October’s Cannabis Science News

Risky fun(gi) 
 

The Cannabis sativa plant interacts with its surrounding ecosystem, including toxigenic fungi – a relationship which is often overlooked in research, despite being interlinked with health risks. 

A North American team decided to review the analytical techniques – culture-based assays, liquid chromatography, and immuno-based technologies – used for the detection of those fungal contaminants in hemp. 

“One possible solution to reduce potential harm to medical users of cannabis from toxigenic fungi is to develop a two-tier system that distinguishes products intended for medical and recreational use,” suggest the authors in their recent study. 

They also pointed to the need for further developments and improvements in multi-residue analytical methods (e.g. LC-MS/MS), which could enable sufficient detection of high priority contaminants such as Fusarium and Aspergillus mycotoxins.

Raising the standards
 

After taking into account several studies, the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.) Commission has constructed a detailed script of all the analytical test requirements and other guidelines for the proper production and handling of cannabis – setting new standards for both laboratories and businesses.

“The new monograph takes into account information received from a number of national authorities concerning the use of the herbal drug in their jurisdictions: it can be employed as a raw material for the production of extracts or it can be prescribed as is, to be taken by patients by inhalation or oral administration. Additional requirements have been included in the limits for content, in the production section and in the tests for foreign matter, arsenic, cadmium and lead for cases in which the herbal drug is to be prescribed to patients,” the press release notes.

The monograph will be officially presented during a webinar by the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) on December 14, 2023 – proceeding its implementation in the summer of 2024.

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