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[Note – This guest blog was submitted by Samantha Miller of Pure Analytics.]

5/23/2011 – The testing of commercially available cannabis for cannabinoid profile and potency is becoming more prevalent. This is important information for patients and dispensaries who increasingly seek out these profiles.  The availability of cannabis testing promotes better access to medically important cannabis options such as CBD-rich cannabis, through identification. Laboratory testing is also key for strategic breeding programs and promotes the overall legitimization of cannabis for therapeutic use.  Right now the cannabis testing industry is unregulated.

An easy-to-read cannabinoid profile helps medical cannabis patients choose the strains that best suit the therapy requirements for their ailment.  The cannabinoid potency information provides guidance in determining an individual’s dosage through self-experimentation, often called “self-titration”.  Reliable cannabinoid profiles also support the ability for patients to achieve a repeat of therapeutic benefits without experiencing unwanted intoxication.

Today, because of increased awareness, patients are more interested in consuming cannabinoids other than THC.  Potency testing can play an important role in promoting knowledge and availability of non-THC options. First, through the identification of cannabis strains and cannabis products with medically important non-THC cannabinoids such as CBD. These cannot be detected by visual or other sensory means such as smell.

Secondly, through the use of lab testing to identify specific plants, they can be used in breeding programs designed to develop and isolate plants that are high in CBD, CBG or some other cannabinoid of interest. Laboratory testing can be used to identify the precise cannabinoid profile of plants to determine genetic traits that promote the development of non-THC dominant cannabis. Then cross-breeding can be undertaken based upon our understanding of the genetics of the expression of those cannabinoids.

The medical cannabis industry has the great potential to provide enhanced legitimacy with reliable laboratory testing.  One such area concerns human use and consumption where testing provides information not just on potency but assures the absence of harmful pesticides.

Cannabis laboratories are also generating a rapidly growing body of data. The development of this new database can be used to support the characterization of cannabis as a medicinal plant in the effort to re-schedule its classification in the federal Controlled Substances Act .

The prevalence of cannabis testing is certainly on the rise. The emerging cannabis testing industry is a dynamic environment driven largely by economic influences.  In the last decade the decision to test has largely been driven by weighing the costs and the benefits from a marketing perspective.

Today, a very competitive market exists for medicinal cannabis in California and other states.  New cannabis testing laboratories are starting-up on a frequent basis to serve a perceived economic opportunity.  Some activist groups have raised concerns over the nature of segments of the new cannabis lab industry.

There are non-qualified service providers, “dry labs” who outsource all analysis or even fabricate results. There are also unscrupulous laboratory instrument companies that are raising concerns by marketing expensive equipment to medical cannabis collectives to attempt their own testing.  As a response, patients and collectives are asking important questions about the reliability of the results.

The is no regulatory oversight for cannabis testing that compared to what already exists in most other fee-for-service analytical chemistry industries.  This makes the water a bit murkier when looking for a reputable and qualified service provider for cannabis testing services. In an environment where providing analytical results is regulated (drinking water, soil and food) a customer can simply choose from a list of service providers who have all been certified to the same set of standards for accuracy and precision in their work.

A regulated environment offers an agreed upon well-tested methodology.  There also would exist an agreed upon set of requirements for quality control of ongoing work such as requirements for the frequency and acceptance criteria of the calibration of equipment. In the absence of regulation these aspects of analysis, even providing results to a customer, can happen under widely varying circumstances.

The importance of a consistency for method validation and ongoing quality control become clear when you consider the multiple factors that affect accuracy. For example, the method of sampling at the dispensary or cultivator level can have serious influences on lab results. A single sample that is representative of the entire unit of plant material must be submitted for analysis to obtain a result that accounts for the variation within that unit.

The second tier of cannabis sampling, which occurs at the level of the laboratory, also has an influence. This is where the cannabis sample is prepared and extracted for analysis.  The process involves the use of precision weighing and volumetric measurement equipment which must be calibrated and verified at regular intervals.  The proper calibration of analytical equipment is also imperative to the production of reliable and repeatable data.  Key factors include the use of certified standards that have been third-party tested and certified for purity and concentration.

Proper maintenance of equipment is a final important element for ensuring that the results provided to the customer are delivered with the highest confidence level.

The good news is that in the absence of regulated oversight, cooperative work between existing labs to perform side-by-side testing of cannabis samples can provide an important element to fostering confidence at the consumer level.

A very important aspect of cannabis laboratory practice that varies between service providers is the choice of analytical equipment.  In general, the choice of equipment centers on the use of gas chromatography (GC) versus liquid chromatography (HPLC) for cannabinoid analysis.  As in every industry there is often an effort to promote what differentiates a service as what makes it better than another. In the case of GC versus HPLC some service providers have attempted to position their equipment as superior to another.  The truth is that types of equipment can provide accurate, reliable data for cannabinoid analysis.

It is not as simple as the hardware.  A key factor to consider when reviewing the appropriate equipment for a given analysis is making sure the correct type of detector is being used. This is especially important for gas chromatograph analysis of cannabinoids.  In the case of GC there are options of FID (flame ionization detector), MS (mass spectrometer) and TCD (thermal conductivity detector).  Gas chromatograph units equipped with both FID and MS detectors have been shown to provide reliable results.

The TCD detectors commonly sold by instrument companies to dispensaries are not a good choice.  One reason is that the results are often influenced by the interference of other cannabinoids present aside from THC, CBD and CBN.

There are also a segment of cannabis laboratory service providers utilizing results from TLC or Thin Layer Chromatography, often referred to as “test strips.”  In some of these cases these test strips are promoted as being able to provide accurate potency results for cannabis.  In general, without specialized equipment, test strips are only viable for use to tell whether or not certain cannabinoids are present, but not how much is present (e.g. potency).

The most appropriate method for cannabinoid analysis is also determined by the type of sample being analyzed.  In today’s cannabis industry, the vast majority of samples submitted to laboratories for testing consist of processed, dried flowers intended for vaporization or combustion.  Testing by GC-FID, GC-MS or LC is appropriate for these samples when looking to identify cannabinoid profile and potency level.

But, for those samples that may contain the un-activated or “acid” form of THC and CBD when consumed, analysis by liquid chromatography is more appropriate.  Gas chromatography (GC) is unable to detect if these “acid” forms remain present, a consideration that is important when trying to consider dosage of an edible or tincture ingestible.  This is because analysis by GC essentially simulates what happens when cannabis is vaporized or combusted.  The acid forms of THC and CBD are converted to the active forms when heated. Heating is a part of analysis by GC.  This is important because many tincture and edible makers do not activate their cannabinoids through adequate heating of their products, leaving some cannabinoid in the “acid” form.

For a summary on the similarities and differences between GC and LC equipment see table 1.

Table 1.  Comparison of Gas Chromatography and High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Gas Chromatography	Liquid Chromatography
A low pressure stream of gas helps move the compounds to the detector	A high pressure stream of solvent helps move the compounds to the detector
The system is heated during analysis	The system is usually at ambient temperature during analysis
Detects total available THC, CBD and CBN and other activated cannabinoids	Detects THC, THCA, CBD, CBDA and other acid and non acid cannabinoids
Cannot detect cannabinoid acids	Can detect cannabinoid acids
Analysis does not produce significant waste	Analysis produces significant solvent waste

Clearly, the current cannabis laboratory environment is unregulated so consumers have to be savvy. Knowing what questions to ask a prospective cannabis lab is key.  To help the process a group of laboratory service providers* from various states along with an international advisor compiled a list of 10 questions to ask a cannabis scientist. This can act as a quick reference guide for those looking for a qualified laboratory partner.

10 Questions to ask your cannabis scientist

1. What training or expertise do you have to be able to perform cannabis analysis?

2. Which cannabinoids do you test for? Do you have reliable reference standards for all of them?

3. How is CBN related to THC, and why is it important to test for it?

4. What kind of samples do you test (flowers, edibles, tincture)? Have you optimized your extraction and analysis protocol for each kind of sample?

5. What do you do with left-over samples?

6. Are you aware of acidic cannabinoids? In samples such as edibles and tincture they can be present at high levels. How do you deal with that?

7. What is your analytical methodology for testing cannabis (HPLC, GC, TLC, other)? What are the limitations of your selected method?

8. What is the average THC/CBD content your lab has measured?

9. Did your lab ever test the same cannabis twice, with very different results? What was the explanation for that, and what has been changed to prevent it from happening again?

10. Analytical methods need to be ‘validated’ before you can be sure they are fully reliable. Have you done this already, and how did you do this.  Did it include a third party?  If you didn’t do it yet, how can I be sure my results will be accurate?

*Contributors: Arno Hazekamp (Netherlands), Samantha Miller (Pure Analytics), Paula Morris (Medea Labs), Noel Palmer (Montana Botanical Analytics), Jeff Raber (The Werc Shop) and Eric Taylor (California Botanicals).  Collectively the ACS, Alliance for Cannabis Science.

Quick reference – http://www.freedomisgreen.com/10-questions-to-ask-your-cannabis-scientist/

Guest blog was submitted by Samantha Miller of Pure Analytics.

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent any University, business, affiliates or Freedom Is Green Media Group LLC. The information provided in this blog is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease.

Questions? Email science editor Jahan Marcu science(at)freedomisgreen.com

Just having performed two sold out shows in Reading, Pa and Tarrytown, NY, Dark Star Orchestra played again to another packed house for Mardi Gras at Mexicali Live in Teaneck, NJ last night.

It was a rare acoustic performance and the band played twenty nine songs lasting just over four hours with one set break.

“Where else can you listen to some of the best music on earth in the true spirit of the Grateful Dead?” proclaimed ‘Starhead’ Alex.

He’s right. There are GD cover bands that play the ‘Top 40, but if you were in attendance last night, you heard treasured classics Reuben and Cherise, My Brother Esau, and Mountains of the Moon.

Vocalist Lisa Mackey’s brilliant rendition of Bob Dylan’s Chimes of Freedom was spiritually moving and that was obvious to all those in attendance.  Complemented by Jeff Mattson on lead guitar, her strong vocals resonated throughout the crowd with the heartfelt justice the song deserved.

The Dark Star Orchestra Facebook Page is Here

 

Dr. René Kurz and Dr. Kurt Blaas published a case report documenting improvements in hyperactivity, lethargy, irritability, stereotypy and inappropriate speech in an autistic child administered dronabinol.*

The authors conclude that this study showed that the use of dronabinol may be able to reduce the symptoms of autism.

To date there have been no other reports of the use of cannabinoids in autism. The authors point to anecdotal data in internet blogs and discussion forums where there are many reports of parents who have tried THC for their autistic children, but without medical monitoring and inappropriate administration.

The abstract is below but you can read the full article here

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of dronabinol (delta-9-THC) as supplementary therapy in
a child with autistic disorder.

Methods: A child who met the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)
criteria for a diagnosis of autistic disorder and who took no other medication during the observation
time was included in an open and uncontrolled study. Symptom assessment was performed using the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) before and after six months of medical treatment.

Result: Compared to baseline, significant improvements were observed for hyperactivity, lethargy,
irritability, stereotypy and inappropriate speech at follow-up (p=0.043).

Conclusion: This study showed that the use of dronabinol may be able to reduce the symptoms of
autism.

Keywords: early infantile autism, autistic disorder, dronabinol, cannabinoid

This article can be downloaded, printed and distributed freely for any non-commercial purposes, provided the original work is properly cited (see copyright info below). Available online at www.cannabis-med.org

Read the full article here

Science Editor Jahan Marcu is currently investigating the pharmacology of cannabinoid receptors. Contact science { at } freedomisgreen.com

* dronabinol is marketed under the name Marinol.

8/31/2011 – Floatingsheep.org released their analysis of the underground marijuana market in the United States. The end result isn’t news to consumers: East Coast residents pay the most for an ounce of pot.

Wired magazine also featured a unique map (see below) that was created from the study data. It compares marijuana prices to the severity of laws. There were some other factors included into the equation, like the distance from Humbolt County, California.

The study centers on prices gathered directly from the public through anonymous online submissions. Thousands of individual reports were sent in through www.priceofweed.com.

Here is their rundown on the average cost of top-shelf marijuana:

Distribution of High Quality Observations by State

Connecticut          Reports= 124   Price = $426.20/oz

Delaware               Reports = 26    Price = $450.00/oz

D.C.                         Reports= 71      Price = $460.70/oz

Florida                  Reports=575    Price = $361.80/oz

Georgia                 Reports = 209  Price = $412.20/oz

Maine                    Reports =  57    Price = $360.00/oz

Maryland             Reports = 162   Price = $436.30/oz

Mass.                    Reports = 368    Price = $416.30/oz

New Hampshire Reports = 58      Price = $407.60/oz

New Jersey         Reports =  198   Price = $412.40/oz

New York            Reports = 876    Price = $416.90/oz

N. Carolina         Reports = 254    Price = $417.90/oz

Pennsylvania     Reports =  400   Price = $414.30/oz

Rhode Island     Reports =71       Price = $419.30/oz

S. Carolina          Reports =  98     Price = $399.00/oz

Vermont             Reports = 61      Price =$393.60/oz

Virginia               Reports =223    Price = $411.90/oz

West Virginia    Reports = 35     Price =$392.80/oz

Read the complete study here.

High Times Magazine has employed a similar method of collecting price information from readers for many years. The monthly “THMQ Pot Prices” column also offers a market analysis of different grades of marijuana and even individual strains.

Again, East Coast readers of HT mag are willing to exchange the most greenbacks for green flowers (with hints of reds, lavenders, oranges and purples). High Times July 2011 THMQ showed Chem Dog selling in New York for an astounding $560 per ounce.

While that was definitely the costliest bud found, many of the THMQs are close match for the floatingsheep.org prices.

Population density, thus simple demand, is a major factor to driving up prices on the East Coast. The severity of laws also tends to bump up the cost as distributors take a greater risk and pass that on to consumers.

Perhaps the most interesting trend for the cost of cannabis has been its stability over the last decade.  There have been moderate increases in the cost of all grades of marijuana. But there has been nothing of a cannabis price bubble compared to other consumer items, like housing, food or gasoline.

Some good news is that several data sources are showing a general decline in marijuana prices. For example the floatingsheep.org study showed that Oregonians pay an average of $255.80 per ounce for high-grade cannabis. So far, those kinds of price reductions have not reached the East Coast.

Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. Questions?  [email protected]

New research in The Journal of Molecular Pharmacology demonstrates that Cannabis compounds may be a promising treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. It may seem counter-intuitive that compounds from the Cannabis plant may preserve memory, however Cannabidiol (CBD) and other compounds on the plant have neuroprotective effects. CBD appears to inhibit the cells directly involved with the progression of the disease. Read the new study on cannabinoids and Alzheimer’s disease.

[UPDATE 5/13/2011 – Governor Jack Markell signed the bill into law. DE is now, officially, a medical marijuana state.] 5/11/2011 – “The First State” may become the 16th with a working medical marijuana law. The Delaware Senate passed the amended medical marijuana bill today 17-4. This was the final vote and the bill now heads to Governor Jack Markell’s desk for his signature.

The language creates Compassion Centers within each county for qualifying patients to access up to six ounces of cannabis per month. There are no provisions for home cultivation.

Despite the recent flurry of paper threats from several US Attorneys against medical marijuana programs, more states are moving ahead with bills to legalize them. Medical cannabis dispensaries are also just a signature away from becoming a reality in Vermont.

Activism links:

http://www.mpp.org/states/delaware/

http://www.delawareansformedicalmarijuana.org/

As early as 5,000 years ago Cannabis was noted for its effects on the central nervous system[1]. This often manifested in the form of pain relief, appetite stimulation, and sedation (Iverson 2000). Medicinal Cannabis preparations were widely used in western medicine during the 19th century. At the time it was no secret that pharmaceutical preparations of Cannabis were variable. As the active ingredient was not known, quality control was virtually impossible, and this is in part why the plant fell out of use.

During the Victorian era, many plants were extracted for their unique properties, namely alkaloids. These plant chemists were successful because the alkaloids they were targeting are water soluble organic bases that form crystalline solids when combined with acids. Among the medicinal compounds isolated in the 19th century were quinine, morphine, and cocaine. These were major advances in plant chemistry. The molecules on the cannabis plant, however, are almost completely insoluble in water. The chemical nature of cannabinoids prevented early Victorian scientists from making efficient extracts of these non-polar compounds. The active ingredient, THC, wasn’t isolated and identified until 1964.

Read more at the Philadelphia Medical Marijuana Examiner

[1] Evidence for the medicinal use of Cannabis goes back to the emperor Chen Nung (the father of Chinese agriculture), a discoverer of medicinal plants, and also taught his people how to cultivate grains. Chen Nung is believed to be the author of the oldest known Chinese pharmacopoeia, in which, he writes about the medical use of Cannabis for rheumatism, menstrual fatigue, malaria, constipation, and absentmindedness.

More articles here at freedomisgreen.com in Sensible Science Category.

6/10/2011 – Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. will deliver a keynote speech at a gathering of prominent black leaders who are calling for an end to criminal drug prohibition. The Institute of the Black World 21^st Century (IBW) will meet at the National Press Club in Washington DC on June 17, 2011. The date marks 40 years since President Nixon signed an executive order starting the “War on Drugs.”

Top-level policy makers will be presenting at the event such as Congressman John Conyers Jr. (D-MI), Congressman Robert “Bobby” Scott (D-VA) and Dr. Elise Scott, the President of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. Some of the lecturers in the afternoon program are:  Deborah Small at Break the Chains, Neill Franklin at Law Enforcement Against Prohibition and Jasmine Tyler, the Deputy Director of National Affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance.

IBW President Dr. Ron Daniels,  spoke with Freedomigreen via telephone about why he is leading this effort to shift drug policy.

“We want to expand the conversation about the devastating effects of the war on drugs in general,” said Dr. Daniels. “We are acutely concerned on its impact in black communities across the country. Having this national forum and being involved with other groups is really trying to push for alternatives.”

How about legalizing marijuana?

“I think we need to put everything on the table. In New York City there have been over 50, 000 arrests for marijuana just in the last year. Once you are in the system there are records that can affect you. When you look at the damage that is done to people – they are not addicts – but they end up in jail with a mark they can’t erase from the record. It is really harming our people in an amazing way.”

Daniels added, “If there is a drug that could be legalized… marijuana is the least dangerous to people. I’m not advocating that people use drugs at all, even alcohol. But we need to take out the criminal aspect.”

There were 858,408 Americans are arrested for marijuana violations in 2009; more than for all other illegal drugs combined. There is a striking racial disparity to pot arrests in New York, Philadelphia and other cities. Well over 80% of the marijuana arrests in these urban settings are young black men.

More from the interview with Dr. Daniels will be posted next week.

Link: Institute of the Black World 21^st Century (IBW) – Declaring War on the “War on Drugs:” Creating Just and Humane Alternatives to a Failed Strategy

Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. Questions?  [email protected]

“I am indebted to no man and only one woman, my dear wife, Betty, as I begin this very difficult job.” – Gerald Ford, 1976

Betty Ford is considered one of the most outspoken First Ladies in our history. Her candor and boldness may not seem as controversial now, but during her time in the White House, her views on women’s rights, gay rights, abortion, addiction and cancer were considered radical.

Her views on marijuana were considerably open for the time as well. According to Mrs. Ford, her young adult children probably had smoked marijuana — and if she were their age, she’d try it, too.

Here are a few quotes from an incredibly strong woman who has made an indelible imprint on our history:

• I was an ordinary woman who was called onstage at an extraordinary time. I was no different once I became first lady than I had been before. But, through an accident of history, I had become interesting to people.

• I’ve learned a lot about myself. Most of it is all right. When I add up the pluses and subtract the minuses, I still come out pretty well.

• We were in a position where my husband had been sworn into office during a very, very difficult time. There had been so much cover-up during Watergate that we wanted to be sure there would be no cover-up in the Ford Administration. So rather than continue this traditional silence about breast cancer, we felt we had to be public.

• My makeup wasn’t smeared, I wasn’t disheveled, I behaved politely, and I never finished off a bottle, so how could I be alcoholic?

• [Martha Graham] shaped my whole life. She gave me the ability to stand up to all the things I had to go through, with much more courage than I would have had without her.

• [About becoming First Lady at Nixon’s resignation] I figured, okay, I’ll move to the White House, do the best I can, and if they don’t like it, they can kick me out. But they can’t make me be somebody I’m not.

• [About her husband’s appointment as Vice President in 1973] If I had known what was coming, I think I would have sat right down and cried.

Gerald Ford on the definition of a successful marriage:

“A successful marriage cannot thrive on simply a mutuality of interests, important as that ingredient is over the years for compatibility. There must be understanding, compassion and emotion which fits under the umbrella of love. A marriage that has these attributes can weather the storm clouds that are inevitable in an intimate relationship … There must be a belief on the part of both that there is nothing of a higher priority than the sanctity and continuation of the relationship.”

Betty on the secret of their successful marriage:

“You go into it, both of you, as a seventy-thirty proposition. In other words, here I’m giving seventy, he can give thirty, he’s giving seventy, I give thirty. When you’re going overboard trying to please each other, you can’t help but be happy.”

I love non-traditional life trajectories. Perhaps because I live one. And apparently, so does Heather Donahue, best known for 1999 horror film “The Blair Witch Project.” While the movie turned out to be a massive hit, it didn’t do much for Donahue’s acting career. She moved north of Hollywood, met a man named Judah at a meditation retreat (of course she did – oh California!) and tried her hand at growing marijuana.

An excerpt from Chicago Tribune interview:

A: “I went to a meditation retreat after burning all of my acting-related stuff in the desert, and I met this guy there who lived in this town that I had been to several years prior. He sat down next to me, invited me to a hot spring, invited me to his house in this town. And I said, ‘What do you do for work?’ Because that was really the hold-up for me moving there. I had no idea what people did for work. And he grew pot and I said, ‘Well, let’s check it out.’”

Q: Are you concerned that what you’ve written could be used by police to go after people you knew when growing pot?

A: “Everybody in the book is disguised. I think it would be quite hard to figure out who the people around me were. And I had at some point to make a decision. Do I want to participate in the conversation about this issue?

“Because I think prohibition does way more damage than the cannabis plant does, and I think it’s time that we look at that sensibly and with a little bit of humor. And I felt like I had a moral decision that I had to make. And yeah, I have to live with that and yes that gives me some sleepless nights.”

Read more.

Beth Mann is a popular blogger and writer for Open Salon and Salon. She is also an accomplished artist with over 15 years of experience, as well as the president of Hot Buttered Media. She currently resides at the Jersey shore where she can be found surfing or singing karaoke at a local dive bar.

Contact: maryjane {at } freedomisgreen.com