STORY BY TIERA N. WRIGHT ISTOCK PHOTOS
TESTING
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hat do cholesterol levels, shampoo, and high school geometry have in common? If you’re a Jeopardy! fan, I’m hoping your answer is “what are things that require testing”. Like many, I fall into the “I’m never going to use geometry in the real world” camp, but I do acknowledge the importance and efficacy of tests in and outside of the classroom. While (Covid) tests have been a topical and ever-growing part of our lexicon as of late, it’s the testing done behind the scenes that many forget play an integral role in what we use or consume in our everyday lives. In the cannabis industry, “the state 24
CANNABISREVIEWQUARTERLY.COM
requires that all cannabis be tested for pesticides, plant growth chemicals, heavy metals, mycotoxins (from molds), and microbial contaminations,” says Evan Chakrin, Director of Cultivation at Resinate, has dispensaries in Northampton and Worcester. “Testing is after we’ve created a batch of harvest flower. We’ll send our representative sample
Cannabis Testing Laboratory dedicated to excellence in science and accreditation to uphold the rigorous standards set for the cannabis industry in the state,” says Dr. Brian J. Strasnick, President and CEO of CDX Analytics, LLC, who describes a representative sample as a sample that “is collected from each production batch and designated for
To maintain the integrity of each sample, the cannabis from “raw materials” to the final product are monitored, documented, and tracked at every stage. of the given batch for comprehensive analysis.” Once the samples have been collected, they are sent to a third party laboratory such as CDX Analytics, “Massachusetts’ leading Independent
testing.” Additionally, these tests also “determine the levels of cannabinoids such as THC, CBD, etc. which produce the psychoactive effect felt by consumers,” says Strasnick.
