“It’s Not a Test Tube Moving Through a Lab - It’s Someone’s Health”

Do you know what’s in your cannabis? 

In the absence of federal legalization, there are no universal testing standards for cannabis and stories of lab fraud in cannabis testing have cast a pall over the industry in the past few years. 

According to Christopher Altomare, the co-founder and CEO of Nova Analytic Labs, “Whether it’s fraud or not, it’s because the person isn’t trained or doesn’t have the know-how to really parse that data to understand it.”

Before entering the cannabis testing space, Altomare was working in pharmaceutical, forensic, and toxicology lab testing - all of which are highly regulated by state authorities. As cannabis legalization spread, Altomare said his interest was piqued and he decided to do some consulting along with one of his business partners. 

“We quickly realized just how much this space is lacking in true laboratory professionals that know how to run labs and put out quality data,” Altomare said, adding that “you really don’t master these types of equipment until you’re hands-on [with them] for extended periods of time.”

Altomare said that the instruments required in laboratory testing require a great deal of fine-tuning, adjustment, and constant management to keep them operating. 

How is cannabis testing different?

Altomare said that when it comes to testing cannabis, the science is quite different from pharmaceutical drugs. With cannabis, every strain and every batch of tested material has a different chemical makeup. You also have to factor in different cannabinoids and terpenes and all types of background interferences that can make it difficult to interpret data.  In addition, cannabis testing also involves testing edibles that can range from chocolates to gummies, as well as a wide range of concentrates.   

“There are so many different types of methodologies that need to be employed to use and work correctly. And the thing that makes it even more difficult is that a lot of this type of testing hasn’t been around very long so we’re still learning what works and what doesn’t. Often we'll receive a new formulation from a client and when we test it, we find that it doesn’t match what we were expecting.” 

In addition, Altomare said that cannabis is a “very, very dirty matrix” for laboratory testing and that the accuracy and sensitivity of lab instruments depends on how clean they are. This can mean that lab workers have to do double or sometimes triple the work that is done in labs that aren’t testing cannabis.  

The risks of untested cannabis

When cannabis testing is substandard - or not performed at all - there can be real public health dangers posed to consumers. These impacts can include inaccurate readings of the cannabinoid and terpene profiles as well as the amount of heavy metals, residual solvents, pesticides, and microbes in the product. 

When it comes to inaccurate readings of the cannabinoids and terpenes in cannabis products, it can potentially result in much higher doses than they intended to, potentially leading to anxiety or for many people, even hospitalization. 

For microbial contaminants and toxic chemicals, the effects can be much worse. 

“There are acute and chronic health effects caused by some of these chemicals. When it comes to medical cannabis, it might be used by patients who are immunocompromised so exposure to molds becomes a serious issue.”

In addition, Altomare said that we still don’t know the effect of prolonged exposure to some pesticides or solvents, making the importance of reliable testing even clearer.  

Terpenes, terpenes, and more terpenes 

Based in Portland, Maine, the lab works extensively with the hemp and cannabis sector and has passed the standards of the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The company has also developed an extensive terpene testing platform that can analyze as many as 58 different terpenes, far more than the industry norm. 

“As markets become more mature and consumers become more savvy about these things and more and more discerning, then what labs need to test for continues to expand,” Altomare said. 

Such extensive testing data can be a way for companies to differentiate themselves from the competition, Altomare said. 

“It’s so you can get a larger chemical fingerprint and profile of your plant to really showcase it and help market and sell it. Having more information should allow you to choose cannabis not just based on the THC number and potency but the other elements which you find you like in a product. Maybe you don’t like the ones that have [terpenes] myrcene or limonene in them, they make you feel a certain way but you like the way others make you feel.”

Having more terpenes on the label means that for consumers “it's something brand new, something that you haven’t tried before,” Altomare said, adding that “everyone wants to try a new chemical, right?”

How much is the push for higher THC affecting cannabis lab testing?

“First of all, the difference between 25 and 27 percent THC is insignificant scientifically, but on a package, it seems to have some pull and we’ve lost clients because of it.”

Altomare added that “we chose to lose clients because of it because, in my mind, they’re engaging in bad practices, sending their products around and just picking the highest number. This influence kind of perpetuates lab fraud and encourages bad actors in the space to change or manipulate their data or do things to give higher potency results because that’s how they’re going to capture business.”

Altomare said that his company hasn’t lost clients over the difference of a single percentage point on THC test results, but they have over results that had a divergence of 5% to 6%. 

“There are a lot of variables with testing cannabinoids, especially in cannabis flowers. It’s a plant, it’s very non-homogenous,” Altomare said. 

What will people focus on next in cannabis testing?

THC remains king among consumers but there is growing awareness of the importance of terpenes, which is reflected in testing and the lab results seen on cannabis product packaging. 

Altomare said that while people in more mature marijuana markets may be more aware that THC isn’t the be-all and end-all when it comes to efficacy, there is still a need for educating consumers on the importance of terpenes, flavonoids, and the full spectrum of chemicals in the cannabis plant.

“It’s the terpenes and flavonoids and other chemicals in the plant. So we’re trying to educate people in the market up here.”

How to find a cannabis testing lab

While bad actors may have cast a shadow over cannabis testing labs, there are some steps consumers to take to find a trustworthy lab. 

Altomare suggested that people take a tour of the laboratory and see how people are handling samples and if they’re following proper protocol. He advised that if you don’t know what to look for then take someone who does, and they should easily be able to spot things that don’t seem right or don’t meet proper protocols. 

He also suggested that companies ask the laboratory to see the raw data of the sample they submitted and if they refuse to hand over the data, to walk away.  

Ultimately though, for cannabis producers and testing labs, the focus should remain on the consumer. 

“Our company’s motto is it’s not a test tube moving through a laboratory. This is someone’s health and well-being on the other side of those results. Quality and accuracy are, first and foremost, the most important things that we focus on,” Altomare said.