CBDBuzzz.com
  • Home
  • News
  • Culture
  • Science
  • Health
  • Videos
  • Shop
No Result
View All Result
CBDBuzzz.com
  • Home
  • News
  • Culture
  • Science
  • Health
  • Videos
  • Shop
No Result
View All Result
CBDBuzzz.com
No Result
View All Result

Sinsemilla Science at Lompoc’s Merso Labs

June 2, 2020
in Science
Reading Time: 6 mins read
A A
Sinsemilla Science at Lompoc’s Merso Labs
399
SHARES
2.3k
VIEWS
ShareShareShareShareShare

Whether you’re a weed lover or a cannabis complainer, it’s hard to argue against the rigorous testing for pesticides, molds, heavy metals, and other contaminants that are mandated for growers and producers by the California Bureau of Cannabis Control. The vetting is more extensive than what’s required for food and alcohol, aiming to ensure that consumers only get exactly what they think they’ve bought.

Like shady activity that plagues much of this nascent, once-illegal industry, there’ve been scandals in the testing sector too — one Sacramento lab, for instance, was caught falsifying pesticide results for almost 30 companies because a machine broke. But there’s a soon-to-be-licensed facility in Lompoc that’s trying to do everything both by the book and top of the line.

Photo: Matt Kettmann

“All of the methods we employ have to be bulletproof,” explains Kelsey Gorter, the director of laboratory services for Merso Labs. “We have to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are accurate every time.” She hopes to land their state license in April, after many months of accumulating more than $1.5 million in equipment and perfecting their methods. 

To do so, Gorter and her team bought a wide range of cannabis products — flower, resin, edibles, drinks, etc. — and started firing up the brand-new collection of chromatography and mass spectrometry devices required to break down and analyze the goods. The machines, many made by Agilent Technologies, are “brand new and hypersensitive,” said Gorter, noting that one produces a torch that’s as hot as the surface of the sun. 

The lab must be able to identify 66 pesticides, five mycotoxins, and a range of heavy metals, bacteria, and residual solvents like hexane and methanol. “We don’t want butane left in a product that someone is going to smoke or eat,” said Gorter, who also tracks potency via THC and CBD levels, although there is potential to test for many more cannabinoids and terpenes as well. Basic tests cost around $800 and take about 24 hours, though three to five business days is the usual waiting period. There are 135 analytes in all, and all samples are tracked via chain of custody forms. 


The Santa Barbara Independent is providing all coronavirus stories for free
so that all readers have access to critical information during this time.
Get the top stories in your inbox by signing up for our daily newsletter, Indy Today.


Once up and running, the lab’s test results go to the state at the same time as the producer or grower who submitted the sample learns the news. That ensures transparency, but these labs are commercial endeavors, not state agencies. To succeed, they need to cultivate a client base and work with growers and producers at every step along the way to ensure that they do pass when it’s time to run the official test. 

“We want to help them and educate them so their farming and manufacturing procedures can continue to improve,” said Gorter. “Everyone is tracked from seed to sample.” (Though Merso doesn’t offer this service, there are some remediation options available when certain samples don’t pass muster, which is giving rise to an entire sub-industry of consultants who can clean up dirty products.)

Photo: Matt Kettmann

That relationship could certainly raise eyebrows when it comes to conflicts of interest, but, said Gorter, “We’re not permitted to be invested in any other part of the cannabis industry.” Nor can growers or producers invest in labs. 

Gorter came to cannabis from the wine industry, where she worked for a large corporate winery in Paso Robles. But she’d studied biochemistry at UCSB with Kaleb Asfaha, who decided to create Merso Labs after getting his PhD from Berkeley. He gave her a call, and she came onboard. “There are a lot of parallels between wine and cannabis,” said Gorter. “But from some perspectives, cannabis is a lot more difficult. It’s a challenge.”

Asfaha chose Lompoc because of its proximity to so many Santa Barbara County cannabis farms, and the idea is to steadily expand beyond the current seven employees and 2,200 square feet into one of California’s more prominent labs. “There’s no other lab within hundreds of miles of us,” said Gorter, but she knows their services are a drop in the big testing bucket. “We won’t even make a dent in the need in this area.”

For a scientist like Gorter, it’s a fascinating career. “The field is like a blend of pharmacology and agriculture,” she said, explaining that ever-changing rules keep people on their toes. “That’s a general thing with the cannabis industry: I tell people that the plane is being built while flying.”


See mersolabs.com.

As a free weekly community newspaper, we must evolve and grow in order to stay relevant and thrive in the digital space. If our reporting on the Santa Barbara community matters to you, we hope you will join us in securing a strong future for journalism in our region by supporting the Independent through a digital subscription to Independent.com. Breaking news, critical content, and our print publication will always remain free, but your support will allow us to create even more consistent, quality, independent journalism.

Credit: Source link

Share160Tweet100SendShare28Pin36
Previous Post

Here’s Why Food Tastes Better When You Have The Munchies

Next Post

CBD Oil vs Hemp Oil… What’s the difference between both?

Related Posts

Raphael Mechoulam, RIP – Cannabis | Weed | Marijuana
Science

Raphael Mechoulam, RIP – Cannabis | Weed | Marijuana

March 23, 2023
How to Debunk Alleged Cannabis Harms ?
Science

How to Debunk Alleged Cannabis Harms ?

February 6, 2023
Trump says Harris ‘lied’ when questioned on cannabis (Newsletter: August 13, 2020)
Science

Schumer hosts cannabis meeting with other lawmakers (Newsletter: February 2, 2023)

February 2, 2023
Aurora Cannabis Inc. (TSE:ACB) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts
Science

Aurora Cannabis (ACB) Scheduled to Post Quarterly Earnings on Thursday

February 2, 2023
Load More
Next Post
CBD Oil vs Hemp Oil… What’s the difference between both?

CBD Oil vs Hemp Oil... What's the difference between both?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Updates

Proper Doinks: The Art of the Roll

Proper Doinks: The Art of the Roll

June 3, 2023
Raw Garden Gummies: Most Disappointing THC Gummies Of 2023

Raw Garden Gummies: Most Disappointing THC Gummies Of 2023

June 3, 2023
Father’s Day weed gadget gift guide 2023

Father’s Day weed gadget gift guide 2023

June 2, 2023
3 Cócteles Cannábicos Para Que Disfrutes Al Máximo

3 Cócteles Cannábicos Para Que Disfrutes Al Máximo

June 2, 2023
Study: Pot Use Linked With Lower Risk of Liver Disease

Study: Pot Use Linked With Lower Risk of Liver Disease

June 2, 2023
CBDBuzzz.com

This is an online news portal that aims to share latest news about "News, Culture, Science, Health, Shop" and much more stuff like that. Feel free to get in touch with us!

Recent News

Proper Doinks: The Art of the Roll

Proper Doinks: The Art of the Roll

June 3, 2023
Raw Garden Gummies: Most Disappointing THC Gummies Of 2023

Raw Garden Gummies: Most Disappointing THC Gummies Of 2023

June 3, 2023

Subscribe Now

Loading
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

© 2020 matans3.sg-host.com - All rights reserved!

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Culture
  • Science
  • Health
  • Videos
  • Shop

© 2020 matans3.sg-host.com - All rights reserved!