[Gila-Monster]

Several laboratories in medical cannabis states now offer lab testing of cannabis products to the industry and often to the public. The best known of these seem to be Steep Hill Lab of Oakland, CA and Full Spectrum Lab in Denver.

In addition to offering assays of principal cannabinoids, many of these labs offer pesticide screening and microbial screening. The cannabinoids seem to be the easier assays to design. With both the microbes and the pesticides, though, there are so many things for which one might search.

I'm wondering whether anyone has actually seen test results, particularly of microbial screenings? I'm curious to see some, but the only test reports I've seen offered up by either the services themselves or by clients have not provided any information on the pesticide or microbial screens. I'd be very curious to see what some positive test results look like in a report from any of the labs.

In any case, perhaps this thread might develop into a general thread on cannabis analysis?

[AZClones]

FWIW, the micro testing probably consists of nothing more than a standard plate count, which means throwing some product onto a fairly rich nutrient medium and seeing how many colonies are produced. This won't check for anaerobes, because it's done aerobically for almost all tests. Depending upon how much the client is willing to pay, those organisms might get keyed out, which is important because 10 spores of aspergillus might be cause for concern, versus 1-2 colonies of a common penicillium would probably not.

Given the nature of the industry, I doubt any laboratory round robins are going on, where lab-to-lab differences are uncovered. While *some* scrutiny is good, I would suggest that there are issues such as sampling (is a sample that weighs X grams sufficient for a 5 square meter grow? 50 square meters? 500 square meters?), detection spectrum for pesticides and fungicides (GC/MS ain't a panacea, no matter how many rocks are analyzed on an Agient 6890 on "CSI: Las Vegas"), standardization (where are standards being bought, and who certifies the manufactured product?), and all the other tiny little headaches that a commercial lab faces- including an absence (to the best of my knowledge) of a certifying agency for the entire industry. As for qualifications- the one lab in Arizona appears to stem from a real estate company, which are always a good source of fine chemists.

There will be growing pains and eventually the industry will sort itself out. Until then, it's bound to be a little rough around the edges, with lots of shiny websites and glib assertions about quality in testing. Prices should crash; they're insane right now. Sample squirts on a well-tuned GC running NPD/FID + DELCD should run under a buck a run. Of course, there's also the MS detector, which stands for "money sink" because they're famous for downtime and being fussy. Overkill for something that is well-established like cannabinoids + pesticides IMO.

[Sam_Skunkman]

Buck a run for a GC? Does that include rent for the Lab? Maintenance on the equipment? Standards for the lab, and pay for the technicians to run the GC? Oh, and a profit?
-SamS

[KronosLab]

Originally Posted by Sam_Skunkman

Buck a run for a GC? Does that include rent for the Lab? Maintenance on the equipment? Standards for the lab, and pay for the technicians to run the GC? Oh, and a profit?
-SamS

Well said.

We plan to provide testing in Arizona that will be competitive with the labs in other states. However, prices depend on volume. I get the impression both here and elsewhere that most people don't grasp the overhead associated with (especially) chromatographic assays, whether GC-based or LC-based.

We are not affiliated with any real estate operations, either, BTW.

I've had good results from SHL. I just like knowing my bubble hash is over 50% THC for my ego and for vending. I saw a breakdown in pricing for separate tests, for a smaller lab. It was something like:
THC/CBD/CBN $100
Mold/Mildew $15
Toxins (like Avid) $85

[GreenintheThumb]

I asked all the reps I've spoken with about the microbial assay. Most put it under a scope and eyeball it for mold. Not exactly high tech.

[N. Accumbens]

There will be growing pains and eventually the industry will sort itself out.

Now, thats a mild understatement.

Oh, and a profit?

Depends on what you need in life for personal happiness and probably what you intend to do with the profits. Ive heard investment properties in Montana are going for great prices, for example.

[AZClones]

Originally Posted by KronosLab

Well said.

We plan to provide testing in Arizona that will be competitive with the labs in other states. However, prices depend on volume. I get the impression both here and elsewhere that most people don't grasp the overhead associated with (especially) chromatographic assays, whether GC-based or LC-based.

We are not affiliated with any real estate operations, either, BTW.

A company advertising in PNT is/was touting themselves as the "only" cannabis analytical lab in Arizona; the domain registration goes back to a registrant and a phone number that is a realtor, confirmed by the BBB website. I had no idea Kronos was getting into the weed business. Looks like you'll have competition from other states as well; some carpetbaggers from Montana were advertising on Craigslist for an unpaid internship at their lab. Just what the industry needs- more people who wouldn't know a Supelcosil LC-318 from an SLB capillary column. As for pricing- Steep Hill charges $300 for pesticides, with no elucidation as to any testing methodology or independent review of techniques. Compare with an 8081A panel or an 8141A test from any EPA lab for about half that.

[jboat]

https://fullspectrumlabs.com/featured/

Link to some test results above. I've only seen results from this company and if they're correct it sure is nice to know the quality! Not sure what they charge, it's prob somewhere on there sight though or a call away.

[RPsmoke]

Steep Hill lab makes no secret of their methods. They have them posted in a general sense on line, on their website. I am sure, if you call in, they would happily discuss it in a little more detail.

Molds are extracted from plant material into sterile water. The water extract is then spread on several Petri dishes with different media. The media is then incubated and analyzed under microscope by trained microbiologists. This takes time. They do a 5 day and 10 day screening.

For pesticide testing generally the chemists will use enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. If anything is detected, then they use a High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to further analyze the suspect sample.

The more familiar Gas Chromotagrapher-mass spectrometry method is used for potency analysis.

I believe this has to do with requirements to meet ISO 17025 standard. (ISO 17025 - applies directly to those organizations that produce testing and calibration results and is the internationally recognized standard)

Pricing breaks down like this - SafeCannabis™ 2 pounds and less - $480 each / 4+pounds - $195each. This would include potency analysis, pesticide screening, and a microbiological sreen. Also would include nitrogen sealed packaging, that allows product to last over a year.

Other services - Potency - $120 Micro/screen - $100 and Pesticide - $280

The three largest cannabis testing facilities have met together, formed a group, to help push for a better standardization across the board. The group has chosen Association of California Cannabis Laboratories, or ACCL, as it's name.

A press release I just grabbed online real quick:
https://www.scribd.com/doc/49894979/A...s-Laboratories

The service is relatively reasonable if you consider that it gives you a leg up over the many other folks looking to get their medicine on the shelf. It promotes safety and professionalism and is a good idea. It is not long until this will be a standard in the medical cannabis industry, but for now it is a great way to ensure patient safety and make your harvest a sure bet to get purchased by your local collective