Christopher Hudalla
President and Chief Scientific Officer, ProVerde Laboratories, Milford, Massachusetts, USA
Biggest challenge facing cannabis science?
Cannabis science continues to be hampered by state and federal prohibitions, as well as inconsistent regulatory requirements. In the analytical testing arena, federal prohibition makes it challenging to run Proficiency Testing (PT) Programs, which would permit laboratories to be evaluated on competency with appropriate sample matrices. This imbalance in regulatory requirements across the globe hinders the cannabis industry from developing into a healthy, stable, legitimate industry.
Serendipitous career moment?
After over 25 years of analytical R&D experience in academic and industrial environments, I chose to leave my job to enter the cannabis industry and start ProVerde Laboratories. I did so with the full belief that I would be leaving behind my scientific credibility, that I would be ridiculed by my peers for entering a heavily stigmatized industry, and that my opportunities for collaborative research would be limited.
Much to my surprise, I experienced exactly the opposite. Because of the historical legal status of cannabis, I realized that there were almost unlimited opportunities for research, and numerous partners for collaborative projects. As the popularity of cannabis grew, so did the hunger for knowledge, opening multiple doors for presenting our research to global audiences of curious scientists. In many ways, what I once feared would be the death of my scientific career, instead became the birth.
