Presenter: Arun Apte, CEO at CloudLIMS.com

Venue: 2020 Emerald Conference, San Diego, USA

Abstract: Regulating the cannabis industry is challenging due to the absence of federal oversight. Currently, the challenge of regulating this industry is entirely on the states. However, the cannabis industry is growing exponentially and the governing bodies are finding it difficult to keep pace. Hence, some states have well-established regulations in place, and some are still in the process of setting up regulatory guidelines. Considering this scenario, the most viable option is to adopt the best practices and standards from testing and calibration laboratories. ISO/IEC 17025:2017 is an international standard that specifies the general requirements for the competence, impartiality and consistent operation of testing and calibration laboratories. Cannabis testing laboratories perform a myriad of analytical tests to ensure that cannabis-based products are free from pathogens, pesticides, and other contaminants, and are not detrimental to human health. ISO/IEC 17025:2017 compliance helps in governing the operations and procedures of cannabis testing laboratories, assuring the quality of the test data generated by the laboratories.