Marijuana buds are often two to three times as potent as they were 30 years ago. Credit: Charas Scientific (for the photo) and American Chemical Society (for the video)
More than a year into Colorado's experiment legalizing marijuana, labs testing the plants are able for the first time to take stock of the drug's potency and contaminants—and openly paint a picture of what's in today's weed. At the 249th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), one such lab will present trends—and some surprises—that its preliminary testing has revealed about the marijuana now on the market.
Three major patterns have emerged over the past few months since Andy LaFrate, Ph.D., and his lab began testing marijuana samples. Those patterns concern potency, amounts of a substance called CBD and contaminants in the products.
"As far as potency goes, it's been surprising how strong a lot of the marijuana is," LaFrate says. "We've seen potency values close to 30 percent THC, which is huge." LaFrate is the president and director of research of Charas Scientific, one of eight labs certified by Colorado to do potency testing.
THC is an abbreviation for tetrahydrocannabinol, which is the psychoactive compound in the plant. He explains that three decades ago, THC levels were well below 10 percent. Its content has tripled in some strains because producers have been cross-breeding them over the years to meet user demands for higher potency, he says.
But an unexpected consequence of this breeding has occurred, says LaFrate. Many of the samples his lab has tested have little to no cannabidiol, or CBD. CBD is a lesser known compound in marijuana that is of increasing interest to medical marijuana proponents. Researchers are investigating CBD as a treatment for schizophrenia, Huntington's disease and Alzheimer's disease. It is also being considered for anxiety and depression. But unlike THC, CBD doesn't get people high—that's a key trait for many people who are wary of buzz-inducing drugs and for potential medical treatments for children. As for recreational users, the lack of CBD in marijuana means that many of the hundreds of strains they select from could in actuality be very similar chemically, according to LaFrate.
"There's a lot of homogeneity whether you're talking medical or retail level," he says. "One plant might have green leaves and another purple, and the absolute amount of cannabinoids might change, which relates to strength. But the ratio of THC to CBD to other cannabinoids isn't changing a whole lot." That means there might be little difference in how the varieties make you feel, even though some people claim one kind will make you mellow and another will make you alert, LaFrate explains.
This video is not supported by your browser at this time.
As for contamination testing, although Colorado doesn't yet require it, some producers have voluntarily submitted samples to see what's in their products. LaFrate says the results have been surprising. His lab looks for both biological and chemical contaminants, such as pathogenic microbes and solvents.
"It's pretty startling just how dirty a lot of this stuff is," he says. "You'll see a marijuana bud that looks beautiful. And then we run it through a biological assay, and we see that it's covered in fungi."
The lab also finds varying levels of chemical contaminants such as butane, which is used to create marijuana extracts. Contamination isn't necessarily a cause for alarm, but it does signal a need to figure out what levels are safe.
"It's a natural product," LaFrate says. "There's going to be microbial growth on it no matter what you do. So the questions become: What's a safe threshold? And which contaminants do we need to be concerned about?"
In other words, legalizing marijuana has raised a lot of issues that still have to be hammered out. LaFrate, who has been involved with the policy side of Colorado's new marijuana market, as well as the laboratory side, says he expects regulations will continue to evolve as scientists, lawmakers and others learn more about the plant and its products.
Explore further: Could cannabis curb seizures? Experts weed through the evidence
More information: State mandated testing of retail marijuana in Colorado, 249th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).
Abstract
In 2012, Colorado voters approved Amendment 64 which legalized the sale of recreational marijuana to adults age 21 and over. Written into the amendment were provisions that require all products to be tested for cannabinoid potency and contaminants prior to sale. The Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED) within the State's Department of Revenue had been regulating medical marijuana for years and was tasked with setting rules for the mandatory testing program. This presentation will summarize marijuana testing rules in Colorado, methods used for testing and an overview of test results for recreational marijuana. The law requires every "batch" to be tested for several different chemical and biological entities and the rules are quite complex. Methods such as high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography (GC), mass spectrometry (LCMS), microbial culture and real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are utilized in testing. The results obtained are both fascinating and shocking and offer a scientific glimpse at an industry in its infancy.
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Marijuana buds are often two to three times as potent as they were 30 years ago. Credit: Charas Scientific (for the photo) and American Chemical Society (for the video)
More than a year into Colorado's experiment legalizing marijuana, labs testing the plants are able for the first time to take stock of the drug's potency and contaminants—and openly paint a picture of what's in today's weed. At the 249th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), one such lab will present trends—and some surprises—that its preliminary testing has revealed about the marijuana now on the market.
Three major patterns have emerged over the past few months since Andy LaFrate, Ph.D., and his lab began testing marijuana samples. Those patterns concern potency, amounts of a substance called CBD and contaminants in the products.
"As far as potency goes, it's been surprising how strong a lot of the marijuana is," LaFrate says. "We've seen potency values close to 30 percent THC, which is huge." LaFrate is the president and director of research of Charas Scientific, one of eight labs certified by Colorado to do potency testing.
THC is an abbreviation for tetrahydrocannabinol, which is the psychoactive compound in the plant. He explains that three decades ago, THC levels were well below 10 percent. Its content has tripled in some strains because producers have been cross-breeding them over the years to meet user demands for higher potency, he says.
But an unexpected consequence of this breeding has occurred, says LaFrate. Many of the samples his lab has tested have little to no cannabidiol, or CBD. CBD is a lesser known compound in marijuana that is of increasing interest to medical marijuana proponents. Researchers are investigating CBD as a treatment for schizophrenia, Huntington's disease and Alzheimer's disease. It is also being considered for anxiety and depression. But unlike THC, CBD doesn't get people high—that's a key trait for many people who are wary of buzz-inducing drugs and for potential medical treatments for children. As for recreational users, the lack of CBD in marijuana means that many of the hundreds of strains they select from could in actuality be very similar chemically, according to LaFrate.
"There's a lot of homogeneity whether you're talking medical or retail level," he says. "One plant might have green leaves and another purple, and the absolute amount of cannabinoids might change, which relates to strength. But the ratio of THC to CBD to other cannabinoids isn't changing a whole lot." That means there might be little difference in how the varieties make you feel, even though some people claim one kind will make you mellow and another will make you alert, LaFrate explains.
This video is not supported by your browser at this time.
As for contamination testing, although Colorado doesn't yet require it, some producers have voluntarily submitted samples to see what's in their products. LaFrate says the results have been surprising. His lab looks for both biological and chemical contaminants, such as pathogenic microbes and solvents.
"It's pretty startling just how dirty a lot of this stuff is," he says. "You'll see a marijuana bud that looks beautiful. And then we run it through a biological assay, and we see that it's covered in fungi."
The lab also finds varying levels of chemical contaminants such as butane, which is used to create marijuana extracts. Contamination isn't necessarily a cause for alarm, but it does signal a need to figure out what levels are safe.
"It's a natural product," LaFrate says. "There's going to be microbial growth on it no matter what you do. So the questions become: What's a safe threshold? And which contaminants do we need to be concerned about?"
In other words, legalizing marijuana has raised a lot of issues that still have to be hammered out. LaFrate, who has been involved with the policy side of Colorado's new marijuana market, as well as the laboratory side, says he expects regulations will continue to evolve as scientists, lawmakers and others learn more about the plant and its products.
Explore further: Could cannabis curb seizures? Experts weed through the evidence
More information: State mandated testing of retail marijuana in Colorado, 249th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).
Abstract
In 2012, Colorado voters approved Amendment 64 which legalized the sale of recreational marijuana to adults age 21 and over. Written into the amendment were provisions that require all products to be tested for cannabinoid potency and contaminants prior to sale. The Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED) within the State's Department of Revenue had been regulating medical marijuana for years and was tasked with setting rules for the mandatory testing program. This presentation will summarize marijuana testing rules in Colorado, methods used for testing and an overview of test results for recreational marijuana. The law requires every "batch" to be tested for several different chemical and biological entities and the rules are quite complex. Methods such as high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography (GC), mass spectrometry (LCMS), microbial culture and real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are utilized in testing. The results obtained are both fascinating and shocking and offer a scientific glimpse at an industry in its infancy.
Medical Xpress on facebook
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Could cannabis curb seizures? Experts weed through the evidence
The therapeutic potential of medical marijuana and pure cannabidiol (CBD), an active substance in the cannabis plant, for neurologic conditions is highly debated. A series of articles published in Epilepsia, a jour ...
Maternal pot use under microscope in Colorado
Marijuana use by pregnant or nursing women might seem like a no-brainer of a bad idea, but a proposal in the state of Colorado to step up such warnings is raising concern because of limited research on the dangers.
Neuroscience study points to possible use of medical marijuana for depression
Scientists at the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions (RIA) are studying chronic stress and depression, with a focus on endocannabinoids, which are brain chemicals similar to substances ...
Conn. university to test pot for contaminants
The University of New Haven is developing a new process for identifying mold, bacteria and other contaminants in marijuana by using DNA profiling and analysis.
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Global conference declares all tobacco products harmful
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Health experts defend e-cigarettes despite concerns (Update)
Health experts at an anti-tobacco conference in Abu Dhabi defended e-cigarettes on Friday, dismissing widespread concerns that the devices could lure adolescents into nicotine addiction.
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In 1971 there were 139,000 Canadians aged 85 and over. By 2013 their numbers had risen to 702,000. The Oldest Old as they have become known today represent 2% of the total Canadian population. "They are a demographic reality ...
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