Cannabis analysis laboratories: pillars of legalization

The liberalization of cannabis has given birth to an industry. A market growing faster than boom Internet in the 90s, already worth billions of dollars. Legalization has led to product standardization and, above all, strict quality control. Like other agricultural products, legal cannabis is now controlled and tested in laboratories before being put on the market. This heavy responsibility makes analysis laboratories one of the keystones of the liberalization movement.

The lab, the cheater's enemy

The laboratory's decision may result in the withdrawal of an entire batch of cannabis from the market. In Canada, two batches of cannabis marketed by state-licensed producers, Mettrum and Organigram, have been banned. Several patients using therapeutic cannabis felt »poisoned» after consuming cannabis that tested positive for the pesticide Myclobutanil. In California, a cancer patient passed away after consuming adulterated cannabis. The link between the fungal contamination leading to the patient's death and the weed he used to relieve himself has not been fully established.

According to the laboratory Steep Hill Labs of Bekerley in Califonia, most of the cannabis currently distributed in Californian dispensaries would not pass quality tests in other states. What's more, Steep Hill's Professor Raber declares: «There's a big difference between eating and smoking pesticides. When you eat, your body acts as a filter. When you smoke, it's like injecting the pesticide directly into your bloodstream.»

The quality of weed has become one of the priorities of pioneering states. Entrepreneurs want to avoid a bad ad reminding people that »cannabis kills». By January 1, 2018, California must draw up a quality charter for cannabis. Citizens will then have access to cannabis that is less harmful to their health. As for French consumers, they can always ask for a quality control check at the bottom of the building.

Théo Caillart