Can Certified Cannabis Chemists Build a Professional Industry?

In its youth, the cannabis industry could use some direction. Certification of chemists under good professional guidance can build a more professional industry, but does this also apply to cannabis?

As the industry evolves, ancestors who were punished as criminals become teachers. Young, fresh minds, just as passionate as the heritage pioneers, are now entering a less restrictive field. A pillar of misinformation erected by the DEA’s ancestors to reveal a more honest culture is slowly falling.

Out with old laws, in with current science

Federal agencies continue to approve laws restricting THC isomers without sound science. Processors are responding by converting a massive overstock of CBD biomass into delta-8 THC, with or without safety oversight. And if you try to regulate it, processors will simply hydrogenate the molecule. What’s next; the disappearance of pyran rings and the emergence of more superagonists?

Intricate science stands between cannabis processors and the agencies that regulate them. Now, however, the Cannabis Chemistry Subdivision of the American Chemical Society has partnered with the National Registry of Certified Chemists (NRCC). CANN-C certification applications are finally available for qualified cannabis chemists. This means that people with credible experience in the field can be notarized through a professional process.

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The Emerald Decade

Washington legalized cannabis in 2012. However, the Environmental Protection Agency did not set up federal agencies. Unfortunately, the established standards were – and still are – left openly to the individual states.

Emerald Scientific stepped in and established an awareness program for licensed cannabis labs. Under Emerald’s internal oversight, accredited laboratories are required to undergo more rigorous performance testing. While the new certifications, which CANN is offering in partnership with the NRCC, an organization approved by a critical regulatory department, can accredit individual chemists.

Who is ACS and NRCC?

In 2017, the National Registry of Certified Chemists began building the CANN-C program. This, of course, was done in partnership with ACS’ cannabis division known as CANN. Together, both organizations are significantly involved in the program.

CANN was formally assembled in 2015 by the ACS, now headquartered in Washington, DC. But the American Chemical Society itself was founded in 1876 at the University of New York. Two articles published in the ACS’ highly regarded scientific journal are presented by Amber Wise, Ph.D. and consider heavy metals in vape pens and analysis methods to detect them.

The history of the NRCC dates back rather to its inception in 1967. Before the NRCC expanded under a changed name, the NRCC certified Clinical Chemists and Clinical Chemistry Technologists.

Cannabis chemistry contributors

Russ Phifer serves as the current Executive Director of the NRCC. And from the American Chemical Society, Julia Bramante is the Chair of CANN. Joining Julia at CANN is Vice Chair Kyle Boyar. Of course, a village deserves credit for the program. And so the following list is just a few but important hands in the project.

• Russ Phifer – Executive Director, NRCC.
• Julia Bramante — Chairperson, CANN. Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment.
• Kyle Boyar – Vice Chairman, CANN. Research Fellow, University of California San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy.
• Amber Wise – Ph.D., Scientific Director, Medicine Creek Analytics.
• Brandon Canfield—Ph.D. Associate Professor at Northern Michigan University.
• Michael Coffin, Chair of the ElSohly Award, Chair of the Awards Committee, CANN.

What is CLIA approval?

The Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) are a set of US federal standards that have applied to clinical laboratories for the past 44 years. While these standards do not apply to clinical trials, they do cover in vitro research using human samples.

CLIA requires labs to register with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for certification. The changes ensure accurate, standardized test results from labs across the country. Overall, only nine accrediting bodies have Human Health Services (HHS) approval; an exclusive list that includes the NRCC.

As an accredited CLIA board for certifying laboratory directors of highly complex testing laboratories, I believe we have a basis for eventual acceptance by state and federal governments.

Russ Phifer – Director of the NRCC

The NRCC and ACS have launched the most rigorous cannabis chemistry awareness program yet. This allows certified chemists to convey the level of professionalism that the cannabis industry requires.

Let us know in the comments if you think certified chemists are a requirement for the cannabis market.