics, sample preparation, extraction, and testing procedures that try to ensure accuracy and precision of testing. Accuracy in analytical testing starts at the very beginning with sampling and sample preparation prior to testing.

Driven by the need to save energy and reduce operational costs, indoor growers are turning to alternative means of illuminating their cannabis crop. In more and more indoor grows, high-intensity discharge lamps (HIDs) are being swapped out for light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

Too often, cannabis laboratories get different results on the same sample. There are a number of causes and solutions. In this installment, the problem is presented along with its causes.