A2LA Today l March 2017 l Number 134
By Roger Brauninger, A2LA Biosafety Program Manager
A2LA has been awarded a contract with the state of Alaska, under Alaska regulation AAC 306, to provide credentialing services for five marijuana testing facilities in the State. The contract requires that these facilities undergo an independent evaluation by A2LA as a prerequisite for them to obtain the required marijuana establishment license from the Alcohol & Marijuana Control Office of the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, & Economic Development.
As part of A2LA’s contract with the State, A2LA will assess each prospective marijuana testing facility’s competence and proficiency to perform the minimum required tests as laid out in 3 AAC 306.645(b) and any tests it intends to offer beyond the State of Alaska’s minimum required tests, as defined in 3 AAC 306.620. In addition, A2LA will conduct gap assessments of each prospective marijuana testing facility to the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025:2005.
These regulations require potency (cannabinoid profile) testing of marijuana bud and flower, marijuana concentrate, and marijuana product for concentrations of THC, THCA, CBD, CBDA and CBN as well as any additional cannabinoid if the testing is conducted using a validated method. In this context, the term ‘product’ refers to any items (e.g., consumables) containing marijuana bud, flower, or concentrate.
The State of Alaska also requires that marijuana edible products be tested in order to ensure that the package does not contain more than 10 servings — or 50 milligrams — of THC. Products, including feed-based concentrates, must also be tested for unacceptable levels of dangerous microorganisms, including STEC Escherichia coli, Salmonella and specific species of Aspergillus. Finally, any solvent-based marijuana concentrate requires testing in order to determine that they do not exceed an acceptable upper limit.
This partnership is one example of A2LA’s extensive efforts to support the cannabis industry through the credentialing of cannabis testing laboratories. A2LA advocates use of the ISO/IEC 17025 standard throughout the industry to improve the public’s confidence in the reliability of the test results and, thereby, the safety of cannabis products in the marketplace.