Since the LA Times released a report about contaminated cannabis in many dispensaries across California, customer confidence in the legal industry has been declining, dragging sales down with it. Paige St. John, one of the reporters who worked on the contaminated cannabis investigation, noted that sales in California have been even lower compared to smaller states like Michigan. As she pointed out, this is obviously a regulatory problem, as regulation is the best way to address the issue. However, this is also a 'standardization' problem, according to Tassa Saldi, CEO of TUMI Genomics, a molecular pathogen testing lab specializing in pathogens that impact cannabis health and growth.
Issues in cannabis testing labs space
"The single biggest issue when discussing cannabis pathogen testing is that there's no standardized regulation showing what types of validations and experiments need to be conducted for a lab to ensure those tests have efficacy," Saldi explained. In other words, testing labs create their own SOPs and methodologies through experiments and validations, relying solely on the goodwill of those labs.
If, for instance, a lab is quickly set up to enter the profitable cannabis testing market, its testing methodologies may not be robust enough to diagnose the full range of possible pathogens affecting cannabis plants. "It's not incredibly difficult to design a test," she points out. "It's more difficult to design a good test and to carry out all the experiments necessary to assess the validity of that test. Needless to say, many labs skip that part." This has led to issues with inaccurate COAs, which have caused many of the product recalls plaguing the U.S. cannabis industry. "A subpar, insufficiently validated test has limited detection, meaning it detects just one pathogen but not all variants of that pathogen," Saldi added.
How to find reliable labs
So, in such an unregulated space, how can a grower find a reliable testing lab to ensure their products won't be suddenly recalled? "The most important thing to look for is a validation document," Tassa explains. "This document outlines specific experiments the lab has conducted. Most importantly, it should be publicly available." Saldi emphasized that there are three key elements to look for in a professional testing lab: sensitivity, specificity, and inclusivity. "It's crucial for growers to confirm that a testing lab has performed these three tests. Simply having a research article doesn't guarantee the correct experiments have been done," she explained.
At the same time, it's not just about tests and how they're reported on paper—the human element is always essential. "Besides having that validation document, the most important thing to have in the lab is knowledgeable staff who understand pathogens," Saldi said. "You want a lab with enough expertise to assist you and comprehend the nuances of cannabis testing."
This is crucial, Saldi explained, because when a grower approaches a testing lab, the lab needs to be able to help design something tailored to the grower's specific issues, geography, and the symptoms they observe. "Testing done right saves a lot of money. It's essential to consider each grower's situation carefully and create a program that truly helps them. Our focus is not just on identifying what's ailing their crop but on following up with SOPs," Saldi said. In other words, TUMI Genomics helps growers build cleaning protocols and walk them through the cultivation process to identify critical control points. "This allows us to make adjustments that critically control pathogens."
To better support cannabis growers, TUMI Genomics has developed TumiGlow™, an on-site testing platform that allows growers to test their own cannabis. "This has been a long time coming," she explains. "The Glow Technology provides fast results, user-friendly operation, and high specificity, identifying low-level infections with more than 95% accuracy. The TumiGlow™ method is integrated with advanced software, enabling growers to evaluate pathogen control strategies and make data-driven decisions based on real-time information. While Glow Technology's current focus is on testing for hop latent viroid (HLVd), future kits are in development to detect other pathogens such as Fusarium and Pythium."
According to Tassa, TumiGlow™ is not just about running tests; it also includes a digital platform to support growers with their IPM regimen. "The digital platform will interpret the results for you. You can generate a PDF to share with others, and it will also track results throughout the facility."
For Tassa and TUMI Genomics, it was crucial to create an on-site testing platform that can be used at scale. "The goal of TUMI Genomics is to provide practical tools to the cannabis industry and promote education. Now that we have released our TumiGlow™ platform to the market, we can support growers on a larger scale."
For more information:
TUMI Genomics
[email protected]
tumigenomics.com