Quality Control and Quality Assurance (QA and QC)

Brian C. Smith, PhD, is Founder, CEO, and Chief Technical Officer of Big Sur Scientific. He is the inventor of the BSS series of patented mid-infrared based cannabis analyzers. Dr. Smith has done pioneering research and published numerous peer-reviewed papers on the application of mid-infrared spectroscopy to cannabis analysis, and sits on the editorial board of Cannabis Science and Technology. He has worked as a laboratory director for a cannabis extractor, as an analytical chemist for Waters Associates and PerkinElmer, and as an analytical instrument salesperson. He has more than 30 years of experience in chemical analysis and has written three books on the subject. Dr. Smith earned his PhD on physical chemistry from Dartmouth College. Direct correspondence to: 

Articles

Why the USDA’s requirements on what part of the plant to sample and how to obtain samples from the field are rife with problems and how to solve them.

Hemp Testing Insanity IV:  Problems with the USDA’s Hemp Sampling Rules

Mislabeled cannabis medicines are an on-going problem; here we discuss appropriate technologies for cannabis dispensaries to do their own testing.

Why Dispensaries Need In-House Testing

Lo Friesen is the founder, CEO, and Chief Extractor of Heylo. With a background in chemistry and clinical research, Lo was inspired to explore cannabis as a medicine and to enter the emerging industry. She joined Eden Labs, a leading CO

 extraction equipment manufacturer to support and expand a Research and Development department. There she managed the development of their latest and greatest CO

 extraction system. In 2017, after working with Eden Labs and another cannabis processor, Lo launched Heylo with a mission to help people get more out of life with cannabis.

A review of the general state standard quality control checkpoints and how companies can go above and beyond by applying federal requirements to their businesses.

Quality Control Checkpoints in Cannabis Processing

This work describes an inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry method for the analysis of various heavy metals in cannabis sativa plant material.

The Big Four Heavy Metals in Cannabis: Sample Preparation and Analysis via ICP-MS

This article focuses on the technology being used in new rapid field tests that combine one-time-use color testing with a colorimetric panel that provides an identification and semiquantitation of THC and THCA.

Qualitative Versus Quantitative Hemp Testing: The Limitations of Current Law Enforcement Field Tests

This article intends to clarify the main goals of GACP and GMP guidelines, identify differences between the two, and also explore why it is important, when operating within the medicinal cannabis sector, that these two guidelines are complied with and their standards achieved.

GACP and GMP in the Medicinal Cannabis Industry—Is There a Clear Difference?

Keystone Labs is an accredited testing facility with a good manufacturing practice (GMP) establishment license. Jodi McDonald, president and founder of Keystone Labs, based in Edmonton Alberta, Canada discusses their role in the industry.

Quality Matters: A Chat with Keystone Labs President, Jodi McDonald

What does FDA oversight mean for cannabis businesses and the industry as a whole?

The FDA is Coming…Will the Cannabis Industry Be Ready? Part I

Suggestions on how to deal with the problem of inter-laboratory error in the cannabis industry.

The Pet Lab Syndrome

Highlights of the challenges facing the cannabis extracts industry and discussion about the need for standardized methods and the role of laboratory accreditation.