Challenges for Cannabis Harvest Sampling Accreditation

Presented by Mathew Sica, Perry Johnson Laboratory Accreditation
Contact Information: [email protected]

ABSTRACT

The cannabis industry relies on testing to demonstrate the plant is safe for consumption and the potency of the product. As with any other product, the resulting data is only as good as the representative sample. There are regulatory and other factors that create unique challenges of assessing the sampling of this natural product.
 
Requiring accredited sampling to standards such as TNI NEFAP standard or ISO/IEC 17025:2017 could guide the industry to consistent application of requirements, such as impartiality in the sample collection, the competence of samplers, how the sampling equipment is maintenance, equipment traceability, and the use of aseptic technique. The use of a standard can assist in more consistent sampling, even if there remain inconsistent state requirements of batch definition, sample sizes and sampling strategies.  
 
While not a perfect answer, requiring sampling accreditation would help drive better sampling processes for those samples taken to protect consumer health. Yet, even for states that utilize accredited sampling, assessment for the sampling of this product is still not without its own unique  challenges. 
 
These challenges include the value of the product being sampled, consumer approach to usage, access issues, crop variability, and the nature of the plant itself. Many of these challenges directly impact the notion of a representative sample for this industry. 
 
We will discuss the realities of these challenges and how accredited sampling can help improve credibility for the industry, even if only by a small margin.