The new report by a federal agency of science examines the moisture and drying standard in hemp as part of a project that helps laboratories to ensure accuracy and precision during testing cannabis products.
NIST published a report last month that found significant differences in the moisture levels of facilities using different drying methods. The results, according to the agency indicate that “consistent hemp drying methods are needed for precise and accurate measurements.”
NIST launched its Cannabis Laboratory Quality Assurance Program in 2020. The paper, which is 29 pages long, is the latest of this program. Last year’s report on the program, which was published, focused on cannabinoid levels in samples of plant materials. Previous reports had dealt with moisture, heavy metals, and certain toxic substances.
Three exercises are included in the program. It was created following federal hemp legalization by Farm Bill 2018. The first centered on measuring the concentration of up to 17 different cannabinoids in hemp oil. NIST published its report about this sector in mid-2021.
Exercise 2 was completed in 2011. It focused on testing dried samples of cannabis plants rather than hemp oils. The exercise was expanded to test for 13 toxic substances as well as moisture and cannabinoid content.
CannaQAP’s Exercise 3, the new paper, is the first section. Exercise 3, in addition to the most recent report on moisture content, will include future reports about testing for toxic elements and cannabinoids.
NIST told MEDCAN24 they could publish the two final reports by the end this year. “But more likely, sometime in 2026.”
The new report is based on an experiment in which 89 laboratories participated in a test in order to determine the moisture content of a sample plant.
According to the report, only 20% of respondents reported that their moisture levels were within NIST’s range. The average moisture level in the study was 2 percent higher than the target set by the NIST.
In the article, it is noted that labs have used different methods of analysis, but the majority used one of two. [thermogravimetric analysis] or selected ‘other’ as their method option.”
The most commonly used method was “other” with 29 laboratories stating that they use a form of analysis not listed. With 28 laboratories using this method, thermogravimetric analyses was the second most popular.
In general, authors found that systematic errors and/or mistakes at random were responsible for the majority of incorrect or inaccurate results. These errors were most likely caused by improper sample storage or weighing irregularities.
They noted that “a sample or crucible may absorb moisture once it leaves the oven, freeze dryer, desiccator.” After removing the crucibles from the dryer, it is important to place them in a desiccator. The crucible must be adequately dried before use and placed in a desiccator. Both the crucible sample and its ambient temperature should be used to weigh them. “Boundancy errors can lead to an incorrect sample final mass.”
Walter Brent Wilson, a NIST research chemist who has co-authored previous CannaQAP and the new moisture report, explained to MEDCAN24 the reason for testing cannabinoids as well as contaminants, as moisture, in comments last year.
He said that cannabinoids, which are used increasingly in OTC supplements, were again included in the CannaQAP to allow participants to test their own analytical methods on dried hemp plant material. He added that it was important to accurately measure heavy metals, and other toxic components, as they can accumulate within cannabis, and there is a significant risk of human exposure following consumption.
Wilson noted that the importance of moisture was mainly due to federal laws which measure cannabinoid contents on a “dry-weight” basis. Similarly, many toxic element safety levels are measured on a “dry mass” basis.
A separate NIST report last year found that many products being sold as hemp met the federal definition of marijuana, with the vast majority of smokable hemp product samples–about 93 percent—containing more than 0.3 percent THC.
NIST, on the other hand, had planned an April gathering of government officials and forensics specialists, as well academics, representatives from industry, and law enforcement, and organizations that promote standards. The event was described by NIST as a “frank and open dialogue” regarding “the future path to realizing meaningful cannabis breathalyzers technology and implementation.”
A NIST official informed MEDCAN24 a month before the event that it had been postponed. This event on cannabis breathalyzers has now been scheduled for September.
Discussion topics will cover the design challenges of marijuana breathalyzers, difficulties for prosecutors to handle drugged driving cases, and ways NIST and others can partner with each other to further advance this technology.
In recent weeks, the Trump administration has seen mixed results in terms of other federal studies into cannabis.
Last month, a university, which has held the monopoly of being the only federally-authorized institution to cultivate marijuana for research purposes, announced that it would be hosting a collaborative cannabis study center with federal funding.
University of Mississippi selected as the home of the National Institutes of Health Resource Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research. The federal agency announced the selection in the late 2023. Washington State University and United States Pharmacopoeia will work together with the College, with the help of a National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health grant under NIH.
WSU and USP are responsible for research support, Ole Miss is in charge of the regulatory core.
Earlier this week, however, the controversial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) touted the cancellation of another marijuana-related federal grant—this time targeting a program that’s long tracked cannabis potency levels in seized illicit products.
Historically, the contract was awarded to University of Mississippi. The National Institute on Drug Abuse has also funded the University of Mississippi to conduct cannabinoid analysis, such as THC or CBD, on confiscated cannabis.
The contract was terminated in order to cut down on government spending.
“In the last two days, agencies terminated 148 wasteful contracts with a ceiling value of $420M and savings of $198M, including a $143K HHS contract for the ‘potency monitoring of confiscated marijuana samples,'” DOGE said in an X post on Monday.
The contract cancellation comes about two months after DOGE separately promoted the end of a grant meant to fund a study examining cannabis use risks among LGBTQ+ individuals, non-binary people and heterosexual women.
Elon Musk, his DOGE team, and many cannabis advocates had hoped to reduce costs, not by limiting research on the drug, but rather, by targeting agencies like DEA, which have criminalized marijuana.
Instead, DEA has ramped up recruitment—recently urging people to join them on the frontlines of the “war on drugs,” even if they currently work as a “coffee barista” or otherwise have a non-law enforcement background.
It was also recently revealed that “marijuana” is one of nearly two dozen “controversial or high-profile topics” that staff and researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) are required to clear with higher-ups before writing about, according to a leaked memo from within the federal agency.
Musk of DOGE, on the other hand, stated in February that it is a great idea to require drug tests for federal employees, as he tries to cut massive government spending and agencies.
In response, a Democratic congresswoman filed a bill that would require Musk and other DOGE workers to submit to drug testing to maintain their “special government employee” status.
While DOGE has made cannabis research-related grant cuts, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently announced that it’s looking for contractors to analyze and explain scientific evidence on medical marijuana to clinicians and the general public as part of its Systematically Testing the Evidence of Marijuana (STEM) project.
Trump’s New Surgeon General Pick Had ‘Meaningful Experiences’ With Psychedelics, But Said Marijuana Harms The Ability To ‘Make Good Energy’
National Institute of Standards and Technology.