New Program May Help Measure Chemical Compounds

Oct, 2020 - By SMI

According to NIST, when people walk into a dispensary or store and see a label that says 10% cannabidiol (CBD), people want to trust that number.

The research team from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has launched a new program that may help measure vital chemical compounds in hemp, marijuana, and other cannabis products such as balms, tinctures, edibles, and oils. The new program aims to help forensic laboratories differentiate between marijuana (which is not legal in all states) and hemp (which is legal) to increase accuracy in product labeling. The team will send oil samples of hemp to participating laboratories, then the labs will measure the concentration of various chemical compounds and report back to NIST.

Future experiments will include plant material. According to the research published in the PLOS ONE journal, around 90% of marijuana products used for medical use are much stronger than what healthcare professionals recommend them for pain relief. Labeling of the most cannabis products lists the concentration of two chemical compounds such as cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Tetrahydrocannabinol is the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis. CBD is also known as hemp or marijuana. The new program aims to help laboratories produce reliable measurement results.

According to the research chemist, Brent Wilson, when people walk into a dispensary or store and see a label that says 10% cannabidiol (CBD), people want to trust that number. Moreover, those numbers or percentages are important in terms of criminal law. According to the 2018 Agriculture Improvement Act, the concentration of THC in any legalized cannabis product should below 0.3%. At or above that number, it is marijuana and below that number, it is hemp. Moreover, based on that number, interstate consignments can be seized and the crop can be destroyed. Therefore, the law requires accurate measurements of the concentration of chemical compounds such as CBD and THC. The new program accurately measures vital chemical compounds in hemp, marijuana, and other cannabis products.