Unreliable Field Tests Removed from Alabama Police Department
The Summerdale police force is backtracking on social media this week, after posting inaccurate test results on Facebook accusing CBD-infused bottled water of containing THC. The officers purchased bottles of water produced by CBD Cure, a California-based manufacturer. Initially, multiple tests showed the water held at least some level of THC according to the analysis.
However, later in the day, the department was apologizing to CBD Cure stating the test, called Fast Blue, produced a false positive during the testing. Detective John Gleaton said in an email statement, “The Facebook post was intended to point out that the testing methodology for tests must be better vetted to ensure that no one is penalized or arrested based on a false result of a test used by an officer.”
The Summerdale Police force will no longer be using the Fast Blue tests.
Uganda Prepping for Cannabis and Hemp
The East African reported that at least five shipments or about 165 US tons of potting soil, and over two tons of cannabis seeds were imported from the Netherlands and Sri Lanka last year. Another news source, the Daily Monitor has reportedly found copies of the invoices of the imports containing the Uganda Revenue Authority stamp of approval.
Although Uganda government officials are still debating the health benefits and potential revenue value it appears after spending more than $40,000 importing seeds to grow the infamous herb; they may be nearing a crossroads. Working with Industrial Hemp Uganda Ltd, Global Pharma Uganda Ltd began importing the seeds and soil into the country last August.
Additionally, after spending over 1 billion Ugandan shillings for soil, Benjamin Cadet, a director at Industrial Hemp, commented, “For medical purposes, we cannot take risks, you need to control everything. These are World Health Organisation protocols for growing and manufacture plan materials for medicinal purposes.”
TheraCann Gets Acceptance in China
While molecular tagging has been a hot topic of debate in the United States, TheraCann, creators of ETCH biotrace™ – a molecular-tagging technology designed for cannabis and hemp, just reached an agreement with CannAcubed Pte Ltd in China.
Using a physical molecular tag supplied by Applied DNA Sciences and a blockchain ledger, the company offers forensic traceability of cannabis and cannabis products throughout the supply chain. In a press release, Dr. James Hayward, company president, and CEO, stated, “The molecular tags used in the ETCH biotrace system are considered GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe). The ETCH molecular tags are very small; too small to function as genes and are non-GMO. Tags are typically applied at a ratio of parts per billion, levels too low to have any impact on form or function or the biological properties of cannabis or hemp.”
Aurora Cannabis and Radient Technologies Deliver
In a press release this week, Aurora Cannabis announced they received their first delivery of extracts from Radient Technologies. The delivery marks the first batch of products made using Radient’s proprietary extraction process, called MAP™.
In the same press release, Terry Booth, CEO of Aurora, stated, “Our investment will begin to pay dividends with Radient achieving fully licensed, commercial status. Once scaled up, the addition of Radient's technology will significantly increase our ability to deliver high-value cannabis products at scale, complementing our existing internal extraction capabilities, which will support a full suite of derivative products.”
Using microwave technology to assist the extraction process, MAP™, the companies produce a superior cannabinoid extraction with better returns on the biomass, cost efficiencies, and increased capacity. This high-volume throughput allows commercial-scale production runs of the cannabis biomass through a continuous flow platform. Phase one of Radient’s Edmonton facility, which is expected to ready by the third quarter, will handle around 3.2 million kilograms of hemp biomass annually.
Global Outlook for Hemp Gets New Estimates
Global Market Insights, Inc., a world-wide market research and consulting services provider, anticipates massive growth in the hemp industry over the next five years. Expecting the North American market to achieve a 4.5 percent compound annual growth rate, the firm announced the sector could see $270 million by 2025.
Globally, France is ramping up production, and the industry should exceed $2 million by 2025. Meanwhile, China is projected to see gains of over 4 percent by the end of the period. The company states increases in consumer demand for CBD oils will continue to push the market to new heights with the expansion of personal care products, and applications for biocomposites and fiber applications are also on the rise.
