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such time that raw materials can be
legally transported between states
and more appropriate PT schemes
can be developed.
For those states that require analyt-
ical testing and permit cultivators
and/or dispensaries to transport sam-
ples to the laboratory, there are lim-
ited to no guidelines relative to the
provision of samples. For example,
there are few, if any, specifications as standards for cannabis testing using the ASTM approach. The closing
to what part or parts of the plant are
to be sampled; how to choose a rep-
resentative sample from the ‘batch’;
or even how much sample should be
provided to the laboratory. There are
reports that customers have provid-
ed as little as 5g samples for analysis
with no characterization of the sam-
ple or sampling protocol.
But not all is lost. The scientific com- Award.
munity is collaborating. As part of
AOAC’s standards development pro-
cess, a working group on cannabis
will examine analytical challenges,
regulatory requirements, and gaps
in current methodology, etc. in an ef-
fort to develop draft SMPRs against
which candidate methods can be
evaluated. The infrastructure of ex-
isting AOAC stakeholder panels (in
this case, SPSFAM) will be used to
advance draft standards developed
by the new working group.
It is anticipated that AOAC will in-
troduce and begin standards devel-
opment activities for cannabis in
September 2016 at the 130th AOAC
Annual Meeting and Exposition in
Dallas, Texas, USA.
For more information or if
you would like to participate,
contact Susan Audino, S.A. Audino
& Associates, LLC, at
susan.audino@gmail.com or
Dawn Frazier, AOAC Executive for
Scientific Business Development, at
dfrazier@aoac.org. n
Spotlights
NCSL International Workshop &
Symposium 2016
By Pam Wright, A2LA Accreditation Manager, Calibration
The 2016 NCSL International Workshop & Symposium was held
July 24-28, 2016 in Saint Paul, MN. The theme this year was “Measure-
ment Accuracy and the Impact on Society.” The opening keynote
speaker, Dr. Ralph M. Paroli, R&D Director in Measurement Science
and Standards at NRC and the ASTM International 2016 Chairman
of the Board, spoke about the need for normative and calibration
keynote speaker, Jeremy Applen, is the founder of Page Analytical,
the first New Mexico state-approved medical cannabis testing facili-
ty. Mr. Applen is also an A2LA ISO/IEC 17025:2005 assessor specializing
in cannabis testing. His keynote focused on the need for interdisciplin-
ary collaboration between industry, scientists and engineers on ad-
vancements in the cannabis industry.
Mark Ruefenacht from Heusser Neweigh, a Division of Rice
Lake Weighing Systems (an A2LA-accredited laboratory
http://www.ricelake.com), won the prestigious Education & Training
Jim Salsbury from Mitutoyo America Corp. - Calibration Laboratory (an
A2LA-accredited laboratory http://www.mitutoyo.com), who is also
an A2LA Calibration Assessor, won an NCSLI 2016 Best Paper Award for
“Understanding the Test Measurand and the Profound Impact on
Calibration, Verification, and Uncertainty.”
Congratulations to both Mark and Jim!
A2LA staff conducted a well-received tutorial on “Understanding
ISO/IEC 17025.” In attendance from A2LA was Pam Wright (A2LA
Accreditation Manager, Calibration), Rob Knake (A2LA Accred-
itation Manager, Life Sciences), NCSLI VP of NCSLI Measurement
Requirements and Analysis (130), Ashly Carter (A2LA Program Man-
ager, Reference Material Producers), Chair of Working Group 2 of
NCSLI Calibration System Resources Committee (171), and Nick Slawson
(A2LA Accreditation Officer).
We were pleased to see many A2LA-accredited organizations ex-
hibiting and in attendance this year. Thank you to all of those who
stopped by A2LA’s booth! n
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