As cannabis labs come up to speed in providing consistently safe and effective recreational cannabis products, laboratories will have an inventory of very valuable samples to manage. These samples will have significant street value.
I noticed and was amused by an advertisement in the Cannabis Industry Journal (vol. 3, no. 27; accessed July 11, 2018). Wilson Safe Company makes large safes and walk-in vaults. It even has a line of pharmacy safes, which are designed for retail establishments.
In retrospect, secure storage of recreational cannabis samples is probably a serious business risk for laboratories. California proposes that lot size be limited to 10 pounds. This means that the sample load will be large. Thus, one should anticipate that the sample storage room will need extra security. The sample inventory system will need to be bulletproof to reduce the risk of sample theft.
The lab should also consider postanalysis sample storage and disposal. California’s cannabis regulations advise that excess samples remaining after the assay is complete shall be disposed of according to local regulations. I expect that local governments are now and will be ill-prepared to regulate sample disposal programs.
Ideally, sample disposal will be considered during the permitting process. It should not be an afterthought.
Robert L. Stevenson, Ph.D., is Editor Emeritus, American Laboratory/Labcompare; e-mail: [email protected]
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