Technical Resources
Medical Resources
The Potential to Serve Many
The academic literature addressing cannabis has demonstrated a wide variety of applications in treating symptoms of many diseases, including but not limited to:
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Marijuana's therapeutic effectiveness in treating patients with cancer has especially garnered a lot of attention in the medical world (a recent paper on this topic). The compounds in marijuana have even been found to aid certain respiratory problems, including asthma. Curiously, the negative effects of smoking on the respiratory system, particularly when compared to tobacco, have been challenged and observed to be less than generally anticipated by the medical community.
Understanding Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica
 Pictured here are examples of indica (left) and sativa (right) plants. Some of the subtleties behind their plant structures are visible here, namely how the indica has wider, shorter leaves.
There are two general strains available in medical cannabis dispensaries: sativa and indica. Unfortunately, there is little to no mention of these two strains as to their differences in scientific literature. Most knowledge on strain differences has been gathered in dispensaries and by consumers who interact with the products. Both strains have distinct plant physiology and, more importantly, differ in their psychotropic and analgesic effects.
Cannabis sativa is known for its “mental high”, working better as a mood lifter, aiding appetite, and energizing its users. Sativa will “wake a person up” and increase their enjoyment of everyday things. Cannabis indica is known for its physical effects, functioning as a general analgesic, aiding sleep, and working best for general pain relief. Indica is better applied to a cancer or glaucoma patient seeking relief from pain.
The traits of indica and sativa are summarized in this table:
It should be noted that these two strains represent an extreme dichotomy and that the majority of medical cannabis available is a bred mix of both strains. Dispensaries are responsible for being knowledgeable about strains and how they differ in their medical effects. This becomes increasingly difficult with time as new marijuana varieties are being continuously engineered while existing ones are subtly altered through breeding practices (for more on differences between indica and sativa, click here).
A Closer Look at Our Protocols
Gas Chromatography
Our laboratory makes extensive use of gas chromatography (GC) for potency and pesticide screening. This analytical chemistry technique involves heating a substance and measuring the amount of each compound of interest that is vaporized during the process. Because different chemicals vaporize at different temperatures and react with different compounds, we can measure rather precisely the amount of each specific chemical present in our sample. Using this measurement we determine how much of our sample is composed of each cannabinoid and how much pesticide contaminant is present. We can then assess whether pesticide levels in each sample product are safe while rating them in terms of cannabinoid content/quality.
We analyze the following essential compounds when measuring cannabis quality/potency:
Potency results are reported at a percentage total of the product (i.e. sample 1 is 30% cannabinoid A, 20% cannabinoid B, etc.). THC measurements range from about 5 to 35%. CBN and CBD have a generally much lower range, 1-10%.
We analyze the following types of pesticides when measuring for consumption safety:
These chemical pesticide classes are defined according to content and structure. They include both legal and illegal pesticides, both of which are dangerous to humans. These results are reported in “Parts Per Million,” or PPM. Legal pesticide limits generally range between 0.01 to 1.0 PPM according to the particular pesticide present (listed down below).
Microbial Plate Count Estimates
We perform microbial contaminant screening using a population count technique to estimates the number of “colony forming units” per gram of marijuana. This method involves extracting and isolating the microbial life present in our samples, incubating them in a range of growth media that support different kinds of cellular life and counting how many colonies form from each sample. Because the number of microbes in a sample ranges generally in the millions, we perform a “serial dilution” of our microbial sample and plate a wide range of dilutions to help us do a proper count. This allows us to determine whether the amount of bacteria and fungus in a sample lies within a reasonable, healthy range for consumption using a slightly liberal estimate to emphasize safety.
When testing for microbial contamination, we check for the following microbial life forms:
After roughly a day of growth, media plates are removed from incubation. The plates emerge sprinkled with growth dots called “colonies”, which are then counted in relation to how diluted the microbe cocktail was before being spread on the plate. Counting these yields the number of “colony forming units per gram”, or the CFU/g, of the product. This figure is used to determine how much microbial contamination is present in the cannabis and whether this contamination is within USP standards for agricultural products.
Scientific Resources
The Implications Behind A Sample's Cannabinoid Profile
We test for three cannabinoids: THC, CBD, and CBN. Each of these chemicals impacts the function and quality of a medicinal marijuana specimen.
As discussed above, marijuana broadly falls into two strains: Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica. Most available medical marijuana is a mix between these two strains, but many pure breeds are still in common use. The essential difference behind these two strains is the presence of THC and CBD (CBD is cannabidiol, not to be confused with CBN, or cannabinol). Sativa plants more prominently feature the medicinal effects associated with THC while indica plants more prominently feature the medicinal effects associated with CBD. Sativa is therefore more mood-enchancing, energizing, and mentally stimulating, while indica is more analgesic, relaxing, and sleep-inducing. THC and CBD content levels therefore serve as empirical, objective guides as to the therapeutic value of each product, especially for hybrid plants (the majority of them).
CBN, however, is a very different sort of cannabinoid. It is the breakdown product of THC, which occurs as a function of time. Therefore, the older a specimen, the more THC in that specimen that will have broken down to CBN. CBN concentration can thus tell us how well a sample has been taken care of or stored properly.
The simplified graph above shows the relationship between THC and CBN content over time of a possible sample.
It is well known that marijuana has changed significantly in terms of potency and effects in recent decades (as observed even in this community health newsletter from Michigan). A University of Mississippi study observed this trend based on the average potency of marijuana as seized by authorities each year over the course of two decades (see chart below), which more than doubled over this time. This trend in potency change underlines why dispensaries need to be generally aware and up to date about their pharmaceuticals to ensure they know what they are giving to their patients.
A Glance At Pesticides
There is a very wide range of pesticides available to agricultural professionals, some of which are controlled by the federal government and the rest of which are illegal. Human exposure to these chemicals has been linked to negative side-effects and health conditions. The following table lists US Government monitored commercial pesticides available to cannabis growers and the “parts per million” action levels, or concentration limits, of each respective chemical.
 Although all farmers must ultimately apply pesticides to maintain the integrity of their crops, this can be done responsibly and with concern for public safety. These strict government requirements hardly allow even trace levels of any of these pesticides. Further pesticides without action levels—generally banned—are also tested in the lab.
Defending Against Microbial Contamination
There are microbes everywhere, by the billions. They ubiquitously make their homes on the surfaces and within the nooks of just about anything you can name. Marijuana products are no exception and are thus subject to certain levels of fungal and bacterial contamination. These levels must be monitored for safety as regulated by both state and federal governments. Marijuana is classified as a botanical product with microbial enumeration limits as defined by the United States Pharmacopeia and is assessed for microbial contamination along similar guidelines to commercial sage incense, herbal medicines, and other plant based products.
High levels of fungus or bacteria indicate a general lack of cleanliness and poor agricultural practices. This is harmful at a number of levels. From a more global perspective, supporting growers that do not take precaution with their practices or fail to demonstrate the ability to maintain proper care in their work also supports a greater frame of problems affecting the environment. A grower that cannot contain his crop microbial contamination levels is likely to be committing greater offenses that impact local natural resources, for example, surreptitious pesticide use.
From a patient perspective, consuming products with excessive microbial contamination can result in diseases and infections that are dangerous and possibly fatal. This creates liability between a marijuana dispensary and their patients. For an example of a common crop fungus and its human infection symptoms, click here.
Asides from generally high levels of bacteria and fungus, there are also microbial species that humans should never be exposed to, even under the smallest concentrations (literally, not even a single cell). Examples include salmonella and certain forms of E. coli. Unfortunately, agricultural contamination by microbes like these occurs regularly in the United States and around the world, which is why testing is so vital.
We specifically screen for coliforms, which are organisms that inhabit the bowels of animals and humans. Not all coliforms are dangerous but they function as a very reliable indicator as to the presence of microorganisms that are especially harmful to humans. Generally, if a coliform is thriving in a particular location, another much more pathogenic cellular life form is (far more likely than not) also inhabiting that very location. Coliform detection calls for the immediate removal of all products from a supplier and warrants intervention by proper authorities to trace the source of the outbreak and to ensure that as few people as possible come into contact with the infected products.
The United States Pharmacopiea, the fundamental authority and guide under which we operate as mentioned above, provides the regulatory guidelines for microbial screening as enforced by the FDA and USDA of United States government. This work is revised constantly and we have to monitor these changes consistently to ensure that we are functioning under proper, legal protocol. |
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