Regardless of the CBD-infused food or beverage a company wants to make, the product must meet state regulatory requirements and have an accurate analysis of the CBD content. Analytical laboratories, both industrial and regulatory, and instrument companies have developed methods for analyzing products for THC and CBD content, heavy metals, microbial and chemical contaminants, and other analytes, but there is no standardization or harmonization of these methods yet. Various organizations are working to set analytical standards and address other cannabis issues.
Holly E. Johnson, chief science officer at AHPA and chair of the AOAC Cannabinoids in Consumables working group, said that AHPA created a Cannabis Committee in 2010 and has released a series of guidance documents related to hemp and cannabis cultivation, processing, manufacturing, dispensing, and laboratory practice. The laboratory best practice rules complement existing good laboratory practices and focus on personnel, security, sample handling and disposal, and data management and reporting activities that may be unique to laboratories analyzing cannabis samples.
