Ep. 4: The State of Cannabis Testing: Safety, Evolution, and Building Trust

Cannabis Unraveled

In this episode, our focus converges on the cornerstone of cannabis testing and the indispensable role of testing labs. Joining host Jessie in this conversation is Rafael Bombonato, Executive Vice President of Quality Assurance at ACT Laboratories and Dr. Bob Miller, Chief Scientific Officer at ACT Laboratories. They first discuss the mission of testing labs in the cannabis industry, the challenges inherent in their operations, and the unyielding commitment to ethics and transparency that elevates the industry's standards. Then, the conversation flows into the danger of illicit market products, state auditing models, and the Trust In Testing program, making it more affordable and manageable for high quality testing that provides consistent and reliable results.

**The information, opinions, and views expressed in this podcast are those of Mr. Kater and his guests only and may not reflect the views of Curaleaf or its employees. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only. Curaleaf does not endorse or recommend any particular product or service discussed, including products containing cannabinoids. Products discussed in this podcast may not be available to all listeners depending upon the residence state of the listener, the listener’s age, etc. Any products discussed in this podcast are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Topics of Discussion:

[2:29] The general purpose of testing labs in the cannabis industry.

[4:16] Some of the different categories that are tested in consumer safety testing.

[5:04] Differences between state-level and federally regulated testing.

[6:02] Efforts to harmonize and bring best practices across the industry.

[9:53] Does lab testing guarantee that consumers won't have risks associated with their cannabis?

[12:00] The danger of illicit market products.

[13:38] What’s happening in the hemp space from a testing perspective.

[18:26] The intersection of consumer safety and business.

[26:11] The challenges of running a testing lab, dealing with competition, and how they face those pressures.

[29:07] The Trust In Testing Program and how it’s working to raise the standards as a group for all laboratories.

[31:30] How state auditing works and examples where it's already being done.

[33:17] The round robin testing in Michigan where the sample comes in blind.

[35:06] How the test market is evolving.

[41:12] Advice for consumers when it comes to product safety.

Want to Learn More?

Cannabis Unraveled: Instagram

Rafael Bombonato and Dr. Bob Miller: ACT Laboratories

Trust In Testing

Quotes:

• “What we like to say at ACT Labs is what is on the label is in the bottle, so we take this quite seriously.” - Bob 2:25
• “There are definitely those conversations that are beginning to occur, particularly with regulators. But, I think we’re probably a good bit away from being able to get such standards established.” - Bob 6:37
• “You’re always in this race of trying to stay ahead and to try to look at all the potential opportunities, and there’s always other materials that are showing up that we haven’t been able to identify because we are lacking a standard. So, it’s always a race trying to catch up.” - Bob 16:31
• “Part of our responsibility is to provide legally defensible results. So, we have to provide an accurate result, which in my opinion would be a disservice to our customer.” - Rafael 26:11
• “Hopefully at the end of the day, we always tell our folks that the good guys and girls will eventually win.” - Bob 30:57
• “It may take a long time, but the people that are above board that are ethical will eventually win. We think this will actually jumpstart this to an even greater place.” - Bob 31:05