Approaching Method Development for Cannabis Potency Testing

The cannabis market is rapidly growing as legalization continues to increase across the United States and Internationally. As a result, an influx of different types of cannabis infused edibles and personal care products have come to market. From an analytical standpoint, it’s important to conduct purposeful method development so that your analytical method meets your objectives when performing potency testing. In this work, sample preparation strategies and potency testing methodology will be discussed for various sample matrices. A method that includes two newly discovered cannabinoid compounds, tetrahydrocannabiphorol (THCP) and cannabidiphorol (CBDP), will also be introduced. A general overview of sample preparation procedures will be reviewed and a deep dive into the method development for some samples that rely heavily on sample preparation, CBD infused lotions, balms, and creams will be presented.

Learning objectives:

1. Outline effective methodologies for potency testing flower, concentrates, and lotion, balm, and cream samples

2. Identify two recently discovered cannabinoids of interest and how to detect them

3. Implement sample preparation methodologies for a set of complex matrices- CBD infused lotions, balms, and creams