Information

Toxic Elements and Moisture Final Reports Published for Exercise 2 of CannaQAP

The toxic element and moisture final reports from Exercise 2 of CannaQAP have been published with links below. The cannabinoid final report is in development and final certificate will only be updated after the final report is published. If you have any questions, contact us anytime at cannabis@nist.gov.

Toxic Elements Final Report: https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.8452

Moisture Final Report: https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.8449

Registration Open for Exercise 3 through our new NIST QAP HUB website (https://qa-hub.nist.gov)

Registration for Exercise 3 of CannaQAP is now open. Exercise 3 of CannaQAP will include studies for the determination of cannabinoids (including total CBD and total THC), moisture, and toxic elements in cannabis plant materials and/or oils. Participants may elect to sign up for some or all studies, as applicable to the work done in their laboratories (e.g., cannabinoids and moisture, but not toxic elements). Laboratories may also elect to report only selected analytes (e.g., only reporting total THC, but not all cannabinoids). Participants will be asked to report triplicate results for each sample provided using measurement procedures and calculations normally performed in their laboratories. In addition, participants will also be asked to identify the type of sample preparation and analytical methods employed in their testing to facilitate conclusions about potential method biases. The call for participation will close on October 1, 2021, and samples will be distributed in early December 2021.

We look forward to your participation in this and future CannaQAP exercises.

Sincerely,

CannaQAP Team

Final Report and Certificates for Exercise 1 are Available

Thank you to all the participants of Exercise 1! The final report is published and can be downloaded at https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/ir/2021/NIST.IR.8385.pdf or along with the participate certificates by signing into your CannaQAP account and scrolling to the bottom of the data entry page under the attached documents.

Best regards,
CannaQAP Team

Exercise 2 Preliminary Certificate and Results Available

Thank you to all the participants of Exercise 2! The preliminary certificates and report are available containing results submitted by June 21 is available for Exercise 2. These documents are available by signing into your CannaQAP account and scrolling to the bottom of the data entry page under the attached documents.

Best regards,
CannaQAP Team

Data Submission Deadline Extended for Exercise 2

The original Exercise 2 data submission deadline of May 28, 2021 has been extended through June 4, 2021.

Exercise 2 Data Submission Guidelines

Measurement results should be reported as summarized below for Exercise 2.

1) All results should be reported on an as-received basis.

2) Zero is not a quantity that can be measured. If values are below LOQ, results should be reported as such. A more appropriate result would be to report that a value is below the LOQ (e.g., “< 0.02”).

3) Laboratories reporting results based on a certain threshold should enter the numerical threshold (e.g., “< 1”).

Registration is Closed for Exercise 2

Thank you to all the participants who have signed up for Exercise 2 of CannaQAP!

The deadline for NIST receiving the DEA 222 forms (domestic) or import permits for the secondary samples with THC > 0.3 % has been extended to March 12, 2021. The CannaQAP team will ship samples for Exercise 2 in April 2021.

Regards,
CannaQAP Team

Registration for Exercise 2 is Now Open Through February 5, 2021

Exercise 2 of CannaQAP will focus on the determination of cannabinoids (including total CBD and total THC), as well as moisture and toxic elements (As, Cd, Pb, and Hg as well as Be, Co, Cr, Mn, Mo, Ni, Se, U, and V) in Cannabis plant materials. Participants may elect to sign up for some or all studies, as applicable to the work done in their laboratories (e.g., cannabinoids and moisture, but not toxic elements). Laboratories may also elect to report only selected analytes (e.g., only reporting total THC, but not all cannabinoids). Participants will be asked to report triplicate results for each sample provided using measurement procedures and calculations normally performed in their laboratories. In addition, participants will also be asked to identify the type of sample preparation and analytical methods employed in their testing to facilitate conclusions about potential method bias. The call for participation will close on February 5, 2021, and samples will be distributed in April 2021.

We look forward to your participation in this and future CannaQAP exercises.

Sincerely,

CannaQAP Team

CannaQAP Participants

The following laboratories have self-identified as participants of CannaQAP. For additional information about their participation, please contact the laboratory directly.

• ACT Laboratories - CA, Mendota, CA, United States
• ACT Laboratories - MI, Lansing, MI, United States
• ACT Laboratories - NY, Ballston Spa, NY, United States
• ACT Laboratories - OH, Toledo, OH, United States
• ACT Laboratories - PA, Trafford, PA, United States
• AGQ USA, Oxnard, CA, United States
• Absolute Standards Inc, Hamden, CT, United States
• Ace Analytical Laboratory, Las Vegas, NV, United States
• Ace Analytical Laboratory, Las Vegas, NV, United States
• Agriculture and Food Analytical Lab, Taylorsville, UT, United States
• Alkemist Labs, Garden Grove, CA, United States
• Americanna Laboratories LLC., Jacksonville, FL, United States
• Analytical Resource Labs, Lehi, UT, United States
• Anresco Laboratory, San Francisco, CA, United States
• Avazyme, Inc., Durham, NC, United States
• BC Institute of Technology, Burnaby, BC, Canada
• Badger Laboratories, Stevens Point, WI, United States
• Bioscience-Wageningen Plant Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
• Botanacor Laboratories, Denver, CO, United States
• Bozeman Analytical Lab, Bozeman, MT, United States
• Bureau Veritas Laboratories, Mississauga, ON, Canada
• CARO Analytical Services, Richmond, BC, Canada
• CATLAB, Eliot, ME, United States
• CATSS Medical Cannabis and Narcotic plants, Sci-RMUTP, Bangkok, Thailand
• CBP San Francisco Laboraory
• CLIP Labs, San Diego, CA, United States
• CTInstruments Ltd., Calgary, AB, Canada
• Canaveral Laboratories LLC, MELBOURNE, FL, United States
• CannaSafe, Los Angeles , CA, United States
• Cannalysis, Santa Ana, CA, United States
• Cardinal Quality Laboratories, LC, Richmond, VA, United States
• Central Laboratory for Chemical Testing and Control, Sofia, Bulgaria
• Certus Laboratories, Grand Bay, AL, United States
• Charleston Police Dept. Lab, Charleston, SC, United States
• Columbia Laboratories, Portland, OR, United States
• Complete Phytochemical Solutions, LLC, Cambridge, WI, United States
• Confidence Analytics, Redmond, WA, United States
• Coy Waller Lab., University, MS, United States
• DB Labs, Las Vegas, NV, United States
• DB Science LLC, Fayetteville, AR, United States
• Demeter Laboratory, LITTLE ROCK, AR, United States
• ECC Test Lab, Ashland, VA, United States
• ElSohly Laboratories, Inc., Oxford, MS, United States
• Encore Labs, Pasadena, CA, United States
• Fidelity Diagnostics Laboratory, Missoula, MT, United States
• Firelands Scientific, Huron, OH, United States
• Food Safety Net Services, San Antonio, TX, United States
• Forensic Chemistry Center/US FDA, Cincinnati, OH, United States
• Front Range Biosciences, Boulder, CO, United States
• G2 Analytical, Pineville, NC, United States
• GCA Labs, HERCULANEUM, MO, United States
• GenCanna, Winchester, KY, United States
• Gobi Analytical, Wheat Ridge, CO, United States
• Green Analytics PA, Harrisburg, PA, United States
• HOPS EXTRACT CORP OF AMERICA, Yakima, WA, United States
• Hawley Hemp Labs, Inc, Austin, TX, United States
• High Grade Hemp Seed, Longmont, CO, United States
• INTI, San Martin, Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Illicit Drugs Laboratory, Singapore , Singapore , Singapore
• IonSense, Saugus, MA, United States
• Ionization Labs, Austin, TX, United States
• KCA Laboratories, Nicholasville, KY, United States
• KJ Scientific Independent Testing Labs, Georgetown, TX, United States
• Kaycha Labs - California, Monrovia, CA, United States
• Kaycha Labs - Gainesville, FL, Gainesville, FL, United States
• Kaycha Labs -CO, Denver, CO, United States
• Kaycha Labs -TN, Knoxville, TN, United States
• Kaycha Labs-Davie, Davie, FL, United States
• KristoferMarsh-GSL, Davie, FL, United States
• Lithempa, Vilnius, Vilnius, Lithuania
• MCI Diagnostic Center, Tulsa, OK, United States
• Medicine Creek Analytics, Fife, WA, United States
• Method Testing Labs, Tampa, FL, United States
• Midwest Regional Forensic Laboratory, Andover, MN, United States
• Mitra Sol Technologies, S.L., Elche. Alicante, Spain
• Modern Canna Labs, Lakeland, FL, United States
• NFSTC@FIU, Largo, FL, United States
• NSI Lab Solutions INC, Raleigh, NC, United States
• Nassau County Office of the Medical Examiner, Westbury, NY, United States
• Nature Safe Labs, San Diego, CA, United States
• Neogen Corporation, Lansing, MI, United States
• New Bloom Labs - Texas, Dallas, TX, United States
• New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Plant Laboratory, Ewing, NJ, United States
• New York State Department of Health - Wadsworth Center, Albany, NY, United States
• North Coast Testing Laboratories of Michigan, Adrian, MI, United States
• North Coast Testing Labs, Streetsboro, OH, United States
• NutriControl, Veghel, Netherlands , Netherlands
• Oleolive LLC, Shreveport, LA, United States
• Orange Photonics, inc., New London, NH, United States
• Oregon CBD, Independence , OR, United States
• Oregon State Police - Springfield Forensic Laboratory, Springfield, OR, United States
• Origo Labs, Chicago, IL, United States
• PAX Labs, San Francisco, CA, United States
• PML Labs, Irvine, CA, United States
• PSI Labs, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
• PerkinElmer, Waltham, MA, United States
• PharmLabs Texas, Dallas, TX, United States
• Pharmlabs, San Diego, CA, United States
• ProVerde Laboratories, Inc., Milford, MA, United States
• RADE LLC, Louisville, KY, United States
• Rm3 Labs, Boulder, CO, United States
• SQRD Lab, Los Angeles, CA, United States
• Sante Laboratories, Austin, TX, United States
• Service d'Analyse des Roches et des Minéraux (SARM)-CRPG, Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France, France
• Sigma Analytical Services, Toronto, ON, Canada
• Signature Science, Austin, TX, United States
• Skymint Brands Internal Quality Laboratory, Dimondale, MI, United States
• Smithers, Wareham, MA, United States
• Spectra Analytical Lab, Honolulu, HI, United States
• Spectrum CannaLabs, Davis, CA, United States
• Steelyard Analytics, Inc., Gaithersburg, MD, United States
• Terramor Technologies, Lexington, VA, United States
• The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT, United States
• Thermo Scientific, Bannockburn, IL, United States
• Treadwell Farms, LLC, Umatilla, FL, United States
• Trichome Analytical, Mount Laurel, NJ, United States
• US Pharmacopeia (USP), Rockville, MD, United States
• USDA, ARS, NCAUR, Peoria, IL, United States
• Veda Scientific, Lompoc, CA, United States
• Virginia Department of Forensic Science - Manassas, Manassas, VA, United States
• Virginia Department of Forensic Science - Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States
• Virginia Department of Forensic Science - Roanoke, Roanoke, VA, United States
• Westchester County Department of Labs & Research, Division of Forensic Science, Valhalla, NY, United States
• cmZapf LLC, Forest Hill, MD, United States

Exercise 1 Data Tables

Thank you to all the participants of Exercise 1! The preliminary data tables are available for all participant of Exercise 1 to review by signing into your CannaQAP account and scrolling to the bottom of the data entry page under the attached documents.

Regards,
CannaQAP Team

Welcome

On behalf of the Chemical Sciences Division (CSD) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), we would like to thank you for your interest in our new Cannabis Program. As part of the larger Cannabis Program, a Quality Assurance Program (CannaQAP) is being developed to help Cannabis (hemp and marijuana) and forensic laboratories demonstrate and improve measurement comparability and/or competence. Participation in CannaQAP will also inform NIST about the measurement capabilities within the hemp and cannabis communities and assist in the design and characterization of Cannabis reference materials.

A QAP can be viewed as a perpetual interlaboratory study mechanism that is akin to a proficiency testing (PT) scheme but without the pass/fail grade. CSD has provided QAPs to various analytical laboratory communities for over 3 decades as a trusted tool to evaluate an individual laboratory’s performance. All results from QAP studies are peer-reviewed and made publicly available as published NIST Internal Reports (IRs), however the identities of individual laboratories are anonymized and known only to them and NIST. Some participants of past QAP studies have elected to use their results to demonstrate their laboratory’s purported capabilities.

Exercise 1 of CannaQAP is currently in progress and focuses on the determination of cannabinoids in hemp oils. Participants may elect to measure up to 17 selected cannabinoids as well as total THC and total CBD. Each participant will receive two different hemp oil samples and will be asked to report triplicate results using measurement procedures and calculations normally performed in their laboratories. In addition, participants will also be asked to identify the type of sample preparation and analytical methods employed in their testing to facilitate conclusions about potential method bias. Exercise 1 participants may submit their data through November 18, 2020. Exercise 2 is currently targeted for early 2021.

Each exercise within this program will be free of charge to laboratories, but participants will be required to pay shipping costs in order to receive samples by providing a shipping account number (UPS or FedEx only) upon registration. The identity of participants will be kept confidential unless a laboratory elects to include their name on the public list of participants.

If you have any suggestions or questions regarding CannaQAP or other Cannabis projects at NIST, please email your request to the Cannabis/CannaQAP Team at cannabis@nist.gov.

We look forward to your participation in this and future CannaQAP exercises. Please forward this email to any of your contacts that may be interested in participating.