Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)

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

Here we discuss the importance of using standards that bracket the expected concentration range of standards in the unknowns, using the same chemical components in standards and unknowns, and making sure to minimize the error in concentration measurements of standards.

Quantitative Spectroscopy: Practicalities and Pitfalls, Part I

Part II of a guided tour through the protein structure and function influence of cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2R) on cannabinoid signaling.

Cannalingo Part II: Connecting Molecular Conversations of CB2R with the Cannabis Experience

David Hodes has written for many cannabis publications, and organized or moderated sessions at national and international cannabis trade shows. He was voted the 2018 Journalist of the Year by Americans for Safe Access, the world’s largest medical cannabis advocacy organization.

The new processed cannabis products continue to attract consumers—but black market influence causes hesitancy.


More Innovative Cannabis Products Emerge Amidst Ongoing Processor Issues

Terpenes can be tricky. Although cannabis is heavily regulated, since cannabis-derived terpenes do not contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other cannabinoids, they are not regulated in the same way that cannabis is. 

Tricky Terpenes: Under-Regulated Use of Added Terpenes in a Regulated Cannabis Industry

A discussion on the selection of a “golden” potency method including what this method should look like, how we should go about choosing it, and more.

In Search of the Golden Potency Method

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.

THC isomers are defined and discussed to better understand where they come from, how they are produced, and how they are being distributed.

How Are Tetrahydrocannabinol—THC—Isomers Entering the Market?

How does the pharmaceutical industry test better to avoid mislabeling problems?

The Need for In-House Testing: I Hate to Say I Told You So But…

In part I of this series on statistical concepts related to cannabis analysis, we introduce the normal distribution, standard deviation, and how to calculate precision and accuracy.

Statistics for Cannabis Analysis, Part I: Standard Deviation and Its Relationship to Accuracy and Precision

Better seed genetics, power-free tunable lighting, and other new scientific discoveries are making headway in what has become an ag-tech leading industry.

Cultivation Breakthroughs  for a More Uniform Plant Are Coming

Here, we explore the evolution and rise of color remediation methods in-line with extraction.