AOAC CASP Meeting Minutes, September 7 2019

Audino stated she would like to take a few minutes to hear from the group where they think the working group should go with training and education, on the regulatory level, laboratory level and on an industry level? Educational pieces on solvents in vaporized products, pathogens in finished products and pesticide residues were all recommended. Audino encouraged anyone who did not have a chance to speak to email her at susan.audino@gmail.com

VI. Report from the Cannabinoids in Consumables Working Group – Holly Johnson, AHPA

Johnson led a discussion on the activities of the CASP Cannabinoids in Consumables Working Group. She reviewed the group’s membership, all work to date, and the SMPR. The SMPR’s applicability is for a “method will be able to identify and quantify individual cannabinoids (as listed in Table 1a and Table 1b) in plant materials expressed on a dry weight basis. The method must be able to report total THC regardless of how it is measured (total THC as defined in this SMPR).” Johnson then reviewed and addressed all comments that had been submitted.

MOTION to approve the Quantitation of cannabinoids in plant materials of hemp (low THC varieties Cannabis sp.) (Johnson / Brown)

76 in favor, 9 opposed, 3 abstentions. The motion carried.

Johnson followed up by stating her working group’s proposals for moving forward: an SMPR for moisture determination, as well as training on verification procedures, matrix extensions, and basic statistics (for reporting results, calculating confidence intervals, and measuring uncertainty).

VII. Challenges in Chemical Contaminant Testing and APHLs Cannabis Community of Practice- Heather Krug, Colorado Dept of Public Health & Environment

Krug provided a presentation on the challenges in chemical contaminant testing and on APHL’s “Cannabis Community of Practice.” She reviewed CDPHE lab roles, Colorado’s testing requirements, pesticide use on cannabis and Colorado’s pesticide list, and the implementation of pesticide testing. She explained that state cannabis regulatory bodies are using different approaches, but all face similar challenges: few standard methods, a lack of data, and varied legislative requirements. She then reviewed current cannabis activities at the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL). APHL has created an online community for discussing cannabis science. They have regular conference calls including guest speakers and provide an opportunity for callers to get state updates on their cannabis laboratory related activities. They also share announcements of meeting and provide a forum for communication among labs. She said APHL is always looking for new speakers for these calls and to contact her if interested.

VIII.

Testing CBD Products for Safety and Quality – Toby Astill, PerkinElmer

Astill gave a presentation on testing CBD projects. He started by addressing claims and misconceptions about CBD. Then, he discussed the lifecycle of CBD, from cultivation to final

AOAC CASP Meeting Minutes, September 7, 2019