CannMed Coffee Talk

This episode’s guest is Jordan Zager, co-founder and CEO of Dewey Scientific. Jordan is an expert in cannabis genetics and natural product biosynthesis, having authored multiple research papers in the fields of trichome development and metabolism, mathematical modeling of biochemical pathways, and functional genomics. 

Jordan’s CannMed 2021 presentation is titled "Gene Networks Underlying Cannabinoid and Terpenoid Accumulation in Cannabis" and in it, he will explore the biochemical processes the cannabis plant uses to create cannabinoids and how each cultivar’s unique genetics plays a role. 

Topics we covered in the interview include:

The problems cannabis and hemp growers are trying to solve via genetics. How lighting and temperature influences gene expression in cannabis plants and the cannabinoids and terpenes they produce   The Potential for minor cannabinoids to become more dominat in future cultivars How just how far behind cannabis genomics research is when compared to other crops

Thanks to our sponsor, The Scientist Magazine. The Scientist is a seriously refreshing source of life-science research news and a forum for in-depth explorations of issues important to both scientists and the science-curious public. 

Also check out The Hemp Coffee Exchange and use the promo code "drinkhemp" to get 10% off your purchase.

Additional Resources:

Gene Networks Underlying Cannabinoid and Terpenoid Accumulation in Cannabis - Plant Physiology paperDewey Scientific website

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We are excited to announce CannMed 2021’s Keynote Presenter in the Safety Focus Area is Grace Bandong, Scientific Strategy Leader Contaminants for Eurofins Food Integrity and Innovations.

The title of Ms. Bandong’s presentation is “Risk Based Hazards Analysis: A Tool for Building A Comprehensive Analytical Testing Program,” in which she will explore the vulnerability of products/ingredients to contaminants and present a risk-based process for identifying potential hazards. Her presentation will also include a review of current regulation and requirements for pesticides, heavy metals, residual solvents and other contaminants in cannabis and cannabis-derived products.

Ms. Bandong is a sought-after expert, speaker and author on the subject of product safety and risk in the cannabis industry. She is the Scientific Strategy Leader for Contaminants for Eurofins Food Integrity and Innovations and has spent over 25 years in the food and supplement industry specializing in contaminants analysis and risk assessments.

Over the years, Ms. Bandong has developed contaminant testing programs that support supplier verification for food manufacturers and recently, the hemp industry. She has developed a process for a hazards-based chemical risk assessment of ingredients that has been used by companies to respond to global regulatory requirements. She is an expert on the analysis of risk assessments of contaminants in food.

Product safety and quality are obviously a major concern for the cannabis industry. But an area that is often neglected in the development of standards is the definition of specifications for contaminants in general and chemical hazards in particular. The Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011 calls out microbial contamination, as well as the concern for chemical hazards and requires a risk-based hazard analysis for ingredients used in the manufacture of food.

In the cannabis industry, regulations concerning microbial contamination vary from state to state, compounding the issue of insuring quality control for cannabis products. But what’s worse is that regulations regarding pesticide use and other chemical contaminants are seriously lacking. Ms. Bandong’s position is that adapting regulatory practices from the food industry to the cannabis industry would be highly beneficial. And here’s where a risk-based analysis model could prove to be worthwhile.

Chemical contaminants can cause serious damage to customer’s health and have major effects on a business. But it’s often not realistic to test every lot of an ingredient for every chemical contaminant. A risk analysis model would be able to identify and weigh risk for various ingredients resulting in a better understanding of the product, from the ground to the shelf, and allowing for a balanced allocation of resources for monitoring ingredients as well as final products.

Ms. Bandong is in an ideal to affect the adoption of such recommendations. She is an active member of AOAC and is currently on the Executive Board of the AOAC Pacific Southwest section. She is also on the Technical Committee of the US Hemp Authority and a member of the HIA’s Sampling and Analytical Task Force.

She received her B.S. in Chemistry from the University of the Philippines and her M.S. in Chemistry from the University of Houston.

We are looking forward to her keynote presentation at CannMed 2021 and enjoyed having her as a guest on the CannMed Coffee Talk Podcast. Click the player below to listen!

We are excited to announce CannMed 2021’s Keynote Presenter in the Safety Focus Area is Grace Bandong, Scientific Strategy Leader Contaminants for Eurofins Food Integrity and Innovations.

The title of Ms. Bandong’s presentation is “Risk Based Hazards Analysis: A Tool for Building A Comprehensive Analytical Testing Program,” in which she will explore the vulnerability of products/ingredients to contaminants and present a risk-based process for identifying potential hazards. Her presentation will also include a review of current regulation and requirements for pesticides, heavy metals, residual solvents and other contaminants in cannabis and cannabis-derived products.

Ms. Bandong is a sought-after expert, speaker and author on the subject of product safety and risk in the cannabis industry. She is the Scientific Strategy Leader for Contaminants for Eurofins Food Integrity and Innovations and has spent over 25 years in the food and supplement industry specializing in contaminants analysis and risk assessments.

Over the years, Ms. Bandong has developed contaminant testing programs that support supplier verification for food manufacturers and recently, the hemp industry. She has developed a process for a hazards-based chemical risk assessment of ingredients that has been used by companies to respond to global regulatory requirements. She is an expert on the analysis of risk assessments of contaminants in food.

Product safety and quality are obviously a major concern for the cannabis industry. But an area that is often neglected in the development of standards is the definition of specifications for contaminants in general and chemical hazards in particular. The Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011 calls out microbial contamination, as well as the concern for chemical hazards and requires a risk-based hazard analysis for ingredients used in the manufacture of food.

In the cannabis industry, regulations concerning microbial contamination vary from state to state, compounding the issue of insuring quality control for cannabis products. But what’s worse is that regulations regarding pesticide use and other chemical contaminants are seriously lacking. Ms. Bandong’s position is that adapting regulatory practices from the food industry to the cannabis industry would be highly beneficial. And here’s where a risk-based analysis model could prove to be worthwhile.

Chemical contaminants can cause serious damage to customer’s health and have major effects on a business. But it’s often not realistic to test every lot of an ingredient for every chemical contaminant. A risk analysis model would be able to identify and weigh risk for various ingredients resulting in a better understanding of the product, from the ground to the shelf, and allowing for a balanced allocation of resources for monitoring ingredients as well as final products.

Ms. Bandong is in an ideal to affect the adoption of such recommendations. She is an active member of AOAC and is currently on the Executive Board of the AOAC Pacific Southwest section. She is also on the Technical Committee of the US Hemp Authority and a member of the HIA’s Sampling and Analytical Task Force.

She received her B.S. in Chemistry from the University of the Philippines and her M.S. in Chemistry from the University of Houston.

We are looking forward to her keynote presentation at CannMed 2021 and enjoyed having her as a guest on the CannMed Coffee Talk Podcast. Click the player below to listen!

This episode’s guest is plant pathology expert Zamir Punja, PhD of Simon Fraser University's Department of Biological Sciences. Zamir’s research investigates the causes and management of plant diseases on cannabis, including fusarium, penicillium, powdery mildew, botrytis, as well as new and emerging plant pathogens. His CannMed 2018 presentation featured several amazing images Zamir’s team captured using an electron microscope. The image of powdery mildew mycelia wrapped around a cannabis trichome is one I won’t soon forget. Beside to check out the link to that video below.  

In addition to his work on plant diseases, Zamir’s team has used their electron microscope to investigate the structure of cannabis trichomes, and will present those findings at CannMed 2021. I expect we will see even more amazing images during that presentation. In fact, Zamir gave us a few as a preview. Check out the Additional Resources section below to see them.  

Topics discussed on the podcast include: 

  How diseases infect and affect cannabis plants   Which cultivation methods are more prone to infection   How to breed for pathogen resistance   Which pathogens pose a risk to consumers   How each of the four observed cannabis trichome structures differs and what each might be responsible for

Thanks to our sponsor, The Growers Network, and please check out their Canna Cribs series, your behind-the-scenes look at some of the most sophisticated, technologically advanced grows in the world. Also check out The Hemp Coffee Exchange and use the promo code "drinkhemp" to get 10% off your purchase.

Additional Resources:

Close up trichome photographs: Image 1, Image 2 Epidemiology of Fusarium.oxysporum  causing root and crown rot of cannabis (Cannabis.sativa  L., marijuana) plants in commercial greenhouse production First report of Fusarium.proliferatum  causing crown and stem rot, and pith necrosis, in cannabis (Cannabis sativa  L., marijuana) plantsEmerging Diseases of Cannabis Sativa and Approaches to Management - Zamir Punja, Ph.D - CannMed 2018 Presentation

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This episode’s guest is plant pathology expert Zamir Punja, PhD of Simon Fraser University's Department of Biological Sciences. Zamir’s research investigates the causes and management of plant diseases on cannabis, including fusarium, penicillium, powdery mildew, botrytis, as well as new and emerging plant pathogens. His CannMed 2018 presentation featured several amazing images Zamir’s team captured using an electron microscope. The image of powdery mildew mycelia wrapped around a cannabis trichome is one I won’t soon forget. Beside to check out the link to that video below.  

In addition to his work on plant diseases, Zamir’s team has used their electron microscope to investigate the structure of cannabis trichomes, and will present those findings at CannMed 2021. I expect we will see even more amazing images during that presentation. In fact, Zamir gave us a few as a preview. Check out the Additional Resources section below to see them.  

Topics discussed on the podcast include: 

  How diseases infect and affect cannabis plants   Which cultivation methods are more prone to infection   How to breed for pathogen resistance   Which pathogens pose a risk to consumers   How each of the four observed cannabis trichome structures differs and what each might be responsible for

Thanks to our sponsor, The Growers Network, and please check out their Canna Cribs series, your behind-the-scenes look at some of the most sophisticated, technologically advanced grows in the world. Also check out The Hemp Coffee Exchange and use the promo code "drinkhemp" to get 10% off your purchase.

Additional Resources:

Close up trichome photographs: Image 1, Image 2 Epidemiology of Fusarium.oxysporum  causing root and crown rot of cannabis (Cannabis.sativa  L., marijuana) plants in commercial greenhouse production First report of Fusarium.proliferatum  causing crown and stem rot, and pith necrosis, in cannabis (Cannabis sativa  L., marijuana) plantsEmerging Diseases of Cannabis Sativa and Approaches to Management - Zamir Punja, Ph.D - CannMed 2018 Presentation

SIGN UP FOR PODCAST UPDATES AND ENTER TO WIN 2 VIP DINNER TICKETS!

This episode’s guest is Michael Levinsohn. Michael is a criminal and civil defense attorney with 20 years of experience representing people in all areas of the cannabis business. On the podcast, we discuss the legal aspects of practicing cannabis medicine, including:

The need for more clinicians who are educated in cannabis medicine to help guide patients and defend them should they run into legal trouble Specific issues related to treating children with cannabisThe differences between a medical cannabis prescription and a recommendationThe limitations around what products or strains a clinician can recommend to patients How California's Proposition 64 changed the rules around how clinicians can recommend cannabis Some examples of cannabis medicine don'ts

Mr. Levinsohn will get into each of these issues and more at CannMed 2021 where he will be giving an oral presentation "The Legal Obligations of Cannabis Doctors and The Role of The Law in Cannabis Medicine". So if you are a physician, nurse, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or any type of healthcare provider interested in recommending cannabis to your patients, you should definitely take his advice to heart. He works with a lot of the top cannabis clinicians including our dear friend Dr. Bonni Goldstein.

Click the player below to listen, and thanks to our sponsors, Dr. Bonni Goldstein and The Hemp Coffee Exchange. Pre-order Dr. Goldstein's new book, "Cannabis is Medicine" using one of the links below:

AmazonBarnes & NobleIndieboundiBooks

SIGN UP FOR PODCAST UPDATES AND ENTER TO WIN 2 VIP DINNER TICKETS!

This episode’s guest is Michael Levinsohn. Michael is a criminal and civil defense attorney with 20 years of experience representing people in all areas of the cannabis business. On the podcast, we discuss the legal aspects of practicing cannabis medicine, including:

The need for more clinicians who are educated in cannabis medicine to help guide patients and defend them should they run into legal trouble Specific issues related to treating children with cannabisThe differences between a medical cannabis prescription and a recommendationThe limitations around what products or strains a clinician can recommend to patients How California's Proposition 64 changed the rules around how clinicians can recommend cannabis Some examples of cannabis medicine don'ts

Mr. Levinsohn will get into each of these issues and more at CannMed 2021 where he will be giving an oral presentation "The Legal Obligations of Cannabis Doctors and The Role of The Law in Cannabis Medicine". So if you are a physician, nurse, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or any type of healthcare provider interested in recommending cannabis to your patients, you should definitely take his advice to heart. He works with a lot of the top cannabis clinicians including our dear friend Dr. Bonni Goldstein.

Click the player below to listen, and thanks to our sponsors, Dr. Bonni Goldstein and The Hemp Coffee Exchange. Pre-order Dr. Goldstein's new book, "Cannabis is Medicine" using one of the links below:

AmazonBarnes & NobleIndieboundiBooks

SIGN UP FOR PODCAST UPDATES AND ENTER TO WIN 2 VIP DINNER TICKETS!

On this episode, we talk with Cindy Orser, PhD, the Chief Scientific Officer at CLIP LABS. Dr. Orser has more than 25 years of experience innovating technologies related to cannabis, human diagnostics, and even detecting biothreat agents.

We spent most of the conversation talking about the panel Cindy will moderate at CannMed 2021, titled "The Hidden Cost of Cannabis: Environmental Impact”. In that panel, she and her fellow panelists will explore how current cannabis cultivation practices contribute to air pollution, water pollution, and increased energy consumption and how the federal ban on cannabis is actually worsening those problems.

We also talked about terpenes because Dr. Orser co-authored a really interesting article titled “Making Sense of Cannabis Strains Through Chemometrics in Review”, which demonstrates how terpene profiling can be used to better understand the differences between cannabis cultivars. Dr. Orser also cautions that without terpene testing, consumers are blind to manufacturers that add large, unnatural amounts of terpenes to vape products. To date, there hasn’t been any research into what, if any health risks come with inhaling those compounds in such large concentrations. Perhaps that will be a presentation topic at a future CannMed event!

Click the player below to listen, and thanks to our sponsor, Terpenes and Testing Magazine.

SIGN UP FOR PODCAST UPDATES AND ENTER TO WIN 2 VIP DINNER TICKETS!

Additional Resources

CLIP LABSMaking Sense of Cannabis Strains Through Chemometrics in Review

On this episode, we talk with Cindy Orser, PhD, the Chief Scientific Officer at CLIP LABS. Dr. Orser has more than 25 years of experience innovating technologies related to cannabis, human diagnostics, and even detecting biothreat agents.

We spent most of the conversation talking about the panel Cindy will moderate at CannMed 2021, titled "The Hidden Cost of Cannabis: Environmental Impact”. In that panel, she and her fellow panelists will explore how current cannabis cultivation practices contribute to air pollution, water pollution, and increased energy consumption and how the federal ban on cannabis is actually worsening those problems.

We also talked about terpenes because Dr. Orser co-authored a really interesting article titled “Making Sense of Cannabis Strains Through Chemometrics in Review”, which demonstrates how terpene profiling can be used to better understand the differences between cannabis cultivars. Dr. Orser also cautions that without terpene testing, consumers are blind to manufacturers that add large, unnatural amounts of terpenes to vape products. To date, there hasn’t been any research into what, if any health risks come with inhaling those compounds in such large concentrations. Perhaps that will be a presentation topic at a future CannMed event!

Click the player below to listen, and thanks to our sponsor, Terpenes and Testing Magazine.

SIGN UP FOR PODCAST UPDATES AND ENTER TO WIN 2 VIP DINNER TICKETS!

Additional Resources

CLIP LABSMaking Sense of Cannabis Strains Through Chemometrics in Review

Keith Allen is the Director of Bioinformatics at Front Range Biosciences. Keith is tasked with exploring the cannabis genome to find genetic markers that can be selected in breeding projects. His current focus is on cannabinoid and terpene production, but as we discuss in our conversation, there are a number of different traits cannabis and hemp breeders will want to select for in the future, including yield, drought resistance, pathogen resistance, flowering time, heartiness for the outdoor environment, and more. The opportunity for improving the cannabis plant is only restricted by our understanding of the genome, which Keith readily admits, is still in its infancy. 

Keith will be presenting on “Gene Families and Gene Networks Underlying Oil Production in Cannabis Trichomes” at CannMed 2021 this Spring. So please do consider picking up your ticket for the event now. 

Click the player below to listen, and thanks to our sponsor, The Growers Network.

SIGN UP FOR PODCAST UPDATES AND ENTER TO WIN 2 VIP DINNER TICKETS!

Additional Resources

Front Range Biosciences WebsiteGenomic characterization of the complete terpene synthase gene family from Cannabis sativa