Use of Process Design to Control Cannabis Flower Quality Attributes

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Analytical Cannabis

Cannabis flower is a common raw material pathway for almost all downstream cannabis lifestyle and medicinal products. Process knowledge and risk-based design of experiments illustrate the required state of control to meet product quality specifications to facilitate accurate, consistent dosing by body weight, and to validate dose enabling label claims. The supporting foundation for control of quality specifications is Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) as observed by Federal Code of Regulations as it pertains to commonly used medicinal substances. Cannabis flower quality specifications can be categorized by impact to final product specifications and ultimately patient response. Without consistent quality standards and specifications it is difficult to adequately dose as the absolute content of cannabinoid is questionable with current quality practices. This follows the entire supply chain from cultivated chemovars to final products such as topicals and tinctures. The critical nature of patient interaction with cannabis products stresses the need for quality attribute control by means of processes designed around the intention of meeting and/or exceeding the specifications of the final product or end user. In this talk Andrew Samann discussed the importance of GMP to ensure consistent cannabis products and how stringent quality control can drive the advancement of cannabis medicine.