Quality Control and Quality Assurance (QA and QC)

Articles

In this article, regulatory requirements are explored as they are meant to create confidence that cannabis and cannabis-infused products are safe to use.

Improving Quality in Cannabis Testing Laboratories: Making ISO/IEC 17025 Work for Your Laboratory and Customers

Cannabis Science Conference West, taking place May 18-20 in Long Beach, California, is quickly approaching. The two-day agenda is packed with exciting speakers from around the country. In this preview, we hear from Dr. Tony Francis, Principal, SAW Environmental. Dr. Francis is also an IAS instructor and assessor and a fully qualified National Environmental Laboratories Accreditation Conference (NELAC) assessor in organic and inorganic chemistry, microbiology, cryptosporidium, radiochemistry, solids, aqueous, tissue, and air. Here he shares some insights into his talk, “Importance of Quality Control in Cannabis Laboratories,” scheduled for Friday, May 20 from 9:30 – 10:00 am. We hope to see you there!

Quality Control in Cannabis Laboratories: A Cannabis Science Conference West Preview with Dr. Tony Francis

Martha Hernández, a scientist at CloudLIMS, discusses the challenges of working in the cannabis industry, navigating quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) expectations, and her upcoming lectures at the upcoming Cannabis Science Conference West. 

Cannabis Science Conference West Speaker Discusses Testing Strategics in the Cannabis Industry

In this study, Tween 20 amounts were increased in 1% increments while monitoring two different factors. 

Optimal Dilution of Polysorbate (Tween) 20 for the Determination of Enterobacteria and Total Yeast and Mold on Cannabis Concentrate 

This article outlines why multiple testing modes are important, what to look for in third party test providers, and how a cultivator can evaluate these potential providers both at the outset and in an ongoing manner for accuracy and reliability.

Cannabis Cultivation Quality Assurance 2.0:  Starting Clear, Staying Clean

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: 

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.