Editorial Podcasts

Evan Friedmann and Yasha Kahn, co-founder of MCR Labs, discuss the discrepancies between current regulations and data on mycotoxins and pesticides in cannabis products. They highlight the need for updated regulations based on new data, emphasizing the importance of accurate testing and labeling. They also discuss the issue of result manipulation, particularly in THC content, and the need for public health officials to address this. Yasha suggests making testing data public to enhance oversight and suggests a national entity to manage this data for better consistency and public safety.

Evan Friedmann interviews Yasha Khan, co-founder of MCR Labs, about his journey into the cannabis industry and his efforts to promote transparency and integrity in laboratory practices. Yasha discusses the origins of MCR Labs, which began in Massachusetts to meet the needs of the soon-to-be legal medical cannabis market. He explains the challenges faced, including result manipulation by labs and the impact on public health. Yasha's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) project aimed to gather testing data from 37 states, revealed significant discrepancies in potency and mold results. Despite some states' reluctance to share data, Yasha has made much of this data public, leading to collaborative research and publications on various aspects of cannabis testing.

In Part III of this episode, host Evan Friedmann is joined by Susan Audino, PhD, founder of S.A. Audino & Associates, LLC, and co-founder of Saturn Scientific, LLC, to examine the complexities of sampling in the cannabis industry, emphasizing the need for proper sampling plans, and methods.

In Part II of this episode, host Evan Friedmann is joined by Susan Audino, PhD, founder of S.A. Audino & Associates, LLC, and co-founder of Saturn Scientific, LLC, discuss the challenges in cannabis testing, the THC cap, and the need for better regulations.

In Part I of this episode, host Evan Friedmann is joined by Susan Audino, PhD, founder of S.A. Audino & Associates, LLC, and co-founder of Saturn Scientific, LLC, dig into accreditation, and standards for accreditation, highlighting their importance, while also acknowledging some challenges and pitfalls for labs.

In the final part of this episode, host Evan Friedmann and Jini Glaros, Chief Scientific Officer at Modern Canna Labs, discuss the complexities of cannabis contamination, focusing on pesticides, heavy metals, and microbes, plus the need for better microbial testing, particularly for pathogenic species. Jini also explains the importance of educating physicians about cannabis testing to ensure proper recommendations. Finally, they discuss the readiness of Modern Canna for potential legalization in Florida.

In Part II of this episode, host Evan Friedmann and Jini Glaros, Chief Scientific Officer at Modern Canna Labs, continue their discussion on Jini’s upcoming presentations for the American Chemical Society Fall meeting and the AOAC International Annual Meeting, highlighting her study comparing five moisture measurement techniques. They also discuss the potential impact of Florida's cannabis legalization on the industry, both medical and recreational.

In Part I of this episode, host Evan Friedmann is joined by Jini Glaros, Chief Scientific Officer at Modern Canna Labs, discuss the importance of standardizing cannabis terminology to improve regulations, consumer education, and industry consistency.

The final part of this episode with guest speakers Dr. Allison Justice and Dr. Riley Kirk begins with a discussion on hemp and sustainability, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) art, and the importance of inclusivity and diversity in the cannabis industry. Additionally, they discuss challenges in studying cannabis use during pregnancy and the need for a more transparent system for open access research. Finally, Drs. Justice and Riley share their top three reading recommendations for the audience.

In Part II of this episode, Dr. Allison Justice and Dr. Riley Kirk challenge common perceptions of cannabis use, discuss the importance of normalizing daily cannabis use, especially when considering the complexities of both the plant and the human body. They also examine the potential of hemp as a sustainable solution for various applications, including cleaning up pollution and providing fiber, feed, and seed. In particular, they highlight the potential uses of hemp fiber and stems and cannabis-derived terpenes.

In Part I of this episode, we are joined by Allison Justice, PhD, and Riley Kirk, PhD. Dr. Justice conducts photobiology research and co-founded the Hemp Mine, an innovative hemp farm and product manufacturer. Dr. Kirk is a natural product chemist with a PhD in pharmaceutical sciences. Here, they discuss the importance of connecting people in the cannabis industry, academia, and consumers to further the reach of cannabis education. They also explore the elements of their ongoing research project, “The Science of Smokeability,” which examines nutrient management, importance of maintaining moisture levels, accurate measurements, and the future of cannabis research. Drs. Justice and Kirk presented some of their findings at Cannabis Science Conference in May 2024.

On this month’s episode, we are joined by Dr. Iain Oswald, a principal research scientist at Abstrax Tech Inc., a cannabis research and development company located in Southern California. Here, Dr. Oswald (aka Dr. Dank) discusses the discovery of a new class of volatile sulfur compounds responsible for the characteristic gassy, skunky aroma produced by cannabis. We also discuss the recent paper published by Iain and his team highlighting their discovery of an additional range of cannabis sulfur compounds that contribute to the tropical notes in cannabis aromas.

On this special edition episode, host Evan Friedmann is joined by Bill Nichols, the Technical Director at Biotrax Testing Laboratory in New York. Here, Evan and Bill discuss an article that came out earlier this year addressing total yeast and mold counts as well as safety testing in the New York cannabis market. Evan and Bill take a deep dive into the article and explain why they think it needed a rebuttal.

On this month’s episode, we are joined by Steve Ellmore, veteran, filmmaker, and founder of The Unprescribed. Here, Steve shares how he created the incredible film Unprescribed, his knowledge and research surrounding veterans access to medical cannabis, his mission to help others through his non-profit, and more.

On this month’s episode, we are joined by Dr. Adie Rae, Assistant Scientist at the Legacy Research Institute. Join us as we discuss Adie’s background, her knowledge and research surrounding cannabis aroma, how the industry’s laser focus on THC percentage is decreasing the value of cannabis for patients, and more.

On this month’s episode, we are joined by Nick Jikomes, PhD, the Director of Science & Innovation at Leafly. Join us as we discuss Nick’s background, his recent ElSohly award for research related to labeling in cannabis, neuroscience, and endocannabinoids.

On this month’s episode, we are joined by Nathan Johnson, PhD, the Co-Founder and CEO of VERNE Bioanalytics. Join us as we discuss Nathan’s background, knowledge about cannabis genetics, some of the challenges related to hops latent viroid, and more.

On this month’s episode, we are joined by Dr. Julie Kowalski of JA Kowalski Science Support LLC. Join us as we discuss Julie’s background, knowledge about chromatography and method development, some of the challenges in cannabis and hemp testing, and finally a little preview of the upcoming Cannabis Science Conference Spring conference for which Julie is serving as the analytical science track program chair.

On this month’s episode, we are joined by James Schwartz, BSN, LNC CEO of Cascade High Organics. James published an article about psilocybin and PTSD with Cannabis Science and Technology that was one of the most popular pieces of content on our website for the year. Together, we discuss James’ cannabis background, knowledge about psychedelics, and his recent focus on the dangers of the 2018 Farm Bill in the hemp market.

On this month’s episode, we are joined by Dr. Reggie Gaudino, VP of R&D at Front Range Biosciences. Together, we discuss plant genetics and breeding with Dr. Gaudino to understand some of the challenges, successes, and perhaps where it should be heading in the future.

On this month’s episode, we are joined by Dr. John MacKay, Co-founder of Synergistic Technology Associates. Together, we focus on all things formulation and processing with Dr. MacKay to learn more about what’s really going on in the cannabis industry and perhaps where it should be heading in the future.

On this month’s episode, we are joined by Miyabe Shields, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer and Riley Kirk, PhD, Cannabis Research Scientist at Real Isolates, LLC. Together, we discuss the science of cannabis, and highlight both Dr. Shields’ and Dr. Kirk’s education and personal experiences as well as their current work educating the masses through social media and their work at Real Isolates, LLC.

On this month’s episode, we are joined by Russ Phifer, Executive Director of the National Registry of Certified Chemists (NRCC) and Kyle Boyar, owner KB Consultations, cannabis scientist, and Vice Chair for the American Chemical Society's Cannabis Chemistry Subdivision. Together, we discuss the knowledge, background, and skills needed for laboratory directors and other analytical scientists entering the cannabis space as well as the exciting new Board Certification of Cannabis Chemists that they recently developed.

On this month’s episode, we are joined by the core C-suite of True Labs for Cannabis LLC: Sarah Ahrens, Founder and CEO and Carl Christianson, PhD, Chief Science Officer. Together, we discuss the challenges in starting a cannabis testing laboratory, regulations and testing guidelines, synthetic versus naturally-derived cannabinoids, and more.

On this special bonus episode, Meg L’Heureux speaks with several keynote speakers from Cannabis Science Conference West in Long Beach, California. Join us for brief chats with Ashéninka Mino and Bernadette Torres from Shabeta’s Healing Garden; “Amazon” John Easterling from Happy Tree Microbes; Dr. Lakisha Jenkins-Samuels from Dr. Lakisha; and a quick conference recap with Josh Crossney, founder of the Cannabis Science Conference and Director of Cannabis Events at MJH Life Sciences.

On this month’s episode, we are joined by Otha Smith III, the CEO and founder of Tetragram. We discuss Otha’s history in the industry as both a patient and an entrepreneur, obstacles he’s overcome, exciting research endeavors, and more.

On this month’s episode, we are joined by Josh Crossney, the former CEO and Founder of the Cannabis Science Conference and current Director of Cannabis Events at MJH Life Sciences. We will be discussing his recent merger with MJH Life Sciences, the upcoming Cannabis Science Conference West, plans for the future, his philanthropic endeavors, and more.

On this month’s episode, we are joined by Dr. Marion McNabb, President of the Cannabis Center of Excellence, Inc. Dr. McNabb has been busy conducting interesting research and surveys in the cannabis industry including studies on veterans, COVID-19, and healthcare providers—just to a name a few. Here, she discusses some of the findings from those studies, her on-going research efforts, upcoming projects, and more.

On this month’s episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with Adam Jacques, Chief Geneticist of ZED Therapeutics and Zacariah Hildenbrand, Research Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Texas at El Paso, and a Director of the Curtis Mathes Corporation. Their article “Hemp Regulations and the Restrictions on Innovation” was the most popular piece on the Cannabis Science and Technology website in 2021. Our conversation is focused on the hemp research—plant genetics, research restrictions, testing—and more that Adam and Zac have been doing.

On this month’s episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with Michelle Finzel, President of Maryland Marketing Source, Inc., as well as the founders of Eighth Revolution: Bryan Fields, Managing Director and Kellan Finney, CSO. Our conversation is broken up into two-parts, but the overall theme is the data and trends we saw in 2021 and how that plays into the cannabis market for 2022.